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U.S. financial markets moved downward on Monday, with the Dow Industrials shedding 320.04 points to finish the day at 35,650.95 and the Nasdaq index losing 217.32 points, finishing at 15,413.28.

While the general indices were down, several broadcast media industry stock prices finished the day in the green.

Sinclair Broadcasting Group gained $0.49, to finish the day at $25.92, while Saga Communications was also on the rise.

That said, many companies were down, including Cumulus Media and Beasley Media Group, which saw its shares dip below the $2 mark to $1.96.

 

“Conversation experience management software” that combines voice optimized content management, cross-platform deployment, and voice-specific customer insights.

Who knew that such a technological advancement would be important to an audio content and distributor with podcasting and radio stations at the core of its business?

J.D. Crowley and the C-Suite team at Audacy did.

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It was inevitable. Years ago, ABC sold off nearly all of its radio stations and its national programming arm, now part of the Cumulus Media family. As of today, three big-market AMs tied to ESPN, ABC’s sibling within The Walt Disney Co., were all that remained of the company’s once-sizable radio broadcasting arm.

With the FCC’s blessing, ownership of those radio stations will soon end. Call it Good Karma, for Disney, ESPN and the buyer.

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When it comes to Wall Street wizards who have an active pulse on broadcast media, there are perhaps no two more-attuned analysts than Craig Moffett and Michael Nathanson. Over the last several years, their MoffettNathanson has served as a leading voice of how media companies are performing and trending.

Soon, their equity research firm will be a sibling to Silicon Valley Bank.

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Photo: Getty Images Helen Ross

Audacy says it is ramping up its interactive voice capabilities. The company announced a partnership with Voicify, which provides “conversation experience management software.”

“As part of the partnership, Audacy will leverage Voicify’s services to drive interactive voice capabilities across the Audacy platform and make station-branded skills more easily accessible for listeners via any voice assistant-enabled device,” the media company said.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

It said it also will license Voicify’s “Voicify Conversation Experience Platform” to create and deliver interactive voice ads and “voice commerce experiences” for advertisers. It said that platform enables marketers to deploy personalized voice experiences to consumers automatically on smart speakers and other platforms.

Audacy Chief Digital Officer J.D. Crowley was quoted saying, “As we continue to expand and enhance the Audacy direct-to-consumer platform, adding new interactive voice capabilities and enabling voice commerce experiences across a wide range of devices is an important area of future growth, especially in an age where flexibility and speed to market are a must have for our advertising partners.”

The companies cited research from Emarketer that one-third of the U.S. population are using voice to conduct searches.

They said we can expect “high-profile campaigns for several marquee brands” soon.

Submit business announcements to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Audacy to Use Voicify for Interactive Voice appeared first on Radio World.

LOS ANGELES — He’s a national icon, on a scale perhaps even bigger than that of Frank Sinatra to the U.S. or Cliff Richard to Great Britain. From classic ballads including “Volver, Volver” to “Por Tu Maldito Amor,” Vicente Fernandez is perhaps the most iconic of all Mexican recording artists, with popularity spanning generations across Latin America and in U.S. communities with Hispanics of Mexican heritage.

Fernandez died on Sunday (12/12) at 6:15am local time, at a hospital in Guadalajara. He was 81 years old. News of his passing was first shared on his Instagram account, which had previously offered health updates after a recent fall in his home, which required an operation and injured his cervical spine; some 1.93 million likes have been made to the posting.

Within minutes, radio stations in Los Angeles and across the U.S. raced to scrap programming and devote their airwaves to Fernandez — recognizable to non-Hispanics perhaps for his trademark oversized sombrero.

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This isn’t what you want to see when you look up at a tower.

But it is what Matt Ruedlinger of Fullwave Tower & Broadcast found last Friday when his crew showed up at WMGI(FM) in Terre Haute, Ind., a 50 kW Class B station owned by Midwest Communications and operating at 100.7 MHz.

