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Three views of the Sage ENDEC EAS hardware from the company website

Here’s an important update for the many U.S. radio stations that use EAS equipment from Sage Alerting Emergency Alert Systems.

“We continue to work on the Rev96 update,” the manufacturer posted on its website Monday. “We have made the FCC aware that the update has taken us longer to produce than we had anticipated, and that there will be insufficient time for many of our users to install the update by the Dec. 12, 2023 deadline.”

In particular, it said, this may affect users who have a large number of ENDECs or who employ contract engineers with many clients to update.

“We apologize for the delay. We will update this page and keep the FCC informed on the release status as we get closer to a release date. When Rev96 is released, and email will be sent to those who are signed up for our support email list.” If you are not on that list, you can sign up on the Sage support page.

Reached for comment, President Harold Price told Radio World that the firmware is in final testing and expected to be released soon, but that he realized over the weekend that this timeline may make compliance with the deadline difficult for users, so he issued a “heads up” to the Sage client base and the commission.

“EAS is an important national resource and part of a complex ecosystem,” he said. “We want to get it right.”

Though the number of units in the field is not published, Sage generally is considered to be one of the largest, if not the largest, suppliers of EAS gear to the U.S. radio industry.

For Sage users, the required firmware update costs $159 and is sold through U.S. distributors. The update is compatible with 3644 ENDEC hardware. (Any Model 3644 purchased new from dealer stock after Dec. 12, 2021 is eligible for a free Rev96 update; that includes serial numbers B418750 to B429999.)

The FCC last year adopted new rules to improve the clarity and accessibility of alert messages. EAS participants including radio stations must comply by Dec. 12.

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

Part 11 of the FCC rules states that if an EAS encoder or decoder becomes defective, the station can operate without it pending its repair or replacement for 60 days without further FCC authority. Meanwhile Radio World has asked the FCC for comment on whether Sage users will be given a period of grace if they miss the deadline, as has been the case in the past in similar circumstances; we will report any reply.

The post Sage EAS Firmware Update Is Still Pending appeared first on Radio World.

It was a foregone conclusion that many broadcast media companies would have a year-over-year decline in revenue and profits from the third quarter of 2023, given the bonanza of political ad dollars seen in the 2022 election cycle. But, just how much of a dip Radio and TV broadcasting companies would see has now emerged as the bigger question.

For TEGNA, the third quarter saw revenue that came in under the consensus estimates of Wall Street analysts.

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ENCO is among the latest vendors to join the Ryan Seacrest Foundation’s technology partner community, helping the foundation establish a simplified media workflow at 14 Seacrest Studios locations in pediatric hospitals across the United States.

The Ryan Seacrest Foundation (RSF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring today’s youth through entertainment and educational initiatives. Its primary initiative is to build broadcast media centers that allow pediatric patients to explore the creative realms of radio, television and new media, and contribute positively to the healing process for children and their parents.

RSF opened its first Seacrest Studios in 2010 with an emphasis on the radio side of broadcast and production. Over the last several years RSF’s strategy has expanded to include a larger video component.

“There were always video elements so that patients could visually take in what was happening in the studio inside their rooms,” said Nicole Mead, VP of Business Development and Operations for the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. “As technology has evolved along with the desires of young patients, we have made significant investments on the video production side. Seacrest Studios locations today have the appearance of a combination radio and television studio. The square footage of Seacrest Studios has essentially doubled since our first build.”

With these changes came the need to modernize their technology footprint within both new and existing Seacrest Studios. The radio automation workflow was a specific emphasis. In addition to a desire for a more simplified on-air and production workflow, RSF also wanted a solution that offered direct hooks into some of the video production elements under consideration at the time. These are some of the reasons that inspired RSF to standardize on ENCO’s DAD radio automation solution across all locations, including the recently opened Seacrest Studios inside Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens, N.Y.

