Radio World

Apogee has updated its MetaRecorder iOS app with the release of V2.2. The audio recording app for iPhone and iPad offers linked recording, tagging and organizing of audio on up to four iOS devices.

New to this version is the ability for all Apogee products, including Symphony Desktop, to unlock MetaRecorder on iPhone, iPad and iPad Pro. Additionally the link feature that was ‘broken’ by iOS 14 has been fixed, and there have been additional ‘general bug fixes.’

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

Apogee MetaRecorder is a two-channel audio recording app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch with features to support a variety of workflows. Audio is recorded at up to 24-bit/96 kHz in WAV or CAF format. Users can connect an Apogee audio interface or Sennheiser ClipMic digital or MKE 2 digital lavalier mic for a professional quality input signal, and adjust hardware input gain and DSP (Sennheiser only) from MetaRecorder.

MetaRecorder features compatibility with Timecode Systems’ UltraSync BLUE module as an in-app purchase. When enabled, MetaRecorder receives timecode via Bluetooth and embeds it into the audio file metadata. This is intended to simplify synchronization of audio and video files in Final Cut Pro (or another NLE).

The app is available in the Apple app store with a free edition that allows in-app purchases to the full version ($4.99), full version with multidevice support ($14.99) and other upgrades.

Info: https://apogeedigital.com

 

The post Apogee MetaRecorder Updated With V2.2 appeared first on Radio World.

The North American Broadcasters Association has rolled out some security/cybersecurity recommendations for broadcasters working in a studio and out in the field.

The recommendations were generated by the NABA-TC Cybersecurity Subcommittee, which is chaired by engineer John Lee.

“A year or so ago, I was presenting the work of TC Cybersecurity Subcommittee to the board, and there was a specific request from a board member to look at cybersecurity for personnel working in the field,” he said. “There is a lot of information available online on how journalists and their crews can remain cybersecure even when working on stories in hostile physical or political environments. [But] to the best of my knowledge, no broadcast union had to this point formally issued cybersecurity recommendations in this regard. [So] this will hopefully prove to be helpful to our journalists and field personnel,” he said, adding that the recommendations apply to both TV, radio and web journalists.

[Read: Public Warning Cited as Greatest Cyber-risk]

The in-house recommendations released by NABA include installing antivirus, antimalware or endpoint malware detection tools, and employing a password manager to generate and store strong, complex, unique passwords. The organization suggests enabling multifactor authentication for all accounts by using a code generator like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator or Duo.

When it comes to software, only use licensed software and check with the IT team before deploying an unknown software tool.

When out in the field, the organization suggests setting up threat modeling for all journalists that work in the field. Threat modeling involves considering what possible threats might present themselves, how likely those threats are to manifest and what steps can be taken to counter a risk.

The organization tells broadcasters to consider providing a smartphone or laptop that can be used specifically for travel; such a device would most likely have limited data stored on it. NABA also suggests that reporters keep essential devices on their person — don’t leave computers in a hotel room or check them in luggage.

A smart but simple step: sign out of applications that store sensitive or confidential data before you leave on assignment, which is particularly important in high-risk situations where the authorities may compel a reporter to turn over a device for examination. And consider using VPN connections at all times when connecting through the Internet in the field.

Here is the complete list of suggestions from the NABA. Broadcasters should also take advantage of additional security guidance by organizations like Freedom of the Press Foundation and Committee to Protect Journalists.

 

The post Steps to Keeping Safety in the Studio and On the Road appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World friend David Antoine is heading back to an old stomping ground, WBGO(FM), Newark, N.J. Previously ending his time there as chief engineer, he returns to be chief technology officer.

[Read: Antoine Builds on a Sound Education]

Through a four-decade career Antoine has also been at WBLS(FM), WLIB(AM), WOR(AM), WQHT(FM), WRKS(FM), WNCN(FM), WQXR(FM) and WQEW(AM). He has also served as the director of broadcast IT for Westwood One’s network distribution & technical operations center.

He was most recently a radio broadcast engineer with equipment maker Lawo. In addition he is a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers and holds SBE certifications CBRE and CBNT.

 

The post Antoine Returns to WBGO appeared first on Radio World.

Compliance is the keyword.

It has now been three years since all U.S. radio stations were required to establish an online public file or OPIF and move their paper files to the online portal set up by the Federal Communications Commission.

Since that deadline, it has become apparent that many licensees were not maintaining their files correctly. The FCC has drawn attention to this as station licenses come up for renewal, announcing a series of consent decrees in which owners large and small acknowledge that they failed to comply. 

The commission has been lenient; these agreements involve no financial penalty and the commission acknowledged the impact of the pandemic. But the decrees require immediate steps be taken to address deficiencies, put best practices in place to ensure compliance and report back to the FCC.

Concern and diligence

Properly maintaining the OPIF, political file and the quarterly issues and programs lists are of upmost importance as stations in 20 states have their license renewal cycle this year, and lack of compliance can cause the commission at minimum to put an application on hold.

