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Issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture to WGBH Educational Foundation in the amount of $3,000 for violations of Commission rules.

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The Media Bureau affirms the dismissal of the application of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a new LPFM station at Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Grants applications for pro forma assignment of licenses with conditions.

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In analyzing the recently-released findings from the 2024 Techsurvey by Jacobs Media, we can see that radio personalities continue to play a big role in listener retention and station popularity.

Over the past six surveys, Jacobs Media reports that broadcast radio personalities have stayed ahead of music as key attributes that contribute to why “core radio listeners” tune in.

In Part 1 of this series, we learned that most core listeners (aka survey respondents are already part of a station’s email database) first-and-foremost tune into their local AM/FM station because it is free and easily accessible. Today, we’ll learn more about just how much these core listeners favor station-specific DJs and hosts, and break it down from there.

This data set was compiled by 500 participating radio stations, yielding more than 31,000 surveys. Responses were collected between Jan. 9–Feb. 11 and used Nielsen’s 2023 market population data.

Per the 2024 Techsurvey, among those who listen to AM/FM radio, 61% say radio personalities are a main reason they listen. Further, the appeal of radio personalities ranks highest among women and progressively younger generations.

Credit: Jacobs Media

Respondents who were sent the Techsurvey from a Hot Adult Contemporary, Contemporary Hit Radio or Rock station also report a higher investment in radio personalities. In particular, 73% of Hot AC listeners said “I Like Particular DJs, Shows, or Hosts.”

The value of radio personalities on station listenership has not gone unrecognized in recent years. In fact, personalities have outpaced music as a main reason for listening to radio since 2019, according to Techsurvey data.

Not only are core listeners tuning in for their favorite personalities, they also are looking to connect. Six in 10 respondents said they would want to connect with their station’s on-air hosts. This is especially true for younger listeners and those who listen to CHR, Hot AC and Rock formats.

Credit: Jacobs Media

Radio World will continue to break down these findings in the coming days.  

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The post Techsurvey 2024: Show Hosts Are Radio’s Champions appeared first on Radio World.

The Radio + Television Business Report‘s information-filled all-new Spring 2024 Special Report was distributed in print at the 2024 NAB Show and via digital PDF download to subscribers earlier in April.

Still haven’t seen it? Look at what this 48-page full-color magazine has that you can’t find anywhere else.

• From multiple bills in Congress that could positively impact broadcast media to working with the FCC — both in and out of the federal court system — the NAB’s legal and regulatory affairs team has perhaps never been more active. Yet, don’t think for a minute Rick Kaplan is overwhelmed.
• Seattle-based broadcast and AV system integration company ZTransform is getting lots of attention for its new studio construction projects. The company founded by Erik Utter shares full details on their latest radio project.
• A VIP “Cocktails and Conversation” event was once again seen at this year’s NAB Show. What was poised to dominate the talk? Radio as a visual medium, say Quu’s Steve Newberry and Xperi Corp.’s Joe D’Angelo.
• For the first time, RBR+TVBR presents an exclusive survey of more than 40 brokers and data compiled from FCC filings conducted by Volker Moerbitz, formerly of Kagan.
• AM radio … why?! A recent visit to Central California by Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson provided ample reasons why broadcasts on the kHz band remain essential for information and entertainment.

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Does generative AI open new legal issues for radio broadcasters? We asked three respected broadcast attorneys.

David Oxenford

“Right now, I have not been getting many AI questions from broadcasters themselves,” said David Oxenford, partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer.

“But I have been working with a number of broadcast and other media groups in reviewing state laws limiting AI use.

“Many bills deal with AI in political advertising, but there are also broader bills that restrict AI use in any medium if they depict a person who had not consented to the use of their voice or likeness.”

Oxenford said there are many aspects to these bills, from making sure parody and satire are protected — “you don’t want a late-night TV show to get sued for a skit featuring a Donald Trump cartoon generated by AI for using his likeness without permission” — to the inability under the Communications Act and FCC rules of broadcasters to censor the content of candidate ads, even if those ads use AI.

