Radio+Television Business Report

The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), the content producers, distributors, streamers and buyers association that’s gained the attention of brokers and top broadcast TV industry leaders for its annual NATPE Miami affair, has unveiled its full slate of virtually delivered sessions and speakers for its upcoming 2021 event.

It’s a four-day online event focused on four channels, and programmed, NATPE says, “as a television business newscast.”

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PERTH, AUSTRALIA — codec manufacturer Tieline has confirmed that the new Gateway Multichannel IP audio codec is now available to purchase and is now shipping.

The Tieline Gateway is a DSP-based 1RU IP codec enabling transport of multiple channels of mono or stereo audio across the Public Internet or any QoS-enabled IP network, including T1 and T3 connections and private WANs with MPLS. The Gateway streams up to 16 IP audio channels with support for AES67, ST 2110-30, AES3 and analog I/O as standard.

“This is an exciting day for Tieline and is the culmination of many months of research, design and development,” said Tieline CEO Will McLean. “Broadcasters these days want more functionality within a compact rackmount footprint, combined with simple connectivity and flexible remote control features. The new generation Gateway codec delivers best-in-class functionality and interoperability for IP streaming over WANs, as well as integration with AES67 and ST 2110-30 compatible networks.”

Gateway Replaces Merlin PLUS and Genie Distribution Codecs
“The Gateway is perfect for large-scale audio distribution as well as managing multiple incoming remotes at the studio,” Tieline says. “It will immediately replace and supersede the popular Merlin PLUS and Genie Distribution codecs by delivering more connection options, flexible scalability over time, as well as new IP technologies.”

The Gateway integrates with all Tieline IP codecs and delivers hitless packet switching using SmartStream PLUS redundant streaming, plus bandwidth aggregation using Fuse-IP technologies over internet connections. It supports 16 bidirectional mono or 8 bidirectional stereo streams of IP audio in 1RU to increase channel density and reduce rack space requirements.

It is interoperable with all Tieline IP codecs and compatible over SIP with all EBU N/ACIP Tech 3326 and 3368 compliant codecs and devices.

The Gateway has two standard versions. One supports 8 Channels in/out (8 Mono or 4 Stereo) and the other supports 16 Channels in/out (16 Mono or 8 Stereo). The codec also supports a flexible upgrade path that allows you to buy a Gateway with 8 channels and upgrade the codec over time as needs change or your network expands.

The Tieline Gateway interfaces with analog and AES/EBU sources, as well as newer broadcast plants with AES67 and ST 2110-30 IP audio infrastructure. An optional WheatNet-IP card will also be available.

Gateway is configurable through an embedded HTML5 Toolbox Web-GUI interface and is also fully controllable using Tieline’s Cloud Codec Controller.

Notice About Discontinued Merlin PLUS and Genie Distribution Codecs The Gateway codec supersedes the Merlin PLUS and Genie Distribution codecs and production of these codecs has ceased. Tieline will continue to provide support and software updates for the Merlin PLUS and Genie Distribution.

Segregation, Segmentation and Storytelling.

That’s the attention-getting hook for a February 16 NATPE virtual event designed to place a spotlight on the business of African American-focused television.

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“This is a great tool for TV reporters to easily capture, save and share their notes.” That’s the pitch from the makers of the THINKERS Notebook, a new product designed for cloud-based creation and sharing needs.

It comes from Dallas-based THINKERS Manifesto, and it’s been build with the expressed purpose of allowing users to capture ideas on paper and share them in the cloud.

“Designed for thinkers from the boardroom to the classroom, the THINKERS Notebook combines a uniquely designed, 256-page, 5mm dot grid, lay flat journal with an intuitive mobile app for quickly capturing and collaborating on pages from the notebook,” the company notes.

CEO and co-founder Sean Jackson adds, “The THINKERS Notebook is an elegantly crafted, premium quality notebook unlike any on the market today, and what makes it truly special is the way the THINKERS App is optimized to seamlessly capture pages from the notebook and makes collaborating on those ideas effortless.”