“We spent nine months researching how we could best modernize and simplify the Seacrest Studios infrastructure and workflow,” said Senior Communications Specialist Cayce Long. “ENCO gives us a very powerful all-in-one solution to handle file conversions, metadata and other production elements that previously required separate components and manual intervention. For example, DAD’s Dropbox utility automatically manages all required conversions and places in the appropriate file directories for scheduling. We schedule everything centrally from our network operations center in Nashville, but DAD makes it very easy. In fact, on most days we don’t have to go into the system to create the day’s program schedule. DAD simply takes care of it using the rules I provide for each day.”

DAD can also seamlessly interoperate with video technologies added to Seacrest Studios, including new PTZ cameras at many locations. “ENCO helps us fuel a visual radio workflow in addition to our traditional radio programming,” Long said. “We recently brought in guests from the Nashville Zoo here at our Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt location in Nashville, and the guests included arachnids that we wanted on camera. Radio today also means capturing video inside your studio for your Twitch and YouTube channels, or building a library of video and audio podcasts. ENCO helps us tick all those boxes.”

The latest Seacrest Studios at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, which opened in late September, will cater to a highly diverse community of patients across many nationalities. Mead sees DAD playing a valuable role in bringing a similarly diverse array of programming to patients.

“We have heard innumerable stories of uplift from patients and families based on their Seacrest Studios experiences,” said Mead. “We have some patients, including a young girl in Colorado, who gained so much from their broadcasting experiences that they have continued to host weekly programs in the studio following discharge. I don’t think any of us ever quite envisioned the power that Seacrest Studios would bring to these pediatric communities, or that we would have 14 locations by the end of 2023.”

ENCO President Ken Frommert added, “We all have challenges in our lives, but those challenges seem trivial when you are in the company of young kids who are fighting for their lives. We witnessed first-hand the joy that the Ryan Seacrest Foundation is bringing to kids and their parents, and it is inspiring to play a role in their efforts to offer healing opportunities for these families.”

Telos Alliance, the broadcast audio technology company in Cleveland, has brought to market a platform that is designed to simplify the installation and configuration of several of the company’s virtualized products.

AP-3000 is now available.

This means that Telos customers that wish to install a Telos VXs virtual VoIP phone system, Omnia Forza software audio processor, or Axia Altus virtual mixing console can not only do so on their own COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) server but now have the option of purchasing these products pre-installed and pre-configured on the AP-3000 hardware platform.

“We recognize that many of our customers understand and appreciate the myriad benefits of virtualization,” said John Schur, Founder of Telos’ Minnetonka Audio and President of TV Solutions. “With AP-3000, we’ve done all of the heavy technical lifting and bridged the gap between the simplicity of traditional proprietary hardware and the advantages of full-scale virtualization; it’s the best of both worlds.”

Each AP-3000 will arrive properly pre-configured and ready to “plug and play” upon delivery.

Nine months ago, Daniel Anstandig attracted widespread attention with the launch by his company, Futuri, of an AI-fueled product named RadioGPT.

It was marketed as the world’s first AI-driven localized radio content tool and combined the elements of GPT-3 technology with Futuri’s AI-driven targeted story discovery and social content system, TopicPulse.

Now, RadioGPT is no more, as it now integrates multiple Large Language Models (LLMs) while forging partnerships with new AI voice companies ElevenLabs, PlayHT, and Resemble AI. And, Futuri is opening the system up to television and other non-radio media companies.

“Futuri’s rapid advancements in technology have enabled it to add new and enhanced features that make the evolved Futuri AudioAI system more powerful for radio and accessible to other forms of media,” the company said in marketing literature distributed last week, in which its enhanced features and new capabilities were shared.

The biggest takeaway, however, is that Futuri AudioAI’s integration of multiple LLMs brings abilities that go beyond the GPT-4 integration that was a component of RadioGPT. “Using multiple LLMs means the content Futuri AudioAI delivers is even stronger, and it better enables Futuri to improve the system continuously,” the company says.

One example of the improved product resulting from the product upgrade are weather reports, Futuri says.

The company notes that the Futuri AudioAI rollout follows the July 2023 launch of SpotOn, which delivers end-to-end production — original scripts, music, and voiceover — for radio and television broadcasters seeking to streamline the production of promos, spec spots, and commercials.

