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NEW YORK — As of the end of 2023, Gray Television‘s biggest institutional investors were Blackrock Inc., with 8.11% interest; Morgan Stanley, with 5.86% interest; and Darsana Capital Partners, with 5.8% interest.

Then came Gray’s No. 4 investor, which has shared on a “Form 13F” filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission that it has decreased its holdings in the company.

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The Radio Automation sales team at WideOrbit is growing, with the addition of two industry veterans to the company. They’re both in-bound from PromoSuite.

Rachel Field is the newest member of the WideOrbit sales executive roster, and previously spent a quarter-century at PromoSuite, where she served as Chief Revenue Officer.

Field will oversee AFR accounts in the western United States.

Meanwhile, Drew Bennet is settling in as a sales team member after joining WideOrbit in February. Prior to joining WideOrbit, Bennett was Director of Sales at PromoSuite. He has held similar positions at MusicMaster and RCS.

Bennett will be working with WO Automation for Radio customers in the central regions of the United States.

WideOrbit will be at the 2024 NAB Show in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (booth W2225). Both Bennett and Field will be present from Sunday. 

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Just in time for the 2024 NAB Show, the Frank Foti-led Telos Alliance has brought forth a software update for its Jünger flexAI platform.

The changes incorporate the AIXpressor and flexAIserver, the broadcast audio technology company shares, as “Version 2023-12r4” brings performance and convenience enhancements to its users.

V2023-12r4 brings an overhaul of AoIP integration, including full support for SMPTE ST 2110-30 and -31 Level A, B, and C as well as Livewire+ live streams, to AIXpressor. As Telos Alliance sees it, the product is an deal high channel-count AoIP interface. Support for NMOS IS-04 and IS-05 is also available, making both AIXpressor and flexAIserver more useful in ST 2110-based workflows. There is also integration with key industry orchestration systems.

On the production and processing front, an improved voice-over automixer ensures dialog is kept in proper balance with other program elements, while Jünger Audio’s latest generation upmixer brings center channel replacement technology to the table. In addition, two new channel strips are now available: A matrix mixer with up to 16 input and output channels to simplify copying and shuffling channels, and a multichannel delay with 16 individual channels and up to 20 seconds of total audio delay.

FM broadcasters may also find interest in Jünger Audio’s MPX and Pre-Emphasis Limiter, available on the flexAI platform as the new FM Conditioner. This feature provides transparent loudness management in the composite domain in regions adhering to the ITU-R BS.412 MPX Power regulations.

For television customers, support for the vendor-agnostic Serial ADM (S-ADM) professional metadata format comes to the flexAI product.

For broadcasters using MPEG-H, flexAI now offers the complete MPEG-H 3D Audio toolset from Fraunhofer IIS, including an immersive monitor controller.

Security enhancements include the option to use an HTTPS web interface with an integrated security certificate, password-protected login, and LDAP access control for users and groups.

Additional convenience features round out the V2023-12r4 upgrade. These include a convenient CPU meter for real-time monitoring of system performance and an integrated web-based console terminal, eliminating the need for administrators to initiate a separate terminal session during system setup and maintenance.

Finally, native browser-based audio monitoring now makes it possible to hear audio from any patch point in the audio processing chain.

 

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This Consent Decree resolves the Bureau's investigation and forfeiture proceeding involving the Licensee's compliance with section 73.3514(a) and section 73.3527(e)(8) of the Commission's rules.

Issued a Forfeiture Order in the amount of $16,500 to Shelby Broadcast Associates, LLC, licensee of Station W252BE, Tarrant, Alabama, for unauthorized operation, failure to file for STA, and false application certifications

An FM translator serving Alabama’s biggest market must fork over thousands of dollars to the FCC for operating the facility at a variance from its licensed transmitter location without the Commission’s authorization.

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In June 2022, FCC Media Bureau Video Division Chief Barbara Kreisman issued Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture to the owner of four PBS Member stations for public file rule violations. In total, the licensee was on the hook for $30,000 in financial penalties.

Now, more than 18 months later, the Commission has entered into a Consent Decree with the broadcaster that resolves the matter in full through a civil penalty.

 

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Ignacio Alonso

AEQ has appointed Ignacio Alonso as its new CEO. Alonso succeeds Iván Olmeda, who is leaving the Spanish AV equipment manufacturer after five years in the position.

