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NEW YORK — Yes, some of the biggest radio broadcasting companies in the U.S. have struggled of late with their finances. Yes, television broadcasting companies stand at a crossroads as NEXTGEN TV seeks to attract consumers as OTT and FAST channels swiftly grow their audience and share of ad dollars.

Yet, investing in broadcast media remains an opportunity for strong cash flow and profitability, a Forecast panel featuring a billionaire known for supermarket ownership in New York, a veteran media broker and the SVP of Government Relations and Distribution at Gray Television shared on Wednesday.

 

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NEW YORK — Getting financial investors to sign up to restructuring and the idea of broadcasters “renting” licenses is overly complex.

That’s a key insight into what it is like to operate a radio and television station ownership group today offered during a Forecast panel devoted to regulatory and capital issues moderated by a veteran Washington communications attorney.

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I visited an engineering workshop at a broadcast facility recently and noticed something strange. It looked as though the tools had not been touched in a while. All the test equipment was turned off and kept under dust covers. 

I looked around and checked my watch to see if it was still the middle of the day during a work week.

I went to the engineer, who had worked there for a few months, and asked him where they fix and maintain their equipment. I was stunned by the answer. He said they don’t fix equipment anymore, just replace or send it to the manufacturer. Nor is there routine maintenance — because management apparently feels that this is when stuff breaks. 

Instead the engineer acts as a fireman. He resets power and swaps equipment out when there is a failure, but nobody vacuums the racks (which was visibly apparent). And he told me that there’s no one on staff anymore who has the skills or training to troubleshoot equipment.

I realize that my colleague’s situation is not unique. I am aware that today’s broadcast companies are very thin on engineering labor … that trained help is very hard to find … and that more and more of our facilities run on software, rather than products that can be cleaned or soldered. 

But to many of us in radio, this situation is nevertheless shocking. 

Engineers should be able to conduct a basic inspection of electronic devices to make sure they are clean and in working order. They should also be able to conduct simple repairs. 

Please, if this describes you, start by creating a schedule to conduct recurring inspections of your broadcast hardware. Then do the following with each critical device, even those that seem to be working properly:

• First, see if the device powers up. Yes, check if the plug has AC with correct volage. Check if the power supply busses have the correct voltages.
• Look to see whether anything seems burnt up; you may see burn marks or smell something.
• Look to see if any of the electrolytic capacitors have popped. This is usually noticeable.
• Look if any of the resistors are burnt.
• Make sure the inside is not covered in dust. Remember that dust is conductive. A conductive substance easily can short circuit leads of components. Make sure to vacuum the boards. (I do not like using compressed air to blow the dust, the simple reason is that the dust has to eventually land and could create another issue, vacuuming removes it.)
• Always make sure the fans are functioning properly. Proper air flow is essential to most equipment.
• Make sure that all connectors on the back (and sometimes the front) are tight and restrained properly. Gravity can loosen connections!

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An engineer does not need to know everything but needs to know how to get the answer. So get help from a colleague. Or put today’s powerful search engines to use. 

Remember also that some equipment goes through many versions of design based on factors like component design, component supply, equipment revision, etc. 

After you’ve created the inspection schedule, next make sure that you have a record of the serial numbers of key devices. You could keep a notebook. And/or, buy a simple labeler and display the serial number, IP address and the date of installation of key components right on their front panels. In an emergency situation you’ll be grateful that this information is right there in front of you.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but such simple actions can help keep a facility functional. 

Yes, there are more skills needed. Many people working in technical roles today may not know how to work their test equipment or all the functions. 

There are some non-traditional tools and techniques that are very important as well.

• Know how to use a network analyzer.
• Trace packets with Wireshark or Charles.
• Know how to do a Trace Route.
• Be familiar with reading automated equipment logs.
• Be familiar with local safety and building codes.
• Learn your facility’s equipment history.