“Proposed legislation on AI is often worded very broadly and needs to be reviewed to ensure that it does not have unintended consequences,” Oxenford said.

Nor has Scott Flick, a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, received many questions from stations, presumably because radio’s use of generative AI is still sparse, or because they simply haven’t focused on the legal risks yet. 

“That will change when we have a major incident involving a broadcaster’s use of AI, and everyone is suddenly hyper-focused on ensuring the same thing doesn’t happen to their own station,” Flick said.

Political spots

What responsibility does a radio broadcaster have regarding the possible use of AI in political spots?

Gregg Skall, a member at Telecommunications Law Professionals, said broadcasters are charged with a public interest responsibility, so even before considering the political rules, they have a duty to be honest with their audiences and to not misrepresent who is speaking to them.

Gregg Skall

“So to the extent possible, they should make efforts to assure that material offered to them as presented by the speaking party is, in fact, the person depicted,” Skall said.

“In the case of political spots, the Communications Act requires that when an advertisement contains the recognizable voice of a legally qualified candidate for elective office, equal opportunities must be made available to their legally qualified opposing candidates in the same election, they must be offered comparable or lowest unit rates and federal candidates have a right to access the station. 

“However, the rule does not say that these attributes apply to a voice that ‘sounds like’ the candidate. It is supposed to be the actual candidate’s voice. So, the challenge for the broadcaster is to properly and legally treat AI-created voices differently,” he continued.

“Perhaps the best way to deal with AI in this regard is to require a declaration as a part of any such order that states that the agency or the other spot buyer declares under oath that the voice is that of the candidate. That may create a dilemma for the agency since they may not have that information. So there is a new lesson for political agencies and other spot buyers as well.”

Scott Flick emphasized that when it comes to candidate spots, the “No Censorship Rule” prohibits stations from modifying even a deceptive candidate ad, so trying to analyze a candidate spot for the use of deceptive AI wouldn’t have much purpose.

“Third-party issue ads, however, always create the risk of the station being sued for defamation, so stations have the same obligation to do their diligence on the truthfulness of such spots as they have always had,” he said.

“The use of AI in the creation of such spots just makes it that much more difficult for a station to spot deceptive material, which is why the state broadcasters associations have been focused on ensuring state legislation on AI makes clear that it is the advertiser, and not the station airing the ad, who should be at risk for the content of that ad.”

What happens if a station airs a spot by a candidate with audio of their opponent, and the opponent complains that the content was faked?

 If the spot is considered a candidate “use” under the law, Flick said, the station can’t demand that it be modified or modify the spot itself. “The opponent asserting that the spot has deceptive AI-created content needs to complain to the advertiser and examine the options available under a growing number of state laws on AI content.”

Gregg Skall recommends that the station request from the candidate or their authorized committee a statement that it was not the candidate’s voice. “On that basis, it should challenge any equal time requests,” he said. “I would also ask the candidate to make a recorded statement attesting to the fact that the spot was fake and not his/her voice.”

And David Oxenford said that, as with any ad, if a broadcaster is put on notice that a non-candidate ad contains potentially defamatory material, they need to review that ad and decide if it is in fact defamatory. 

“If they continue to run the ad after having received notice that the ad was false, they could have liability. AI simply makes it easier for political advertisers to generate content that could be found to be defamatory if it portrays a candidate falsely.”

He added: “This is a time to have an attorney on speed dial to help assess the risks — and to do it quickly.”

Synthetic voices

We asked these experts whether best practices have emerged for a broadcaster who wants to create content using a cloned voice of their talent or a third party.

Scott Flick

“The first question is whether it is authorized by the talent or celebrity,” said Skall. “This should not be done without permission, which should be documented. In any case, however, a disclaimer should be aired stating that the voice that was heard was created artificially with appropriate permission.”

While AI applications in radio are obviously still developing, Flick said it’s clear that profiting from a particular person’s identifiable voice is going to violate “right of publicity” and similar laws in many states unless the station has secured the necessary rights. 

