Feed aggregator

Streaming and podcast specialist StreamGuys has brought to market a cloud service for enterprise-level audio contribution and distribution. And, it begins shipping as the 2024 NAB Show readies its April 13 opening in Las Vegas.

Introducing the Reflector EVO.

The second generation of the Reflector service, developed 14 years ago to help broadcasters move high-quality audio over the public internet, the Reflector EVO boasts uncompressed PCM signals with high bandwidth requirements. This makes for a strong alternative to satellite for syndicated program delivery, multi-studio networking and other distribution services with wide geographic dispersion, StreamGuys believes.

Developed in partnership with the Audio over IP experts at Barix, StreamGuys will lead all sales efforts and provide service hosting and 24/7 technical support for radio broadcasters, program syndicators and audio content creators that require a scalable, one-to-many cloud networking architecture for content delivery.

Barix has updated its encoding and decoding hardware for additional network resiliency, along with enabling fast switching between encoders and adding support for lossless audio compression. Barix’s new LX400 broadcast codec, also to be introduced at NAB (Booth C2348), offers OPUS audio support for customers that want the highest possible audio quality and bandwidth conservation, with support for constant and variable bitrates (6kb/s to 510kb/s). Customers can manually configure encoding quality and the audio delay level of the receiving decoder (between three and 30 seconds), with seamless communication between each device worldwide.

The LX400 devices also include standard Barix AoIP codec features such as selectable input gain, relay support and contact closures, the latter of which allows broadcast networks to provide affiliates with precisely timed triggers for local ad breaks over EVO. Speaking of affiliates, StreamGuys has improved alerting applications that allow networks to target alerts. This ensures that important notifications are prioritized for affected stations only, rather than being disseminated to all engineers in the network.

StreamGuys will demonstrate Reflector EVO at NAB Show 2024, where the company will share space at the ENCO booth (W1743).

With reporting by Brian Galante

 

 

 

Nautel has confirmed that it will incorporate audio player and playlist functionality into its
VX Series product line.

With the audio player functionality, users will be able to upload content locally or remotely via an IP connection to make a playlist; no USB, addition cards, or site visits are necessary.

The built-in audio player can use the file playlist as an audio source and is often used
as an audio loss backup. This capability is slated for availability later this year.

Nautel Head of Marketing and Product Strategy John Whyte says the addition of the audio player “has proven to be a very popular capability for our customers and is an example of how Nautel brings continuing enhancements to its products.”

— Elaine Jones, for Weekly Tech Roundup

California-based Inovonics, and its Sales and Marketing Manager, Gary Luhrman, are heading into the 2024 NAB Show with the release of an EAS Monitor Receiver in a compact half-rack package.

Introducing the 677 Triple Tuner, which boasts three built-in discrete frequency agile receivers, each one programmable for either AM, FM or NOAA reception. Each receiver has a balanced monaural XLR audio output to serve as EAS monitor, or off-air monitor throughout the broadcast facility.

Luhrman adds that the product has a web interface for remote monitoring and listening, and that SNMP is fully supported.

 

For more information, please click here: https://www.inovonicsbroadcast.com/product/677

 

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Media Bureau grants, in full, the petition to modify the satellite local markets of KGUN-TV, KVOA, KOLD-TV, and KMSB to include Pinal County, AZ.

A New Jersey radio broadcaster continues to plead for the FCC to forgo a power increase for HD Radio stations in the United States, saying the proposal would leave Class A stations “out in the cold.”

Press Communications has previously submitted technical studies that it says show interference to significant numbers of Class A FM station listeners from first-adjacent out of market Class B stations with an HD power increase. The broadcaster believes harmful interference to listening audiences will be especially destructive in densely-populated areas, such as New Jersey, with numerous short-spaced FM stations.  

“Unlike analog-induced interference, the HD interference will manifest itself to radio listeners as noise or a diminution of the co-channel station’s analog signal, something that radio listeners are ill-adept at identifying,” Press Communications tells the FCC.

The FCC is currently considering a proposal from the National Association of Broadcasters and Xperi, the developer of HD Radio, that, if adopted, would raise the maximum power level for digital FM radio stations. The proposed updated formula would allow additional radio stations to increase power without prior authorization from the commission. 