This subject could fill a textbook. We can’t write that book here, but if you work in broadcast technology and don’t feel confident with good basic practices for inspecting and repairing electronics, make it your mission to learn. And don’t forget to take advantage of the good industry resources that are all around you, including reading Radio World’s Workbench column as well as Tech Tips from other Radio World contributors.

But I will offer one more favorite bit of advice: Tighten screws by hand, not with an electric driver. This avoids stripping; and when you tighten by hand, you can loosen by hand later.

What other essential tips should we mention? What’s your favorite tip to share? Write me and I’ll list them in a future column. Email me at Radio World.

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

The post Don’t Let Your Test Gear Go to Waste appeared first on Radio World.

NEW YORK — The President/COO of Entravision Communications, attending the Forecast conference on Wednesday at the Harvard Club, has confirmed his appointment to the National Association of Broadcasters Television Board of Directors.

Jeffery Liberman was appointed to the board by NAB Television Board Chair Pat LaPlatney, the co-CEO of Gray Television also in attendance at Forecast.

Liberman has been in his current role at Entravision since 2017, and is a 23-year company veteran. From 2012-2017, he served as Chief Operations Officer. Liberman was previously Station Manager of the former Latin Communications Group, which in 2000 was acquired by Entravision. He has been involved in Hispanic broadcast media for nearly 50 years.

Liberman assumes the board seat of Entravision President of Local Media Eddie Melendez.

NEW YORK — For years, unlicensed FM radio broadcasters have served who they believe are underserved audiences across parts of The Bronx, lower Westchester County, Brooklyn and Queens.

Now, thanks in part to the recent passage of the “PIRATE Act” by Congress, the FCC has proposed the maximum penalty under law against a trio of broadcasting buccaneers found to have run “pirate radio” facilities across the New York Tri-State Area.

As such, “La Mia Radio” operator Johnny Peralta faces a $2,316,034 penalty for the operation at 105.7 MHz of the unregulated radio operation, which dates to 2018. A 2022-2023 New York Pirate Radio Sweep by the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau confirmed that “La Mia Radio” continues to operate.

Secondly, a $1.78 million proposed fine has been issued to Dexter Blake, in response to his suspected operation of a pirate radio station known as “Linkage Radio,” which can be heard in the Westchester County city of Mount Vernon, adjacent to The Bronx, at 101.7 MHz. It has served the Black Caribbean community.

Lastly, the Commission handed a second $1,780,000 fine to an alleged pirate radio operator named Matthew Bowen. He is being charged with a total of 89 alleged violations of FCC rules for continued operation of “Triple9HD” in the borough of Brooklyn; it has used 99.9 MHz to serve local audiences.

Each individual has 30 days to pay up or seek a reduction or cancellation of the proposed fines, per FCC rules.

 

NEW YORK — How Americans get their news is a subject many broadcasting industry leaders likely have their pulse on. But, where does TikTok, the social media platform leading Republicans want shut down in the U.S. due to its alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party, fare?

The three-year surge for TikTok as a legitimate news source is real, and potentially alarming.

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NEW YORK — In an email sent Wednesday morning to Nielsen Audio Advisory Council members, EVP/Managing Director for Local Television and Audio Catherine Herkovic revealed that she will be retiring at the end of 2023.

What does this mean for the leadership of the Nielsen Audio Client Services arm of the audience measurement and consumer data company? It is being placed “in the very capable hands” of a New Jersey-based company veteran.

Rich Tunkel will be taking on the expanded role for Nielsen Audio. In confirming Tunkel will take on the duties, rising from SVP/Director of Sales. Herkovic called the longtime radio audience measurement professional “a great champion for our clients, and the Audio business at large.”

A 28-year Nielsen veteran who came over from Arbitron and has experience at Scarborough, Tunkel tells RBR+TVBR, “My entire career has been in audio and this is a great honor and a great responsibility that I really feel comfortable taking on because of the strong team we have at Nielsen Audio, including John Snyder, Laura Kutscher and Brendan Kane.”

