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Ben Parker of WBZ interviews Hull Fire Chief Christopher Russo about the PEP project.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency formally announced the modernization of PEP facilities at WBZ Boston with a brief ceremony this past week.

Primary Entry Point stations are the first link in a distribution chain that provides emergency information to all of the roughly 20,000 broadcast stations in the United States. There are a total of 77 PEP stations that form the core of the Emergency Alert System.

EAS requires broadcast stations to install equipment that monitors these PEP stations and allows them to relay critical information in the event of a national emergency.

The event took place at the WBZ transmitter site in Hull, Mass., where FEMA has completed the delivery of an upgraded “all hazards” shelter containing backup transmission equipment designed to continue operations under all conditions.

The shelter includes a generator with a 60,000-gallon fuel tank and a separate studio that can be occupied for up to 60 days. It has been hardened to remain usable in the presence of chemical, biological and nuclear hazards.

Exterior shot of hardened PEP facility at WBZ

It features a 10 kW AM transmitter and a rack full of transmission equipment including IP codecs, a broadcast mixer and even an interview position with separate microphone. The shelters are made of welded steel and protect the electronic equipment from damage that could be caused by electromagnetic pulse events.

The facility upgrade is part of a program to upgrade all 77 of the PEP stations in the United States, as authorized by an Act of Congress in 2015. WBZ is the 13th station to receive the all-hazards upgrade.

Radio history

WBZ was built in 1921, and marked its 100th anniversary on Sept. 19. On that date 100 years earlier, WBZ broadcast from the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield with 100 watts of power.  It subsequently grew to a 50,000 watt directional array, operating as a clear-channel station with nighttime coverage extending thousands of miles. It is now owned and operated by iHeartMedia Boston, part of iHeartMedia.

WBZ Radio Personality Dan Rea, host of “Nightside with Dan Rea,” acted as master of ceremonies for the event, introducing a lineup of speakers from iHeartMedia, FEMA and both state and local politicians.

The lineup included Alan Chartrand, Boston market president, iHeartMedia; Manny Centeno, IPAWS program manager, FEMA; Jeff Littlejohn, executive VP engineering and systems integration, iHeartMedia; Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts; and Antwane Johnson, director of IPAWS at FEMA.

State Sen. Patrick O’Connor; Alan Chartrand, iHeartMedia; Dan Rea, WBZ NewsRadio 1030; U.S. Sen. Edward Markey; State Rep. Joan Meschino; Hull Board of Selectmen Chair Jennifer Constable

In his remarks, Johnson traced the history of the EAS system, noting that WBZ began broadcasting 30 years before the first U.S. government emergency communications system, CONELRAD, was introduced in 1951 by President Truman during the Cold War.

“All of that stuff was retired in 1963 with the establishment of the Emergency Broadcast System, almost coincidental with the Cuban Missile Crisis, by President John F. Kennedy,” he continued. “In 1995 the FCC issued rules establishing the Emergency Alert System that we know today,” said Johnson.

We’re going to stop them

Markey, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, spoke at length about childhood memories listening to WBZ, and his own Cold War experiences as a boy in the “duck and cover” drills held in schools.

But recalling how his father would listen to WBZ for emergency weather information, he quickly pivoted to the importance of radio as an emergency communications system and the need to defend its role.

“And we’re going to stop these automotive industry officials from thinking the only radio that’s going to be on in a car is Sirius that you have to pay for,” said Markey. “The whole key to our national network of information is that it’s free,” for all people in the United States, he said.

“That’s really what we’re celebrating today… this long, long partnership that has existed between WBZ and FEMA and every citizen that depends upon them, including me.”

The post FEMA Celebrates PEP Upgrade at Historic WBZ appeared first on Radio World.

Iona. Photo: Herman IJsseling

From the Who’s Buying What page: ENCO said its DAD automated playout system is being used to run the onboard radio station on the new Carnival Corp. vessel Iona.

