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From Radio World’s Who’s Buying What page: ENCO DAD automation systems are being installed at the 14 Seacrest Studios in pediatric hospitals, including a new one at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens, N.Y.

The Ryan Seacrest Foundation builds broadcast media centers for 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.” The first studios opened in 2010 emphasizing radio broadcast and production. 

“There were always video elements so that patients could visually take in what was happening in the studio inside their rooms,” said Nicole Mead, the foundation’s VP business development and operations, in a joint press release with ENCO. 

“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.”

She said the foundation is installing DAD systems streamline workflow in all the studios and to add hooks for video production elements such as PTZ cameras.

The foundation schedules most content centrally from a NOC in Nashville. The local ENCO DAD systems handle file conversions, metadata and other production elements that previously required separate components and manual intervention; for instance DAD’s Dropbox utility automatically manages required conversions and places content in the appropriate file directories for scheduling. 

The 14th Seacrest Studio opened in September at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center.

Read more Who’s Buying What coverage.

The post Seacrest Studios Standardize on ENCO DAD appeared first on Radio World.

It’s being hailed as a holiday season with the launch of the most festive channels to date. Indeed, for Sirius XM subscribers, some 26 ad-free channels have been created for those who need a little Christmas and some Hanukkah tunes in their repertoire between now and the holidays.

Accessing the channels, however, won’t be as simple as dialing up a channel on an in-dash tuner.

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It was resoundingly popular in its first year. Now, the third annual Broadcast Media’s Top Tech Leaders list is being formulated, with 20 honorees set for the RBR+TVBR spotlight. Will Sinclair Broadcast Group President of Technology Del Parks, Nexstar Media Group EVP/Chief Technology Officer Brett Jenkins or another top tech leader be at No. 1 this year? It’s up to you, but you only have until Friday, November 10 to vote.

 

To make your nomination, please follow RBR+TVBR’s guidelines:

1. The persons you nominate must be active in radio and television media technology today and have a minimum of five years’ experience in broadcast media.
2. Nominations can come from any department of your radio or television station or parent company.
3. HURRY! You may make up to three nominations by our deadline of Friday, November 10 at 5pm Eastern. Please fill out only one ballot.

CLICK ON THE RBR+TVBR BOX BELOW TO CAST YOUR BALLOT NOW!

 

Who Are Broadcast Media’s Top Tech Leaders Of 2024?

The individual who has most recently served as VP/GM of the Sinclair Broadcast Group property serving the Johnstown-Altoona-State College, Pa., market just to the east of Pittsburgh has been promoted to a similar role at the TV station in the state capital where he began his career.

With that move, the General Sales Manager of that Johnstown, Pa., property is rising to the top spot.

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Jack Sellmeyer

Jack Sellmeyer, one of American radio’s leading broadcast engineers in the second half of the 20th century, has died.

Early in his career, he worked in manufacturing and design for the Gates Radio division of Harris Intertype and Collins Radio, where he gained several patents; he was the co-inventor of the patented automatic modulation sensitivity control. He later launched his own firm, Sellmeyer Engineering, and worked as its principal engineer.

“It’s a great thing to be able to do the work you love,” he told Radio World in 2009.

During his career Sellmeyer worked with or was mentored by some of radio engineering’s greatest names of the 20th century including Bob Silliman, Jules Cohen, Louis and Tom King, Ben Dawson, Don Everist and Bob duTreil Sr. He received the NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award in 2009.

“Education is the key to success for any broadcast engineer,” he told Radio World late in his career.

“Jack was one of the best, smartest consulting engineers I have ever worked with,” said Cris Alexander, director of engineering for Crawford Broadcasting and technical editor of Radio World Engineering Extra.

“He was creative and could think outside the box. He was a master with AM antenna systems and knew how to make even difficult arrays work as they should. We have lost one of the greats.”

Growing up in New Mexico, Sellmeyer started as a board op at his hometown radio station while in high school. He held several chief engineer positions while putting himself through college at New Mexico State University and Arizona State University.

