Radio World

The commercial radio business may be challenged in the United States right now; but it will still be in the top five media platforms in terms of local ad revenue next year, and it should hold onto its share of the overall local ad market.

That is the projection of BIA Advisory Services, which released its U.S. Local Advertising Forecast.

It believes total local advertising revenue across all media in the U.S. will reach $137.5 billion in 2021. “This estimate represents a 2.5 percent year-over-year growth from the firm’s final post-COVID estimate for 2020 of $134.1 billion, as businesses start to adapt and rebound from the pandemic lows,” it stated.

“As the expected presence of vaccines will help with the continuing rebound in the economy, we expect this increase will occur throughout 2021 even without the presence of significant political advertising.”

Radio, the company projects, will bring in $12.6 billion in ad revenue. (This includes all spot revenue from OTA radio, from national, regional and local advertisers, as well as radio online advertising.)

That performance would be up 1.4% from BIA’s latest estimates for 2020, the company told Radio World, and it would keep radio at about 9.2% of the local ad pie, “pretty flat” with this year’s 9%.

The graphic shows the top five categories with dollar totals and percentages provided by BIA.

Overall the company thinks traditional media revenue will see a slight decline from this year, while digital media will grow a few percentage points and reach 44.7 percent of total local media revenue.

“Although we are estimating an overall increase in total local advertising next year, we do not expect spending to recover to pre-COVID (2019) levels until 2022,” said Mark Fratrik, chief economist and SVP at BIA Advisory Services.

“The availability of a vaccine early in the new year will be a key factor to a much stronger year for almost all vertical advertising as the economy rebounds and consumers start moving around more freely and even going back into the office.”

“This year saw a very strong shift into digital media for its lower costs, accountability and flexibility,” Fratrik said in a press release. “However, it also included substantially improved targeting, attribution and ROI tools from broadcast TV, broadcast radio and MVPDs that cannot be ignored.”

Speaking of TV and radio, the company wrote: “Even with the onslaught of new digital competitors, these traditional media still retain sizable audiences that many national and local advertisers want to reach.”

But it said local mobile and online will account for more than one-third of all local advertising, and that OTT advertising will continue to grow; it described OTT TV and the connected TV segment as “game changers for the broadcast industry” because of how easy it is to purchase fragmented inventory and do audience targeting.

The post U.S. Local Ad Revenue to Grow in ’21, BIA Predicts appeared first on Radio World.

It’s an SBE special! We talk with Society of Broadcast Engineers President Wayne Pecena about the organization’s pending projects, its pandemic response and its new executive director. Geary Morrill previews the Technical Professional Training Program that launches in January. And Mark Persons reflects on his career after receiving the SBE’s prestigious John H. Battison Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Read it online here.

Prefer to do your reading offline? No problem! Simply click on the digital edition, go to the left corner and choose the download button to get a PDF version.

Buyer’s Guide

Streaming, Podcasting and Online Content Delivery

Customers of Comrex, Telos and StreamGuys explain why they chose the products they did. Also learn about new offerings from Tieline, Inovonics, StreamS, Wheatstone, RME and BroadcastPix.

Processing

Making PPM Encoding Easier

Mike Pappas writes about how an Orban AM processor came to have the Nielsen encoding built in.

 

Also in this issue:

• A Lineman’s Tips to Ground an STL Pole
• Belizaire Reflects on Race, Success
• HD Radio: A History of Innovation, a Future of Growth

 

The post Inside the Nov. 25, 2020 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

Programmatic ad platform AdTonos says a campaign for Audi in London marked the first time interactive audio ads have been launched across commercial radio on smart speakers.

The U.K.-based company has a technology called YoursTruly that was used in a campaign in which listeners could react to the Audi ad with a voice command to book test drives for Audi cars or find a dealer.

“The innovative technology allows advertisers to reach listeners via smart speakers with engaging two-way, voice-based communications, delivered across Octave’s vast portfolio of commercial radio stations,” AdTonos wrote in a press release.

It said YoursTruly was developed to exploit “the significant and fast-growing potential of native audio ad experiences.”

To make it work, the ad features an “interaction trigger” that is inserted into an ad break; listeners can react to the ad with a voice command to engage the voice assistant and complete a desired action before being returned to the live station.

This campaign was in partnership with Octave and Omnicom Media Group’s agency, PHD. It was planned by PHD and targeted commercial stations including Absolute Radio, Kiss Radio and Magic Radio.

 

The post AdTonos Promotes Interactive Audio Ads appeared first on Radio World.

The author is SVP, Engineering — Digital Platforms at Xperi Corp. This commentary is part of Radio World’s Radio@100 series marking the industry centennial.

A hundred years later, reports of the demise of radio continue to be greatly exaggerated. Again.

In fact, it seems that the very idea of radio has been waved away as a second-hand thought only for it to show its deep value — time after time. Even today, as the media splinters and morphs into the many ways people engage with content, radio is here, valued and appreciated — and continuing to rank above all other channels in consumption.

Radio has survived and thrived thanks to continuous innovation, along with the dogged work of achieving scale and adoption of those innovations. Those who have made radio their careers have focused on delivering what consumers want by coming together to innovate across content and technology.

For example, in the early days of FM radio that meant that stations launched FM broadcasts without receivers in the market, driving the adoption of an improved sound experience that increased the value of their content.

Making Radio Competitive

In a way, the idea of HD Radio began, over 20 years ago, much like those FM radio days. Broadcasters were seeing competition for their products and services — from satellite radio, iPods and MP3s. The vision was to develop a digital solution that would allow broadcasters to be competitive, by improving quality and enriching the overall content experience. It was “CD-quality sound, no hiss or fuss” with the name of the song showing up on the digital screen, with multi-casting opportunities.

This would prove to be a more engaging way for this increasingly digitally oriented audience to experience the local and personal content that broadcasters had spent years nurturing.

It sounds easy, but being the first to do something is always a risky, uphill endeavor. And while the story of HD Radio has always been about technical invention, the most critical part of that story is how it brought receiver-makers and broadcasters together.

It’s fair to say, in fact, that the HD Radio journey started as a classic Catch-22: the receiver-makers would not invest in a new product if no one was transmitting; broadcasters would not transmit if there were no receivers in the market to pick up their signal.

