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Over the past six years, as smart speakers moved from a niche product to a household staple, smart speaker listenership has grown more than 400%. And that increase in ownership has resulted in a greater number of minutes spent listening to streamed audio.

That’s the assessment of recent data pulled from Edison Research’s “Infinite Dial” and “Share of Ear” studies, in combination with a November webinar presented by Edison and Amazon Ads.

The research found that 91% of smart speaker owners reported listening to streamed audio in the past month. Not only that, but listeners reported they listened to audio for four hours and 26 minutes on average per day. Smart home speaker owners also said they listen more frequently, with 63% of them reporting they listen to audio content more since obtaining their smart speakers. 

The studies and webinar also revealed that a growing number of listeners — in this case, 66% — are obtaining news updates from their smart speakers on a weekly basis. Forty-five percent of smart speaker owners surveyed reported that they listen to news more often now that they have a smart speaker in their home. The data also revealed that 36% of the smart speaker owners said they obtain news updates exclusively through their device.

The webinar touched on several additional audio trends, most notably that the evolution of audio is being partially fueled by new audio technology. Among the other trends was the news that streaming audio is thriving and is likely to continue to grow; streaming audio offers brands new ways to reach and engage with consumers; the evolution of audio is partially fueled by new audio technology; and new audio technologies have brought audio home and it seems here to stay.

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The post As Smart Speaker Ownership Grows, Listenership Flourishes appeared first on Radio World.

Bill Mayne, veteran label and radio executive and former Executive Director of the Country Radio Broadcasters and Country Radio Seminar, has passed away after fighting against a long-term illness. He was 72 years of age.

Mayne’s career spanned more than five decades, starting as a country music performer before moving into radio. He launched Austin’s KASE and would also lead KZLA-FM and KLAC-AM in Los Angeles, former Country stations in the nation’s No. 1 revenue market. He would also lead WBAP and KSCS in Dallas.

Mayne eventually moved on to serve as Sr. VP/General Manager and VP of Promotion at Warner Bros. Nashville.

At the CRB, Mayne served as a board member and Vice President before his decade-long leadership as Executive Director, revitalizing the organization and contributing to its enduring success. His dedication to the industry was further honored with the President’s Award in 2019.

Outside of radio, Mayne ran Mayne Entertainment and Mayne Street Consulting. His philanthropic efforts were equally significant, including pivotal roles in the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music Board of Directors, and co-founding the St. Jude Country Cares for Kids Program, which has generated over $700 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

His charitable spirit extended to serving as National VP for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, as well as contributions to Leadership Music and the Mayor’s Nashville Music Council.

Mayne’s successor as CRB/CRS Executive Director, former KZLA figure R.J. Curtis, said, “The passing of Bill Mayne marks a profound loss for the entire country music community. Bill was a true giant in every sense of the word. His fifty years of passionate work positively impacted everyone he met, in nearly every segment of our business, through his time in radio, the music industry, artist management, entrepreneurialism, and, of course, his decade of leadership as Executive Director for CRB. Bill Mayne navigated the organization through a period of great adversity, ultimately reestablishing CRS as the premier industry event that it is today.”

CRB Board Member Mike McVay told Streamline Publishing’s Radio Ink, “Bill Mayne took the helm at CRB at a time when the nation was enduring great economic stress. He was instrumental in turning around the finances of the group and in building the foundation for the Country Radio Seminar to become what it is today.”

Mayne is survived by his wife Sallie Mayne, sons Bryant and Christopher, grandchild Everleigh, and mother-in-law Helen Wood. Details on a public service to celebrate his life are pending.

— Reporting by Streamline Publishing’s Radio Ink

NEW YORK — There is a new EVP for Programming at the Paramount+ streaming app, while the “FAST” channel platform Pluto TV also has a new EVP of Programming, the parent company of CBS News & Stations has confirmed.

Rising from EVP/Content and Business Operations at Paramount Streaming to lead the Paramount+ OTT platform is Jeff Grossman. He’ll be in charge of not only content but merchandising and operations, too.