Frank Montero

“With it being moved online and accessible by all, the public inspection file has gone from a randomly maintained annoyance to an important aspect of station compliance,” said Frank Montero of the law firm Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth. 

“Licensees are learning that they can no longer just check the ‘Yes’ [compliance] box on the license renewal.”

While the recent consent decrees have not involved monetary penalties, failure to comply with these rules can indeed be costly, said Cary Tepper of Tepper Law Firm.

“On occasion, multiple public file deficiencies have resulted not only in fines, but in license renewals being processed slowly, or in a couple of cases, short-term renewals issued,” he said.

“Instead of an eight-year renewal, you get a one-year renewal with the order to clean up your act and prove to the FCC that you’re going to remain compliant. It’s created a lot of concern for some clients, but also made others more diligent.”

Cary Tepper with puppy Ava

To avoid issues or delays in the renewal process, stations should consider hiring an attorney to conduct an external audit of their OPIF.

Tepper and Montero said the most common trouble spots are with the political file or the quarterly issues and programs lists. Montero said this may be because these items “do not involve information that is automatically uploaded by the FCC.”

Montero said, “For your political file, we tell clients that even if they had no contact with political candidates during election season, they may want to place a memo in the political file.” He said this will let the FCC know that the station is aware of the requirements and that a lack of information does not indicate neglect.

In the event that stations find that their quarterly issues and programs list are deficient or there are other areas in the file that need revisions, Tepper recommends including a special exhibit during the license renewal process.

This will indicate that while “preparing the license renewal application, the station had its public file audited and found X, Y and Z needed to be fixed so fixed it before filing the renewal application,” Tepper said.

 “Normally, when the [FCC] staff sees that you are self-monitoring and fixing it, they don’t make an issue out of it.” 

He said many stations don’t realize that their remote programming can be included in the quarterly issues and programs list as “responsive programming.”

“People don’t think in terms of the complete picture of ‘What have we done that qualifies?’” He noted that many stations broadcast live from local and charitable events but overlook these events when considering what to include in the quarterly reports. He said these may be documented in an attachment. 

Best practices

Both attorneys stressed the importance of uploading any OPIF documents on or before the required deadline. 

Montero recommended that stations assign an employee or staffer who is specifically responsible to make sure the file is kept current. 

Indeed the recent FCC settlements typically include stipulations that the offending company designate a senior manager to serve as a compliance officer, someone who reports directly to the CEO or senior officer; establish a compliance manual; and set up a staff training program.

Tepper said the FCC website provides public file information about what documents need to be included in the public and political files. 

“If you have any doubt, just throw every political document in there,” Tepper said. “Even if you’re not sure what should be there, they’re not going to fine you or fault you for having too much in the public file.” 

Even though the online filing requirement was issued three years ago, some stations still have insufficiencies or have simply not set up their OPIF.

Tepper said some minority-owned stations may be missing important communication from the FCC because of language issues. Montero said many smaller stations may not be aware of requirements and updates because they don’t have the luxury of a FCC law firm.

Montero said good information is available from state broadcast associations, FCC resources, past articles in Radio World, YouTube training videos and blog articles.

State association websites often provide training materials, webinars and contact information for people who can assist smaller stations and provide education and training on compliance issues. 

Participation in the Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program also provides a connection to a local expert who conducts an FCC-style inspection of the public file and station operations. While the certificate of completion from these programs does not free a station from FCC scrutiny, an ABIP inspection is an excellent way to identify any problems before the commission does.

Watch a webcast demo of the FCC’s online public inspection file interface at https://tinyurl.com/rw-opif.

The author is station manager of REV 89 | KTSC(FM) in the Department of Media Communication, Colorado State University Pueblo.

The post The FCC Can See Your Public File appeared first on Radio World.

PreSonus has released Studio One 5 Professional V5.2, marking the second feature update to its long-running DAW. The new edition adds more than 30 new features and improvements.

Studio One 5.2’s new Sound Variations is intended for use corralling complex virtual instruments and orchestral libraries. Central to it is a mapping editor that provides tools for managing complex articulation maps. According to PreSonus, each Sound Variation can be customized with its own name and color, and can be dragged-and-dropped in any order and placed into custom folders. Sound Variations can be triggered by key switches, as well as from remote commands, including hardware controllers, keyboard shortcuts, custom macros and more.

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

All Synchron-enabled Vienna Symphonic Instruments, as well as instruments from UJAM fully support dynamic Sound Variations mapping with Studio One, and a new API allows third-party developers to enable their VST2 and VST3 instruments’ articulations to be queried by Studio One so that Sound Variation maps are automatically generated.

The Score View has been updated with the addition of drum notation and tablature. Users can choose between viewing standard notation with tablature or select tablature only to print lead sheets and more. A new drum map interface lets users add both the drum and note names to a corresponding notated pitch. A General MIDI map is included for quick setup. New symbols in the Score View allow open/closed/half-open techniques to be added as well. A new Voices icon allows up to four voices per staff to be created.

