Industry News

The first batch of comments in the FCC’s “resilient networks” proceeding — possibly mandating broadcaster compliance to submit status reports after hurricanes and other natural disasters — are now in, and broadcasters are expressing concerns over the logistical challenges such a requirement could present.

Broadcaster participation in the web-based Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), which is activated in limited emergency situations, has been voluntary since it was established in 2007. The online service outage reporting system has come under scrutiny because of the frequency of major storms and other disaster events.

NAB wrote in comments any move to require broadcaster participating in DIRS would be “unduly burdensome” and could actually undermine the FCC’s overriding goal of improving public safety by disrupting stations’ efforts to provide critical information following a disaster.

“Mandating DIRS filings would force stations to redirect their already-strained staff away from trying to maintain or restore service to fill out a government form,” NAB wrote in its comments submitted this week. “Many smaller stations simply lack the bandwidth to log in, assess their operational status, and complete DIRS reports in the midst of an emergency.”

[Previously: “FCC Disaster NPRM Discusses Backup Requirements”]

NAB adds: “Alternatively, if the FCC still believes that DIRS should be mandatory, perhaps the onus should be on government to create and fund an automated system that identifies which broadcast stations are operating during a disaster.”

The proposed rulemaking, which was released in October, also looks at ways to mitigate the effects of power outages to improve communications reliability following disasters, including the possibility of imposing mutual aid obligations on broadcasters to support others when facilities are damaged or destroyed and generators become inoperable.

The FCC notes in the NPRM the Wireless Network Resiliency Cooperative Framework is a voluntary agreement developed by the wireless industry in 2016 to provide mutual aid. The new proposal, which focuses largely on cell site outages, proposes expanding the “framework” to include radio and television stations. Several commenters note the need to include broadcasters is unnecessary.

“Required mutual aid is unnecessary and potentially harmful to the already supportive relationships that naturally exist without FCC enforcement,” according to joint comments filed by the Colorado Broadcasters Association and Association of Radio Broadcasters of Puerto Rico. “In addition, requiring mutual aid between broadcasters and other industries covered by the Framework would serve little purpose. Broadcasters do not have sufficient personnel or the expertise to assist wireless and wireline telecommunications providers or cable providers recover from a disaster, and those industries do not have the expertise needed to help get damaged broadcast facilities back on the air.”

A coalition of state broadcast associations also summarily dismissed the need to require broadcasters to join the aforementioned framework: “There would be no benefit to such a move, and it would instead merely burden precious staff resources that are a fraction of what common carriers can bring to bear in such circumstances.”

The FCC proposal does raise the possibility of adopting backup power requirements for DIRS and NORS (Network Outage Reporting System) participants. The small carve out was included in the appendix section of the proposed rulemaking: “To the extent that the Commission were to adopt backup power requirements, providers subject to them, potentially including cable providers, Direct Broadcast Satellite providers, Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service, TV and radio broadcasters, Commercial Mobile Radio Service and other wireless service providers, could potentially be required to take steps to make their networks more resilient to power outages.”

That assertion led at least one observer to believe the commission could potentially require all broadcasters purchase backup power systems.

Gary Timm, chair of the Wisconsin State Emergency Communications Committee, filed comments as an individual on the matter: “If the Commission is suggesting requiring all broadcasters to acquire backup power generators on their own, this proposal should not even be considered due to the costs, particularly on small stations.”

Timm also notes there is no mention of federal funding for station generators in this current proposed rulemaking, “but that would be the most workable solution if the Commission is truly interested in broadcast station resiliency during power outages.”

NAB, which also discounts the need for additional rules regarding fuel backup for generators during times of crisis, concludes its comments touting the overall preparedness of radio and television broadcasters: “Given the Notice’s focus on the continuity of telecommunications services, it is important to highlight that broadcasting is likely the most reliable communications services during emergencies. Broadcasters, especially those in areas prone to severe weather conditions, plan and prepare throughout the year for disasters. They create, review, and practice their disaster response plans under various scenarios, enabling them to efficiently trigger such plans when disaster strikes.”

Reply comments to FCC docket 21-346 are due Jan. 14.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post FCC Reviews Comments on Network Resiliency appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World announced the recipients of the Best of 2021 Awards.

This award program normally is held in conjunction with the IBC Show, which was postponed and later cancelled this year.

The winners are:

• APTmpX – WorldCast Systems
• Adthos Platform – Adthos

These products will be featured in an upcoming issue.

