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The acting chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission says the latest data about broadcast ownership in the United States “makes clear that women and people of color are underrepresented in license ownership.”

Jessica Rosenworcel commented on a new FCC report (PDF) summarizing data collected in 2019.

The lack of diversity, she said, “requires attention because what we see and hear over the public airwaves says so much about who we are as individuals, as communities and as a nation. However, changes in the law, technology and court decisions like FCC v. Prometheus Radio Project make addressing this complex. But we have a charge to promote diversity under the Communications Act and we need to honor it.”

She called for an effort to identify ways to encourage more diversity, including reinstatement of the Minority Tax Certificate Program.

The report covers about 4,600 AM stations, 10,900 FM stations and full-power, low-power and Class A television as of 2019.

The FCC released this chart summarizing the majority ownership interest of commercial broadcast stations in gender, race and ethnicity:

As shown above, women held a majority ownership interest in 8% of commercial broadcast stations, while men held a majority ownership interest in 65%, the FCC noted. White persons held a majority ownership interest in 76% of commercial stations while persons belonging to racial minority groups held a majority ownership interest in 4%. Hispanic/Latino persons held a majority ownership interest in 6% of commercial stations while not Hispanic/Latino persons held a majority ownership interest in 73%.

The second image assesses the same categories but for noncommercial broadcast stations:

Women held a majority ownership interest in 12% of noncom broadcast stations while men held a majority ownership interest in 75%. White persons held a majority ownership interest in 89% while persons belonging to racial minority groups held majority ownership interest in 3%. Hispanic/Latino persons held a majority ownership interest in 3% while not Hispanic/Latino persons held a majority ownership interest in 89% of noncommercial stations.

The report also provided charts specifically for various categories. For example, the image below shows majority ownership interest for commercial FM radio stations:

The full set of charts including those for noncom FMs, AM stations and various TV categories is posted on the FCC website.

The post Latest Data Confirms Underrepresentation, Rosenworcel Says appeared first on Radio World.

Newton Minow chaired the FCC under President Kennedy. He’s shown receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama. Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

Nine former FCC chairs are expressing support for reinstating a tax certificate program intended to encourage investment in broadcast ownership by women and people of color.

The National Association of Broadcasters distributed a copy of their letter to the media, highlighting the support of these former commission chairs. They include seven Democrats and two Republicans.

The letter supports the Expanding Broadcast Opportunities Act of 2021 introduced in the House and the Broadcast VOICES Act in the Senate.

[Related: “NAB Gives Thumbs Up to Minority Tax Bills”]

Among the former FCC leaders signing the letter was Richard Wiley, who was chair from 1974 to 1977. Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images.

A Diversity Tax Certificate Program would give a tax incentive to those who sold a majority interest in a radio or TV station to underrepresented broadcasters.

The letter was signed by Newton Minow (1961–1963), Richard Wiley (1974–1977), Reed Hundt (1993–1997), William Kennard (1997–2001), Michael Powell (2001–2005), Michael Copps (2009), Julius Genachowski (2009–2013), Mignon Clyburn (2013) and Tom Wheeler (2013–2017).

“In each of our administrations, one of the most critical goals was advancing diversity and competition in broadcasting,” the former FCC chairs wrote, noting that a similar program was in place from 1978 to 1995.

Among the former FCC leaders signing the letter was Mignon Clyburn, an FCC commissioner from 2009 to 2018.

“The greatest barrier to diversity is access to capital, which is why the Tax Certificate Policy was so important. It provided that a licensee who sold his or her station to a minority entrepreneur could defer payment of capital gains taxes upon reinvestment in comparable property. This relief benefitted buyers, sellers, and consumers.”

They called the former policy “highly successful” because it helped minority ownership in broadcast TV and radio quintuple. “But in the years since the repeal of the policy, the frequency with which broadcast properties have been sold to minorities has fallen dramatically.”

 

The post Former FCC Chairs Give Support to Diversity Certificate appeared first on Radio World.

