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It’s a strategic communications firm handling tasks such as public relations, digital marketing and branding, as well as crisis management, to clients including Clear Channel Outdoor, the Boston Celtics and regional automotive giant Herb Chambers. As of today, it has a new Chief Operating Officer.

It’s the man who spent nine years until September 2021 as the President/GM of WBZ-4 in Boston, a role that placed him at No. 16 on RBR+TVBR‘s s 2021 Top Local TV Leader rankings.

Joining Regan Communications Group is Mark Lund. In his new role, Lund will be tasked with helping streamline management of all Regan offices across the country and drive strategic growth.

Lund will work with President Ashley Boiardi with responsibility for all operations.

At WBZ-TV Lund developed and grew content partnerships with the New England Patriots, and the Boston Marathon. He also saw the launch of CBSN Boston during his tenure. Before joining the CBS O&O, Lund was EVP of Sales for the NBC Owned Television Stations. And, prior to that role, Lund spent a combined 11 years at both WBZ and WSBK-38, a onetime “Superstation” seen regionally on cable television systems across New England.

“We are thrilled to add Mark to our exceptional team,” said George K. Regan, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Regan Communications Group. “As our company expands its presence in various U.S. markets, Mark is the perfect choice to help lead us during this critical growth period. Mark’s business savvy and understanding of our rapidly evolving media landscape will propel us to the next level now and position Regan Communications for sustained success during the next decade.”

Lund added, “It’s an honor to join this great team and help lead our region’s most iconic communications company. Regan Communications has remained on the cutting-edge of media and marketing for more than four decades and I am eager to help build on that success and help expand the firm’s impact for clients across all media platforms and industries.”

 

A Class A FM radio station serving towns to the far west of metropolitan St. Louis in November 2023 received notification from the FCC that it faced a possible license revocation for non-payment of regulatory fees dating back to fiscal year 2010.

Such action will not be seen for this station, licensed to Y2K Inc., as its owner has paid all of the monies owed while retaining a defiant stance.

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One of the world’s most dominant audio content on-demand platforms on Tuesday revealed its Q4 2023 results. They didn’t meet analysts’ expectations. However, Spotify‘s guidance for what’s to come has excited investors, sending its stock price up by nearly 5% in midday activity on the NYSE.

For Pivotal Research Group CEO and Internet, Media and Communications Analyst Jeffrey Wlodarczak, the forthcoming quarters are so rosy that he reiterated his “Buy” rating on “SPOT” while significantly hiking his year-end target price to a value nearly $100 per share higher than where it started today’s trading session.

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Roughly five years ago, the company then-known as Viacom agreed to acquire a popular and rapidly growing ad-supported streaming platform. Today, Pluto TV is an important revenue-generation arm of Paramount, and it continues to grow its free ad-supported streaming television content offerings.

The latest additions to the Pluto TV lineup come thanks to an agreement with Comcast unit NBCUniversal.

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Sage Alerting Systems now has released the important Rev 96 firmware update for the Sage ENDEC. Users of those EAS boxes in the United States will need to install it by March 11.

“This provides support for the new FCC rules on CAP prioritization, and text for national alerts,” the company said. “It also includes updates to digital certificates used to verify FEMA CAP alerts.” Sage says it has also added several features including login/out audit logs, emailing of weekly alert conformance reports and several usability improvements.

Sage users had been given an extension by the FCC to comply with the requirement that participants in the Emergency Alert System, including broadcast stations, prioritize the Common Alerting Protocol-formatted version of an EAS message when they receive both a CAP and legacy version of the same alert.

