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Logical Channel Spectral Mapping, Service Mode MP11. From NRSC-5-E HD Radio Air Interface Design Description Layer 1 Document FM Y_IDD_1011s.

MP11 is the widest-bandwidth backward-compatible HD Radio extended hybrid service mode and provides a commercially viable method for stations to get increased HD Radio audio or data capacity while maintaining backwards compatibility with analog FM. 

The story behind the extended hybrid service mode MP11 is interesting, and the global COVID-19 pandemic paused publicity of the successes and deployment of the mode. 

MP11 was conceptualized in the original NRSC-5 documents circa 2005 and authorization for extended hybrid mode operation was adopted by the commission in 2007. However, it was not developed for commercial use until almost a decade later. 

It was initially thought (more than two decades ago) that the risk of “host interference” or digital-into-analog interference on the same station of this widest extended hybrid service mode might be too great. The thought at the time was that broadcasters would consider this mode when there were more digital radios in the marketplace than analog. It was surmised that broadcasters would have to disable FM RDS and FM stereo, and revert to monoaural FM only. 

However, advancements in transmission technology have shattered those early theories.

When Xperi started developing the current Generation4 (Gen4) HD Radio platform circa 2014, they included a commercialized development for service mode MP11, and included a feature called PAR2 Carrier Protection, which is an advanced peak-to-average ratio reduction scheme for the HD Radio RF signal. 

This advancement was not something envisioned or even possible with the hardware resources the industry had a decade prior. With PAR2 Carrier Protect, there is a way for broadcasters to “have their cake and eat it too.” Stations can remain fully competitive with a stereo FM signal, with analog RDS, and simultaneously transmit in the widest extended hybrid service mode (MP11) without host interference.

Presented at the 2019 Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference at the NAB Show, David Layer of NAB and Michael Rhodes from Cavell, Mertz & Associates outlined the results of extensive lab studies that were performed by PILOT, NAB’s innovation initiative. These tests were conducted with the participation of Xperi and Nautel and are documented at length in a white paper included in the 2019 BEITC Conference Proceedings. 

This groundbreaking research proved to the industry that MP11 was a viable option for broadcasters.

In the real world

At iHeartMedia, we had been testing MP11 on Gen4 for a little over a year in our own labs. Receiver compatibility seemed acceptable, but we were waiting for completion of the more extensive compatibility studies that were underway before putting this service mode on the air.

With the PILOT findings in hand, iHeartMedia set out to find a candidate station to perform MP11 field tests. We were looking for a station that had a full complement of Gen4 HD Radio transmission hardware. Requirements included low-level, common mode FM+HD amplification with a Gen4 Exgine exciter, and a transmitter that had sufficient headroom to support the 1.5dB power increase that occurs switching from MP1 to MP11.

The company’s WTUE(FM) in Dayton, Ohio, went live with MP11 on July 1, 2019, and has been transmitting in that mode continuously since that date. 

A radio in a 2014 Toyota Tundra is tuned to the HD4 channel enabled by MP11. HD1 and HD2 are on the standard hybrid P1 partition enabled by service mode MP1. HD3 is on the extended hybrid P3 partition enabled by service mode MP3. HD4 is on the extended hybrid P4 partition enabled by service mode MP11.

In our implementation, we were looking to create an HD4 program in the additional 24.6 kilobits-per-second P4 partition. The conversion couldn’t have been easier. We needed to load the latest firmware into the existing transmitter/exciter (earlier firmware versions did not support MP11), and we installed a (then new) Gen4 GatesAir FMXi 4g Exporter. We provided the HD4 audio via AES audio of WONE(AM) Dayton, which offers a sports/talk format.

WTUE was chosen not only because the Gen4 transmitter had the headroom but also because Dayton was a convenient place to test. We had engineering resources nearby in Cincinnati, Columbus and Indianapolis to support the tests. On the day we launched, we were able to have several engineers at key locations within the WTUE coverage area with a variety of different receivers to immediately discern if there were any issues with digital-to-analog host interference. 

As the PILOT lab tests established, no host interference was found, and none has been reported since we signed on. WTUE is approaching five years of operation in service mode MP11. See video below.

We had envisioned reporting our successes at the 2020 and 2021 NAB Shows. Both were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic due to the travel restrictions and health and safety concerns at the time. 

Advancements in HD Radio IBOC extended hybrid service modes has made headlines more recently, with Radio World reporting on Hubbard’s successes on WWWT(FM) (see “Hubbard Turns on an HD5 Audio Channel)”. Their addition of an HD5 program using the additional bandwidth offered by extended hybrid service mode MP11 is a great use case, and the industry welcomes Hubbard and others who may consider this latest option. 