Concurrently, EVP/Content Strategy and Global Partnerships Amy Kuessner will now oversee Pluto TV’s content strategy. This includes finding the right content for Pluto TV’s free ad-supported channels as well as global content licensing.

Each executive reports to Paramount Streaming President/CEO Tom Ryan. They each take on duties held until March 2023 by Tanya Giles, who served in a head programming role for both Paramount+ and Pluto TV.

 

NEW YORK — S&P Global Ratings now expects the U.S. economy to expand 1.5% in 2024 on an annual average basis — a slight rise from its September forecast.

The news suggests that the economy will be “cooling off but not breaking” across next year.

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Users of Sage equipment: You now have another 90 days to meet that pending FCC deadline for updating your EAS firmware.

Users of EAS products from other vendors: The Dec. 12 deadline still applies to you.

The chief of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has issued an order in response to a request from REC Networks and the National Association of Broadcasters.

REC and NAB had asked for an extension of time for stations to comply with the requirement that participants in the Emergency Alert System, including broadcast stations, prioritize the Common Alerting Protocol-formatted version of an EAS message when they receive both a CAP and legacy version of the same alert. The deadline for EAS participants to comply is Dec. 12. For most participants, that means updating their equipment’s firmware.

But as we’ve reported, Sage Alerting Systems recently the commission and its users know that it would not be able to release the necessary firmware update in time.

The FCC noted that Sage serves a significant market share of the market, and it accepted the argument by REC and NAB that “hundreds, if not thousands, of EAS participants must update their firmware by the same deadline” and that multiple broadcasters requesting simultaneous updates to their systems would create a heavy volume of urgent requests, making it impracticable for all participants to comply.

So the FCC says that Sage users will now have until March 11, 2024.

“We deny, however, the extension request to the extent it requests a waiver on behalf of all EAS participants. … The extension request does not provide a basis for granting a blanket waiver to all EAS participants, nor do we believe it would serve the public interest to extend the deadline where circumstances do not warrant it.”

Manufacturers Digital Alert Systems and Gorman-Redlich released software updates to users last month. Viavi (Trilithic) issued an update earlier this year.

The post Sage EAS Users Get a Deadline Extension From the FCC appeared first on Radio World.

Officials from GeoBroadcast Solutions and India public broadcaster Prasar Bharati met in New York City this fall and gave an update on the deployment and testing of GBS technologies in that country.

Aditya Chaturvedi, deputy director general of Prasar Bharati, provided a comment to Radio World by email through GBS. 

“ZoneCasting and MaxxCasting are seen as wonderful and invaluable technologies by the Indian government. Given the geographical vastness and cultural diversity of India, they recognize the tremendous potential these technologies hold.”

As we reported earlier this year, the technologies have been authorized for deployment and testing in New Delhi, the capital, and Bangalore, often called the Silicon Valley of India. Each area has more than 10 million residents. ZoneCasting enables the targeted delivery of content to geographic zones. MaxxCasting extends the reach and coverage of FM radio, improving reception in challenging terrains.

Shown in New York are Ryan McGinness of R&R Partners; Christopher Devine, GeoBroadcast Solutions; Dr. Ben Chavis and Tish Bazil, media personalities, educators and community leaders; Nitu Chaturvedi and Aditya Chaturvedi of Prasar Bharati; Dev Viswanath, Geo Global Banad Pvt. Ltd.; Bert Goldman, Goldman Engineering Management; and Gerry Waldron, Covington & Burling LLP.

“India’s cities are as diverse as 10 countries, making this technology exceptionally beneficial,” Chaturvedi continued. “It allows us to address our regional populations using a single transmitter and broadcast. Although we are in the early testing phase, we intend to deploy this technology at prominent installations of Prasar Bharati, such as Delhi and Bangalore. Our goal is to assess its performance and ensure it doesn’t interfere with our original transmission.”