The full list of recipients from TV Tech, TVBEurope and Radio World can be found here.

The pandemic disrupted the 2021 calendar for awards program in which Radio World participates. Just recently we also announced winners of the Best in Market Awards, a version of the program that normally runs in conjunction with the spring NAB Show.

The post Winners of Best of 2021 Awards Announced appeared first on Radio World.

Thursday afternoon commutes always tend to be particularly traffic-filled. On December 16, that was certainly no exception in Boca Raton, Fla. Thanks to the “snowbirds” and full-time residents, getting home from the office at 6pm took some time. Helping our Editor-in-Chief with the 30-minute commute home: Javier, a thirty-something Dominican who recently relocated to South Palm Beach County from New York City. Javier’s audio choice for his Lyft duties didn’t involve Spotify, or Pandora, or SiriusXM. It was a FM radio station. The timing couldn’t be better, given radio’s incredible delivery of millions of dollars in listener donations to charities galore during the 2021 holiday season.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

(Flaticon/Freepic/AomAm)

Most of the people and companies that climb communications towers for a living in the U.S. don’t want a vaccine mandate. And their industry association is telling the government so.

NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association said its member companies are worried about retaining their workforce if a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate is implemented.

After President Biden and the Occupational Health & Safety Administration announced a mandate for private sector employees, NATE ran a survey of its members and now has sent a letter to OSHA expressing concern.

“According to NATE’s survey, nearly 80 percent of NATE members are opposed to a federal government mandate that workers be vaccinated,” the association wrote.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

“While NATE members generally oppose the vaccine mandate, many NATE members are encouraging and incentivizing employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Almost 20 percent of NATE members have either paid employees to get vaccinated or are considering similar incentives.”

It said the survey affirmed that its members are concerned a mandate would exacerbate workforce challenges they already face. Tower service companies already face a workforce shortage of almost 15,000 people, according to NATE.

“In fact, approximately 85 percent of NATE members believe that some staff would resign if they are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and 30 percent of respondents indicated they would lose more than half of their workers.”

The association said NATE members, like companies in other expert trades, “have struggled to recruit skilled workers.” It said the possibility of losing a significant number of technicians is a serious concern and comes at a time when America is investing billions of dollars in broadband projects.

“Furthermore, this could even impact the ability to deploy broadband and high-speed communications on federal lands and in federal buildings. Many NATE members, approximately 60 percent, either work on federal projects or have in the past, and if they are unable to hire and train workers to complete these federal contracts, then the government’s own broadband goals may be unfulfilled.”

NATE said tower labor is done primarily outdoors and at elevations that minimize risk of exposure and immediate interactions with other people.

“Americans needed tower technicians and communications workers to help lead us through the transition to remote learning and working, and tower technicians did not stop doing their jobs due to the fear of COVID.” The association urged OSHA “to strongly consider the workforce and economic ramifications that the ETS and any federal vaccine mandates could have on our industry as well as on every American.”

Comment on this or any article. Write to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Would Tower Climbers Quit in Droves Over Vaxx Mandate? appeared first on Radio World.

It’s a 5kw Class B AM facility that until its 2007 sale to Curtis Media Group was owned by CBS Radio. Before that, it was owned by iHeartMedia predecessor Clear Channel Communications and has served the Greensboro and Winston-Salem area of North Carolina since April 1930.

What does the future hold for this station? That’s up to Stuart W Epperson Jr.

A deal consummated on December 9 and submitted this week to the FCC for approval sees Epperson’s Truth Broadcasting Corp. putting together an asset purchase agreement for WSJS-AM 600 in Winston-Salem. FM translator W276DS at 103.1 MHz is included in the transaction.

The seller is Curtis, but the licensee shown on the APA is related entity Crescent Media Group LLC.

A $625,000 purchase price has been agreed upon by the parties. Terms call for a $125,000 cash delivery at closing, pending any adjustments; the remaining $500,000 is represented via a promissory note.

Crescent, led by Donald Curtis, is represented by Brooks Pierce attorney Coe Ramsey. For Epperson, his legal counsel is Davina Sashkin of BakerHostelter.

WSJS will join a group of stations at include Christian Talk & Teaching WTRU-AM 830, Christian Full Service WPET-AM 950, and Gospel WPOL-AM 1340 in the Greensboro and Winston-Salem region.

NEW YORK — It’s been a busy week for Standard Media Index, with new data releases galore since Monday.