What are some of the biggest brands using spot television and spot cable to best connect with consumers, and grow their sales? The latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Reports are out for the week ending September 5.

What categories and products are leading the way with viewers?

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Don’t change the local radio ownership rules. That’s the plea from the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters.

Jim Winston, president of NABOB, said, “The reasons given for eliminating or radically relaxing the commission’s local radio ownership rule are not adequate to justify increased consolidation of ownership in local radio markets. The AM radio industry would be greatly injured by the proposals that have been put forth. We are pleased to see iHeartMedia and other companies rejecting these proposals.”

The association is thus at odds on this issue with the National Association of Broadcasters, which has pushed the commission to raise or eliminate the caps.

[Related: “Give Us Subcap Relief, NAB Again Tells FCC”]

NABOB filed comments in the FCC’s 2018 quadrennial review of its broadcast ownership rules.

“Any change in the local radio ownership rule to allow increased consolidation will have a significant negative impact on African Americans and other minority station owners and entrepreneurs,” NABOB wrote.

“Any elimination or relaxation of the subcaps rule would be particularly damaging for the AM radio industry as a whole, in addition to being damaging to African American AM station owners.”

The organization said that ownership of broadcast radio and TV stations has been “in steady decline” since Congress repealed the minority tax certificate policy in 1995, the Supreme Court decided the Adarand case in 1995 and Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

“The proponents of elimination or relaxation of the subcaps rule have put forth justifications for these rule changes that are not supported by the facts. Advertisers are unlikely to shift dollars away from Facebook, Google and other internet companies to broadcast media.  Advertisers recognize that the two media deliver audiences in very different ways.  Advertisers seeking to buy radio can buy it now regardless of who owns the stations.”

The post NABOB Opposes Lifting Subcaps appeared first on Radio World.

The Media Bureau of the FCC has opened a Docket that serves as an intelligence gathering mechanism for determining just how accessible children’s educational and informational programming is.

It could set off protests among the Republican Commissioners at the FCC, who during the Pai Commission stated that commercially licensed broadcast TV stations need not adhere to rules requiring it to air programming during certain hours of the week due to the “abundance” of other sources available to Americans.

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A 1,000-watt daytime-only AM radio station could be on the hook for a financial penalty for being delinquent with its FCC license renewal application.

It’s just the latest Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture handed out to a radio station that was tardy.

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By Rob Dumke and Adam Jacobson

A battle is brewing among broadcasters with respect to how the FCC should move forward with its media ownership rules. Late last week, the NAB and a coalition of nine broadcast media companies including Townsquare Media each submitted comments to the Commission reiterating their calls for a loosening of the “subcaps” pertaining to AM and FM radio station ownership in a given market.

If it were up to the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB), zero amendments should be made as part of the FCC’s 2018 Quadrennial Review of its broadcast ownership rules.

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Streaming products developer and services provider StreamGuys has announced that it is available for custom development of Google Actions, that company’s equivalent of Alexa Skills. Therefore, users of Google smart speakers and OS-enabled devices be able to access a station’s live and on-demand content through voice commands.

The company says, “StreamGuys’ Google Actions creation service allows broadcasters who don’t have their own in-house development capabilities to take advantage of the growing ecosystem of Google smart devices for engaging their audience.”

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

StreamGuys Director of Technology Eduardo Martinez explained, “In today’s media-saturated world, it is important for broadcasters’ brand voice to be presented consistently to their audiences across all listening platforms. … The ability to create tailored experiences also helps them forge deeper relationships with their listeners than the typical ‘cookie cutter’ approach available through third-party aggregators.”

He added, “Our customers have enjoyed using Alexa Skills to better engage their audiences, and our new Google Actions offering lets them extend these benefits onto Google-enabled devices while providing consistent, cross-platform listener experiences.”