For performers, the relatively new Show Page has gained a new feature — the Arranger Track — letting users experiment on the fly with new arrangements. Each Arranger section in every Setlist item has five playback mode options: Continue, Stop at End, Skip, Loop, or Loop and Continue; the latter can repeat any section for a specific number of times before playback continues to the next Arranger Section, aiding impromptu extended solos and breakdowns on stage. The new Arranger Track also supports patch changes mid-song.

Version 5.2 adds a number of other features, including the ability to create multiple clip versions, allowing the user to apply clip-based edits in Gain Envelopes or Melodyne independently to Events sharing the same audio; a new “Smart” tool for editing Note Events in the Piano Roll editor; and deeper integration with both ATOM SQ and FaderPort-series controllers. PreSonus Sphere workspaces are also now available directly from the Studio One Browser for bidirectional file transfer. And Studio One is now officially supported for Apple Silicon ARM processors in Rosetta 2 compatibility mode.

Studio One 5.2 is a free update to all registered Studio One 5 customers and is available free to PreSonus Sphere members.

Info: www.presonus.com

 

The post PreSonus Studio One 5 Is Updated appeared first on Radio World.

A Nautel GV30 FM transmitter and HD MultiCast+ importer/exporter for Northwestern Media’s KNWI in Des Moines, Iowa.

Here’s an item from Radio World’s “Who’s Buying What” page: Northwestern Media purchased a Nautel GV30DN transmitter and HD MultiCast+ importer/exporter for KNWI(FM) on 107.1 in Des Moines, Iowa.

“By adding HD capability Northwestern will be able to feed a translator in downtown Des Moines and provide HD programming of its Faith Radio talk and teaching format to the Des Moines market,” the manufacturer said.

Rod Thannum is director of engineering for Northwestern Media.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

The station currently operates at 30 kW at 630 feet above ground level but is about to get an upgrade.

“KNWI was limited in height and power due to KDSN in Denison, Iowa, which was also at 107.1,” Nautel said in a project summary.

“Northwestern Media purchased KDSN and changed its frequency to 104.9 in January of 2020 and then resold KDSN. This allowed Northwestern Media to begin to build a 995-foot tower which allowed for an increase to 100 kW to better serve the Des Moines market with its music-oriented format.”

Thannum said the tower stacking will be done by the end of July and the new operation should be on the air in early August. The project also includes a 10-bay ERI SHPX-10AC antenna and a Slatercom/Dialight LED high-/medium-intensity lighting system.

Suppliers and users are invited to submit their project news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Nautel Supports Big Signal Upgrade in Des Moines appeared first on Radio World.

The coronavirus pandemic may have stalled its progress, but live music is making a comeback in time for Europe Day.

The membership organization Liveurope and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have joined forces to boost support for the European live music scene. Fifteen young European artists will record music at 15 venues across Europe in an initiative that will culminate in a series of live performances on May 9, otherwise known as Europe Day. The collection of musical performances will be made available to public radio stations worldwide starting May 2.

[Read: EBU’s New Head of Radio Sees Opportunity, Peril]

The live music sector took a significant hit from the COVID-19 pandemic as venues around the world shut their doors more than a year ago. In response, Liveurope, EBU and a handful of creative and cultural organizations joined forces to highlight the important role that concert halls play in shaping the European music industry. Organizers say this is an opportunity to underline the importance of live music to see a way out of the crisis.

“In our everyday work, we see how music has the power to bring people together and to build bridges between cultures and territories from all over the continent,” said Elise Phamgia, Liveurope’s coordinator. “At a time when the pandemic has pushed forward social isolation, we believe culture can be a vehicle to regenerate enthusiasm for the future, especially among new generations. And this initiative is a prime example of that.”

As part of the initiative, each artist’s showcase will consist of one or two songs for broadcast by EBU public radio stations. Broadcasters have the option to use the content anytime from May 2 through the culmination of the campaign on May 9, a date that traditionally promotes cross-border cooperation and collaboration across the European continent.

Some of the 15 artists include the Grammy nominated Turkish-Dutch band Altın Gün, the Spanish musician Stay Homas, the Hungarian electro-duo Belau and the Norwegian act Pom Poko.

Some of the 15 participating Liveurope venues include Melkweg, a concert and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Village Underground in Shoreditch, London, and the A38 ship in Budapest, located on the River Danube.

A full listing of artists and venues is available.

 

The post Support for Live Music and Artists Culminate on Europe Day appeared first on Radio World.

Public stations in the U.S. get new satellite receivers. The work of NAB’s Radio Technology Committee pays a dividend.

Digital Alert Systems and AudioLogger make product announcements. We review the new CC Radio Solar receiver.

And John Bisset tells us about a way to blast through concrete without using dynamite!

These stories and more are in the new issue. Find it here.

The post Read the April 28, 2021 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

The author is assistant chief engineer of Radio One Dallas.

For years, Radio One Dallas had a Nortel phone system that seemingly required a service call for anything beyond switching out a handset cord.

In order to change an IVR (interactive voice response), a service technician had to come to our location, plug a laptop into a secret port, enter a super-secret password and fiddle with the system for half an hour or more just to change the main phone greeting. Then would come the bill for at least $150.