“We received a call that a tree had fallen on one of the lower guy wires and when we arrived found it like this,” he told us.

“After running a few analysis scenarios, we developed a controlled drop plan and removed the tower. Everything went as well as possible with no damage to the transmitter building or nearby power lines.”

This was not related to the recent tornadoes that made headlines. The station is operating from a backup tower and plans a new structure.

Send your interesting radio photos and stories to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Something Ain’t Quite Right With This Tower … appeared first on Radio World.

It has the ability to reach 140,000 TV households in Citrus County and portions of Hernando, Sumter, Marion and Levy Counties in Central Florida. It has coverage on Channel 16 on Comcast and Bright House Network systems in this region of the Sunshine State.

Soon, it will be the property of Christian Television Corp., bringing a new era to this hyperlocal television facility.

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The man who once led the HC2 Station Group and is now at the helm of Sovryn Holdings has just signed off on the latest purchase of a low-power television station.

It’s a sign that Philip Falcone desires a second stab at building a group of properties that can benefit from broadcast internet and the non-broadcast rewards that come with ATSC 3.0 technology.

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The second-deadliest tornado in history barreled through Kentucky through the wee hours of Saturday, December 11. The death toll is unconfirmed but believed to be above 100. The town of Mayfield was among the hardest hit communities.

For those seeking the most information associated with this devastating weather event, local television delivered, with “Local 6” in Paducah, Ky. — owned by Paxton Media Group LLC — and Marquee Broadcasting’s WNKY-40 in Bowling Green, Ky. among the standout media sources that have covered the tornado outbreak for the past 72 hours.

Given the importance of “Forecasting our Future,” Hearst Television on Monday said it is moving forward with a group-wide initiative “to address issues Americans face in navigating changing weather patterns and their impact on local communities and economies.”

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The Ram TRX 1500. SiriusXM’s 360L feature made its debut in Ram trucks in 2019.

During the years that I’ve produced the program “Radio-Road-Test,” I’ve seen in-dash entertainment evolve from basic to high-end AM and FM radios and cassette decks to sophisticated units capable of accessing entertainment from terrestrial stations, satellite channels and streaming audio.

More and more, such units occupy a prominent place in the center stack of the automotive dashboard. SiriusXM with 360L is the latest iteration of the satcaster’s platform. The name 360L is intended to suggest a 360-degree listening experience.

When it debuted in 2019 in the Ram 1500 pickup with 12-inch Uconnect 4.0 system, SiriusXM with 360L delivered content from both the satellite and through streaming via internet access through on-board modems.

This “hybrid radio” capability opened up online channels that weren’t available in the car and offered on-demand programming — interviews, podcasts and other features — based on listening preferences.

SiriusXM with 360L is a hybrid system that combines satellite and streaming content delivery to provide more channels and control.

In October 2020, the ability to create an artist channel through its subsidiary Pandora was added to the 360L experience in Ram trucks for those subscribers with SiriusXM’s Platinum Plan, along with sports notifications, which give listeners an alert about their favorite sports teams, and the ability to tune directly to the broadcast of the game.

Ram owners with the 360L platform from 2019 received over-the-air subscription updates to add those abilities to their units.

Listeners can access official broadcasts for pro and college teams.

SiriusXM says subscribers can also create individual listener profiles, so multiple drivers and passengers can customize and maintain their presets and favorites. Profiles can be synced with a listener’s mobile phone to access their favorites and pick up listening where they left off in the car on certain content.

[Check Out More From the Road Warrior]

How does this work in practice? In the Audi Q5, I was able to receive the audio stream of SiriusXM Channel 69 when the satellite feed was not available because of terrain. In the Ram 1500 TRX, I could create a channel by an artist unknown to all but a few radio listeners today, Richard Clayderman.

This feature used Pandora protocols to curate the channel’s music, adding music from other artists in the genre to Clayderman’s music, thus creating a “Richard Clayderman Radio” channel that was streamed. This is appealing to listeners like me who enjoy music from artists not usually heard on terrestrial radio — in my case Mantovani and Kostelanetz, in your case maybe it’s Weezer and Måneskin — and listeners who want to hear more music from their favorite artist when they want it.