Benefits of MP11

While much time has elapsed since the lab and field tests began, it is great to see broadcasters like iHeartMedia and Hubbard using this mode to provide additional digital services to the public. 

This additional bandwidth can be used for additional audio services, helping with AM station and FM translator re-broadcasts. It also helps increase the diversity of formats providing content to underserved audiences.

Service mode MP11 will not work with older Generation-3 HD Radio Importer/Exporters, transmitters or exciters. PAR2 Carrier Protect also cannot run on this hardware, as it is computationally intensive and exceeds the resources of the hardware. 

However, there is broad support for MP11 in today’s transmission marketplace. Xperi and the manufacturers have all been forward-looking, putting the advancement in their current line of products while not porting it to hardware that is considered borderline obsolete. It’s hard to believe, but the Gen3 framework is nearing 20 years old.

It is recommended that Low-Level, Common-Mode FM+HD amplification be implemented when broadcasting MP11. That is the only method that has been thoroughly tested in the lab and out in the field. The use of older combining methods is generally not supported and not recommended.

As of March 2024, three transmission equipment manufacturers offer products that have implemented MP11:

• Gen4 Importer/Exporters:
  • GatesAir FMXi 4g Embedded Importer/Exporter
  • Nautel HD MultiCast+ Importer/Exporter
  • Rohde and Schwarz HDR-900 Embedded Importer/Exporter
• Gen4 Transmitters:
  • GatesAir Flexiva Low Powered + High Power (FAX + FLX) Series
  • Nautel GV2 (Updated hardware/software is potentially available to update a GV to GV2)
  • Rohde & Schwarz THR9 FM+HD Series

While receiver support of extended hybrid service modes is difficult to project, it is safe to say there are millions of vehicles on the road today that can decode new audio channels in the P4 partition of MP11. As time goes by, more automotive receivers will be in the marketplace to tune in to the additional content enabled by the MP11 extended hybrid service mode.

Past Links:

Hubbard Turns on an HD5 Audio Channel (January 2023)

NAB Radio Technologists Look Ahead (April 2020)

Symposium Examines Changing Radio Landscape (November 2019)

Evaluating Higher-throughput HD Radio Mode With the PILOT Radio Test Bed (July 2019)

 

The post The Story of the FM IBOC MP11 Mode appeared first on Radio World.

Data security is complex, especially in an industry with varied use cases and business models. For Bitcentral COO Sam Peterson, any attempt to prescribe a single one-size-fits-all solution will do more harm than good, he shares in this thought leadership piece.

 

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The National Association of Broadcasters is hosting its fourth annual NAB Diversity Symposium during the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas, and the NAB notes that this year’s symposium remains open to all attendees.

However, the program features a new structure that caters to the diversity of the NAB Show audience with individual sessions focusing on inclusion across the wider media, entertainment and technology industries.

“The programming is designed for all attendees – broadcasters, media production professionals, content creators, AI enthusiasts, technology professionals, storytellers and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) advocates,” the NAB notes.

“As we convene for the fourth annual NAB Diversity Symposium, fostering inclusive workplaces and advancing diversity within the broadcast industry is more important than ever,” said NAB Chief Diversity Officer Michelle Duke. “This year’s symposium is about empowering organizations to not just meet but exceed their diversity and inclusion goals. We are providing attendees with the tools, knowledge and strategies needed to cultivate diverse talent, create inclusive environments and drive innovation.”

Speakers include Cassandra Freeman, who is known for her role as Aunt Viv in Peacock’s “Bel Air,” and is also the co-founder of Creatricity, a platform that simplifies the process of finding and hiring vetted, reliable, and diverse talent and crew for television and film projects.

Also appearing are Arun Sundararajan, global expert in technology and business, author and professor at New York University; and Joe Strechay, TV and film producer and blindness consultant on Apple TV+ series “See.”

For further information, please click here.

This is the time of year when many broadcast technology suppliers unveil their latest product introductions or tease what’s coming.

Your 2024 Spring Product Preview ebook features more than 50 new or recently introduced products from the industry’s leading manufacturers, from AI tools, sound cards and microphones to program delays, facility monitoring systems and new transmitters.

Read it here.

The post Spring Product Preview 2024 appeared first on Radio World.

In the last two years, a “Secret Millionaire” featured in a March 2011 episode of the now-concluded ABC reality television series was involved in the purchase and subsequent sale of radio properties in South Florida.