The update, available from Sage dealers, costs $159 and must be installed by March 11 for users to remain compliant with FCC rules. “Any Model 3644 Sage Digital ENDEC originally purchased new from dealer stock after Dec. 12, 2021 is eligible for a free Rev96 update. This includes serial numbers B418750 to B429999. Once you have purchased an update, or if your serial number is in the free range of B418750 through B429999, you can go to the download page at https://www.sagealertingsystems.com/rev96download.html and follow the steps there. You must have Rev95 installed before you can install Rev96,” the company wrote in an email to users. The release also includes replacements for security certificates expiring in mid-April 2024, and support for new certs to be issued starting April 1. These are used by FEMA to allow EAS devices to validate alerts. In addition to the required changes, Rev 96 includes several usability features, including automated emailing of conformance reports, required alert summaries and the full log each week. “This will reduce the amount of time needed to acquire and review the log data, and reduce the number of people that need to access the ENDEC. This will help to further highlight compliance issues such as failure to receive RWTs and RMTs, and to send RWTs and relay RMTs,” the company said.

Details are at http://www.sagealertingsystems.com.

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In mid-August 2023, RBR+TVBR reported that Alice Cooper was ready to wind down his nightly offering. Indeed, the United Stations-syndicated Nights with Alice Cooper concluded its 19 1/2 years in syndication during the week of September 4, with programs being offered through Sunday, September 10.

A source told RBR+TVBR that he did not retire or quit radio. Rather, the decision to conclude his syndicated program is tied to the sale of United Stations. “New management is taking the programming in a different direction,” the source said.

It is now known that Cooper is back, thanks to the launch of a new program this evening by the longtime host and recording artist.

Introducing Alice’s Attic with Alice Cooper, distributed by SupeRadio. This sees Cooper, a Detroit-born rocker known for “School’s Out” in the early 1970s and the 1989 comeback hit “Poison,” take the helm for a five-hour program available for both weeknights and weekends.

The show is available via digital download with music or content only, and inventory includes 3 minutes per hour weeknights between 7pm and 8pm, and four minutes per hour between 8pm and midnight weeknights. Weekend inventory is five minutes per hour.

Launch stations include Lotus Communications-owned Rocker KLPX-FM in Tucson, and WEZX “Rock 107” in Wilkes Barre-Scranton.

Hubbard Radio Classic Rocker KSLX-FM in Phoenix is believed to be bringing back Cooper, too, for the 7pm-midnight time slot. He’d been heard on KSLX for nine years, and before that was featured on sibling KDKB prior to its switch from Rock to Alternative.

Cooper joined the KDKB lineup in January 2004. By September 2004, stations such as KZEL in Eugene-Springfield, Ore., couldn’t get enough of his program. “Everyone gets a kick out of hearing Alice Cooper on the radio,” then-Program Director Russ Davidson said in a Radio & Records interview. “They especially like his choice in deep cuts. It’s him, broadcasting from a ‘toxic waste site’ out in the middle of the Arizona desert, just doing his thing.”

MIAMI — With the recent departure of Albert Rodriguez as President/Chief Operating Officer from Spanish Broadcasting System, determining who would serve as the day-to-day leader of the company’s media properties became a key question.

Late Monday, the company’s Board of Directors found its answer by voting to name SBS’s founder and chairman its corporation President.

For Raúl Alarcón Jr., who created SBS in 1983 with the acquisition of WVNJ-AM in Secaucus, N.J. after Malrite Communications successfully acquired the FM that is today “Z100,” it is a return to an oversight role he last held perhaps seven years ago.

SBS’s media assets include radio stations in the Florida markets of Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa; Puerto Rico; New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; and San Francisco. It also remains the owner of the Mega TV operation, as a planned sale to VOZ Media was unable to close due to financial concerns tied to that company.

In a brief statement, SBS said that Alarcón’s “successful launch of Spanish Broadcasting System as a dominant radio broadcasting company close to four decades ago and his ability to manage the company, its sales organization and on-air talent with intimate knowledge of the company and the competitive radio industry, make this action a logical choice for the Board to ensure continuity and continued success.”

The company also said it is analyzing “strategic internal moves to strengthen the organization and continue to deliver for its listeners, advertisers and investors.”

 

On May 26, 2023, Bob Bittner, the owner and operator of five radio stations on the kHz-based dial — each with FM translators — passed away.

His holdings include a 1kw Class C AM on Cape Cod, along with its FM translator. Those facilities have found a buyer, and it is a familiar figure to those in the radio industry across New England.