Press Communications, which owns five Class A FMs and one AM radio station in New Jersey, says lower power Class A FM stations — often at 3 kW — along with FM translators and LPFM stations are especially vulnerable to an HD Radio power increase. 

[Related: “Radio Owner Says Digital FM Power Increase Would Hurt Small Broadcasters“]

Press Communications CEO Bob McAllan says the Class A community as of now is largely shut out of viable and useful HD Radio digital participation. 

“If HD radio is to become an industry standard, it needs to work for every broadcaster, not just the high-power stations in major markets. As currently presented, many, if not most, Class As are largely left out in the cold, particularly in the crowded northeast U.S.,” McAllan told Radio World in an email. 

HD radio was “an ill-conceived attempt to digitize an already overcrowded FM band,” McAllan said, “without destroying the misguided hieratical order of high-power stations in central cities, while leaving mostly scraps (Class As) for local service in much of the highly populated New Jersey suburbs.”

For example, McAllan says he believes one of his stations, WKMK(FM), licensed to Monmouth County, N.J., will lose audience in states’ primary commuting corridors if the FCC adopts the proposed power increase. 

“Our extensive HD engineering studies show much, if not all of that valuable listenership will be lost if HD co-channel WUMR in Philadelphia is allowed to increase HD power beyond what is currently authorized (-17 dBc). An HD power upgrade will also expand existing interference areas within our 60 dbu contour in Monmouth Ocean which should come as no revelation since WUMR is 16.8 km short to WKMK,” McAllen says.

Press Communications says it believes the FCC proceeding “as a whole is mostly void of technical studies on the impact of digital power increases beyond -17 dBc in relation to Class A stations,” while Press Communications has commissioned numerous studies of the impact of HD Power increases on Class A stations.  

[Related: “Aviation Industry Requests More Time to Evaluate HD Radio Proposal“]

The broadcaster also asks that the FCC include a remedy for interference from a Class B or B1 station to any first-adjacent Class A station; if it adopts the new rules. “This right of redress means, for all practical purposes, any Class B or B1 station operating with HD power levels in excess of -17 dBc in the direction of a Class A station is a secondary service in the same way as FM translators for interference purposes until any first-adjacent channel station has the opportunity for a hearing,” it told the FCC.

In addition, the broadcaster asks the FCC to develop new procedures to protect a Class A station’s audience outside of its 60 dBu contour but within its 45 dBu contour. 

Further, Press Communications says the commission — thanks to an already-crowded FM band — should consider the issue of radio receiver technology. In the pleading it asks the FCC to develop minimum receiver standards to properly evaluate the overall relationship of transmission and receiver performance.

“The FCC continues to adhere to its transmission standards, but has failed to consider the vastly improved receiver technology in today’s radios, particularly those in automobiles where most listening takes place,” Press Communications writes.

iHeartMedia, Cox Media Group and Beasley Media Group in comments have expressed support for the digital radio power increase and say protections and processes are already in place to protect smaller analog FMs.

Press Communications includes a number of exhibits in the proceeding (MB22-405) to support its argument against the HD Radio power increase, which can be viewed in the commission’s ECFS system.

[Sign Up for Radio World’s SmartBrief Newsletter]

The post Press Communications Continues to Rally Against an HD Radio Power Boost appeared first on Radio World.

Wheatstone Corp., developer of the WheatNet IP audio network, has expanded into the cloud and server realm with its Layers Software Suite, which includes mixing, streaming and FM software hosted on a local server or running on cloud data centers. 

At the NAB Show the company is adding Reliable Internet Stream Transport protocol to its AoIP technology and running its Layers software on Amazon Web Services Global Accelerator.

As part of Radio World’s series of manufacturer interviews about technology trends, Wheatstone’s Jay Tyler, director of sales, and John Davis, southwest tech engineer, sat down to talk with us ahead of the convention.

Radio World: Jay what is the most important evolution happening in radio studio technology?

Jay Tyler

Jay Tyler: Standardization. Radio consolidation meant companies buying stations, then getting everyone into one building and choosing a common traffic billing automation system and console routing system.

Companies obviously were looking to leverage their buying power; but today there also are fewer people available to make intelligent decisions in local markets or maintain equipment. Now we’re seeing even more integration between the automation, console routing, intercom and telephone systems, bringing another level of complexity. 