He joined Collins Radio Company in 1966 after graduating from Arizona State with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. He worked in product support and then field service positions, traveling to radio stations that used Collins equipment to assist in troubleshooting unusual problems and restoring operations.

After a short stint with Granger Associates in its Bauer Broadcast Division, where he developed design specifications for a solid-state FM stereo exciter, Sellmeyer moved to the Gates Radio Division of Harris Intertype in 1969 and worked in the FM engineering department. “I enjoyed product design very much — the whole design planning process where you set the objective for a project and then actually see it in production and have success in the field,” he said later.

Sellmeyer developed new modulator and automatic frequency control modules for the TE-1 solid-state FM exciter to correct frequency stability problems. “It became the TE-3 exciter used in the entire Gates/Harris FM-XXH3 model transmitters,” Sellmeyer said.

Other projects for Gates/Harris included advanced development of high-power amplifiers and design work on the FMX-70 exciter.

Nationwide Communications hired him as chief of its Cleveland radio combo in 1970. He rejoined Collins Radio, which had been acquired by Rockwell International, three years later as senior engineer working on FM exciters and on 5 kW and 1 kW pulse-width modulated transmitters.

Rockwell International eventually sold the division to Continental Electronics in 1980. Sellmeyer then launched his broadcast engineering consulting firm.

He worked over the subsequent decades on AM allocations, FCC applications, transmitter plant design and construction supervision, and AM directional antenna design and measurements. He also contributed to NAB workshops and seminars related to AM directional antennas.

In 2014 the Texas Association of Broadcasters honored him with its George Marti Award for Engineering Excellence; the TAB said at the time that his ability to simplify complex issues for GMs, owners and others was a key trait of his career, especially in the area of AM directional antennas.

Read Radio World’s 2009 profile and interview.

Randy Stine contributed to this article.

The post Jack Sellmeyer, Accomplished Engineer and Consultant, Has Died appeared first on Radio World.

Through Wednesday, public radio and TV stations in the United States have another opportunity to apply for federal money to help fund certain technical improvements.

The aim is to boost public broadcasting’s emergency alerting capabilities. Some $34 million is available in this phase of the Next Generation Warning System Grant Program.

Applications are being accepted through Nov. 8, with grants to be awarded on a rolling basis into late 2025. The first broadcasters to receive money included stations in Florida and Mississippi.

[Related: ”CPB Starts Distributing Warning Grants”]

In 2022 the Department of Homeland Security asked the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to administer the program and lay out its goals. FEMA awarded CPB a total of $96 million over two fiscal years.

Among the objectives are to enhance the ability of local stations to receive, broadcast and redistribute emergency alert messages from FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS); to enhance infrastructure so that public stations can launch enhanced broadcast services; and to expand delivery and distribution of emergency alerts from IPAWS to fill gaps and reach more people in underserved areas.

CPB will distribute money to public stations on a rolling basis to purchase, install and receive training on upgraded IPAWS alert equipment.

For radio stations, the program can fund upgrades to digital broadcast equipment and capabilities as well as potentially fund the purchase of resilience-related equipment like emergency generators.

CPB hopes in particular to hear from stations that broadcast in underserved geographic locations like tribal or remote rural communities. It also seeks stations that reach people with unique access needs and those with limited English, and stations where upgrading their alerting systems create a financial burden.

Other considerations include whether a station is in an area with risk factors such as hurricanes or wildfires; the uniqueness of a station’s public broadcasting coverage; the age of existing equipment; and whether a station has with a clear project timeline. The money is not for things like general cosmetic and structural upgrades.

Applicants should request access to the CPB’s Grants Management System by emailing ngws@cpb.org. They will need to submit audited financial statements for several fiscal years, an inventory of current capital equipment, and proof of nonprofit status among other requirements.

Details and guidelines can be found here. The CPB also posted an FAQ page.

The post Public Stations: Note This Funding Deadline appeared first on Radio World.

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Issued a Forfeiture Order in the amount of $1,500 to Glendive Broadcasting Corporation for the violation of Commission rules.