Bob Bittner Broadcasting has agreed to sell WBAS-AM 1240 in West Yarmouth, Mass., and companion FM translator W268CP at 106.5 MHz, to GCJH Inc. for $130,000.

A $30,000 escrow deposit has been made by the buyer. A local marketing agreement will go into effect on February 14, allowing the purchaser to take over operations ahead of closing.

Who is behind GCJH? It’s Gary Hanna, who engineered the acquisition three years ago of WGTX-FM on Cape Cod. Under GCJH control, this station shifted from “102.3 The Dunes” to “X102.3” while keeping a Classic Hits presentation in place.

X102.3 will be simulcast on WBAS and W268CP, Hanna says.

“I am very pleased to be bringing the greatest hits on earth to more locations on Cape Cod, and I am proud of the incredible work our staff has done in order to make this possible,” Hanna said. “I got into radio for the love of music, and I am happy to be able to share my passion with so many new listeners.”

Speaking of the late Bob Bittner, Hanna continued, “Bob was a remarkable man who created something even more remarkable in spite of the challenges facing radio station owners these days.”

What will become of Bittner’s “Memories” format? It will live on using WGTX HD3, accessible via mobile app and streaming capabilities.

Raisa Bittner, Bob’s widow, signed off on the transaction for Bob Bittner Broadcasting.

Serving as the buyer’s legal counsel is Mark Balkin of Hardy Carey Chautin and Balkin.

He launched his career in 1978. In those 45+ years, he’s missed perhaps a month’s worth of work. Now, this longtime broadcast media engineer is ready to step aside and conclude his career, effective June 1, opening up the position of Director of Engineering and Operations for Cox Media Group‘s WSOC-9 in Charlotte to a new individual.

Ted Hand is retiring.

“Ted is a legend in the broadcast industry, and his contributions are
unparalleled. His successor will fill some big shoes,” said WSOC VP/GM Cedric Thomas. “Still, I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s been an exceptional leader, teammate, and a hugely valuable part of our broadcasts for decades. He’s earned this retirement.”

Hand’s commitment and steadfastness led to some impressive
accomplishments, including earning election as the current President of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, earning the honor in 2015 of CMG TV Engineer of the Year, and successfully installing all eight transmitters for WSOC and sibling WAXN-TV in Charlotte. he also designed and managed the studios for WAVY-10 in Norfolk, today a Nexstar Media Group property.

“It’s been a memorable ride,” Hand said. “I’ve had a lot of great experiences, such as covering the 2012 Democratic National Convention and the 1996 Olympics. And I’ve seen a lot of changes. From film to digital and from Mono Audio to Digital 7.1 Surround Sound. It’s amazing how important innovation has been to our industry.”

At the same time, he adds, “It’s still about understanding your audiences – what they want to hear and what they need to know, and it’s about consistently providing compelling content that makes a positive difference in viewers’ lives. I took that mission and responsibility very seriously, and it’s what drove me and my teams to enable perfect broadcast transmissions as often as humanly possible.”

With his new-found free time, Hand plans to go “surf fishing,” continue woodworking, and keep volunteering with A/V at his church. He’ll also continue as an American Red Cross driver and an Event Frequency Coordinator for the NFL at Carolina Panthers games.
“While I plan to relax and connect with my family and friends, I also want to continue making a positive difference for others around me,” Hand said. “I want to keep living a life of impact.”

Quicklink and Canon have joined forces to demonstrate Canon’s PTZ camera range with Quicklink’s innovative Remote Studio product. This includes a joint presence at the recent AVITENG Technology Days 2023 event. Now comes news of a Canon camera and controller being included as a Quicklink Remote Studio approved device.

Added to Remote Studio users are the Canon CR-N500 PTZ camera and Canon RC-IP100 PTZ controller.

It comes following the successful demonstration of the products’ use with Quicklink Remote Studio at AVITENG in Istanbul, held in mid-December 2023.

Quicklink CEO Richard Rees, addressed the conference area of the exhibition hall by using a completely remote connection by using the Quicklink Remote Studio. At a home studio in the Pyrenees, a three-camera Canon setup was built that could be remotely controlled with ease by a Director and Engineers/Technicians in United Kingdom through the Quicklink Bridge technology.