We see standardization at big corporate clients like iHeartMedia. Townsquare has been rolling it out; Bonneville has completed it, Hubbard has mostly completed it. All the Entravision sites are WheatNet, the Cox media sites, a good amount of Saga. All of Beasley’s and Crawford’s stations have been completed.

RW: When you say “rolling it out,” you mean they’ve standardized on a Wheatstone AoIP infrastructure —

Tyler: And an automation system playout system.

RW: How well does this approach scale for a company that’s not one of the biggest groups?

Tyler: NRG Media has three dozen stations, for example, and it’s working for them. 

Meanwhile, because there are fewer qualified engineers, some of these groups have created “tiger” teams who maintain this standardized gear and who travel a lot. Or they have named internal specialists as a resource. Or they’ve adopted a centralized NOC approach.

John Davis: Often, even if a group doesn’t have a team that travels and manages everything centrally, they’ve set up subject matter experts, one or two engineers in each market who know WheatNet, who know their chosen automation system or transmitter — an internal resource, someone you can reach out to who’s familiar with the way your company does things.

Tyler: Some have become quite self-supportive, almost independent of the manufacturers. For instance we rarely get service calls from Bonneville. In fact these groups will ask their engineers to turn first to their company’s internal resources when they need help.

John Davis

RW: During and after COVID, we heard that buildouts would become more streamlined, with smaller footprints and more virtualization. A company might build one studio where they’d have built four in the past. Is that happening?

Tyler: Not on a grand scale. We still need multiple microphones. We have guests. We need a performance space. 

Yes, bigger companies are doing some of this, an iHeart or a Cumulus. But for mid to large markets at companies such as Hubbard, Cox or Beasley, we’re still building a dedicated studio for every air signal; then there’s a backup air studio, and an adjacent production room for each studio.

In a market like Tampa they might have five brands, and they’ll still build five studios, including one as a backup or production. Whereas for iHeart, a market with five brands needs three control rooms — and a good schedule.

Davis: In smaller markets, a company might have four stations served by a main studio and a couple of auxiliaries. Sometimes the room is live only for four hours, at other times it serves as the production room. Instead of a dedicated studio plus production plus news, you end up with only as many studios as you have concurrent live dayparts; the rest of the time you’re in automation and using the space for production or recording commercials.

RW: To what extent has virtualization moved important infrastructure off-site?

Davis: It depends on the group. Some are starting to do a lot of remote tracking, especially where you have nationalized dayparts. One person will lay down a show for all the country stations in the company, then go back to the major stations and drop in two or three liners per daypart per hour that might be localized; the rest is network content.

Tyler: But with today’s technology, a group doing a “build in place” can streamline everything. We can drop one talk studio into a facility, surround it by four adjacent air rooms, and on any day at any time, one of those rooms can take control, with sight lines between them all. 

Davis: I just worked on an installation for a public station that used a combination of Glass LXE and physical LXE panels in the same room. They had six or eight physical faders, then we put a big touchscreen in the middle for 20 or so more faders, and then another eight on the other side of the touch panel. 

The first eight faders are for mics in the talk booth. The Glass LXE controls sources they don’t use every day, and the faders off to the side are what they need for the “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” dayparts. They streamlined that room for talk programming but can do simple production in the middle, and their tentpole dayparts are supported, all in one space. They’ll build their other rooms that way and have flexibility across the facility.

RW: To what extent do virtualization and the software-based air chain affect what you do?

Davis: It’s a lot easier to virtualize the back end of the air chain than the front, just because of latency. Our Layers Stream and Layers FM products handle processing and streaming in AWS after it’s left the studio, so I’m not worried about being able to put on a pair of headphones and hear myself with that delay. But until the latency issue gets resolved, you’ll see it more on the back end.

Tyler: It affects our design and development. Most engineers I’ve spoken with prefer the idea of virtualization with a local server — they still like being able to touch that server. 

Our Layers FM, Layers Stream and Layers Mix are based on new technology that is easily ported over from a local server to containerization virtualization in a cloud, like AWS. We’ve just received a really nice order for Rogers Communications in Canada, which is creating a national streaming center using Layers Streaming. But again, these are local — an engineer can go put his hands on that equipment. I think engineers are winning that fight on the local level. They want to distribute their losses, they want multiple, on-premise servers.