Fortunately, precedent had already been set when Westinghouse created broadcast content for their early wireless receivers. The first commercial broadcast in the U.S., aired on KDKA on Nov. 2, 1920, announced the winner of the Harding-Cox presidential race. More importantly it announced commercial radio — and changed the world.

Glory Days of Receivers

The first commercial automotive HD receiver was the Kenwood KTC-HR100 HD Radio tuner; it was a dealer-installed aftermarket item. The black box went into the vehicle’s trunk and the HD Radio function was completely separate from the main radio headunit.

We spent thousands of hours developing and testing it, including having groups from Japan and the U.S. drive around, measuring reception and performance for days on end. Home products took the same journey: the Boston Acoustics Recepter Radio HD went through hundreds of hours of testing and validation.

At first, those units were expensive.  But the economic tipping point came when Visteon signed with BMW AG to put HD Radio in 2006 model-year cars — that was the key that started the engine for HD Radio.

Today there are 42 car manufacturers and 290 models available with HD Radio. The Catch-22 has been solved, with each side of the ecosystem having exactly what they need: the audience and the technology to serve up a premium experience, where and how consumers want it.

According to the recent Techsurvey 2020 by Jacobs Media, 69% of listeners surveyed said that the main reason they listen to radio is that it’s easiest to listen to in the car.

Innovation Evolves

Over the past 20 years, we’ve worked with our partners to develop thousands of different radio models for car, home, portable and phone. To date, we have tested almost 4,000 radio models through our 80+ point product certification program.

What began with 12 people working on our vision for HD Radio, continues with hundreds of experts in technology development and systems engineering. All told, thousands of people around the world are involved in the development, production and sale of HD Radio.

And those new receiver products have innovated to transform radio listening into a much richer experience compared to the first HD Radio receivers launched 16 years ago. Consumers can now access multicast HD2-HD3 audio programs and have a visual experience with album images

It has been quite a journey, one in which the immutable law of consumer value has ruled. Costs have decreased and the accessibility of HD receivers has increased. Quality has improved thanks to a worldwide production ecosystem with established relationships with over 50 manufacturing partners across the world.

The important thing, though, is content. That’s why radio is a sustainable platform. It’s something we’re very proud to be a part of, this innovative power to deliver personal options to consumers. The Jacobs’ Media Techsurvey makes it clear: Six in 10 say that personalities are the main reason they listen — and close to 90% agreed that one of radio’s primary advantages was its local content.

Personal. Local. And immersive. I see that as the future of HD Radio.

As we get set for the next 100 years, there are three things that will power the growth of HD Radio — and radio in general.

The first is humility. Learning from our experience informs the growth of the future, especially in terms of HD.

The second is momentum, because as HD grows, all connected industries gain velocity and opportunities to create more interactive and personal radio experiences.

And finally, it’s to remain fearless in our innovation journey, and to be relentless in bringing new ideas and features to the market. That’s how we deliver on the promise of a better experience for listeners — and that’s why we’ll be here 100 years from now.

The post HD Radio’s History of Innovation and Future of Growth appeared first on Radio World.

iHeartRadio released an interesting list of popular songs for 2020, based on its listener data.

It added up total audience spins and streams across its broadcast radio stations and digital network “to look at the top songs that got Americans through this truly one of a kind year.”

“What’s perhaps most interesting about this data is that it shows a complete picture of what folks across the country listened to — not just what those using digital streaming services had queued up,” a company representative wrote in an email.

She said ”Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd reached an audience over 2 billion in the United States alone.

The overall list is below.

The company also posted lists for specific genres; it has been a good year for acts like country’s Morgan Wallen, rhythmic’s Roddy Ricch, alternative’s Twenty One Pilots, rock’s Shinedown and R&B’s Chris Brown. (Find the lists here.)

iHeart’s Top 10 Overall Songs of 2020:

1. THE WEEKND, Blinding Lights
2. POST MALONE, Circles
3. HARRY STYLES, Adore You
4. DUA LIPA, Don’t Start Now
5. LEWIS CAPALDI, Someone You Loved
6. DOJA CAT, Say So
7. LEWIS CAPALDI, Before You Go
8. MAROON 5, Memories
9. BLACKBEAR, Hot Girl Bummer
10. DUA LIPA, Break My Heart

The post iHeart Lists Top 10 Overall Songs of 2020 appeared first on Radio World.

Geary Morrill

The Technical Professional Training Program just announced by the Society of Broadcast Engineers aims to position new entrants to broadcast engineering for success by expanding their knowledge base.

Geary Morrill of Alpha Media chairs the Education Committee of the SBE and is a member of the organization’s executive board. He talked with Radio World in November about the pending program.

“What we’re doing by offering TPTP,” he said, “is providing means to deliver support to a new broadcast engineer,  leveraging inherent strengths of current SBE initiatives — providing a step-by-step template that can be utilized by group owners, independent broadcasters, contract engineering firms, state associations … basically any organization concerned with finding and developing our next generation of broadcast technical professionals.”

Over the years, SBE has developed and delivered programs and support to those already employed in the profession. “Unfortunately, those not intimately involved in the technical side of our industry aren’t truly aware of what and how we do this,” he said.

“They are however acutely aware there’s less and less folks available to perform technical work critical to their enterprise, and that sources traditionally geared to prepare new techs — trade schools and electronic vocational training programs, and on-the-job learning opportunities — have either shrunk or disappeared completely.”

SBE’s leaders weighed how to fill the gap.

“This was not just a technical issue. We would need to make everything user-friendly to both technical and non-technical folks, or it could never get off the ground,” Morrill said.

Cost and Benefits

The cost for a person entering the program is $475. What do they receive for this?

First, they’ll be paired with a mentor, someone already in the technical side of the industry with a knowledge base and practical experience that will help to encourage and guide their learning process.

“In a group owner situation, this could be someone already in their employ at a market, regional or national level,” Morrill said.

“It may be someone affiliated with another organization, like a state broadcasters’ association, interested in supporting this effort for their membership. Or it could be a retired engineer looking to pay forward the support he or she received as a new entrant to our profession some time ago. The common denominator is a desire to see a new person succeed in their broadcast technology career.”

