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In this and other articles, Radio World is profiling how radio broadcasters are deploying AI. One company that has embraced these tools is NRG Media. Four of its executives took time to meet with me to discuss what they’re doing.

Headquartered in the Midwest, NRG provides content and digital marketing services through 36 radio stations to listeners and advertisers in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.

One way NRG uses AI is to create videos for clients using Waymark technology.

Erica Dreyer

“Radio has always done a really good job at spec spots,” said Director of Integrated Media Erica Dreyer. “But creating video ads involves various steps, from storyboarding to filming and graphics. It’s time-consuming. Waymark simplifies this process, allowing us to fast-track video production. This helps our clients better visualize themselves on TV.

Digital Sales Strategist Andrew Warner likes that the process requires little from the client. “We just enter an advertiser’s website, then give the AI some direction about what the advertiser is trying to say.”

The tool will suggest videos, images, voices and text based on context. “It gets you 80% of the way to a really good spot,” Warner said. Then NRG can add, edit and tweak to bring the product to completion.

“Advertisers ask, ‘Gosh, how did you guys even produce this video in the first place?’ It levels us up,” Warner said. “Often it serves to open a conversation — though in many cases we’re also using Waymark to deliver fully produced videos, with further collaboration with the client. And the videos can be optimized for mobile, TV, whatever placement or format.”

NRG Director of Programming Jeff Winfield uses the tool to create promotional and social videos.

“For example, we have a sweepstakes starting next week with a bank sponsorship,” he said. “You choose licensed images that show cash winners or the idea of putting money toward a house, and then you generate a script to fit into a :15, :30 or :60.”

Jeff Winfield

A video is then created based on that script. “And you can regenerate it as many times as you want until you’re happy with the product, choosing male or female voices, speaking fast or slowly, with a deep voice or with an accent.”

NRG’s market team in Wausau, Wis., recently used Waymark to create a recap of a large fundraising event. “They uploaded pictures and created a really nice ‘thank you’ video that they could share across social media, showing the impact they made within the community,” Dreyer said.

But AI tools have spread across the NRG enterprise. They’re being used for radio copy creation, show prep, developing prospect lists and writing “valid business reason” emails.

“Our executives use tools like Grammarly. Our demand-side platform now has a robust AI component,” said Warner. “I’m sitting here looking at my Chrome extensions bar and I’ve got tools that will grab fonts for me or scrape images from social or pull color codes.”

The sales team uses ChatGPT to generate ideas about approaching clients. “We can equip sellers with a starter kit of conversation prompts,” said Director of Sales Enablement Phil Forrester. “It helps me raise the game of the seller. If I can go to ChatGPT and say, ‘Give me the top five things that a local pest control company would care about in trying to grow their business,’ I’m equipped to have a better conversation.”

The intention is not to have a salesperson just follow a script. “We really want this to be the seller’s voice, so again the AI is a way to get 80% of the way there, then 20% is personalization that makes it meaningful and gets to the desired result,” Forrester said.

NRG also creates websites. “One of the biggest barriers in building websites for clients is when you say ‘Give me copy to describe the product or service that you do,’ but then you wait for a month while they try to turn themselves into copywriters,” Forrester said.

“If we have a client selling water heaters, we have the ability to direct the platform with a prompt, ‘Give me a paragraph on water heaters directed at women 25–54 who are researching a possible purchase.’ And it will generate it. We can turn our customers into editors, not creators. We now give them content and let them react to it, which speeds up the process significantly.”

Phil Forrester

NRG recently told its general managers about Scribe, a Chrome extension that turns any process into a step-by-step guide.

“It enables us to create SOPs very quickly,” Dreyer said. “For instance, navigating through the complexities of streaming inventory includes numerous steps for the markets. With Scribe, I can easily document my screen as I navigate through each step. No longer do I need to type out instructions, take screenshots, and repeat the process. Instead, I simply work through the process while Scribe records my screen. In less than a minute, it generates a comprehensive guide detailing every step and click. This recorded process can then be easily shared with others, transferring knowledge within the organization.

