The U.S. Ad industry lost billions of dollars in potential ad spend during COVID-19 lockdowns, with the worst impact — to little surprise — coming in Spring 2020.
Now, an analysis by Standard Media Index illustrates just how steep the decline was.
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What appears to be a last-ditch effort by Urban One Broadcasting Network to salvage a radio station construction permit in Florida has failed. The FCC this week denied a Petition for Declaratory Ruling by the broadcaster to reinstate Urban One’s forfeited permit to construct an FM radio station in Cross City, Fla.
Urban One’s efforts to resurrect the CP for WURB(FM) date back to 2014 and its acquisition of an expiring construction permit from Alex Media Inc., according to FCC documents. Urban One filed an application to modify the construction permit just months before the expiration and proposed a new tower site. However, Suncoast Radio filed an objection to the modification saying it did not comply with the commission’s rules.
The FCC agreed and, in a subsequent notice sent on July 17, 2014, gave Urban One 30 days to amend its modification application. At the same time, the commission noted the CP permit for the proposed station was due to expire days later on July 21, 2014.
The FCC told Urban One: “This letter does not extend the expiration date of that construction permit or provide any additional time to construct.”
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According to FCC documents, Urban One followed up by filing two petitions for reconsideration — one asking for Special Temporary Authority to operate the FM at the new site — which were filed following the CP’s expiration. The FCC denied both in early 2015, determining “the construction permit automatically expired and was forfeited.”
What followed has been years of petitions and appeals filed by Urban One seeking return of the CP. The broadcaster’s most recent Petition for Declaratory Ruling was filed in June 2021 and sought reinstatement of the CP with an additional 18 months to construct the facility.
Albert Shuldiner, chief of the FCC’s audio division, perhaps ended the back and forth for good with a letter sent Wednesday to William Johnson, managing member, Urban One Broadcasting Network, which stated: “In short, then, there remains no construction permit for us to reinstate, as it was forfeited by its own terms on July 21, 2014. The call sign WURB was deleted, and the unbuilt Cross City FM channel assignment was deleted and designated as a vacant allotment in the Table of Allotments, from which it was subsequently added to the Auction 109 inventory.”
The FCC says channel 249C3 at Cross City, Fla., was included in the inventory of the recently completed Auction 109.
Cross City, Fla., is a city of 1,689, according to the 2020 Census, located about an hour west of Gainesville, Fla., on the state’s Gulf Coast.
Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.
The post FCC Denies Request for Reinstatement of Florida CP appeared first on Radio World.
In late September, Diponti Communications was handed a Notice of Apparent Liability from the Audio Division of the FCC’s Media Bureau seeking a $7,000 fine.
Why? The Rhode Island licensee apparently willfully violated section 73.3539 of the Rules by failing to timely file a license renewal application and for apparently willfully and repeatedly violating Section 301 of the Act by engaging in unauthorized operation of its FM translator after the license had expired.
The Media Bureau has ruled on the matter. A fine is being handed to Diponti, but it’s been reduced.
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A Washington-based Hispanic broadcast ministry has decided to spin an FM translator serving the eastern community of Moses Lake.
The buyer? A broadcast ministry that will retain the core values of the property.
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Susie Hedrick, the Chief Executive Officer at vCreative, last appeared on the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, in August 2020.
She’s returned today to discuss CES 2022 and Radio industry interest in this massive tech-focused event. Why is attendance important? Is this a learning experience for Radio, rather than an opportunity to show off Radio’s strengths to the tech universe?
Hedrick answers these questions in this 10-minute audio interview conducted by RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson
She’s a 28-year Hearst Television veteran who since October 2017 has served as General Sales Manager for the company’s NBC affiliate serving Pennsylvania communities from Lancaster through Harrisburg and down to York.
Now, this longtime local TV sales pro is he station’s President/GM.
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The independent TV measurement and analytics firm founded by CEO Kristin Dolan has turned to a former M&A banker at Goldman Sachs in selecting its new President.
Most recently, he held principal roles at several fast-growing firms — including 605-owned ad tech, measurement and services firm Adscribe.
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Over the years, Australian pro audio manufacturer Røde has built a solid presence for itself in the recording and broadcast industries, but in recent times, the company has put much of its focus on podcasting — and that effort has paid off handsomely.
In podcasting today, Røde is one of the 800-pound gorillas and a lot of that has to do with its RødeCaster Pro podcast production studio, a specialized, all-in-one recording and mixing unit that came out in 2018. The unit does a great job of walking that upper-prosumer tightrope, providing simplified broadcast features in a portable form that audio pros, aspiring pros and content creators can all use to get very respectable results.
