Radio World

Smartphone ownership has reached near saturation levels worldwide, no surprise there. It’s interesting is to look at the stats for online radio and music consumption, and Jacob Media’s TechSurvey 2021 has the latest.

Growth in numbers who have downloaded radio/music apps, according to the survey, has stagnated, holding at 72%. Downloads clearly skew to younger users. The Greatest Generation makes up just 55% of the total, while 90% of Gen Z respondents claim to have radio/music apps on their smartphones.

Localism rules, even on mobile devices, as the leading download named is the P1 station app holding a 53% lead. P1 is Tech Survey parlance for the respondents’ hometown station. It’s followed by YouTube, Pandora and Spotify.

Nineteen percent of those surveyed claims they frequently listen to their favorite station via a mobile app. That’s up three percentage points from TS 2020. The clear leaders are Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. Around 60% of mobile device owners are aware that their P1 station has an app, and more than one in three has downloaded it. This number also grows over time, with 26% for TS 2017, increasing 11 percentage points for TS 2021.

According to TS 2021, 58% of those who have downloaded their P1 station’s app rate it as excellent, while 32% rate it good. The rest of the numbers suggest an interesting twist.

While adoption and usage rates for new tech almost always favor younger demographics, the ratings numbers seem to go the opposite direction. Only 50% of Gen Z respondents rate their P1 as excellent, but that number increases ten percentage points for the Greatest Generation. What’s happening here?

[Read: Survey Says Podcast Use Increases, Although Many Still Not Onboard]

While TS 2021 offers no explanation, one might wonder if it’s about expectations. Younger users are usually more tech savvy, and may compare their P1 to lots of other apps. It might take a lot more to impress them. Greatest Generation users tend not to be power users of new tech, and may just be happy if there is a way to easily listen to the hometown station on their mobile device.

The stagnated 72% download rate combined with just 50% excellent ratings from Gen Z users may suggest that some stations still have work to do on their mobile apps.

 

The post Survey Says Full Speed Ahead for Mobile Devices and Apps appeared first on Radio World.

An illustration of what an infotainment display would look like in Los Angeles in a car equipped with Android Automotive, if Google accepts recommendations from the NAB PILOT initiative. This shows an enhanced station list for broadcast radio on Android Automotive to ensure station discovery.

NAB PILOT, Xperi AutoStage and several U.S. and international radio broadcast organizations are taking steps to make sure radio is appropriately represented as automobile OEMs expand their use of Android Automotive.

The context: Big tech companies have been collaborating with carmakers in developing media environments of the future; those decisions will carry crucial implications for broadcast radio.

Broadcasters worry that some of the adaptations may not be in their best interests, especially since companies like Google and Apple seem well positioned to help choose software interfaces that will end up in the dash. Fast-developing innovation is adding urgency to those developments.

Radio in the conversation

Google’s Android Automotive OS is an Android-based infotainment system that is being built into some new vehicles and is gaining adoption momentum among car manufacturers.

The media system, which replaces the standard radio in the dash of most vehicles, is a standalone Android device with user apps installed directly to the car’s system — no smartphone required. (“Android Automotive” is distinct from “Android Auto,” where the system runs on the user’s phone.)

General Motors, Ford, Audi and Stellantis have announced plans to integrate the Android Automotive platform to power their infotainment systems in new cars. ABI Research said it expects 36 million vehicles will ship with Android Automotive in 2030.

It is against that background that NAB, Xperi and broadcasters like iHeartMedia and the BBC are working together.

A key aim is to coordinate the industry’s presentation of metadata for content and advertising.

John Clark, executive director of NAB PILOT, said the goal of the Android Automotive initiative is to make sure broadcast radio is properly supported in the open source system and help broadcast benefit from its rollout.

“Anytime you are talking about ‘what controls the radio and the dashboard,’ it’s important radio is in that conversation. We need to make sure radio functionality is built in and get Android Automotive to support it, and to make sure the tuner and all the broadcast standards like HD Radio, DAB and regular AM and FM are baked in and available to app developers,” he said. “The majority of automakers have already committed to Android Automotive.”

NAB PILOT, which is the association’s technology development initiative, is attempting to build a support system into the open source platform of Android Automotive.

“(Android Automotive) is open to anyone. If you develop in Android and Android Automotive, there is access if we are successful,” Clark said.

The initiative is intended to result in additional software and functionality in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), with open source solutions available to Tier One and app developers around the world.

It’s important because there are “no guarantees the digitalization of the dash will be good” for broadcast radio, Clark said; it could lead to increased competition in the dashboard from pure-play services like Spotify.

“Further fragmentation, and broadcasters and auto manufacturers all doing things a bit differently with no one on the same page, is the worst-case scenario. That would mean different user experiences,” he said.

“We want the broadcast radio to be uniform from car to truck. When you take away the simplicity of radio and put it into a software user interface, it could turn into a giant challenge if people can’t easily find the product,” he said. “There is a huge benefit for cohesiveness.”

Clark said the group’s intent is to make sure “none of the features of broadcast radio are lost. And further, what happens if the dashboard becomes completely reliant on an IP connection? That would be disastrous if dashboard designers are not paying attention to the broadcast component.”

Companies involved in PILOT’s Android Automotive initiative include Bauer Media, the BBC, Beasley Media Group, Commercial Radio Australia, Cox Media Group, Entercom, iHeartMedia, New York Public Radio, NPR, Salem Media Group, SWR and TBS Radio. Clark said they are “providing their expertise and their voice” to the initiative.

Google is “listening”

Xperi is doing lot of the development work on dashboard redesign when it comes to delivery and rendering of metadata, said Joe D’Angelo, its senior vice president radio.

Xperi is the parent of HD Radio; it also recently launched the DTS AutoStage hybrid radio platform. It is a member of PILOT and describes itself as an advocate on behalf of the radio industry.

D’Angelo said Android Automotive “will control the radio tuner, so it’s imperative that broadcasters around the world ensure that Android Automotive fully implements all of the radio standards that are commercially deployed in the world. It’s critical that the head units have the ability to tune in analog AM and FM, HD Radio and DAB signals. That is going to be dependent on the completeness of the operating system’s functionality,” he said.

“Google is engaged with our group, but they are a huge company that has a lot of competing constituents looking for support and resources, too.”