“We’re continuously exploring additional AI applications,” she continued. “Recently, I had to conduct training for a market under a tight deadline. Being aware of the concerns likely to be raised by the staff and account executives, I leveraged this insight to tailor the prompts and create a personalized training session. AI is helping us save time in the things we’d be doing anyway.”

Like several broadcasters who spoke to us for Radio World’s latest ebook, NRG also is experimenting with AI on-air talent. “AI Tory” does overnights on KFMW, “Rock 108” in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, created with Futuri AudioAI.

AI Tori is heard on overnights on “Rock 108,” NRG Media station KMFW in Waterloo, Iowa.

“Overnights is a good place to start,” Winfield said, and their team has had fun with it, creating a striking avatar and airing promotions that feature AI Tory making mistakes.

Winfield said the deployment of the tool has prompted useful conversations internally.

“If I’m voice-tracking a weekend show and I flub a word, I can choose to scrub that and make it sound perfect, or I can leave it in and make it sound more like the dope I am on a regular basis. We’ve had these discussions about how that applies to AI. And there were some concerns from personalities wondering if this would be a corporate initiative to take jobs. No, not at all. We wanted to learn how to use it and see what it can do. To be able to utilize all of these different tools is to our benefit.”

To learn more about how other radio companies are using AI-based tools in 2024, read “Artificial Intelligence in Radio,” a free 39-page ebook.

[Read More Radio World Stories About Artificial Intelligence]

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In this letter to the editor, the author comments on Radio World’s recent feature “A Radio Engineer’s Best Friend,” where we highlighted the furry friends of our readers and fellow engineers. 

I don’t have a picture, but … a very long time ago at KJAZ I kept getting complaints about “hum in the microphone.”

So I’d go in late at night and double check everything and could not find the hum. The air staff thought I was just blowing them off.

One day I dropped by in the afternoon and the DJ said “I’m hearing the hum again.” This time I could hear it, too. It was coming from the station cat, “Jive.”  The console was a Gates Stereo Yard, full of tubes, and nice and warm on the top. Jive liked the warmth and was laying on the console directly behind the microphone — an RCA 77DX. Jive was happy and purring.

The air staff learned to chase Jive off of the console before a break.

— Bill Ruck, San Francisco

Bill offers a little backstory: “In the early 70s I was on active duty in the Navy stationed at NAS Alameda. KJAZ was in Alameda too, so it was easy to drop by the studios. KJAZ was a jazz station at that time and ‘Jive’ was a very appropriate name for a jazz station’s cat.”

[Check Out More Letters at Radio World’s Reader’s Forum Section]

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With the publishing of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on March 7 in the Federal Register, the FCC has announced when comments and, subsequently, reply comments are due for the public to chime in on PS Docket No. 15-94 — designed to make it easier for emergency managers to send alerts to those who do not understand English over the nation’s broadcast airwaves.

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The Media Bureau affirms the dismissal of the application of Blueberry Radio for a new LPFM station at Liberty Township, Ohio

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The road ahead for Audacy will soon become clearer once the company receives regulatory approval from the FCC to exit bankruptcy following its financial reorganization. That’s when a new Audacy board will be installed and a decision will be made on CEO David Field’s future.

The new ownership group — including the banks that took a major haircut to reduce Audacy’s $1.9 billion debt down by nearly 80% to $350 million — will take control of the board, analysts say. A new board could be in place by Audacy’s annual shareholders meeting, which is typically held in May, though no date for this year’s meeting has been announced. 

When the annual shareholders meeting does take place, it will include the holdover secured creditors and Soros Fund Management, which swallowed up $415 million of Audacy debt during the reorganization, becoming the broadcaster’s largest shareholder.

[Related: “Bankruptcy Court Approves Audacy’s Reorganization Plan“]

Craig Huber of Huber Research Partners says, under terms of the Chapter 11 reorganization, Audacy’s senior debt holders swapped that debt for an ownership stake. The new owners could choose new leadership for the C-suite.