According to a company press release, Alonso has spent more than 25 years in the electronics and telecommunications industry, with experience spanning research and development, manufacturing, marketing, entrepreneurship and management roles.

“The appointment of Ignacio is an important step for the growth of AEQ,” said Miguel Sancho, president of the AEQ Board of Directors, in the release.

“With his entry we hope to advance in covering new challenges in audio and professional communications, making the possibilities offered by new technologies to facilitate maintenance, flexibility of resources and remote production available to our customers.”

In starting his new role, Alonso said: “It is an honor and a challenge for me to be at the head of a company with a brilliant 45-year history, currently in a solid position and with a very experienced team.”

AEQ, known for its digital audio mixers, audio codecs and audio interfaces, is headquartered at the Leganés Technological Park in Madrid, Spain, with offices in the United States, Mexico, Portugal and India.

Alonso will be in attendance at the upcoming NAB Show in Las Vegas. AEQ said he will be available to meet with customers at the AEQ booth (C3106).

[For More News on the NAB Show See Our NAB Show News Page]

The post AEQ Names Ignacio Alonso as New CEO appeared first on Radio World.

MNC Software and SuiteLife Systems, both of which provide broadcast monitoring and control systems, have merged and will do business as Leeward Software.

The new entity will debut at the NAB Show. The companies called the merger “a natural succession to a long-standing partnership,” noting that they have collaborated on numerous projects recently. 

The companies are not expecting staff cuts. “It’s business as usual, and we are not planning any workforce reductions,” a spokeswoman told Radio World.

MNC, based in San Diego, was owned and operated by David Allen and James Bloomfield, who founded it in 2008. SuiteLife, in Signal Hill, Calif., was owned by Nigel Brownett, who launched it in 2012. 

Their new entity will be owned and managed by those three and based in Signal Hill. It will sell to broadcasters, telecommunication network providers, production facilities, studios and media tech companies. Leeward’s systems are used to monitor and control networks, infrastructure, buildings and systems. Their product lines include Axess, Mosaic, and Tessera software and GPX Pro hardware.

The companies said the merger will allow Leeward to “offer a more comprehensive suite of network management, monitoring and control solutions that address a wider range of needs and applications.” 

NAB Show Booth: W2367

[For More News on the NAB Show See Our NAB Show News Page]

The post MNC Software and SuiteLife Systems Merge appeared first on Radio World.

The newest Commissioner on the FCC, and the first to issue official statements in both English and in Spanish, has agreed to deliver a Keynote address at the 2024 Hispanic Radio Conference, scheduled for June 12-13 in San Antonio.

Anna G. Gómez is the first Latina to be confirmed as a FCC Commissioner in more than 20 years and has three decades of experience in domestic and international communications law in both private practice and public service, including time as the Deputy Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and in various roles at the FCC.

Orlando-born and Bogota-raised, Gómez served as a senior advisor for International Information and Communications Policy in the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the Department of State, leading U.S. preparations for the International Telecommunication Union World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23), prior to her confirmation as the third Democrat on the FCC.

“I am delighted to be joining the Hispanic Radio Conference in June as a keynote speaker,” Gómez said. “I look forward to discussing the importance of radio to communities. See you in San Antonio!”

Celebrating 15 years, the Hispanic Radio Conference is an annual opportunity for in-person networking and sharing ideas in a multi-platform, multicultural world. For more information about the conference, which takes place on June 12-13 in San Antonio, visit the Hispanic Radio Conference website.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation (NABLF)  has shared this year’s group of recipients of the 2024 Celebration of Service to America Awards.

The honors recognize outstanding service to their communities by local television and radio stations. Winners will be honored at the awards ceremony on June 4 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

The Celebration of Service to America Awards are presented by Bonneville International and Hearst Television and is a component of the NABLF’s mission “to honor the exemplary and essential public service campaigns and philanthropic efforts that local radio and television stations lead in their markets across the country.”

NABLF President Michelle Duke said, “Television and radio stations are the cornerstones of their communities, and they go above and beyond to serve their audiences. From trusted reporting that uncovers corruption to fundraisers that help those in need, these stations are doing incredible work. We can’t wait to share their stories with everyone at the 2024 Celebration of Service to America gala in June.”