Google did not reply to Radio World’s requests for comment about Android Automotive and how radio fits into the evolving tech landscape.

Clark of NAB said Google is “listening to us like any good company should that wants to get feedback on their product. They have asked us to remain in talks with them. They are very much interested in our progress and they want to hear more from the players in the field, and how what we are doing aligns with what auto manufacturers are doing in the dash.”

He added: “We have to convey to Google that if they pay attention to radio, then radio will really be there with these services.”

Enriched “now playing” information, showing a carousel view of New York stations. Both images in this article show reference designs that will be part of the initiative’s delivery to Google; a DAB design will be delivered as well.

D’Angelo said NAB and Xperi have “open access to Google’s engineering and strategic partnership teams” and can “can educate them on our progress. … We have a long history of working with Google, the automakers and the Tier Ones so we bring to the table our product development, engineering and product certification expertise.”

While Android Automotive is a relatively new entrant to the dashboard wars, he said Google is quickly making inroads.

“I think what is unique is they are coming in not only with a new operating system but also with a suite of applications. It’s not dissimilar to what they did in the smartphone space. They are not dominant yet in auto, but they are trying to make a big push into auto.”

D’Angelo sees natural overlap between Android Automotive and DTS AutoStage, though he said the latter focuses on ensuring terrestrial radio’s presence in the dash.

Google is “offering a set of IP-based services alongside (the Android Automotive) operating system,” he continued, but Xperi is focused on the radio broadcast component.

“Android Automotive is a hybrid system. It has IP functionality, connectivity to the internet and support for over-the-air reception. So it is a platform that DTS AutoStage as a service can be integrated on, but it is not the main goal for the group. That part of it is attractive to us and other hybrid radio advocates, but the scope of the project is solely focused on getting broadcast right. Because if we don’t get broadcast right, there is no hybrid radio,” he continued.

“First we have to ensure that the automakers around the world adopting Android Automotive have the best analog and digital broadcast radio experience possible. Then we can talk about how we evolve and maybe take advantage of the IP connections.”

Broadcasters for now should remain diligent and support efforts to add metadata to their broadcast signals, NAB’s Clark said.

Broadcasters should make sure their over-the-air service “is taking advantage of all the functionality of the transport system,” D’Angelo said. “If radio is offering a rich, compelling multimedia experience that benefits the driver of a vehicle, then the car companies will be compelled to implement all the technology.”

He said companies supporting the PILOT project realize the importance of broadcast metadata being displayed on the dash alongside audio services, and that the metadata is actually presented to the driver, not replaced.

Michael Beach, VP of distribution at NPR, said, “NPR and PRSS believe it is critical to work with the National Association of Broadcasters and Xperi on the development of efforts like this, which will continue the vitality of broadcast radio and take advantage of features on new and emerging platforms.”

Broadcaster involvement, D’Angelo said, is “really critical so we can accelerate the deployment of these great services for vehicle manufacturers that have committed to Android Automotive. And we’re really pleased to have some of the largest broadcasters giving us feedback.”

The post PILOT Project Targets Android Automotive appeared first on Radio World.

DHD.audio 22-fader SX2 audio console at L1’s Maastricht headquarters.

L1, a television and radio broadcaster in the southern Netherlands province of Limburg, has chosen DHD.audio mixing systems for its headquarters in Maastricht and a connected studio in Venlo.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

Product specialist Nicky Hartsuiker with the installation contractor Media Utilities said, “L1’s existing audio control infrastructure needed replacement after 15 years of operation … After researching and comparing the available alternatives, the L1 operational and engineering teams selected DHD as the preferred replacement. Also aiding in the decisions was Netherlands-based system integrator AutoMates which provides advice and technical support to L1 on projects.

For two new radio studios in the Maastricht headquarters a 22-fader SX2 mixer and TX touchscreen mini mixer were installed in each. For two voice and edit booths TX mini mixers were installed. A journalist prep room received a TX touchscreen as well. It also house a visual radio system.

For television and video editing facilities, a 24-fader RX2 console operates in a control room with two studios attached TX mini-mixers populate several video edit and VO suites. XC2 DSP and I/O Cores provide networking support.

A podcast studio for Netherlands broadcaster L1 featuring a DHD.audio TX touchscreen mixer.

A remote operation in Venlo has a TX mixer along with XS2 I/O and DSP Core. These are linked to Maastricht via a dedicated fiber connection.

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

 

The post Netherlands Radio/TV Broadcaster L1 Decides on DHD appeared first on Radio World.

Webcasting royalty rates in the United States have just gone up, including a doubling of the minimum annual payment for noncommercial webcasters.

The Copyright Royalty Judges on Friday announced new rates for webcasters for 2021 through 2025.

The rate for commercial nonsubscription services in 2021 will be $0.0021 per performance, up from $0.0018 last year. For commercial subscription services it will be $0.0026, up from $0.0024. Rates for the ensuing four years will be tweaked based on the Consumer Price Index.

The rate for noncommercial webcasters (except educational) has doubled to $1,000 a year per station or channel, for transmissions totaling up to 159,140 Aggregate Tuning Hours (ATH) in a month.

If a noncom webcaster goes beyond that number on a given channel or station, the per-performance fee this year is $0.0021 for the additional transmissions, up from $0.0018. Again it may change in 2022 to 2025 based on the CPI.

Webcasters will have some back payments to make as a result. The Copyright Royalty Board had delayed issuing its rates for the new five-year period until spring. Commercial and noncommercial webcasters were told by SoundExchange to use 2020 rates in the meantime but that adjustments would be retroactive to Jan. 1.

Note that rates for other categories — noncommercial educational webcasters, satellite radio, audio for business establishments and certain others — are on a different calendar cycle, so their 2021 rates were already known. Those can be found at the SoundExchange website.

The post CRB Raises Webcasting Royalty Rates appeared first on Radio World.

The author is executive director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

Is your noncommercial radio station taking advantage of increased listener support? And, if you did not know such interest was a thing, how might you act now?