The chances of Audacy retaining Field as CEO “are extremely low, in my opinion,” Huber said.

A new management team could be led by someone who knows digital and broadcast, Huber says. “Somebody who has and could do both ideally, but that’s easier said than done.”

Field blamed a “perfect storm of macroeconomic challenges” for the bankruptcy first reported in early January, but Audacy has been swamped with debt since the 2017 acquisition of CBS radio that brought with it $1.5 billion in new debt, analysts say. 

Trimming expenses will likely be the focus of whoever takes over at Audacy, Huber says.

“Cost-cutting for sure, and a lot more than outgoing management did. Major cost-cutting, which includes headcount reductions unfortunately,” Huber told Radio World in an email.

Audacy recently named Dave Pugh as senior VP/market manager for the company’s Seattle cluster. Pugh will remain in his current role as senior VP/market manager for Audacy’s Phoenix group of stations. Pugh succeeds Jack Hutchinson who previously had announced his retirement from the company.

Huber says he expects to see more downsizing of staff as the broadcaster emerges from Chapter 11 reorganization. There also will likely be more “centralized developing of content, a sell-off excess real estate where they can and lease back what’s needed, etc.,” Huber said.

[Related: “Audacy to Sell Boston Real Estate for Cash“]

George Soros, the liberal philanthropist whose foundation is run by son Alex, is likely to become a force to be reckoned with as the largest shareholder. Huber says he thinks if Soros seeks to radically shift the programming direction of the company, as some analysts have suggested, he’ll have to tread lightly. 

“Soros will need to be careful changing the content dramatically on the radio stations … listenership typically gets dramatically worse when making huge changes to radio content people are used to. People are creatures of habit with radio and TV,” Huber said.

Audacy common stock has continued to trade over-the-counter under the symbol “AUDA” throughout the reorganization process. The shares are expected to be canceled and receive no distribution as part of Audacy’s restructuring, according to the company. 

A list of Audacy’s unsecured creditors as of Mar. 7, 2024, obtained by Radio World, included Sound Exchange, SESAC Rights Management Inc., Radio Music License Committee and Wide Orbit. It’s unclear how much the unsecured creditors are owed.

The post Audacy Prepares to Emerge From Chapter 11 Bankruptcy appeared first on Radio World.

The Denver radio station owner and parent of regional sports network Altitude has promoted two individuals as part of what it is calling “a corporate-wide restructuring.”

This sees longtime Kroenke Sports & Entertainment executive Mike Neary become EVP of Business Operations and Development while the President of the Los Angeles Rams NFL team, Kevin Demoff, is now President of Team and Media Operations.

KSE Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke commented, “When my father [Stan] established KSE, it was with the vision of creating a global sports and entertainment organization which has championship standards across the board. As my father and I take KSE into this next chapter, we are thrilled to add to our executive team Mike and Kevin, two accomplished and passionate leaders both with a long history as part of the KSE family, to help us evolve our organization and better connect our properties not only here in Denver but across the world. Between transformative developments around our venues, the future of fan engagement through dynamic media offerings, and winning more championships, the future of KSE is bright and Kevin and Mike will help us set the standard to deliver for our community and our fans.”

As President of Team and Media Operations, Demoff will oversee operations of all KSE teams including the Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Colorado Rapids (MLS), and Colorado Mammoth (NLL), as well as operations of all KSE Media properties including Outdoor Sportsman Group.

Demoff is adding this responsibility to his role as Rams President. He will be based both in Los Angeles and Denver.

“I am honored and humbled to take on this role with KSE and I am grateful to Stan and Josh for this opportunity,” said Demoff. “I am excited to work with so many talented teammates who have helped KSE become the most influential sports and entertainment company in the world. With the goal of sustaining winning cultures and organizations that transcend the field, court, or ice, we will collaboratively build a best-in-class experience for our fans in Denver, Los Angeles, and around the globe.”