“We wanted to give the presentation a new dimension over the traditional presentation, whilst also giving a practical example of how Quicklink Remote Studio can be used,” Rees said. “Having set up a three-camera remote studio, I was able to deliver an engaging presentation over 3,500 km away from Istanbul that was remotely controlled by a Director and Engineers located in the United Kingdom – completely faultlessly.”

Early-stage startup companies are being encouraged by the NAB to apply for a new NAB Show initiative designed to cultivate what the association calls “a vibrant ecosystem of innovative entrepreneurs in the dynamic broadcast, media and entertainment industries.”

PropelME is poised to offer participants “a community full of rich interactions and discussions with like-minded professionals and entrepreneurs.”

This includes year-round, online community engagement, immersive, in-person experiences during NAB Show events, and a comprehensive support system.

“Participants will explore, learn, collaborate and drive impactful change as they take deep dives into pivotal industry topics aligned with their specific interests through a digital forum and hosted events on NAB Amplify,” the NAB says.

The first participants are:

• Advanced Image Robotics: Named NAB Show 2022 Product of the Year Winner and awarded the NAB Technology Innovation Award, the AIR One is a professional video production platform designed for OTT livestreaming.
• Bit Part LLC: Bit Part has developed bitbox, a remote camera control system and is working on tablet-based hardware and a production router.
• Beeyou.TV: Beeyou.tv is a web-based social video conferencing platform.
  Scenery: Scenery offers a collaborative video editing workspace for asset management, editing and review, with AI-assisted workflows.
• Tessact Private Limited: Tessact is an AI-powered video creation suite that allows better, faster and collaborative video creation.

PropelME community activities will continue online year-round and in-person at NAB Show, April 13-17 in Las Vegas.

The program launched in January with five early-stage companies; applications are still being accepted. Learn more and apply here.

From the Radio World Who’s Buying what page:  German pop music station Radio Hamburg is expanding its online offerings with the help of artificial intelligence.

The station, which is heard across the state of Schleswig-Holstein via FM and DAB+, has been extending its online streaming options. The station’s Neue Musik, Caravan.fm, Malle für Alle, Top 834, and Weihnachts Hits channels have brought new options to listeners, but the station is looking to build out even more streams with the help of Super Hi-Fi’s Program Director Radio Operating System.

“Super Hi-Fi delivers world-class technology, which is perfect for helping us experiment and refine new concepts and ideas with a fraction of the effort that it’s taken in the past, while delivering on the incredible programming and production our listeners demand,” stated Radio Hamburg CEO Patrick Bernstein.

Super Hi-Fi Program Director uses AI to help populate playlists, establish rotations, and schedule dayparts. Once the station programming is complete, the tool manages segues, volume leveling, and mixing automatically.

“We are honored to be able to support an iconic radio station and brand like Radio Hamburg,” stated Super Hi-Fi CEO Zack Zalon. “Together, we will continue to expand on the richness and heritage of their amazing programming while helping them continue to innovate with new formats that captivate today’s listeners as well as expand the audience to the next generation.”

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It was teased in early January by Anne Schelle, Managing Director of the Pearl TV group, in the Winter 2024 RBR+TVBR magazine. Now, it’s finally happened: Chicago television viewers who have the equipment needed to enjoy NEXTGEN TV broadcast signals can tune to programming from one of five local channels.

Participating in the debut of the ATSC 3.0-powered signals in the nation’s third-largest market are CBS News & Stations’ WBBM-2; FOX O&O WFLD-32; NBCUniversal’s WMAQ-5; TelevisaUnivision’s Univision-flagged WGBO-66; and Nexstar Media Group’s WGN-9.

Notably, WLS-7, the ABC O&O, is not participating, nor are Weigel Broadcasting-owned stations in Chicago. A Pearl TV spokesperson tells RBR+TVBR that The Walt Disney Co. property opted not to participate, hinting that its own NEXTGEN TV facility is forthcoming.