The innovation arm of the National Association of Broadcasters on Friday (11/3) kicked off the third annual PILOT Next Gen TV Fellowship program at its Washington, D.C., headquarters.

The biggest change from 2022? This year’s program, its third, has expanded and includes students from Howard University and the University of Missouri.

Launched in 2021 with support from Amazon Web Services (AWS), the fellowship gives participants practical, first-hand experience with the ATSC 3.0 transmission standard and the broadcast television industry. Over the course of the program, fellows will participate in training programs, seminars and one-on-one coaching with Next Gen TV standard experts and AWS representatives. The program will conclude with fellows presenting their projects at the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

The fellows also participate in the NAB Leadership Foundation’s Technology Apprenticeship Program (TAP), a complimentary career development program that is designed to train, inform and recruit a diverse workforce to meet emerging technology and engineering needs within the broadcasting community.

During orientation, fellows had the opportunity to visit the Technology Lab at NAB headquarters, which features equipment for testing and research of cutting-edge television and radio technologies.

The 2023-24 fellows are: Howard University YaSin Abdul-Musawwir, Film and Television, Junior
Rachel Ibihwiori, Computer Science, Senior
Emmarah Kouadio, Interactive Media and Computer Science, Senior
Teshi Waruingi, Computer Science, Senior University of Missouri Charles Dake, Finance, Senior
Amanuel Hailemariam, Information Technology, Senior
Shannon Worley, Journalism, Senior

 

“The PILOT Next Gen TV Fellowship is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for students to get real-life experience in broadcast technology, learn more about television innovation and work beside industry experts,” said PILOT Executive Director John Clark. “We’re thrilled to partner with Howard University and the University of Missouri for this year’s program that will provide fellows an immersive journey into the next generation of television.”

The new National Basketball Association season is in full swing, and the league has turned to Spot Cable to drum up fan interest in the sport at a time when Major League Baseball’s season has concluded, NHL action is heating up and the NFL is sizzling.

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Digital Networks LLC has been actively lighting up low-power television stations across the U.S., now that the vestiges of Luken Communications are firmly in the past. The latest station to see the arrival of all five digital multicast channels from Digital Networks’ parent Get After It Media is a property serving a dual-city metropolitan area hugging the Red River that’s home to Barksdale Air Force Base.

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Issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture to Puget Sound Educational TV, Inc. in the amount of $9,000 for violations of Commission rules.

Its stock price is battling back from a September 15 low of $0.54. Analysts believe its mid-term performance outlook on the Nasdaq market is positive. What can investors expect to hear from CEO David Santrella when Salem Media Group reports its Q3 2023 financial results in one week?

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NORTHVILLE, MICH. — It was no Halloween scare. On October 31, it became known that Kevin Adell, in protest of regulatory inaction of his sale of WADL-38 to Mission Broadcasting, yanked the station’s affiliation of The CW Network.

Next Monday, the Nexstar Media Group-owned broadcast network will make its return to the Motor City. It’s thanks to an agreement with The E.W. Scripps Co.

 

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When it comes to retransmission consent impasses, direct broadcast satellite service provider Dish has been involved in some of the nastiest, prolonged disputes in recent years. Among the companies impacted are Nexstar Media Group and Hearst Television.

Don’t think for a minute that the absence of over-the-air TV channels on Dish’s lineups isn’t a big deal. Pay TV subscriber rolls dipped in Q3, leading to a surprise loss in the quarter. If that wasn’t enough, Dish’s Chief Executive Officer revealed he’s stepping down as part of a planned merger with EchoStar. 

Investors revolted, sending Dish shares down to a value some $40 per share less than where they were in August 2021.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — After more than three decades of leadership experience with the Consumer Technology Association, holding such roles as Executive Vice President of CES and Chief Strategy Officer, Karen Chupka is departing for a role at the NAB.

Specifically, she’s poised to take over the role held by the retiring Chris Brown.