Neary will oversee operations of various KSE companies and venues, notably Ball Arena, DICK’S Sporting Goods Park and the Paramount Theatre.

 

Summit Technology Group has introduced a suite of products called PostMaster Metadata Handling. 

“PostMaster is a comprehensive suite of software and platforms designed to streamline the ingest, maintenance, transport and encoding of Program Associated Data (PAD) metadata,” the company says.

“With a scalable and robust architecture, PostMaster revolutionizes the way broadcasters handle metadata, enhancing efficiency and accuracy in content distribution.”

PostMaster encompasses three tools. Firstly, PostMaster Cloud Connect ensures reliable and powerful transport of PAD metadata across even challenging networks.

“With PostMaster Suite’s Cloud Connect, broadcasters can bridge the studio to transmitter site RDS encoders without the need for static IP addresses or port forwarding, simplifying the data transmission process.”

PostMaster MetaLogger enables broadcasters to provide PAD metadata to content affiliates regardless of automation systems or distribution method. 

“This cloud- or file-based solution allows broadcasters to store metadata securely and handle program delays with ease.” It integrates with any distribution method and offers integrations to accommodate various playout systems and media asset management solutions.

With PostMaster Metadata Sync, broadcasters can synchronize metadata between automation platforms, across multiple markets and among various formats. This feature enables collaboration and ensures consistency in metadata across various systems.

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David Houze is Ecreso product manager, leading development of the FM transmitter range in collaboration with WorldCast Systems’ R&D team. He is also an application engineer supporting WorldCast’s APT, Audemat, Ecreso and Kybio brands. He spoke with us for the Radio World ebook “Transmission 2024.”

Radio World: You’ve commented that although FM broadcasting has been well-established for many years, there are still important advancements in transmitter technology. 

David Houze: One of the most significant trends is the focus on energy efficiency and sustainability.

David Houze

In our daily lives, we are all concerned about electricity, firstly due to the rising prices, but also thanks to ecological awareness and the huge impact of electricity generation.

It is imperative that each individual FM manufacturer address these issues, especially in the context of equipment operating around the clock with substantial electricity demands. 

While it was through intensive research on hardware improvements to reduce the consumption, for example with notable improvements on the MOSFET and power supply, FM manufacturers and broadcasters are now looking at additional improvements based on software technologies to reduce electricity demands, such as embedding software modules to replace hardware devices, or integrating an algorithm to optimize the consumption of the transmitter based on the listening audience as well as the audio content. 

RW: What key questions should transmitter buyers consider? 

Houze: There’s more to the decision than meets the eye. While factors like required output power and efficiency are evident, there are nuanced considerations that can significantly impact your broadcasting setup.

Manufacturers often highlight peak efficiency, yet the true cost of operating the transmitter over 5 to 10 years remains undisclosed. Vital questions arise: What are the operating costs, the expected lifespan and the necessary maintenance throughout the product’s life?

Another pivotal choice revolves around the modulator type. While analog modulators are cost-effective, the unrivaled audio fidelity and the potential for advanced features like spectrum analysis and sound processing make digital modulators an appealing prospect.

Failure management is crucial. What’s the strategy in the event of transmitter failure? Is there a capability to repair the equipment promptly, or is the plan to maintain minimum operation levels during downtimes?

Moreover, in today’s digital landscape, the ability for remote control and monitoring is paramount. How efficiently can the system be managed and troubleshot from a distance?

Last, it’s essential to consider future needs. Do you anticipate the requirement for upgrades and infrastructure changes? Assessing whether the transmitter can adapt to these changes through hardware or software modifications is vital for long-term planning.

Selecting an FM transmitter demands a holistic approach, delving into not only the immediate specifications but also the long-term cost-effectiveness, adaptability, and resilience in various scenarios.

RW: What technical features are important to look for?