Second, the mentor will collaborate with their mentee to determine their grasp of the disciplines and technologies needed for their role using existing and enhanced tools like SBE CertPreview.

“Armed with this evaluation, the mentors can direct a mentees’ studies by curating the extensive archived SBE webinar series as well as new offerings that are always in development as technology evolves,” he said.

“Included with enrollment in the program, the mentee receives SBE Member Plus level access to the entire educational webinar library of the society for a year, including all new webinars. Mentee learning is further supplemented with a copy of the recently published ‘SBE Engineering Handbook,’ providing a written resource that can be used for both their studies and future reference.”

Third, a natural byproduct of this effort will be preparation to write the Broadcast Technologist Certification exam for either AM/FM or TV. That helps to demonstrate a mentees mastery of electronic fundamentals and relevant FCC rules.

Morrill said SBE is encouraging employers to invest in participation by their new hires.

“In return, it’s reasonable to ask for a commitment from the employee to remain with the employer making this investment, for a mutually agreeable period, or to reimburse the employer’s hard cost if they should choose to withdraw. That way, both parties have a vested interest in the employee being successful, as they have ‘skin in the game.’”

Morrill said the effort involves education, mentorship and certification that already exist in SBE offerings but brings them together in a “guided” system rather than offering things a la carte.

“This is a huge benefit to the intended users because we realize folks who aren’t already technically proficient simply don’t know what they don’t know. And non-technical folks wanting to help don’t either.”

SBE will also provide support and training for volunteers to make their role effective and rewarding.

“A successful mentor doesn’t need to be a professional educator … just be willing to take an active interest in bringing this next generation along.”

[Read the announcement about the program launch.]

The post Geary Morrill on SBE’s New TPTP Program appeared first on Radio World.

The idea of allowing U.S. radio stations to “geo-target” content via FM boosters took a step forward this week.

We also got some insight into how several FCC commissioners are thinking about the proposal, with one describing the idea as a “potentially industry-altering technology.”

On Tuesday the Federal Communications Commission issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to allow limited geo-targeting, and asked for comments.

This proposal has been pushed for years by technology company GeoBroadcast Solutions LLC, and has gained support and interest from a number of influential industry players.

The FCC wrote that the idea “presents novel technical and public interest issues that would benefit from additional consideration.”

Geo-targeted content could include advertisements as well as other content. The NPRM would change the booster rules to “enable FM broadcasters to use FM booster stations to air geo-targeted content … independent of the signals of its primary station within different portions of the primary station’s protected service contour for a limited period of time during the broadcast hour.”

GeoBroadcast Solutions welcomed this step: “The prospect of hyper-localizing over-the-air radio content has great potential for the industry in reaching underserved audiences, as well as providing news and alerts on a regional basis, and improving the advertising revenue for the stations,” said spokesman Robert Udowitz. “Industry groups, media and advertising companies, broadcasting companies, minority coalitions and individual stations have all supported and seen the prospects for this technology.”

GBS has said that the technology will work without causing any adjacent-channel interference, and that any self-interference would be manageable.

We learn in statements issued by the commissioners that Brendan Carr, a Republican, and Geoffrey Starks, a Democrat, have been working together to bring the idea to this point.

Starks has been a more public supporter of the idea, emphasizing its potential benefit to small, women and minority broadcasters.

But Carr wrote after the NPRM was released, “We both saw the public interest benefits of this new technology, and I welcomed the chance to work with him and his team over the past few weeks and months to ensure that the commission launched this rulemaking.”

Carr calls the idea “potentially industry-altering technology that will allow FM broadcasters to deliver targeted content over their existing spectrum.”

He wrote, “This technology promises to enhance service in local markets and help these stations compete in an ever-expanding media marketplace. And it means that the freedom to transmit targeted or customized content, which mobile wireless carriers have long enjoyed and broadcast television stations are now realizing with ATSC 3.0, could soon extend to broadcast radio as well.”

Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, also a Republican, took a more cautious view.

O’Rielly said he welcomes creative ideas intended to help “legacy providers to compete effectively with their unregulated counterparts.” But O’Rielly expressed reservations about the pace of the rollout, “given its substantial implications for reshaping FM radio policy and the radio advertising marketplace.” He said the FCC should not rush.

“This rulemaking’s embrace of new radio technologies seems to have occurred at almost light speed,” O’Rielly wrote. “In addition to these process-related concerns, there are also substantive reasons to proceed with caution. … Any rulemaking that considers taking steps that rely on a proprietary technology should be done under a watchful and extremely skeptical eye. It can take years, if not decades, to undue problematic regulations that contain embedded technologies.”

He said comments that will be filed in coming weeks will be important. “Geo-targeting will likely have different consequences for different stations, and it will be important for the record to flesh out the relevant benefits and drawbacks of more targeted ad sales,” he wrote.

“Some argue that increased targeting could expand ad sales by making smaller stations, and even boosters, more attractive to ad buyers. However, it is also possible, at the same time, that geotargeted ads will lower station revenues overall because these ads will be cheaper as a result of reaching fewer ears, leaving stations with a more limited product to offer and putting them in the position of having to recoup lost revenue.”

O’Rielly said that if advertisers can slice any given market into half a dozen mini markets, “it is possible they will only buy spots in certain neighborhoods and forego others, while potentially reallocating remaining funds to digital advertising or other media.”

In the best-case scenario, he said, stations would be under heightened pressure to sell even more ads, at a time when potential ad sales are already being lost to other media. “In the worst-case scenario, the door could be opened to allowing advertisers to entirely ignore certain neighborhoods or mini markets, placing an untenable strain on small stations or broadcast boosters that operate in these areas and harming consumers who live there. In the absence of more robust analysis, the assumption that these changes will promote diversity of voices, much less ownership, is incredibly premature.”

But Commissioner Starks has expressed no such reservations.

Starks pointed to the impact of the pandemic on small, minority broadcast owners, and said this proposal will help. He cited supported from civil rights organizations including MMTC, the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB), National Urban League and numerous others.

“The ability to use of booster stations to provide hyper-localized content potentially opens up opportunities for station owners to increase advertising revenue, which for struggling stations could increase their chance of staying on the air to serve their local communities. It could also provide a cost-effective means for other small businesses to customize advertising to a targeted audience.”