“Life will get tricker when the response to these laws is voices that sound a lot like a particular person, but not quite identical,” he said.

“That’s where courts will get involved, making findings as to when the creator of an artificial voice is profiting off of someone else’s fame, versus the artificial voice just having a few characteristics in common with a famous voice. That will be expensive litigation, regardless of who wins.”

Oxenford too noted the variety of state laws covering “rights of publicity.” He said using anyone’s voice without permission is a risk. 

“This is particularly true for celebrities. You need to be aware of those laws and be very careful in appropriating anyone’s voice or likeness. The risk varies depending on the content — use in ads is likely going to raise issues, using the voice in a parody or satire may be defensible if it is clear from the context that it is not the real celebrity that is on the air. But even with parody and satire, there are not clear safety rules — it all depends on the context and the whims of the court in which you get sued.”

[Read More Radio World Stories About Artificial Intelligence]

Evolving rules

Meanwhile, AI’s regulatory environment is changing quickly. 

“As counsel to the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations, I’m seeing state bills pop up almost daily, as legislators seek to ensure that the law stays ahead of AI developments, if that’s possible, rather than forever playing catch up,” Flick said.

“However, the most notable aspect of these legislative efforts is the struggle to define what uses of AI are ‘bad’ and then what to do about them. Over time, we’ll find out which approaches are most effective, and the laws will then start to converge on those successful approaches.” In that regard, he said, states will serve as legislative laboratories, likely influencing eventual federal legislation regarding AI. 

“In the meantime, the challenge for stations will be staying on top of these legislative efforts, both to prevent sloppily worded bills from becoming law and harming innocent broadcasters airing third party content, and to ensure stations stay on the right side of these new laws.”

Might the Federal Communications Commission get involved? The attorneys were doubtful.

“The FCC traditionally stays away from reviewing content of broadcasts — leaving that to the courts and other agencies,” Oxenford said. “Watch for federal legislation to see if the FCC ends up with any more power in this area.”

Flick commented, “While the FCC has made clear that it will be diving in with both feet on AI in other contexts, there really isn’t a reason to do that in radio. Though the use of AI that goes awry could result in violations of existing rules — e.g., indecency or the rule against broadcast hoaxes — that just emphasizes that existing rules already address the FCC concern, and AI is just another mechanism that might cause a violation of those existing rules.”

Gregg Skall noted that the Federal Election Commission has responded to a petition for rulemaking that seeks a rule to prohibit a candidate or their agent from fraudulently misrepresenting other candidates or political parties and to make it clear that the related statutory prohibition applies to deliberately deceptive AI campaign ads. 

“Were this rule to be enacted, it is likely that it would provide additional guidance or even a template for the FCC in some parallel rulemaking effort.”

Skall said that according to the Council of State Governments, since 2019, 17 states have enacted 29 bills focused on regulating the design, development and use of artificial intelligence. 

“These bills primarily address two regulatory concerns: data privacy and accountability. Legislatures in California, Colorado and Virginia have led the way in establishing regulatory and compliance frameworks for AI systems,” he said.

“There are a number of policies the states are focusing on, but of major significance for broadcasters is to protect individuals from the impacts of unsafe systems and to protect their privacy. Any use of AI that makes its way into the broadcast studio should be examined with these goals in mind. The council website provides a list of state AI efforts.”

Similarly, he noted, the National Conference of State Legislatures reports that in the 2023 legislative session, at least 25 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia introduced AI bills, and 18 states and Puerto Rico adopted resolutions or enacted legislation. 

Flick reiterated that broadcasters must pay attention as such bills come along seeking to regulate AI, particularly in advertising.

“Broadcasters need to make sure that these bills are clear that if a deceptive ad is aired, it should be the advertiser and not the distributor of that ad — in this case, the broadcaster — who should be liable for any AI-induced deception that results,” he said.