For broadcasters using StreamGuys’ CDN and SaaS-based solutions, tight integration between the Google Actions and StreamGuys’ SGmetadata metadata delivery system also allows live stream listeners to ask questions such as “What’s playing?” or “What song is this?”, with the device then speaking out the current song details.

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

Info: www.streamguys.com

 

The post StreamGuys Building Google Actions appeared first on Radio World.

By Rob Dumke

Eight former FCC Chairman and the first woman to serve as Acting FCC Chairs have joined the growing list of supporters who advocate for the reinstatement of a federal tax certificate program.

The legislative efforts are designed to encourage investment in Radio and TV station ownership by women and minorities.

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By Rob Dumke

The FCC is seeking comments on three main issues related to broadband deployment in Multiple Tenant Environment (MTE) buildings.

Given the growing use of OTT, “FAST” channels, and video-on-demand, along with the continued use of smart speakers for streaming audio, it could be a matter that effects broadcast media more than many industry leaders realize.

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He most recently served as VP/Communications for VICE Media Group.

Now, this PR and media relations pro is back in familiar environs — ABC News.

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By Rob Dumke

There’s a Director of Business Development/Streamers for streaming TV operation Wurl.

It’s the former Head of Business Development for Dish’s Sling TV.

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By Rob Dumke

Hearst Television is expanding its original program production and distribution capabilities with the creation of the Hearst Media Production Group.

And, a longtime Hearst Television executive has been named president of the new group.

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By Rob Dumke

Circle City Broadcasting and Metro Video Productions have signed an agreement that effectively expands the “Indiana News Network,” based at the DuJuan McCoy-owned TV stations serving Indianapolis, to another Hoosier State market.

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Audio advertising has gone through some seismic shifts in the last decade thanks to a number of factors. There’s more listeners and more ways to listen – according to Edison Research, 74% of 25- to 54-year-olds are regularly streaming music, news and podcasts, with smart speakers emerging as one of the most popular ways to listen. While technology makes it possible to harness the power of data to create truly targeted advertising. How then, to turn all of this potential into profit for broadcasters? Introducing Adthos Creative Studio For the first time, Adthos Creative Studio enables the production of broadcast-quality advertising audio using synthetic voice technology for on-the-go spot creation, with a powerfully targeted approach.  So much more than a text to speech solution, it’s a first-of-a-kind browser based multitrack editor that allows you and your advertiser to collaborate online, combining music, human and synthetic voice to produce real-time audio advertising. Hearing is believing Adthos Creative Studio harnesses the power of AI to produce natural sounding and programmable audio that needs to be heard to be believed. Within the standard package choose from up to 14 US – English different voices, with many more available in Adthos’ exclusive voice talent library as part of the professional voiceover package. Once you’ve chosen your voice, bring it to life with character and personality: control intonation, speed and apply reading rules for certain types of content such as phone numbers or emails to deliver realistic and engaging audio. Almost like directing your own voice actor! Advertising that’s always a step ahead Alongside text-to-speech functionality, Creative Studio’s one-of-a-kind embedded webserver allows the insertion of content based on different data sets to produce timely, relevant advertising. From web-based information such as the weather pages, using geo-targeting for location-based advertising, or even Excel files in the case of information such as pricing catalogues for supermarket deals. Taking care of the humans It may sound as if this takes away opportunities from voiceover professionals, but it’s quite the opposite. We provide several ways for voice talent to monetize their synthetic voices, for example a royalty system. They also have access to a complete audit of where, when and what their voice has been used for, including being able to playback the recording, and opt out of various kinds of advertising e.g., Alcohol or adult-themed content. Where you decide to use your own voice talent, they’ll also be able to sign up to enjoy the same conditions. Astonishing possibilities. Unbelievable price. You’d expect all of this to come at a cost wouldn’t you? Think again. Adthos Creative Studio comes in at just $49.99/month for a standard subscription. While it’s ready for production and available, Adthos Creative Studio will launch initially with Limited Access, meaning customers must apply and be approved by Adthos before they can access it.  Once approved, customers will get the chance to experience and utilize the full potential of broadcast-quality AI-generated audio advertising.  Curious? Prepare to be amazed 

In partnership with Telos Alliance, Grass Valley is releasing Telos Infinity VIP (Virtual Intercom Platform) on GV AMPP (Agile Media Processing Platform), a professional intercom tool for cloud-based media production workflows.