The big ship sailed from Southampton, England, on its first voyage in August. The 1,130-foot-line vessel is driven with liquefied natural gas and has 17 guest decks. And it can carry a pretty good sized radio audience — it accommodates up to 5,200 guests and 1,800 crew. It is operated by Carnival’s P&O Cruises subsidiary.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

The ENCO system is used for the Cruise Radio service on the ship. Useful Media Company out of the U.K. provides the radio equipment and automated programming. Music scheduling is through ENCO DAD’s Ensemble music scheduling system; other elements such as on-ship promotions use rotating cuts. New content is sent to onboard operators on disc once a month.

“Cruise Radio is the only ‘as-live’ radio service at sea, and is unique to each of the P&O Cruises ships,” ENCO wrote in a press release. “Played over video from the bow camera and streamed to every cabin on each ship, Cruise Radio combines music with radio elements including imaging, jingles and bespoke commercial packages advertising onboard services, shows and activities.”

The service also provides documentary music programming, historical retrospectives and ship information.

Useful Media also runs Cunard Radio aboard the Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, owned by Cunard Line.

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

 

The post Cruise Ship Iona Uses ENCO DAD System appeared first on Radio World.

For those married to the smartphone, Shure has a toy for you, the MV88+.

A stereo/figure 8 condenser microphone of petite size, the MV88+ is designed for smartphone use, providing an upgrade in audio performance. It features Lightning and 1/8-inch/3.5 mm connectors on the rear.

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

The MV88+ is available alone or in a video kit with a Manfrotto PIXI tripod, phone clamp, and mount, as well as iOS and USB-C cables.

Shure says that the free ShurePlus Motiv audio and video apps can control the MV88+’s pick-up patterns, as well as set gain and control the limiter, compression, EQ, and monitor mix. Price: $199 for the mic alone, or $249 with the video kit.

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

Info: www.shure.com

 

The post Shure Releases Mic for Smartphones appeared first on Radio World.

From an earlier show.

The 2021 Midwest Broadcast & Multimedia Technology Conference has been postponed until next year.

It had been set for Nov. 17, produced by a partnership of state broadcast associations in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

[For News on This and Other Shows See Our Show News Page]

“It has become apparent that we cannot host an in-person event that delivers an outstanding experience for our attendees, our exhibitors, and our speakers,” the Ohio Association of Broadcasters wrote in an email to its community.

“The challenges of the current environment have left us with too many uncertainties to present a meaningful in-person event. While we are disappointed not to be able to conduct this year’s conference, we would be more disappointed about an event that falls short of what our participants have come to expect.”

The OAB decided not to convert it to a virtual event and instead plans to hold the event in 2022 on a date to be announced.

[Check Out More Events on Radio World’s Calendar]

Registration charges for both exhibitors and attendees are in the process of being refunded.

Approximately 180 engineers and broadcasters attended the conference in 2019, which drew 50 exhibitors.

Submit news about your event to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Midwest Tech Conference Is Put Off Until Next Year appeared first on Radio World.

The Bureau enters into a Consent Decree with BP Broadcasters, LLC

Five years ago, Snapchat was the app that radio industry air personalities sought to master. Today, Instagram and TikTok rule, with Pinterest and Facebook still key as Truth Social makes its debut with the support of U.S. President Donald Trump.

It now appears Apple’s privacy changes have made things worse for Snapchat parent Snap Inc. It missed Wall Street revenue estimates with its Q3 2021 results, resulting in a sharp drop in its share value on Friday.

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The Consumer Technology Association is knocking a proposal from the National Association of Broadcasters asking the FCC to impose new regulatory fees on unlicensed spectrum users. CTA argues the NAB proposal is contrary to current law, would stifle innovation and have a sweeping impact on the consumer technology market.

