Radio World

WKNC’s Jamie Lynn Gilbert and WXAV’s Peter Kreten

 

Author Rob Quicke is founder of the College Radio Foundation and College Radio Day, and a professor at William Paterson University, New Jersey.

Across the United States, and indeed the world, college stations have been coming to terms with the start of the new academic year, and how that would impact their operations.

Earlier this year the Federal Communications Commission recognized the challenging operational situations for many college radio stations and made allowances.

Attorney David Oxenford wrote: “The FCC in March allowed noncommercial radio stations licensed to educational institutions to consider periods when schools were closed for in-person instruction as school breaks or ‘recess’ periods when the minimum operating schedule for these stations did not apply.”

For stations that are still online, that guidance still applies, but “If your school has welcomed students back to campus and is operating other student activities, then the question gets murkier.”

Oxenford suggests that in “situations where schools are open or partially open to students, if the station cannot meet the minimum operating requirements … the FCC will likely be willing to grant a station temporary authority to remain silent.”

For many radio stations, studios have been physically off-limits for months, as college administrators shut down facilities awaiting hopeful developments in the fight against the global pandemic. Recently that window has been closing, with many colleges electing to bring back some students to campus in a limited fashion.

Some stations never ceased broadcasting operations but found ingenious technological ways to harness the students’ talents remotely and kept programming going throughout the summer. Now college radio enters a time where great hopes are matched by equally great fears.

“Quarantine Takeover”

A resurgence of the virus is the primary worry for many in college radio.

“Our fear, like everyone else, is that we will have a failure of social distancing and common sense that leads to a second bad wave of illnesses and a return to limited access or closures on campus. We are planning for that unfortunate potential,” said John Devecka, operations manager at WLOY, Loyola University in Maryland, in late summer.

The impact of the pandemic earlier did not affect WLOY’s ability to continue producing radio.

“Over the course of the closed spring semester we were able to send microphones and/or headsets to a number of key regular DJs and staff to make sure that people had the ability to produce a solid show from home,” he said.

Recently, WLOY has gone further. “We started a special series of ‘Quarantine Takeover’ shows based on our normal in-station ‘Studio Seizure’ shows where musicians become the DJs for an hour. The Takeover shows are created by the musicians in their home studios for us and have been rolling in from all over the world,” said Devecka.

Many college radio stations also took similar actions and have been able to continue to produce content remotely.

But the prospect of continuing like this, operating remotely indefinitely, is concerning for many. There are ongoing consequences that being online only or limiting the amount of time spent in the radio station studios will have on the training and experience that the students will now receive.

Lance Liguez is faculty advisor for UTA Radio.com at the University of Texas at Arlington.

“My hope is that students will be able to return for a sustained period of time and receive hands-on training in board operation and on-air performance.” When he spoke, the plan was to come back in late August with social distancing mandates in the studio, cleaning protocols, and disposable mic covers.

He acknowledged that running a board virtually is possible but said expense is an obstacle. “My university, like many others, is in cost-cutting mode. Getting back into the studio means a chance to further hone on-air and production skills for our advanced students, who conduct shows ranging from sports talk to R&B hits,” he says. “Then there’s the students new to broadcasting. We typically have around 40 every fall semester, all of whom need to be physically in front of the board.”

Not being able to have access to real, hands-on experience will affect the students’ development and knowledge, and is a fear shared by many in college radio.

Loss of revenue

It’s not just the loss of valuable hands-on experience that causes concern, but also the loss of underwriting revenue coming into the station.

At WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2 at North Carolina State University, there has already been a real economic cost to the pandemic. Jamie Lynn Gilbert, associate director of student media, can measure the impact of COVID-19.

“We get a sizable chunk of revenue from airing Wolfpack women’s basketball and baseball games each year. We lost several thousand dollars when the season was cut short and we won’t see any revenue if the seasons aren’t able to start safely,” she said.

“We also rely on money earned during a two-night benefit concert every February. While we are brainstorming ways to make this happen, I don’t expect to earn $5,000 from ticket sales in just a few months. Some of our major underwriting clients — local music venues — still haven’t reopened, so there is a loss there as well.”

Despite these disruptions, college radio stations are adapting to the precautions needed to continue producing in-person radio during this time, and this is true at WKNC.

“We have mask and cleaning requirements, along with a one-hour break between live DJs,” Gilbert said. “We had 15 DJs come back and added another 20 with the start of the new semester on Aug. 10. That’s less than half what we normally see in a semester, but it’s not surprising.”

Despite these effects, there is hope. Adapting to these challenging circumstances means that there has been a necessary refocusing for some college radio stations, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Hannah Copeland is general manager of 90.5 KCSU at Colorado State University. “My hope is that more virtual school time will reinvigorate an interest in producing work besides radio, because most of the jobs out there are in audio production, writing, journalism, and online content creation,” she said.

“There just are not that many jobs for regular radio DJs unless a student is incredibly gifted and in the top 1% of talent. Plus, many of those radio jobs, especially in commercial, don’t seem to be very stable or full time. So, I’m hoping our podcasts, videos, social media and articles grow.”

Despite the uncertainty over the future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, college stations were busy this summer formulating plans and ideas of how to operate in a variety of circumstances as the academic year now gets underway.

“Smart young people”

Similarly, college media conferences and events have been affected, with many of them becoming online-only in response to the current circumstances.

College Broadcasters Inc. was planning its National Student Electronic Media Convention to take place in Baltimore in late October, but that will now take place entirely online. In a statement to its members, CBI explained its board “has decided, after extensive research and discussion, that this is best for the safety of CBI members and guests.”

Oct. 2 is College Radio Day, an event that typically sees hundreds of college radio stations participate across the country. Recognizing that it is not business as usual for many college stations, College Radio Day is encouraging participating stations to plan on virtual participation and engagement through social media. As organizations embrace new operating models and ideas, college radio stations are doing the same.

At WLOY, John Devecka says that even though they are not on campus, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

“We are closed for the fall officially now, so our student exec team has been working hard to plan new ways of engagement with our scattered staff, DJs and student body. It’s going to be a challenge, but we’ve got smart young people who will make it work.”

This optimism is echoed by Peter Kreten, director of student media at Saint Xavier University in Chicago and general manager of WXAV 88.3 FM. Kreten finds reasons for optimism in the face of an uncertain future. Because of COVID-19, there has been an acceleration towards embracing technologies and practices that were already underway.

“I see hope. Over the last few years, college radio has begun an evolution. This evolution is seeing students, faculty, and advisors embracing new technologies and practices, while providing students with an educational experience like none other. It is truly an exciting time.”

Despite serious concerns, it’s possible that there might be unexpected benefits to a situation that a few months ago no one could have imagined. Many involved with college radio believe that they are more than capable of rising to the challenge of this moment.

Comment on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.

The post College Radio: Great Hopes, Great Fears appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission has been hearing from the National Association of Broadcasters and other interested parties about whether to allow AM band stations to turn on all-digital transmission, and under what parameters.

In addition to publicly filed comments, the NAB, which supports the idea, has made presentations to FCC staff about certain specifics — including whether the FCC should allow Digital Radio Mondiale to be tested in this country. NAB says it should not.

Background

It was in November 2019 that the commission announced its proposal to allow AM stations to broadcast an all-digital signal using the HD in-band on-channel (IBOC) mode known as MA3. This came after a petition from Bryan Broadcasting.

As part of its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the FCC concluded that a voluntary transition to all-digital broadcasting has the potential to benefit AM stations as well as provide improved AM service to the public.

The commission then asked for comment on proposed operating standards and the impact on existing analog stations and listeners. We’ve reported on many of the comments it received.