In 2013, Chief Engineer Don Stevenson and I decided we could do better.

From mutual friend Joe Talbot, who was with Telos Systems at the time, we had learned about an open source PBX system called Asterisk that ran on a standard desktop computer running Linux. Not having much Linux experience yet we were a little wary but decided to dive in and figure it out.

Up and Running

Two years later and after a steep learning curve, we were up and running with Asterisk and a whole new crop of VoIP phones.

The Nortel was gone, and so was its high cost of maintenance and upgrades. Phones for a VoIP-based system are a fraction of the cost of phones for the system we replaced. And we were generating our own ISDN and POTS lines.

Asterisk configuration was done via the Linux command line, but we had learned enough to be able to maintain the system ourselves with only an occasional call for help from our friendly neighborhood Linux geek.

FreePBX Dashboard

We still use Asterisk to this day, and it has been the most reliable phone system we could ask for. It’s online in many other Radio One markets as well.

We no longer need to worry about command line configuration, where a single mistyped character can send you down a rabbit hole you don’t want to drop into. Instead, we’re using FreePBX (www.freepbx.org), an open source graphical user interface originally built on top of Asterisk by the open source community.

Over the years, FreePBX has transitioned from a clunky piece of software originally called “Asterisk Management Portal” to a polished, highly configurable interface that makes building and using an Asterisk PBX easy for just about anyone.

It was maintained by Schmooze until 2015 when the project was purchased by Sangoma, a business phone system company based in Canada. They are now the primary developer of FreePBX. The company purchased Asterisk developer and hardware manufacturer Digium in 2018, making Sangoma the primary developer of Asterisk as well.

Setup

Hardware requirements are pretty simple. A 64-bit desktop computer or server that has been retired but still runs should suffice. If you use a PRI (Primary Rate Interface) you will want to get a single or multiport PRI card for the computer. If you are using SIP you won’t need any additional hardware.

To install FreePBX, download the latest stable build from freepbx.org. Sangoma has packaged their own build of Linux, based on Centos, along with Asterisk and the FreePBX system and it’s all installed through one process. Burn the ISO to a CD or USB drive and boot your system off that image. The process is GUI-based and straightforward. In most cases you can accept the default or recommended selections.

The FreePBX command line logon message

We recommend building two systems. These can be set up in what FreePBX calls a “warm spare” configuration. The main system automatically sends a complete config backup to the warm spare on a regular basis, including voicemail messages and faxes, and in the event of a failure of the main system, you only need to change the IP address of the warm spare and you’re back up and running having lost virtually nothing.

In Dallas, we have three systems. One for our office lines, one for all of the radio station and Reach Media studio lines, and a spare we can use to backup either main system.

With fewer people in the office for most of us in the radio business, and with companies like Avaya sunsetting support for their legacy phone systems, now might be a good time to get rid of the mammoth old-school phone system and bring in a VoIP-based system like Asterisk/FreePBX that is easy and inexpensive, but has all the features of traditional PBX systems and many more.

You can build a system in a few hours. There is plenty of free online support, as is typical with open source software. You’ll find thousands of searchable questions and answers on the FreePBX community forums and other sites. Paid support is available if you need it.

Happy PBXing!

Learn More

The FreePBX Blog has info about product updates and access to support, engineers and developers. It’s at www.freepbx.org/blog.

 

The post My experience with Asterisk and FreePBX appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission last week finalized the dates for its planned NCE FM new station application filing window.

The Media Bureau announced that the window will be open Nov. 2 to Nov. 9, 2021.

The opportunity is just for 88.1 to 91.9 MHz, which is the FM reserved band (Channels 201 to 220).

“New applications must be filed electronically on FCC Form 2100, Schedule 340 in the Bureau’s
Licensing Management System (LMS),” it stated. “The commission recently amended its rules and procedures for filing NCE FM applications and selecting and licensing competing NCE FM applications.”

As we’ve reported, any given entity is limited to filing 10 applications.

Details about filing procedures and requirements will be in a subsequent public notice and posted on the Audio Division Web Page when published.

The post Dates Are Set for NCE FM Filing Window appeared first on Radio World.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers has issued helpful guidance to stations about what to do in light of the failure of an IPAWS Required Weekly Test on Monday.

“When FEMA issues an IPAWS test or alert it includes a “‘certificate,’ SBE explained in an email to members.

“This operates similar to a password for accessing different sites or files on a computer. In the case of a message from FEMA, a message without a correct signature, the EAS device should ignore the message.”

SBE reported that on Monday, April 26, the Required Weekly Test from IPAWS was transmitted with an incorrect signature.

“The test messages had a mismatch between the digest inside the message, and the digest computed by receivers. This is a part of the validation for an alert, and checking it is required by FCC Rule 11.56(c): ‘EAS Participants shall configure their systems to reject all CAP-formatted EAS messages that include an invalid digital signature.’”

[Read: FCC Will Explore EAS on the Internet]

SBE emphasized that all EAS devices should have rejected the test including units made by Sage Alerting Systems, Digital Alert Systems and Trilithic. The advisory describes how various models should have responded and what you should do next; read that here.