The latest info to come from SMI: Ad spend in November of 2021 grew 10% compared to the same time a year ago. The comparisons to 2019 are even rosier.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Over the last two years, Spotify has taken great strides to “modernize” digital audio advertising and, in turn, “drive growth for creators and publishers while delivering impact for advertisers.”

This included the November 2020 acquisition of Megaphone, enabling Spotify to offer podcast publishers new ways to monetize their content. In 2021, new features for Streaming Ad Insertion, podcast ad buying in Spotify Ad Studio and the introduction of the Spotify Audience Network came to fruition.

With a commitment to continuing to help publishers around the globe grow their podcast businesses, Spotify has moved forward with the acquisition of an Australian podcast technology platform that the company says gives independent creators, publishers, broadcasters and brands “a cost effective, end-to-end platform to host, distribute, monetize and track on-demand audio.”

What does the purchase of Whooshkaa mean for publishers and advertisers, or for broadcast radio eager to thwart technology companies for stepping on its toes?

“With the integration of Whooshkaa’s broadcast-to-podcast technology into Megaphone, radio broadcasters will be able to more easily and quickly turn their existing audio content into a podcast and access Megaphone’s industry-leading, differentiated suite of tools and technology,” Spotify explains.

Thus, there is a big opportunity for broadcasters to grow their NTR through a platform powered by an on-demand audio source.

Megaphone is the podcast platform of choice for AdLarge Media, as well as The Wall Street Journal.

“Integrating Whooshkaa’s innovative broadcast-to-podcast technology means we’ll be able to bring even more third-party content into the Spotify Audience Network, helping advertisers to connect with even more audiences,” Spotify notes. “We believe we’re on the precipice of immense growth for the entire digital audio industry.”

So maybe you think you need to invest your entire brand advertising budget in digital/online/social platforms only. The music industry knows better. The new cutting-edge platform being used for many top-tier artists? Billboards!

It seems counterintuitive that great billboard advertising can get fans talking on social media, but it is a fact that the music industry noticed years ago.

Example: Drake’s album releases and concert appearances have been promoted regularly on billboards since 2011. The campaigns are clever and sometimes only understood by his legions of fans, which adds to his allure and makes one feel as if they’re part of a special club of insiders.

More than ever, it’s important to recognize that big billboards require big thinking. Out-of-home has always had the potential to be sexy, controversial and cost effective, but radio stations advertising their own product too often view billboard creative as a branding exercise.

Times-Shamrock Communications ran this series of billboards to highlight its Rock 107 format in a pandemic context.

To get the most out of your creative, it may be necessary to contract an advertising agency that specializes in getting attention.
You should consider testing your creative. The message must be so simple that it can be understood from a moving car in just a few seconds and yet it still should generate some emotion as soon as it is seen. Fortunately, it’s not difficult or expensive to test creative, either online or through in-person focus groups.

One challenge with billboards is that it’s difficult for some folks to see the creative on a computer screen and then try to imagine what it will look like when it’s blown up to huge proportions and seen from a distance. When in doubt, make one board, put it up, and rethink before making 20 of them.

[Read More Promo Power Here]

If you’re still not sold on the relevance of outdoor advertising, consider the success of Apple’s and Amazon’s recent campaigns. “Shot on iPhone” shows rotating selfies on digital billboards. The creative shows off Apple’s smartphone camera features and the quality of the imagery is gorgeous, proving without a doubt that new iPhones take terrific photographs.

The hashtags are taking the campaign from the boards to social and back to the boards to see more. Amazon is using motion to grab attention. Passersby in New York are now seeing otherworldly creatures appear to jump out of gigantic billboards in promotion of Amazon’s new “Wheel of Time” series.

You won’t be able to afford to cover your entire city by buying up boards everywhere, but you can place ads on boards where you have the most potential for growing audience.

Or maybe your entire goal with a board or two is to gain the attention of a specific company, media outlet or even individual. The movie industry is famous for placing boards where stars and producers can see them so that the star will do more appearances to promote the film, or the producer will see that the studio is actively advertising the product.

Billboards are the perfect place to launch stunts and fortunately, digital boards can go up and come down quickly. Capture reactions of social media and amplify on-air and all your platforms. If your stunt is good, the action will catch fire. Putting out that fire is a topic for another day!

The post Build Some Buzz Through Billboards appeared first on Radio World.

Doug Ferber is vice president of sales for the Americas at Tieline. This interview originally appeared in the free ebook “Streaming for Radio 2021.”

Radio World: Does streaming need to be a bigger part of the radio business strategy?