FCC Audio Division Chief Al Shuldiner told Radio World in September, “Commenters in that proceeding expressed strong industry support for the commission’s proposals to allow AM stations to convert to all-digital operation and we hope to move forward in that proceeding by the end of the year.”

Focusing on specifics, NAB representatives spoke in early September with members of the FCC Media Bureau’s Audio Division about the proposed transition, according to an ex parte filing.

David Layer, NAB’s vice president of advanced engineering, gave technical input on four specific topics: operating rules on power limits, all-digital AM RF mask requirements, potential interference issues, and proposed frequency tolerance standards.

He expressed NAB support for using average power measurements for establishing station operating power for all-digital service. He said this is the method that has been used in the NAB’s PILOT testing as well as by Hubbard station WWFD(AM), which operates under experimental authority.

Layer cited coverage maps created by PILOT and WWFD that showed that these stations have sufficient all-digital coverage without causing objectionable interference.

He also urged the commission not to impose a 1 Hz frequency tolerance on all AM stations, but agreed that it may be appropriate to impose this tolerance on all-digital AM stations. The NAB supports the use of all-digital AM RF masks as proposed by HD Radio parent company Xperi.

Allow Digital Radio Mondiale

Meanwhile another issue raised NAB’s concerns.

In June the DRM Consortium participated in a conference call with members of the FCC Media Bureau’s Audio Division to tell them about DRM’s role as a “superior, flexible and advanced technology solution,” according to Ruxandra Obreja, chair of the DRM Consortium, in a followup letter to the commission.

DRM should have the opportunity to be tested for U.S. domestic use in the AM bands, Obreja argued.

[Read a commentary by Obreja: “Can Digital Radio Standards Coexist?”]

“Such a test would allow for a proper comparison with HD in all-digital AM broadcast and open the possibility of including DRM, either alone or together with HD in the proposed regulation, as a full-digital transmission standard for the AM bands — with the option for simulcast operation alongside analog AM signals from the same transmitter if required,” Obreja said.

“This would also answer the question on the benefits and its attractiveness when compared to and introduced alongside HD Radio.”

She highlighted DRM’s spectral efficiency; its ability to carry multiple audio services including text, emergency warning information and metadata within a 10 kHz signal bandwidth; and its capability to transmit parallel channels in different languages.

DRM also described the benefits of having a receiver able to receive both DRM and HD Radio, as well as analog AM and FM transmissions for the transition period.

“[The] USA would not be the only country in the world envisaging the use of more than one digital radio standard,” Obreja said. “The technical solutions exist; for the listener what matters is that they can listen to all the digital broadcasts available in their country through a common user interface.”

Noting that AM in the U.S. covers large rural areas, she said the fast development of in-car adaptors for DRM would offer easy access to digital radio for owners of legacy cars with only analog AM or HD Radio reception. Letting AM stations have access to both DRM and HD Radio services could provide significant benefits to those broadcasters.

Don’t allow DRM

The NAB had a sharp response to the DRM Consortium’s request, calling it ill-advised and contrary to the FCC’s intent.

The NAB said the commission already selected HD Radio IBOC as the exclusive digital technology approved for AM radio, and that making a change now be extremely disruptive.

“Although HD Radio is a mature and proven technology, there will be important considerations that will enter into a broadcaster’s decision to transition such as the equipment costs to convert, the potential loss of listeners who do not obtain an HD Radio receiver, and perhaps most importantly, regulatory certainty,” wrote NAB Associate General Counsel Larry Walke in a letter to the commission.

“Before pulling the trigger on such a fundamental change to one’s operation, AM broadcasters need every confidence that HD Radio technology will remain the exclusive technical solution for all-digital transmission.”

Any moves to test or otherwise consider DRM as an alternative technology would undercut such confidence, discourage greater adoption of HD Radio and jeopardize the viability of all-digital AM, Walke said, adding that consideration of a second digital radio technology at this juncture could only be harmful to transitions by AM stations.

Regulatory certainty is vital, Walke concluded, and the FCC’s goals to revitalize AM radio can only be furthered if it stays the course.

The NAB urged the commission to wrap up the deal by finally incorporating the NRSC-5 in-band/on-channel Digital Radio System standard into its rules. “This will make it clear that [this] is one and only digital radio system approved for use in the U.S.,” Walke said.

Other public comments on all-digital for AM can be found in the FCC’s ECFS database using Media Bureau docket numbers 19-311 and 13-249.

Related:

Small-Market Owners Caution Against “AM Stereo Situation”

NPR Supports All-Digital, With Caveats

Xperi Urges FCC to Allow All-Digital on AM

 

The post NAB, DRM Spar Over AM Digital for U.S. appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission has been hearing from the National Association of Broadcasters and other interested parties about whether to allow AM band stations to turn on all-digital transmission, and under what parameters.

In addition to publicly filed comments, the NAB, which supports the idea, has made presentations to FCC staff about certain specifics — including whether the FCC should allow Digital Radio Mondiale to be tested in this country. NAB says it should not.

Background

It was in November 2019 that the commission announced its proposal to allow AM stations to broadcast an all-digital signal using the HD in-band on-channel (IBOC) mode known as MA3. This came after a petition from Bryan Broadcasting.

As part of its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the FCC concluded that a voluntary transition to all-digital broadcasting has the potential to benefit AM stations as well as provide improved AM service to the public.

The commission then asked for comment on proposed operating standards and the impact on existing analog stations and listeners. We’ve reported on many of the comments it received.

FCC Audio Division Chief Al Shuldiner told Radio World in September, “Commenters in that proceeding expressed strong industry support for the commission’s proposals to allow AM stations to convert to all-digital operation and we hope to move forward in that proceeding by the end of the year.”

Focusing on specifics, NAB representatives spoke in early September with members of the FCC Media Bureau’s Audio Division about the proposed transition, according to an ex parte filing.

David Layer, NAB’s vice president of advanced engineering, gave technical input on four specific topics: operating rules on power limits, all-digital AM RF mask requirements, potential interference issues, and proposed frequency tolerance standards.

He expressed NAB support for using average power measurements for establishing station operating power for all-digital service. He said this is the method that has been used in the NAB’s PILOT testing as well as by Hubbard station WWFD(AM), which operates under experimental authority.

Layer cited coverage maps created by PILOT and WWFD that showed that these stations have sufficient all-digital coverage without causing objectionable interference.

He also urged the commission not to impose a 1 Hz frequency tolerance on all AM stations, but agreed that it may be appropriate to impose this tolerance on all-digital AM stations. The NAB supports the use of all-digital AM RF masks as proposed by HD Radio parent company Xperi.

Allow Digital Radio Mondiale

Meanwhile another issue raised NAB’s concerns.

In June the DRM Consortium participated in a conference call with members of the FCC Media Bureau’s Audio Division to tell them about DRM’s role as a “superior, flexible and advanced technology solution,” according to Ruxandra Obreja, chair of the DRM Consortium, in a followup letter to the commission.

DRM should have the opportunity to be tested for U.S. domestic use in the AM bands, Obreja argued.

[Read a commentary by Obreja: “Can Digital Radio Standards Coexist?”]

“Such a test would allow for a proper comparison with HD in all-digital AM broadcast and open the possibility of including DRM, either alone or together with HD in the proposed regulation, as a full-digital transmission standard for the AM bands — with the option for simulcast operation alongside analog AM signals from the same transmitter if required,” Obreja said.

“This would also answer the question on the benefits and its attractiveness when compared to and introduced alongside HD Radio.”