He said numerous dialects are spoken across hilly terrains in India, making the technology suitable for providing tailored broadcasts to small yet significant populations. 

“Prasar Bharati is one of the largest radio broadcasting organizations globally, with over 500 broadcasting stations and more than 200 program-producing stations,” he said.

“Despite this extensive network, we still struggle to meet the diverse needs of our public. With these technologies, we can reduce our reliance on numerous program-producing stations and, instead, centralize our content delivery to cater to the varying dialects, languages and population requirements across India. … Though our testing has just begun, the technology is already demonstrating its significance in the context of our rich Indian culture.” 

The testing will commence in Bangalore before expanding to Delhi and overlapping with Faridabad. Assuming these deployments proceed smoothly, subsequent steps would involve discussions on wider implementation of ZoneCasting and MaxxCasting across other cities, mountainous regions and border areas, according to Dev Darshan Banad Viswanath, managing director of Geo Global Banad Pvt. Ltd., which was created to introduce the technologies in India.

“Additionally, we will explore the possibilities of forming partnerships for commercial deployment with private broadcasters throughout the nation,” he said.

Bert Goldman, chief engineer for the ZoneCasting and MaxxCasting initiatives in India, was among those who participated in the New York meeting.

[Visit Radio World’s Global News Page]

The post GBS Testing in India Will Start With Bangalore appeared first on Radio World.

In conjunction with Giving Tuesday, a celebration of giving around the world, the Broadcasters Foundation of America is asking radio and television professionals to consider a tax-deductible donation that will help their colleagues in need.

The Broadcasters Foundation, a 501c3 charity, provides financial assistance to people in radio or television who are in need due to a debilitating disease, accident, or disaster.

Donations in any amount can be made here.

 

“Giving Tuesday is a perfect day to think of our colleagues who have fallen on challenging times,” said Tim McCarthy, President of the Broadcasters Foundation. “Every week we receive more requests for aid, and we cannot turn our backs on our hard-working colleagues who life has dealt a difficult hand, leaving them in need of our help.”

To share more about the importance of the Broadcasters Foundation, which this year will award approximately $1.8 million, to broadcasters in need, McCarthy joined RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson on the latest episode of the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

 

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: BFOA” on Spreaker.

For more information about the Broadcasters Foundation, including how to make a donation or apply for aid, please visit www.broadcastersfoundation.org, send an email to info@thebfoa.org or call 212-373-8250.

 

Radio World Buyer’s Guide articles are intended to help readers understand why their colleagues chose particular products to solve various technical situations. This month’s articles focus on products that support streaming, podcasting and online content delivery.

With a slate of popular broadcasts and podcasts, Capitol Broadcasting, based in Raleigh, N.C., works hard to ensure its shows earn as much ad revenue as possible so they can continue to inform and entertain their avid listeners. 

Adding new programmatic demand partners to fill more inventory was difficult; Capitol needed a monetization partner that could also connect them to incremental advertiser demand easily.

Also, using two different systems to manage streaming and podcasting, Capitol’s team was doing extra work to traffic, optimize and analyze their ads and audience. Getting a single and simple view of overall performance was difficult.

Jon Accarrino is VP, transformation and strategic initiatives for Capitol Broadcasting.

“Managing streaming and podcast distribution from separate platforms created needless duplication in reporting and ad scheduling. We wanted a single platform that could manage both,” said Anita Normanly, director of podcast operations.

Capitol moved streaming and podcast delivery/monetization to SoundStack in the fall of 2022. Opening up its audio inventory on an independent platform, with direct connections to multiple demand partners, Capitol ensured that more advertisers would have access to the audiences they value the most, allowing them to fill more inventory. The organization more than doubled ad revenue  in five months by selling each impression to the highest-paying advertiser.

The move allowed them to unify management and reporting, of both podcasting and streaming, in one system, cutting workload in half. It also gave Capitol access to features like reliable geotargeting, blackouts for exclusive sporting events and provide targeted emergency alerts.