NAB has been aggressively pushing for an update to the regulatory fee categories so that unlicensed spectrum users, especially large tech companies, pay an annual regulatory fee similar to those already paid by broadcasters. CTA says the fees would defy precedent and hurt consumers, app developers, device makers and small businesses that rely on unlicensed spectrum.

The FCC this fall scrapped a plan to hike this year’s radio regulatory fees and instead set those fees equal to those collected in 2020. The FCC’s original proposal would have raised radio’s annual regulatory fees on average of 8% this year. NAB and all 50 state broadcast associations balked at the proposed rate hike.

[Read: Rosenworcel Calls for 6G Initiative]

As part of the FCC’s Report and Order setting the 2021 regulatory fees for broadcasters in August, the commission released a companion Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The NPRM asked for comment on adopting new regulatory fee categories and the legal basis for assessing regulatory fees on unlicensed spectrum users.

CTA says it believes the NAB proposal is contrary to commission precedent. “It also would raise serious administrability concerns, be impossible to implement in a nonarbitrary manner, and have significant implications for regulatory fees in contexts beyond unlicensed spectrum,” the CTA wrote in comments filed this week with the FCC. “Further, NAB’s proposal would undermine the enormous innovation made possible by the commission’s long-running and successful approach to unlicensed spectrum.”

The group, which represents a wide variety of consumer technology companies and is led by CEO Gary Shapiro, says NAB’s proposal overlooks that companies using unlicensed spectrum already defray commission costs in important ways.

Identifying those unlicensed spectrum users and determining the regulatory fees they should pay would be difficult, according to CTA. “Unlicensed spectrum users include consumers, state and local governments, corporations, nonprofit organizations, schools, libraries, and many more groups. Those unlicensed spectrum users do not impose discrete and well-understood duties on the Commission as licensees and other regulated parties do.”

CTA continues: “Potential beneficiaries of unlicensed spectrum subject to NAB’s proposed regulatory fees share little in common other than their use of unlicensed spectrum.”

In addition, unlicensed spectrum users receive no rights or protections from the FCC, CTA commented. “Wireless spectrum licensees receive exclusive rights to particular spectrum frequencies, which they monetize by offering services using that exclusive spectrum.”

Because of the differences between entities currently subject to regulatory fees and unlicensed users, NAB’s proposal raises a host of administrability concerns, CTA concludes in its comments.

Acting FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel specifically asked at the time of the NPRM “how if changes were made, can they be done in an administrative way?”

Reply comments on the NPRM (MD Docket No. 21-190) are due Nov. 5.

Here is a snippet of the questions being asked by the FCC:

• What would be the proposed methodology for assessing regulatory fees on unlicensed spectrum users, noting that unlicensed spectrum users include a significant number of equipment manufacturers, such as appliance and other home goods equipment, many of which neither apply for nor require authorization by the commission?
• Alternatively, should the commission assess regulatory fees on large technology companies based on a different basis, such as any advantages they receive because of the commission’s universal service or other activities?
• Are there other categories that should be added, deleted, or reclassified?

 

The post CTA Loathes Idea of FCC Collecting Fees From Unlicensed Spectrum Users appeared first on Radio World.

It was July 2018 when Salem Media Group shares were priced this high.

And, with Friday’s closing price on the Nasdaq GlobalMarket, the company known for its conservative Talk and Christian-themed radio stations will have concluded one of its biggest-ever trading days, with a massive 32.8 million shares traded.

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The RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, hosted by RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson, this week taped its 161st episode.

What are the five most-listened-to episodes of the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM,  offered to listeners since July 1?

Anne Schelle, Managing Director of Pearl TV

With nearly 2,200 downloads and even more listens via our embedded podcast player at the top of the RBR.com website, the most-listened to episode of the second half of 2021 is our interview with Anne Schelle, Managing Director of Pearl TV.

Given the average price of a TV equipped with NEXTGEN TV capabilities, we just had to catch up with Pearl TV Managing Director Anne Schelle. Are chip shortages and supply chain issues a factor? Are consumers really coughing up more than $1,000 for a new set?