Now, Marc Paskin is investing in a FM radio station with a signal covering the entire Hawaiian island of O’ahu.

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State Rep. Ken Rahjes

On March 27, 2024, Kansas lawmakers voiced their support for the federal AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. By a 109–14 vote, the Kansas House of Representatives passed House Concurrent Resolution 5026, endorsing passage of legislation at the federal level to require all new motor vehicles to have devices that can access AM broadcast stations installed as standard equipment.

Rep. Ken Rahjes (R), who is also director of agricultural programming at KBUF(AM), was lead sponsor of the resolution. “Bad weather or just information, where do you turn? You turn to the radio,” he said. “What this resolution does is send notice to our delegation to support the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act.”

The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (S.1669/H.R.3413) currently has 238 co-sponsors in the U.S. House and 48 in the Senate. It is eligible to be brought up for consideration by the full Senate, but has yet to be reported out of a committee in the House. In December 2023, an attempt to pass the bill through unanimous consent failed in the Senate.

[Related: “Attempt to Pass AM for Every Vehicle Act in Senate Falls Short”]

“The passage of this resolution tells Congress that Kansans want AM radio in vehicles,” stated Allison Mazzei, president of the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. “Radio serves as a cornerstone of communication, providing essential information and ensuring public safety across our state.”

The Kansas Association of Broadcasters met with every member of the state’s federal delegation to garner support for the legislation. One of the state’s two senators, Sen. Roger Marshall (R), and three of its four representatives — Reps. Sharice Davids (D), Ron Estes (R), and Tracey Mann (R) — have all signed on as co-sponsors.

The post Kansas Lawmakers Back AM in Every Vehicle appeared first on Radio World.

As RBR+TVBR reported earlier in March, Audacy Inc. submitted for FCC approval an “engagement and assignment agreement” that saw the placement of a 25kw Class C3 FM licensed to Simpsonville, S.C., into a divestiture trust administered by Kalil & Co. of Tucson.

Ten quick days later, Audacy has a buyer for WSPA-FM 106.3, which will be sold by “The Greenville Divestiture Trust” but by the company directly.

An asset purchase agreement dated March 28 was uploaded to the FCC’s LMS late Thursday, and it shows that the Norberto Sanchez-founded Norsan Media, known for its Hispanic-focused broadcast media properties across the Southeast, intends to purchase the FM for $700,000.

The sale of WSPA was engineered as Audacy, which is exiting debtor-in-possession status after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, is being reconstituted with its emergence. As such, Audacy would have been owner FCC ownership limits in the Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., radio market that WSPA serves.

A Time Brokerage Agreement will allow Norsan to assume control of WSPA prior to closing.

A 10% deposit ($70,000) is due within 10 days. It is to be placed with law firm Putbrese, Hunsacker & Trent, acting as escrow agent.

At present, WSPA is known as “Magic 106.3,” and is anchored by the Murphy, Sam & Jodi syndicated morning show. “Magic” has been on WSPA since March 28, 2023, when it moved from the facilities now home to WYRD-FM 98.9. Ownership of the “Magic” brand dates to December 1999, when then-Entercom acquired 41 radio stations from Sinclair Broadcast Group. Past owners of “Magic” include River City Broadcasting, Keymarket Communications and Spartan Radiocasting.

Once the transaction closes, Norsan will have its first FM signal in Greenville-Spartanburg, where it presently operates WOLI-AM 910 and FM translator W289BS at 105.7 MHz with its regional Mexican “La Raza” brand. It is possible that “La Raza” will relocate, with the company’s “Latina” Spanish Contemporary format entering Upstate South Carolina. It can be heard in the Charleston, S.C. market on WZJY-AM and FM translator W238CO.

New Hampshire-based Binnie Media, led by President/CEO Massimo Rosati, has promoted the company’s EVP/Sales to the role of Chief Operating Officer.

Taking the new post is Faith Francis. She is an 11 1/2-year company veteran who joined in November 2012 as a regional sales manager.

In fact, Binnie Media dates to 2012, when it acquired radio stations in Maine and New Hampshire, operating from the Granite State city of Concord.

Concurrent to Francis’ promotion, Heath Cole has advanced from Vice President of Programming to the new programming and operations position.

“Both Faith and Heath have been crucial to our success in key areas of the business, and this will give them the ability to affect change on a broader scale,” Rosati said. “We have a profitable, vibrant business and great culture at Binnie Media, allowing people to have flexibility with accountability, and allow long-term employees the opportunity to be promoted from within.”