Houze: Two noteworthy features deserve attention. The first, SmartFM, helps broadcasters to improve their op-ex. Available in WorldCast transmitters today, and soon in transmitters from other manufacturers, this technology analyzes the audio content in real time and dynamically adjusts the output power to maintain the audio listening quality while reducing the electricity demand. So far, SmartFM stands as the only known solution to breach the physical limit of efficiency resulting in a substantial reduction in electricity consumption by up to 40%. 

The second feature is the MPX transport over IP. This is a complete game-changer for radios as it drastically drops down the initial deployment costs.

The principle is quite simple: Instead of transporting separately the audio and the RDS data from the “studio” to the transmitter site, only the MPX is sent to the transmitter site. The signal is processed only once, at the studio, instead of processing it at all sites on reception. Broadcasters drastically reduce the number of sound processors, stereo encoders and RDS encoders at their sites. 

RW: How will transmitter design change in the next five years?

Houze: At the moment, users must choose between compact systems and modular systems. In coming years, more and more transmitters will be released with a compact and modular design. Operators will benefit from the best of compact transmitters — the footprint and ease of installation — with the ease of repair that comes with modularity.

This change has already started for premium manufacturers at medium power, but it will become a priority for higher power as well.

The second main change concerns environmental awareness and the need to reduce electronic components; this will drastically change the philosophy of transmitter design. Manufacturers will progressively replace one-feature boards like the stereo encoder, RDS encoder and sound processor with activable options on key hardware modules such as the modulator.

This results in a more environmentally-friendly electronic approach for manufacturers and a more profitable solution for users, who can upgrade their transmitter with new features through software, without hardware operation. 

RW: How can an engineer protect a transmitter and its related infrastructure from cyber attacks?

Houze: Customers often ask what they can do to protect their investment. It’s a matter of how many walls you build between the intruder and your network, and whether it’s worth spending time to break them.

The first thing is to block all communications on the company firewall; then the engineers should only allow mandatory communication such as web access. preferring secured protocols such as HTTPS. The second to check is password security. It is mandatory to change the default password before connecting the equipment to the internet. 

Then activate the security features of your transmitters. In the AiO series, we have embedded a firewall to block all unattended communications because we know that some users cannot afford to purchase a “high quality” firewall or do not have the knowledge to administer it. 

And finally, the best advice I can offer is to make regular penetration tests with security experts. We do it on a regular basis for our equipment to ensure the best level of security. It is always useful to discover new threats that can be fixed in a few hours of work to protect your network! 

RW: How can managers best calculate the cost to operate over time? 

Houze: Usually, managers calculate operating costs based on the transmitter efficiency only. They then can calculate the yearly consumption and estimate the electricity costs over time. At this stage, it is also important to take into account the price inflation that may arise. In our estimation, it is around 4% per year. 

But there are additional criteria regarding product maintenance. Preventive maintenance involves replacing some components after a few years, for example the fan and main power supply. Manufacturers generally give guidelines to replace these modules. And managers should take into account the cost of repairs. It can be based on previous experience with transmitters, however it differs from one brand to another. 

In my opinion, the best way to estimate the cost of repairs is to check the warranty details. Usually, the longer the standard warranty, the more reliable the product. 

Managers also can ask the price for a warranty extension to 5 or 10 years; this provides a fixed annual cost for maintenance.

[Check Out More of Radio World’s Tech Tips]

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It uses digital channel 18 and has a PSIP of Channel 4, reflecting its heritage status in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Since Oct. 4, 1953, KGBT-TV has been a voice of South Texas.

Today an Antenna TV and MyNetwork TV affiliate, KGBT has since September 2021 been owned by Nexstar Media Group. In recent weeks, the station’s tower has caused concerns due to structural issues. Now, the tower has been successfully decommissioned.

The process began at 10am Central on Friday (3/8), with no injuries or damages to nearby homes, the station reported via its ValleyCentral.com website.

Leading the tower’s deconstruction was a team of professional engineers, construction experts and specialized personnel. A safety zone was enforced around the tower, effecting a nearby school’s classes.