Pandora is a part of the 360L experience, and it allows listeners to create an “artist channel.”

When I wanted to return to satellite programming or other radio programming in the Ram, all I needed to do was select the appropriate source, which could be done by touchscreen or voice control, with an old-school knob to back up the touchscreen and voice controls.

The on-demand programming offered by 360L gives a listener the ability to listen to a podcast or previously recorded show with a touch. In the Ram, the Uconnect unit will load mixed content in its presets (AM/FM/HD Radio, satellite channels and streaming audio selections).

Missing a podcast? Users can find them here.

Ford, GM, BMW and Volkswagen are among car manufacturers offering 360L-capable units in their newest vehicles.

We’ve been hearing from radio advocates like RadioDNS, the NAB and Xperi that local broadcasters need to have a strategy in place for competing with platforms like this. If one compares the channel and song displays from a typical SiriusXM channel to the display of a typical terrestrial station today, the comparison is striking.

My experience suggests that the 360L is a formidable competitor to terrestrial radio for the ears and eyes of drivers and passengers. There’s a lot to be said about giving listeners what they want, when they want it and for making it easy for the listener to access those choices.

Paul Kaminski, CBT is a veteran radio news reporter and RW contributor, and host of msrpk.com’s “Radio-Road-Test.” Twitter: @msrpk_com.

Marketing the 360L

A recent announcement that 360L will be included in most Jaguar and Land Rover models provides insight into how SiriusXM markets the platform.

“SiriusXM with 360L combines satellite and streaming content delivery into a single, cohesive in-vehicle entertainment experience, upgrading the way the subscriber interacts with the service by providing more choice and a more customizable listening experience for their ride,” it stated in a press release.

Some of the on-demand content available through 360L.

“It delivers more SiriusXM channels in the vehicle, and its personalized ‘For You’ recommendations and ability to quickly access related content make it easier for listeners to discover more of the programming they love. With SiriusXM with 360L, drivers and their passengers can also access tens of thousands of hours of SiriusXM’s recorded On Demand content, so they can access exclusive interviews, unique shows and live performances whenever they want.”

Itemized benefits included the availability of many of the company’s streaming channels; access to “tens of thousands of hours” of on-demand content; enhanced sports play-by-play that “makes it easier to find the listener’s favorite team when it is game time, and gives them access to the official broadcasts for more pro and college teams”; Pandora stations that enable drivers to create personal channels; “For You” content recommendations based on listening habits; and listener profiles to allow more than one person to choose favored settings. Drivers and passengers also can use their voice to search SiriusXM’s library of content; and in Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles, the platform can receive over-the-air software updates.

More info: Where to find it

SiriusXM with 360L is available in vehicles from Stellantis’ Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands; GM’s Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet and GMC brands; Ford F150s and Ford vehicles equipped with SYNC4; Lincoln Navigator and Nautilus; most BMWs; and most Audis and Volkswagens. It is standard across the Maserati lineup. It will be available in the New Range Rover and will be standard in Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles equipped with the PIVI Pro infotainment system by model year 2023.

The post SiriusXM with 360L Is an Impressive Dashboard Experience appeared first on Radio World.

Kirk Harnack and Jeremy Ruck circa 1994 with scale model of Sears Tower antenna masts

Among those mourning the death of engineer Jeremy Ruck this past weekend is Kirk Harnack, his friend and former co-worker.

“Jeremy and I worked together on the [then] Sears Tower in Chicago under the tutelage of Don Markley,” Harnack told us.

“We were measuring human exposure to RF radiation, mapping the tower and roof areas where workers’ presence would be time-limited. It’s not surprising that Jeremy continued to apply his knowledge and RF wisdom to the Willis Tower’s RF infrastructure over the 25+ years since our shared experience there.”