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

The post Capitol Broadcasting Doubles Ad Revenue on SoundStack appeared first on Radio World.

AEQ says its new SmarTalk web-based management portal generates links to be sent to a correspondent by email, WhatsApp, QR code or other means.

“When the correspondent clicks on the link, a browser opens and connects to the station’s AEQ Phoenix audio codec, sending Opus-encoded audio to it,” the company states.

“Without further intervention, the audio link between the device’s microphone and speaker or headset and the station’s audio codec is ready.”

It said you don’t need to have an audio codec or install software. “Sporadic collaborators can broadcast from anywhere there is internet connectivity.”

The participant receives the link and clicks it to see a welcome screen. With a second click, the person can participate. “Sending a reporter or a mobile unit, or moving the guest is avoided, as they use their own computer or smartphone to connect and participate.”

Users of AEQ Phoenix audio codecs can request a trial of the SmarTalk service, which is available under a renewable license that can be purchased based on the number of audio codecs per studio to be enabled.

“Subscribers can make any use of the service as they see fit, and send their connection link as many times as they need during the subscription period, for the number of licensed Phoenix audio codecs.”

When a license is activated on a PC at the station, the web application is activated so that SmarTalk users can create the “Guests” or users of remote terminals, send them the links, assign calls to audio codecs and put them on the air. An administrator window is used to register or modify stations, codecs and other users. 

If SmarTalk is enabled for a Venus 4 Phoenix codec, individual audio codec channels can be preset to SmarTalk, allowing a studio audio codec to dynamically work with SmarTalk or other portable audio codecs. In other Phoenix audio codecs, channels can be assigned to the service manually.

AEQ says that to ensure availability and low delay, redundant infrastructure was designed across several cloud servers in different regions of the world.

It adds that there are two working modes.

In Guest mode, the most common, the studio sends a link by email, WhatsApp or QR code. Accepting the link opens a welcome screen, and clicking on it registers the user on the operator’s waiting list, to go on air at the right time.

Reporter mode does not require an operator in the studio. “By tapping on the welcome screen, the user remains active in the air on the pre-assigned codec line or the one available at the station.”

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

The post AEQ Adds SmarTalk Service appeared first on Radio World.

A broadcast engineer hopes to go his or her entire career without having their transmission facilities wiped out by a disaster like a serious fire or a hurricane. 

Jason Horvath and his colleagues had to deal with both types of crises six weeks apart.

Horvath is corporate chief engineer and IT director of Renda Broadcasting Corp., which owns WJGO(FM) “Bob FM 102.9.” It is a Class C1 station with 96 kW ERP licensed to Tice, Fla., and one of four FM stations with transmitters at a site owned by American Tower in Fort Myers. 

WJGO shares an antenna combiner system there with Beasley Media stations WWCN and WJPT. The tower is also the home of Fort Myers Broadcasting station WTLQ(FM) and a translator for Relevant Radio.

On Aug. 18 of 2022, an electrical fire erupted in the transmitter building. 

“It damaged everything,” said Horvath. “Due to the fact that all the equipment was energized and running, by the time the fire company got there, the fire had traversed up into the wall, into the ceiling area, through the conduits and burned the insulation off of everything.”

All RF equipment at the site essentially was totaled, including Renda’s transmitters, combiners and processors. 

“The emergency personnel had to cut holes in the roof. There were two 20-ton air handlers that cycled everything, pulling all the smoke and soot through. And with the water and foam, it just destroyed everything.”

In the immediate aftermath, each broadcaster scrambled to get their stations back to something like normal operations. While Beasley switched to an auxiliary site a few miles inland, Renda was able to borrow an older Harris HPX20 transmitter from another one of its stations to get WJGO back on the air at half of its usual 48 kW TPO.

But that fill-in transmitter was also doomed. Because 41 days later a storm named Ian made landfall in the Fort Myers area as a Category 4 hurricane. Its 150 mph winds pushed water from the Gulf of Mexico across the low-lying landscape.