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting unveiled its State of the System report at the Public Media Business Association’s annual conference. The figures were not especially encouraging in several areas. Most notably, underwriting saw a steep decline. In addition, foundation grants were down. How much? Underwriting saw a dip of 14%. Foundation support fell by a whopping 32%.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Masks Off]

This is not great news particularly for rural radio, which may rely on underwriting revenue to stay on the air. Many noncommercial stations may fund their news initiatives with grants, making that foundation nosedive particularly stinging. In all, the fall of 2021 and into 2022 could be quite difficult for noncommercial radio stations.

The one bright spot is a shocker, though. Individual giving grew by 5%.

Why? The reasons may reflect the moment for radio. Elections, big news events and a public obsessed with media in 2019 were flashpoints. As with any ebb and flow, such attention may shift, but it may not be now. With pandemic reopening on many Americans’ minds, it is almost assured that the media will remain a central reference point. Noncommercial radio would be wise to talk with audiences about its value in their lives.

Community and public radio depend on on-air fundraising to keep the lights on. Pledge drives have been parodied on television and in movies. However, savvy noncommercial station managers know fundraising is a year-round operation that goes on even between pledge drives. We must be constantly stating our case for relevance, and reminding listeners why financial contributions matter in keeping content they turn to coming.

Photo: BewitchingVintage

What better time than now for public and community radio to fire off a fresh email, on-air spot, or social media post that speaks to how valuable individual giving is for stations?

You might think people can’t give due to their money woes. In fact, Americans have saved a great deal of cash during the pandemic. People are in a spending mood. And, as any good development professional will tell you, people are happy to give when they believe the donation is appreciated and supports something they care about.

It can sometimes be in the DNA of some community radio stations to shy away from asking for money, or do it when only absolutely necessary, like during a pledge campaign. Your station is missing out on not only a critical fundraising opportunity. You are neglecting your fans who want to support your station beyond pledge drive. They are just waiting to be asked.

Increases in individual giving are not a constant. Audiences will find new interests, or not be as charitable due to a range of factors. Thus, when it is clear listeners are giving more than they usually do, public and community radio station leaders should be intelligent with the renewed attention. It’s more than money. It’s about reminding your community how radio amplifies the news and culture that residents want to hear more about.

The post Community Broadcaster: Giving Mood appeared first on Radio World.

Oliver Berliner circa 1989.

Some things never go out of favor. One is the disc phonograph record. Even after more than 130 years, it’s still very much alive here in the 21st century.

The disc record has also framed the life of one individual, Oliver Berliner, who at 91 probably knows more about the history of that invention than anyone else, because it was his grandfather Emile who invented it.

In the 1880s, Emile decided to improve the wax cylinder recording technology that Thomas Edison had developed a decade earlier. This led to the ubiquitous disc or “platter,” still revered by audio aficionados today.

However, this is not a story about Emile, but rather his grandson Oliver, whose father Edgar ran the Canadian branch of the Berliner Gramophone Company in Montreal at the time of his son’s birth.

The dog Nipper listening to “His Master’s Voice” on a gramophone. It was introduced by Emile Berliner as his trademark in 1900. It reigned for a half-century as the world’s most famous trademark.

Asked about memories of his grandfather, Oliver lamented that he had never met him.

“He died the same year I was born, 1929,” said Oliver, who admits to nothing in the way of memories about the operation his father ran. He was one year old when the rebranded U.S. parent recording and record producing operation, The Victor Talking Machine Company, was sold to the Radio Corporation of America, and the Berliners relocated from Canada to England.

“I believe that my father left RCA Victor of Canada on my birthday, May 29, 1930,” Oliver recalled.

Teenage entrepreneur

Although he didn’t spend his formative years hanging out in recording studios and recording pressing operations, Oliver eventually did his share of recording, acquiring a Presto recording lathe and cutting airchecks for none other than big band leader Xavier Cugat.

Berliner explained that his air-checking enterprise had its roots in an earlier venture where he provided “sound reinforcement” for dances at his high school. (After five years in the U.K. and a return back to Montreal, the family resettled in California, with Oliver ultimately enrolling at Beverly Hills High School.)

“In high school, I rented out portable PA systems for student dances,” he recalled. “Many of the clubs at Beverly Hills High had dances and I built up quite a reputation for providing these sound systems.

“I used Shure and Electro-Voice mics, as well as an RCA ‘Aeropressure’ dynamic mic. I built the amplifiers myself around 6L6s and 6SJ7s. The speaker enclosures were plywood bass reflexes fitted with Jensen 12-inch speakers.”

His reputation and rentals extended well beyond school dances, though.

“One of my clients was a Beverly Hills High graduate, the soon-to-be-famous André Previn,” he said. “As a teen, his trio was getting bookings in and around Beverly Hills, and André always called on me for a sound system.”

Berliner mixes a remote broadcast at the Veterans Hospital in West Los Angeles in this 1950 photo.

Following high school, Berliner enrolled in engineering studies at UCLA, but decided that this side of the recording business wasn’t really his passion.

“I soon switched to business administration with a specialty in marketing,” he said. “I graduated in 1951 with a BS degree.”

His association with Cugat and his band at about this time indirectly launched him into the next phase of his career in the music and recording industry.

“I was dating the daughter of Xavier Cugat’s drummer at the time,” Oliver said. “They were doing a lot of remote broadcasts then and that’s how I ended up cutting airchecks for Cugat. That’s also how I became interested in Cuban music.” (Cugat, a Spaniard, spent his early years in Cuba.)

“In 1956, I launched a music publishing business, Hall of Fame Music, which specialized in Cuban music. My company ultimately owned the two most famous cha-cha-chas in the world.”

Oliver noted that during the time of his music publishing enterprise, he chartered a sister operation that he dubbed Gramophone Music Company.

“This was a way of keeping the name of my grandfather’s invention alive,” he explained. “That publishing company will live forever as an ASCAP member.”

Berliner in an undated photo, shown with commercial art that was created by his grandfather’s Deutsche Grammophon operation around 1910.

Oliver’s next foray in businesses involving records was the 1965 purchase of an FM station in Orange County, Calif., which he recalled as a pioneering stereo operation.

After five years in broadcasting, Oliver turned innovator, creating what would ultimately be known as the “music video.” His concept was to make short video recordings of new artists that would be played in record stores as a way of providing exposure for these relatively unknown performers.

