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The Media Rating Council (MRC) has a new person responsible for leading support of its audit and accreditation activities. This will include audits of services in various media and advertising measurement lines, with an emphasis in digital, but also including Television, Radio, Print, Out of Home and Cross-Media measurement, as well as other emerging measurement methodologies.

Now serving as Director of Measurement Audit Operations is Hannah Bolcar.

In her new role, Bolcar will also support standards setting activities including research, data analytics and organizing feedback, as well as representing the MRC to internal and external constituencies.

Bolcar joins from Sirius XM’s Pandora unit, where as Senior Manager of Sales Development she was responsible for leading audio strategy, strategic partnership agreements and cross-platform audio programs for advertisers. Before that, Bolcar spent upward of eight years at organizations including Mindshare, Carat and Giovatto Advertising, specializing in digital activation, customer strategy, and research.

“With the need for accreditation growing, and with the scope of Standards that the MRC now audits against broadening, we are looking forward to benefitting from Hannah’s experience as we enhance the support we provide to the industry and MRC members,” said George Ivie, Executive Director and CEO of the MRC.

 

Auddia Inc. — the developer of a proprietary AI platform for audio and “innovative technologies for podcasts” that believes it is “reinventing” how consumers engage with audio, has closed on $3.5 million of new financing by selling 1.3M common shares from its previously announced equity line.

Theo Romeo, Chief Product Marketing Officer for Auddia, said the financing allows the to lock products including its pay-for-commercial free broadcast radio app faidr “into our roadmap in an ongoing effort to improve the user experience and performance metrics.”

Further, the company believes that by strengthening the balance sheet and improving the “premium listening experience” available on faidr, which includes commercial free AM/FM listening with the ability to skip content and the enhanced podcast listening experiences facilitated by Seamless Play and Forward+, Auddia is better positioned to execute on a merger and acquisition strategy.

“One of the key synergies that makes our M&A strategy so attractive is upselling premium subscriptions to consumers already listening to standard AM/FM streams and podcasts,” said Michael Lawless, Auddia’s CEO. “We expect that everything we do to enhance the premium experience on faidr will translate directly to increased subscriptions not only from our own user base but from the user bases we are able to acquire and those we are able to reach through our upcoming SAAS offerings.”

Following the equity line activity Auddia has 2,150,337 common shares outstanding as of March 15, 2024.

With FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal signing off on the plan, a Consent Decree has been entered into between the Commission and the owner of a low-power television station in Maine to settle an investigation into whether the licensee ran afoul of closed-captioning rules.

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Telos Alliance will show a new 25-Seven product, the PDMX program delay manager, at the 2024 NAB Show.

25-Seven PDM products provide seamless removal of objectionable content from live programming. PDMX brings this essential functionality into the virtual realm.

“A software implementation of the industry-standard PDM II Program Delay Manager, PDMX incorporates all the features and functions broadcasters have come to depend upon, optimized for pure AoIP and virtualized production environments,” the company says.

“Flexibly designed to match client deployment preferences, PDMX can be hosted on-premises using a COTS server, on cloud-based platforms like AWS, or on the new Telos Alliance AP-3000 hardware platform.”

Features to ensure program integrity include up to 99 seconds of stereo audio delay, a unique “dump” function that selectively removes objectionable content, and a feature called Overkill that allows for seamless insertion of show-specific fill files to maintain uninterrupted broadcast flow.

Also standard is the PD-Alert system, which automatically notifies station personnel via email and provides time-stamped audio files for review whenever the Dump function is activated.

“Multiple methods of delay construction are offered, from pre-rolling to time expansion or playback of locally stored audio files, ensuring precise control over content delivery,” Telos states.

It says PDMX’s audio algorithms ensure artifact-free audio even during buffer construction, and support synchronization with metadata and GPIO closures for enhanced broadcast management.

PDMX offers Livewire+AES67 connectivity and includes up to 20 Livewire GPIOs and LWRP protocol support for native integration with Axia Pathfinder.