Click on the photo to toggle between pictures of the fire and flood damage.

[Related: “Gallery: One Very Unlucky American Tower Site in Florida“]

The transmitter site is less than a mile from the coast and about seven feet above sea level. The building was elevated another four feet off the ground. “But when you have a 16- or 18-foot storm surge,” Horvath said, “there’s nothing you can do.” 

Dozens of radio and TV stations in the region were knocked off the air by Ian, and WJGO was among them, victimized by the flood water. 

“There was no power. The building was blocked. There was debris everywhere. There was a barge blocking driveway access to the site,” Horvath said. 

“And once that hurricane happened, doing any construction, getting anything done in a reasonable amount of time, getting supplies in that region was impossible.”

Radio World has told the story elsewhere about Beasley’s own efforts to restore electrical power to its four FMs, one AM and five translators after the hurricane. But as bad as Ian was, Beasley wasn’t affected by the flooding at this tower site because it had removed all of its damaged gear after the fire. 

Not so Renda. WJGO stayed off the air for two weeks. Fuel supplies throughout the area were inconsistent. Broadcast sites and studios were difficult to access. Renda was eventually able to restore a 2 kW signal using a small temporary transmitter, and later went up to 10 kW with yet another loaner. But the station needed eight months to get back even to half-power. 

“Every piece of equipment, from generator transfer switches to transmitters, was delayed at some point due to supply chain issues,” Horvath said. Insurance processes and the limited availability of work crews also stretched the timetable out. And although the tower survived the hurricane, the ERI Axiom antenna that serves the Renda and Beasley stations had taken such a shaking that it needed to be retuned.

The new ERI combiner.

As of late 2023, all work now has been completed on a newly created iteration of the technical infrastructure that had existed before. The Renda and Beasley stations have a new three-station ERI combiner; Renda has put in a Nautel GV60 transmitter. One thing is for sure, says Horvath. “It’s hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

New Nautel transmitters in place for Renda.

Radio World’s Elle Kehres contributed to this story. 

Read more articles about notable RF projects in the free ebook “Great New RF Installs.”

The post How WJGO Recovered From a One-Two Punch appeared first on Radio World.

Travel east of San Antonio to Gonzales, Tex., and you’ll find an FM translator fed by a 1kw Class C AM that serves as the local home for Texas Public Radio. For those tuned to the AM signal during the noon hour on Monday, a topic of particular importance took up 25 minutes of air time — “saving” AM radio.

The guest on TPR’s The Source, hosted by David Martin Davies? None other than the President/CEO of the NAB.

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NEW YORK — It’s a newly created role at TelevisaUnivision “designed to accelerate the company’s client relations for more brands to engage with U.S. Hispanic consumers authentically in-language and in-culture.”

Who’s taking it? Look no further than the individual who from 2008-2010 was Univision Communications’ VP of Marketing and Business Intelligence and over his 30-year career has held key marketing positions at Akamai Technologies, Experian, and Datalogix. He was also EVP/Managing Director of Publicis Media from 2010-2013.

 

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Travel north on I-17 from the greater Phoenix area and you’ll pass through Black Canyon City, Ariz., known for its hiking and equine experiences. For those who visit Deep Canyon Ranch, they’ll undoubtedly see a tower array housing the transmitter for a Class B AM radio station with a signal big enough to reach Flagstaff and Tucson.

Now, just days after its 42nd birthday, the station’s owner — Entravision Communications — is euthanizing the AM.

 

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Lawo has announced the end of production of several older radio/audio products.

“With the introduction of a new crystal surface at NAB/AES in New York in October 2023,” it said in an email to customers, “crystal MkII, A_Onair4, Nova 29, KSC panels, Compact Engine and its related components approached product end of life.”

For existing installations or ongoing projects that use crystal MkII modules and frames, Compact Engines and A_OnAir4, there is a final purchase window that will close in May 2024.