Another benefit, he said, is that it could help minorities gain more access to capital.

“GeoBroadcast Solutions has developed an advertising revenue sharing model that would help smaller stations install boosters and new technology necessary to use the system without having to come up with up front capital and operational expenses,” he wrote. “If this innovative proposal can provide a new revenue stream that keeps even a few struggling stations on air or opens up opportunities for new broadcasters to enter the market, it is well worth our serious consideration.”

The comment deadline will be set once the notice appears in the Federal Register.

Read the NPRM and the many questions the FCC wants comments about.

The post FCC Asks for Comments on FM Geo-Targeting appeared first on Radio World.

The Alabama Broadcasters Association emailed members this week to let them know it has reduced membership dues by 30% for 2021.

It also urged stations to send their savings to help the National Association of Broadcasters.

“The NAB is in an incredibly difficult financial situation,” the ABA wrote. “Because of the pandemic, they were unable to conduct any major conference events this year. The income from those meetings represents the vast majority of their income.

“This is important because winning in the halls of federal power is costly. Our opponents are powerful and well-funded. NAB needs resources to remain an effective advocate on Capitol Hill.

“If you are in a position to send the money you are saving on your ABA dues this year to the NAB, we encourage you to do so.” The message included an address to send donation checks.

At the NAB, Senior VP of Communications Ann Marie Cumming told Radio World that the ABA effort was not prompted by a coordinated effort from the NAB, and she noted that the organization recently took steps of its own to respond to this year’s challenges.

“The NAB Board unanimously approved a one-time assessment, which has positioned NAB with the necessary resources to effectively advocate in Washington and stand up for broadcasters at a time when they need it most,” she said.

“We greatly appreciate the support of our membership and state associations, understanding the hardships many stations are enduring due to the pandemic.”

 

 

The post State Association Solicits Donations to NAB appeared first on Radio World.

iHeartMedia said it plans to provide $1 million worth of public service media to organizations working for social and racial justice. It named UNCF as the first recipient.

The company said its new “iHeartRadio Communities Spotlight Media Grant Program” extends its existing public service commitment and that messages will be “targeted to most effectively serve impacted communities.”

“The inaugural Spotlight Grants will provide a nationwide platform for Black-focused community organizations to inspire, educate and empower listeners to take a stand against systemic racism and promote social justice; celebrate Black excellence, achievement and culture; help members of the Black community express themselves and address the unique needs of their communities; and invest in educational programs and individuals that are inspiring the next generation of Black journalists and leaders,” it stated in a press release.

UNCF helps fund private historically Black colleges and universities; it will receive a minimum grant of exposure valued at $350,000.

“The all-new PSA will begin airing today through the end of the year across all iHeartMedia radio stations and will bring attention to the many social, financial, educational and mental health challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has caused to communities of color and the threat to America’s progress for a more equitable society.”

UNCF is asking listeners to donate online to help HBCU students who had to withdraw from school because of the pandemic to get back to college.

 

 

The post iHeartMedia PSA to Support HBCU Students appeared first on Radio World.

Congratulations, you’ve decided to buy a radio broadcast console!

The complexity of broadcast plants has increased, accelerated by the demands of new types of content across many types of platforms.

Here are important questions to ask yourself as you prepare to make your purchase.

Who am I?

Identifying “who you are” is the first step in the decision tree.

Are you a stand-alone station? A cluster in a market? A group owner with a handful of markets, or hundreds of stations? A state-owned network? A network serving affiliates on a regional or national basis? A production house or podcaster?

Identifying your size and scope can point you as you navigate audio mixing and routing technologies.

For example, a large group owner might be more interested in virtual or centralized operations, while a small cluster might be more interested in a self-contained digital system.

Or let’s say you operate as a network that serves affiliates; you may be interested in consoles with extra control capability and extra routing. Large-scale radio shows need to be routed to various paths for regionalized spot insertion, potentially avoiding copyright issues with beds, to feed audio streams and video channels.

The network studio console also requires buttons and controls to send cues to satellite stations for commercial switching, imaging and IDs.

Now, typical modern consoles can do a lot of that; the point is that on a network syndicated program, you may want an expanded version of the same.

These few examples illustrate why it is essential to identify who you are. Many consoles look alike but differ in functionality, and the differences are not always immediately apparent. Understanding how to identify and navigate the nuances can make a big difference in your users’ long-term satisfaction and productivity.

Do I need a physical console?

Don’t be afraid to ask this aloud.

For most of us, the notion of a studio has included a physical mixing console at the center. But it’s becoming more common to use a tablet or flat-screen control surfaces; some are even transitioning into private or leased cloud platforms. These can handle the mixing and content playout for many stations. In some instances, there’s no console in the studio at all. (There may not even be a need for a studio.)

Some radio groups have announced that they are looking to virtualize to reduce their footprint and save on real-estate costs.

So before you go shopping for a traditional console, consider whether you need one, or if a flat-screen or tablet approach makes sense.

Do I understand the terminology?

You’ve heard the terms thrown around: AoIP (audio over IP), AES, AES67, AES70, cloud or virtual mixing, node, blade, driver, glass, Opus, CAN bus, multicast, unicast, engine, Livewire, Wheatnet, Dante, MPX over IP, auto-mix, GPIO, master clock and console- versus network-centric.

Defining each is beyond the scope of this article, but take time to learn what they are. Discuss terminology with your engineer, consultant or preferred equipment vendor. Do a Google search.

Learn about AoIP, the most widely installed recent technology. AoIP’s newest implementations, like cloud-based mixing, are best explained by manufacturers that offer it or technical consultants who specialize in audio technology.

What’s the purpose?

Will the room function as an air studio, production room, combo air/production room, voice-track room or booth, a newsroom, a network program control room for syndication, a workstation for news or sports?

Chances are you’re buying consoles for several rooms; that adds another layer of consideration; you’ll still need to define each room’s purpose, but you’ll also need to consider the facility’s big-picture purpose as well.

Also, take into account what type of content each room is producing. A sports station has different needs than a music station, which has different needs than a 24/7 news station. Air studio consoles are configured differently from a production room. The latter rely more heavily on digital audio editing software to handle mixing but can be smaller than an air studio console. On the other hand, a network control room needs more individual channels and busses. Other use cases may change the console layout.