Infinity VIP on AMPP supports essential intercom functionality that is already well known to production professionals, including partylines, IFBs, groups and peer-to-peer communication.

This new cloud-based production functionality is being beta-tested by All Mobile Video (AMV) and will be live with an AMV customer later in the year..

“It’s critical to us that the maximum number of productions are able to get the most out of our industry-leading intercom solutions,” commented Scott Stiefel, Chief Operating Officer of Telos Alliance. “As a GV Media Universe Alliance Partner, our technology is now tightly integrated with AMPP, putting our intercom solutions in prime position for productions using the cloud-based platform. Through seamless access to our solutions, we look forward to gaining new customers as well as pleasing existing users looking to move as much functionality as possible to the cloud.”

Telos Infinity VIP on AMPP is a native SaaS solution tightly integrated from both an operational and commercial standpoint for a frictionless experience. The Infinity VIP on AMPP cloud server and virtual panel apps are available from the AMPP app store and deploy in the same way as any AMPP application.

AMV CEO Eric Duke commented, “Our beta trials of Infinity VIP on AMPP have gone incredibly well with our customers, and we look forward to Grass Valley building in all the functionality we need to take the fullest advantage of cloud production. This will make us more profitable, more flexible and most important of all, enables AMV to offer the best possible service.”

“The undoubted advantages of cloud-based production, even in a studio environment, means that the methodology behind GV AMPP is a hugely positive paradigm shift for the video production industry,” noted Grass Valley President/CEO Tim Shoulders. “Today, the concept of cloud production is widely understood throughout the industry; it’s now the job of the GV Media Universe to make available to production teams all the professional functionality they need through the cloud. The Telos intercom solution is a fantastic example of how this works to everyone’s benefit. Video producers get access to the latest tools wherever they are, Telos gains new users and we can enable customers, like AMV, the functionality they need to provide workflows that produce exciting content.”

With Infinity VIP on AMPP, operators supporting live productions from anywhere can access the application from any connected browser. The microphone and speakers from the connected phone, tablet, or computer allow operators to communicate with team members, while using the same device for performing their job functions using other AMPP-enabled solutions such as switching, audio mixing, replay, routing, and monitoring.

Usage monitoring is consolidated with other AMPP applications to provide a single billing experience. While providing the latest in flexible user interfaces, this new intercom solution also provides cloud connection for existing intercom hardware, providing all the benefits of a new cloud-enabled system while retaining existing intercom infrastructure and workflows.

Digital Nirvana, a provider of media monitoring and metadata generation services, is preparing for the release of the newest version of its AI-driven compliance logging and monitoring product.

MonitorIQ 8.0 integrates with its Media Services Portal. The update brings its Linux operating system and all included software up to their latest versions.

This helps to negate security vulnerabilities, and offers increased resiliency. Additionally, quicker navigation is seen. Plus, there is lower latency for live video.

Digital Nirvana’s MonitorIQ allows operators to record, store, monitor, analyze, and repurpose content quickly and efficiently with a minimum of clicks. “Natively recording content from any point in the video delivery chain, from production (SDI) to consumption (OTT and STB), MonitorIQ enables broadcasters to collect and use knowledge about their broadcast content to meet a wide range of regulatory and compliance requirements,” the company says. “Users can view live or recorded content across hundreds of channels from desktop and mobile devices in any remote location worldwide for instant recall of proof of performance, compliance, or ad placement.”

MonitorIQ is based on the Linux operating system.