Building on that success, Røde has since also released podcast- and streaming-oriented mics at price points that are attainable by consumers. So what do you do once you release the two things that podcasters need the most? Well, you accessorize them out and accordingly, Røde has released a number of accessories aimed at RødeCaster Pro users in the last few months.
Rødecaster Cover ProThe first item is the RødeCaster Cover Pro, which is simply a clear acrylic cover for the RødeCaster Pro. The cover is designed to fit perfectly over the unit and protect it when you’re not recording. Certainly, you don’t want to carry the unit in a backpack to go on location and then discover you’ve prised off a fader en route. Likewise, if you’re working from home as many podcasters do, the cover will protect the mixer from seemingly innocuous dangers like a cup of coffee or your too-damn-curious cat walking all over it.
There is a third-party cover already on the market for the RødeCaster Pro, but Røde’s obviously comes from the manufacturer (which always provides some added peace of mind) and it has a street price around $50 — a full $40 less than the third-party competition at this writing, so it’s a win all around.
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Next up is the RødeCaster Pro Accessory Kit, which is a bundle of four minor-but-useful items — the kinds of tidbits that feel a little wasteful to purchase until the rueful day you need them. None of items are so essential that you can’t work without them, but they make things slightly simpler.
The kit includes the SC9 TRRS-to-TRRS cable, which is basically a 3.5 mm TRRS cable designed to connect a RødeCaster Pro to audio devices — for instance, a smartphone, so you can record a phone interview directly into the unit. There are other ways to connect a smartphone (Bluetooth, for instance), but it gets the job done simply.
Next is the HJA-4, which is a pack of four 3.5 mm-to-1/4-inch headphone adapters. You’ve got these lying around already, of course, and they come with every set of decent headphones you’ve ever bought — but you’ve misplaced them before, too. With a pack of four, you have more than enough to ensure you don’t run out when connecting podcasters and their guests’ headphones into the mixer.
Then there’s the XLR-ID pack, which is simply four pairs of color-coded plastic rings that snap on to XLR plugs at each end of a cable so you know which cable is which. Sure, you can use gaff tape to do the same thing or, God forbid, simply pay attention to what you’re doing, but they make for one less thing to think about.
Rounding out the Røde RødeCaster Pro Accessory Kit is the DC-USB1 USB-to-12 V DC power cable, which allows you to run a RødeCaster Pro off a USB output, like a portable powerbank, providing a bit more portable utility if you’re not near a wall outlet. You’re still going to need a relatively high-power USB power source (2.4 A minimum), but to sound like Yogi Berra for a minute, this is the kind of item you don’t need until you need it.
Rode PSA1+ Professional Studio ArmAll that said, let’s move on to the most notable podcasting accessory Røde has released in recent times — the Røde PSA1+ professional studio arm. It is a nice piece of kit, able to hold a microphone weighing up to 2.6 lbs.
Aesthetically, it is black with some silver accents, it prominently sports the Røde logo in a few places, and offers a horizontal reach of about 37 inches. The arm comes with both a desk insert and a clamp, so you have options for attaching it to your table or desk, and there’s also a mic thread adapter in case you need it.
The mic arm is well-packaged to survive transit; open up the box and you’ll find all the various parts, most notably the thick, hefty arm, which feels satisfyingly solid. Both lengths of the arm are covered with spongy neoprene sleeves that are emblazoned with the Røde logo. That makes it feel a little weird if you don’t have a Røde mic at the end of the arm, and I’m sure that’s no accident.
Not only do the sleeves help deaden potential sounds from the arm as you move it, but they also provide good protection if you bang your hand, head or coffee mug against the arm while recording. The sleeves have small plastic grips attached for cable management — a nice touch, though it means that if you want to cut the sleeves off for some reason (for instance, if you’re video podcasting and can’t have the Røde logos in the picture), you lose your cable management, which is a shame.
The arm comes pre-assembled, so all you have to do is install the clamp of your choice, drop in the peg at the end of the mic arm, and you’re set. The mounting hardware is very low profile; with both the desk insert and the clamp, installation is simple — very much a set-and-forget experience.
The desk clamp slides on to a desk or table with a width of 18–55 mm, while the surface mount can tackle 10–70 mm. On the desk clamp, there are rubber tabs at the ends of the metal bar that you use to tighten the clamp; they come off, allowing you to remove the bar for an aesthetically simpler look that also helps ensure that the clamp won’t accidentally get loosened by an errant knee hitting the bar under the desk.