From the big picture perspective, establish whether the facility is to operate on its own or connect to a centralized operations center. If you decide on centralization, will the equipment be housed in your building, another remote location, or in the cloud?

Seek input from the stakeholders

This can be overlooked, but the people who operate and manipulate the console are excellent sources of information regarding what works and doesn’t with your current setup.

They will have a list of improvements and features they would like to see in the workflow. Talent, producers, PDs, and board ops all have something to say about the console they touch every day.

For complicated situations like multi-person morning shows, I have sat in a few times to watch what goes on and learn in real time what their pain points might be.

By interviewing the stakeholders and doing in-studio sit and watch sessions, you will learn beneficial information to guide you in selecting the right console (physical or soft). If you skip this step, you may end up with complaints and unhappy team members who felt they were not given a voice.

Analog, Digital, AoIP, Cloud or Hybrid?

These days, it is rare for stations of any size or complexity to choose an analog distribution path for broadcast on-air use.

Good analog consoles for radio are still being made; one of them may be the best fit for users who need simple reliability and affordable cost. But with digital options more affordable than ever, do research that option too.

Be aware that going analog can involve a lot of cabling, which can be expensive to install and maintain. Analog consoles can lose calibration and may not provide the same noise floor or stereo separation, not to mention other specs.

Note that recording studios and musicians at times may prefer analog for their specialized needs, though to be clear, those boards (they sometimes call them desks) are very different in style and function than a radio console.

For many console buyers today, digital is the preferred way to manage audio and route signals in a broadcast facility, even for buyers with relatively modest budgets.

If you opt for digital, you must decide between using a traditional digital technology such as AES-3, MADI or similar with localized inputs and outputs or an AoIP network-centric design.

For years we built studios using a console-centric mentality; the console was the center of everything in the room. Your input sources wired to it directly. There was a single program or audition output that fed the air chain. There may have been an external router installed in more extensive facilities, but this was not a network-centric design.

A network-centric system uses consoles and source gear that rely on off-the-shelf network switches to move audio, control, and metadata around your plant. You’ll find AoIP networked audio systems in many of the newer studio buildouts worldwide in all sizes of facilities.

Several console manufacturers offer a large selection of AoIP solutions and peripherals to meet almost any requirement. A network-centric solution has many advantages and cost savings over traditional digital or analog designs. The wiring is greatly simplified, as AoIP uses the same Cat-5/6 cabling that your data and phone network does. You can manage the system from almost anywhere with a smartphone or laptop. Routing audio and everyday things such as IFB, mix-minus and remote (OB) feeds is a cinch.

Virtualization?

The concept of virtualization is becoming more familiar.

By virtualizing audio infrastructure, you can remove some or all of the hardware, thereby reducing your capital and annual maintenance costs, replacing a portion of those with cloud service costs over time.

Virtualization also enhances your off-site backup capability, which allows you to restore operations should something happen to the studio. It’s not just about an off-site backup of data (music and other critical files), but also about being able to restore broadcast operations from any location with suitable internet.

A virtualized environment allows you to operate using the “cloud” (some central data center that you own or lease from a console vendor) and, if you desire, to directly feed your transmitter site. You only need to log in remotely to your data center and log into your playout system to manage the station from anywhere.

If you are not ready to leap entirely into the cloud, you have the choice to go with a hybrid approach. Hybrid involves a certain amount of locally maintained hardware with a complimentary cloud solution on the back end.

It could be something as simple as running your automation playout system locally but having it backed up in the cloud for business continuity purposes. If something went wrong with the studio, you could switch to the cloud for playout or immediately sync the cloud data to another computer that would pick up where the other left off.

Another example would be to utilize a work surface (glass or physical console) that uses a mixing engine in the cloud. Think of it like having a traditional console with faders and knobs but being able to plug it into any internet connection and run the station like you were in the original studio.

What’s my budget?

I recommend you consider the budget only after you’ve thought hard about what technology makes the most sense. Don’t let budget concerns get in the way of making the right call on technology.

Of course, in some situations, the amount of money available isn’t negotiable. But there are good choices for consoles that fit almost every budget, so there’s no reason to rule something out prematurely just because you think, “I can’t afford that new digital stuff.”

I’ve sat in many meetings where the budget increased after senior management and stakeholders received an education on the benefits of AoIP and the future of network-centric design.

Also, be aware that as technology moves toward service models, your costs migrate from a “capital expense” model, meaning largely paid up at the time of purchase, to “operating expense,” with costs incurred over time. For instance, if you choose to use virtualization or a hybrid approach, you’ll be paying an ongoing fee for the benefit of media cloud services; that’s an “op-ex” model.

For many buyers, a final analysis of operating versus capital will involve someone from the business department.

Where should I shop?

Depending on which technology you’ve chosen and where you are in the world, a particular group of manufacturers makes sense for you; the list will include companies you know, but make sure to learn all that are active in your country or market.

Develop your list through online research, discussions with fellow engineers and consultants, trade shows, and reading articles like those in Radio World about the decisions made by well-regarded facilities and managers.

Buying a console is like buying an airplane; it lasts for many years. Even if you aren’t using a physical surface, you’ll be living and working with your software system for a long time. The quality of the company, including its level of support, is critical.

Pricing deals can be time-consuming as there are several components to a digital audio system. You may be purchasing a work surface, network switches, software drivers (for playout systems and other computer-based audio sources), XY panels, headphone panels, support, etc.

Review every line item and double-check those quantities are right. For complex systems, it is best to go over the details with an expert, someone at the manufacturer, a trusted reseller, a consulting engineer, an integrator or your corporate engineering team if you have one. One pass is not enough; it’s standard on larger projects that the buyers review their equipment list several times.

Deep breath, and let’s buy! Before buying that next console, also check out the free ebook “Console Tech 2021.” Click the image to access it.

When you are ready to “pull the trigger,” step back and review each step in your decision tree.

This is not about second-guessing but ensuring you’ve carefully thought through the process. If you rushed because it’s budget season or management issued a last-minute directive, this is the time to step back and review. A pause also adds credibility to the procurement process.