The host station for the new NEXTGEN TV signals is WBBM, the Paramount-owned TV property. To accomplish this, as is very common in these transitions, other TV stations in Chicago are transmitting WBBM’s ATSC 1.0 broadcasts.

Over-the-air viewers will need to rescan their televisions in order to receive WBBM-TV. The television will recognize the brand name, but it will be based on another signal.

Asked why not all stations are participating, including PBS, a spokesperson for Pearl TV says, “As is common in some market, you don’t have all of the network broadcasters and all of the owners, and in not every market you have PBS either. This is still fantastic news … this is 4% of the country.”

Andrew Gladding is a radio broadcast engineer, interviewer, DJ and music producer. He is chief engineer for Salem Media in New York, which operates WMCA(AM) and WNYM(AM), as well as the chief of WRHU(FM) at Hofstra University and an adjunct instructor there. This interview is from the Radio World ebook “Trends in Codecs 2024.”

Radio World: How will the development of virtualization and of software-integrated air chains change how engineers deploy codecs?

Andy Gladding: As broadcast hardware becomes more soft platform dependent, codec solutions have to follow suit. Codec packages that can live on PC devices and seamlessly integrate with other hardware audio products will expand reach and access for a variety of broadcast opportunities. It will also open new opportunities for collaboration within station frameworks. 

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

Gladding: AAC+ seems to be the best codec for transport in terms of quality and overhead. The bit usage is lower than standard streaming codecs, while the format can support higher-quality stereo audio streams.

Andy Gladding on a visit to San Francisco’s Hyde Street Studios.

I would like to see more multichannel audio codec packages integrated into software and hardware solutions. This will make point-to-point audio transport easier between facilities that have greater technical demands. Multi-channel transport options would support a range of services, from traditional STL-type utilities to IFB, backhaul of multiple sat receivers from TX sites to the studio and general network audio sharing. 

It would also be nice to see codec platforms that can service multiple locations within the same device or software suite. 

RW: How will the growing use of the cloud influence how codecs are deployed?

Gladding: Cloud-based audio transport is a real game-changer for our industry. Radio and TV stations are no longer tied to costly P2P telephony services such as ISDN, which have metered channels. Cloud-based transport also encourages collaboration between organizations at great distances, meaning international stations can seamlessly integrate and share production. The opportunities are endless when it comes to cloud-based audio. 

RW: Have you done a recent installation that you can tell us about? 

Gladding: When I assumed engineering responsibilities for Salem Media of New York, I did a major reimagination of our existing codec infrastructure. The use of Verizon dedicated dry ethernet lines made it possible to eliminate the legacy T1 services, which resulted in cost savings and greater levels of reliability and transport options using a single circuit, as these lines have scalable bandwidth that far surpasses what is available using T1. 

I was also able to diversify our connectivity across different circuits, which provided relief from service outages and potential system failures. 

The New York plant has enjoyed expanded codec services, reliability and content distribution while realizing significant savings in telecom costs. 

RW: What long-lasting changes did Covid bring to codecs, given the impact it had on the industry at the time?

Gladding: Covid required a rushed shift of operational procedures to accommodate remote broadcasting and home-to-studio transport. Broadcasters were very lucky that the hardware and systems were readily available in 2020, which meant there were a plethora of options available for implementation with relatively quick install times.

Affordable solutions, such as QGOLive, provided an economically sustainable entry point for broadcasters, especially educational systems that needed to accommodate large numbers of personnel at diverse locations. Being able to rely on end-user IP services meant stations could minimize costs associated with remote access while still maintaining access to station services for members. 

Covid also acted as a proving ground for codec technologies and caused vendors to get creative with add-on services that expanded their suite of products to accommodate the shift in broadcaster technical needs. 

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

Gladding: Most hardware and software codecs provide ample buffering layers and error correction to deal with dropped audio packets and frames. They also provide clocking to maintain transport position and timing. Codecs that have multiple NIC cards can also use diverse networking to move audio from point to point. This means that there is a designated backup layer to handle primary connection failures. This combination of protocols along with a variety of codec formats and sample rates results in greater configurability and customization for individual system requirements.

RW: What is considered reasonably low latency now?