Jeremy Ruck and Kirk Harnack at the Michigan Broadcasters Engineering Conference 2020

Harnack commented on Ruck’s real-world experience and ability to communicate difficult ideas.

“Jeremy would explain complex technical concepts in simple tech terms that most engineers could understand. You felt smarter — better informed — after any conversation with him.”

He said Ruck’s favorite test equipment was the vector network analyzer. “He educated hundreds of engineers on the importance of VNA measurements, characterizing dozens of key parameters in RF transmission systems. These measurements allowed the fine adjustments necessary to optimize DTV transmission as well as FM systems. He could massage these systems to work as well or even better than their design. I think you’d be amazed at the number of FM listeners and TV viewers who unknowingly enjoy the results of Jeremy’s expertise.”

Jeremy Ruck (right) in the 2020 calendar of tower company Precision Comms Inc.

Ruck was a popular presenter at engineering conferences, including in Wisconsin and Nebraska. “He also shared his experience and knowledge about the TV repack with a wider audience in November 2019 on the SBE WEBxtra webcast.”

The photos shown here are provided by Kirk Harnack.

The post “You Felt Smarter After Any Conversation With Him” appeared first on Radio World.

Designed by live event touring professionals, the Li.LAC Microphone Disinfector is a rack-mounted encasement that uses controlled exposure to ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and viruses on microphone surfaces, metal grilles and the windscreens underneath.

The Li.LAC Microphone Disinfector is available in a professional 19-inch 3U rackmount drawer-based format, so that it can be located in an equipment room or packed in a road case to travel with other equipment.

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

The departments of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) in the Netherlands have conducted scientific studies to evaluate the effectiveness of Li.LAC. A disinfection level of 99.99 percent for surface disinfection inside Li.LAC has been approved by Opsytec Dr. Gröbel GmbH, an independent, accredited laboratory and developer of industrial UV measurement technology. Li.LAC qualifies the 99.9 percent value, however, noting that the exact surface disinfection level varies with the type of virus or bacteria and the shape and surface of the microphone or other object being disinfected.

The unit can hold up to three hand-held microphones or several lavalier or headset microphones, headsets or beltpacks at a time, and a disinfection cycle takes 5 to 10 minutes. Much like a microwave oven, users close the drawer and press Start; the unit will not operate unless the drawer is fully closed and switches off as soon as the drawer is opened, ensuring operator safety.

The Li.LAC Microphone Disinfector is available in the United States for $1,599 from ISEMcon. Li.LAC lists additional resellers in Europe and Australia/New Zealand on its website.

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Li.LAC Microphone Disinfector Debuts appeared first on Radio World.

With Christmas just two weeks away and time running out to get gifts, one big-box retailer has committed to outdoing all competitors with respect to its television commercials.

And, that heavy activity can be seen across Spot Cable and Spot Television.

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A news network dedicated to covering “the unique perspectives, challenges, and successes of Black and Brown communities” has secured its latest wide-scale distribution agreement.

As such, subscribers to one major MVPD will now have access to the channel led by President/CEO Princell Hair.

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The latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report is out, and it shows a big leader for the week ending December 12, 2021.

No, it’s not for a big retailer at Christmastime. And no, it’s not an auto insurance specialist.

Rather, it is a maker of a COVID-19 vaccine and an approved booster.

In a sign of the times, Pfizer leads all in the latest Spot Ten Radio report, and by a sizable margin over No. 2 Indeed, the job search and employment portal.

State Farm, eBay and McDonald’s are also big players this week, and are their respective category leaders, by far, at the AM and FM radio stations tracked by iHeartMedia-owned Media Monitors.

 

In this document, the Commission proposes changes to its Next Gen TV rules designed to preserve over-the-air television viewers' access to the widest possible range of programming while also supporting television broadcasters' transition to the next generation of broadcast digital television (DTV) technology. In response to a Petition filed by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the Commission proposes to allow Next Gen TV stations to include within their license certain of their non-primary video programming streams (multicast streams) that are aired in a different service on ``host'' stations during a transitional period, using the same licensing framework, and to a large extent the same regulatory regime, established for the simulcast of primary video programming streams on ``host'' station facilities.

