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A fabulous studio is an iconic part of our industry’s image. Your latest free Radio World ebook is a special double issue, providing a peek at radio’s best new rooms and environments, from simple streamlined studios to high-end buildout beauties.

Studio designs and footprints are changing dramatically thanks to innovations in audio networking and the cloud as well as business trends like hybrid operations and the economic demands on broadcast owners. This popular annual ebook helps you understand these trends. It’s also fun to read.

See how technology managers at companies like Bonneville, KNKX, SiriusXM, Beasley, the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, KQED and Grupo Bandeirantes solved that most enjoyable of all radio technical challenges: how to build a new studio.

Read it here.

The post New Studios That Dazzle: A Free Ebook appeared first on Radio World.

New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) is applying more pressure on auto manufactures to keep AM radio in their electric vehicles and new product lines. 

At a press conference this week, in front of a Tesla dealership in his home state, Rep. Gottheimer proposed new action to keep the senior band as a mainstay in future vehicles. In his latest effort, Gottheimer is calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require carmakers who exclude AM radio to paste a safety warning in the window of any new car sold stating: “Warning: No AM Radio. Vehicle Unsafe in Certain Emergencies.”

Gottheimer is also asking NHTSA to add AM radio to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which would require all automakers, including EV manufacturers, to include AM radio as a stock feature in their vehicles. That action item is something Gottheimer has been advocating for since March 2023, as reported by Radio World. 

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are the minimum safety standards that a manufacturer must meet when making a vehicle, including requirements related to airbags, brakes, seatbelts, tires, controls and displays.

Gottheimer, the sponsor of the House version of last year’s AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, keeps pushing AM radio as a critical safety feature in cars because of its capability to receive public warnings.  

Rep. Josh Gottheimer speaks at his March 2023 press event in support of AM radio.

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

“AM radio is the backbone of America’s National Public Warning System, which provides the public with emergency-alert and warning information from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during natural disasters, extreme weather conditions, chemical spills, health crises and other emergencies,” Gottheimer wrote in his most recent letter to NHTSA.

The New Jersey Democrat reiterates in his letter that Tesla, and other car manufacturers who cut AM radio from the new production vehicles, “put public safety and national emergency management at risk, threatening the safety of the 47 million Americans who listen to AM radio.”

He tells NHTSA: “As you know, the federal government, via FEMA, has invested significantly in backup power and antenna hardening to protect AM radio and ensure its functionality, even in the most significant crises. The importance of AM radio during large-scale emergencies cannot be overstated.”

Meanwhile, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 3413) now has bipartisan support from 200 members of Congress, Gottheimer says. If eventually passed, the bill would require the Department of Transportation to issue a rule requiring that AM broadcast stations be accessible in all passenger motor vehicles sold in the United States.

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

Carmakers have claimed the expense of shielding AM radio from electromagnetic interference in electric vehicles is prohibitive. However, Gottheimer rebutted that theory and took aim at the founder of Tesla.

“Buying a car without AM radio is like buying a car without an emergency parking brake. You may not use it every day, but you’ll be glad you have it if your brakes ever go out,” Gottheimer said in a press release. “I would think that if Elon Musk has enough money to buy Twitter and send rockets to space, he can afford to include AM radio in his Teslas.”

The post Congressman Pushes for Warning Labels on New Cars Without AM Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Here’s a heads-up for users of Digital Alert Systems EAS/CAP devices in the United States.

The manufacturer has released a free but necessary update to the Federal Emergency Management Agency digital certificates that your devices use to authenticate messaging from the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, or IPAWS.

DAS has released free updated IPAWS Certificate Authority credentials for DASDEC and One-Net series encoder/decoders. The current certification chain expires on April 14.

“The new certificate is fully functional right now, so customers are advised to replace the existing certificate to ensure the required message authentication continues to operate correctly,” it said in the announcement.