But there are customers using cloud-based air chains. That’s what we designed Layers FM for. At the NAB Show we’ll demonstrate local mixing on the exhibit floor, sending it up to AWS, being processed in the cloud and then returned via AWS to the show floor so you can listen to an air chain that’s being virtualized. 

You mentioned the endpoint. When we talk about low-latency linear streaming, we’re talking about well-connected sites, usually with multiple networks, main and backup, using big IP links. But a lot of transmitters in the field still have low-level connectivity. This is where boxes for MPX over IP come into play. Our SystemLink MPX over IP Transporter is for that endpoint. It’s an MPX over IP transporter that uses Reliable Internet Stream Transport, or RIST, so it can transport FM MPX over IP links of any capacity, whether as uncompressed or compressed. 

Davis: With RIST you’ve got serial numbers on every packet. So we know if a packet is missing and can ask for a new transmission. You’re not just spitting out a bunch of UDP and hope that it gets to the end. With RIST, you know it got there. And it’s encrypted, so it’s secure. We also use RIST in our Blade-4 because it is such a robust transport protocol. 

[Related: “What’s RIST and Why Do You Need It?”]

Tyler: Transmitter sites are getting smarter. There is a big movement for people to get off satellites and find different ways to deliver content over IP. If you can take syndicated shows along with programming from one station and programming from another station and consolidate it all in the cloud to distribute to transmitter sites over IP, then that becomes much more useful. This is the concept behind our Layers FM software, which puts the AGC, limiting and FM subcarriers in the cloud.

To complete the air chain in the cloud, you need one more critical piece: an MPX transporter like SystemLink for moving all that from the cloud directly to the transmitter site over any variety of IP links available to you. What’s really neat about SystemLink is that we align the FM and HD at the beginning, in the packets, so there’s no way for it ever to become unaligned. 

RW: Where do you see it all going?

Tyler:  As connectivity gets better, all of these transmitter sites are going to get more intelligent. Every Blade 4, our AoIP I/O unit, has the ability to stream; we have audio codecs in the Blade 4 so we can get audio from any site over the public internet directly to a transmitter site. That’s what our customers are asking for because they realize that they can bypass the studios in some cases, and they are fortifying these sites. 

RW: Is this still a good time to be an audio equipment manufacturer?

Tyler: Yes. The convergence of IT and audio will continue. But you’ll still need to take a microphone and wire it to something; there still needs to be mixing and acquisition and distribution. It’s like any other business, with ups and downs. But radio isn’t going to go away. 

[Sign Up for Radio World’s SmartBrief Newsletter]

The post Wheatstone Sees an Industry in Transition appeared first on Radio World.

NEW YORK — Workflow automation and audio industry ad management specialist Frequency is welcoming a Technical Account Manager, reporting to CEO Pete Jimison.

Taking the role is an individual whose resume includes roles at Gannett, Triad Retail Media and Placements.io — Charlie Smith.

Smith’s chief role is to offer technical support to clients, leading the charge on platform onboarding and training, customer support, and new feature releases.

“With over a decade of experience, Charlie has a track record of helping clients
implement media workflow and ad monetization tools,” Frequency says.

Smith comments, “Frequency has been built around the mission of making day-to-day tasks easier and more efficient for audio teams.I view my role as a direct extension of that
mission. As I collaborate with clients, my goal is to identify opportunities to
enhance their experience and ensure users are taking full advantage of all the
amazing toolsets and features at their fingertips.”

With the recent launch of Production Automation, Frequency says it has completed
its suite of podcast workflow products.

 

In early December 2023, RBR+TVBR was first to share with readers full details surrounding the sale of KVRR-15 in Fargo and full-time satellites KJRR-7 in Jamestown, N.D. and KBRR-10 in Thief River Falls, Minn.; and FOX-affiliated sibling KQDS-21 in Duluth, Minn.-Superior, Wisc., to Coastal Television.

It was a fresh deal, brokered by Kalil & Co., that replaced the station’s failed spin to Forum Communications Company, which the FCC did not approve after 18 months over local ownership concentration concerns.

There was no such worry on Take Two for the seller.

Coastal Television Broadcasting Group LLC officially closed Monday on its purchase of the TV properties from Red River Broadcast Co. and KQDS-TV Corp. Those entities are owned by Curtis Squire Inc., a Minnesota-based family holding company headed by John Exline that has held the stations for the past several decades.