It also said all EAS units would have reported failed validations in a temporary log, and that users should check with their device manufacturer for the location of that file and the correct “signature validation” settings for the unit.

“Stations should check and correct any issues before the next test on May 3, 2021. Stations should insert a note in the station log indicating the failed test and the reason for failure.”

 

The post SBE Issues Guidance About RWT Failure appeared first on Radio World.

Cumulus Media named Tricia Gallenbeck as vice president/market manager for its five-station cluster in Eugene, Ore.

She most recently was VP/GM for Reno Media Group in Reno, Nev.

Previous posts include director of sales for Beasley Media Group in Fayetteville, N.C., and director of new business and events and general sales manager for Beasley Las Vegas.

She will report to Don Morin, regional vice president, who also is market manager for Boise. He mentioned Gallenbeck’s “strategic approach to management coupled with her ability to build a winning culture.”

The cluster includes KUJZ(FM) airing sports; KZEL(FM) with classic rock; KUGN(AM), news/talk; KNRQ(FM), which is alternative; and KEHK(FM) with Hot AC.

Radio World welcomes announcements for People News focused on our key readership categories of engineering and upper management. Send to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

 

The post Gallenbeck to Lead Eugene for Cumulus appeared first on Radio World.

Part of the Shulins Solutions Stellar Eclipse broadcast site monitoring and protection system installed in Houston.

A familiar name to Radio World readers Paul Shulins is the subject of our latest Who’s Buying What news.

His Shulins Solutions, a provider in select engineering services and broadcast consulting, recently installed its Stellar Eclipse monitoring system at a shared combiner and antenna facility serving four Houston stations.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

Shulins Solutions offered this description of the system: “Stellar Eclipse with our exclusive VSWR Sentinel is designed to protect and monitor these systems by constantly monitoring the VSWR on all inputs and outputs to the combiner system, refreshing these values many times every second. Anytime a VSWR is detected that exceeds a preset threshold, hard relay interlock relays are controlled that can open interlocks on connected transmitters. RF power is then removed from the system when an unsafe condition exists, thereby saving the systems from costly damage.”

It added that it, “provides unique cloud-based monitoring of many shared systems often overlooked in an individual stations remote control.”

Send news for Who’s Buying What to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Stellar Eclipse in Space City appeared first on Radio World.

From our People News page: iHeartMedia promoted Shari Gonzalez to its president for the Miami/Fort Lauderdale group, which is market No. 11 in Nielsen Audio ratings.

She succeeds Brian Olson.

She’ll report to Division President Linda Byrd, who in the announcement complimented Gonzalez for her “competitiveness, work ethic and ability to move her team in the direction we need to go.”

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

Gonzalez joined the company in 2015 and most recently was region SVP of sales in Miami.

Prior she was general sales manager and director of sales for CBS in Washington, the market where she got started as a sales assistant and worked her way up into sales leadership.

In the announcement, Gonzalez said Miami/Fort Lauderdale “is experiencing a boom like no other market in the country, and the South Florida market is filled with a culture and uniqueness that is second to none.”

Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Gonzalez Takes Helm in Miami for iHeart appeared first on Radio World.

As part of its efforts to improve diversity within the ranks of the communications and tech industries, the Federal Communications Commission has set April 28 for its diversity symposium and virtual fair.

The Tech and Communications Diversity Opportunity Symposium and Virtual Fair will be held online on Wednesday, April 28 from 12–6:45 p.m. EDT. The symposium and fair is designed to provide information, resources and support to diverse communications businesses including those focused on legacy communications industries — like radio, TV, cable and satellite — as well as  technology-oriented industries seeking business opportunities as vendors, suppliers or partners. The commission is particularly seeking to support small businesses, minority- and ethnic-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, LGBTQ-owned businesses and disabled-owned businesses.

[Read: New NAB Committee Will Address Diversity and Inclusion]

Two informative panels from 12–3:45 p.m. will kickstart the symposium. The first panel, Your Tax Dollars at Work: Government Programs and Initiatives, will feature a discussion with representatives from federal, state and local government agencies on financing and procurement opportunities and trends. This session will highlight diversity requirements and standards; training, education and consulting opportunities; as well as mentoring, incubation and apprenticeship programs.

The second panel, entitled For We Have Promises to Keep: Private Sector Programs and Initiatives, will include representatives from private sector companies that will discuss procurement opportunities and trends, new and updated funding sources, as well as discounted opportunities for diverse communications businesses.

The afternoon event will include a Virtual Fair from 4–6:45 p.m., which will feature one-on-one confidential consultations offering individualized advice on a number of strategies and initiatives including supplier and vendor tactics, financial support options and mentoring and incubation programs. The Virtual Fair is open to owners, managers and employees of diverse communications businesses.

The symposium is being co-sponsored by  the Media Bureau, the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment (ACDDE) and the ACDDE member Internet Association. Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel will welcome symposium participants while Edith McCloud, acting national director of the Minority Business Development Agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, will deliver keynote remarks.

The symposium will be presented as a Zoom webinar. More information and the full agenda can be found here.