She highlighted DRM’s spectral efficiency; its ability to carry multiple audio services including text, emergency warning information and metadata within a 10 kHz signal bandwidth; and its capability to transmit parallel channels in different languages.

DRM also described the benefits of having a receiver able to receive both DRM and HD Radio, as well as analog AM and FM transmissions for the transition period.

“[The] USA would not be the only country in the world envisaging the use of more than one digital radio standard,” Obreja said. “The technical solutions exist; for the listener what matters is that they can listen to all the digital broadcasts available in their country through a common user interface.”

Noting that AM in the U.S. covers large rural areas, she said the fast development of in-car adaptors for DRM would offer easy access to digital radio for owners of legacy cars with only analog AM or HD Radio reception. Letting AM stations have access to both DRM and HD Radio services could provide significant benefits to those broadcasters.

Don’t allow DRM

The NAB had a sharp response to the DRM Consortium’s request, calling it ill-advised and contrary to the FCC’s intent.

The NAB said the commission already selected HD Radio IBOC as the exclusive digital technology approved for AM radio, and that making a change now be extremely disruptive.

“Although HD Radio is a mature and proven technology, there will be important considerations that will enter into a broadcaster’s decision to transition such as the equipment costs to convert, the potential loss of listeners who do not obtain an HD Radio receiver, and perhaps most importantly, regulatory certainty,” wrote NAB Associate General Counsel Larry Walke in a letter to the commission.

“Before pulling the trigger on such a fundamental change to one’s operation, AM broadcasters need every confidence that HD Radio technology will remain the exclusive technical solution for all-digital transmission.”

Any moves to test or otherwise consider DRM as an alternative technology would undercut such confidence, discourage greater adoption of HD Radio and jeopardize the viability of all-digital AM, Walke said, adding that consideration of a second digital radio technology at this juncture could only be harmful to transitions by AM stations.

Regulatory certainty is vital, Walke concluded, and the FCC’s goals to revitalize AM radio can only be furthered if it stays the course.

The NAB urged the commission to wrap up the deal by finally incorporating the NRSC-5 in-band/on-channel Digital Radio System standard into its rules. “This will make it clear that [this] is one and only digital radio system approved for use in the U.S.,” Walke said.

Other public comments on all-digital for AM can be found in the FCC’s ECFS database using Media Bureau docket numbers 19-311 and 13-249.

Related:

Small-Market Owners Caution Against “AM Stereo Situation”

NPR Supports All-Digital, With Caveats

Xperi Urges FCC to Allow All-Digital on AM

 

The post NAB, DRM Spar Over AM Digital for U.S. appeared first on Radio World.

When The Infinite Dial’s P1 survey respondents were quizzed about which audio brands they listened to the most, their use of YouTube for music, and whether they subscribed to SiriusXM satellite radio, most of the results varied considerably by their chosen radio format, as expected.

When asked which radio format P1s over-index (index higher than the total online population) in using audio brands over the past month, Spotify was named by listeners of sports, alternative rock, hip-hop/rap, top 40, R&B and hard rock/heavy metal. Those who prefer to listen to hip-hop/rap, top 40, alternative rock, R&B, contemporary Christian and news/talk also prefer iTunes.

The research suggests that Pandora has a clear lead in most groups, when respondents were asked to name the audio brand they used most often, although Spotify is number one with listeners of hip-hop/rap, top 40 and sports. iHeartRadio is a strong second for those who prefer classic rock, alternative rock and classic hits. Trailing in most groups are Amazon Music and Google Play, although Amazon Music takes second place among listeners of hard rock/heavy metal.

[Read: Infinite Dial Research Suggests a Variety of Topics Attract Podcast Listeners]

When asked about their weekly use of YouTube for music, the research said R&B listeners are in the lead with 57%. Classic rock adherents hold the middle ground with 43%, while classic hits fans bring up the rear with 25%.

Since its inception, satellite radio, now in the form of SiriusXM, has competed for listeners with AM/FM and online media. It has had varying degrees of success with different formats. The Infinite Dial’s report attempted to track the response of  AM/FM listeners in terms of  the number who subscribe to the service.

The research suggested that hard rock/heavy metal takes first place with 39% of its listeners subscribing. Country music listeners represent the median with 25%. The trailing edge is held by contemporary Christian, where just 14% are signed up for SiriusXM.

 

The post Survey Says Pandora Popular in Most Listener Groups appeared first on Radio World.

The pandemic has had a sizable impact on AM/FM car radio listening habits, according to a new survey by Strategy Analytics — including finding that the pandemic has led to a decline in AM/FM usage in-car and a steep decline in interest of radio as a must-have feature.

A new report from market researcher Strategy Analytics called “2020 Infotainment Report: COVID-19 Brings Challenges for In-Car Radio,” which surveyed 4,705 car owners across the U.S., China, France, Germany and Italy to investigate usage of in-car infotainment including AM/FM radio, streaming media and other sources.

[Read: Radio Listening Audiences Rebound Despite Pandemic Impact]

According to the report’s author Derek Viita, who is a senior analyst with Strategy Analytics, 2020 is the year that in-car AM/FM radio has hit the proverbial iceberg. Year over year, interest in radio has steadily declined relative to other sources like streaming or brought-in digital media, the survey found.

“While radio still has unique advantages, the pandemic has only worked to increase adoption of other media sources,” Viita said. “Some radio providers in the West are reporting that their ratings have nose-dived because many of those who listened on their commute have not rejoined from home.”

These findings somewhat contradict other surveys conducted earlier this year. Two separate Nielsen surveys found that radio listenership had rebounded after the initial stages of the pandemic and that despite the pandemic, radio listenership remained strong.

But what is clear about car radio listening is that after years of dominance, traditional radio has reached a turning point as streaming media continues its march onto the dashboard, Viita said. In addition, the survey revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdowns severely curtailed regular commuting journeys, where much of consumers’ radio-listening originates.

This has led to a marked decline in AM/FM usage in-car, and a steep decline in interest of radio as a must-have feature, the survey found. This year’s decrease was surprisingly sharp in certain Western markets, he said, where commuting and other regular shorter-distance trips have been curtailed.

“With these regular trips curtailed, are folks just ‘not missing’ their car radio?” Viita asked. “[It] remains to be seen whether this is a one-year aberration or the start of an accelerated trend.”

[Read: Amidst Stay-at-Home Orders, Radio Listenership Remains Strong]

Diving deeper into an executive summary of the report, the survey found that streaming media has had a steady year-over-year increase both in terms of daily/weekly usage. That surge has happened more quickly in China with streaming ranking number one over AM/FM radio for usage and interest among car owners.

Looking ahead, the post-pandemic future of radio is unchartered territory. As systems like Android Automotive embed media apps as standard, this will put additional pressure on radio, said Kevin Nolan, vice president of the UX Innovation Practice, a segment of Strategy Analytics.

“Provided that these systems allow quick and easy login, [heaving] direct access to streamed content without having to deal with Bluetooth or device cables will result in further adoption and consumption,” he said. “Broadcasters, product planners and UI designers must immediately reconsider how, when and why listeners consume entertainment and information and across which platforms.”

The report suggested that designers and product planners should consider a number of key issues over the coming months. What are some new ways that broadcasters can reach car owners during the pandemic? Are there unmet needs for satellite radio users or integrated screen users — like users of Apple Car Play — that broadcasting should consider? As the next-generation of automated systems come online, which infotainment sources will become more desirable and which will fade away?

What broadcasters need to do, Viita suggested, is to think about new ways to reach viewers during and after this pandemic environment.