With the sale, Red River and KQDS-TV are no longer owners of broadcast media properties.

And, it brings bigger opportunities for Georgia-based Coastal Television, owned and operated by founder and CEO Bill Fielder. Coastal owns and/or provides advertising sales and other services to 19 television stations, including properties in Mississippi, Alaska,
Tennessee, New York, Arkansas, Indiana, Nebraska, Wyoming, North Dakota and Minnesota.

 

Radio World is checking in with business and technology leaders about the state of the industry as radio prepares for the NAB Show this weekend.

Rhonda Lapham is market president of iHeartMedia Cape Cod and Providence. She will be among the speakers at the NAB Small and Medium Market Forum at the NAB Show.

Radio World: As we are heading into the NAB Show, what do you consider to be the most important business issue or challenge for radio broadcast owners and executives right now?

Rhonda Lapham: There are industry lobby groups who are focused on issues like taking free over-the-air broadcast radio out of cars. This would make it harder for us to serve our communities, which is our mission, as well as harder for FEMA to reach people with critical lifesaving information. Broadcast radio is the only medium licensed by the federal government to serve America communities — it’s our most important priority. Anything that would make that harder, or make it harder for our communities to easily access free, over-the-air broadcast radio, is a concern for me.

RW: What technologies or new media platforms are you watching closely, for their potential impact on how radio organizations do business?

Lapham: We are always looking for new technologies and media platforms that will enhance our listener’s experience. Our goal is to be everywhere our listeners are with the products and services they expect. For example, with the iHeartRadio app, listeners can stream live broadcast radio, podcasts, music playlists, custom Artist Radio stations and on demand music on more than 250 platforms and over 2,000 different connected devices — including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, televisions and gaming consoles.

Additionally, take a look at podcasting — 64% of the U.S. has listened to a podcast and monthly reach is 42% with weekly reach at 31%. In a matter of a few years, iHeart has become the largest publisher of podcasts with 206 million downloads, with over 100 of our podcasts seeing 1 million-plus monthly downloads.

Then there is iHeartland. Our iHeartland destinations in the metaverse lead the industry in terms of engagement with over 15 million visits. Among all the games in Roblox, iHeartland is among the top 1% based on daily active players and total daily playtime. iHeart continues to evolve so that it can offer products that are serving the community, when and how they want it. 

RW: Generative artificial intelligence was last year’s big buzz topic. Has it met expectations for its impact in radio?

Lapham: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an important new platform that has and will continue to add great value to our industry in many ways, both for our products and how we operate. This new technology will help us improve and streamline day-to-day activities, from prospecting for new clients to researching and preparing for pitches, scanning and summarizing documents. We’ll be rolling out our own iHeart-specific AI solutions to help our internal teams use AI effectively.  

RW: Over the next three years, what will be the most important change or evolution in how radio companies are run?

Lapham: I feel that radio will continue to evolve and discover new ways to be where consumers are. Delivering information and entertainment when and where consumers want it and how they want it. Not knowing what the future has in store in terms of technology, I do know that our industry can pivot and evolve right along with it — it always has. Look at the role digital has played for us. Digital has substantially added further radio listening, it’s additive listening for us. We are agnostic as to which device listeners want to receive our content on.

RW: What else will you be watching for at NAB, or what else should radio managers be thinking about?

Lapham: I always enjoy viewing new ways our talent can speak to the community and unique ways our sellers can identify and work with advertisers. As radio managers, we need to stay relevant to our listeners. We need to be up to date with the new trends and fads for our listeners. We need to meet the needs of our advertisers and agencies and deliver the most exciting media campaigns.

The opportunity to brainstorm with other radio managers on ways they are reaching their community and listeners is always so motivating. I like to “borrow” successful ideas and bring them back to my teams and execute them.

RW: In a sentence or two, what does your company do?

Lapham: iHeartMedia is the #1 media company in the U.S. with a reach of 276 million, reaching 90% of all U.S. adults each month. iHeart is the largest podcast publisher according to Podtrac, with more downloads than the next two podcast publishers combined and has the number one social footprint among audio players, with seven times more followers than the next audio media brand, and the only fully integrated audio ad tech solution across broadcast, streaming and podcasts. The company continues to leverage its strong audience connection and unparalleled consumer reach to build new platforms, products and services.