Doug Ferber: If you believe that you have to be where the listeners are migrating to, then yes, streaming needs to be a bigger part of a radio company’s strategy. At least 10% of a station’s listening is done online, and growing rapidly, right? I think it would be a careless decision to ignore this trend.

RW: What are the problems radio managers need to solve to become successful streamers?

Ferber: Define successful for me. If success means higher listenership, then programmers should be promoting their streams and creating unique content to capture online listening. If driving increases in revenue from online listening is the measure, I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that question. If I did I’d likely be speaking with you from a big boat on a big lake near a great golf course.

Last I heard nobody makes a profit that is directly attributable to streaming. This is the biggest challenge presented by streaming.

RW: It seems that many radio managers still question whether they can monetize their streams. What advice do you have for them?

Ferber: They should support the NAB and hope that their trade organization can negotiate better music royalty deals. Otherwise they will have to treat the streaming as another necessary cost of doing business.

RW: What misconceptions do many people have about streaming that you’d like to dispel?

Ferber: There are still radio operators out there that don’t believe it to be a critical distribution channel for their content. Remember cable TV in the ’70s? How many people do you know today that watch television using an over-the-air signal?

RW: Do streaming and podcasting benefit or conflict with one another in a media strategy?

Ferber: I think they are complementary. While I’m not convinced of the commercial efficacy of streaming and podcasting (yet), radio should be seen as a platform … over-the-air, streaming, podcasting, live events, digital, etc.

Package these up for advertisers and they will reach your listeners no matter which element of your platform that they are using.

RW: There was an article in Variety with the headline, “As Streaming Dominates the Music World, Is Radio’s Signal Fading?” I’m interested to hear your take on this bigger question of radio’s future in this world of so many audio choices.

Ferber: The effect of competing media is significant, but what some don’t know is that people are consuming more audio in general. Another thing … not everyone has access to the internet. No internet? You won’t find them online. Radio a fading signal? Not yet … it is still very important to hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. market.

RW: Is there a major difference between how commercial and public radio strategize streaming?

Ferber: Public radio is much better at streaming mostly because they offer more local and original programming. Content is king.

RW: What does your company offer for streamers and what sets it apart?

Ferber: Tieline specializes in distributing high-quality broadcast audio between remote locations, studios and affiliates with best-in-class AoIP audio codecs.

These codecs currently integrate Icecast client support as one of several fail-over options when distributing broadcast audio signals over all IP network types. In recognition of the importance of streaming, Tieline Gateway and Gateway 4 codecs will also deliver support for HTTP streaming to servers in 2021, e.g., Icecast.

Along with a range of other IP innovations, this will deliver greater streaming flexibility to broadcasters employing a range of streaming applications across diverse radio network infrastructure.

The post Radio Should Be Seen as a Platform appeared first on Radio World.

Carl Davis is retiring after a 50-year career in broadcasting.

For the past decade he has been radio account manager for the eastern United States for Electronics Research Inc. ERI has named Angela Gregory to manage accounts in the region starting Jan. 1.

“Davis’s career has included senior management roles at commercial and public television and radio stations and equipment sales at ERI and Harris Corp. (now GatesAir),” ERI wrote in the announcement.

“In 2018 he was inducted into the North Carolina Broadcasters Hall of Fame. His professional activities have included participation on the National Association of Broadcasters Engineering and Advisory Committee, the North Carolina Emergency Communications Committee and holding leadership positions for his local chapter of the Society of Broadcast Engineers.”

[Read Radio World’s 2018 interview with Carl Davis.]

Davis grew up in Hickory, N.C., where got his start in radio at WIRC and WXRC, according to an earlier Radio World story. He studied sociology at East Carolina University in Greenville, where he worked at campus station WECU(AM) and local station WOOW(AM) as chief engineer and program director.

Earlier roles included assistant general manager of PBS-NC, vice president of engineering for Voyager Communications and director of engineering for Durham Life Broadcasting.

“In retirement, he will continue to reside in Greenville, N.C., and has indicated he will remain an active participant in the East Carolina University’s Alumni Association and the ECU Foundation and its scholarship programs,” ERI said.

ERI also announced that Angela Gregory will become Eastern Region account manager for radio.

“Gregory joined ERI in 2019 in its Quality Assurance Department in roles that exposed her to all aspects of ERI’s design, fabrication and installation processes and procedures,” ERI said. She will be based at the company’s headquarters in Chandler, Ind.

Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Carl Davis Retires from ERI appeared first on Radio World.