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A unique broadcast designed to highlight the importance of noncommercial educational stations run by college and high school students will hit the airwaves Nov. 8.

To build awareness of the benefits and value of educational radio, eight college and high school FM stations in the New York City area will band together for a one-day simulcast. Organized by Andy Gladding, chief engineer of WRHU(FM), the college radio station of Hofstra University, the simulcast is set to include WRSU(FM) Rutgers Radio, WCWP(FM) Long Island University, WPSC(FM) William Patterson University, WPOB(FM) Plainview Old Bethpage JFK High School, WKWZ(FM) Syosset High School, WFNP(FM) SUNY New Paltz and WARY(FM) Westchester Community College.

In addition to their status as educational radio stations, each station broadcasts between 88.1-88.9 FM, thus creating what Gladding is calling “the Big88” — in effect, New York’s biggest FM station for one day. 

The fact that so many NCE stations were interested in participating illustrates “the enthusiasm and excitement of those working in radio,” Gladding said. 

“I’ve always wanted to put something like this together, and I was really amazed by the positive feedback I received from the partner stations during the initial pitch. There’s a certain energy that surrounds any ‘large scale’ broadcast event, whether it’s a big news production, live concert, athletics program or any other technical execution that attracts a large number of ears/eyes for a specified amount of time,” he said. 

“Once the [student participants] have a chance to have this experience, I’m certain it will only empower them to think of bigger and more creative ideas they can integrate into their own studies and pre-professional development,” Gladding said.

Schools participating in the one-day broadcast will have the opportunity to showcase their own programming on a rotating basis throughout the day, with student DJs talking about how they serve their campus and their community through radio. 

WRHU Hofstra has a committed student population with more than 300 student volunteers who work to produce audio/radio play-by-play for university games — creating live mobile, web and broadcast content for Hofstra D1 teams as well as Long Island Nets basketball and the New York Islanders hockey coverage. The college radio station is one of the largest student organizations on campus.

Click on the picture to toggle between photos.

[Related: “WRHU College Radio Brings Local Programming Worldwide“]

This Big88 event is designed to help demonstrate the value of retaining FM NCE stations in the community.

“We cover lots of stuff, tough stuff like a recent faculty strike, [which] we covered wall-to-wall, and we sent out people to do hard news stories,” said Mike Pavlichko, broadcast administrator for WRSU(FM). An FM NCE since 1974, the station has editorial freedom; the university does not get involved in mandating content, he said. 

During the Big88 broadcast itself, several stations — including WPSC, WRSU and the two high school stations — will connect to the Hofstra station via Comrex IP codecs. WFNP will connect by web stream. The remainder of the stations will send its radio staff to the Hofstra studios to go on air.

“This is our first time doing a live connection to a university,” said Mike Sacharoff, chief engineer at WPSC(FM) 88.7. The station will be on from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Big88 day. “We ran a test with Hofstra and were on the air for 45 minutes straight with no problems,” he said.

“We’re excited to collaborate with them — and all of the other partners on the broadcast — as we see this being the start of a working relationship between some amazing radio programs where we can share content, ideas and initiatives,” Gladding said. “The way I see it, even though we all represent different educational institutions and programs, we are all excited for the opportunity to create a large ‘network’ of passionate, young broadcasters. Someday soon, they will all hopefully find themselves working together in the commercial sector.” 

In addition to introducing students from one station to another, the broadcast is designed to illustrate to the community that there is a diverse mix of stations out on the air.

“For me, the benefit is giving listeners in our broadcast area a different perspective of music,” Sacharoff said.

It’s also important to remember the value that NCE stations have in the community, he said. “We are here and we have a voice.” Sacharoff said he is constantly asked how big DJs in New York City or Philadelphia get their training. The answer: places like these. “It starts with a small little college radio station that is broadcast to millions,” he said.

What is impressive, Sacharoff added, is that you have a whole new generation of kids still excited and interested in radio. “There is something different about being live over the air.”