“Clearly a large chunk of listeners — commuters who might listen to a certain program going to or from an office — have not rejoined from home,” Viita said. “Broadcasters need to find new ways to reach car owners during the pandemic, to ensure they’ll rejoin after it.”

Viita explained the discrepancy between the findings here and other surveys by clarifying that the Strategy Analytics survey only speaks to car-specific radio usage/interest. “In the car: radio’s not going anywhere,” Viita said. “Despite these year-over-year declines in usage and interest, it’s still number one in the car in the West (and top two in China).”

Radio has power: In a separate consumer survey, Strategy Analytics found that radio remains important for certain activities, such as work commutes. “It’s convenient: no need for a separate device [or] cord to connect a device; no need to spend time to actively choose a specific song or artist; no need to think about whether the commute would be long enough to hear all the content (e.g. an entire podcast),” Viita said. “It’s also utilitarian — it has all the information they need, they feel productive by catching up on news/current affairs, they can learn what’s trending, etc.”

For better or worse, two things are true when it comes to in-car audio trends, Viita said. One, a widening segment is adopting streaming media as their primary source in the car. On the other hand, radio remains tailor-made for the car, especially commutes, he said.

 

The post 2020 Is the Year That Radio Hits a “Proverbial Iceberg,” Survey Says appeared first on Radio World.

FTiare, iStock Getty Images Plus

COVID-19 notwithstanding, the show must go on — the 2020 Radio Show, to be precise. In a nod to pandemic realities, this year’s lineup of sessions will be presented over five days online at www.radioshowweb.com starting Oct. 5.

The show is produced by the National Association of Broadcasters and the Radio Advertising Bureau. There will be two online “channels,” with Channel B devoted to technical topics, presented from 3:30 to 4 p.m. ET each day.

Tech topics to be covered on the “B” channel include hybrid radio, all-digital transmission on the AM band, the connected car, and the evolution of broadcasting technology and workflows.

These sessions are programmed by Skip Pizzi, NAB’s vice president of technology education and outreach, and David Layer, NAB’s VP of advanced engineering.

For Pizzi, the challenge of programming online content is compounded by the fact that everyone has been going it the past several months.

“I think of it this way: When you’re the first one in the neighborhood to have a talking dog, everybody thinks it’s amazing that it talks at all,” Pizzi told Radio World. “But once everybody else’s dog starts talking, people start complaining about funny accents and bad grammar.”

What follows is a thematic summary of five Radio Show sessions focused on technology and engineering.

Monday — Hybrid Radio

The first technical session will focus on hybrid radio, a technology that allows a web-connected receiver to enhance broadcast audio with web-delivered graphics or to automatically switch between broadcast and streamed radio feeds as required so listeners never lose the station they’re tuned to. See related story.

All-Digital AM Radio (Tuesday)

Advocates of all-digital transmission on the AM band in the United States believe that the FCC should allow such operation, at broadcasters’ discretion, so AM stations could improve their station sound and take full advantage of the growing number of HD Radio receivers.

To date, only two U.S. AM stations have made the leap, which requires temporary experimental authorization from the FCC.

“This session will be a progress/update report on all-digital AM radio, which the Radio Show has been covering for a while,” said Pizzi. “We’ll hear from WWFD’s Chief Engineer Dave Kolesar [of Hubbard Radio], who’s been a real champion for this technology using Xperi’s HD Radio MA3 broadcast mode, as well as Brian Walsh from WIOE in Ft. Wayne, Ind.”

WIOE subsequently ended its experiment, at least for now, while WWFD continues in all-digital.

Radio and the Connected Car (Wednesday)

Xperi SVP Broadcast Joe D’Angelo is expected to discuss the recent Xperi/TiVo merger and the role radio can play in the web-connected car of today and tomorrow.

Xperi is familiar to Radio World readers as the parent of HD Radio and of the hybrid radio platform DTS Connected Radio. Its brands also include DTS, IMAX Enhanced, Invensas and Perceive.

[Related: “Why the Xperi/TiVo Deal Matters for Radio”]

“In a time when consumers want personalized and seamless access to entertainment anywhere, anytime and on any device, the combined company will offer consumers a digital entertainment platform featuring an end-to-end entertainment experience, from choice to consumption,” the company has said of the merger.

In a June email, an Xperi representative wrote that the merger brings TiVo’s metadata platform to Xperi’s hybrid radio platform.

“The solutions this merger is poised to bring to broadcasters, automakers and their consumers, take radio and the digital dashboard to a completely new level of discovery and engagement, offering drivers a safe, efficient, more personalized way to discover radio content, all presented with the text/image richness they demand in a digital platform,” she wrote.

“Radio broadcasters retain control of content, with increased engagement and analytical insights, and automakers have access to a turnkey global solution that is secure and will be supported around the world.”

Separately, research suggests that finding a place in web-connected vehicles matters more than ever. According to the Spring 2020 Smart Audio Report from Edison Research and NPR, 36% of U.S. adult smart speaker owners have been listening to more music/entertainment content on their streaming devices since the outbreak, with 52% of 18- to 34-year-olds saying the same thing.

When more people resume driving to work, many may continue listening to streaming in their cars rather than returning to broadcast radio.

The Evolution of Radio Broadcasting Technologies (Thursday and Friday)

The final two technical sessions will consider the evolution of radio broadcasting technologies.

Thursday’s will examine radio’s transition from a traditional hardware-based infrastructure to IP technology, software-based production/playout and working in the cloud. On Friday, the focus will be on next-generation HD Radio technology.

At press time, speakers were being finalized; Pizzi expected that the rosters would include manufacturers and broadcasters.

“The very nature of radio broadcasting is changing,” he said. “With so much going into the cloud and the virtual world, the day may soon come when most of radio’s technical investment is spent on op-ex [operating expenses on services] rather than cap-ex [capital expenses on hardware and equipment], and these sessions will discuss that transition.”

Channel “A” sessions of the Radio Show include a “CEO Townhall” with Bob Pittman of iHeartMedia, Mary Berner of Cumulus Media and David Field of Entercom Communications; the Radio Mercury Awards on Tuesday evening; and a “One-on-One With Byron Allen the founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group LLC/Entertainment Studios.

Honors for Perry

Russell M. Perry will receive the NAB National Radio Award on Monday Oct. 5.

He is described by the National Association of Broadcasters as “a trailblazing media entrepreneur, a champion of journalism and a celebrated humanitarian in his community.”

The association noted that Perry began his radio career in 1993 with the founding of Perry Publishing & Broadcasting Co. and the purchase of an AM station in Oklahoma City, Okla.

“Since then, he has grown the company into the largest independently owned African-American broadcasting company in the nation, with 11 radio stations across the southeast United States.”

Earlier he was co-publisher of The Black Dispatch, and in 1979, became the owner and publisher of The Black Chronicle, a paid weekly newspaper serving Oklahoma.

Perry has also held high posts in Oklahoma state government as the secretary of commerce and secretary of economic development and special affairs. He’s active in efforts to promote and restore African-American-owned commerce in Oklahoma City.

Past honors include induction into the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame and American Urban Radio Network Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Radio Show organizers also have announced that their 2021 fall conference will not be held as planned in New Orleans but will instead at the rescheduled 2021 NAB Show, which has been pushed back from April to October 2021 in Las Vegas. The fall Radio Show in 2022 is scheduled for Nashville.

The full agenda of the Radio Show is at https://radioshowweb.com/.

The post Radio Show Explores What’s on the Horizon appeared first on Radio World.

The author is general manager of Radio Rioja.

LOGROÑO, Spain — On Feb. 25, 1933, the Spanish General Telecommunications Administration issued a broadcast license for the area of Logroño for a radio station with the call sign EAJ 18 and the name “Radio Rioja” to Ismael Palacio.