NAB Show Booth: C1808

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

The post Telos Will Show New 25-Seven PDMX appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World Buyer’s Guide articles are intended to help readers understand why their colleagues chose particular products to solve various technical situations. This month’s articles focus on transmitters.

There will always be a fan base for tube transmitters, but there is no question that the installed numbers are dwindling. The reasons are plentiful, and Bonneville International is one of many broadcasters accelerating their transition to a 100-percent solid-state fleet.

“We are actively working to remove every tube rig in our operation,” said Aaron Farnham, regional director of technology, Bonneville International. 

“Our remaining tube transmitters are in backup roles, but there is no guarantee they will run properly after sitting idle. There are few quality tubes available for replacement parts.”

It’s no surprise then that in some cases, Bonneville is moving some well-performing solid-state transmitters into backup roles to replace older tube rigs. The most recent example is the Phoenix market, where Farnham and his team put two GatesAir Flexiva FAX40 air-cooled transmitters into backup service, making room for two Flexiva FLX30 liquid-cooled systems. 

Both new transmitters support FM and HD Radio feeds, with GatesAir’s Flexiva FMXi 4g solution supporting all HD Radio importing, exporting and diversity delay functions. That technology is embedded within the transmitters. GatesAir’s solid-state technology also reduces the transmitter footprint, creating more room inside the shared space for KTAR-FM and KMVP-FM. 

GatesAir’s liquid-cooled systems include a separate pump module and an outdoor heat exchanger, and Farnham says that while the process of preparing the system for operation takes some time, the benefits surface soon after going to air. 

“The performance benefits of the FLX are enormous,” he said. “With air-cooled systems, you need a 40 kW transmitter to run 29,000 kilowatts of RF with –10 dB HD sidebands. With liquid, we can achieve that using 30 kW transmitters and maintain the same efficiency.

“That reduced the costs of our initial investment, and our AC usage has dropped dramatically. Since going to air, our monthly power bills have been reduced by $2,500. That’s no small change.”

[Read More Buyers Guide Reviews Here]

The post GatesAir Transmitters Deliver ROI to Bonneville appeared first on Radio World.

Some 14 FM allotments were removed from the FCC’s FM Table by the Commission in the recent past because a construction permit and/or license was granted.

Now, they’ve returned to the Table of Allotments, as these MHz-based signals are considered vacant because of the cancellation of the associated authorizations or the dismissal of longform auction applications.

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“Broadcasters still reliant on POTS lines for studio phones systems are facing hefty price hikes, if not now, then very soon,” says Broadcast Bionics. 

“In August 2022, the FCC removed requirements for ILECs to offer analog POTS at competitive rates. By October 2023, all remaining cost obligations were lifted.”

Bionics says this spurred carriers to plan to decommission outdated lines, aiming to end all PSTN lines by 2030. 

“Transitioning to SIPl can be daunting, and what about those trusted Telos VSets your talent loves?”

In response, the company offers Caller One, now with Telos VSet integration.

CallerOne seamlessly integrates with SIP (VoIP) lines on your network. With this new integration, CallerOne now works with any Telos VSet handsets you have or plan to purchase. 

“Moving to digital will not only help broadcasters save significantly on POTS line rental, but opens the door to all that AoIP offers.”

The platform streamlines the SIP setup as well as the call screening process, empowering air talent, call screeners and producers to manage calls and ensure seamless content flow. 

Separately, Bionics announced that its BionicStudio Director is now available with a live graphics management extension called ConText, to help teams deliver professional-grade live video streams. “Where Director handles intelligent camera switching, recording, and streaming, ConText enables live data-driven graphics management, all through a user-friendly browser interface.”

NAB Show Booth: C2030

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

The post Caller One Now Integrates With Telos VSet appeared first on Radio World.

Chiefland, Fla., is a tiny community, due west of Gainesville. And, it has been home to a Class A FM simulcasting a Classic Rocker with signals in both Gainesville and in nearby Ocala.

Soon, a change will be coming, with a gust of “Wind” removing one asset from the Saga Communications stable.