The arm itself has a vertical reach of 860 mm and 360° rotation, and is nearly dead silent; when I moved it around, the mic didn’t pick up movement or create sounds like springs stretching as I put it into position. Whether folded in on itself or extended, the arm was well-behaved, even when it was fully extended straight out at a low, acute angle with the table.
In testing with a popular podcast mic from another manufacturer weighing 1.4 lbs., the arm didn’t droop or shake, even in some unlikely, difficult positionings.
Everything came together quickly, it worked well and as far as mic arms go, it’s stylish. I’m not sure how much there is to be said about studio arms, but ultimately, what do you really want from one? You want it to work quietly, stay where you position it, and otherwise be the last thing you’re thinking about; a good studio arm is something you ignore even as you use it, and the PSA1+ answers all of those demands easily.
This article originally appeared in our sister publication Mix. Users and suppliers are both invited to send news about recent installations and product applications to radioworld@futurenet.com.
The post Røde Delivers Range of Helpful Accessories appeared first on Radio World.
It’s been talked about for weeks. Now, it is official. With Howard University-owned PBS Member station WHUT-32 as the “lighthouse” station, NEXTGEN TV is now available in the National Capital Region.
To help usher in the new era of broadcast TV in the Washington, D.C., market, LTN Global was brought in as a partner.
The media technology and video transport product maker “worked closely” with NEXTGEN TV rollout group Pearl TV, led by Anne Schelle, and WHUT to fuel the NEXTGEN TV rollout in Washington D.C. Specifically, it helped in “harnessing ATSC 3.0 technology to unlock immersive 4k viewing experiences.”
Working in collaboration with Howard University, LTN enabled the aggregation of HD-quality ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 feeds over its multicast network to support the NEXTGEN TV launch.
With WHUT as the ATSC 3.0 home, stations in the market now offering NEXTGEN signals include Sinclair Broadcast Group’s WJLA-7, TEGNA flagship WUSA-9, FOX O&O WTTG-5 and NBC O&O WRC-4.
We’re excited to be part of a truly revolutionary initiative in our hometown that brings the future of television today”, said Malik Khan, co-Founder and Executive Chairman of LTN Global. “We are committed to delivering the best and most reliable technology that shapes the broadcasting industry and we look to the incredible talent at Howard University to help us in our mission. The ATSC 3.0 and NEXTGEN TV revolution is in full swing with LTN having delivered ATSC 3.0 projects in just under 30 markets to date. We’re thrilled to see Washington D.C. joining other big cities in harnessing the benefits of this new era in television.”
Sean D. Plater, GM of WHUT and commercially licensed Adult R&B leader WHUR-FM 96.3, added, “By connecting the IP and broadcast television infrastructures together, we’re able to give viewers a better and more engaging content experience. Viewers across the Washington, D.C., region will be excited to not just watch, but also lean in and be
more engaged with their content.”
The owner of television stations in the Twin Tiers of New York and Pennsylvania and in the company’s home market of Erie, Pa., has just signed a fresh multi-year agreement for local TV measurement with Nielsen.
The deal signed by Lilly Broadcasting includes Nielsen Scarborough, and incorporates not only the Erie and Elmira-Corning, N.Y. stations Lilly owns but also “WSEE-CBS,” the satellite-delivered CBS affiliate serving Puerto Rico.
“In this new agreement, Nielsen’s data will support Lilly Broadcasting’s ability to identify growth opportunities for audiences and revenue in their local markets,” Nielsen says, noting that its data helps companies like Lilly to “optimize their news, programming, and promotion efforts to serve their communities and exceed advertiser expectations.”
Catherine Herkovic, EVP/Managing Director at Nielsen Local TV, commented, “Lilly is a valued client, and we are thrilled that they have chosen us to be their audience data and insights provider. We are looking forward to empowering Lilly to showcase their value to advertisers, as they inspire and inform the communities that they serve.”
Why did Lilly choose Nielsen as the provider of local research over Comscore or another audience measurement and data analytics company? COO John Christianson cites Nielsen’s “ability to account for the entire marketplace.”
With Nielsen under Media Rating Council review following the suspension of its accreditations on September 1, that’s a strong endorsement.
As part of MRC’s “commitment to provide enhanced visibility into the state of various ongoing audit processes,” the group led by George Ivie on Monday (12/14) updated the current Council status of Nielsen’s Digital Ad Ratings (DAR) service. DAR, which had been in an accreditation hiatus period from September 2020 to September 2021, is currently undergoing a new MRC audit.
At this time, the official MRC status of DAR is “Not Accredited, In Process.”