Today, the station is still active in Logroño, the capital of the province of “La Rioja,” and now has two sisters in other cities in the Rioja province. It is an independent broadcaster affiliated to the Cadena SER Networks, broadcasting the general programming of that group in AM and FM.

Depending on the time of day, it provides its audience with the signals from the networks of SER and SER+, Los Cuarenta Principales and Cadena Dial.

Throughout its long history, it has been committed to regional sports and politics, with a very active news operation. For decades, public figures and groups from Logroño and La Rioja have passed through the main studio to appear on programs.

Thousands of interviews and local and regional reports have been produced from its recording studio as well as national news stories in contribution to the SER Network headquarters in Madrid.

The newsroom dedicates most of its time to providing content for the regional and local slots as well as contributions for Madrid. However, apart from the conventional SER and SER+ radio programming, there are other important sources of income with low production costs for content such as musical products centrally produced at the company headquarters.

A highly automated operation along with other applications allows Radio Rioja to cover expenses and continue being the news station that Riojans demand.

Automation Needs

Radio Rioja has paid attention to its automation systems, valuing reliability, availability and good operation. When renewal of its legacy system was due, they opened up to evaluate the most common systems used in Spain.

During the presentation and evaluation of AEQ AudioPlus, we found that its performance was outstanding and easy to learn and use. We obtained references from other radio stations about compatibility with work practices and requirements for daily SER servicing along with a standard compatible scheduling and billing system.

Then Radio Rioja made one of the most difficult decisions that broadcast technicians and engineers can be faced with: installing and integrating a new and different automation system.

AEQ has been developing and installing radio automation for more than 30 years, with experience of the requirements and demands of thousands of customers. AudioPlus is its third-generation system, developed after Mar System and Mar4win. It’s designed to run on Windows operating systems and with SQL Server databases. It includes a self-installation wizard.

It is compatible with professional, low-cost, USB and virtual AoIP soundcards and provides a set of complementary editing and management tools, as well as links to all kinds of external software applications.

AudioPlus also offers a remotely controlled playout module compatible with Cadena SER commands, and a module for exchange with external management software applications, both for advertisement traffic and musical programming.

Finally, it has a file import module that is adapted to database formats used by various manufacturers. In particular, the format used by Dalet had been used by Radio Rioja and debugged in previous migrations. It worked like a charm, moving the audio files in a few hours while each file’s ancillary information was migrated to AEQ format.

Thanks to its intuitive user interface, the transition to the new system hasn’t really needed additional effort. The person who traveled there to perform the migration trained users on the system’s operation in a few days. During this period, AEQ AudioPlus scheduling was done in parallel with the earlier system’s scheduling

The system includes four recording/playout workstations: one for each control or automatic playout station, one for programming, and a high-availability server with a RAID disk system. Everything was connected over an IP network.

System preconfiguration and installation was done by AEQ personnel, as there were some specific tasks that required special treatment for this “on the fly” migration.

Raquel Cortés of AEQ Technical Assistance Service was on site; she installed the system, transferred the audio files and data, and provided a training course to Radio Rioja staff. Support was carried out by AEQ Sales Area Manager Eduardo Guerrero.

During the installation, the audio codecs for external retransmissions and program transportation were upgraded to IP technology, so four AEQ Phoenix Mercury units and an AEQ Phoenix Venus also were installed.

Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.

For information in the U.S., contact Peter Howarth at AEQ Broadcast International in Florida at 1-800-728-0536 or visit www.aeqbroadcast.com. For international queries, contact AEQ in Spain at +34-91-686-1300 or visit www.aeq.eu.

The post User Report: Radio Rioja Chooses AEQ Automation appeared first on Radio World.

CEntrance describes the PortCaster as a “handheld device [that] fills an important gap for podcasters and radio program hosts who need to add music, effects, and either a local or a remote call-in guest to their ‘talk radio’ -style show.”

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

The company says that the PortCaster uses the company’s Jasmine mic preamps. Features include 48 V phantom power, smartphone input, limiters, monitor controls and an aluminum case. Very useful for radio stations is the mix-minus function. It will work with Android, iOS, Mac, Windows laptops, phones and tablets.

There will be three models with different optional features such as an SD card-based 24-bit/48 kHz digital recorder and an onboard rechargeable battery.

Info: https://centrance.com

 

The post PortCaster Makes a Nice Radio Tool appeared first on Radio World.

A new ebook from Radio World explores one of the most pressing topics in radio technology: What will the future air chain look like?

The concepts of virtualization and putting parts of the air chain in the cloud were already on the minds of forward-looking managers; and the 2020 health crisis has accelerated the trend even over the past few months. New products, new software and new partnerships are helping bring the future closer.

We sat down with five leading industry technologists for a roundtable discussion.

Find out what Roz Clark, Alan Jurison, Shane Toven, Philipp Schmid and Greg Shay had to say when we asked about the implications of virtual; the shift from a cap-ex to an op-ex model; what parts of the air chain are or will be virtualized; and what will virtualization bring to the “back end” of the airchain.

Read it here.

 

The post Virtualizing the Air Chain: Next-Gen Radio Architecture appeared first on Radio World.

In radio project news: Kintronic Labs said it completed the installation and commissioning of a two-tower, 100 kW medium-wave directional antenna system for Far East Broadcasting Co. on an offshore island in South Korea.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

“The transmission system involving Nautel NX100 main and standby transmitters, and the Kintronic Labs antenna system is designed to broadcast in wideband analog, single-channel DRM or DRM simulcast modes via two separate directional patterns,” the company stated.

It provided the photo below. Send news of radio technical projects to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post FEBC Has New 100 kW DA System appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission has decided to adopt a consent decree and grant a translator construction permit application despite a series of objections filed by two separate entities.

Back in February 2016, the FCC issued a construction permit license to Rocket Radio Corp. (RRC) for translator K246CH in Tuba City, Ariz., a town of 8,600 within Arizona’s picturesque Painted Desert. The new translator was to serve as a fill-in translator for KIKO(AM), a country music station serving Apache Junction, Ariz.

After the license was granted, an informal objection was raised by Linda C. Corso, owner of KRDE(FM), a country music station in nearby San Carlos, Ariz.

[Read: Licensee Agrees to $8,000 Consent Agreement on Unauthorized License Transfer]

In the midst of all this, RRC filed an application to make minor changes to the translator’s licensed facilities, a move that prompted another entity — this time Mountain Community Translators (MCT) — to file an informal objection.

The FCC agreed with some of the assertions filed by these two licensees. But it dismissed other claims and said the Media Bureau would enter into a consent decree with RRC to resolve issues that were raised during the FCC’s review of the applications.

But there’s a hefty penalty that comes with this consent decree in the form of a $15,000 civil penalty. The FCC also said that not only must RRC pay the civil penalty in a timely manner but must also submit to probationary oversight if it applied to build any other facilities over the next three years.

All this began when the FCC approved RRC’s request to change its translator’s channel to Channel 275 during a 2016 filing window for FM translator modification applications. In April of that year RRC filed a license application and submitted a program test letter saying that it had begun program tests with the translator at the station.

Soon after an objection was filed by Corso who said that RRC broke several rules: It did not construct the facilities authorized in the permit, it violated the commission’s rules governing station identification, and it made false certifications and statements in its license application and the program test letter.

In response, RRC revised its certifications in an amended license application in July 2017 to reflect that the facilities constructed did vary from those authorized in the permit. RRC said it was unaware that the translator’s facilities had not been constructed as authorized and it assured the FCC that the translator has been operating with authorized parameters since October 2016.