Another AM radio station in the United States has converted to all-digital broadcast operations. WSRO(AM) turned off its analog signal in early December and is now broadcasting jazz music in all-digital AM covering the western suburbs of Boston.

The radio station is licensed to Ashland, Mass., and owned by Langer Broadcasting Group. The geographic area considered part of the MetroWest region of Greater Boston and located about a half-hour west of the city.

According to a post by station representatives on a Boston area radio message board: “WSRO Ashland, Mass. is on the air in the digital-only MA-3 mode of HD Radio. The transition occurred about 3:30 p.m. this afternoon (December 1).”

The station, which promoted the switch to all-digital AM on-air, asked for reception reports from listeners in its online post.

The FCC confirmed the station turned off it analog signal on Dec. 1 and can no longer heard on analog radio receivers. The station at 650 kHz is directional and drops from 1.5 kW daytime to 100 watts at night.

WSRO programming is simulcast on FM translator 102.1 MHz in Framingham, Mass. It also simulcasts in analog on 1410 (AM) and 98.1 (FM), according to those familiar with the most recent developments.

Attempts to reach representatives of WSRO for comment on the transition and listener response were unsuccessful.

WSRO was silent from July 9, 2020, through Oct.27, 2020, to reorganize its finances, according to the FCC database. The station broadcast a Brazilian music format until it switched to jazz earlier this year.

The station’s transition follows the recent move of Cumulus Media news talker WFAS(AM) in New York’s Hudson Valley to all-digital AM broadcasting. WWFD(AM) in Frederick, Md., and WMGG(AM) in Tampa, Fla., are two other stations operating with all-digital AM broadcasts.

In addition, several other AM licensees have notified the FCC of their intentions to go all-digital only.

The post New England Gets Its First All-Digital AM appeared first on Radio World.

Jeremy Ruck — a broadcast engineer and P.E. who owned Jeremy Ruck & Associates, managed Willis Tower in Chicago and wrote many articles for Radio magazine and Radio World — has died.

According to his obituary at Oaks-Hines Funeral Home in Canon, Ill., Ruck was 50. He died after a battle with COVID-19.

Ruck graduated from Bradley University in 1996 with a degree in electrical engineering.

His friend and colleague Mark Persons said that Ruck was an employee of D.L. Markley & Associates for many years, but left that firm after Don Markley died. He formed Jeremy Ruck & Associates in 2012.

“The broadcast engineering community will miss Jeremy Ruck,” Persons told Radio World.

“Jeremy was always young and vital, ready to go the top of the Sears Tower, now known as the Willis Tower, in Chicago to supervise a broadcast antenna project in the middle of the night. Many remember Jeremy as a frequent speaker at the Wisconsin Broadcasters Clinic in Madison, Wis., describing the complexities and math behind engineering problems.

“He came to my town on the 1990s to do a tune up of a three-tower AM directional and sipped wine with Paula and me when the workday was done. We talked endlessly about the radio industry and amateur radio.”

Persons said Jeremy Ruck, WM9C, became an Extra Class amateur radio operator at age of 17 and was active in the ham community over the years.

“Like Don Markley, not many can fill his shoes.”

Fletcher Ford, CEO of Regional Media, posted on social media that Ruck was “one of the best consulting broadcast engineers in the country, a great husband and father, a devout Catholic and Freemason, and a great friend.”

Another friend, engineer Art Reis, said Ruck had been involved in leading the television repack in Chicago. “I am sad beyond words,” Reis wrote.

Among his survivors are his wife Frankie and 10-year-old son Alexander.

A graveside funeral services will be held on Thursday, Dec. 16, at St Joseph Cemetery in Canton, Ill, according to Ruck’s obituary.

The post Broadcast Engineer Jeremy Ruck Dies, Age 50 appeared first on Radio World.