“Digital Alert Systems reminds all EAS participants that the FCC requires them to ‘configure their systems to reject all CAP-formatted EAS messages that include an invalid digital signature.’”

Senior Sales Engineer Adam Jones was quoted saying, “We appreciate FEMA getting these out so quickly, and our customers will be pleased to know this new certificate is good until March of 2031.”

The new certificates will also be packaged with the pending DASDEC V5.3 release. Customers planning to update to that version can wait and get their certificates then if they prefer, as long as they do so before April 14.

The company emphasized that DASDEC and One-Net customers using the IPAWS system must have the latest certificates in place so that the devices only process messages authenticated through IPAWS.

“Users not updating their equipment before April 14 could see this error message: ‘Event Log: Digital Signature VERIFICATION ERROR: Signer UNTRUSTED! Check for correct CAP decoder CA file.’ Alternatively, the device might simply ignore valid IPAWS alerts.”

The field service bulletin and CA file are available from the DAS website. “DASDEC and One-Net customers should go to the website, download the field service bulletin for instructions, and link to the new CA file.”

The post Digital Alert Systems Releases Digital Certificate Bundle appeared first on Radio World.

In December 2023, a “leadership restructuring” impacting the company’s organizational operations began at iHeartMedia.

Now, Streamline Publishing has learned that a significant shift in the company’s advertising sales departments is underway.

According to company memo given to Radio Ink, iHeart leadership has developed plans to capitalize on digital and data-driven assets. This sees the appointment of Jenna Craig as President of National Media. Craig will oversee the integration of the National Networks Group, led by President Alan Korowitz, including Premiere Networks and Total Traffic & Weather Network, as well as the Agency Partnerships team, with EVP Scott Liss and SVPs Ethan Turner, Alex Kiernan, John Chianese and Rhonda Bitterman now reporting to her.

At the same time, Carter Brokaw will take the role of Chief National and Digital Revenue Officer, with Craig reporting directly to him. Operations within National Sales will see Mary Pultorak reporting to Ann Marie Licata, the EVP of Sales Operations.

The National Verticals Group, under the leadership of President Adrienne Pabst and EVP John Karpinski, will transform into the “Strategic Partners Group.” This entity will remain focused on industry and marketing verticals while managing and cultivating strategic national client relationships.

The MMS organization, led by Josh Becker, will now report to Karpinski.

What does this mean for President of National Sales Jeff Howard? He is transitioning into a consulting role, Radio Ink confirmed.

 

It was once owned by NBC, and later by Media General before becoming a Sinclair Broadcast Group station in December 2014. Now, Sinclair Inc. is commemorating the upcoming 75th anniversary of the TV station’s debut, making it Rhode Island’s first television station.

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A West Virginia State Senator has introduced a bill that would require public places that have televisions for use by the public to have at least half of those sets activated for closed captioning at all times.

This time, there’s progress on the bill’s advancement.

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It’s The Most Anticipated Honor Roll in Broadcast Television.
It’s Once Again Time To Make Your Vote Count! The Radio + Television Business Report is proudly opening its nomination window for the Broadcast Television’s Best Leaders of 2024 For the sixth consecutive year, RBR+TVBR is calling on the broadcast media industry to help our leadership team in selecting the top-ranked individuals who oversee free-to-air broadcast TV stations across the U.S. — from the biggest groups to the smallest privately held operations. From ATSC 3.0’s continued build-out to digital multicast offerings and even “FAST” channels, over-the-air television continues to thrive in a world where streaming gets outsized attention. Play-by-play sports is even back on broadcast TV in multiple markets! With news programming a key community resource and network fare meshed with the top syndicated shows, broadcast TV remains an important asset for consumers and marketers. That’s why RBR+TVBR’s Broadcast Television’s Best Leaders nominees represent those who have demonstrated management prowess, and are ably guiding their broadcast television stations to ratings and revenue success.

 

Please take a moment to select the sixth-annual honor roll saluting Broadcast Television’s Best Leaders. You may select from among our suggested nominees, or offer your own nominee. Simply CLICK HERE for your ballot!