A collaboration like this speaks volumes to the community building done by NCE broadcasters. “Beginning that team-building now by working together just makes us all stronger and gives us tremendous reach, while also increasing the value of our individual programs in the public sphere,” Gladding said.

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The post The NYC Area Preps for Debut of the Big88 appeared first on Radio World.

In September 2019, longtime regional sports network NESN welcomed a new Vice President of Digital. He was previously Creative Director of Digital Media at NBC Sports and before that spent 20 years working at such organizations as ESPN, Kaulike Digital, Fusion Productions and Palmside.

Now, this native of Argentina has been convicted of mail fraud and unlawful monetary transactions in an embezzlement case that saw the digital VP vociferously deny the allegations.

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Some might describe John O. Broomall Sr. as a serial filer of FCC forms. In fact, he estimates he has submitted more than 1,000 successful filings to the commission.  

Broomall, 83, is recognized by many as a national authority on community radio. He operates Christian Community Broadcasters, a consultancy near Atlanta, that he founded with his wife Henri in early 2000. He has helped more than 300 churches, ministries, school and community groups build and operate noncommercial low-power FM stations. 

Broomall got his start in broadcasting at 17 as a student intern when WETV Channel 30, now WABE(DT), signed on in Atlanta in 1958, one of the first city-owned PBS stations. He helped found WATC(TV) Channel 57, a non-CPB private educational station, in 1996 and retired from his job there as underwriting manager in 2012. 

The son of a Southern Presbyterian pastor, he estimates more than half of the 2,000 LPFM stations on the air in the United States are operated by churches and Christian ministries. The veteran broadcaster operated WPCG(LP), Grace Radio in Canton, Ga., but turned over operation of the station to Encompass Ministry in 2022. 

Radio World spoke with him about the success of the LPFM service, demand for new stations, a proposal to increase power levels and his life as a Christian broadcaster. Some answers have been edited for brevity.

Radio World: What are your emotions on learning about the November filing window for new LPFMs?

John Broomall: There has not been a low-power FM window since 2013, and I am excited for what will probably be the final one. The radio dial is getting full nationally in urban and suburban areas. At 83, it will be the climax of my broadcasting career. 

RW: Have you had many calls from prospective LPFM broadcasters seeking help?

Broomall: Since CCB started in 2000, I have proactively sought clients through ads and faxing, emailing, calling and mailing to prospects. I am notifying all my clients and relying on referrals to keep me busy.

RW: What do LPFM wannabes need help the most with?  

Broomall: Frankly, everything. LPFM is a unique radio service not understood even by some FCC employees. If a person has never filed an LPFM Form 318, being a full-power radio personality is of no benefit.

RW: What should people know about the commission’s procedures?

Broomall: FCC legacy rules and procedures, changes the commission made in 2019 and its future rulings can best be interpreted by men and women who have done dozens or hundreds of low-power FMs. “Do it yourself” is not for brain surgery, repairing aircraft or filing in the fiercely competitive November window. 

For example, one LPFM board with a former “pirate” member did not know it was a fatal flaw. Once filed it’s too late to remove the person.

RW: You recognized the significance of LPFM early on. How do you characterize the success of the service?

Broomall: Is a cup half full or half empty? Is it 80% full or 20% empty? Listeners to a station don’t care if it is 100 watts or 100 kW if they can hear it. 

People define success differently. A manager of a Christian station might be satisfied to reach one person with the Good News. Someone else would say that it had failed if it had not met its budget. 

RW: Are you an advocate for allowing LPFMs to increase power to 250 watts, as some have proposed? 

Broomall: While I want LPFMs to reach as many people as possible, I have never really been an advocate for LP250. The 250 watts would work only in small towns and rural areas, based on terrain and an open dial. 

RW: Share your thoughts about the role of Christian radio in our society.

Broomall: Anyone who believes in the afterlife knows that Christian radio literally has eternal significance. Good and evil is everywhere, from huge cities such as New York and Chicago to rural Alaska where long nights and isolation foster evil such as incest. Christians should use radio and all other modern communication and social media tools.

Radio is one of the most cost-effective ways to spread the Good News. A low-power FM can operate 24/7 for less than $25 a week. 