The tower is located in La Feria, and residents were told on Wednesday to leave the area in the event of an unforeseen problem with the decommissioning process. This was a realistic possibility, as a structural issue with the KGBT tower resulted from a broken supporting cable — one of 24.

The 1,337-foot tower remained upright. “In the event of a critical problem, the tower is designed to collapse in a downward spiral limited to a 150-yard radius of the center,” a statement read.

That worry did not arise.

FM transmitter manufacturer R.V.R. Elettronica, celebrating its 45th year, will exhibit at the NAB Show in the Broadcast Depot booth.

It will introduce the Hot Plug-in Next Gen high-power series by showing a 10 kW Hot Plug-in EPS Transmitter. EPS stands for Extractable Power Supplies.

“Due to the increasingly common need for fast maintenance, minimal downtime and redundancy at multiple points in the transmitter, R.V.R. has decided to provide a drawer of hot-pluggable power supplies, with an additional empty slot for N+1 PSU configurations.”

It allows the integration of supplies from different brands based on the budget and technical needs of clients in various countries.

In the company’s Hot Plug-in Standard Series, power supplies are placed inside each Hot Pluggable Power Amplifier Module; the user extracts the entire amplifier module to work on the power supply section. It allows simple maintenance but requires the complete RF and power supply module to be turned off.

In the new Hot Plug-in Next Gen Series, currently available in 6 and 10 kW versions, the EPS enhancement allows the user to extract each power supply without shutting down the amplifiers. The configuration increases redundancy since each amplifier is separated from the power supply “bank” section. The power supplies are available in a slot mounted on the front the rack, and each can be hot-plugged independently. The option allows extremely quick intervention.

NAB Show Booth: W1953 (Broadcast Depot)

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

The post R.V.R. Launches Hot Plug-In Next Gen Series appeared first on Radio World.

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Take a drive around Little Rock, Ark., in a new Dodge Charger and sample the FM radio band on the infotainment screen. You’ll find more than half of the stations transmit no RDS information at all.

Staff from the National Association of Broadcasters discovered that disappointing fact last year in preparing to update NAB’s “Digital Dashboard Best Practices Report,” which was released recently.

They conducted “radio audits” in both Detroit and Little Rock, driving around in rental vehicles and observing how stations appear on dashboards of late-model vehicles. These audits were modeled on similar drives done in 2017 by Jacobs Media and engineering consultant E. Glynn Walden in multiple cities.

“The results obtained from these audits serve to reinforce the message that more broadcasters need to be paying attention to their metadata,” the NAB wrote in the updated report.

U.S. broadcasters have in fact done much to improve the appearance of radio on the digital dashboard in the past six years, it found. But there is significant work yet to be done, especially by stations in small and medium-sized markets. 

The report is well worth reading. We all need to pay closer attention to how our industry’s product is being experienced by our listeners.

The results of the 2023 audits with respect to transmission of RDS metadata. The color codes range from green (stations utilized the full functionality of the digital dashboard) to red (there was no display functionality).

As Radio World’s Nick Langan wrote in a story about the report on our website, “The key takeaway is that it’s crucial for radio stations to ensure that their metadata, especially from RDS and HD Radio systems, meets benchmarks so that radio listeners get an experience commensurate with what they see from satellite radio, streaming services and other media in car dashboards.”

The report found that, at least in Detroit and Little Rock, metadata apparently is not being checked or properly edited before broadcast and that no one may be monitoring the station or market for mistakes. 

Stations with HD Radio may not be using the Artist Experience feature consistently, ignoring album art or delivering art that doesn’t match the audio. (Stations with HD Radio may also not be paying sufficient attention to their RDS — these audits were done in vehicles that did not have HD Radio reception, and the authors reminded broadcasters that the RDS data stream is probably the only metadata service available to broadcasters in many such vehicles.)

And while the report focuses on FM, it reminds AM broadcasters to pay attention to metadata on their translators as well as any AM HD Radio signals.