Executing your purchase, believe it or not, is the easy part. Sign the contract and place the order.

Then get ready for the excitement of delivery and installation. Studio and console upgrades are a huge morale booster at any station anywhere on the globe. It signifies an advance and an investment in your product. Every employee will feel it.

The author is a broadcast consultant who has held technical positions with several major broadcast organizations, most notably as senior VP of engineering at Cumulus Media.

He has provided engineering support and consulting in the United States, Canada, China, Europe and several South American countries. He is a past recipient of the Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award.

 

The post How to Choose Your Next Radio Console appeared first on Radio World.

A new program from the Society of Broadcast Engineers aims to help encourage development of technical talent for the industry.

The Technical Professional Training Program, or TPTP, is a response to “the ongoing concern about new technical talent choosing broadcasting as a career,” according to SBE.

“As technology and the average age and tenure of technical professionals advances … there is concern to adequately fulfill the technical staffing needs in the long term.”

The society noted that familiar career starting points of the past, in which part-time employment and smaller-market stations served as a training ground, have been largely eliminated through streamlining of the workforce, consolidation of ownership and the shrinking number of electronic technology programs at trade schools and colleges.

SBE called the result “a looming crisis.”

[Read Radio World’s ebook “Radio Engineering in Crisis.”]

The SBE Technical Professional Training Program is a membership option that costs $475, which SBE hopes will be covered by employers and broadcast associations.

“Stations and media outlets can groom young talent to fast track their technical skills with one application and one purchase,” it said.

The fee includes a one-year SBE membership with SBE MemberPlus (including access to the society’s extensive webinar library); a copy of SBE CertPreview to help with certification preparation; a copy of the SBE Engineering Handbook; enrollment in the SBE Mentor Program; and the SBE CBT certification exam application fee, with the test to be taken later.

Mentoring is an important component: “The SBE Mentor Program provides new entrants to the technical broadcast field regular access and guidance from a seasoned professional – a personal touch not unlike days of old when the senior staff would take the new person under a wing to show him or her the ropes.”

“Ideally, the mentor would come from within the ranks of the organization in which the mentee is employed, but the mentor role can be filled by any qualified engineer willing to invest the time.”

The announcement of the new program was made by SBE President Wayne Pecena and Education Committee Chair Geary Morrill.

Morrill said the program aims to simplify the steps to engage someone who is new to the broadcasting technical career path.

 

 

 

The post SBE Launches New Training Program appeared first on Radio World.

PreSonus has introduced its new Revelator USB microphone. Intended primarily for home studio use as well as podcasting and voice-overs, the mic includes accessible presets, loopback audio, and selectable polar patterns.

The Revelator offers the same DSP algorithms found in PreSonus’ StudioLive Series III mixers, providing users with eight presets with various combinations of EQ and compression, and offers an additional eight user-defined presets that can be created and saved using the full StudioLive Fat Channel controls available in Universal Control. Also onboard are a selection of voice effects and the ability to store up to four presets to be instantly selectable via the preset button on Revelator.

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

Revelator also features two stereo streams for loopback audio so users can conference in Zoom calls, record gameplay, or showcase the audio in a YouTube video. The presence of two streams for loopback audio means users can mix and record the audio from two different applications on a computer, along with their voice, at the same time using the intuitive interface in Universal Control. Built-in monitoring and an onboard headphone amplifier let users listen to your performance and your mix in real-time.

Three pickup patterns are provided — cardioid pattern, for one-person use; figure 8 for two users, such as in an interview situation; and omnidirectional to pick up multiple speakers around the microphone.

The bus-powered, USB-C-compatible mic comes with PreSonus’ Studio One Artist recording and production software and Studio Magic Software Suite, as well as an integrated desktop stand with built-in cable management.

Revelator is available now for a U.S. street price of $179.95.

Info: www.presonus.com

 

The post PreSonus Revelator USB Mic Debuts appeared first on Radio World.

I am a systems engineering consultant and chair for the Audio Engineering Society’s Technical Committee for Broadcast and Online Delivery.

Previously, I was director of stream operations for CBS Radio and then held the same position at Entercom. In these roles, I was responsible for setting up and maintaining over 300 streams.

Early on at CBS Radio, we were doing streams the same way as everyone else, with old PCs and without much priority. Eventually, management asked us to try to find a better solution to manage our streaming content.

We searched and spoke with a number of companies, but nobody could provide the exact solution that we were looking for. In 2014 I went to the AES convention in Los Angeles and after one session I got several members of Telos Alliance together in the back of a conference room and explained how CBS needed a new solution for streaming.

At the end of the day, it turned out we had similar goals for a new streaming platform. I dubbed the meeting a success and came back to New York and worked with Telos’ team over many months providing input and feedback on the project. After a little more than a year, the Telos Z/IPStream R/2 was born.

We started installing them in all the CBS stations. The rollout was a complete success and has continued to be for all the projects I have used the R/2 on since.

R/2 comes with Omnia three-band processing “in the box,” with optional Omnia.9 processing, allowing me to create unique and great-sounding individual presets for each stream.

Having the power of Omnia processing lets me tweak each one to sound amazing as well as staying within the specifications of AES TD-1004, the AES recommendation for the loudness of audio streaming and network file playback.

Remote operation is smooth as the design was always meant to be controlled and configured by a web GUI. With the Supermicro IPMI control port, the system can be cold-booted. As long as the facility’s firewall rules are configured for proper access, nobody has to be onsite.

The advent of smart speakers has caused unprecedented growth in stream listening. It is one of the fastest-adopted new technologies in our lifetimes. It has brought audio listening back into the home and is driving further expansion into mobile.

In my role chairing the Audio Engineering Society’s Technical Committee for Broadcast and Online Delivery, we are looking into recommendations for stream loudness. We believe it is very important to set the stream content and any injected interstitial to a standard loudness. Not only are these jumps jarring, but forcing listeners to take action to adjust the volume level also opens the door for them to turn off the stream.

The Z/IPStream R/2 is the first streaming appliance to be designed from the ground up as a broadcast stream transmitter. With its built-in redundancy, it is truly the broadcaster’s friend, and I have not worked with an engineer who has been unhappy with this product after I install it.