Prior to its hiatus from accreditation, DAR was accredited by MRC for its measurement of desktop display and video Total Gross Rating Points, and for age/sex demographic breakouts for audiences age 13+. The current audit of DAR is being conducted in phases, and will include auditing not only of DAR’s previously accredited measurement of desktop activity, but also its measurement of activity from mobile devices and connected TVs (CTV).
The first of the new audit’s reports, focused on Nielsen’s “Snapshot” Identity graph solution, which is now integrated into the DAR product, was delivered in November for
the MRC’s DAR audit committee’s consideration. Reports for additional phases of the DAR audit are scheduled to be delivered throughout the first half of 2022 (and likely into Fall 2022, for certain of the DAR CTV integrations).
Nielsen initially requested a hiatus period for DAR because of changes it planned to make to DAR’s measurement methodology in late 2020 and into 2021. This request was granted by MRC. Accreditation hiatus is a formal MRC status designation in which a service is allowed to temporarily step away from audits for up to 12 months to permit certain actions or service improvements to be implemented outside the normal audit and accreditation process.
MRC plans to issue updates on the statuses of other significant in-process audits in which we are engaged over the coming weeks and months, and additional updates on Nielsen DAR as events warrant.
Allen Media Broadcasting has signed a purchase agreement that will see the company led by Byron Allen acquire the FOX affiliate serving Montgomery, Alabama.
In an announcement released late Tuesday, AMG confirmed that it intends to buy WCOV-20, which uses UHF digital channel 22, from David Woods and his Woods Communications Corporation.
AMG will pay $28.5 million in cash for the station. This acquisition is expected to close in 2022.
Upon closing, Allen’s acquisition of WCOV will increase the number of broadcast television stations owned and/or operated by his Allen Media Broadcasting to 36 stations across 21 U.S. broadcast television markets.
The WCOV-TV digital signal is multiplexed, with channel 20.2 designated as Antenna TV, and channel 20.3 designated as THIS TV—the digital multicast network acquired by Allen Media Group from MGM in October 2020.
Allen Media Broadcasting’s purchase agreement for WCOV-TV also includes these additional television station assets and their respective digital subchannel affiliates:
The Montgomery deal follows AMG’s acquisition of Honolulu-based KIKU-TV in September.
In August, Allen Media Broadcasting completed its $380 million cash acquisition of 10 local television stations in seven markets divested from the Gray Television transaction with Quincy Media. In a separate deal in July, 2021, Allen purchased Flint, Michigan’s ABC affiliate —WJRT-12—from Gray Television for $70 million.
In February 2020, Allen closed the deal to acquire 11 broadcast television stations from USA Television Holdings and USA Television MidAmerica Holdings for $305 million.
Allen’s purchase of broadcast television assets began in July 2019 with his acquisition of Bayou City Broadcasting, which included 4 television stations in Evansville, Indiana and Lafayette, Louisiana for $165 million.
In March 2018, Allen acquired The Weather Channel, serving Americans for nearly four decades, and voted the most trusted news network for 11 consecutive years, and the fifth most-trusted brand overall. In addition to The Weather Channel, Allen also owns 11 additional television networks and the free-streaming services theGrio, Sports.TV, HBCUGo.TV, The Weather Channel en Español, and Local Now.
Allen Media Group was founded by Byron Allen in 1993.
“WCOV-TV is an excellent asset and has been extremely well-managed for decades by the Woods family, who I’ve known for over 35 years,” said Byron Allen. “Over the past two years, we’ve invested approximately $1 billion to acquire best-in-class, top-tier, Big 4 broadcast network affiliates and we plan to invest significantly more to acquire additional ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX television stations with the goal of being the largest broadcast television group in America. All of our media assets work in concert to amplify our free-streaming services theGrio.TV, Sports.TV, HBCUGo.TV, The Weather Channel en Español, and Local Now.”
Woods commented, “The acquisition by Allen Media Group will allow WCOV, WIYC and WALE to become even more competitive in the future and well-positioned for the advancing world of broadcast television.”
Woods added that he had known Byron Allen since 1980, when he was a co-host of the NBC program Real People. “We have followed Allen as he started a small production company and worked hard in order to build a massive, diversified global entertainment company involved with numerous divisions, all of which revolve around consuming content on various size screens,” Woods said. “Byron Allen has a reputation for hiring the best executives in each of the companies he owns. We have observed his growth for over 40 years and admire what he has achieved. Byron Allen is a true American entrepreneur. We feel blessed to become part of the Allen Media Group family.”
Allen Media Group will add its thirteenth network, THE WEATHER CHANNEL EN ESPANOL in 2021.
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