Edward Edmiston stands with part of an antenna at the SWR factory in an undated photo.

Edward Edmiston Sr., part of the leadership of antenna and transmission systems manufacturer SWR LP, has died. He was 68.

Edmiston played a crucial role in the evolution of the company owned by his brother, President David K. Edmiston Sr.

SWR began in 1963. Its name stands for Systems With Reliability. According to an obituary from the company, “In 1985, Edward began his career in broadcasting with SWR Inc. located in New Hampshire. Edward acquired SWR Inc. from Jack Kruger and relocated the headquarters from New Hampshire to Ebensburg, Pa., in 1990.”

The current iteration of the company remains in Ebensburg today.

Edmiston was involved in manufacturing and turnkey installations of many FM and TV stations in countries including Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and India.

“Edward was the founder and served as president of SWR Ebensburg from 1990 to 1994, then relocated to the Philippines, where he established an international branch of the business. He returned to Ebensburg in 2017 and served as director of engineering at SWR.”

He also was a member of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers.

SWR described “his irreplaceable dedication and expertise” as well as his kindness and a gentle personality.

“He leaves behind his loving wife Bernadette, children Eddie Jr., Stephanie, Jennifer, Julie, Tracy, Thomas, Ashley and a long list of friends and loved ones both personal and professional.”

A cause of death was not released.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

The post Edward Edmiston, DOE of SWR, Dies appeared first on Radio World.

Triton Digital has released its second annual U.S. Podcast Report, delving into the U.S. podcast market in 2023. The report details changing listening habits and audience demographic data, and provides insights into the top podcasts and networks from this past year.

According to the report, the number of monthly podcast listeners continues to rise, with 12% growth over the past two years. “In 2023, 40 percent of the U.S. population reported listening to a podcast within the past month,” Triton said in a press release. “This growth was reflected across all segments of the population, especially those late to adopting podcasts as a preferred medium.”

This graphic displays the percentage of the U.S. population that listened to podcasts within the past month, with data from 2021, 2022 and 2023. 35.9% of the population listened in 2021, 37.1% in 2022 and 40.3% in 2023.

Triton also says listening by older Americans and by women is growing at a faster rate, with a 22% increase in listeners over the age of 55, and a 19% increase in female listeners aged 18 and older over the past two years.

Per the new findings, the top podcast genres of 2023 were news (with 22% of downloads), true crime (18%) and comedy (15%).

The top sales networks of 2023, according to the Triton U.S. Podcast Ranker, were the SiriusXM Podcast Network (ranked first), NPR (ranked second) and Wondery (coming in third). The top podcast of the year was “NPR News Now.”

Triton says the report incorporates data from a survey of 12,000 monthly podcast listeners in the U.S., done in collaboration with Signal Hill Insights.

“2023 was another year of significant growth for the podcast industry, and with increasing female and over 55-plus audiences, we can expect more content production to serve those groups in the coming year,” said Daryl Battaglia, Triton Digital’s SVP of measurement products & strategy.

Read the full report here.

[Sign Up for Radio World’s SmartBrief Newsletter]

The post Triton Digital Reports Increased Podcast Listenership in 2023 appeared first on Radio World.

The rollout of the new ATSC 3.0 digital broadcast television standard is poised to continue in a significant way across 2024, and a 17-year-old company just north of Chicago has been an active participant in the development of various TV standards around the world. Now, Anywave Communications Technologies is bringing what it calls a “complete” ATSC 3.0/1.0 signal chain package to market.

What does this mean? Anywave General Manager Dave Neff explains the advancements in this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Anywave GM Dave Neff” on Spreaker.