“I gave the idea to a record promotion friend at Warner Bros.,” said Oliver. “I suggested just recording the artist straight, without all of the crazy costumes and sets that were used later. I was hoping that Warner would hire me to produce these lip-synched recordings, as the soon-to-be-popular ‘music videos.’”

Broadcast product manufacturer

His next innovative effort was in the television field, even though the company was named Ultra Audio Products.

Berliner’s Ultra Audio Products (UPC) company manufactured  video test gear and other broadcast products.

“We created low-cost compact versions of video test equipment — waveform and pulse-cross video monitors, and a vectorscope. These were designed for remote trucks, CATV studios, institutional operations; applications where users had limited space and money.”

Oliver’s creative efforts soon shifted to audio, with the creation of a compact consolette incorporating a rather unusual feature.

“It was intended to be run in a small TV production studio and had many features, including frequency-selective ducking,” said Oliver.

“When a disc jockey doing a voiceover hit the mic key, it ducked the level of the record he was playing by seven dB — not the entire audio range of the disc; just the voice range. The resulting effect of the voice enveloped by the music was astonishing. Radio should today be using it.”

In keeping with his music background, Oliver has been called as an expert witness to testify in several high-profile cases involving performance and usage rights.

When asked for his take on the current state of radio broadcasting, Oliver confessed that while he loved music, he was not an avid radio listener.

“I just don’t like what’s on radio today.”

 

Oliver’s “Grandpa,” Emile Berliner is seen experimenting with disc mastering improvements in his Berliner Gramophone Co., Montreal, Canada lab in this 1919 photo. Berliner’s name for his disc player — the Gramophone — is the origin of the name for the recording industry’s Grammy Award.

The post Berliner: A Life in Music and the Recording Arts appeared first on Radio World.

This is Microphone Month at Radio World. Here is one in a series of interviews with people who work in and around radio about the kinds of mics they love and why.

Larry Langford is owner and chief engineer of WGTO(AM/FM) in South Bend, Ind.

Radio World: What is your personal favorite mic on the air?

Larry Langford: I love the RCA 77-DX but let’s be real, who can afford that sweet but expensive and delicate broadcast icon? Aside from it making you feel like a “real broadcaster,” use of such expensive units like that are more emotionally based than technically necessary for great audio!

The more realistic answer? I like the newer cheaper mics, as the FET capsules do a great job for typical on-air voice, and the prices are very reasonable. I like the performance and pricing of the MXL imports, the MXL 770 goes for 80 bucks and the MXL 990 is about a hundred.

MXL 990 promotional image

RW: How about for remotes and specialty applications?

Langford: For mics that are going outside, I want something that is a bit more rugged and does not need phantom power. The Electro-Voice 635 has always been my omni favorite in the street, and the Shure SM58 for cardioid. You can’t kill them and they are cost-effective.

RW: Tips to share or misconceptions to address?

Langford: I try to teach folks that no radio station ratings have ever been tied to the mic used in the studio.

Years ago some stations went way overboard on studio mics. NBC-owned stations used 77-DXs for all DJ operations, and I know WIND in Chicago used Neumann U 87s for AM announce work!

While certain mics can be tied to certain time periods as the “standard” — EV 666, Sennheiser 421 and EV RE20 —nowadays there are many inexpensive choices that will do very well in podcasts, broadcasts and general voice recording.

My advice: Put money into the mixer and processing. The MXLs are dirt-cheap, sound fine and if you want to change after a couple of years, you can toss them and not feel you have thrown out a piece of gold.

Read more of Radio World’s coverage of microphones.

The post My Favorite Mics: Larry Langford appeared first on Radio World.

Franken FM stations may have some hope after all. The Federal Communications Commission has opened that door, at least a crack.

The commission has granted special temporary authority to one digital LPTV station that is also still operating an ancillary audio signal at 88.7 FM. The STA will allow it to continue its “FM6” operations for at least the next six months rather than shut down at the July 13 deadline.

Radio World has learned that the commission will consider similar STA requests until it decides how it will handle the FM6 issue.

Similar requests “will be considered”

KBKF(LD) in San Jose, Calif., which is licensed to Venture Technologies Group, converted to ATSC 3.0 digital operations earlier this year. It then requested special temporary authority from the FCC to continue its analog FM6 operations beyond the July 13 deadline for LPTV analog stations to complete their digital facilities.

KBFK airs contemporary Christian music from the Air1 Radio Network from the Educational Media Foundation. EMF in March urged the FCC to “act expeditiously” on the FM6 proceeding.

FM6 proponents say the ATSC 3.0 standard allows a station’s DTV signal to occupy as little as 5.509 MHz, which leaves room for an analog audio carrier that does not degrade the station’s DTV signal. FM6 operations may only be conducted on 87.75 MHz.

[Read our prior story “Time Running Out for FM6 Stations?”]

An FCC spokesperson told Radio World: “This STA will allow for such stations to continue operating, with conditions, until the commission determines how to act on the broader rulemaking. The STA operations will help inform such future action.”

This development doesn’t change the fact that analog LPTV stations must terminate analog television operations by July 13. “However, if other analog Channel 6 LPTV stations convert to digital 3.0 by the July 13 deadline and request similar STA relief, those requests will be considered,” according to a FCC Media Bureau official.

Paul Koplin, president of Venture Technologies Group, told Radio World in an email: “This provides Channel 6 the path forward to survive in a digital world. The technology works without interfering with other stations or its own signal.”

Ari Meltzer, a spokesman for the Preserve Community Programming Coalition (PCPC), a FM6 advocacy group, said: “This will prevent any disruption for listeners on July 13 and help establish a record of real-world operations for the open rulemaking proceeding.”

Operators of “Franken FM” stations have lobbied for several years to be able to maintain an analog output on 87.7 FM even after converting to digital TV6 service. Analog LPTV’s were allowed to request an extension to complete their digital TV facilities beyond July 13.

Nothing Ventured …

In its letter to Venture Technologies Group acknowledging the special temporary authority, the FCC emphasizes that the designation is temporary and there are conditions the licensee needs to meet, including making immediate modifications if any interference is reported.

The FCC noted in its STA letter that Venture had provided notice to all potentially affected Channel 5, Channel 6 and 88.1 FM stations in San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland and adjoining Designated Market Areas, telling them that it was beginning digital service with ATSC 3.0 video and an ancillary audio signal.