[For More News on the NAB Show See Our NAB Show News Page]

The post Lapham: Radio Must Find New Ways to Be Where Consumers Are appeared first on Radio World.

In one week, the Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) will again host a breakfast during the NAB Show. This year, it will feature a panel discussion on “The Business of Multiplatform Sports,” and among those appearing are a Beasley Media Group Market Manager, Skyview Networks’ Chief Revenue Officer, two Audacy leaders and the co-CEO/President of Gray Television.

Confirmed presenters include Skyview President of Network Partnerships and CRO Jeanne-Marie Condo, Gray Television’s Pat LaPlatney, Beasley/Boston VP/Market Manager Mary Menna, and Audacy’s VP/Digital Business Operations Carlson Mozdiez and Chief Technology Officer Sarah Foss, respectively.

AWM says they’ll participate in “a candid conversation exploring the evolving landscape of sports business and the significant role women play in shaping its future.” The panel, AWM adds, will dive deep into the emergence of multiplatform sports coverage and how it has
reshaped the business landscape of the sports industry, and how media professionals have leveraged multiplatform sports to enhance audience engagement and reach a diverse set of viewers.

The ticketed event will be held in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center from 8am-9am Pacific on Monday (4/15).

 

With reports from RBR+TVBR in Dallas, Toronto, Los Angeles and Boca Raton, Fla.

Across Monday, April 8, from Mazatlán, Mexico, to Dallas and onward to the northeast to locales such as Dayton, Ohio, and Niagara Falls, millions of Americans were witness to one of the most brilliant total eclipses seen in a generation.

Broadcast and cable television did their part to cover the historic event, while over-the-air radio stations did their part, too, across the nation, to share coverage of the eclipse with their respective audiences.

From the 9am hour onward in Los Angeles, Novena Carmel, host of KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, crafted a playlist largely focused on eclipse-themed selections. Across town, Audacy’s all-News KNX-AM & FM was airing live cut-ins from a public event attended by local political leaders. As this was transpiring, a full eclipse, free of clouds and other obstructions, was seen in the Pacific coast city of Mazatlán.

While Noticias Univision and Telemundo’s newscasts were devoted to what was being seen there, and Univision star journalist Jorge Ramos was stationed in Mexico City at the Monument to the Revolution, Scripps News was also sharing the scene in Mazatlán as part special coverage seen across the company’s owned-and-operated broadcast TV stations, including WPTV-5 in West Palm Beach.

The Scripps News coverage preempted NBC’s coverage of the eclipse in the West Palm Beach DMA, as network coverage from CBS News aired on Sinclair Inc.’s WPEC-12 and ABC News/National Geographic joint coverage appeared on Hearst Television’s WPBF-25.  At Scripps-run and Gray Television-owned FOX affiliate WFLX-29, a “FOX Weather” feed supplied to FOX Television Network affiliates allowed the FOX News Channel to offer its own, unique coverage of the eclipse.

Cable television all-news networks were also heavily focused on the eclipse, perhaps taking a break from political talk, as CNN and CNN en Español joined One America News, Nexstar Media Group-owned NewsNation and NewsMax with coverage. NASA TV coverage could be seen on the Palm Beach County local access channel in the 2pm hour.

Interestingly, in the Miami Valley area that’s home to Dayton, Cox Media Group’s WHIO-7 was sticking with CBS’s national feed as Nexstar-owned WDTN-2 offered locally produced special coverage. Down in Dallas, where “totality” was happening at 2:40pm Eastern, WFAA-8, a Scripps station, went a step further than offering Scripps News coverage by going live with its own North Texas coverage.

AUDIO INTELLIGENCE

As many were watching television or going outside to view the eclipse themselves, WLW-AM 700 in Cincinnati midday host Bill Cunningham was discussing the event and its impact on traffic with listeners of the top-rated station.

In Toronto, CHBM “Boom 97.3” went with an eclipse-themed playlist timed to coincide with totality.

As one would expect, Bonnie Tyler’s 1983 chart-topper “Total Eclipse of the Heart” aired precisely at 2:24pm Eastern, immediately followed by “Here Comes The Sun”

The Stingray-owned Adult Hits station that can be heard in Niagara Falls, which had a huge crowd of tourists on the Ontario side of the river awaiting the eclipse. And, it heavily promoted its special eclipse-themed playlist across social media channels leading up to Monday afternoon.