“While some AI-generated video or audio may be relatively innocent — for example, making a picture look like it was taken in better lighting — where deceptive AI-generated content is placed in an ad, the purpose is to fool the viewer, and that includes the station airing the ad. It is simply not practical for a radio station to do a deep dive into every ad to figure out what is true and what just seems true based on the content of the ad.”

Other concerns

Are there other areas where AI raises legal concerns?

“Except for the increased emphasis on broadcast content, radio stations are in most ways like other businesses in terms of the benefits and risks of AI,” Scott Flick said.

“It will make some operations more efficient while in others it will generate a poorer quality result, but one that may be deemed good enough given the cost or time savings involved. From an FCC perspective, the FCC has generally rejected efforts by radio stations to defend themselves against an asserted rule violation by claiming the violation was caused by an inattentive employee. Blaming a violation on AI will likely fare no better.”

David Oxenford worries about some programs that are used to generate local news or provide local hosts for programming. 

“Especially in smaller markets, where there are few local news sources, AI could copy information from a local source, and if the broadcaster uses it, there could be copyright liability,” he said.

“From my own experiments using AI, it can also have ‘hallucinations’ and report on things that never happened. There is already at least one court case against an AI company when its system generated a story about the criminal conduct of an individual — conduct that never happened. This kind of story, if broadcast, could lead to defamation claims. So carefully review any content that AI generates before it goes on the air.”

And while AI has proven useful for quick answers to sometimes complicated questions and research projects, Gregg Skall agreed that it can be unreliable. 

“To the extent that broadcasters begin to rely on it, accuracy and honesty with their audience must be foremost in their value system and processes. So fact-check the produced material; AI can provide leads, but not final answers. Be honest with your audience and let them know if the host, DJ or other speakers are real or AI-generated.”

This article is from the free ebook “Artificial Intelligence in Radio.” 

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The post What are the Legal Considerations of AI in Radio? appeared first on Radio World.

LAS VEGAS — The UK-based company behind the Myriad Cloud and Goal Driven AI Voice Links is celebrating the honor of receiving two awards in the Radio category at the 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year awards.

The awards were given to Broadcast Radio Ltd., in recognition of “significant and promising new products and technologies” among those showcased by exhibitors at the NAB Show.

Myriad Cloud is a professional radio broadcast platform that runs natively on the
Microsoft Azure cloud, enabling broadcasters to build and launch radio stations which include scheduled content and live or voicetracked contributions. The platform professional features found in the traditional Myriad Playout 6 studio software.

Goal Driven AI Voice Links is a feature within both Myriad Playout 6 studio software and Myriad Cloud that allows stations to set ‘content goals’ for AI generated scripts and voice links. Links can include ‘log aware’ content such as previous or upcoming songs as well as news, weather, SongFacts, and time checks.

Both Goal Driven AI Voice Links and Myriad Cloud were nominated separately for
the awards program.

NAB Show Product of the Year Award Winners were selected by a panel of industry experts in 15 categories and announced in a live awards ceremony at NAB Show on April 16. To be eligible for an award, nominated products had to come from companies exhibiting at the 2024 NAB Show and be delivered within the 2024 calendar year.

The Chief of the FCC Media Bureau’s Audio Division has confirmed the Commission will soon release a public notice seeking comment on a recently filed remedial petition for declaratory ruling that seeks approval for specific foreign investors to hold ownership interest in Cumulus Media.

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Photo credit: Westville Funerals

Edwin A Snape, III, the founder of Booth Electrosystems Inc., and a Life Member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, died on April 23. He was 93.

From his Philadelphia roots, Snape moved to Greenville, S.C., to set up a branch of his family’s card clothing business — Benjamin Booth Company — in 1961.

According to his obituary, as the company’s product line evolved into textile electronics, printed circuit boards and precious metal plating, Snape started Booth Electrosystems Inc. and became its first president until his retirement in 1994.

Photo credit: Booth Electro

Also beginning in 1961, Snape regularly recorded Greenville Symphony concerts and produced radio broadcasts to be aired on WFBC, WSPA, WMUU and ETV Radio.

