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Add the broadcast media company led by President Norman Shapiro and President of Content and Networks Neal Sabin to the TV station owners that will be bringing the local  National Basketball Association team’s telecasts to a free-to-air channel.

It marks the first time in 17 years that Milwaukee Bucks games not nationally televised have aired on a broadcast channel in Wisconsin’s biggest market.

 

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The SVP of Sales for iHeartMedia‘s properties serving the San Francisco-Oakland market now has two VPs of Sales to assist with boosting advertiser support of the company’s radio stations and associated digital properties.

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Once again, a leading quick-service food brand known for its pizza has demonstrated just how important spot cable is to building its sales and revenue. For the week ending January 28, Domino’s delivered — in a most-dominant way.

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The MPB Compact Spectrum Analyzer

The Compact Spectrum Analyzer (CSA) from MPB srl of Italy is a real-time FFT handheld spectrum analyzer. It features a 7-inch color touchscreen and coverage of spectrum from 10 Hz to 4 GHz. It supports a dynamic range of 105 dB across the full frequency spectrum.

The CSA weighs less than 3 pounds (1,350 grams) and features user-replaceable 18650 lithium-ion batteries. Its rapid-startup allows engineers to begin taking measurements within 3 seconds of startup. It relies upon proprietary firmware to manage data processing, visualization, and the user interface.

The unit is designed for use in maintaining or installing transmitter systems, finding interference in the RF signal, checking amplifiers and antennas, assessing signal quality, measuring field strength, and other common tasks.

The MPB CSA’s 3D real-time spectrogram screen

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

The post MPB Packs Spectrum Analysis into Compact Unit appeared first on Radio World.

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Media Bureau Enters into a Consent Decree with WJAG, Inc., licensee of WJAG(AM), Norfolk, Nebraska

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Issued an Erratum correcting a Report and Order, FCC 23-112, released on December 12, 2023

The FCC is inching closer to a requirement that radio and TV broadcasters file updates on their operational status following disasters.

The commission, at its January meeting, updated its rules for the use of its Disaster Information Reporting System. Until now, all providers, including broadcasters, have used the system voluntarily, but the FCC said this approach has led to gaps in reporting. 

The adopted order requires voice and cable providers to report their infrastructure status information in DIRS daily when the system has been activated.

Broadcasters, for now, are excluded, but an accompanying proposed rulemaking asks whether broadcasters should be required to participate. The FCC has said that broadcasters voluntarily provide information in DIRS for only 20% to 35% of stations in most activations.

The proposal also asks whether broadcasters should also be required to enter any outages to the FCC’s separate Network Outage Reporting System, or NORS. Currently only wireline, cable, satellite and wireless providers are required to use NORS to report network outages that last at least 30 minutes, and the order adopted this week suspends NORS reporting obligations now that voice and cable providers are required to report in DIRS, so providers are not obligated to report twice. 

And the FCC is asking whether it should require broadcasters to supply the FCC with after-action reports detailing how their networks fared during the emergency or disaster event. 

[Related: “FCC Draft Would Bring a Disaster Reporting Mandate Closer“]

Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel says network resiliency and readiness of communications systems in response to a disaster are priorities.  “We live in a world with wild weather. Dramatic fires, floods, hurricanes and blizzards are occurring more frequently and doing more damage than ever before,” she said in a statement. “In short, when disaster strikes, you want communications to work.” 

Rosenworcel said it is critical for the FCC to have information that it can share with other federal agencies, as well as state and local first responders, to assist those on the ground with facts about where disconnections have occurred, where operations are vulnerable and where restoration efforts are required.

A mandate for broadcast stations to participate when a disaster hits their region is not a new idea. The NAB and broadcasters generally have opposed any mandate for participating in DIRS, saying it would be unnecessary and burdensome.

The FCC acknowledged those arguments in the proposed rulemaking. But it it said it believes mandatory DIRS reporting for broadcasters “could ensure a standardized and coordinated approach among entities potentially impacted by disasters, allowing authorities to make informed decisions about emergency response activities and avenues to communicate with the public” during emergency situations.

“We believe this could be of particular significance given broadcasters’ role in the EAS, as well as the continued reliance on broadcast communications by underserved and non-English-speaking communities for the dissemination of emergency and weather-related information.”

The FCC says it is cognizant of the plight of smaller broadcasters with small staffs and limited technical abilities and resources. It wants to know if, by participating in mandatory DIRS, even smaller broadcasters could contribute to a broader emergency response network, ultimately benefiting the communities they serve; and whether the benefits of requiring reporting outweigh any burden on smaller broadcasters. 