RW: What is Grace Radio?

Broomall: The slogan of Grace Radio, 102.9 in Canton, Ga., is “We Proclaim Christ’s Grace.” WPCG has operated at four transmitter sites, moving closer to Atlanta to reach more people, as FCC regulations allowed. We are in the heart of the Bible belt. To the best of my knowledge, metro Atlanta has more Christian radio and TV stations than anywhere else in the world.

Grace Radio is 100% automated. Most programming is from Moody Radio, the oldest Christian broadcaster, founded in 1926 by Moody Bible Institute. Other national radio ministry programs, such as “Family Talk” from Dr. James Dobson, are delivered by internet and air on a revenue-sharing basis. Grace 102.9 has never had its own studio but produces programs at a local recording studio.

RW: You say you are on a first-name basis with some at the FCC. Describe your dealings with them through the years.

Broomall: Friendly. Cordial. Productive.

The FCC has serious, chronic, ongoing database and IT problems that frustrate me and my high-level FCC staff contacts. Information about a given station should be the same, for example, in the Consolidated Database System and in the Licensing and Management System, but sometimes it is not. It’s frustrating to take one step forward and two backward. I blame inconsistency in regulatory enforcement and interpretation not on the government but on human nature. 

RW: Hypothetical question: If you were to serve as an FCC commissioner, what would be the first few things to address?

Broomall: LPFM is unique among all broadcast services with no commercials and 100 watts or less. When it was established in 2000 one of the commissioners called its founding a “rocket docket.”

While I’m not a libertarian, I believe the role of the FCC related to LPFM should be limited to technical interference. Most of the regulations related to board membership, localism, mission statement and assignments are inconsistent, with loopholes the size of semi trucks, and should be eliminated.

RW: What are a few things people should know about you outside of broadcast?

Broomall: I processed “Top Secret/Eyes Only” messages as a communication specialist in Vietnam. I’m interested in long-distance radio and TV reception, DXing. I operated an advertising and printing business at Five Points in downtown Atlanta. Over a period of 20 years I wrote professionally more than 10,000 résumés.

I’m also active in my church as a Reformed Christian. I’ve served as a deacon. I’ve also been on the founding board of two Christian schools. Last, but not least, I outlived three wives over a period of 50 years.

RW: Your late wife Henri was involved in the business.

Broomall: Henri died three years ago of a rare blood disease, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura or TTP. She was not only my wife but my live-in radio consulting partner from the beginning. Almost daily I see passwords and FCC filings she set up or handled.

In 2016 when Mike Huckabee, who once owned an LPTV station, was running for president, I was upset with the FCC about something. A friend of ours knew the person running his campaign in Georgia. I told Henri, “If Huckabee gets to be president I’ll use my contacts and ask to be named an FCC commissioner.” Immediately Henri responded, “You are going to Washington without me.”

RW: And what has been the most satisfying part of your career?

Broomall: Helping nearly 300 LPFM applicants or licensees. Speaking at National Religious Broadcasters conventions about LPFM and underwriting workshop panels. And I’m grateful that at 83, my best opportunities might be in the future. My new website LowPowerFM.info summarizes what I am busy doing now.

[Related: “FCC Delays the LPFM Window”]

The post John Broomall: Broadcasting God’s Word appeared first on Radio World.

NEW YORK — Come Tuesday, November 14, industry leaders from across broadcast radio and television will be readying to attend Forecast 2024 the following day at the Harvard Club. Ahead of the event, at the Paley Center for Media, the nation’s largest owner of broadcast TV stations will officially kick off a “collection of exclusive symposiums designed to bring thought leaders and influential voices to examine critical issues related to media, content and advertising.”

In short, Nexstar wishes to demonstrate the power of its news content to marketers, and it is teaming with Ad Fontes Media to accomplish this.

See Ad Fontes Media Chief Strategy Officer Lou Paskalis exclusively at Forecast 2024 one day after the Nexstar event in New York. Find out how by clicking HERE.

 

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