Corso fired back again. In another objection she accused RRC and several of its employees of witness intimidation and harassment, and said RRC deliberately concealed facts from the commission. She also asked several questions: why was the translator not constructed as authorized? And how could RCC be unaware of this?

In June 2018, RRC filed a minor change application asking to increase the translator’s power and change its channel. Soon after, another objection arose from MCT which alleged that RRC made a false certification in its application. In July of that year, RRC filed an application to modify the permit to specify the same power increase and channel change proposed in the minor change application. MCT objected to that application too.

Upon review of the objections, the FCC rejected several of Corso’s allegations. The commission did not find that the translator was operating with a different antenna and at a different power than specified in its permit. The commission also found no merit to Corso’s allegation that the translator violated the commission’s rules governing station identification or her allegations that RRC made misrepresentations to the commission.

The commission did find, though, that the facilities constructed were not those authorized in the permit and that RRC violated sections of the commission’s rules.

Specifically, the commission found that for six months in 2016, the translator’s antenna was mounted at the wrong height and oriented in the wrong direction. By starting program tests with nonconforming facilities, RRC also violated the Communications Act and FCC Rules. Plus, the commission found that that RRC further violated the rules by failing to amend its license application in a timely manner and failed to correct the program test letter to reflect that the facilities constructed were not those specified in the permit.

The FCC also rejected MCT’s assessment that RRC made a false claim that it did not have an authorization for an FM translator station that served the same area and was rebroadcasting the same signal as the translator. While MCT correctly noted that RRC is the licensee of another FM translator — K247CF in Payson, Ariz. — that serves substantially the same area as the facilities authorized in the permit, the two translators have not rebroadcast the signal of the same primary station at the same time. K247CF only began rebroadcasting the translator’s primary station when the translator went off the air in May 2018. The FCC also concluded that RCC did not make misrepresentations or false statements to the commission.

As a result of its findings, the Media Bureau entered into a consent decree with RRC based on its unauthorized construction of the translator and its violations of FCC rules. RRC agreed to pay a civil penalty of $15,000. The consent decree also stipulates that RRC will have an outside broadcast engineer come and examine any facilities that RRC constructs or operates and that this engineer will review technical parameters of any future facilities that RRC constructs over the next three years.

 

The post Arizona Licensee Gets Green Light on License After Agreeing to $15K Consent Decree appeared first on Radio World.

When The Infinite Dial’s P1 survey respondents aren’t listening to radio or online media, they’re listening to podcasts. But how often do they listen, and what types of podcasts do they listen to? The researchers searched for answers, and here’s what they found.

As with most of the other conclusions in the data, research suggests considerable differences in level of interest in podcasts among P1 listeners as a function of their preferred format. Listeners of alternative rock appear to be in the lead, with 81% claiming they listen to podcasts. At the midpoint are the 61% of classic rock listeners. The trailing edge is represented by classic hits with  a listenership of 38%.

[Read: Report Says Stations Struggle to Build Online Listenership]

The data for weekly listenership among P1 respondents does not track with those who claim to listen. While alternative rock’s P1 listeners continue to lead with 51%, the middle ground is held by R&B with 32%. Those who listen least on a weekly basis, according to the survey, are the contemporary Christian demographic, at just 17%.

Perhaps more interesting than how often the different P1 groups listen to podcasts, is what the survey suggests are their favorite topics. Not surprisingly, music is named by the survey among many respondents. Beyond that, responses vary considerably. Classic rock listeners name history, news/info and food as their top picks. Country’s P1 listeners picked true crime, wellness/self-improvement and music as their top three. Music, entertainment/celebrity gossip and food were favorites for hip-hop/rap listeners.

One of the biggest surprises in podcast data might be the results for P1 listeners in the sports and contemporary Christian groups. While they are on opposite ends of the spectrum in The Infinite Dial’s sex/age positioning nomograph, both groups have named sports, technology and history as the top topics for podcasts they listen to.

 

The post Infinite Dial Research Suggests a Variety of Topics Attract Podcast Listeners appeared first on Radio World.

New videos hosted by the DRM Consortium showcase new receiver models like this version from RF2Digital.

The DRM Consortium is inviting industry stakeholders to view a series of new video productions to get more information on the basic principles of DRM and benefits of to implementing this all-band digital radio system.

On the heels of its participation at the Virtual IBC event held earlier in September, the DRM Consortium created a series of videos that offer everything from basic information on DRM to more complex technical details. The videos offer details on addressing transmission issues over large disparate geographic areas, how to provide adequate disaster warning transmissions with DRM and how to improve local radio services to geographically disparate communities with less power — including how to provide three different radio broadcasts from a signal transmitter.

[Read: DRM Advanced Radio for All]

“Content can be richer, more varied and in the regional languages or dialects [of those areas],” according to the introductory video. “More content in more languages on flexible DRM for all.”

Additional benefits for DRM — or Digital Radio Mondiale — include the delivery of data along with the audio broadcasts. In the video “From Broadcaster to the Listener,” the narrator gives viewers a look at what opportunities DRM can provide to an imaginary country, one with large cities with millions of people, smaller township areas as well as vast forest region that divides a country in two and causes significant geographical broadcast challenges to traditional radio broadcasts.

 

 

Using DRM gives this fictional nation the opportunity to reach more of its citizens with clear, crisp audio as well as connect with them via video/data images. DRM radios have a screen and can provide consumers with text, pictures, maps, math lessons, live sports results, emergency warnings and other educational information, creating an “opportunity for digital radio station managers to use this data channel to create a new revenue stream,” the video says. “Visible adverts can be broadcast alongside traditional audio advertising. DRM is flexible, green and delivers universal access to information so the whole country can be connected.”

Philipp Schmid, CTO of Nautel, a maker of DRM transmitters, explains in another video how six independent DRM signals can be emitted from a single Nautel GV family transmitter, in effect combining signals to be broadcast from a single amplifier, a single antenna and a single location.

“In this way we can of course get a lot more data capacity for our transmitter but we can also use white space that was unable to be allocated in analog FM,” he said. An analog FM channel would have prevented the other adjacent channels to be utilized, he said. But in digital transmission we can make sure that all of these modulated signals are emitted at the same time. “By doing so, we can eliminate interchannel interference and in this way a receiver can pick up its own independent sideband and all the audio services on it.”

The technology may revolution digital radio broadcasting, Schmid said. “It allows us to pack more signals into a smaller frequency spectrum, enabling more broadcast transmission, more radio stations, more services [and] better utilize our spectrum that is available for radio broadcasting,” he said.

Another video demonstrates how DRM is able to deliver distance learning material over large, remote geographic areas where IP is not available.

New DRM receiver options — including standalone models, DRM-capable smartphone receivers and automotive models — have been released from companies like Avion Electronics, Gospell, Inntot, Starwaves and RF2Digital.

 

The post DRM Consortium Updates Industry with New Video Productions appeared first on Radio World.

Lawo released a statement on the death of Michael Mueller. He passed away surrounded by loved ones on Sept. 26 after a brief, but severe illness.

The company said, “We mourn the premature passing of our colleague, team member and friend Michael Mueller, 66; a truly unique colleague, with whom we at Lawo had the pleasure to work together for more than a decade. … Known for his witty sense of humor and kind-hearted personality, we will remember Michael as a key member of the global sales organization, skilled bass player in the Lawo band, a renowned face of the audio industry as a whole and a true gentleman and friend. He will be missed. Our deepest condolences go out to his wife, family and friends at this difficult time.