“In light of concerns expressed for smaller providers, however, we seek comment on whether we should consider adopting different reporting requirements for small and large broadcasters and, if so, how should those lines be drawn,” the FCC continued. It also asked whether LPFM stations should be excluded from a mandate.

The commission is also weighing whether to require broadcasters to report in the Network Outage Reporting System on an ongoing basis. The FCC says it generally lacks timely insight into the resiliency of segments of the broadcast ecosystem. For example, the commission’s rules only require TV stations to notify the commission within 10 days of discontinuing operations, which means the FCC and other emergency response officials may be unaware that a station is off air and that its audience is not receiving relevant information.

“We propose requiring TV and radio broadcasters to report in both NORS and DIRS subject to a simplified reporting process based on the type and modality of certain broadcast infrastructures,” the commission wrote.

There are potential operational impacts for broadcasters if the FCC ultimately adopts the requirements. For instance, the FCC asks whether simplified reporting in DIRS should merely require a broadcaster to identify whether it is “on-air” or “off-air,” and whether it would be necessary for them to provide details on any restoration.

Its questions continued: “Should we also require broadcasters to notify us within 24 hours of going silent when DIRS has been activated and within 24 hours of resuming service after DIRS activation has been lifted? What alternative NORS or DIRS reporting intervals would be appropriate? Should NORS or DIRS filings specify if alerting capabilities are impacted, including whether the broadcaster’s access to FEMA’s IPAWS is operational?”

The FCC even asks whether it should require notice when a broadcaster’s ability to access IPAWS is disrupted, regardless of the operational status of its transmitter. And should the DIRS filing requirement apply to translators and boosters that merely pass along programming from other stations without generating their own?

It also proposes that reporting in NORS or DIRS would not supplant the ongoing requirement to notify the commission about going silent in the Licensing and Management System (LMS), but it wonders if this would create duplication in effort.

One possible point of contention, given past comments by broadcasters, is the estimate the commission has published for the cost. It believes mandatory broadcaster reporting in NORS and DIRS would cost the industry no more than $33.7 million per year. Almost all of that, it thinks, would relate to NORS filing rather than DIRS reporting.

Once the proposal is published in the Federal Register, comment dates will be set.

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The post FCC Wants More Feedback on Mandatory Disaster Reporting for Broadcasters appeared first on Radio World.

The rapidly growing all-news network owned by 5-Hour Energy creator Manoj Bhargava and led by CEO and Head of Media for Bridge Media Network Vince Bodiford is entering the Capital District of New York State.

How is it doing it? By acquiring a low-power facility licensed to the town of Greenwich that uses a large AT&T tower located in New Scotland, N.Y., allowing it to cover market No. 59.

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Xperi Inc.’s DTS unit this week distributed a report that details how in-car entertainment is of “the utmost importance” for 67% of adults — a number that soars to 84% for those aged 17-44.

Don’t fret, America. The survey was conducted in the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, the findings perhaps underscore the growing significance of vehicle entertainment systems for those looking to purchase or lease a new car in the near future.

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In rural southeast Missouri, Fred Dockins has established himself as an owner of radio stations such as those acquired in 2009 from Randolph Miller’s Southern Star Broadcasting. He later purchased stations from Joy Christian Communications in 2021.

Now, Dockins is parting ways with his company’s lone TV station, a digital low-power facility. The buyer is a prolific LPTV operator.

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It may technically not be a station sale, but it is indeed a transfer of control. And, there is money being transacted. As such, the FCC has received a filing from the owner of a 50,000-watt FM serving Olivia, Minn., that seeks its permission to transfer it from one licensee to another.

The people associated with the seller are the same as those behind the pending new owner.

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The owner of two FMs, an AM and an FM translator serving Norfolk, Neb., has resolved a matter with the FCC’s Media Bureau in which it was found to have engaged in three unauthorized transfers of control made prior to the filing of applications requiring Commission approval.

While there is a financial payment to be made, it will be going to the U.S. Treasury.

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It’s an FM known for “the greatest Country in the world,” and serves rural Inyo County, including the U.S. 395 corridor towns of Big Pine and the station’s city of license, Bishop.

Great Country Broadcasting, its owner, put the station up for sale. It’s been purchased — by none other than the woman who heads up sales.

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Mark your calendars for Friday, February 23. That’s when Gray Television will share with analysts and investors its fiscal results for the final three months of 2023.