At 3:19pm Eastern, crosstown CIND “Indie 88” interrupted programming as the eclipse reached its totality in the GTA with The Dirty Nil’s cover of “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

Lastly, Cumulus Media gained national recognition for a solar eclipse promotion at its WZYP-FM in Huntsville, Ala.

For the past two weeks, the Top 40 station gave away roughly 1,000 solar eclipse glasses. But, before WZYP had the glasses made, the station held a listener contest to come up with clever sayings to print on the glasses. The winner? “I’m getting mooned with WZYP.”

Cumulus/Huntsville Operations Manager Steve Smith, who also serves as WZYP Program Director and Afternoon Host, said, “It’s been so amazing to bond with listeners who are as excited about the eclipse as I am. I’ve loved seeing all of the families and kids show up to get them. Personally, I’ve been waiting for this since I saw the last eclipse in 2017. I’m so into the eclipse that I’m traveling to the path of totality. Huntsville will only have around 90% totality, so I’m heading to whatever sunny location I can find in the direct path.”

CityNews Toronto was offering this image to viewers at 3:10pm Eastern

Troy A. Miller is the president and CEO of the NRB, National Religious Broadcasters.

On March 29, the Wall Street Journal editorial board published a piece titled “Coming Soon: An AM Radio Mandate.”

In its negative evaluation of the AM For Every Vehicle Act, the editorial board skims over key details.

Troy Miller

The board writes: “Some auto makers have dropped AM radio from EV models because their components can interfere with signals. The companies can mitigate electromagnetic interference with cables, filters and other materials… But these involve engineering trade-offs that can increase manufacturing costs.”

Sounds scary, but the federal number crunchers at the Congressional Budget Office concluded that “the unit costs of those updates are small” and noted that while the Department of Transportation would be authorized to assess civil penalties for noncompliance, it would likely collect very little.

The board further writes that AM is one of “multiple, redundant communication modes” that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses to send out public alerts in times of emergency, and that the chance is “miniscule” that drivers wouldn’t be able to access vital safety information.

Ex-FEMA chiefs who have advocated for this legislation would beg to differ. In a Feb. 24 op-ed, former FEMA head Pete Gaynor warned Americans to consider the possibility of a future attack on U.S. communications infrastructure.

“It would be malpractice for the government to allow a few companies to take away its most effective means of keeping the public informed,” Gaynor wrote.

The editorial board contends that “Congress’s AM radio mandate will increase the cost of EVs, which auto makers will offset by raising prices on gas-powered cars.”

What does the editorial board believe automakers are planning to do with the valuable dashboard real estate they reclaim from radio? Keep prices down and load up the dash with other free services? Certainly not. The future of the auto dash is a buffet of monetized subscription services at best—and serious consumer disadvantages at worst.

In a video feature called “Apple, Google, GM and the $1.5 Trillion Battle for the Car Dashboard,” WSJ video correspondent George Downs reported, “Traditional automakers plan on using this space to sell a suite of features and services in a market that some analysts estimate will be worth $1.5 trillion by 2030.”

Whether or not you want a more connected experience with your car through such features and services, your car wants a more connected experience with you. “Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies,” the New York Times revealed in March 2024. Automakers are selling driver behavior data through opaque programs that many drivers had no idea they had opted into, resulting in skyrocketing insurance fees among other privacy intrusions.

Let’s be clear: Opposition to the AM For Every Vehicle Act isn’t about keeping dollars in drivers’ wallets. It’s about driving those dollars to the dashboard. If you think automakers’ goal is to yank AM radio, blame it on a subpar listening experience, and go no further, think again.

[Read more stories about the future of AM radio in cars]

The post NRB Denounces WSJ’s Evaluation of the AM for Every Vehicle Act appeared first on Radio World.

MESA, ARIZ. — Between the Tucson and Phoenix metropolitan areas sits Pinal County, one of the nation’s fastest-growing municipalities. While it includes the San Tan Valley and Apache Junction due east of sprawling Maricopa County, it also includes Casa Grande, the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Oracle Junction and the county seat of Florence.

Aside from Apache Junction and San Tan Valley, the majority of the county sees itself more closely aligned to Tucson than Phoenix. That’s why the county, with community support, petitioned the FCC to modify the local satellite markets of four Tucson TV stations.

The Commission has said yes to their plan.