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It’s a Class A FM serving tiny Gig Harbor, Wash., licensed to a local public school district. And, like many educational institutions in recent years, it is ready to say goodbye to the facility. Or, if the public demands it, it will continue to own and operate KGHP-FM.

The station is licensed to Peninsula School District, and offers students “a unique and hands-on broadcasting experience from studios at Peninsula High School.”

Keeping the lights on at KGHP depends on financial contributions and sponsorships from local underwriters, and after 35 years the station’s future appears to be in question. A meeting has been scheduled for November 7 at 1pm to discuss “the fate” of KGHP.

In locales elsewhere across the U.S., the sale of a broadcast property would be the likely conclusion, with colleges and universities across the nation cashing in and opting to either go online with their student-run stations or cease operations altogether. Some schools have cited a lack of student interest in Radio as a reason for saying farewell with owning an FM.

At Peninsula High School, broadcasting classes in recent years have suffered from dwindling enrollment. Then, at the close of the 2022 school year, Peninsula School District ended the broadcast program following the retirement of the instructor. Then, the school district parted ways with the station manager as part of a round of layoffs designed to reduce $12 million from the current year budget.

The public is welcome to attend the meeting at the district administration office. Current and former station volunteers, and others with an interest in the station’s future, are encouraged to attend.

As of 1:15pm Friday, KGHP was heard playing the Delfonics’ “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),” a 1970 R&B classic that won a Grammy.

By Rosemary Ravinal

Generally, it is not a good idea to memorize a speech. Sometimes it’s necessary to memorize some parts of your talk or presentation, but straight memorization will often backfire. Have you ever watched a speaker go totally blank in the middle of a speech? That’s because they lost their place in the memory stream.

Professionals won’t let you see them sweat it or may use the moment as an appeal to human foibles. It could happen to anyone. But if you’re going to take your public speaking seriously, there are several ways to deliver a great deal of information without memorizing the whole thing.

 

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — A financial and business valuation consulting boutique focused solely on the telecommunications, media, and satellite industries, and partners JP Morgan Chase & Co. and law firm Lerman Senter PLLC have been selected by the FCC to serve as the Relocation Payment Clearinghouse for impacted parties and new licensees of the repurposed 3.45 – 3.55 GHz spectrum band.

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A pair of AM radio stations and two FM translators serving a small town along the St. John’s River, due south of Jacksonville, are being sold.

The buyer is locally based, and has formed a company named Blue Crab Broadcasting LLC.

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Travel to the Pennsylvania city of Altoona, and you’ll find an ABC affiliate serving the cities of State College and Johnstown. It’s owned by Palm Television L.P., but thanks to permissible FCC regulatory policy is operated via an LMA with Cunningham Broadcasting, which in turn struck a Time Brokerage Agreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group. 

This explains all of the trademarks of a Sinclair station, with The National Desk on the lineup alongside a 6pm local newscast. Perhaps if this station enjoyed ABC exclusivity in seven communities that also receive a Hearst Television-owned station, the growth prospects would be stronger.

Sinclair will soon find out, as four of those communities will be losing MVPD access to WTAE-4.

In May 2023, a Petition for Special Relief was filed with the Commission by Palm Television L.P., in which it sought a waiver of the “significantly viewed exception” to the network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity rules.

The waiver was sought so that WATM “ABC 23” could exercise its network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity rights against WTAE, the Hearst station in Pittsburgh that is a legacy ABC affiliate serving much of Western Pennsylvania. WATM was born in August 1988; previously, ABC was available on WTAE — a founding affiliate dating to 1958 — and, depending on the community, Harrisburg-based WHTM-TV.

For those in the Cambria County cities of Johnstown, Ebensburg, and Mineral Point and the municipalities of Boswell, Friedens, Rockwood, and Stoystown in Somerset County, WTAE is available on cable systems.

Sinclair-run WATM wanted WTAE availability ousted from all of those communities, which receive cable TV service from either Breezeline or Comcast-owned Xfinity.