With GenAI rapidly becoming one of the leading topics of interest at the upcoming NAB Show in Las Vegas, many may be curious as to the extent of artificial intelligence usage by broadcast media that could come in future years.

ENCO will most likely be turning heads — human and virtual, perhaps — with its latest offering.

ENCO plans to showcase an AI-driven virtual anchor delivering live news from a realistic 3D virtual news set during this year’s NAB Show, from a virtual production facility at its booth in the West Hall (W1743) of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The presentation will be produced live from a virtual production studio powered by Qimera AR/VR/MR systems in combination with generative AI technologies.

ENCO first unveiled their partnership with Qimera at the 2023 NAB Show, where the two companies debuted a complete virtual production. “The AI virtual anchor is an exciting new innovation for this year’s exhibit, leveraging AI models to generate virtual human anchors that speak with human-sounding voices,” ENCO notes. “These are generated by ENCO new SPECai generative AI text and voice creation application.”

Specifically, the Qimera virtual production workflow will acquire and summarize a news story, delivered as synthetic speech through the virtual anchor.

“The convergence of AI with news production technology represents a significant step forward in that it introduces an automated way to create compelling, localized content in real-time,” said ENCO President Ken Frommert. “We fully expect this impressive technology to make a big impact in 2024 because it offers a broad, robust feature set with a simplified, intuitive user experience unseen in the marketplace.”

The Qimera virtual production environment accelerates the learning curve by removing all the complexity from the process. The underlying Qimera technology generates realistic, real-time graphical sets by harnessing its integrated Unreal Engine, NVIDIA GeForce graphics card, and 3D asset library. Other integrated features include virtual cameras, tracked/trackless camera systems, a 4-input switcher and DMX lighting controls.

As Qimera’s exclusive North American distributor, ENCO sells and markets Qimera’s virtual production technology and integrates it with ENCO’s automation, studio production and captioning product lines. This NAB virtual production studio experience is designed to call attention to the extensive products offered by ENCO and its partners.

“Our 2024 NAB Show exhibit is a strong example of how ENCO blends the physical and digital worlds with AI to ignite groundbreaking creative possibilities,” Frommert added. “We are just getting started.”

— With reporting by Brian Galante, in Boston

Gray Television has signed a multi-year agreement with the Arena Football League — a pact that will bring Saturday arena football games to local broadcast TV stations owned by the publicly traded company in at least 34 U.S. markets.

The first AFL games on Gray’s television stations will air on Saturday, April 27, and continue for the 10-week 2024 AFL season.

Gray’s local broadcast AFL games primarily focus on in-state teams matched to Gray’s local television station markets. For example, the Georgia Force (Atlanta) will air on Gray’s Georgia television stations in Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, Albany, Macon, and Columbus via Gray’s Peachtree Sports Network. Other Arena teams with in-state games on Gray stations include the Minnesota Myth, Nashville Kats, Louisiana Voodoo, West Texas Hawks, Salina Liberty, Southwest Kansas Storm, Wichita Regulators, and Rapid City Marshals. In addition, many Gray stations in markets that are not currently affiliated with the AFL will air one or more Saturday “Game of the Week” broadcasts of the AFL.

“We’re excited to bring Spring football to local audiences,” said Gray Chief Operating Officer Sandy Breland. “This agreement provides another example of how Gray works to strengthen local communities with local and regional sports content.”

The NFL Network will carry a separate package of approximately 30 games on a national basis on Thursdays and Sundays during the AFL season.

Gray’s Tupelo Media Group will produce AFL games airing on the NFL Network.

S&P Global Market Intelligence has computed its data for North American media and telecom companies’ mergers and acquisitions for the month of February, and it has tallied 96 deals valued at $160 million.

That, S&P Global says, is the sector’s softest showing in M&A activity in 13 months.

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MacDonald Garber Broadcasting has established itself as one of the nation’s top local broadcasters in a small market, with eight radio brands serving the Michigan communities of Cadillac, Gaylord, Traverse City and Petoskey.

For one of these brands, it has leased a Class A FM just west of Cadillac for 12 years. Now, it is acquiring it in what is truly a within-the-family transfer requiring the FCC’s blessing.

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Gen Media Partners and the Ten-Minute Trainer Network will hold a free livestream event in late April, following the 2024 NAB Show, aimed at empowering political campaigns of all sizes in upcoming mid-term elections.

“Maximizing Political Dollars for Small & Medium Markets” will take place on Wednesday, April 24 at Noon Eastern/9am Pacific and will feature industry experts sharing insights and tips on how to leverage political advertising budgets.