The letter was dated June 10 and signed by Barbara Kreisman, chief of the video division of the Media Bureau.

Venture Technologies Group also committed to making efficient use of the ATSC 3.0 video portion of the station’s signal. “Venture represents that KBKF(LD) will provide at least one stream of synchronized video and audio programming on the ATSC 3.0 portion of the spectrum on a full time (24×7) basis,” according to the FCC correspondence.

Venture must also submit several written reports to the FCC during the six-month period detailing any reports of interference to other licensed users and any interference between KBKF(LD)’s video and audio services that in any way limits the coverage of its video, according to the FCC.

 

The post FCC Throws Lifeline to an FM6 Station appeared first on Radio World.

In Boston, WBZ NewsRadio has begun a 100-day celebration leading up to its 100-year anniversary.

The station, owned by iHeartMedia, passes the century mark on Sept. 19 and is thus one of the oldest in the United States. It originally was located in East Springfield, Mass., and first broadcast from Boston in 1924.

[Read: Remembering the Early Days of KWTX]

“WBZ NewsRadio is set to celebrate 100 years of being a legendary cornerstone of the Boston media landscape, broadcasting the latest headlines and news coverage on 1030 AM,” it announced.

“The station will celebrate on-air and online with short stories and photos of memorable moments in WBZ’s rich history.”

The announcement was made by Market President Alan Chartrand and the market’s VP of News, Talk & Sports Rob Sanchez.

They highlighted the station’s “heritage brand” and its strength as a local news source.

Interesting tidbit: In the earliest days, the station announcers were not allowed to use their names, just their initials. Chief announcer Arthur F. Edes was known as EFA, according to the station’s website. Gordon Swan, who would later become WBZ’s program director, was known as AGS.

Radio historian and Radio World contributor John Schneider noted recently that WBZ was the first radio station to receive a commercial broadcasting license. (Pittsburgh’s KDKA, he noted, was licensed as a “Commercial Land Station,” a category that had existed for years before, and on the night of its famous election returns it was using the call sign 8ZZ.)

WBZ has a whole section of its website dedicated to celebrating its history with fun photos and timelines.

 

The post WBZ Celebrates 100 Years appeared first on Radio World.

The EAS spotlight will be on broadcasters on Aug. 11. The national test of the Emergency Alert System that day will not involve the internet IPAWS portion of the system as it has in the past. That’s because federal officials want to make sure the traditional broadcast daisy chain is reliable if the internet is not available during an emergency.

As we reported earlier, the test of EAS and the Wireless Emergency Alert System will take place Aug. 11 at 2:20 p.m. EDT with a backup date of Aug. 25.

Now the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission has announced details and also has made the EAS Test Reporting System available to accept 2021 filings. All EAS participants — including most U.S. radio stations — must renew their identifying information using ETRS Form One by July 6.

How it will work

FEMA will transmit the EAS portion of the test only through the familiar broadcast distribution daisy chain, not the internet using the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System this time. Even though EAS participants must be able to receive alerts from both, FEMA wants to determine the capability of EAS to deliver messages in the event that the internet is not available.

“Testing the daisy chain will allow the FCC and FEMA to assess whether the national EAS would perform as designed, if activated, and help to ensure the reliability and effectiveness of broadcast-based alerting as part of our national emergency communications infrastructure,” the FCC wrote.

FEMA will initiate the WEA portion of the test using the State/Local WEA Test category for the first time.  Only subscribers who have opted in to receive WEA tests will receive that message. Participating CMS Providers are required to transmit the State/Local Test message and enable subscribers to opt in to receive it.

ETRS Deadlines

The commission also reminded EAS participants of steps to take to be prepared, including ensuring that their EAS gear has the latest software and that it can receive and process the NPT code and “six zeroes” national location code. Further recommendations are in the FCC notice.

In addition to filling out Form One by July 6, EAS participants must fill out Form Two on Aug. 11 or 12 for “day of test” info; and Form Three is due Sept. 27.

Filers can access ETRS on the FCC website. You can update previously filed forms in ETRS by clicking on the “My Filings” menu option. Broadcasters can pre-populate Form One by completing the FRN and Facility ID fields but should doublecheck the data.

“Each EAS participant should file a separate copy of Form One for each of its EAS decoders, EAS encoders, or units combining such decoder and encoder functions,” the FCC wrote.

The post National EAS Test Will Focus on Broadcast Chain appeared first on Radio World.

A “digital cartop network” is one that can run ads and other content on top of ride-sharing vehicles; and Cumulus Media just did a deal with one.

The company signed an agreement with Adomni, an ad platform with 460,000 “out of home digital screens” in the United States.

[Read: Cumulus Stations Support DTS AutoStage]

It means that in markets where Cumulus has radio stations, Adomni becomes its exclusive ad partner to local businesses for the Uber OOH cartop ad network.

“Uber OOH is the official Uber digital out-of-home national advertising network which, in partnership with Adomni, features two-sided internet-connected, video-enabled screens on the tops of Uber vehicles,” they said in a press release.

The announcement was made by Dave Milner, EVP of operations at Cumulus Media, and Jonathan Gudai, CEO of Adomni.

Milner said this gives Cumulus another platform to offer to its advertisers.

 

The post Cumulus Signs Ad Deal for Uber Cartop Screens appeared first on Radio World.

American Public Media and Audacy are working together on a podcast initiative, a deal that brings together two prominent organizations from the worlds of public and commercial radio respectively.

APM’s podcast arm and Audacy’s Cadence13 business announced a multiyear “strategic partnership.” APM is the programming and distribution division of Minnesota Public Radio. Audacy is the company formerly known as Entercom.

[Read: Audacy/Entercom Signs Deal With Big Sportsbook]

“Cadence13 will serve as the exclusive podcast sales representative for APM,” they said in a release. “Additionally, the organizations will develop future on-demand programming initiatives, co-productions and collaborative new revenue opportunities.”

The announcement was made by Lily Kim, general manager of APM’s podcast division, and Chris Corcoran, chief content officer for Cadence13. Kim said the organizations “share a complementary vision for premium audio storytelling.”

The companies highlighted APM’s podcast programming and the “reach and scale” of Cadence13’s audio and ad networks, with the goal of offering better and more targeted opportunities to their advertisers.