What can those who hold shares of NYSE-traded “GTN” expect to hear from the company’s key executives on an earnings call scheduled for 11am Eastern on that date?

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The Roncà/Monte Calvarina Transmission Site (Photo courtesy Aeranti-Corallo)

Radio World loves to receive photographs that capture the allure of radio. Recently, we’ve put out multiple calls to our readership asking for pretty pictures of their facilities, and they did not disappoint! Want to share your own pics? We welcome all photos that capture the wonder of radio. Email them to radioworld@futurenet.com.

Roncà, Italy, and Monte Calvarina, a peak of the Lessini Mountains, are known for their wines. As of Jan. 24, 2024, They are also home to the latest DAB+ transmission site for the Radio Digitale Veneto consortium.

The site is between the cities of Verona and Vicenza with a commanding view of the valleys below. Aeranti-Corallo, which represents about 450 local FM radio stations across Italy, shared these photos of the site. Radio Digitale Veneto is a member of the association.

The DAB+ broadcasts, operating in VHF channel 8C, are still considered experimental, but 20 local stations are participating in the project. The Monte Calvarina single-tower site is also home to antennas for several FM broadcasts.

A Closer Look at the Antenna Bays on the Tower (Photo courtesy Aeranti-Corallo)

The post Italian Mountain Tower Adds DAB+ appeared first on Radio World.

According to the company’s founder and Chairman/CEO, its “strong free cash flow generation” continues to support its commitment to delivering increased returns to shareholders.

As such, Nexstar Media Group is increasing its quarterly cash dividend.

Nexstar’s Board of Directors has approved a 25% increase to its quarterly cash dividend, raising it to $1.69 per share beginning with the dividend declared for the first quarter of 2024.

The dividend is payable on Friday, February 23, to shareholders of record on Friday, February 9, 2024.

“The eleventh consecutive annual increase in our cash dividend, combined with our opportunistic share repurchase activity, reflects our continued confidence in Nexstar’s business model, competitive positioning and growth opportunities,” said Nexstar head Perry Sook.

While Nexstar intends to pay regular quarterly cash dividends for the foreseeable future, all subsequent dividends will be reviewed quarterly and declared by the Board of Directors at its discretion.

As 2023 came to a close, Salem Media Group revealed that the company, in a move designed to further reduce its debt, agreed to sell its Regnery Publishing arm to Skyhorse Publishing for an undisclosed price. This followed the $30 million sale of Salem Church Products to Gloo LLC in October 2023.

Now, the purveyor of Christian-themed and conservative Talk content that in 2021 relocated to Irving, Tex., is selling its former Ventura County, Calif., headquarters, while entering a sale leaseback agreement.

As first reported on Friday morning by Streamline Publishing’s Radio Ink, Stamford, Conn.-based Siena Lending Group on January 19 confirmed to Salem CFO Evan Masyr and General Counsel Christopher Henderson via electronic correspondence Salem’s decision to sell its building at 4880 Santa Rosa Road in Camarillo, Calif. And, Siena gave its approval to the sale, given its role as a major lender to Salem.

Indeed, Salem is a borrower of Siena, and 100% of the proceeds totaling $6,231,900 will be paid to it by Salem. This will offset a new $26 million three-year asset-based revolving credit facility established between Siena and Salem on Dec. 26, 2023. It marked a return to Siena from Wells Fargo Bank, which happens to have a branch directly across the street from the Camarillo building.

The buyer of the building is Greg Robinson, President of Big Brand Tire Company. Big Brand Tire & Service centers can be found across Arizona, California, Nevada and Colorado.

Salem will not be vacating the building. Instead, it has agreed to a five-year leaseback agreement with Robinson, with annual rent of $500,000. This will ensure the company’s current building use continues.

As Siena agreed to the sale of Salem’s former headquarters, it also said yes to agreements to the Loan and Security Agreement agreed to between Siena and Salem. First, an increase in the Letter of Credit limit was seen, from $1 million to $3 million. Other financial covenants will come into effect following the sale.

Salem has been busily working to whittle down its outstanding debt. As of September 30, 2023, long-term debt stood at $152.61 million, with total liabilities of $339.15 million. Salem’s total assets were valued at $471.3 million.

Meanwhile, a January 19 change for its stock transpired as “SALM” began trading on the OTCQX Best Market. The company voluntarily delisted its shares from Nasdaq; Salem shares have not closed above $1 since the first week of May 2023.