Key Speakers include GMP SVP of Political/Issue Advocacy and Strategic Alliances Roger Rafson, VP/Political Strategies Manager Linley Grande, and Political Broadcast Strategist Heather Karban. They will provide “actionable tactics to maximize every advertising dollar while adhering to legal boundaries,” GMP says.

“Preparation is vital to ensure stations take full advantage of the political cycle,” said GMP EVP Greg Tacher. ” Those who invest less than an hour of their time will benefit greatly from our experienced panel.”

 

For more information about this event, visit www.tenminutetrainernetwork.com or contact Delta Wilson by email at delta.wilson@p1learning.com

Three veteran executives have earned promotions at Compass Media Networks in moves that will see the trio oversee the content creation, production, and distribution of the company’s play-by-play sports platform.

“For over 16 years, Compass Media Networks has set a standard of excellence for national
play-by-play sports with Chris, Rob, and Tyler playing a vital part in our success,” company founder and CEO Peter Kosann said. “It is our pleasure to give these three talented executives their day in the sun, knowing that they will continue to work incredibly hard to carry on this tradition of excellence.”

Earning the elevated roles at Compass are Robert Blum, Tyler Brewer, and Chris Kleiber.

• Blum will take the title of VP/GM of Sports, continuing as Vice President of Affiliate Sales for News/Talk and Sports.
• Brewer is appointed Executive Producer of Sports Programming. From Los Angeles, he will oversee all sports production.
• Kleiber is now Senior Producer of Sports Programming. From L.A., he will manage sports production with Brewer and be responsible for all local radio broadcasts of the Las Vegas Raiders, including pre and post-game shows.

A Mississippi non-profit has been unable to convince the FCC to accept its application from the 2023 LPFM window.

This is one in a series of recent dismissals that followed a similar pattern.

Renew Taylorsville desired to broadcast on 93.5 FM in Taylorsville, Miss. The organization said it wanted to air educational, religious and moral instruction to the area.

The antenna listed on its application would be located some 27 miles west of Taylorsville, putting it much closer to the Jackson market. This appears to be a glaring misplacement on the non-profit’s part.

The commission rejected Renew’s application for violating same-channel spacing requirements to WHJT(FM) Kearney Park, Miss. Its proposed antenna site was about 42 miles from WHJT. The same-channel spacing requirement is around 48 miles.

The application also violated second-adjacent spacing requirements to 93.9 WJAI(FM) Pearl, Miss. The second-adjacent requirement is at least 25 miles while its proposed antenna was just under 20 miles away from WJAI. Both WHJT and WJAI serve Jackson.

In late January, Renew asked the commission to reconsider. It said a simple data entry on the part of its engineer had resulted in the application’s short-spacings. It provided new coordinates for what it claimed would be a “minor amendment” that would make its application a singleton. The updated coordinates would place its antenna within the town limits of Taylorsville.

But as in other cases, the commission didn’t accept the data entry argument as grounds to change the outcome. It said “any application submitted during an LPFM filing window that fails to meet its spacing requirements will be dismissed without opportunity to amend.”

It also reiterated that “typographical error claims” cannot be used to justify filing an amendment that would otherwise not be merited.

Renew Taylorsville attempted to file another amendment to its application at the end of February, seeking to make changes that made its application “fully compliant.” But that amendment came after the expiration of the 30-day window following the FCC’s dismissal.

Several LPFM applications in the 2023 window now have succumbed to short-spacing violations that appear to have been avoidable, a reminder for applicants to take care to plot the locations of the transmitter coordinates on their applications before submitting them.

(Read the decision.)

The post FCC Dismisses Another LPFM Applicant Due to Short-Spacing appeared first on Radio World.

RBR+TVBR‘s look at the upcoming 2024 NAB Show continues with a conversation with Skyview Networks President/CEO Steve Jones.

What excites him about GenAI and its use at broadcast radio? What are the other big conversation topics he’s expecting to discuss at the NAB Show? We find out in this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Steve Jones” on Spreaker.

Digital momentum. It’s been stated by many media advertising analysts and has fueled many discussions by multimedia companies seeking to grow their share of the dollars being funneled into streaming and online platforms by marketers.

This momentum led MAGNA to raise its 2024 advertising market forecast by 9%. But, what does this mean for linear TV? The outlook is hardly welcoming, while “the erosion of linear radio” is also weaved into a narrative that could point to another bumpy year for broadcasters.

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