[Read: Brazil’s Rádio Itatiaia Has New Lawo System]

Mueller brought a wealth of experience to his positions as U.S. sales and marketing manager in 2008, and later as vice president of sales, with Lawo North America. He was responsible for the further development of the Lawo brand identity throughout the United States and was also charged with increasing sales of the company’s numerous products.

Prior to joining Lawo North America, Mueller was vice-president, sales and marketing for MediaGear Inc. He also held positions with Audio Techniques, Scharff Weisberg Associates, Siemens Audio Inc./AMS-Neve Inc., Solid State Logic and Fairlight USA.

 

The post Lawo’s Michael Mueller Passes Away at 66 appeared first on Radio World.

A technical session in the upcoming virtual Radio Show will focus on a topic of growing importance to U.S. broadcasters: hybrid radio.

As Radio World readers know, the term refers to in-car radio radios that can receive analog AM/FM or HD Radio over the air but also connect to the wireless internet to download station graphics, song information and station identifications.

Hybrid radios also support interactivity between the listener and the station. And they can switch seamlessly from a station’s broadcast signal to its audio stream whenever the vehicle drives out of the station’s broadcast coverage area.

RadioDNS has updated its standard to add geo-fencing to prevent access to specific platforms based on physical location. Among other benefits, this would allow a station to define its FM coverage area and “deny” access to streaming within that area in favor of the OTA signal.

For radio broadcasters concerned about losing in-car listeners to non-radio streaming services, advocates say hybrid radio is a timely solution that marries broadcast radio’s strengths — free service, localism and wide coverage — with the power of streaming audio including global reach, rich multimedia content and interactivity.

The technology has been talked about at spring and fall broadcast conventions for years but is taking on more urgency as hybrid radio-equipped vehicles start appearing in the United States, and as AM and FM broadcasters watch SiriusXM roll out its own enhanced 360L platform, which includes personalization and on-demand features.

Benefits

The session “How Radio Broadcasters Can Support RadioDNS” will be presented on Monday Oct. 5 by Nick Piggott, project director of RadioDNS. It’s a not-for-profit membership organization that is promoting the adoption and deployment of hybrid radio globally using open standards.

David Layer, NAB’s vice president of advanced engineering, will moderate.

On one level, the presentation will bring session participants up to speed on hybrid radio’s progress.

“We’ll be talking about hybrid radio’s capabilities and what it can do for radio stations as we’re starting to see more hybrid radio-capable devices proliferate, particularly in cars,” said Skip Pizzi, NAB’s vice president of technology education and outreach.

Piggott also will explain how radio managers can move into this medium through their own efforts or by hiring a third-party contractor.

This Audi receiver shows the availability of a streamed version at right; note the small box “Web.”

“We’ll provide a simple step-by-step guide under the headline, ‘So you’ve decided you’d like to do hybrid radio,’” said Piggott.

“It will be reasonably but not impenetrably technical, so that somebody who has a basic understanding of technology within their radio station or radio group can walk away thinking, ‘I know how we’re going to do hybrid radio. I can see how we’re going to do this.’”

The session will include a discussion of the issue of restricting in-car streaming within a station’s main coverage area, so that broadcasters do not find themselves paying higher streaming music royalties for content that can be heard easily over the air. This is a software-configurable restriction based on constantly comparing the vehicle’s GPS location to the station’s core coverage area.

Tools for Broadcasters

As an open-standards advocacy group, RadioDNS exists to help stations understand and implement hybrid radio solutions.

The Technical Section of its website (https://radiodns.org/technical/) offers a range of downloadable “How To” documents detailing each stage of implementing RadioDNS hybrid radio, from creating station logos and other metadata to station registration, implementing high-definition visuals and setting program listening restrictions by time of day or to a specific program.

The website’s technical section includes a number of presentations on managing RadioDNS hybrid radio applications and support for stations doing this on their own.

By digging into the nuts-and-bolts of hybrid radio in a plainspoken manner, Piggott hopes to make the concept accessible to radio engineers and non-engineers alike. This is why he, NAB and RAB are putting this discussion forward.

“My goal is to demystify the technology and encourage broadcasters not to be apprehensive about trying it,” Piggott said. “That’s the headline: Taking the Fear Out of Hybrid Radio Through RadioDNS, So That Broadcasters Can Do It Themselves.”

For a deeper discussion, see the recent Radio World story “Hybrid Radio Picks Up Momentum” at https://tinyurl.com/rw-hybrid-2.

The post Taking the Fear Out of Hybrid Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Sarah Foss has joined Entercom as chief information officer.

Foss will “provide strategic direction and oversight for the design, development, acquisition, operation and support of the company’s enterprise technology systems and programs.”

Veteran Radio World readers may recall Foss from her tenures at Harris Corp. and Imagine Communications. More recently she was senior VP of strategic initiatives for FreeWheel Advertisers. She has also held management or executive positions at Yangaroo, Encompass Digital Media and VCI Solutions.

[Read: Codecs Offer Redundancy, Backup and Failover]

She is a co-founder of Tech Bae, a tech-focused organization for women in the media and advertising ecosystem.

Richard Schmaeling, EVP/CFO of Entercom, praised Foss for “her strong business acumen and enriched media technology intellect.” At Entercom her job also will include helping apply digital, data and analytic tools.

Send People News to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Sarah Foss Is New Entercom CIO appeared first on Radio World.

The author is chairman of Digital Radio Mondiale. Her commentaries appear regularly in Radio World.

The recent DRM virtual showcase proved to be a real box of delights and new announcements demonstrating that the digital radio industry remains resilient and innovative even in pandemic times. “The best DRM IBC show with the lowest carbon footprint and best attendance” was one of the many feedbacks received. And there were lots of things to excite the over 100 participants from literally all over the world.

The highlights were grouped around some big themes like DRM in practice, extensively proven and used in the FM band; DRM and its possible major role in delivering educational content to large and remote areas in times when many students cannot attend face-to-face lessons; use of DRM in public signage which can be applied for both education, health and emergency announcements; a new and “live” way of monitoring on-air transmissions, which can be beneficial to both the engineers and the editorial staff of broadcasters.

[Read: Can Digital Radio Standards Coexist?]

While the all-band, open DRM standard is stable and well-established, technical improvements can always be implemented like the recent updating of the DRM system specification ETSI ES 201 980. Three improvements were announced by the DRM Technical Chair (BBC) and are to do with removal of some obsolete or unused modulation features and enhanced signaling when using emergency warnings. The changes, which are backwards-compatible, will make DRM’s implementation in chipsets and receivers more reliable, and add additional support for receiver text displays to be able to also support different scripts from around the world. We now know that the publication of the new ETSI version is expected early in 2021.

Around that time a DRM medium-wave pilot to be run by the BBC for the Middle East is also expected to start, as out of the 468 million people tuning to the BBC worldwide, we were told by the BBC representative that a quarter are still doing so on AM. And shortwave, a bit of a blast from the past for some, is not forgotten in places like Russia, China, and many other countries, as the demand for SW digital transmitters is quite healthy. As mentioned by the Ampegon representative the demand is mainly now for bigger capacity transmitters, above 25 kW going to 50 kW, able to cover wide areas with good analog and digital sound and delivering big energy savings. In its new factory Ampegon is working on satisfying these demands.

Improvements were also announced at the level of professional monitoring all these transmissions. So RFmondial announced the upgraded HTML5 GUI in its DRM/AM Monitoring and Measurement Receiver Family RF-SE and the possible software update of older versions. A new exciter version was also unveiled by the German company. Their German colleagues at Fraunhofer IIS also completed the picture with end-to-end implementations offering solutions (content server and multimedia player, data services like Journaline and Emergency Warning Functionality), services for supporting DRM field trials and rollout, as well as  unique expertise.