The notebook uses a unique page design; optimized for capturing notes using the free companion THINKERS App for iOS (Android version coming soon), that does not require a QR code or special symbols on the page.

At the top of each page is an area for writing page titles and tags. Users may take a photo of each page and using machine learning technology, the app automatically detects handwriting on the pages and converts written titles and tags into organized notes within the app.

Beyond handwriting recognition, the app also includes an advanced web-based collaboration system for sharing ideas with others on the web along with built-in cloud storage capabilities and a unique location feature for finding notes on a map.

“Most smart notebooks require a QR code or a special pen,” says Daniel Reiling, co-founder and lead iOS developer. “By building our own machine learning algorithm, we are able to automatically detect pages from our notebook and convert handwriting into titles, tags and searchable text without having to add anything to the page or require you to use a special pen.”

ABOUT THIS PRODUCT The THINKERS Notebook is available for $29.95 at https://thinkersnotebook.com/ and is the perfect solution for consultants, students, and creative professionals that want to unlock their creative ideas – from paper to the cloud. The THINKERS Notebook is a sophisticated journal with 256 numbered pages using 120 gsm off-white paper (suitable for any type of pen or pencil) with thread-binding that provides a perfect lay flat design that is convenient to use in front of the computer. The cover consists of black bonded leather with soft touch coating and colored edging that provides a remarkable 360º design that stands out from other notebooks. As a bonus feature, the THINKERS Notebook includes a special access code to the THINKERS Workshop. Normally $99.99 per year, this special access code allows any notebook customer to join the Workshop for free. The THINKER Workshop includes a wide variety of tools, presentations and insights to help individuals learn the most effective techniques to maximize the results of their own thinking.

Heartland Video Systems has recently completed over a dozen successful NextGen TV system implementations with several major TV station groups.

The preparation for these started 20 years ago with work done on ATSC 1.0.

Dennis Klas, CEO of Heartland, recalls, “When we were integrating ATSC 1.0 there was always a rush to get stations on the air quickly. This was a challenge because everyone was working with new technologies with little integration history. As ATSC 3.0 came into view, Heartland made a commitment to build an integration lab where we could test connectivity between different ATSC 3.0 products.”

By the time ATSC 3.0 implementations began, Heartland Video had products from most prominent suppliers under one roof enabling them to run product combinations and predict results. “Just as with ATSC 1.0 we find that the order dates for product installations were not far from the station turn on dates,” he adds. “With this time crunch, being able to test possible integration combinations in advance is invaluable.”

Heartland was introduced to DigiCAP through their involvement with Pearl TV, where they heard DigiCAP had proven itself useful to some members.

Mike Schmidt, Senior Systems Engineer at Heartland, notes, “Because we like to test all available prominent suppliers, we evaluated their technology.”

Klas adds, “We found DigiCAP had a product some of our clients could use. We also found DigiCAP to be very responsive to our requests, and has a forward-looking technology view, especially in app development. We have implemented their air chain technology with several station groups with very positive results.”

Sang Jin Yoon, SVP Business Development at DigiCAP, was excited to be working with Heartland Video Systems in implementing ATSC 3.0 station launches. “When we saw their integration lab, we immediately recognized a like-minded commitment to proactively work with new technology,” he says.

DigiCAP built their lab ATSC 3.0 integration lab in 2017 to enable Korean TV stations become ATSC 3.0 ready to transmit live 4K TV for the 2018 South Korean Winter Olympic games.

In late April, RBR+TVBR first reported on the sale of a group of radio stations serving the Albany, Ga., market.

As 2020 comes to a close, this $450,000 deal — which involves one of the nation’s biggest broadcasting companies — has closed.

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U.S. broadcast media companies saw widely disparate activity on Wall Street Monday, with companies such as Townsquare Media seeing a healthy jump from Friday, while TEGNA and Urban One were also up.

Every other company on the RBR+TVBR Wall Street Report ticker was down.