Meanwhile, the Television Client Services duties will be assumed by Paul LeFort.

LeFort is also a former Arbitron executive who joined Nielsen in September 2003 as a Senior Account Executive. In September 2008 he rose to Manager of Strategy and Corporate Development and, in November 2011, to his current role of Director of Sales Development.

From 1992-2000, he was a Client Services AE at Arbitron.

Como Audio equipment owners can now rejoice — somewhat. Former Como Audio General Manager and V.P. of Product Development Peter Skiera is now offering limited support for the company’s high-end audio equipment, whose users were left stranded after Como Audio closed down unexpectedly in February, 2023.

Access to these services can be found through Skiera’s Patreon webpage, which does require users to pay a $3/month Elite level subscription fee following a seven-day free trial. He also runs Recommended Stations, which directs internet radio listeners to the best stations on the web, plus Wind Chime Radio, which is Skiera’s own internet radio station.

“I provide technical support as far as answering questions, troubleshooting and providing advice and guidance,” Skiera told Radio World. “In addition, I post monthly ‘Como Tips’ that highlight features users may not have realized existed or didn’t know how to use. These include things like how to improve FM reception, change the time display, how to adjust the clock for Daylight Saving Time and how to access HD Radio stations.”

Skiera also posts “Como Updates” on an as-needed basis. “These deal with news all Como Audio customers should be aware of, like the status of the Como Control apps and the popular ‘My Favorites’ feature,” he said. “One thing I don’t do is exchange or repair products or sell parts.”

Skiera said he decided to offer limited Como Audio support because “I felt so bad for our loyal customers when the company closed, many of whom were more than just customers to me,” he said. “No one knew more about our products than I did, and I provided tech support as part of my duties with Como Audio including my ‘How To’ videos on YouTube and helpful articles on Como’s blog. A lot of our customers already knew me. I considered myself to be in a unique position to offer this kind of service.”

Although he is unable to provide a full range of support to Como Audio users, Skiera said those who have used his services are apparently happy with what he is able to offer. He adds: “The challenge is trying to reach our worldwide customer base since I cannot afford advertising. I rely entirely on word of mouth.”

[Related: “Como Audio Closes, Citing Supply Chain Issues“]

The post Limited Support Available for Stranded Como Audio Equipment Users appeared first on Radio World.

NEW YORK — Using technology and digital solutions to grow is one way locally focused broadcasters can achieve riches without high expenses. That was one key takeaway offered during a Forecast session featuring independent ownership groups of radio and TV stations across the U.S.

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NEW YORK — As 2021 came to a close, a much-discussed effort by the Michael Tabor-controlled Global Media & Entertainment to gain a significant non-voting interest in iHeartMedia concluded. Rather than getting FCC pre-approval to hold up to 49.99% interest in iHeart, GMEI withdrew the request, and instead agreed to FCC advance approval of up to 15% equity interest.

While some remain convinced that iHeartMedia, which has seen its stock price wither across 2023, could see more investment from Global, the UK-based owner of such prized audio brands as Capitol, Heart and LBC, one thing is certain — the two companies are joining together to grow their respective podcast businesses.

Global, the UK’s largest radio and outdoor media company, now has in place an exclusive platform distribution and ad sales deal with iHeartMedia. This means Global and iHeartMedia will license, distribute and represent each other’s chart-topping Podcast portfolios.

In the UK, iHeartPodcasts will be available on Global Player and via DAX, Global’s digital advertising exchange. In the U.S., Global’s podcasts will be available on the iHeartRadio App and will be sold by iHeartMedia’s audio sales team.

Global’s owned and original podcasts includes daily news podcast “The News Agents” and “The News Agents USA;” and “My Therapist Ghosted Me” with Vogue Williams and Joanne McNally.

Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia’s Digital Audio Group, said, “Podcasting has exploded as the newest mass-reach medium in the US, with more than 120 million Americans a month now listening – and now the opportunity for global growth is huge. As more international listeners engage with hit iHeartPodcasts every month, this is a great opportunity to work with the best-in-class Global and using DAX monetization teams, to find new audiences and advertisers for the best and largest podcast portfolio in the world.”

Mike Gordon, Global’s Chief Commercial Officer, added, “I’m delighted that iHeartMedia is partnering with Global to bring each other’s incredible slate of award-winning podcasts to advertisers in the UK & Ireland, and the US. Combining the reach of each other’s platforms and network s, and featuring talent like Jay Shetty and Brett Goldstein, and The News Agents’ Emily, Jon and Lewis, at a time when podcasts are experiencing rapid growth, will see us reaching more audiences than ever before.”

NEW YORK — The two individuals at the helm of the nation’s largest audio content creation and distribution company have confirmed their upcoming appearance at a major institutional investor conference scheduled for November 29.

Bob Pittman, the Chairman/CEO of iHeartMedia, and COO/CFO Rich Bressler will participate in a question and answer session during the Wells Fargo TMT Summit. The appearance is scheduled for 3:45pm Eastern on the Wednesday following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

A live webcast of the session will be available to the general public at the start of the session at https://investors.iheartmedia.com/.

A replay of the webcast will be available in the Events & Presentation section of iHeartMedia’s Investors homepage.

For iHeartMedia, a welcome respite from a year-long decline in value came in Wednesday’s trading, with shares of IHRT up 14.3% to $2.40 as of 10am Eastern.

 

River Radio LLC is agreeing to purchase a pair of FM radio stations in the Lone Star State. The facilities serve Hill Country, due west of the Austin market. Who is the seller?

 

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NEW YORK — The Ninth Circuit U.S. federal appeals court has overruled a motion filed by Ed Stolz and the Harris Law Practice that sought to put a stop to the auctioning off of the radio stations associated with Royce International Broadcasting.

While this reflects former receiver Larry Patrick and a fight waged in a California federal court over unpaid music royalty payments, it effectively keeps the recent sale in a Nevada bankruptcy court of all of Stolz’s stations on track.

Indeed, the asset sale agreements were affirmed in the Nevada court, with Tuesday’s actions all but ending Stolz’s efforts to stave off the dissolution of his broadcasting business.

 

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The Media Bureau enters into a Consent Decree with Sunflower Community Action, licensee of Station KYOM-LP, Wichita, Kansas

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Until now, the FCC has not considered programming when taking into account a station’s license. However, the Media and Democracy Project, an advocacy group backed by Preston Padden, wants that to change, as it claims falsehoods shared by a Fox Televison Stations-owned broadcast TV station in Philadelphia during the 2020 U.S. presidential election season is grounds for preventing its license renewal.

While the merits of that fight are being debated, the Chairwoman of the FCC has circulated amongst the Commissioners a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that she believes will support local journalism.

How so? She proposes to prioritize processing the review of applications for license renewal or for assignment or transfer of license for radio and television broadcast stations that provide “locally originated programming.”

Jessica Rosenworcel on Tuesday announced a proposal that, if adopted, would begin a proceeding “to advance the Commission’s longstanding policy goal of supporting local journalism and broadcasters’ commitment to meet the needs and interests of local communities.”

But, is it a proposal that will establish a specific, codified standard as to what “locally originated programming” is? And, is it the job of the FCC to keep an accurate, up-to-date list of such programming?

Details are scant, with the FCC only sharing that the proposal “explores incentivizing the production of local programming by prioritizing the processing and review of applications from broadcast stations that invest in and prioritize local programming in communities across the country.”

For local TV broadcast groups, that’s a no-brainer. But for independently owned stations that rely on syndicated programming or digital multicast networks, does this put them at a disadvantage with respect to the Commission? What about NewsNet, the 24/7 all-news channel that is buying low-power TV stations across the U.S. as it converts from a digital multicast network?

