Radio+Television Business Report

A recently divorced friend of public relations veteran Rosemary Ravinal who was browsing her feed of prospects on a dating app said she liked one gentleman because he exuded “executive presence.” Ravinal asked herself the following question: If the term “executive presence” is a measure of desirability on a dating site based on a static image, does that lessen the importance of those qualities in the business world? To satisfy her curiosity, Ravinal consulted a few friends at recruiting firms.

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Telestream, a provider of digital media tools and workflow products owned by Genstar Capital, has purchased a live event hosting and distribution platform used by Fortune 500 companies and others to stream content to their customers, employees, and members.

As such, Sherpa Digital Media’s platform is now fully integrated with Telestream’s offerings.

Telestream CEO Dan Castles notes, “Sherpa Digital Media has built a solid platform that many rely upon to stream their live, interactive events, and we intend to continue its development to expand into new areas such as using our Wirecast product to produce events distributed on the platform.”

Sherpa Digital Media allows customers to create live events and webinars.

The platform includes breakout rooms, video hosting, marketing automation integration, secure streaming, and the ability to scale up to hundreds of thousands of viewers.

Sherpa Digital Media is a privately held company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. The team includes a remote workforce which will be fully integrated into the Telestream family.

Existing customers can expect to see additional resources being deployed to support the platform around the world.

A new Wells Fargo Securities report gives linear media a big boost, while lowering expectations for the software industry.

It has much merit, given the financial institution’s track record on coverage of broadcast media companies with publicly traded shares. And, the report provides media executives with further ammo in their fight against local digital.

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LOS ANGELES — A company considered to be a “pioneer for managing, distributing and monetizing content” has received a strategic investment from Fox Corporation.

This, Eluvio says, is designed to accelerate the adoption of Eluvio’s platform across the broader media and entertainment industry.

As part of the investment, the companies also announced that Eluvio will provide the underlying technology platform for Blockchain Creative Labs, FOX Entertainment’s and Bento Box Entertainment’s recently launched NFT business and creative unit.

Fox Corporation’s investment marks the completion of Eluvio’s Series A round at a valuation of $100 million.

Paul Cheesbrough, Chief Technology Officer and President of Digital for Fox Corporation, will also join Eluvio’s Board of Directors.

Launched in 2019, Eluvio is led by technologists Michelle Munson and Serban Simu. The company’s Eluvio Content Fabric is an advanced, open protocol blockchain network purpose-built for owner-controlled storage, distribution, and monetization of digital content at scale. It provides live and file-based content publishing, transcoding, packaging, sequencing, dynamic and static distribution, and minting of derivative NFTs–all backed by blockchain contracts providing proof of ownership and access control.

Eluvio LIVE, powered by the Eluvio Content Fabric, is a multi-tenant turnkey platform for publishers that provides 4K streaming and ticketing of events with media marketplaces.

“At FOX, we believe that the blockchain, and the overall shift towards a more decentralized web, is providing creators with a wealth of opportunities to reach consumers with exciting new experiences,” Cheesbrough said. “Michelle, Serban and the Eluvio team are the best in the business when it comes to the software and scalable infrastructure required to power live, decentralized experiences across the blockchain and our investment will help bring this technology to a wider market of content creators, media partners and advertising clients.”

In May, FOX Entertainment and Bento Box entered the NFT business with the formation of Blockchain Creative Labs and a $100 million creator fund to identify growth opportunities in the space. As such, Blockchain Creative Labs will launch a dedicated digital marketplace for creator Dan Harmon’s upcoming animated comedy, KRAPOPOLIS, marking the first animated series to be curated entirely on the blockchain.

The company will manage and sell digital KRAPOPOLIS goods, including NFTs of one-of-a-kind character and background art and GIFs, as well as tokens that provide exclusive social experiences to engage and reward super fans.

Set in mythical ancient Greece and centered on a flawed family of humans, gods and monsters that tries to run one of the world’s first cities without killing each other, KRAPOPOLIS is fully owned and financed by FOX Entertainment and will be produced by Bento Box.

Additional news about Blockchain Creative Labs-driven content will be disclosed in the coming weeks.

— Editing by Adam R Jacobson

MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Solutions is bringing a new version of its flagship SilverBack-V series fiber camera adapters to market.