Gladding: Latency at 250 to 350 ms seems to have the best performance while minimizing latency effects in duplex conversations. As codecs improve and connectivity speed and bandwidth increase, this can probably be reduced even further. I have used codecs with higher buffering rates in duplex situations, specifically when hosts at remote sites want to interact with caller audio routed to the station; however this does create some frustration for both the caller and the host. 

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

Gladding: Hosts often have a variety of internet connectivity solutions at their home or mobile studio. Many of these connections are not always reliable and have shifting overhead depending on the physical location of the hosts. 

Stations need to be aware of the limitations and risks of having the host talk channel originating from a consumer device. Station engineers and operations managers should also be prepared to educate the host on the best practice for using their personal device to execute their broadcast. 

Devices that are overloaded with other apps or are connected to unreliable data services can be catastrophic to programming and delivery. A site survey should be performed ahead of time so that the station and host have a complete picture of the transport system.

Stations should also look for the best possible audio solution for the host when it comes to microphones and headphones and make sure they will interface with the device and app. Bluetooth devices can sometimes exhibit unwanted effects when working with codec apps, so testing and certification should be done ahead of the broadcast to ensure the station is transcoding the audio with the best possible blend of quality and reliability. 

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

Gladding: I have been experimenting with DIY Icecast servers recently and have been getting some pretty terrific results. Icecast and Shoutcast servers are relatively easy to set up and can operate at various levels of sonic quality with minimal machine overhead. Both hardware and software encoders and decoders can interface with Icecast and Shoutcast, which can open up new avenues of transport that can handle a variety of user needs.

An Icecast server can serve as a great listen line, which can eliminate the need for POTS services and hybrids, reducing overhead. Icecast can also be a practical and inexpensive method to feed multiple decoders at transmitter sites for backup STLs, as they can be set up on a variety of networks, including MPLS and point-to-point connections. This eliminates the need for proprietary point to point encoder and decoder hardware to service each location. 

RW: What questions should an engineer ask when considering solutions for large-scale distribution?

Gladding: Treat the codec solution with the same approach they would any other capital project. You need to look at the IP services available to determine the best solution, taking into consideration bandwidth and cost. 

You also need to determine the reliability factor. A remote broadcast or primary STL would have a higher reliability need than something like a listen line or monitoring service. 

Finally, not all codec software and hardware packages are created equally. Audio quality needs vary greatly depending on application. An STL for an FM station may require full-bandwidth audio but could accommodate more latency if bandwidth is an issue. A remote broadcast for an AM station could trade stereo channels for an Opus mono solution to increase reliability with lower latency.

Conversely, the engineer may choose to drop quality in favor of preserving stereo if the second channel is needed for something like IFB / producer communication or secondary audio backhaul. Some transmitter sites have multiple satellite receivers, so in this scenario, the engineer may choose a multichannel codec, such as a Moseley Rincon, to accommodate the additional satellite backhaul feeds.

Multichannel transport can also be a consideration if you want to send multiple audio feeds to one transmitter site, and then use that site’s antenna as a UHF relay to feed the second station’s program audio to another transmitter site. The multi-channel codec could then be used to backhaul the OTA tuner audio for multiple stations back to the studio, if OTA reception is not available at the studio due to distance or structural limitations. 

RW: What about steps to create redundancy?

Gladding: Multiple network layers, along with primary and backup hardware, is a must, especially for high-revenue audio pathways. When using codec solutions as STL, bear in mind that OTT circuits are not impervious to congestion or failure. Even the most thought-out network will still suffer from downtime periodically. Therefore, redundant hardware and services, especially across different carriers, systems and modes, should be built into the system.

RW: How about protecting codecs and the related infrastructure from cyber attacks? Are firewalls and VPNs available in codecs?

Gladding: Point-to-point circuits, such as the Verizon E-line, can minimize the possibility of cyber attack, since this is a closed network not open to the outside world. When using an OTT network to deliver audio, passwords on the codec devices should be set up and changed periodically, along with any other hardware that is public-facing. Setting up a robust VLAN, VPN and firewall with a higher-caliber router will also minimize threats of attack. 