But the DRM Showcase was not all about better hardware. It was also about technical innovation. And the one that elicited most of the questions was the extended DRM multiplex for FM, an idea that benefited from the input of Nautel and RFmondial engineers. This solution allows one analog FM transmission (200 kHz) and four DRM channels (two in each of the 200 kHz guard spaces as a DRM channel only occupies 100 kHz). Or if the whole 600 kHz are used in pure DRM then up to six DRM channels (each service with up to three audio and one data services) can be offered from the same transmitter, same antenna with possible sharing of costs among several broadcasters. The individual broadcasters remain in control of their transmissions without the involvement of third-parties.

As usual, participants were also interested in what is happening in the various countries about implementing DRM. While India remains the top DRM country (alongside China), the adoption of DRM in all bands by Pakistan and its public broadcaster (PBC) was one of the big surprises of the showcase. The comprehensive three-phase costed plan to introduce DRM in FM, and medium-wave, first, in all the key areas of the country has been endorsed and praised since the “DRM—Advanced Radio for All” by top Pakistani officials.

Indonesia and its public radio (RRI) representative also presented its five FM transmitters which went on air over the last few months and the excellent results of the Emergency Warning Functionality demonstrated on a DRM FM transmitter in Jakarta in August. The recent tender for digital DRM transmitters in SW, MW and FM in Brazil was welcome news and the expectation is now that a locally produced SW DRM transmitter will be soon transmitting from the key public broadcaster central site.

Africa always gets a mention though South Africa has really scored a first with its policy announced two months ago that it recommends both DRM and DAB as a way to digitize radio in the country; a true torch-bearer for other African countries so reliant on AM and FM radio.

Over 2.5 million of cars with DRM receivers are placing India in a class of its own. Receivers are fitted at no cost in cars from the top brands. Work is continuing to increase pure DRM hours for five All India Radio (AIR) transmitters to full day and diversify content. Possibilities are being explored to have an educational channel and invite also some private broadcasters to use the extra channels available through DRM on AIR transmitters. Six more medium-wave transmitters are to be added to the existing 35 MW DRM transmitters. One of these new batch of DRM transmitters using all the extra DRM features will be launched officially in Hyderabad very soon. The increase of the DRM presence and the general technical effort being made will stimulate the receiver production and availability.

And a good part of the DRM event was devoted to the development of receiver and receiver solutions. One trend we noticed was the extension of DRM reception to FM so that it can cover analog and AM as well as FM broadcasts. Most of the receiver manufacturers proudly announced the availability of attractive features like support for xHE-AAC codec, Journaline, Emergency Warnings. The receivers introduced in excellent videos like that of Avion (India) came in all shapes and forms; from the rich variety of Gospell (China) and its GR series and DRM car stereo, to the Indian multifunctional receivers and SDR-based solutions of Inntot (India). RF2 digital (Korea/Germany) also came up with an SDR receiver solution for analog and all DRM bands, being also a multistandard device. Cambridge Consultants (U.K.) is working on a very low-energy and low-cost solution. The same idea was embraced by Starwaves (Germany/Switzerland) which presented a “tuk-tuk” radio (stripped down but very functional). It also announced the world premiere of Starwaves W293BT receiver, available now upon orders.

So, DRM is making great strides technically, geographically and in coming up with ingenious receiver solutions. To encourage as many digital radio practitioners, stakeholders and decisionmakers to embrace and implement digital radio, DRM, the consortium launched on Sept. 9 its own new video, “DRM — From Broadcaster to Listener.”

 

The post DRM Advanced Radio for All appeared first on Radio World.

APT IP codec promo image

WorldCast Systems has a new offering that it says will give FM broadcasters access to high-quality signal compression for FM MPX/Composite transmission.

“APTmpX is the world’s first and only MPX/composite algorithm to save network bandwidth without deconstructing the original composite signal,” it states in a release.

WorldCast described it as “a new compression format to transmit your high-quality composed signal at even lower bit rates, under 1 Mbps.”

It is available in MPX/composite-compatible APT IP codecs.

The manufacturer said advancements in recent years have eliminated much of the equipment once required to generate an MPX/composite signal. More recently, a single central processor assures consistent audio signature across a transmitter network.

WorldCast Systems graphic

“However, before APTmpX, there remained one challenge: how to manage the relatively high IP data rate of a composite signal without affecting the MPX/composite transmission,” the company wrote.

“APTmpX not only enhances our portfolio for MPX solutions, but also marks a milestone in the transition to an MPX/composite environment,” said APT Product Manager Hartmut Foerster in the announcement.

He said users benefit from lower hardware and distribution costs.

 

The post WorldCast Introduces APTmpX appeared first on Radio World.

For most AM/FM stations, getting listeners to utilize their online stream remains a challenge, according to The Infinite Dial’s report. When asked whether they listened to online audio in the past week, responses ranged from a high of 82% for sports listeners, to a low 39% for those who regularly tune in classic hits.

[Read: Is the Smart Speaker Like a New Age Home Radio?]

 When those same listeners were asked how often they listened to AM/FM radio online, the percentages drop significantly. The report stated that sports listeners still lead, but with 45%. Next comes R&B with 28%, while news/talk, alternative rock and hard rock/heavy metal are in a three-way tie for third with 26%. Bringing up the rear is classic hits with 11%. This disparity is a bit of a mystery, and no explanations are offered in The Infinite Dial’s report.

In some instances, there is a difference in the number of commercials aired on radio and online media, and The Infinite Dial’s report sought to determine how important hearing few/no commercials is to choosing online audio. Leading the pack, according to the report, are hard rock/heavy metal listeners, of whom 64% said few/no commercials was the only reason for listening to music online. 23% of this group said it was not a reason for choosing online audio.

Almost evenly divided on the matter are hip-hop/rap listeners, where the survey showed that 39% say no commercials are the only reason to listen to online audio, 38% say it’s not a factor in online listening, and 23% say it’s an important reason, but not the only one. At the other end of the spectrum are contemporary Christian listeners, where the report says 38% find few/no commercials a reason to tune in online, and 56% say it is not a reason.

AM/FM radio has traditionally been considered a top source for music discovery. According to this research, it still is, but it now shares the lead with YouTube and friends/family. The research also suggests that YouTube is the wild card, as its adoption defies the expected radio format and age boundaries. Trailing behind as a source for music discovery in most categories are Spotify, SiriusXM and Pandora.

 

The post Report Says Stations Struggle to Build Online Listenership appeared first on Radio World.

Greg Ashlock calls iHeartMedia’s newest offering a “product-driven network.”

The president of iHeartMedia Markets Group was talking about the iHeartSports Network that launched today.

“People are passionate about sports and this will deliver the timely regional and local coverage they care most about along with the biggest national stories,” Ashlock said in the announcement.

The network — also referred to as IHSN in the press release — will provide content to some 500 stations and their digital streams.

Almost exactly a year ago, the company launched an iHeartRadio Sports website.

“IHSN will deliver short-form national, regional local sports reports to listeners on formats that index high against sports interest, including rock, country, hip hop, class hits, news, talk and sports,” the company said.

Talent to be heard on the network include Cris Collinsworth, Colin Cowherd, Dan Patrick and Joy Taylor.

The company cited research from Scarborough that 83 percent of sports fans want a daily update, and from Nielsen that 89 percent of sports fans listen to radio each week.

“Research also indicates that almost two-thirds of sports fans do not have the time to seek out additional desired information.”

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