Lawo said its service team will continue to support crystal MKII, Compact Engine and A_OnAir4 installations based on the following software releases:

• A_OnAir4 – Software version 7.0.2.103, Ravenna version 1.6.0 r12467 (103)
• Compact Engine – Software version 6.0.27
• crystal – Software version 5.0.1
• Compact Engine Ravenna I/O expansion card – Software Version 10-2-0-127 Ravenna Software version 1.16.0 r12348 (127)

“Support will be offered according to our terms and conditions of sale; however, due to increasing complexity in supply chain, Lawo’s support team will only be able to service components still in stock; supplies of replacement components will be limited to stock on hand. Limited numbers of products for replacement may also be available until end of stock.”

Lawo introduced the Compact Engine in 2008 and the crystal console MKII in 2014. The combination of crystal, Compact Engine and optional Ravenna I/O card introduced in 2015 was one of the company’s first implementations of Ravenna/AES67.

The A_OnAir4 was introduced in 2016 and is a Ravenna-based audio I/O device. The Nova 29 is a 1RU MADI router introduced in 2010; the KSC panels are 1RU key extensions for legacy base units and mixing consoles.

The post Lawo Ends Production on Several Older Radio Products appeared first on Radio World.

As RBR+TVBR first reported on Monday, the clock is ticking on a new retransmission consent agreement between TEGNA and DirecTV. Both sides have pointed fingers at one another, which is typical when a carriage deal negotiation breaks down.

The TV station owner and direct broadcast satellite company have until Thursday to iron out a fresh deal. Should there be no new agreement come December 1, the impact on fans of college football and the National Football League this weekend could be enormous.

 

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NEW YORK — Its NYSE-traded stock is at a year-to-date high, thanks in part to the efforts of financial analyst-turned-Chief Financial Officer John Janedis. For FuboTV Inc., 2023 has proven to be a successful transition year for a “sports first” vMVPD service positioning itself as a cable TV replacement.

Now, Fubo is venturing into Radio. Sort of.

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Local advertising sellers face growing expectations to sell more digital ad inventory and demonstrate higher performance on campaigns.

That’s a key conclusion of a new survey of 471 local-market digital advertising and marketing professionals released today by ad sales automation and workflow software company Frequence.

The report found that 72% of respondents felt recent changes to the digital advertising industry – like Apple’s recent AppTrackingTransparency feature – have led to a negative effect on their organization’s performance. More broadly, 70% feel like they struggle to keep up with all of the new strategies and technologies changing their industry, which include the rise of programmatic, streaming and attribution changes.

“Every day new advertisers enter the local market as barriers to entry fall and outcomes improve,” said Frequence CEO Tom Cheli. “Projections for future ad spend grow more optimistic by the day, and the excitement and growth have led to even greater expectations for performance.”

How important is technology support? Some 72% of respondents in the Frequence survey said they’d consider leaving their job for a competitor because of a lack of technology support. When asked what creates the most stress when working with clients, 33% cited gathering and analyzing campaign performance data as the biggest driver. Meanwhile, 29% cited pressure to sell more third-party ad inventory; 19% cited managing and adjusting campaigns in flight; and 18% cited determining an optimal mix of omnichannel campaign tactics or building a personalized proposal.

Among the other findings:

• 37% say reporting ad / campaign performance or results is the most difficult part of their job; 27% say tracking in-campaign performance; 16% say drafting proposals and determining the right omnichannel strategies; 14% say adjusting strategies while campaigns are in flight; and 6% say coming up with and managing creative assets.

Additionally, 82% of respondents wish their organization provided them with more software to do their jobs.

“As the industry navigates this period of rapid change, one thing is clear: local-market media professionals need support to meet mounting challenges,” Cheli said. “Technological tools and greater automation can help immensely, and success awaits the companies that invest now to give their employees the tools and resources they need. Local-market advertising is a resilient, adaptive industry, and with the right strategies the future for media companies will remain bright.”