At this point, I would leave the firewall and VPN to network purpose-built hardware. Codecs should be tasked with transporting audio. Building in and relying on these features within the codecs could create a host of issues, which can ultimately affect network reliability and security. 

RW: What misconceptions do people have about codecs? 

Gladding: People don’t completely understand how to configure codecs for specific purposes, so they assume that audio quality will suffer when switching from T1 or analog line to codec. This is simply not true. Compressed audio formats, when configured properly, can stand alongside PCM circuits, delivering equality with lower overhead. 

RW: Last, Andy, how do you think codec design will change in the next five years?

Gladding: I anticipate seeing codec solutions more widely deployed onto PC and Linux platforms, with greater direct integration into radio automation and processing / DSP software packages. Virtualization of codecs will be extremely powerful, especially as cloud-based automation and containerized audio becomes more popular. 

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DALLAS — Nexstar Media Group, following Monday’s Closing Bell on the Nasdaq market, revealed that its Board of Directors has adopted a policy regarding the roles of Chairperson of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer.

But, this policy isn’t about to change until the founder of the nation’s No. 1 owner of television stations leaves his role.

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This is the second installment in a recurring series that will explore radio technology from years past, noting advancements and historical moments month by month. Read January’s story here. 

As we enter the first full week of February, Radio World is looking back at the developments that have shaped radio broadcasting during the past 100 years.

100 Years Ago – February 1924: Connecticut radio pioneer Franklin Doolittle applies for a patent on stereophonic broadcasting. In the application, he claims “My invention takes advantage of the auditory principle referred to with the end in view of providing a method of and apparatus for transmitting and receiving the phase differences in the arrival of sounds at the ears of a listener present at the performance to a distant point by radio so that the radio listener may obtain the same acoustical impression as to the location of the source of the sound or sounds as though he too were present. To this end I employ two separate channels of radio transmission which may be obtained in a variety of ways…” Doolittle demonstrated his “binaural” scheme with the use of two separate AM radio transmitters and dual receivers. 

Franklin Doolittle’s 1924 two-microphone/two-transmitter setup for stereophonic broadcasting from the studios of his pioneer radio station, WPAJ (later WDRC). Doolittle was also an early FM broadcaster with the 1939 conversion of his ‘Apex’ VHF AM station W1APX (later WDRC-FM and now WHCN) to frequency modulation.

75 Years Ago – February 1949: “Apparently ignoring the repercussions that followed the 1938 Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” broadcast, Ecuador’s Radio Quito tried out a Spanish-language version of the Martian invasion drama, presenting it initially as “breaking news.” Listeners fled their homes in panic before realizing it was a hoax. Mob violence then erupted, with 21 dead and a number of others injured before the military could restore order. The building housing Radio Quito’s studios and a companion newspaper were also wrecked. Arrests followed, with 12 station employees, including its art and drama editors, being jailed.

50 Years Ago – February 1974: Repercussions from last fall’s OAPEC embargo on oil shipments to the U.S. and their unintended consequences to broadcasters are still making news, with the FCC fast-tracking pre-sunrise authorizations for AM stations that have lost an hour of morning drive time operation due to the enactment of year-round daylight-saving time. Concerns are also being raised about reduced radio listenership as commuters abandon their cars for mass transit due to gasoline shortages. However, the Radio Advertising Bureau is assuring stations that the impact is minimal, and that the new nationwide 55 mph speed limit may actually increase listenership, as it will lengthen drive times.

25 Years Ago – February 1999: The FCC appears ready to move ahead on establishing a low-power FM broadcasting service, proposing three classes of stations with ERPs between 1 and 1,000 Watts. Four of the five Commissioners are in favor of the new service, with the lone holdout, Harold Furchtgott-Roth, calling it “a severe incursion on the rights of current broadcasters, as well as on the value of their licenses, which will be drastically undercut in the market if the proposals are adopted.” Entities promoting the establishment of an in-band/on-channel digital audio broadcasting service in the U.S. are also raising concerns over possible analog-to-digital interference.

Stay tuned for next month’s installment! 

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