I strongly encourage you to take the time to read this report, which includes a number of useful visuals and recommendations. It explores important topics like RadioDNS, DTS AutoStage, RDS “chunking,” middleware services, multicast branding and how to get the most out of Artist Experience.

“Gone are the days when the radio industry had this real estate to itself,” the NAB report states. “Broadcasters need to strengthen their hold on this turf by improving the user experience on auto dashboards.” 

Find the report and additional useful resources at www.nab.org/innovation/digitalDashboardAudit.asp.

The post How Healthy Is Your Metadata? appeared first on Radio World.

Radio stations large and small — including an iHeartMedia Adult Contemporary FM launched under RBR+TVBR and Radio Ink Publisher Deborah Parenti — celebrated International Women’s Day with special programming across Friday (3/8).

Observance of the day was seen across the radio landscape — from the largest radio operator in the nation to college radio stations across the country.

While all took their unique spin on celebrating the achievements of women, alol had one thing in common — sharing the  invaluable and irreplaceable contributions of women to the industry for International Women’s Day, and Women’s History Month.

All Friday, iHeartMedia’s “Women Take the Mic” saw women leading on-air conversations across iHeartRadio music stations nationwide. In Dayton, Ohio, Parenti appeared on the WMMX “Mix 107.7” morning show in the 8am hour. She shared tales of her time leading what were stations owned by American Radio Systems and the April 1, 1994 launch of Mix. Parenti also took a moment to encourage listeners to write to their local Members of Congress in support of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act.

In Chicago, iHeartMedia stations on March 5 hosted a leadership panel featuring local female executives and the presentation of the International Women’s Day Leadership Award to Mary Kate Daly of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

iHeart CMO Gayle Troberman remarked, “Today on International Women’s Day women take the mic – highlighting the women who elevate this entire medium and connect with listeners everywhere, delivering powerful content, music, news and entertainment in authentic and inspiring ways.”

Cox Media Group also engaged in special programming. In Jacksonville, WEZI-FM “Easy 102.9“ put a spotlight on female artists with guest hosts such as Mayor Donna Deegan placed in-studio. The celebration extends to an International Women’s Day Party in the Park, with live entertainment and a female-owned vendor market.

On the college radio side, Emerson College’s WERS-FM 88.9 in Boston is dedicating its playlist entirely to female solo artists and women-fronted bands on March 8, continuing the celebration with special weekend programming. The station aims to spotlight women’s empowerment through music with a special 75-song feature at the end of March.

WERS Brand Manager Ken West said, “WERS is proud to feature Women artists as part of our music landscape every day, but International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month allows us to amplify the importance of how much they mean to the world through their music, contributions, and stories.”

Cumulus Media Chicago’s WKQX “Q101” saw host Lauren O’Neil running “The Women Who Make Q101” throughout all of March, spotlighting influential female artists in the Alternative Rock scene. This feature includes exclusive interviews and the stories behind their music.

O’Neil commented, “I am truly grateful for the opportunity to honor, amplify and celebrate the incredible Women Who Make Q101. These artists inspired me to get into radio and continue to inspire me every day.”

Once upon a time, a Classical station serving San Francisco for years at 102.1 MHz was sold. It transformed itself into a successful multi-signal non commercial operation, today owned by the University of Southern California.

Now, KDFC is positioning itself to bring a signal to the eastern portion of the San Francisco-Oakland market.

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With the State of the Union now in the rear view mirror, all eyes are now on Election Day. That means political ad placements are only poised to blossom in the coming weeks.

But where should political advertising go?

A new study finds that political ads are twice as influential on the media that a voter uses most.

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This year is predicted to be a record-setting one for political ad spending in the U.S., according to eMarketer forecasts. Advertisers, especially those leading political campaigns, will need to understand how voters are consuming media and how things may have changed since the last elections.

With political campaigns buying up valuable ad inventory in the U.S., all advertisers can benefit from understanding how audiences stay connected as ad prices rise, especially on news programming, new Nielsen data show.

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