Schelle shares all, along with what TV viewers in big Canadian markets with access to U.S. TV stations, can expect, in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast. LISTEN HERE.

The second most-listened to InFOCUS podcast since July 1 features our interview with Marketron SVP of Product Jimshade Chaudhari. It was conducted just hours before the NAB announced it was killing the 2021 NAB Show due to continued COVID-19 pandemic concerns.

Our No. 3 most-listened to podcast features Capital Broadcasting Co. VP of Radio Brian Maloney, who offered an exclusive look inside a company that was first to embrace HD Radio and more recently helped bring NEXTGEN TV to fruition. LISTEN HERE.

Rounding out the top five podcasts: an exclusive conversation with veteran media broker Dick Foreman (LISTEN HERE) and a September 30 podcast with Keith Pelletier, the Dielectric executive who shares details on why a move from physical to AI-driven simulated modeling could matter to all C-Suite executives (LISTEN HERE).

 

 

MIAMI BEACH — One of the last media industry events to be held prior to the March 2020 arrival of COVID-19 in North America was Matrix Solutions’ fourth Media Ad Sales Summit.

The Pittsburgh-based tech company has confirmed that it is heading back to South Florida, and will stage its two-day event right next door to NATPE Miami.

The event, returning to the Eden Roc/Nobu Hotel, is scheduled for January 19-21, 2022.

The Summit brings together media and tech thought leaders from across varying market verticals and, says Matrix Solutions, will provide “the necessary forum for discussing and invoking real change for building a prosperous advertising ecosystem that promotes industry-wide automation, data consistency, and transparency.”

Additionally, the sessions will delve into “reducing the friction between the buy and sell sides when delivering advertising inventory across multiple delivery paths.”

Among the key topics to be discussed are:

• Ad Sales Automation & AI
• Programmatic Ad Sales
• Data-enabled Linear & Cross-Platform Sales
• Addressable Advertising
• Fast, OTT, CTV & AVOD
• Local TV Advertising in a Digital World

To register, view the agenda, or get more information on the Media Ad Sales Summit, visit https://www.matrixformedia.com/summit2022.

The Radio + Television Business Report welcomes industry leaders to share their views, thoughts and opinions by writing a column, opinion piece or Letter to the Editor. Today, we offer a Letter to the Editor from Jamie Arbona, President of San Francisco-based In-Language Radio. 

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The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has appointed the former Chief of Staff for Alexandria City Public Schools in Northern Virginia as its first-ever SVP of Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

He will begin his new job on December 6.

In this new position, Dr. Stephen Wilkins will be responsible for the development and implementation of a human resources strategy that builds on CPB’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Dr. Wilkins will report directly to CPB President/CEO Patricia Harrison and will work closely with his peers in the public media community.

Dr. Wilkins has also been Chief Human Resources Officer for Alexandria City Public Schools.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to join the outstanding team at CPB,” Dr. Wilkins said. “I have been so fortunate to work with talented people during my time in the public education sector and military. Now I look forward to using the knowledge and experience in organizational management to help CPB maintain a great workplace for the success of our employees in our public broadcasting mission.”

Prior to his work in education, Dr. Wilkins served on the Pentagon staff and commanded at the company, battalion, and brigade levels, leading soldiers, civilians, and contractors to mission success. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Dynamic Pricing is also a key subject up for discussion during a November 3 webinar for broadcast sales professionals hosted by Marketron.

The session aims to explain to broadcast sales professionals how they can leverage the power of yield management and dynamic pricing to increase revenue.

Titled “Yield Management in Broadcast Sales: Why It’s a Powerful Tool,” the webinar begins at 2pm Eastern. An overview of yield management will then turn to a discussion of just how integrating dynamic pricing into the sales process can help drive greater success and profitability.