APM says its podcasts reach 3 million listeners and 17 million monthly downloads. Titles include “Marketplace,” “In the Dark,” “Don’t Ask Tig” and several popular “kids and family” podcasts. Cadence13 shows include “We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle,” “The Goop Podcast,” and “4D with Demi Lovato.”

Audacy will support the partnership via marketing and development on its radio and digital platforms.

 

The post APM, Audacy Create a Podcast Partnership appeared first on Radio World.

Tascam released a V1.1.0 firmware update for its VS-R264 Full HD Streamer/Recorder and the VS-R265 4K/UHD Streamer/Recorder.

“With multiple simulcast and backup enabled by the availability of three RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol) streams simultaneously, this important new update adds a wealth of functionality,” the company said in its announcement.

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

The update supports three simultaneous RTMP streams, so users can stream programs to three different streaming platforms at the same time. “As an example, content can be streamed to YouTube, Facebook and Dacast simultaneously. Further, this update also facilitates simultaneous backup distribution (main and backup) to the server of the same streaming service.”

The update supports a total of eight simultaneous streams. “This includes 3 x RTMP / RTMPS, 1 x RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol), 1 x HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), 2 x RTP / UDP Unicast, and 1 x RTP/UDP Multicast.” The company noted that RTMPS is a variation of RTMP that has an added layer of security.

The V1.1.0 update for the two models of streamer/recorder is available for download. Scroll to Firmware/Software and click: Main unit software V1.1.0.11.1 dated 02-12-2021.

Info: www.tascam.com

 

The post Tascam Streamer/Recorders Get Firmware Update appeared first on Radio World.

Podcasting and smart speakers are two media that, according to TechSurvey 2021, appear to have been unaffected by COVID, holding fast to their established growth trajectories.

This year, there was a growth of three percentage points, from 26 to 29% of those who listen to podcasts daily or weekly. No surprise, the charge was led by the younger demographics of Millennials and Gen Z.

Although podcasting has grown from a grassroots movement to adoption by mainstream media, the secret sauce for rapid growth remains to be discovered. 42% of TS 2021 respondents never listen to podcasts, while 20% tune in less often than monthly. Looking back five years to TS 2016, there has been a shift of 10 percentage points in each direction over the past five years, meaning the number of never or less-than-monthly respondents has dropped from 72 to 62%, while the daily/weekly/monthly number has increased from 28 to 38%.

Smart speaker ownership experienced meteoric growth in the past, but slowed down over the past year, according to TS 2021, increasing just two percentage points from 33 to 35%.

A few years back, some media analysts predicted smart speaker sales might hit an invisible wall until privacy concerns about the devices were resolved. Issues such as who has access to the recordings and how they are used have yet to be addressed in a credible manner.

[Read: Survey Surprises With Superb Statistics for Subscription Services]

The recent announcement of Amazon Sidewalk, an opt-out wireless mesh service will share a small segment of consumer’s internet bandwidth with nearby Sidewalk-capable devices that don’t have connectivity may only serve to raise concerns over smart speakers and privacy.

What is increasing steadily, the survey says, are the numbers who own two or more smart speakers. The TS 2018 report said that just 42% of smart speaker owners had two or more of these devices. That number has steadily increased to 61% for TS 2021.

What do people do with their smart speakers? According to the Jacobs survey, most of them listen to streaming music, 37%, according to the survey data. That is followed by listening to an AM/FM radio station, say 31% of those surveyed.

 

The post Survey Says Podcast Use Increases, Although Many Still Not Onboard appeared first on Radio World.

Robert Orban is a consultant to Orban Labs Inc. He has been developing audio processing algorithms and hardware for broadcast and studio use, including the Optimod line of broadcast processors, for more than 50 years. He holds over 20 U.S. patents.

This is one in a series of interviews from the ebook “Trends in Audio Processing for Radio.”

Radio World: What’s the most important new development in design and use of processors for radio broadcasting?

Bob Orban: There are several possible answers. For some operations, virtualization of processing software has become significant, although putting processing software in the cloud is constrained by the need for reliable, high-quality audio connections with 100% availability. For other operations, compatibility with audio over IP connections and digital composite connections to the transmitter are more important. Others may value the ongoing refinement of processing algorithms that improve stations’ sound.

RW: How different are processing needs of analog broadcast, digital OTA, podcasts and streaming?

Orban: The processing for these transmission channels can be very similar except for the peak limiting technology.

For analog AM and FM, peak limiters must not pump or compromise loudness when faced with preemphasized signals, which implies clipping-like limiting with sophisticated distortion control.

For the other transmission channels, all of which include lossy codecs with no preemphasis, it is more important not to waste bits by encoding limiter-induced distortion spectrum, so limiters for these services should be very clean spectrally.

Additionally, some streamers may wish to use static file normalization to a target loudness instead of radio-style processing, although static normalization does not handle transitions and voiceovers nearly as well.

RW: What is the impact of the cloud, virtualization and SaaS on the processing marketplace? 

Orban: There is considerable interest in these concepts. However, moving the audio in and out of the cloud without dropouts, glitches and/or unacceptable latency is challenging.

Broadcasters must make a choice between the reliability and low latency of the current hardware processor infrastructure and the potential convenience of not having to own and maintain processing hardware. Orban offers products for both scenarios.

I find it interesting that there seems to be a backlash developing regarding putting everything in the cloud, with some players moving infrastructure requiring high performance back from the “cloud” to the “edge.”

RW: With audio coming from so many locations, what role do loudness and loudness range (LRA) play? Will future audio processors have monitoring capability for both on-air and streams?

Orban: As a member of the AES committee working on revising the AES TD1004.1.15-10 “Recommendation for Loudness of Audio Streaming and Network File Playback,” I am familiar with how industry experts in this area are thinking. We all agree that it is important to have consistent loudness between streams so that consumer can switch between streams without uncomfortable loudness jumps, and the ITU-R BS.1770 loudness measurement algorithm has been standardized for that purpose despite some limitations.

For example, its relative simplicity causes it to handle speech and music such that speech needs to be normalized about 3 LU below music for an esthetically pleasing balance between speech segments and music segments in a program.