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The FCC as expected moved ahead on a party-line 3-2 vote to implement what FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel believes are new customer protections requiring all cable TV service providers and the nation’s two direct broadcast satellite companies to specify the “all-in” price “clearly and prominently” in their promotional materials and on every monthly billing statement.

To little surprise, pro-cable TV advocacy group ACA Connects was less than thrilled by the Democratic majority’s vote.

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With George Soros a key investor and a voluntary bankruptcy restructuring plan now firmly in place, Audacy has filed paperwork with the FCC signaling its need to gain Commission approval of its emergence from debtor-in-possession status.

Along with that filing came a second one — and it signals Audacy’s desire to sell a Class A “Magic”-filled FM serving Upstate South Carolina.

 

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In late January, RBR+TVBR first shared with readers the details surrounding a move by the owner of a low-power digital television station to put a stop to the “Low Power Protection Act” — a law the FCC unanimously enacted despite opposition from the Frank Copsidas-created LPTV Broadcasters Association.

Last week, the court ruled against the LPTV licensee — something Wilkinson Barker Knauer Partner Davina Sashkin explained to LPTVBA members.

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It’s been stated that many who pay for MVPD services, whether from a cable television provider or a direct broadcast satellite company, largely consume their local broadcast channels more than the plethora of channels found exclusively on non-broadcast subscription-based lineups.

Yet, in a move that some may perceive as an anti-retransmission consent decision, DirecTV on Sunday officially went live with an offering that effectively eliminates all over-the-air broadcast stations — positioning it as a cable-only lineup.

 

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It’s a leading audio streaming app for broadcast radio in countries ranging from Canada and Germany to the United Kingdom. Now, it is gearing up to compete head-on with TuneIn in the U.S., with a Partnerships Lead in place whose chief task will be to bring its internationally known app to domestic vehicles and other audio streaming platforms.

Ready to come across the Atlantic is Radioplayer, and Ken Lloyd hopes to make it stick from coast to coast.

To Lloyd’s benefit are existing relationships overseas between Radioplayer and Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, and Renault.

If Lloyd sounds familiar, it is because he exited in October 2022 as VP of Digital Distribution, Platform Partners & Licensing at Audacy. From October 2015-September 2018, he was at Paramount Pictures, in the role of Vice President Digital Distribution for North America.

Lloyd began his career at Sony Music Entertainment in autumn 2000 and would later work at Nickelodeon before taking a key digital role at Microsoft, in its Xbox Store.

“Radioplayer’s unique ownership by the radio industry itself sets us apart, as we are laser-focused on ensuring radio’s prominence in the connected dashboard and on other connected devices,” Lloyd said. “I look forward to working with broadcasters and third-party platforms to deliver value-added services and continue breaking new ground in securing the future of radio.”

Radioplayer CEO Yann Legarson added, “At Radioplayer, we’re enthusiastic about pushing boundaries and ensuring that radio remains relevant and prominent in the digital age. With Ken joining our team, we’re keen to expand our dedication to empowering broadcasters in the US market, thereby improving the radio experience for listeners and our distribution partners alike. Leveraging our distribution capabilities, data-driven insights for better content, and enhanced radio experiences, we’re driving value for the entire radio ecosystem.”

Radioplayer’s expansion into the U.S. market coincides with the upcoming Radiodays Europe event in Munich, where the company will showcase its latest advancements and unveil upcoming projects. The event will include Radioplayer’s announced release session alongside Google and automotive innovator CARIAD.

Announcements about AI being used in radio and audio applications continue to roll in.

Dan (left) and Jim Price

Price Brothers, a sibling company to ad agency Oink Ink Radio, recently launched a Contextual Advertising service for podcast “host-read” ads. It uses dynamic targeting combined with voice cloning technology. 

Partner Dan Price said in the announcement that podcast ads read by hosts do well and that context such as localization increases effectiveness.

“The hurdle has been scalability. And so we began experimenting with cloning.” 