Interestingly, the Commission determined that Mineral Point will still be able to receive WTAE on its MVPDs but not Johnstown and Ebensburg; Mineral Point is a hamlet between the two cities and well inside the Altoona DMA. However, “measurable viewing” — key to the FCC’s decision — in this municipality to WTAE exists.

Meanwhile, Somerset County viewers are impacted as both Boswell and Friedens, in the northern portion of the county, will no longer get WTAE on that measurable viewing basis. Yet, Rockwood and Stoystown will get WTAE — even though Stoystown is between Boswell and Friedens.

This illustrates just how tricky the “measurable viewing” rules are at the Commission, as it can come down to specific communities on the map rather than a county, or even a portion of a county.

NIELSEN BOOSTS HEARST WITH DATA ABSENCE

Nielsen RPD+ data was used by the FCC to help it determine its decision. Interestingly, it is because of how Nielsen measures Mineral Point, Rockwood and Stoystown, Pa., that has perhaps allowed WTAE to continue to be received by viewers in these communities.

“We cannot conclude based on the data provided that WTAE-TV is not significantly
viewed in Mineral Point, Rockwood, and Stoystown because the reported data for the survey years was based on only one in-tab household,” Steven Broeckaert, Senior Deputy Chief of the Media Bureau’s Policy Division, explained. “That data is insufficient to estimate a viewing average for a community in a community-based survey and does not allow us to make the determination that WTAE-TV is no longer significantly viewed in these communities.”

Meanwhile, Broeckaert’s decision will impact markets that three years ago faced a wholesale loss of WTAE-4 on Xfinity systems, after Comcast announced it would be pulling stations from neighboring DMAs that would have seen all Hearst Television stations not bound by must-carry rules removed from its channel lineups. The decision was linked to a retransmission fee dispute. However, Comcast abandoned the plan in mid-December 2020 after a carriage fee accord with Hearst was signed.

It’s a Class A FM radio station serving towns to the far west of metropolitan St. Louis. Its website boasts of how more than 75% of its listeners are women, and touts that advertising on the station is “freakishly affordable.”

Now, this station that claims to enjoy a legacy to a FM that served St. Louis under Bartell Media Corp. ownership in the 1970s, which at the start of 2023 went with an all-podcast format, is in trouble with the FCC.

What will Brad Hildebrand do, considering he owes the Commission thousands of dollars that he must pay or face a license revocation?

“I don’t know what to tell you about this,” Hildrebrand said when reached by RBR+TVBR, unaware of coverage of an Order to Pay or To Show Cause issued November 2 by Media Bureau Chief Holly Saurer and Office of Managing Director head Mark Stephens.

The matter involves Hildebrand-led KSLQ-FM 104.5 in Washington, Mo., licensed to Y2K Inc. As is standard procedure for the Media Bureau, it is initiating a proceeding to revoke the license held by Y2K for failure to pay delinquent regulatory fees and associated interest, administrative costs and penalties owed to the Commission.

Hildebrand owes roughly $25,894 in unpaid regulatory fees, and his delinquencies date to 2010. Speaking with RBR+TVBR, Hildebrand acknowledged his delinquency. However, he declined to comment on what he intends to do to resolve the matter, and expressed concerns that radio industry trade journalists would be writing “a hit piece” on Hildebrand.

The Commission’s records show that Brad Hildebrand’s Y2K Inc. currently has unpaid regulatory fee debt of $2,137.41 for FY 2010; $623.37 for FY 2011; $2,007.83 for FY 2012; $1,628.75 for FY 2013; $1,895.39 for FY 2014; $1,784.51 for FY 2015; $1,921.54 for FY 2016; $1,775.48 for FY 2017; $1733.35 for FY 2018; $1,999.30 for FY 2019; $2,061.58 for 2020; $2,059.41 for FY 2021; $2,228.48 for FY 2022, and $2,037.50 for FY 2023, for a grand total of $25,893.90.

 

The FCC mandates a 25% late penalty each year for uncollected regulatory fees. The sum also factors in administrative costs incurred. Additional charges will continue to accrue on these debts until they are paid in full.