 

The post FCC Online Event to Advance Diversity in Tech and Communications appeared first on Radio World.

A recently acquired AEQ Forum radio broadcast digital console at Radio Granma, Manzanillo, Cuba.

From our Who’s Buying What page: AEQ reports that Radio Granma in Manzanillo, Cuba, has installed an AEQ Forum digital console.

Radio Granma “offers a wide variety of programming to its listeners, with old phonographic records of great popular interest, and a large participation of amateurs of all artistic styles, singers, instrumentalists and intellectuals,” AEQ stated in a press release. The station is managed by ICRT, the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

ICRT also uses AEQ codecs, consoles and automation systems in other locations throughout Cuba including Arena consoles and BC2000D routers in Havana.

Radio Granma is one of 10 regional stations that will use the Forum IP console.

Users and suppliers are welcome to send news about recent installations to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Radio Granma Installs AEQ Forum appeared first on Radio World.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting named Brendan Daly as its vice president of communications, succeeding Shana Teehan.

“He will be responsible for the development and implementation of a multifaceted communications and messaging strategy to advance awareness of public media and its value to American society,” the organization said.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

The announcement was made by Chief Operating Officer Michael Levy, who called Daly “a strategic communications leader with a proven ability to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.”

Daly was for nine years the communications director for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and most recently was chief communications officer for the Recording Industry Association of America. He has also held posts with Save the Children Action Network, Ogilvy Public Relations, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Trade Representative and the Peace Corps. He began his career as a newspaper reporter in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post CPB Names Daly to Comm Post appeared first on Radio World.

Amador Bustos is president and CEO of Bustos Media, owner of radio stations in Arizona, California, Texas, Washington state and Wisconsin. The stations mostly broadcast in Spanish but some offer English-, Chinese-, Korean-, Russian- and Vietnamese-language programming. He discusses the state of radio broadcasting and Bustos Media stations.

He was interviewed by Suzanne Gougherty, director of MMTC Media and Telecom Brokers at the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council. MMTC commentaries appear regularly in Radio World, which welcomes other points of view on industry issues.

Suzanne Gougherty: For more than a year the thirst for information regarding the pandemic has been at the forefront of news — how have your radio stations kept your audience informed on current news and information?
Amador Bustos: Since we are primarily a music intensive station group, and our DJs were working from home, they had to rely on news feed from our local newspapers and television stations. Besides our AM-drive top-of-the hour newscast, we expanded our pandemic coverage to live commentary and interviews with local health officials at any time of the day.

[Read: Keeping Sports Hot in the Age of Coronavirus]

Gougherty: What do you think is the most overwhelming challenge of the radio industry today, and where do you see the best opportunity for growth?
Bustos: The most pressing challenge for radio is the false assertion by social media outlets and digital audio competitors who are continuously forecasting the death of terrestrial radio. The best opportunity for revenue growth is in entertainment and event production. Due to the year-long isolation there is a strong pent-up demand for indoor concerts and outdoor festivals.

Gougherty: As a successful entrepreneur what was the motivating factor that led you to owning and operating radio stations?
Bustos: The opportunity to generate wealth. When I started buying radio stations the revenue margins were much higher. Secondly, to increase ownership diversity. I saw a rapidly expanding number of radio stations targeting the Hispanic market, but too few of us were represented in the ownership ranks. That continues to be true today.

Gougherty: It was reported that full power radio stations, plummeted at the end of 2020, on both the AM and FM dials. Do you feel the industry will experience the same decline in 2021? Do you think there is a solution other than to turn licenses back to the FCC?
Bustos: Yes! Radio revenues plummeted during the second and third quarter of 2020. However, the recovery during the last six months is encouraging. It is important that we make the distinction between AMs and FMs. Our AMs continue depressed. This year, I will likely return more than one AM license to the FCC for lack of sustainable revenue.

Gougherty: Should the FCC relax or retain the local AM and FM ownership caps and subcaps?
Bustos: The FCC should relax the ownership caps and subcaps. However, it should do it in two or three stages. First in markets above 100, then in markets above 50 and finally in all markets. At each stage the FCC should look at the unintended consequences of excessive concentration, negative impact on AM values, diminution of public service and ownership diversity trends.

Gougherty: What steps should Congress and the FCC take now to dramatically increase minority radio and television station ownership?
Bustos: Congress and the federal government can do two important things: 1) Reinstate the Minority Tax Certificate; which gives sellers a tax deferral if they sell to qualified diverse buyers; 2) Allow the SBA to do bank loan guarantees of up to $10,000,000 for the purchase of broadcast properties by qualified diverse borrowers/operators.

Gougherty: Spanish-language radio stations’ music formats have done well over the years. Do you feel there is room for other Spanish-language formats, talk, sports or news?
Bustos: There is room for those additional formats. However, they are more expensive to produce. That is why several past attempts have failed. It will take a well-capitalized and committed broadcaster to support such an effort. Just like iHeartMedia has done when it launched the Black Information Network in June 2020.