 

The following is the list of honorees by category:

Service to Community Award for Radio, Broadcast Ownership Group
Bonneville, Maui Strong

Service to Community Award for Television, Broadcast Ownership Group
Cox, Real Estate Racket

Service to Community Award for Radio, Large/Major Market
WFSH-FM, Salem Media Group, Atlanta, Ga., Acts of Love

Service to Community Award for Television – Large/Major Market
WANF-TV, Gray Television, Atlanta, Ga., In Plane Sight

Service to Community Award for Radio – Medium Market
KTXY-FM, Zimmer Communications, Columbia, Mo., Children’s Miracle Network Radiothon

Service to Community Award for Television – Medium Market
KETV-TV, Hearst Television, Omaha, Neb., Voices of GenZ

Service to Community Award for Radio – Small Market
WLBC-FM, Woof Boom, Muncie, Ind., Muncie You-Nite

Service to Community Award for Television – Small Market
WJHG-TV, Gray Television, Panama City, Fla., Chapter Chat

 

Marketron, known for its front-office workflow software services for the broadcasting industry, says it has reached a digital advertising milestone.

How so? Marketron’s third-party digital advertising technology has now processed more than $400 million in local digital advertising revenue since the company debuted these capabilities in 2020.

The built-for-radio digital platform, Marketron NXT, is used by local media advertising sales associates, and can be integrated with various traffic systems.

This, Marketron says, allows for digital and airtime campaigns in one proposal, allowing a salesperson to produce a customer-facing proposal in short time.

This proposal can be converted to an order, and goes to the traffic system and demand-side platforms (DSPs) for execution. Performance reporting filters into a consolidated report, and billing can occur in the same traffic system that is used for the airtime billing, resulting in one invoice.

Marketron SVP/Sales and Head of Revenue Todd Kalman commented, “Digital advertising is an essential product line for radio stations. Providing them with the best technology, training, coaching and solutions ensures they can thrive in today’s local media environment. We’ve witnessed hundreds of stations launch digital with our products and quickly win the business of local advertisers. It’s effective, scalable and simple.”

BALTIMORE — The owner of broadcast TV stations in markets ranging from West Palm Beach to Salt Lake City, in addition to Tennis Network, Compulse and Dielectric, has joined the Entertainment ID Registry as a member of its board of directors.

Sinclair Inc. will be represented by Mike Palmer, the company’s Assistant VP of Media Management. Palmer serve on EIDR’s board as Sinclair’s representative for a one-year term.

EIDR is a public registry that provides a unique identifier for audio-visual content, designed to provide a standard way of identifying and tracking works across the media supply chain.

Palmer commented, “EIDR captures the complex relationships between descriptive metadata and registered media in a public standard that better enables Sinclair to build rich and unique content experiences that entertain and inform the communities Sinclair serves,” said Palmer.

Sinclair will use EIDR’s metadata capabilities to manage and distribute content more effectively, creating improved workflows, enhanced content discoverability, and new opportunities to optimize return on content investment.

 

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NEW YORK —  A group that calls itself a “leading voice on veteran employment issues” has given Hearst Television a five-star honor for its recruitment efforts tied to both members and veterans of the United States Armed Forces.

Hearst’s designation of VETS Indexes 5 Star Employer in the 2024 VETS Indexes Employer Awards recognizes the organization’s commitment to recruiting, hiring, retaining, developing, and supporting veterans and the military-connected community.

“The extraordinary efforts of Hearst Television to hire, retain and support veterans and the military-connected community have earned the organization one of our highest awards,” said George Altman, president of VETS Indexes.

This year, a record 344 organizations submitted completed surveys for the VETS Indexes Employer Awards, an increase of more than 100 from last year and nearly triple the number from two years ago. Of those, VETS Indexes recognized 285 organizations across the following award levels: 5 Star Employer, 4 Star Employer, 3 Star Employer, and Recognized Employer. Not every responding organization made the cut – only those that demonstrated a strong commitment to veterans, members of the National Guard and Reserves, and military spouses. Participating organizations included companies large and small, government agencies and departments, nonprofit groups, colleges, and universities.

This survey and recognition program analyzes employers’ policies, practices, and outcomes in detail, across the following 5 categories:

Veteran job candidate recruiting and hiring
Veteran employee development and retention
Veteran-inclusive policies and culture
Support for members of the National Guard and Reserves
Military spouse/family support

Click this link to see the full slate of awardees: https://vetsindexes.com/award-results-2024

 

A Class A noncommercial non-secular FM serving the Indiana cities of Bedford and Bloomington is being sold.

The buyer is one of the biggest operators of religious radio stations in the U.S.

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