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 on this product, contact Cam Eicher at The Telos Alliance in Ohio at 1-216-241-7225 or visit www.telosalliance.com.

The post User Report: Z/IPStream R/2 Offers Power, Reliability appeared first on Radio World.

What’s the best way for broadcasters to get the word out about COVID-19 vaccines? That’s the question to be explored by a research project that the NAB will participate in.

The National Association of Broadcasters and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute announced a “nationwide research project to identify effective COVID-19 vaccine education messaging.”

[Read: NAB Ad Campaign Emphasizes Local Broadcasting]

They said the findings will help in development of a “toolkit” for radio and TV broadcasters and other journalists “to craft public health messages and educational programming that will best resonate with their communities.”

The project will be conducted by consulting firm SmithGeiger. It will do a national survey that the organizers call a first: looking into “the challenges and opportunities facing local and national media presented by the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.”

NAB and RJI want to put out a toolkit for broadcasters and other journalists “that provides messaging guidance focused on a local and regional approach rather than relying solely on a national message.” It is expected to be released early next year in English and Spanish languages.

 

The post NAB Explores “Vaccine Education Messaging” appeared first on Radio World.

In:Quality, which specializes in remote broadcast products and services, is highlighting a partnership with Radio France that it says has driven updates to its firmware.

“A new device from In:Quality, the USB SIP Codec, was seen by Radio France as a potential solution to help their teams to connect from home, with just a USB microphone, and their home broadband internet,” the company stated.

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

It said the Radio France Innovation department invited In:Quality to collaborate with Sandbox, Radio France’s “open innovation” program, running tests in connecting with their in-house SIP service.

“There was some urgency — due to the ongoing pandemic — and so a relationship was quickly established, tests were carried out, and the results were very positive,” In:Quality stated in a press release.

Founding Director Kevin Leach said the feedback from those tests has been incorporated in an update to the firmware. Improvements include a clock on the screen and the ability to mute the microphone for coughing. The layout and error handling also are improved.

The company said it is preparing improved cases for the USB SIP Codec. “One version makes for a similar-looking device, but which looks and feels more professional, with neater ports and branding. The other new version will include XLR sockets, for connecting analog microphones, or to hook up to a studio mixer’s line-level connectors.”

 

The post In:Quality Updates USB SIP Codec appeared first on Radio World.

Bill Hendrich will retire from Cox Media Group at the end of the year. He is the executive VP who oversees programming, operations and sales for the company’s 65 radio stations across 11 markets.

The announcement was made by President/CEO Dan York, who saluted Hendrich for his “exceptional passion, focus and leadership.”

[Read: Daniel York Named Cox Media Group President and CEO]

Hendrich was quoted in the announcement, “For the past 31 years, I have been able to work with the best and most talented team in the radio industry. With NewCity Communications, Cox Enterprises and Apollo, I have been a part of three outstanding companies, each bringing valuable and innovative ideas to keep radio viable in today’s media landscape.” He’ll continue to help out in an advisory capacity.

Among his past roles, he led integrated radio and TV in multiple major media markets for CMG. He headed its Healthcare Acceleration efforts that focused on the healthcare sector. He previously was VP and market manager of the company’s six-station group in Jacksonville, Fla. He also was VP and GM of WDBO(AM) and WWKA(FM) in Orlando for 10 years and oversaw the internet sales and operations for CMG Orlando.

 

The post Hendrich Will Retire From Cox appeared first on Radio World.

In-car testing at KHTK.

The author is vice president, business development, for Orban Labs.

A long time ago, on a planet far away in a different galaxy and another lifetime, there were Arbitron (now Nielsen) paper diaries.

These were manually filled out by “listeners” to indicate which radio station(s) they listened to and for how long.

Technology marched on, and in the age of PCs and smartphones, the thought of filling out diaries manually felt like using stone tablets and chisels. So Arbitron designed a system to encode a radio station’s audio with a series of low-level tones that a device called a Personal People Meter would hear and log.

All that Arbitron “listeners” would have to do was carry the PPM device and, at the end of the day, put it into its charger, which would transmit the listening data back to Arbitron for processing. Brilliant!

Arbitron built the encoders, which resided in the station’s audio chain. The encoder looked at the audio and, if there was sufficient audio, generated the tones that the PPM device heard.

Processing manufacturers took a look at how they might be able to work with the encoder, and many provided an “encoder loop” that let the station put the encoder in between portions of the processor processing chain.

In many processors the “encoder loop” was placed after the input AGC and before the multi-band processing. This fed the encoder with more uniform audio levels and could potentially improve the encoder’s ability to encode the audio.

Take It On-Board

A decade later, in the era of AI and really smart phones, Nielsen, along with the NAB, approached processing manufacturers to see if they were interested in having the PPM encoding done in the audio processor.

This would eliminate the external encoding hardware plus the processor encoding loop and make life easier for stations. Also, there might be the ability to place the encoder in places that weren’t practical with an external encoder.

Nielsen assembled a team that developed a PPM encoding Software Development Kit (SDK) for both X86 and ARM solutions, and worked extensively with processor manufacturers on implementation.

Timing worked out well for us at Orban as we had engineering resources that had become available right at the time the SDK was ready, and our new XPN-AM platform was an ideal candidate for the X86 implementation.

Bob Orban and the engineering team looked at where the best location in the processing chain should be for the encoder, taking into account the need to support both analog AM and HD Radio, and potentially all-digital AM, along with streaming or an FM translator.

This resulted in using two encoder instances, one for analog and the other for all other digital services. Within 90 days we had a stable XPN-AM build with integrated PPM encoders.

Once the encoders were implemented in our XPN-AM software, a stringent testing process was done with hundreds of audio test files being processed and checked by Nielsen.

After the test files hit 100% approval, the next phase was beta on-air testing. These test sites had to have sufficient audience to generate enough testing granularity to assure valid results. Also, station management had to buy into the tests, the testing had to be coordinated with a Nielsen rating “book” period.

The Beta Process

I hit the road and installed all of the XPN-AM PPM beta test units at KHTK in Sacramento, KSL in Salt Lake City, KKYX in San Antonio and WSB in Atlanta.