Upon retirement in May 2011, the Georgia Symphony Orchestra recognized his 50 years of service.

Snape attended Ithaca College and graduated from the Smaller Company Management Program of the Harvard Business School.

After that, he served three years with the U. S. Army, where he was stationed at the Army Information School in New York and Armed Forces Radio in Tokyo.

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The FCC has proposed $857,775 worth of fines against seven Massachusetts pirate radio operators running six different stations.

The reportedly unlicensed radio stations were investigated during an enforcement sweep of the Boston area under the PIRATE Act. FCC agents from both the Boston and New York Field Offices worked in tandem on the sweep — a practice conducted annually in the five markets where pirates are most active.

“These agents are unsung heroes who help us manage our airwaves, and for their security we do not mention them here today but want them to know we are grateful for their service,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement released by the commission Thursday, April 25.

Among the six stations with proposed fines through NALs include Jean Marius’ “Radio Tele Planet Compas,” which had the largest fine at $597,775. The station had transmitters in Brockton, Randolph and Mattapan. It had been operating since the early 2000s on 89.3 FM, and more recently 105.3 FM from Brockton, according to Jeff Lehmann (N1ZZN), a Boston area radio observer who has tracked the proliferation of pirate stations in Southern New England.

Additionally, Renold David, the operator of “Lotnivo FM” 101.9 in Brockton faces a $120,000 fine.

João Vieria’s “Brockton FM” in Brockton, Robert Bellinger’s “TBR Radio” 93.1 in Cotuit and “Radio Tele Brockton 96.5,” also known as “Brockton Heat,” operated by Djovany Pierre and Mario Turner, all face proposed fines of $40,000.

Shane Kelly, the operator of “The Test 87.9 FM” in Hyannis was proposed a $20,000 fine.

According to Lehmann, Lotnivo FM remains on the air at 101.9, while the Brockton Heat station was most recently reported broadcasting on 1640 AM. The other stations are reportedly off the air.

The 2020 passage of the PIRATE Act gave the commission the authority to levy fines of up to $100,000 per violation and $2.3 million in total. It also granted the commission authority to take enforcement action against landlords and property owners that willfully and knowingly permit pirate radio broadcasting on their properties.

The NALs contain allegations that depict how each pirate operator has apparently violated the commission’s laws. The operators will be given a 30-day period to respond to their proposed fines before a final decision is made by the commission.

(Read the commission’s release on the proposed fines.)

[Read more stories about pirate radio enforcement]

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The parent organization of the main PBS Member station serving New England’s most populous communities has received a proposed FCC fine for failing to timely file required online public file documents, including quarterly issues/programs lists and children’s television programing reports.

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Three new members have joined the board of the Association of Public Radio Engineers. 

They are Ralph Hogan, a past president of both the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers; Badri Munipalla, vice president, distribution at NPR; and Ivy Sheppard, general manager of WEHC(FM), Emory, Va.

Departing after two terms are Pierre Lonewolf, Jim Gray and John George.

Returning as officers, in the same roles as last year, are Scott Hanley as president, Bill Dahlstrom as vice president, Darrell McCalla as secretary and David Antoine as treasurer. Victoria St. John is the past president.

Continuing on the board are Bruce Wahl and Bill Bennett. 

Board members at the PREC in Las Vegas, from left: John George, Bill Bennett, Bruce Wahl, David Antoine, Bill Dahlstrom, Jim Gray, Darrell McCalla, Ralph Hogan and Scott Hanley. (Photo by Jim Peck)

At the Public Radio Engineering Conference in Las Vegas, APRE honored Michael Beach, the outgoing vice president of distribution at NPR, with its 2024 Engineering Award. 

“Mike’s ongoing contributions to all of public radio have been remarkable over 10 years of dramatic change, especially in the creation and distribution of content,” President Scott Hanley said. (Watch for Radio World’s forthcoming feature on Michael Beach.)