Ideal for content producers of live concerts, sports and other televised events, the new SilverBack-VB retains the main features required for HD, 4K and even 8K productions while streamlining the feature set for smaller budgets.

The SilverBack-V and SilverBack-VB both convert digital cinema cameras into SMPTE studio cameras for use in live multi-camera productions.

As such, a live production company can now mix and match digital cinema cameras.

“Digital cinema cameras were traditionally used for filmmaking, but a larger sector of content producers now desire these cameras for their 35mm and larger image sensors,” said Jesse Foster, Director of Product Development and Western Region Sales. “The larger imager size provides a shallower depth of field and greater emotion by having the foreground on a different focal plane than the background. Digital cinema cameras also bring 4K resolution, HDR and Wide Color Gamut, as well as 24fps support for film-like motion blur as well as high framerate acquisition for slow motion. These benefits are now available to users that could not achieve their storytelling goals because they were priced out of the market.”

The SilverBack-VB is a 1RU half-rack-width enclosure that provides a full-bandwidth fiber optic link between any 12G, 4K or HD camera and a truck, control room or video village position. The design puts more emphasis on video payload across four I/O options, including bi-directional 12G-SDI and 3G-SDI, while streamlining audio transport options to the essentials. Live multicamera production features such as intercom, genlock, timecode and serial data, along with front-panel status monitoring, are retained to optimize live cinematic production flexibility.

The SilverBack-VB is also vendor-agnostic. When paired with MultiDyne’s JUICE-48 power supply, users can operate on a hybrid cable and provide power to the camera, or use lightweight, robust tactical fiber and power the camera locally. The SilverBack-VB also adds PoE capability to power remote control panels and other production workflows over Ethernet – a first for the SilverBack series.

“The modular design of the SilverBack-VB ensures that the system can be customized with various types, amounts and directions of video inputs and outputs, while our agnostic approach provides no limitations to camera choice for our customers,” said Frank Jachetta, CEO at MultiDyne. “Our latest SilverBack innovation, one of our flagship product lines today, incorporates the proven connectivity solutions of MultiDyne’s decades of experience outfitting high-end, broadcast-quality production requirements.”

— Brian Galante

Borrell Associates has just completed the analysis of its annual local advertiser survey, conducted in April, May and June. The findings are now available for all to digest.

What’s the biggest takeaway?

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HOUSTON — A facility exchange agreement is in the works that sets the stage for a move of a Tropical-formatted Spanish-language operation branded as “La Calle.”

It involves Daij Media, and two religious broadcasting licensees.

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On the evening of November 15, 2020, outdoors enthusiast turned radio station owner Jamie McKibbin died in a boating accident near Tippecanoe, Ohio.

Now, the properties associated with his McKibbin Media Group are being transferred from his estate to his widow.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has selected an individual to serve in the newly created SVP/Innovation and System Strategies, effective Sept. 13.

He will be responsible for the development and implementation of a multi-faceted strategy to advance innovation and sustainability of public media through accelerating public media’s digital transformation.

Taking the role is Stacey Decker.

“Stacey is a strategic and creative thinker with more than two decades of innovative leadership in public media,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “He is a technology leader whose experience with broadcast technology, navigation, and communications systems was enhanced through five years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard. He will help CPB develop and create strategies and services to assist the public media industry in many areas, including implementing and leveraging the new Next Gen TV broadcast standard.”

For the last two years, Decker has served as president of Public Media Management, a media management and content distribution service, and chief technology officer at Signal Infrastructure Group, which builds and operates the physical and digital infrastructure to enable all broadcasters – commercial and public – to leverage the full power and revenue opportunities of ATSC 3.0.

From 2013 to 2019, Decker served as chief technology officer for WGBH in Boston, playing a key role in evolving the organization’s strategic planning, production, audience development, and technology direction. For 11 years before that, Decker held technology leadership roles for Nebraska Educational Telecommunication and South Dakota Public Broadcasting. He also served on the PBS Technical Advisory Committee from 2010 to 2016.

Between Clarksville and Jackson, Tenn. is the town of Camden, perhaps best-known as the closest municipality to the Patsy Cline plane crash memorial.