Setup included adjusting proper modulation levels, checking HD Radio blend and diversity delay settings for KHTK and KSL along with doing drive listening in everything from vehicles ranging from a Mercedes Benz (borrowed from the morning drive host) to Jeeps, pickups and everything in between.

“Golden Ear” listeners, GMs and PDs were all polled and processor settings such as EQ and density were tweaked as desired by each of the stations.

Jason Ornellas, Bonneville’s regional director of engineering for the West Region, is shown at KHTK(AM) Sacramento with the XPN-AM processor.

We also did some experimenting with MDCL (since we could). At KSL we increased the amount of MDCL from 3 dB to 5 dB AMC without impacting fringe coverage because of the higher modulation density. It was interesting to see the forward power running about 17 kW with a 50 kW setpoint. The DOE said that would pay for the processor in power savings alone.

The critical part of the testing — the PPM encoding — was thoroughly tested. We were able to confirm with Nielsen that the correct IDs were being encoded. This included separate testing for stations that were running AM HD Radio.

Beta testing went live on Oct. 8 without any issues, and the feedback from both the stations and Nielsen has been highly positive, so much so that we have decided to provide PPM encoding at no extra charge in our XPN-AM starting immediately.

Orban’s engineers always enjoy a good challenge — in this case, producing viable internal PPM encoding in record time — and as usual they delivered, thanks to Bob and his team.

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

The post Making PPM Encoding Easier appeared first on Radio World.

From our “Radio Doing Good” page:

The morning show “Hawkeye in the Morning,” heard on “New Country 96.3,” KSCS(FM) in Dallas/Ft. Worth, held its second annual 10,000 for the Troops holiday card drive.

The Cumulus station partnered with Support Our Soldiers to send the holiday cards to “high risk” units/individuals that are in isolated areas or do not have support coming from home.

Mark “Hawkeye” Louis said the station had collected more than 46,000 cards as of the beginning of December.

The campaign kicked off in early with the goal of collecting 10,000 cards. Listeners and supporters were able to mail cards to the station or take them to several locations including a T-Mobile Experience Store, Gigi’s Cupcakes and Sun & Ski Sports stores.

 

The post Dallas Station Gathers Cards for Soldiers appeared first on Radio World.

W234DH’s signal pattern

The renewal of a Baton Rouge, La., translator is pitting one FM station against one another over issues of interference and whether or not the translator is operating within the parameters of its license.

In July 2020, the licensee Radio & Investments Inc. (R&I) — licensee of station KDDK(FM) in Addis, La. —  submitted an instant Petition to Deny over the application renewal status of an FM translator. R&I said that FM translator W234DH, licensed to Crocodile Broadcasting Corp. (and bundled in with the renewal application of Crocodile station KGLA(AM) in Norco, La.), should be flagged by the FCC for several irregularities — including the claim that Crocodile had not yet finalized construction of the FM translator’s facilities when it specified and that the installed antenna was not directional as was authorized under its license.

[Read: Battle Lines Are Drawn in Translator Interference Rules Order]

Subsequent research also suggested that the W234DH translator is operating as much as 40 times over its minima, a source said.

An engineering statement submitted with the petition said that the facility is not operating consistent with its license. According to R&I, a 16.1 dB difference between the authorized output power and the observed output power indicates that W234DH’s signal strength in Baton Rouge is many times more than it should be.

“It is clear that there is a consistent pattern demonstrated by Crocodile to ignore the commission’s rules,” R&I said in its filing.

In its filing, R&I pointed to the commission’s reliance on character as a key element of licensing. “In light of the licensee’s execution of the renewal application, which did not reveal that the constructed facility was once again at variable with its license, Crocodile would be hard pressed to make the argument that it did not have intent,” R&I said.

Crocodile responded by rejecting the bulk of R&I’s petition, saying that R&I’s petition was defective and without merit for several reasons. Crocodile said that the filing was untimely because it had been filed more than two months after the filing deadline. The licensee also said that R&I’s claims that W234DH is operating at power in excess than authorized is false. R&I is relying on faulty field strength measurements, Crocodile said in its filing.

Crocodile also defended its character by saying that R&I failed to provide any factual evidence that Crocodile was attempting to deceive the commission.

An attorney representing Crocodile told Radio World that they did not wish to comment on the proceedings beyond what has been filed with the commission.

In May 2019, the FCC released new guidelines for resolving FM translator interference complaint issues such as these, though some stakeholders have expressed concern about the ways in which the commission determines interference.

 

The post FM Translator Renewal Met With Interference, Misrepresentation Claims appeared first on Radio World.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will leave the FCC in January.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve at the Federal Communications Commission, including as chairman of the FCC over the past four years,” he said in a statement.

Pai is a Republican who departs ahead of an expected new chair being appointed by President-elect Joe Biden.

“I am grateful to President Trump for giving me the opportunity to lead the agency in 2017, to President Obama for appointing me as a commissioner in 2012, and to Senate Majority Leader McConnell and the Senate for twice confirming me. To be the first Asian-American to chair the FCC has been a particular privilege. As I often say: only in America.”

[Read Radio World’s interview with Ajit Pai shortly after he took the reins as chair in 2017.]

Pai has been a cheerleader for radio in his tenure, often speaking about the importance of the medium in American life, and he has sought to help bolster AM broadcasters in particular through a series of “revitalization” measures. He also has pushed efforts to streamline processes and reduce regulations. Among many changes during his tenure was the elimination of the main studio rule.

Pai thanked the FCC’s “talented staff” and said they “performed heroically, especially during the pandemic.”

“It’s also been an honor to work with my fellow commissioners to execute a strong and broad agenda.  Together, we’ve delivered for the American people over the past four years: closing the digital divide; promoting innovation and competition, from 5G on the ground to broadband from space; protecting consumers; and advancing public safety.  And this FCC has not shied away from making tough choices.  As a result, our nation’s communications networks are now faster, stronger, and more widely deployed than ever before.”

Among the highlights he cited are “reforms we have instituted to make the agency more accountable to the American people.  In particular, for the first time ever, we’ve made public drafts of the proposals and orders slated for a vote three weeks before the agency’s monthly meetings, making this the most transparent FCC in history.”

The post Chairman Pai Will Leave FCC in January appeared first on Radio World.