The APRE saluted Michael Beach, center, for his contributions to public radio. (Photo by Jim Peck)

APRE also presented its Meritorious Service Award to Jobie Sprinkle of WFAE, Charlotte, N.C., and Paxton Durham, who is retired from WVTF, Roanoke, Va. 

“Active engineering professionals and former APRE board members, there are no two people more invaluable to the continued success of the PREC in their service to the Association of Public Radio Engineers,” Hanley said.

APRE also awarded scholarships to attend the conference to Darion Kootswatewa, Alina Pontius and Jasmine Ziegenhagen. Virtual conference scholarships were given to Adam Smith and Keller Henry.

Hanley said about 110 people attended the PREC. 

“We are grateful for a wonderful group of industry professionals and station engineers who presented on 20 different topics including an all-star panel for our Thursday evening ‘Night Owl’ session on the topic of metadata and related issues,” he told Radio World.

“Our event is made possible by support from many industry-leading companies, including this year’s gold level sponsors Lawo, ERI and the Telos Alliance. We look forward to another great event the Thursday and Friday ahead of NAB 2025.”

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The post APRE Elects New Board appeared first on Radio World.

The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, home to the Panthers, will not be proceeding with the creation of a low-power FM radio stations.

That’s because Al Shuldiner, the Chief of the Audio Division within the FCC’s Media Bureau, has rejected a petition for reconsideration of an earlier ruling that dismissed the school’s construction permit application.

 

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The Radio Advertising Bureau is bringing to life a new training certification program tailored to content creators in broadcast radio and audio. The course is built upon RAB’s certified Radio Marketing Consulting course, the organization to be led by Mike Hulvey said.

The custom-produced course developed and produced by RAB’s Professional Development team focuses on helping build a greater understanding between content creators and sellers in an evolving and expanding media landscape. The training targets those who are in content creation for media companies and caters to program and production directors, operations managers, promotions and brand directors, on-air talent, web designers, podcasters and social media managers.

There are eight online classes containing multiple short video modules that are easy to consume and provide immediately actionable takeaways. The course consists of key topics including branding and marketing, understanding sales basics, commercial creative the new integrated, multi-platform, media landscape, effective communications and best practices for high performers.

Instruction and training for the course is overseen by RAB’s Professional Development team and contributions by leading content creators who provide their insights into the relationship of sales and content monetization. Contributors include Tony Coles, President of Multicultural Business and Development at iHeartMedia and President of its Black Information Network (BIN); Elaina D. Smith, host of the nationally syndicated Nights with Elaina show; Hubbard Radio in Chicago Brand and Content Director Keith Hastings; Sheri Lynch, co-host of nationally syndicated Bob & Sheri radio show; and veteran radio industry consultant Mike McVay.

“I’m delighted RAB is launching this one-of-a-kind training program as I’ve been thinking about this course since I first joined the organization,” said Erica Farber, the outgoing President/CEO of the RAB. “As I like to say, we are all in sales, and while not everyone working at a radio station is directly accountable for sales, each and every radio employee has a direct influence over revenue coming into the company.”

McVay commented, “I was excited to learn that RAB was developing a sales and marketing course for programmers. I was even more excited when they asked me to participate. This business is so complex, and so rapidly changing, that it’s a great practice for those of us in content creation to learn everything we can about the business … including sales.”

April 30 marks the final day for the individual who serves as President/CEO of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, RBR+TVBR has learned.

Sam Klemet will be exiting a role he’s held for four years.

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The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday approved a rule banning most employers from using non-compete agreements.

How this impacts broadcast radio and television companies is a question that many have been pondering across the last several days, including veteran radio industry market manager Dick Taylor, who expressed his thoughts in a Radio Ink column on Friday.

In Washington, the President of TechFreedom believes the FTC decision cannot stand. Period.

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For many investors, a meaty dividend is a deciding factor in whether or not to snap up shares of a publicly traded company. For those that have been eyeing Nexstar Media Group, the time to buy could be now, thanks to a Board of Directors decision to declare a sizable fiscal “thank you” to those who hold its stock.

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