“Because commercial inventory is a fixed and time-limited resource, it is vital to sell as much as possible at the best rate possible,” said Todd Kalman, Marketron’s SVP of Sales. “Yield management simplifies this task, making it easy for sales managers to price inventory dynamically based on demand. It’s a must in today’s competitive advertising marketplace.”

Adam Lang, founder and CEO of Relativity Consulting Pty. Ltd., will present the webinar.

Registration is open now:
https://www.marketron.com/yield-management-in-broadcast-sales-webinar/.

Audacy Inc., which one week ago gained attention in San Francisco for saying goodbye to the Alternative format after 35 years with a change at KITS-FM to Adult Hits, has just said “Bye, Buckaroos” to the only Country music station covering the Big Apple and the majority of the New York Tri-State area.

In its place — music enjoyed by a multicultural mix of Gen X radio listeners, with such artists as Usher, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige now in the mix.

WNSH-FM 94.7, licensed to Newark, N.J., is now “New York’s #1 For Throwbacks,” with branding as “94.7 The Block.”

“From the Apollo Theater to Lincoln Center, everyone is listening,” one liner voiced by an African American female states in part. Indeed, “The Block” is designed to attract Blacks, Caucasians, Latinos and Asians who were raised on WQHT “Hot 97” across the 1990s, when it first transitioned from freestyle dance music to Hip-Hop.

Chris Oliviero, SVP and Market Manager for Audacy in New York, says “The Block” will offer songs and artists “that are synonymous with New York’s iconic hip-hop culture and that still strongly resonate with listeners today across all generations.”

He adds, “This was an opportunity to add a quintessential New York sound to our audio portfolio that has been missing in the area, while at the same time continuing to engage with our New York country audience thru HD and digital platforms.”

The launch of “The Block” mirrors a similar format change in Chicago, where Audacy owns WBMX-FM “104.3 Jams.” On November 17, WBMX will complete its fourth year offering throwback Rhythmic hits in the Windy City.

At WNSH, a commercial free debut with 25,000 songs in a row is underway. More programming details and local on-air talent will be announced in the coming months.

For listeners of the former “Country 94.7,” the format continues — minus air personalities — on WNSH HD2 and on the Audacy app; the audio was noticeably problematic in the Noon ET hour when accessed by RBR+TVBR.

‘TAPS’ FOR A FORMER ‘NASH’ FLAGSHIP

In a November 2019 visit to then-Entercom’s New York studios and offices at 345 Hudson Street, there was a new energy in the building. Eight months after its acquisition from Cumulus Media, WNSH-FM was attracting listeners as “New York’s Country 94.7.” Under Cumulus, WNSH had been the flagship for the company’s now-defunct multimedia “NASH” brand. The key reason for the change: New Yorkers didn’t care about Nashville.

Alas, it appears advertisers and New Yorkers within the “donut” that is the Five Boroughs of the City of New York lost interest in WNSH over the last 23 months. In the September 2021 Nielsen Audio ratings, WNSH had 1.9 share of the 6+ radio listening audience.

WNSH had been a Country station since January 21, 2013, enjoying format exclusivity among big-signaled FMs in New York. It was largely heralded by Nashville and by Country music fans, as the market had not had a Country station since the 2002 demise of “New Country Y-107,” owned by the former Big City Radio and heard across three suburban facilities in a trimulcast. The last full signaled Country station in New York was WYNY-FM, at 103.5 MHz. That station became the highly successful WKTU-FM in 1996, bringing back call letters made famous during the Disco era at 92.3 MHz.

Now, Country is absent again from the Big Apple. In the New York City suburbs, it is a different story. In Monmouth-Ocean, N.J., Press Communications’ WKMK-FM 106.3 “Thunder 106” is a Class A covering an area including Asbury Park and Long Branch. It is the No. 1-ranked music station in the market.

But in Morristown, N.J., a format void has emerged. WNSH in fall 2019 had a 5.8 share, ranking No. 3. In Spring 2021, it was No. 5 with a still-respectable 3.4 share. The Middlesex-Somerset-Union, N.J., market showed WNSH tied for No. 6 in the September 2021 Nielsen Audio results.