Camden is also home to an AM/FM combo and FM translator owned by an individual who recently passed away. Now, his stations are moving into a trust.

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In Central Florida, Mike McClain has gained national recognition as the SVP/GM of FOX O&O’s WOFL-35 and WRBW-65 in Orlando and WOGX-51 in Gainesville-Ocala.

Now, the FOX operation along the I-4 corridor is getting attention for its choice of a video software provider that will support its rollout of ATSC 3.0-based broadcast TV signals in the market.

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LOS ANGELES — Earlier this month, the SXM-8 satellite completed in-orbit testing and was handed over to SiriusXM. 

It’s the ninth high-powered, digital, audio radio satellite built by Maxar Technologies for SiriusXM.

A 11th one is on the way.

Westminister, Colo.-based Maxar late Tuesday (8/24) announced it received an order to build another geostationary communications satellite for longtime customer SiriusXM.

And, it follows the SXM-9 satellite order that was announced earlier this month.

SXM-10 will be built on Maxar’s 1300-class platform at the company’s manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, Calif.

Maxar has been building satellites for SiriusXM for more than two decades, including the first-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2000, the second-generation Sirius satellites launched in 2009 and 2013, and the company’s third-generation satellites, the last one of which was launched earlier this year.

“We’re proud to continue this relationship for both SXM-9 and SXM-10,” said Chris Johnson, Maxar’s Senior Vice President of Space Programs Delivery.

— Adam R Jacobson

Nexstar Media Group is partnering up with the company behind a streaming video network that provides extensive coverage of sports betting by way of a just-signed multi-year agreement that will see the launch of what’s being billed as the nation’s first-ever diginet devoted to sports wagering and fantasy sports.

Beginning September 1, SportsGrid Network from SportsGrid Inc. will be distributed across nine digital subchannels licensed to Nexstar in nine major U.S. markets: San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Tampa-St. Petersburg; Portland, Ore.; Nashville; Norfolk; Grand Rapids; Knoxville; and Des Moines.

SportsGrid considers itself to be the nation’s “first and only 24-hour sports wagering and fantasy sports program service.”

That said, it is in many ways a competitor to such established brands as DraftKings, BetQL and VSiN, bringing Nexstar into a highly active and burgeoning non-traditional revenue stream for both television and radio in the broadcast media space.

At present, SportsGrid’s content is distributed across over-the-air broadcast and cable television, connected Smart TVs, a variety of streaming platforms, mobile devices and on the internet. The new network is being added to recently vacated digital sub-channels licensed to Nexstar.

At its launch, SportsGrid Network will feature 18 hours of exclusive live original programming hosted by a team of on-air personalities, sports and gambling experts, and guest contributors, as well as a variety of pre-produced programming and encore presentations of the network’s most popular shows.

The network’s mission: to provide real-time sports news, data, analytics, and statistics to engage sports audiences whenever and wherever they choose. SportsGrid’s reporting and analytic platform includes daily odds, lines, matchups, injury reports, statistics, news, and more across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college sports, golf, tennis, and soccer.

SportsGrid’s live programming originates from television production facilities adjacent to Madison Square Garden in New York and at the SG Studios & Production Hub, across the Hudson River in the state of New Jersey.

SportsGrid was founded by President Louis Maione. He said, “Nexstar’s national reach across 199 owned or operated television stations in 116 markets throughout the U.S. is a great platform for distributing our content to fantasy sports fans and gamblers everywhere. This agreement provides both companies the opportunity to share content and to strategically expand the network to additional Nexstar markets.”

Sean Compton, the former radio industry executive who today is President of Nexstar’s Networks Division, commented, “Our nation is sports obsessed and we are delighted to deliver SportsGrid’s programming to address the rapidly growing interest in sports betting and fantasy sports. Distributing SportsGrid’s programming across digital subchannels in nine of our markets will enable us to connect with new audiences and continue expanding a new and fast growing revenue stream.”

A Class B AM licensed to Horseheads, N.Y., that serves the Corning-Elmira market and reaches nearby Ithaca is being spun.

It’s a facility that was owned in recent years by Jim Leven and Bruce Mittman’s Community Broadcasters and later spun by Seven Mountains Media, the dominant radio operator in the market today, to a non-commercial religious entity.