Then, there is the matter of Radio. Given the large amount of syndicated programming and voicetracking seen across the industry, how will the Commission prioritize an AM or FM station’s license renewal? Will this hurt big groups such as iHeartMedia?

Those questions are likely to arise in the coming weeks, given the arrival of the proposed NPRM.

Rosenworcel said, “There’s something special about when you hear a local voice on the airwaves or see a familiar face on your television set in the evening. Over time we’ve come to trust those voices and they provide an important service to these communities. We want to recognize that dedication when it comes time for license renewals and transactions and this proposal does just that.”

The Chairwoman circulated the proposal, as summarized:

A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to support local journalism that proposes to prioritize processing the review of applications for license renewal or for assignment or transfer of license filed by radio and television broadcast stations that provide locally originated programming.

The chairwoman of the FCC says radio and TV stations that invest in local programming should have priority in the processing and review of license renewal applications.

Jessica Rosenworcel is circulating a notice of proposed rulemaking to that effect with her colleagues on the commission. 

“There’s something special about when you hear a local voice on the airwaves or see a familiar face on your television set in the evening,” Rosenworcel said in a press release.

“Over time we’ve come to trust those voices and they provide an important service to these communities. We want to recognize that dedication when it comes time for license renewals and transactions, and this proposal does just that.” 

The text of the proposal has not been released yet, so we don’t know the details or whether her proposal is about just streamlining certain bureacratic steps or suggesting a more substantial change.

If adopted, the FCC said, the proposal would begin a proceeding to “incentivize” the production of local programming “by prioritizing the processing and review of applications from broadcast stations that invest in and prioritize local programming in communities across the country.” 

This would include applications for license renewal or assignment or transfer of license filed by radio and television broadcast stations that provide locally originated programming.

Reached for comment, Alex Siciliano, senior VP of communications with the National Association of Broadcasters, replied, “The FCC is right to acknowledge the vital role local broadcast stations play in connecting and informing their communities. Especially at a time when misinformation runs rampant online and newspapers are shuttering, local broadcasting remains one of the most trusted sources of news and information. We look forward to learning more about this proposal.”

The post Rosenworcel Floats Proposal to “Support Local Journalism” appeared first on Radio World.

The National Federation of Community Broadcasters’ board of directors has selected Rima Dael to head up the NFCB in the new year. Starting in January, Dael will serve as successor to current CEO Sally Kane, who has led the nonprofit for nearly 10 years, having started her role in January of 2014.

Rima Dael

“Taking the reins of NFCB from Sally Kane, whose leadership is greatly felt throughout our system, requires a visionary and inspiring leader. Rima Dael is that leader,” said Kerry Semrad, president of NFCB’s board of directors, in a press release. “Rima has a proven track record of advocating for independent stations, from our country’s largest cities to the smallest communities.

“She is a fierce champion of localism and belonging and she brings a passion for the essential role that community radio plays in our country.”

According to the NFCB, Dael was selected from a diverse pool of candidates after a five-month, nationwide search. In her new role, she will bring more than three decades of nonprofit experience in the public media, arts, education and human services sectors. Most recently, Dael served as the general manager of WSHU Public Radio in Fairfield, Conn., and was a member of NPR’s board of directors.

Dael is originally from the Philippines. She received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology and theatre arts from Mt. Holyoke College, and her master’s degree in nonprofit management from the Milano School of Management & Urban Policy at the New School University, where she was a Community Development Finance Fellow, said the NFCB.

“I am eager to build on the foundation Sally, the NFCB Board and NFCB membership have created,” said Dael in the release. “I believe that our community stations are a backbone for our communities. They are part of the safety net of our society, and they are a platform for individual and communal expression.”

According to its website, NFCB is the oldest and largest national organization dedicated to community stations within the public media system. NFCB’s mission is to provide services that allow community media to better serve their communities. It advocates for national public policy, funding, recognition and resources on behalf of its membership while providing services to strengthen multi-platform community media.

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