Then, there is the City of New York and Nassau County, on Long Island. WNSH was the lone major-signal Country station in Market No. 1 and Market No. 20, respectively. JVC Broadcasting’s WJVC-FM 96.1 only reaches Suffolk County, N.Y.

A BIGGER FLAME FOR THROWBACKS

Until WNSH’s sign-on in early 2013, the 94.7 MHz signal was the home for Harold Camping and his Family Radio-branded Christian Talk and Teaching programming. It had been WFME since 1964, and largely considered a Northern New Jersey radio station with limited coverage of New York City.

While the station had a 23.5kw Class B signal, multipath problems in Manhattan created many obstacles for WNSH and, before that, WFME. A Construction Permit for 40kw has helped ease that issue, using a tower site within sight of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

A PROGRAMMING COORDINATOR IS SOUGHT

In related news, Audacy is looking for a skilled Programming Coordinator to provide project management and administrative support to the core programming leadership group in New York City.

Among the job’s responsibilities, the coordinator will assist in the planning and organizational management tasks around programming, content and creative with a large portfolio of radio stations and digital content platforms; and help develop and implement consumer marketing and advertising campaigns in select markets to drive ratings.

https://careers-audacy.icims.com/jobs/3726/programming-coordinator/job?mobile=false&width=1094&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false&jan1offset=-480&jun1offset=-420

How can the FCC improve the regulatory fee process for broadcast licensees of radio and television stations?

The NAB has some suggestions, and offered them to the Commission in a filing submitted Thursday (10/22) by the leading lobbying voice in Washington for AMs, FMs, UHFs and VHFs across the U.S.

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As 2022 begins, NAB COO Curtis Legeyt will assume the role of President/CEO of the nation’s leading voice in Washington for the broadcast media industry.

Gordon Smith is winding down a 12-year tenure at the association, and with the cancellation of the 2021 NAB Show, there’s only one place radio and TV industry executives will get the chance to personally wish Smith well as he heads into retirement.

FORECAST 2022, presented by the Radio + Television Business Report and Radio Ink, is that locale. Scheduled for November 16 at the Harvard Club in New York, this year’s event promises to be dynamic and full of insightful, intelligence-filled panel discussions largely free of press coverage.

You read that correctly. Only Radio Ink and RBR+TVBR will offer select highlights from Forecast 2022 — and that includes an afternoon Conversation with Gordon Smith and Curtis Legeyt, sponsored by Katz Media Group.

What is the state of the broadcast industry from the Inside the Beltway view?

What are the key legal, regulatory and legislative initiatives that the NAB under Gordon Smith has championed, and are already working to define the future for broadcast media in the U.S.?

QUU CEO Steve Newberry, who worked closely with Smith and Legeyt during his own tenure at the NAB, will moderate the discussion — only at FORECAST 2022.

SECURE YOUR SEAT NOW BY CLICKING HERE TO REGISTER!

 

CPB now has an executive whose job is to assure diversity and inclusion in its HR process.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting named Dr. Stephen Wilkins as senior vice president of human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion, what has become known as DEI in organizational circles. He will start Dec. 6.

“In this new position, he will be responsible for the development and implementation of a human resources strategy that builds on CPB’s commitment to diversity and inclusion,” the organization stated.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

He will report to President/CEO Patricia Harrison. She praised Wilkins for his “organizational leadership, academic training and operational skills that will enable him to work with leaders and staff across the organization to advance a culture grounded in CPB’s commitment to collaboration, teamwork and DEI.”

Wilkins was chief human resources officer and then chief of staff at Alexandria City Public Schools in Alexandria, Va. “During the pandemic, he served on the senior leadership team that restructured the organization, recruited diverse leaders for schools and departments, and developed the division’s five-year strategic plan focused on equity and inclusion.”