Gougherty:. During the recent roll-out of vaccines what kind of factual information have your stations provided to your listeners? And do you feel it has help to dispel the myths or misinformation that might be circulating in the Hispanic community?
Bustos: We have provided our audience information based on CDC’s guidance, as well as information provided by state and local health officials. Most of our on-air personalities are pro-vaccination and regularly speak in favor of it. When they are vaccinated, they disclose it and recommended it.

Gougherty: How has your sales team held up during the past year? And your on-air talent? Are all working from home or with strict measure at the work place? And as the owner how are you holding up?
Bustos: There is a clear sense of fatigue. Most employees are desirous of a return to the office. If things continue to trend well, we will likely have most employees return to an interactive, in-office work by June 2021.

 

The post Looking to Radio for a Bounce-Back appeared first on Radio World.

The author is tech editor of RW Engineering Extra.

Remote control systems have come a long way in my 45-year broadcast engineering career. I have had the pleasure — and sometimes frustration — of following these changes.

There was a time when you could call the phone company and order a “dry pair” from point to point, and over that dry pair you could connect your remote control system with its telephone dial, stepper relays and DC metering.

Those old systems were always interesting, especially when the steppers got out of sync, but somehow they got the job done.

Then came the Moseley TRC-15 types that used audio tones for telemetry. We could use those over a dry pair or just about any bidirectional telco circuit, or you could use them over a subcarrier on an STL for the outbound control functions (if I recall correctly, this used a 300-400 Hz FSK scheme for the wireline version).

Some folks used an over-the-air SCA for telemetry backhaul for the TRC-15 — if you couldn’t get a reading on anything, the transmitter must be off! — but others used telemetry return links on one of eight discrete 450/455 MHz frequencies designated for such by the FCC. And there were no status indications.

But all in all, the TRC-15 was a huge step up (no pun intended) from the old stepper relay DC remote control systems. It was an even better platform if you installed the digital telemetry adaptor offered as an aftermarket add-on from Hallikainen and Friends.

Up in smoke

There were some digital systems from Moseley that came after the TRC-15. I remember using them in some of the TV stations at which I worked. The red LED digital readouts took away the sometimes difficult task of meter scale interpretation and interpolation, always a plus with busy master control operators!

Then in the early 1980s came the MRC-1600, a 16-channel digital remote control with status. I thought I’d gone to heaven when that unit came out … until the first lightning strike.

The old TRC-15 didn’t seem to care much about lightning, but that MRC would go up in smoke every time the sky got cloudy, or so it seemed. I remember that the display would say OUCH! if an input channel got hit with too much voltage or if one of the multiplexers was damaged.

That sensitivity to static discharges bit me one time, too. It was always a challenge to remember to take the R/C out of “local” and put it back in remote when leaving a transmitter site. One TV station at which I worked had a red 60-watt light bulb in a porcelain socket right next to the door, and that bulb would be lit whenever the remote control system was in “local.” That saved a lot of midnight trips back to the tower site.

I wanted something similar at one radio site I took care of, so I thought I would put the NC contacts of the local/remote relay in series with the alarm system door contact — it would then be impossible to set the alarm with the remote control in the “local” mode.

That worked great for about a day, until the next thunderstorm. The MRC lost its mind (OUCH!) and opened that local/remote relay and set off the burglar alarm.

It was a long drive from my house to that tower site at “Cadaver Creek” in stormy weather with the alarm wailing and the police on the way.

Talking control

In the late 1980s, Gentner Engineering came out with the VRC-1000, a revolutionary new “talking” remote control system that worked over a dial-up phone line.

That changed everything for radio stations. No longer would they need an expensive dedicated line or dry pair for remote control, or a fussy, interference-prone telemetry return link that would blank out whenever a cab driver passed by the studio while talking on his dispatch radio.

A Gentner VRC-1000 “talker” is visible in the right rack bay. When that model came out, we thought we’d gone to radio heaven.

The early vocabulary was limited, but we made it work. And the best part was that the unit would call us when something went wrong. Programming was a chore, but it was just so … cool … that we didn’t care!

Later iterations of the Gentner VRC (and Burk GSC) had improved vocabulary and other capabilities, and some of these units are still in service today.

If memory serves, Gentner came out with a “sample and hold” system to interface its VRC-series systems to analog antenna monitors, and that worked pretty well except right after pattern change — you had to wait for the next sample to get an accurate set of readings.

Potomac Instruments came out with a pretty good and capable system in the late 1980s. Interfacing remote control systems to analog antenna monitors was always a difficult task, and the Potomac RC16+ had a means of doing that, using a scan function to constantly monitor operating parameters.

The thing that probably kept the unit from greater popularity was that it could not be programmed in the field — it was EPROM programmable, and that had to be done by the factory. Need to make a change? Fill out this form and we’ll burn and ship you a new EPROM.

That worked, but it was anything but convenient, and it certainly discouraged programming changes. Still, it was a rugged, reliable system.

IP all the way

The name Burk became synonymous with “remote control” in the mid-1990s, and that remains the case today.