This includes Nexstar Media Group, which finished below $100.

For Sinclair, an 84-cent dip to $27.80 was seen.

 

Nielsen Audio’s 2020 radio market survey rankings by frequency, type and population — by rank and by market — are now available for public viewing.

There’s also Total Survey Area Population data, and Television DMA regions, for those interested in this information.

What are the key takeaways?

Atlanta has moved up in the Top 10 and is now No. 7, with Washington, D.C., dipping to No. 8.

Meanwhile, Charlotte is just below the Top 20, and Detroit slips to No. 14 from No. 13.

To view the above document, please click here to download.

 

A collection of full-power and FM translator stations serving communities in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are being transferred into an irrevocable trust, according to a filing on the FCC’s LMS made Friday.

If approved, this will see a prolific New England broadcaster and 2010 U.S. Senate candidate shift ownership of the properties to an irrevocable trust that he’ll directly oversee.

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As RBR+TVBR tweeted on Sunday afternoon (12/20), a roughly $900 COVID-19 federal relief package was approved by the U.S. Senate, paving the way for $600 stimulus checks for adults earning up to $75,000 and additional $600 one-time checks for each dependent.

It turns out the coronavirus relief legislation includes expanded eligibility to local media outlets for the Paycheck Protection Program — a victory for many broadcast radio and TV companies.

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In an unprecedented year, the sports industry has had to take creative steps to generate all of the excitement of a live game while battling the reality of empty stadiums due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The solutions varied from cardboard cutouts of fans to digital audiences and artificial fan noise. To learn what sports fans thought about fan noise, as well as to ask about their other sports opinions in a year unlike any other, Westwood One teamed with media buying giant Horizon Media and commissioned market research insights firm MARU/Matchbox to execute a two-wave study on the subject.

The key findings are now available.

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The first all-digital CES 2021, scheduled for January 11-14, 2021, will feature an iHeartMedia conference session on how technology has enabled some of today’s hottest artists to continue to create and introduce new music and immersive experiences for their fans during the pandemic.

It’s moderated by a ubiquitous iHeart personality, and will see this individual interview a superstar who is arguably one of the world’s biggest pop recording artists today.

Virtual attendees will see Ryan Seacrest host a fireside chat with singer/songwriter Dua Lipa.

Also available exclusively to registered CES attendess: a special performance by Billie Eilish scheduled for 7pm Eastern on Tuesday, January 12, 2021.

Karen Chupka, EVP of CES for the Consumer Technology Association, says the session “will explore the art of the possible and the transformation that is happening in the entertainment industry.”

Tom Poleman, iHeartMedia’s Chief Programming Officer, adds, “iHeartMedia has always taken pride in our ability to bring artists and fans together, but when the pandemic hit we had to get even more creative. At a time when all of us are searching for ways to feel connected with the music and artists we love while remaining safe, we’re proud to have pushed the limits of technology to innovate and create intimate experiences for music fans nationwide, whether it’s taking our entire roster of iHeartRadio nationally-recognized events virtual or creating one-of-kind shows meant to inspire and support millions of Americans.”

BRADENTON, FLA. — On May 5, 2016, Calkins Media announced that it had agreed to sell an ABC affiliate in a unique situation to one of the nation’s biggest broadcast TV companies. For $82 million, the company agreed to spin this station, which is one of two ABC affiliates in its DMA, to Raycom Media.

Then came the June 25, 2018, announcement that Raycom would be merging with Gray Television, a transformative transaction that closed as 2019 began.

Now, nearly two years later, Gray is dealing with a retransmission consent feud focused on this single Sunshine State property. The MVPD at the center of the dispute, which has led to the latest “blackout” of a free-to-air TV station? Frontier Communications.

And, it’s a complex matter involving legacy customers to a grandfathered service.

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Do you have a New Year resolution? If not, think about your listeners. Many do, and even if they don’t hold to their promises, radio is still empowered to profit from them.