Their new service lets advertisers serve dynamically “stitched together” creative content relevant to a listener’s context and environment while adding scale from synthesized voices. 

“It would be impractical for every podcast host engaged by a brand like Staples, for example, to record 1,400 location addresses,” said Jim Price in the announcement. “So we thought, ‘Why not clone the hosts’ voices, with their permission, and cobble together the new audio to efficiently create versions relevant to the listener.’”

The Prices said consumers have been skeptical of the quality of cloned audio because it often sounds fake and inconsistent but that their company has experimented to get the best results.

They also highlighted the benefits of context awareness based on elements like a listener’s location, the name or type of app they’re using, and activity they’re engaging in.

They think podcast publishers and producers will also apply the tool to changing, updating or fixing audio previously recorded by hosts, such as updating URLs or incorrect promo codes, without having to wait for the host to get back to the studio or run a make-good.

They posted a demo presentation about their Contextual Advertising service.

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The post Price Brothers Deploys Voice Clones for Podcast Ads appeared first on Radio World.

Tom Hartnett is technical director of Comrex, which designs and builds equipment to connect broadcasters to their audiences, including IP audio codecs, IP video and telephony products. He commented for the Radio World ebook “Trends in Codecs 2024.” 

Tom Hartnett

Radio World: What would you say is the most interesting recent trend in codecs?

Tom Hartnett: By far, the inclusion of WebRTC clients in computer browsers. Essentially, every internet browser, desktop or mobile, is capable of performing the function of an audio codec. We see it as having a huge impact for radio contribution. We’ve been working hard over the last five years finding ways to leverage this into broadcast for our customers, and make WebRTC technology blend with the huge installed base of hardware codecs. We’ve already delivered hardware (Opal) and cloud-based (Gagl) solutions that leverage the low delay, audio quality and easy availability of WebRTC clients.

RW: How will virtualization and software-integrated air chains change how engineers deploy codecs?

Hartnett: Some of our larger network customers are inquiring about virtualization on the studio side. We’ve embarked on some projects to meet this need, but we still give a substantial reliability edge to hardware, as there are complications and compromises that need to be made both on the audio and network sides to achieve virtualization.

RW: Given advances in audio coding and wireless IP, what improvements can still be made in the quality of audio from the field?

Hartnett: Both technologies have matured, stabilized and sort of “met in the middle.” This means it’s reasonable to deploy a codec with a 4G/5G adapter and have an expectation of a successful broadcast. I don’t think 5G is a huge leap forward for codecs — most of the enhanced operation is on the downstream side — but modern 4G/5G networks should be expected to easily carry an audio codec channel. Of course, those still concerned can “double up” their wireless bandwidth using two modems and our CrossLock technology.

RW: What long-term changes did the pandemic eventually bring?

Hartnett: Comrex saw banner sales when Covid hit, but we also saw increased use of “non-broadcast” remote solutions like Zoom and Teams for remote contribution. While they provide better audio than telephones, there’s still quite a lot of audio distortion in these products. We set about creating a cloud service that would blend the reliability factor of hardware codecs with the convenience of PC/Mobile phone contribution. We launched our Gagl cloud service this year to meet this need.

RW: What codecs or apps are most commonly used for news work from the field?

Hartnett: For those looking for broadcast audio interface, pro-grade diagnostics and the ultimate in reliability, Comrex Access NX Portable is the dream field codec. Rather than apps, we’re promoting Gagl, our cloud-based codec bridge service, as an easy way to integrate phones and laptops on the field side with Comrex hardware codecs in the studio. Gagl requires no software install on the field side, and can host up to five contributors simultaneously.

RW: How widespread now are IP-based systems for STL applications?

Hartnett: I’d wager there’s more IP-based STLs out there than hard-wired or RF links today. Comrex BRIC-Link has established an industry reputation for reliability and is the go-to solution for most STLs.

RW: How do today’s codecs integrate with today’s AoIP networks and infrastructures?

Hartnett: We’ve chosen to remain agnostic in AoIP implementations by integrating the AES67 standard rather than any particular brand of AoIP. This makes us compatible with all the major players on that level.