As for LRA, its main values in the context of processing are, first, to help users assess if a single BS.1770 integrated loudness measurement corresponds well to perceived content loudness (high-LRA content will have parts whose short-term loudness is very different from its integrated loudness value), and second, to help users decide if dynamic range reduction for high-LRA content will provide a better listening experience to listeners in typical environments.

As for monitoring capability, most of Orban’s Optimod-FM processors and all of its streaming processors — Optimod 6200, 1101e, and 1600PCn — have had built-in BS.1770 loudness metering for several years, and some also include the CBS loudness measuring algorithm, which uses a more sophisticated psychoacoustic model than BS.1770. Additionally, Optimod-TV 8685 provides loudness measurement and automatic logging. No Orban processor displays LRA, but our free loudness meter software for Windows and MacOS (http://orban.com/meter) does this and more, and also allows logging and file analysis.

RW: Has processing attained a state of “hypercompression” from which there has been little change in how loud one can make over-the-air audio?

Orban: I agree that this is true for FM processing, and most improvements in FM processing are refinements. However, our new XPN-AM incorporates our MX limiter technology for the first time in an Orban AM processor, and this has enabled as much as 2 dB of increased modulation density for a given perceived distortion level compared to previous Orban AM processors. This provides meaningfully improved ability to increase coverage, to reduce power bills when using AM transmitters with dynamic carrier control technology, or to split the difference.

Given the ever-increasing amount of noise in the AM band and the financial challenges of maintaining an AM operation, we feel that XPN-AM processing helps support the economic viability of the AM service.

For both AM or FM, more sophisticated processing algorithms enable higher levels of perceived quality for a given loudness level, and these advantages remain if broadcasters choose to back off average modulation levels to improve quality.

RW: We read the processing can mitigate FM stereo multipath distortion and reduce clipping distortion in source content. How can buyers evaluate these claims, and could the industry develop third-party psychoacoustic testing to learn how listeners rate these features?

Orban: Orban backs up its claims in this area with white papers and conference presentations that show objective measurements supporting our claims. Several of our product manuals include the white paper “Measuring the Improvements in Optimod-FM xxxx’s FM Peak Limiting Technology,” and I have been doing presentations at local SBE chapter meetings that include measurements showing how our “Multipath Mitigator” phase corrector reduces the peak and average L–R stereo subchannel modulation. This reduces multipath distortion because it is well-established that the stereo subchannel is much more vulnerable to multipath distortion than the stereo main channel.

While it is of course possible to do third-party scientific testing that further backs up these claims, we believe that each station’s situation is unique, particularly regarding its multipath environment, and that the most significant testing is on-air testing at a given station’s own facility. Our processors offer the user the ability to turn the improved algorithms on and off, so it is easy to do comparison testing.

 

The post Moving Audio in the Cloud Brings Challenges appeared first on Radio World.

The guy who never threw away his shot will be honored by the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation. Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of “Hamilton” and “In the Heights,” will receive its 2021 Service to America Leadership Award.

The foundation will honor him for advocacy and support for the Latino community and the arts during its annual Celebration of Service to America Awards next month.

The Service to America Leadership Award “recognizes individuals and organizations responsible for improving the lives of others through extraordinary public service.”

The film version of “In the Heights” debuts this week.

NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith saluted Miranda’s artistic accomplishments and continued, “He has matched his outstanding success with an outspoken advocacy for Puerto Rico and the arts, and a steadfast commitment to helping communities grow, learn and thrive.”

Miranda’s good works include helping the Hispanic Federation support relief and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria and launching Raise Up, a fundraising campaign to support the Hispanic Federation Emergency Assistance Fund.

He and the Flamboyan Foundation launched the Flamboyan Arts Fund in 2018, raising money for the arts and artisans in Puerto Rico.

And Miranda, Jeffrey Seller and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History created the Hamilton Education Program to help educators integrate the arts and creativity in the study of the revolutionary and founding era. The program relies on original historic documents to inspire artistic pieces.

 

The post NAB Foundation Will Honor Lin-Manuel Miranda appeared first on Radio World.

RF manufacturer Nautel is running an HD Radio promotion on its VS and VSHD products that aims at the lower-power FM market but may interest other users as well.

“Low-power FM operations that are interested in the benefits and versatility of HD may not have been able to make the conversion due to cost,” said John Whyte, Nautel head of marketing in a release.

“We’re bringing these capabilities within reach through temporary, significant cost reductions in the VSHD upgrade for existing VS Series transmitters. The VS2.5 Analog/Digital FM transmitter is also available at a special price and is ideal for either analog or digital transmission.”

The VS Series is available in 300 W, 1000 W and 2.5 kW. Beyond lower-power FMs and LPFMs, Whyte said bigger stations might use Nautel VS Series transmitters as backups.

The VSHD is type certified for LPFM use in the United States. The company noted that HD Radio installations require an Xperi station license and a Nautel HD Multicast+ Importer/Exporter.

The promotion is for customers in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

 

The post Nautel Highlights HD for Lower-Power FM appeared first on Radio World.

The European Broadcasting Union has announced a pair of engineering awards.

Sweden’s Sveriges Radio’s News Values project was cited for the association’s Technology and Innovation Award.

According to a release, the “technical ingenuity” is what interested the award committee. “Editors rate every news story on three dimensions: magnitude, life span and, crucially, the degree to which it embodies ‘SR values.’ In this way, every item gets a score that is used by the algorithm to automatically generate news playlists for each local SR station. The system is also used internally by the national news team to discover the most interesting stories from around the country.”

Chair of the EBU Technical Committee Judy Parnall said, “This is a perfect example of technical ingenuity being combined with public service values, helping Sveriges Radio to better fulfill its mission.”

Irene Nikkarinen at Finland broadcaster Yle is the recipient of the very first EBU Young Engineers and Researchers Award. The release explained she received the award for “her work on adapting and training an open-source metadata tool” that “is improving the findability of Yle content on its online platforms and apps.”

EBU Technology & Innovation Department Director Antonio Arcidiacono said, “Irene Nikkarinen is a perfect example of the kinds of profile that will ensure public service media remain at the cutting edge when it comes to innovation in media technology.”

 

The post Sveriges Radio Receives EBU Tech & Innovation Award appeared first on Radio World.