How? Here’s some food for thought … unless, of course, dieting and exercise are your New Year resolution.Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

On March 11, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation heard testimony from an attorney at Covington & Burling, focused on commercial litigation and government contracts, who had been nominated to serve as Inspector General of the FCC.

This individual would have replaced David Hunt, who was appointed in 2011 and agreed to step down following an OK for Johnson, an Oklahoma native.

That’s not happening.

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Some 2 1/2 weeks after TEGNA-owned stations faded to black on AT&T-owned DirecTV lineups across the U.S., customers of the direct broadcast satellite company that many believe will be gobbled up by Dish can now tune to such stations as WUSA-9 in Washington, D.C.; WTSP-10 in Tampa; and KGW-8 in Portland, Ore.

A new retransmission consent agreement has be reached, resolving a matter that yielded much subscriber ire and many letters to RBR+TVBR.

The companies revealed that a new multi-year retrans deal was signed on Sunday morning (12/20) — just in time for National Football League coverage.

All TEGNA stations immediately returned to any impacted AT&T homes.

“AT&T and TEGNA regret any inconvenience to their customers and viewers and thank them for their patience,” the companies jointly stated in a statement distributed at 9:50am Eastern.

The agreement includes retransmission consent for all 64 TEGNA-owned stations serving 51 Nielsen markets including Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and Washington, among many others. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The stations impacted by the “blackout,” created by the lack of a new retransmission consent agreement between TEGNA and the AT&T-owned DBS provider, included 63 television stations in 51 markets. According to TEGNA, it is the largest owner of top 4 affiliates in the top 25 markets among independent station groups, reaching approximately
39% of all television households nationwide.

While this impasse is a significant one, the biggest battle of the season is still unresolved: Nexstar Media Group and Dish remain at odds over their own respective retrans consent accord.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the U.S. Supreme Court ready to hear arguments in the FCC and NAB‘s joint appeal of the Third Circuit Federal Appeals Court remand of its local media ownership rule revisions, the Commission — in the final days of leadership under Chairman Ajit Pai — is voting to preserve the status quo with respect to a Fox Corporation request for a permanent waiver allowing it to own multiple TV stations and a newspaper in the nation’s No. 1 market.

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It’s a lightly traded stock, and the company’s fiscal health is arguably strong compared to some of its peers. Yet, Friday was a challenging day on Wall Street for the executive team at Townsquare Media.

On nearly five times the average volume, TSQ immediately fell from the Opening Bell and in the final minutes of trading dipped even further.

Townsquare shares were off by 11%, with a $6.60 price seen just six minutes before the Closing Bell on the NYSE rang.

When all was said and done, TSQ completed Friday’s trading with a 10.9% dip, to $6.62.

Volume was 47,881 shares on an average of 15,995 shares.

What prompted the downward activity for the local media company?

It’s not clear. But, it does come one trading session after Townsquare priced an offering of $550.0 million in aggregate principal amount of its 6.875% senior secured notes due 2026.

The notes will bear interest semi-annually at a rate equal to 6.875% per annum and were offered at par value. They are senior secured obligations of Townsquare Media and will be guaranteed on a senior secured basis by the company’s direct and wholly owned subsidiaries.

Closing of the offering is anticipated to take place on or about January 6, 2021, subject to customary closing conditions.

Townsquare intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with cash on hand, to repay its existing senior secured credit facilities, to redeem all of Townsquare’s outstanding 6.500% senior notes due 2023, and to pay the premium, fees and expenses related to the offering.

Townsquare also intends to terminate its existing senior secured credit facilities, including its existing revolving credit facility.

There may be more timeless music than ever, and not playing it could be costing your radio stations revenue, Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson notes in this Classic Media Information Bureau column worth a fresh read.

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It’s not often that the FCC receives a Acuerdo para venta y transferencia de licencia de un radioemisora.

In such cases, Fletcher Heald & Hildreth attorney Frank Montero is likely involved. And, that’s indeed the situation here, as a prolific Puerto Rico broadcaster has gained another AM on La Isla del Encanto.

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