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In 2023, on average and based on the aggregation of the consumption in 86 countries in the world, viewers devoted an average of 2 hours 21 minutes per day to television. That’s according to France’s “Glance” Global Audience & Content Evolution Report courtesy of Médiamétrie.

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The FCC has granted a construction permit for a new LPFM station on 107.3 FM in Union City, Pa. to Community Media of Union City. 

The commission ruled in the group’s favor following an informal objection from a crosstown LPFM operator.

Community Media’s application was part of the 2023 LPFM filing window. Union City Family Support Center (UCFSC), which owns 96.7 WWUC(LP), filed an objection in January, believing the application should be denied due to the involvement of technical consultant Brian Silvis.

Silvis is also the manager for Canadohta Community Radio Group’s 105.7 WUUK(LP) and a consultant for Corry Area Radio Service’s 98.9 WHYP(LP). In its objection, UCFSC charged that Silvis was creating a “radio network” across northwest Pennsylvania and that his affiliation with the three stations was “outside the original intentions of the FCC” regarding LPFM operation.

Following the objection, Community Media removed Silvis from its application in February. It also said he had no attributable interests in the non-profit.

The FCC now has denied the objection. It said the presence of a consultant like Silvis across multiple applications does not result in “common control or attributable interests” among the stations. It said that UCFSC presented no concrete evidence that Silvis’ involvement was beyond that of a technical consultant.

UCFSC’s concern originally had been filed as a petition to deny but was dismissed by the Media Bureau as procedurally flawed and was instead treated as an objection.

So Community Media has been awarded a CP for the new LPFM that will broadcast from a tower a few miles south of Union City.

The organization was incorporated in Pennsylvania in November and aims to use its signal to broadcast community-oriented features, such as programming with Union City High School students, interviews with local government officials and music programs by local artists.

(Read the decision.)

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Comments on proposed rules designed to make it easier for emergency managers to send alerts to those who do not understand English over the nation’s broadcast airwaves are due by the end of Monday (4/8).

On Friday, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) chimed in, and it likes what it sees.

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She has a Master’s Degree in French Studies from New York University and has been in the U.S. broadcast news industry for 35 years. Now, this former ABC News VP of Newsgathering is taking a key weather leadership role at CBS News & Stations.

Fisher will helm a newly formed national weather unit that will work closely across all CBS news programs and the 60+ meteorologists and weather production teams across both CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures. “This central weather team will be the coordinating force behind bringing our local and national teams together, using state-of-the-art augmented and virtual reality to tell the critical weather stories each day,” CBS News & Stations said in a release distributed Monday morning.

Fisher starts her new role on April 22 and will be based in New York.

“Wendy Fisher knows how to cover stories with impact and how to lead teams to become reporting centers for excellence,” said Adrienne Roark, President of Content Development and Integration for CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures. “Every piece of research we’ve seen for decades points to weather as one of the biggest drivers in audience engagement. From life-impacting to life-threatening weather, audiences turn to us for community connection, context and clarity during these extreme events. Wendy is exceptionally well positioned to help build our new unified weather leadership team as we move to transform the coverage and super-serve audiences with this essential and urgent reporting every day.”

With Fisher in control, CBS News and Stations’ weather unit is poised to “transform” its on-air look by utilizing augmented reality and other new technology pioneered in San Francisco at KPIX-5.

In fact, Fisher will work with KPIX President/GM Scott Warren as new features debut that are designed to provide “deeper and more comprehensive reporting” across all CBS News and Stations programs and platforms, the company says.

“Weather is one of the top stories audiences look for on a daily basis and I am excited to join an organization investing in bringing together the strongest reporting teams, storytellers and technology to bring depth and innovation to weather coverage,” Fisher said.

Fisher joins CBS News and Stations after a more than 30-year career in newsgathering at ABC News. From 2020 to 2023, Fisher served as SVP/Global Newsgathering, where she managed coverage of local, national and international news stories, such as the war in Ukraine, mass shootings, major weather events and natural disasters. Fisher was also integral to ABC News’ coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, protests following the murder of George Floyd, political campaigns and terrorist attacks.

Fisher began her career at ABC News in 1989. She has served as VP of Newsgathering, Executive Editor, National Editor and Assignment Editor.

Fisher also currently serves as a lecturer in advanced reporting in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media at Rutgers University.