The Commission explained in its Order that it sent Y2K demand letters in accordance with
regulatory requirements demanding payment. Now, Hildebrand has a 60-day window by the Media Bureau either to clear the dues or present a justification for fee waivers or deferrals.

At 104.5 MHz, KSLQ signed on the air in November 1989 under Y2K ownership, using call letters that were at 98.1 MHz (today known as KYKY) from 1972-82. Hildebrand was an employee of the original KSLQ, a Top 40 station under Bartell ownership known as “Super Q” and modeled after KCBQ in San Diego.

On Thursday in New York, the Radio Hall of Fame inducted its 2023 class of honorees.

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo was emcee, and Radio Hall of Fame Co-Chairmen Kraig Kitchin and Dennis Green gave opening remarks.

The inductees are shown below, from left: Gerry House, Shadoe Stevens, Charles Warfield, Deborah Parenti, Nina Totenberg, John DeBella, Pat St. John and Bob Rivers.

Photo by DT Kindler

Also honored were a dozen “Legends” inductees, honored posthumously. They are Eduardo Caballero, Ed Christian, Terry Dorsey, Jack “The Rapper” Gibson, Marty Glickman, Bob Grant, Long John Nebel, Steve Rivers, Dave Robbins, Tom Rounds, Joe “Butterball” Tamburro and Mary Turner.

The Radio Hall of Fame was founded by the Emerson Radio Corp. in 1988. The Museum of Broadcast Communications, based in Chicago, took over operations in 1991. Find inductee bios on the organization website.

The post Radio Hall of Fame Inducts Class of 2023 appeared first on Radio World.

NEW YORK — The Radio Hall of Fame inducted its 2023 class of honorees on Thursday night at an induction ceremony and dinner held at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

Serving as Master of Ceremonies for the event was 2022 Radio Hall of Fame Inductee Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, and among the eight Class of 2023 inductees is Streamline Publishing Media Division President Deborah Parenti, Publisher of Radio Ink and Radio + Television Business Report.

Radio Hall of Fame Co-Chairmen Kraig Kitchin and Dennis Green welcomed attendees at the gala affair with opening remarks. The evening then saw Russo salute the eight Class of 2023 Inductees.

Along with Parenti, whose accomplishments including leadership positions in radio in Dayton, Ohio; Louisville; and Philadelphia; the following individuals were also honored, as previously reported:

• Pat St. John
• Bob Rivers
• Shadoe Stevens
• Gerry House
• Nina Totenberg
• Charles Warfield
• John DeBella

Also honored were the 2023 Legends Inductees into the Radio Hall of Fame, 12 individuals inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame earlier this year, all of whom were honored posthumously:

• Eduardo Caballero
• Ed Christian
• Terry Dorsey
• Jack “The Rapper” Gibson
• Marty Glickman
• Bob Grant
• Long John Nebel
• Steve Rivers
• Dave Robbins
• Tom Rounds
• Joe “Butterball” Tamburro
• Mary Turner

 

The Radio Hall of Fame was founded by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. The Museum of Broadcast Communications took over operations in 1991. The Radio Hall of Fame is a project of the Chicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications and honors notable radio personalities, and showcases their accomplishments. Each year, 24 nominations are slated by the organization’s nominating committee, which is comprised of industry leaders.

For Paramount President/CEO Bob Bakish, the company continued to “prioritize prudent investment in streaming while maximizing the earnings of our traditional business.” Yet, the company that owns CBS News & Stations on Friday reported Q3 earnings that shows rapid direct-to-consumer growth which can’t quite offset the revenue declines at its far-biggest dollar generation unit: TV Media.

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Yes, The E.W. Scripps Co. swung to a net loss in the third quarter of 2023. Due to advertising softness coupled with poor comps due to record 2022 political revenue, this is no surprise, as the six analysts who cover Scripps acknowledged when factoring their earnings per share forecasts for the company that owns TV stations, digital multicast networks and seeks to grow its sports fortunes.

The consensus estimate from the analysts was for Q3 EPS of -$0.22. Scripps did better than that. Yet, the outlook for Q4 continues to bring ho-hum news for those looking for fast growth.

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