Among other improvements touted by Digital Nirvana are improved video intelligence. This, it says, “means broadcasters can now identify ads on competitive channels, detect logos in high-value content, recognize faces from news sources or entertainment content, and generate closed captions or transcripts of clips from live or historical content or advertisements.”

The MonitorIQ 8.0 upgrade will be available starting in the fourth quarter at no cost to active customers. Digital Nirvana support will contact customers to schedule the upgrade process. More information about Digital Nirvana and its products and services is available at www.digital-nirvana.com.

Celebro Media, a provider of live TV services to broadcasters around the world, has partnered with Quicklink as part of their new global studio project.

Quicklink’s ST500 (Studio-in-a-box) solution has been chosen to provide contribution facilities across Celebro’s televisions studio spaces.

As part of the global studio project, Celebro plans to open 80 new television studios across the world over the next two years. This will complement their larger facilities in London; Washington, D.C.; and Los Angeles.

Roll out has already begun with Miami and New York; Paris, Brussels and Moscow are next to open.

In these locations, Celebro Media chose Quicklink’s ST500 (Studio-in-a-box) to facilitate the contributions back to their MCRs in Washington or London.

The ST500 (Studio-in-a-box) is a compact unit with in-built lighting and camera that can be controlled from any remote location. The camera, lights and audio can be controlled from a
Chrome web-browser using the Quicklink Manager Portal.

In order to facilitate Celebro’s studio roll-out, it has partnered with Regus. As such, Celebro can easily open studios/bureaus at locations where a news event is happening, such as a sporting event or elections.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — PILOT, the innovation initiative of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), has announced two winners of the 2021 PILOT Innovation Challenge. Winners will receive relevant mentorship, feedback, travel support and exhibit space at the 2021 NAB Show, held October 9-13 in Las Vegas.

Individuals, companies, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations submitted applications to address the challenge focus areas which included edge technologies, broadcast journalism and in-vehicle technologies.

This year’s winners are as follows:

BeamOn – Beam Dynamics. BeamOn is a cloud-based product intelligence platform for broadcast stations. The platform bridges the communication barrier between product owners and manufacturers to help broadcast studios reduce costly downtime on set and extend equipment life cycles.

Reinventing Local TV News: Prioritizing Animation and Graphics – Northeastern University. Researchers at Northeastern have shown that animation and advanced graphics are effective ways to enhance broadcast journalism. Northeastern University’s team provides research data, a roadmap, expertise and ready-to-use templates for animations and graphics.

“We are delighted by this year’s Innovation Challenge submissions offering creative proposals for the broadcast industry,” said PILOT Executive Director John Clark. “The winning entries offered solutions that broadcast stations can immediately act upon and put into use right now. We look forward to bringing these award winners to Las Vegas and showcasing their innovative ideas at NAB Show.”

The Innovation Challenge is one in a series of PILOT initiatives that each support a facet of the full innovation cycle, including the ideation, validation and incubation of media and technology-focused ideas.

Cleanfeed, a collaboration tool for high definition, live audio and recording in a browser, is now offering enhanced studio tools to the marketplace.

The U.K.-based company says this amounts to improving the service for podcasters and broadcasters on a global level.

Cleanfeed’s products fulfill the need to broadcast or record in high-definition audio, straight from a browser.

There are enhancements to the existing Clips feature, and a new Player for longer cuts of audio.

The tools give podcasters and broadcasters the functionality of a professional radio studio, straight out of their laptop. Features now give users the opportunity to give their listeners and guests a finished production experience, including the ability to play intro and background music, host a panel show or quiz with sound effects, review music, have guests comment on interviews or even play voxes from the public.

Marc Bakos, co-founder of Cleanfeed, comments, “As business owners we are continually striving to take feedback directly from our users, as well as industry professionals, to ensure we are servicing our community with the best user experience possible. The new enhanced tools really reinforce that creativity is only ever limited by our imagination and we are excited about the possibilities that these features open for everyone who uses them.”

— RBR+TVBR European News Desk, in Kaiserslautern, Germany.