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A licensee of an FM translator serving Marion, Ind., has received a proposed fine from the FCC much like several other NALs issued within the last month.

It shows that the FCC means business when it comes to filing deadlines — and that it hopes to add to its coffers from tardy radio licensees.

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In February, the 12-year-old Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) took to Zoom and conducted the first of its two virtual sessions comprising the 10th annual Cross-Platform Video Measurement & Data Summit.

Six months later, we’re pleased to be checking in with Managing Director and CEO Jane Clarke to get a new look on the state of measurement. Among Clarke’s choice declarations: The panel just doesn’t work anymore.

For all of what Clarke has to say in just under 15 minutes, check out this must-listen RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM!

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Jane Clarke, CIMM” on Spreaker.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications has unveiled the names of eight new inductees, as well as a new class of 33 Legacy inductees, into the Chicago-based Radio Hall of Fame for 2021.

The 2021 inductees will be honored at an in-person 2021 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, October 28 at Chicago’s Wintrust Grand Banking Hall.

THE 2021 RADIO HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ARE:

Brother Wease – Radio 95.1, Rochester, NY
Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more)

Elliot Segal – DC101, Washington, DC
Active Local/Regional (10 years or more)

Dan Patrick – The Dan Patrick Show
Longstanding Networks/Syndication (20 years or more)

Kim Komando – The Kim Komando Show
Active Network/Syndication (10 Years or more)

Javier Romero – WAMR-FM/Amor 107.5, Univision Miami
Music Format On-Air Personality

Preston & Steve – 93.3 WMMR, Philadelphia, PA
Spoken Word On-Air Personality

Erica Farber, President and CEO, Radio Advertising Bureau

Bill Siemering, Founding Director of Programming and Founding Member of the Board of Directors, NPR

Four inductees were determined by a voting participant panel comprised of more than 600 industry professionals and four inductees were voted on by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, two with input from the public. The outcome of the listener vote for a music format and spoken word format on-air personality counted as one vote among the committee votes. The process was overseen by the certified public accounting firm Miller Kaplan Arase LLP.

Kraig T. Kitchin, Radio Hall of Fame chairman, commented, “I’m thrilled to welcome this deserving Class of 2021 and look forward to celebrating their inductions in late October in Chicago. In addition, it’s my honor to announce and recognize the talents of individuals who provided the foundation for so much of our industry’s success, but have not been yet recognized by this institution. These individuals have earned their place within the Radio Hall of Fame. We used the opportunity of this medium’s 100th anniversary to undertake a review of the industry’s past performers and operators, to identify a select group of industry legends that left us before they could be properly recognized. We honor their contributions and their memory by these inductions.“

In addition, to honor the 100th year of radio, the Radio Hall of Fame has established a Legends induction, recognizing the talents and efforts of air personalities, programmers and operators who although they have died, spent their lives contributing their talents to the industry. While the industry celebrates 100 years of existence, the industry’s Hall of Fame is only 33 years into existence. The centennial milestone provides an opportunity to recognize the talents and efforts of 33 individuals in 2021, as well.

The following 33 radio legends take their place in the Radio Hall of Fame immediately, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of radio:

• Aku aka Hal Lewis, air personality in Honolulu in 1960-1980’s on KGU and KGMB;
• Raul Alarcon Sr., radio executive and founder of Spanish Broadcast Systems (SBS);

• Jackson Armstrong, air personality in Cleveland in 1960–1980’s on WIXY, WKYC, WKBW and other stations;

• Dr. Joy Browne, syndicated talk radio air personality based from WOR-AM / New York City;

• Frankie Crocker, air personality in Buffalo and New York City in 1950–1980’s on WUFO, WWRL, WMCA  and WBLS-FM;

• Don Cornelius, air personality, WVON-AM, Chicago;

• Tom Donahue, air personality in San Francisco in 1960– 1980’s on KYA, KMPX, KSAN;

• Bill Drake, programmer and founder, Drake-Chenault Enterprises;

• Arlene Francis, air personality in New York City in 1930-1960’s and first female host of NBC’s Monitor;

• Barry Gray, talk radio air personality in 1940-1980’s in New York City on WOR and WMCA;