Norm Philips

Longtime radio engineering executive Norm Philips is among the industry leaders who will be honored this year by the Texas Association of Broadcasters.

TAB also introduced the inaugural class of its Hightower Award winners, named in honor of the late Jason Hightower, who was a TAB chairman and owner/operator of KMOO(FM) in Mineola, Texas.

 Its Annual Awards Gala will be held in August as part of the TABShow in Austin. The recipients were announced by TAB President Oscar Rodriguez.

[Read: TAB Is Ready for an In-Person Show in 12 Weeks]

“Texas broadcasting is nothing without the passionate and dedicated leadership of individual men and women who take to heart the federal license to do good for the communities they serve, and no one embodies that spirit greater than the six radio and TV broadcasters we’re honoring this year,” he said.

Norm Philips will receive the George Marti Award for Engineering Excellence.

“Texas radio engineering and the name Norm Philips go hand in hand,” TAB wrote in its announcement. “He spent the bulk of his career directing engineering operations for Susquehanna, Cumulus, GAP and Townsquare Media stations in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, Denver and several other markets.”

As one of two engineering VPs for Townsquare, Philips managed nearly 200 stations. TAB said he “has inspired a legion of broadcast engineers who are sustaining radio stations throughout Texas today.” Philips retired in 2016.

Here are the names and bios of the other recipients:

Pioneer Broadcaster of the Year: Mark Grubbs, Ranch Radio Group, Kerrville — “Since 1993, Mark Grubbs has been owner/operator of the Ranch Radio Group stations in the Texas Hill Country,” TAB wrote. “As a ‘consummate radio guy,’ he is always looking for opportunities to serve his community, either with new promotion, programming, and marketing strategies to better serve listeners and local businesses, or a soulful solution to a pressing need. Whether it’s serving as the official radio station for the Gillespie County Fair or raising money for 4-H and FFA scholarships, Grubbs’ passion for serving his community is woven seamlessly into everything he and the Ranch Staff do.”

Broadcaster of the Year: Marty Wind, KLUX(FM), Corpus Christi — “After 38 years, Marty Wind recently retired from managing KLUX, a station he helped start for the Diocesan Telecommunications Corp. He introduced digital radio broadcasting to the Coastal Bend area in 2006 and today, noncommercial station KLUX is a market leader in public service, with a long list of achievements highlighted by courageous endeavors to stay on-air even in the worst of hurricanes. Wind’s heartfelt commitment to his fellow broadcasters and listeners is unmatched. Whether it be technical advice, emergency news and information, education or inspiration and relaxation, Wind is there to serve and protect the people of the Coastal Bend.”

Jason Hightower Awards for Broadcast Excellence — This award recognizes those with at least 10 years in the broadcast industry who have demonstrated a proficiency for enterprise and innovation in servicing their stations’ audience, advertisers and communities. The recipients are Melissa Rivera, digital sales manager for Townsquare Media Victoria; Joe Ellis, executive investigative reporter at KVUE(TV) in Austin; and Josh Gorbutt, news director for KBTX(TV) in Bryan-College Station.

 

The post TAB Will Honor Norm Philips appeared first on Radio World.

What’s your favorite mic and why? Which models do you use for remote work, news or live sound?

We’ve been asking radio professionals to share their preferences. Here are four more as we celebrate Microphone Month at Radio World.

Tony Abfalter

Director of engineering/IT, Leighton Broadcasting 

Abfalter goes with the proven quality of the Electro-Voice models RE20, RE27 and RE320. Same with specialty applications.

As far as he’s concerned, “No sense in trading quality outside the studio.”

He’s a believer in doing your research and talking to the air staff, and then ultimately making your own call. “There’s no right answer.”

 

Andrew Gladding

Chief engineer, Salem Media New York, and chief engineer, WRHU Radio Hofstra University

“The Shure SM7B packs a great punch at a reasonable cost,” Gladding says when asked for his choice in a radio studio.

“I really like how the pattern and dynamic response lends itself to both experienced and novice users.”

For remote podcasting, he recommends the EV RE20. “It seems to handle room noise fairly well and is fairly easy to use. Plus it can sound really fabulous when paired with a decent mic processor or preamp.”

When working with student engineers, he encourages them to start with the basics.

“Higher cost doesn’t always equal better quality. Knowledge of good mic placement and usage is more important than specs.”

Jose da Fonseca Bolacha

Broadcast Engineer, Radio Mozambique

For on-air work, count him as a fan of the Electro-Voice RE20 and its effective management of proximity effect. 

“Normally the dynamic mics are susceptible to external inductions, a problem that I faced for a long time with the AKG D3800 and only was overcome with the RE20,” he said.

Out in the field, he turns to the Sennheiser MD46, a dynamic cardioid with clear voice pickup.

“The metallic envelope provides good robustness, especially for a reporter in the field; it can fall and resist the impact without damage. Excellent response for reporting on the go.”

 

Josh Rath

94.7 and The Mighty 790 KGHL

Josh Rath is the programming manager and afternoon drive host on “94.7 and The Mighty 790 KGHL,” which is KGHL(AM) and its FM translator. He also oversees IT operations for Northern Broadcasting System with its 70 or so radio affiliates across four states. Both are based in Billings, Mont.

He too is a fan of the Shure SM7B for studio work. “I’m sure more than half the industry would say the same; but you simply cannot beat a legendary microphone with a build quality tougher than the Terminator.”

He adds that the company is beginning the process of a complete AOIP transition.

“If you have the ability, start with all-digital end to end. Provides you total control, all from a nice digital dashboard, of your mic EQ, gate and more.”

 

Thor Waage

Chief Engineer-Portland for Alpha Media

The Sennheiser MD421-II and the Electro-Voice RE20 are his picks for on-air work. “Both are excellent for just about any type of voice, but the MD421 with the roll-off switch in the flat position, marked M for Music, is hard to beat.”

For specialty environments, it depends on the application, but the one he has found the most forgiving is the Shure SM7B. “In an ideal acoustical situation, add a Cloudlifter and it really comes to life.”

Waage puts the emphasis on proper mic technique. “If you’re making an investment to improve your sound quality, learn how to use that tool.”

Read more of our coverage:

Today’s Microphones Offer a Buffet of Choice

The post Pros Tell Us About Their Favorite Mics appeared first on Radio World.