The first Burk systems I used were ARC-16s, and they were good, rugged, reliable units that could be configured as stand-alone dial-up, dedicated studio/transmitter pairs of a combination.

These systems had RS232 capability, and you could purchase an IP-to-RS232 adaptor to link your units together over a network or even the internet. Multiple sites could be linked, a popular feature in the age of consolidation. There are a lot of ARC-16 systems still out there in service, and for good reason.

Which brings us to today and the ARC Plus and ARC Plus Touch systems, which are nothing short of amazing. These units use IP connectivity all the way, and the ARC Plus Touch has SNMP and API capability.

This IP-based remote control is not the latest-greatest model from Burk but remains very capable.

In our company, the last few transmitter installations we have done where we had a Touch system in place did not use so much as an “RF On/Off” wire connecting transmitter to remote control — everything was done by SNMP. Which I should say can be a bit like drinking from a fire hose with some equipment interfaces — there are so many parameters available to monitor.

I should not fail to mention systems by Sine Systems, Broadcast Tools and others that provide a bridge between technologies and an excellent means for stations with limited resources to avail themselves of many of the features of much more expensive systems. I have used some of these systems in niche applications even within larger operations and found them very useful.

Today’s remote control systems, along with companion software, can do a lot of things. Many can run scripts and macros that can make decisions. You can make the logic as simple or complex as you wish using IF/THEN statements and AND/OR Boolean operators. Actions can be scheduled based on a calendar/clock, or they can be triggered by some external input or event, even taking input from external off-site data over the internet. They can blow up our phones or drive us nuts with texts and emails. I love the mobile web page displays of some remote controls, where I program things green-good/red-bad. A busy operator or engineer can tell at a glance if all is well.

One of the best macros that one of our engineers uses sends a text to her phone every 10 minutes whenever the remote control system is in the “maintenance” mode (the modern version of the “local” mode). That ensures that she won’t get more than 10 minutes down the road before she realizes she forgot to turn that off before leaving.

Not once since implementing this macro has she had to make an emergency run to a site at pattern change time when the pattern couldn’t change because the command relays were disabled! And not once has this set off the burglar alarm at a site!

In this day and age of ultra-capable remote control systems, our transmitter sites can be almost completely autonomous, which translates to fewer of the time pressures that often accompany equipment malfunctions. Such a remote control system can react to the failure, look at multiple variables and make decisions that will get the station back operating again in less time that it would take the engineer to answer his or her phone. That’s worth something.

For more on this topic, see “Remote Controls Have a History All Their Own”.

Comment on this or any story. Email rweetech@gmail.com.

The post A Trip Down Remote Control Memory Lane appeared first on Radio World.

Line pressure

Every AM, FM or TV transmitter must be connected to an antenna via some type of cable, normally a coax line. Some lines are constructed with a type of foam between the inner conductor and the outer conductor, while others are hollow.

If your system has the hollow type of transmission line, it is imperative that some type of gas pressure be inside the line. Transmission lines can be vulnerable to corrosion if they are exposed to oxygen and moisture, the two main components that cause a corrosive reaction.

Properly pressurizing coaxial cables will keep moisture out and therefore prevents arcs inside the cable and it improves the power-handling capacity of the coax by increasing the breakdown voltage between the inner conductor and the shield.

Engineers often ask which is more effective, nitrogen or using a dehydrator. The answer is, “It depends.”

If you will be operating the transmission line at or near the power rating of the line, nitrogen will give more protection from arc over. For lower power levels, either will work.

A properly sized dehydrator will keep your lines dry and pressurized. Some, like this model from Kintronic Labs, have web interfaces to allow monitoring of pressures.

To keep moisture out, the transmission line must be kept at a positive pressure relative to the outside pressure. The pressure required is minimal indeed; maintaining excessive pressure can damage the line and waste energy.

When it comes to dehydrators, proper sizing is everything. If undersized, the unit must run longer in order to maintain pressure, increasing wear on the compressor and driving maintenance costs higher. An oversized dehydrator, however, creates pressure surges in the line. This causes the unit to constantly cycle on and off, again resulting in increased compressor wear and higher maintenance costs.

It doesn’t take much pressure; 3 or 4 psi is more than adequate to keep moisture out of the line and antenna.

The most important takeaway point is to have a method to monitor the pressure in the line and an alarm system to notify engineering of a sudden loss of pressure on the line. This could be caused by failure of the dehydrator or empty nitrogen supply. It could also indicate a pending failure in the line itself caused by a major gas leak created by lightning or even a bullet hole.

When installing a new line, it is advisable first to pull a vacuum on the line. This will remove all the moisture from the line. Then fill the line with nitrogen or dry air from a dehydrator. Do not use a standard air compressor for this purpose, since it will fill the line with normal air, which is full of moisture.

This type of failure will be extremely costly and time-consuming. Don’t neglect this important part of your transmission system!

This article was published in the Alabama Broadcasters Association Monday Coffee and Technical Notes newsletter. Learn about ABA’s engineering training academy at https://al-ba.com.

RW Engineering Extra welcomes submissions of stories that help readers solve engineering problems. Email: rweetech@gmail.com.

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