• Toni Grant, talk radio air personality in Los Angeles in 1970-1980’s on KABC-AM and others via syndication;

• Petey Greene, air personality in Washington D.C. in 1960-1980’s on WOL-AM;

• Maurice “Hot Rod“ Hulbert, air personality in Baltimore and Memphis in 1950 -1970’s;

• Jocko Henderson, air personality in Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore in 1950-1970’s;

• E. Rodney Jones, air personality in Chicago in the 1960’s on WVON-AM;

• Chuck Leonard, air personality in New York City in 1960-1970’s on WWRL, WABC, WXLO, WRKS, WBLS and others;

• Melvin Lindsey, the originator of the “Quiet Storm“ late-night music programming format and Washington D.C air personality    the 1970-1980’s;

• Ron Lundy, air personality in New York City in 1960–1980’s on WABC and WCBS-FM;

• Mary Margaret McBride, nationally syndicated talk personality based in New York City, 1930-1970’s;

• Ruth Ann Meyer, programmer of New York City radio stations in 1950-1960’s;

• Murray “Murray the K” Kaufman, air personality in New York City, 1950-1980’s on stations WINS and WOR-FM;

• Manuel “Paco“ Navarro, air personality in New York City in 1970-1980’s on WKTU-FM;

• Pat O’Day, air personality, station owner and concert promoter in Seattle in 1960-1980’s;

• Eddie O’Jay, air personality and pioneer of R&B radio in Milwaukee and Cleveland in 19960-1980’s;

• Stu Olds, radio executive and CEO, Katz Media 1970-2010;

• Alison Steele, air personality in New York City in 1960-1980’s on WNEW-AM and WNEW-FM;

• “The Real” Don Steele, air personality in 1950-1980’s in Los Angeles on various stations;

• Martha Jean “The Queen“ Steinberg, air personality in Memphis and Detroit in 1950-1980’s;

• Todd Storz, radio executive and owner of Storz Broadcasting Company;

• Jay Thomas, air personality in New York and Los Angeles in 1970-1990’s;

• Rufus Thomas, air personality in Memphis in 1950-1980’s;

• McHenry “Mac” Tichenor, radio executive, broadcast station owner of Tichenor Media (Heftel);

• Nat D. Williams, air personality in Memphis in 1940-1970’s on WDIA-AM.

The Mix Group is the presenting sponsor of the Radio Hall of Fame 2021 induction ceremony. The Radio Hall of Fame was founded by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. The Museum of Broadcast Communications took over operations in 1991.

From the current incarnation of “93KHJ” in American Samoa to his properties in the Deep South, Larry Fuss has gained national attention as one of the last radio owner/entrepreneurs.

Now, Fuss is in the news for what amounts to a reversal of his 2011 sale of a 1,000-watt AM and its FM translator serving a small city in Mississippi.

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RBR+TVBR first learned August 19 that NEXTGEN TV was coming to Atlanta.

It is now known that that’s not the only new market now offering local viewers broadcast TV channels powered by the ATSC 3.0 digital broadcast standard.

Kansas City television stations KMBC-9 (ABC), KCTV-5 (CBS), KSHB-41 (NBC), WDAF-4 (FOX), KCPT (PBS), KCWE-29 (CW), KSMO-TV (MyNet) and KMCI-38 (“The Spot”) are all now available to Kansas City area viewers in the NEXTGEN TV format.

The E.W. Scripps Co. owns KMCI and KSHB, while Hearst is the owner of KCWE & KMBC; Nexstar owns WDAF; and Meredith Local Media is the owner of KSMO, pending the closing of the group’s sale to Gray Television.

Tuesday’s launch in Kansas City specifically involves KMCI-38 and KSMO-62, owned by the Meredith Corporation. These facilities, UHF digital channels 25 and 32, respectively, have converted to ATSC 3.0 transmissions.

This means that there are two ATSC 3.0 “lighthouse” stations in the market.

BitPath, which is developing new data broadcasting services, led the planning process and coordinated efforts across the eight television stations.

— Adam R Jacobson, in Los Angeles

RBR+TVBR has learned that Comscore and the Media Rating Council are currently working to commence an audit of Comscore’s national and local TV measurement.

To confirm, the MRC has not officially started an audit. But, it has a statement on what’s to come.

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