In this letter to the editor, the author comments on Buc Fitch’s 2006 story “The Demise of the First Phone,” which was recently reshared in our Radio World Engineering Extra SmartBrief newsletter. Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

I graduated from high school in 1969 and ended up working for WCWA(AM/FM) — the FM eventually became WIOT while going to college. I was the “college kid” who filled in weekends and vacations but reported to the chief engineer who also happened to have a ham ticket as I did. We hit it off and I stayed almost to graduation, picking up the “First” phone license in 1971 — even passed the Ship Radar endorsement.

You’d think I would stay in broadcasting and join the certificate wall members. But industry came calling and I left broadcasting because of money. I saw the handwriting on the wall of low pay. $1000/mo. in 1974 was just too much to pass up, especially after getting married.

Of the three friends from college in the business (we worked for three different stations in the Toledo market), one went to Collins Radio, one stayed as chief of several stations and I left the business. The only time I used the First after graduation was to apply for a license for portable radios at my first industry company.

The license and the “General” issued after that are still hanging on the wall in my shack, but the future in the radio business just wasn’t in my future. I do wonder how I would have done if I stayed. Probably poorer and still working at 72.

— Russ Kinner, WA8ZID and old time broadcast engineer

[Related: “Letters: Fond Memories of the ‘First Phone'”]

The post Letter: Remembering the FCC’s First Class Radiotelephone License appeared first on Radio World.

In this letter to the editor, the author comments on Radio World’s ongoing, extensive coverage on shortwave radio. Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

I am relieved to see the discussion of shortwave relevance is still relevant.

In my contest blog (WQ6X.Blogspot.com), I have broached this topic several times. Searching the word “shortwave” in the blog, I come up with many entries, the first being “Does Shortwave Radio Have a Future?,” wherein I referenced the article in the Feb. 20, 2019, issue of RW on this topic.

I was a big fan of WTWW on shortwave until the shutdown of their station due to obvious lack of funds to keep it reliably on the air. I’m not looking for another religious broadcaster to buy the site and offer us just more of the same.

I would like to see stations like WTWW back on the shortwave medium with their own transmitters. Yes, I’m remembering the way it was. Is there any REAL reason we cant bring back some of the relevant activities from our glorious past?

While I am a dedicated radio amateur, I still thoroughly enjoy shortwave broadcasts from around the world, which also serve as a propagation-prediction tool.

Back when the NIST was proposing dropping the Space-WX forecasts on WWV/WWVH (because we have internet now), numerous people including me wrote in to remind them that, when we operate mobile, maritime mobile or camping out on mountaintops (often w/o cellphone or internet access), we rely on those broadcasts to receive up-to-date information. As of 2024, those broadcasts are not only STILL with us, they have become more relevant than ever.

Thank you for keeping the discussions about shortwave relevance relevant.

— Ron Fitch, WQ6X, president, Amateur Radio Club of Alameda

[Read more stories about shortwave radio]

The post Letter: Let’s Restore Shortwave to Its Former Glory appeared first on Radio World.

So you’re in your rack room searching for a set of headphones. Or you have some plugged into equipment, but no place to store them, so they dangle onto the floor. Sound familiar?

Chief Engineer William Harrison at FM station WETA in Washington, D.C., developed a solution and shares it with Workbench readers. 

We’ve received so many positive comments about the “do-it-yourself” construction projects we’ve published, and William’s submission is definitely worth considering.

In addition to these photos of the construction, William included a parts list to construct 10 headphone rack hooks. They’re are designed to screw into a standard broadcast-type equipment rack, accepting 10-32 rack screws.

William’s pictures make the project easy, and the finished quality is impressive. Follow along with the pictures and descriptions. Send your tips

Click on the photo to toggle between step-by-step pictures of the installation process.

Materials List (10 Hooks)

William spent $50.93 to build 10 of these hooks, or about five bucks each. You can lower the cost to under $3 by using standard nuts and washers instead of the knurled thumb nut and self-retaining washer. 