RW: And how do today’s codecs avoid problems with dropped packets?

Harnett: Networks are a lot more stable than they used to be, and encoders in our codecs are efficient enough to work flawlessly on most networks without any error correction. But we’ve designed our own network reliability layer, CrossLock, to deal with packet drops using a combination of error correction methods for use on challenging networks. We have a growing list of customers for whom CrossLock has solved their reliability issues, even when using it on a single network.

RW: What considerations should be taken into account to allow radio talent to do shows using their phones?

Hartnett: While this is easily supported by our Gagl cloud service, I feel long-form programming like radio shows are best served by hardware codecs. These provide the proper pro-grade audio interfaces and a UI that allows you to get the job done easily. Phone services and apps are great, but should still be limited to short-form contribution in my opinion.

RW: What tools are available for sending audio to multiple locations at once?

Hartnett: Comrex codecs support IP multicast, but it’s primarily for private networks. Our codecs have also always supported multi-unicast, allowing delivery to as many simultaneous sites that can be delivered over your network. Finally, all our codecs can deliver an Icecast-compatible stream to a CDN for distribution, even simultaneously with a normal codec-codec connection.

RW: What would you consider to be reasonably low latency at this point?

Harnett: Latency is hugely application dependent. Many applications like STL are not interactive, and intentionally adding network delay buffer can enhance reliability. Interactive applications can usually tolerate around 100 mS delay — encoding, transmission, decoding — and this is easily achieved, even over relatively high-delay networks like 4G.

RW: We hear about Forward Error Correction a lot; why is this important?

Hartnett: In our products that emphasize low delay, we see little advantage to FEC in IP codecs, with the exception of dual-network redundancy, which can be considered FEC. To be effective, FEC requires so much interleaving and buffering that alternative error correction techniques like ARQ give better results. That being said, our CrossLock reliability layer implements both these functions when deemed to be effective by the system.

RW: Are ISDN and T1, for all intents, fully sunsetted?

Harnett: Dedicated circuits are long dead for new installs in North America, except that virtual T1s are still available. IP codecs have come so far in reliability; I really believe they replace ISDN very well, with the advantage of not having to custom install an expensive ISDN line for each remote.

ISDN is only now being phased out in Europe and eastern Asia. They are starting the transitions Americans began 15 years ago.

RW: Any recent examples of unusual problem-solving? 

Harnett: We’ve gotten a couple of success stories from users who need an STL where virtually no IP infrastructure exists. They installed a Starlink terminal at the transmitter site and have had good results. It does require a little tweaking of codec parameters, and it’s not perfect, but the reliability has come a long way since the early days of Starlink launches. Compared to other satellite options, it’s really cost-effective.

RW: Can engineers now create reliable remote setups on moving vehicles such as trains?

Hartnett: While it’s very enticing to do a remote from a train or airplane, I think anyone who has tried to use Wi-Fi on these vehicles, even for web browsing, understands their limitations. So it’s recommended for short-form contribution only. Cruise ships are an exception, we’ve had many successful cruising remotes using our hardware.

RW: What steps should an engineer consider to create redundancy and cybersecurity?

Hartnett: For redundancy, if an application is mission-critical, dual wired networks are the best practice and worth the cost using Comrex Crosslock. For less-critical links, wireless 4G backup using Comrex Hotswap is a cost-effective redundancy method.

With cyber, it’s all about putting security measures outside the codecs. For point-to-point links and STLs, it’s pretty straightforward to set up a VPN. Beyond that, constraining access to known IP addresses, using complex passwords, and turning off unused services in codecs are best practices.

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The post WebRTC Has Turned Browsers Into Codecs appeared first on Radio World.

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Audio Division terminates W279BC license under section 312(g), and proposes $16,200 forfeiture for WSFN(AM) unauthorized operations, WSFN(AM) unauthorized silences, WSFN(AM) unauthorized transfer of control, and failure to fully respond to FCC inquiries.

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