18-8 Stainless Steel Threaded Rod, 10-32 Thread Size, 4 Inches Long
www.mcmaster.com/95412A450/
$12.12 per pack of 10; $12.12 total

Black Phenolic Plastic Ball Knob, with 10-32 Threaded Hole, 11/16-inch Diameter Head
www.mcmaster.com/6046K11/
$1.03 each; $10.30 total

High-Temperature Silicone Rubber Tubing for Air & Water, Soft, Durometer 50A, 3/16-inch ID, 3/8-inch OD, Opaque Black
www.mcmaster.com/5236K852/
$1.95 per foot; $5.85 total (cut into 3-inch pieces)

Self-Retaining Washer for Number 10 and M5 Size, 0.277-inch ID, 1/2-inch OD, 0.052–0.072-inch-thick
www.mcmaster.com/91755A141-91755A384/
$14.65 per pack of 100; $14.65 total

Brass Flanged Knurled-Head Thumb Nut, 10-32 Thread Size
www.mcmaster.com/92741A140/
$8.01 per pack of 10; $8.01 total

Workbench submissions are encouraged and qualify for SBE recertification credit. Email johnpbisset@gmail.com.

[Read Another Workbench by John Bisset]

The post Hook Those Cans appeared first on Radio World.

The woman who serves as Market President for iHeartMedia in Eau Claire, Wisc., and Rochester, Minn., has been appointed to the NAB Radio Board of Directors. She assumes the seat last held by Joel McCrae.

Jeanna Berge was appointed to the National Association of Broadcasters Radio Board of Directors by Chair Collin Jones, in accordance with NAB by-laws. The appointment is effective immediately.

Berge has been in Eau Claire since she started her broadcast industry career, beginning in 2011 as an Account Executive. She rose to SVP/Sales in 2018 and earned her current title and responsibilities in 2021.

David Antoine, CBRE, CBNT, has joined equipment dealer Broadcasters General Store as a sales engineer.

David Antoine

Based in New York City, Antoine has worked for broadcast organizations including Westwood One, WQXR, Emmis and Inner City Broadcasting. He most recently was the chief technology officer of jazz station WBGO in Newark, N.J.

Supply side experience includes DSI RF Systems, Aeta and Lawo North America. Antoine also is on the board of directors of the Society of Broadcast Engineers.

Send items for People News to radioworld@futurenet.com.

[Sign Up for Radio World’s SmartBrief Newsletter]

The post David Antoine Joins BGS appeared first on Radio World.

The world’s largest on-demand audio platform, which is very much diving into the podcast arena, saw its shares rise on a largely down Tuesday thanks to an upgrade courtesy of UBS.

Spotify‘s 1-year target price was hiked to $274 per share, as UBS raised its rating on “SPOT,” which trades on the NYSE, to “Buy” from “Neutral.” The price target adjustment is significant, as it is up from the prior level of $170.

In an interview for Yahoo! Finance, Alexandra Canal shared how UBS sees sustainable margin expansion and stronger bottom-line trends in the coming year for Spotify.

This is driven by several key factors, including strong subscriber loyalty, advertising growth, and steady price increases.

But, Canal notes that Spotify has “really struggled with that valuation question.” There’s also a lack of profitability, due to the enormous royalty payments it must pay for the right to allow its users to stream music.

EBITDA is “finally in positive, solid territory,” though, Canal notes, and that’s a big plus for the streamer. Podcasts are expected to break even in the first half of 2024, with $1 billion spent over the past few years to build the segment.

One year ago, SPOT was priced at $121.17; as of 11:26am Eastern it was priced at $219.75, up $1.14 on word of the UBS report.

Matthew Davidge and Julie Huang have teamed up as equity interest holders in a variety of broadcast TV stations, including low-power facilities licensed to Roseland Broadcasting Inc.

The pair are also partners in SagamoreHill, and in an Upstate New York city it is Louis Wall that holds majority interest in a low-power TV station branded as “NBC Watertown.” Now, that operation is in position to greatly expand its coverage area thanks to a deal involving three LPTVs across the region.

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