Earlier he was on the Pentagon staff and served on the faculty at West Point as an assistant professor of political science. CPB said he “speaks fluent Spanish and has worked in Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Canada.”

He has degrees from West Point, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the senior service college at Carlisle Barracks, Pa., as well as a doctorate in administration and leadership from the Richard W. Riley College of Education at Walden University.

Send news of engineering and executive personnel changes to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post CPB Names a DEI Leader appeared first on Radio World.

Sherman “Jocko” Maxwell debuted a five-minute radio show on WNJ in Newark by early 1930.

In radio’s formative years, most stations were only on the air for several hours in the evening, and the majority of what they broadcast was music. There were a few stations that provided news headlines and sports scores, but listeners did not expect breaking news coverage, nor live play-by-play broadcasts of their favorite teams.

Throughout the early 1920s, as the programming day gradually expanded, so did what was on the air. By the mid-1920s, radio was covering important news events, and many stations began broadcasting major league baseball games, much to the delight of the fans.

But there was one group of fans whose favorite teams never got on the air. If you followed the Chicago American Giants, the Kansas City Monarchs, the Indianapolis ABCs or the other teams in the Negro Leagues, radio ignored you.

In fact, the only way to find out how your team did was to either go to the game or read about it in the Black press. Because America was segregated, it was mainly sportswriters at Black newspapers like the Chicago Defender, Pittsburgh Courier, and Baltimore Afro-American that offered extensive coverage of Negro Leagues teams.

Jocko

No matter how well-attended Negro Leagues games were or how much talent the players displayed, radio stations weren’t interested.

Perhaps that wasn’t surprising: In the 1920s, all station owners were white, and they seemed convinced that white listeners wouldn’t care about Negro Leagues baseball — even though newspaper accounts noted that many white people went to the games.

It wasn’t until late 1929 or early 1930 (the exact date is uncertain) when the first Black sportscaster went on the air: Sherman “Jocko” Maxwell was a former semipro baseball player and manager from Newark, N.J. He debuted a five-minute radio show on WNJ (later WNJR) in Newark.

At first, he mainly read sports headlines, but his show went over well with local fans and by 1932, Maxwell was hosting a 15-minute program. By 1933, he was on the air in New York City at WRNY, and then at WHOM, where he hosted his increasingly popular sports show several nights a week.

By 1937, Maxwell was on the air at WWRL, where he was named the station’s sports director in 1942 — the only Black sports director in radio at that time.

Sportswriter and broadcaster Sam Lacy in an undated photo. Courtesy National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Maxwell had an audience of both Black and white listeners, and he had so much credibility that Major League players would often stop by his show for a chat.

He was also a correspondent for the Sporting News, and during the 1930s, he covered some of the Newark Eagles’ Negro Leagues games. This gave him an opportunity to discuss the games on his radio shows, where he sometimes compared certain Black players to their major league counterparts, something most other sports commentators were not doing.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., another Black sportscaster went on the air in the mid-1930s.

Sam Lacy was already a sportswriter for the Washington Tribune who would go on to have a long career with the Baltimore Afro-American.

Hal Jackson, shown in a 1970s photo, was mentored by Sam Lacy.

In the autumn of 1935, he began doing a sports show for WOL. Like Jocko Maxwell, Lacy was a big fan of the Negro Leagues, and both men had served as public address announcers at their team’s ballparks.

After Lacy returned to his sportswriting job, he mentored a young man named Harold Jackson, later better known as Hal Jackson and a major force in Black radio.

Jackson wanted to be a sportscaster, but no station owner in the D.C. area would hire him. He finally got on the air in 1939 at WINX, hosting a music and interview program, and thanks to Lacy, he also was hired as the public address announcer for the Homestead Grays games at Washington’s Griffith Stadium.

Grays vs. Elite Giants

But it wasn’t until Aug. 9, 1942, 22 years after the Negro Leagues had been founded, that the first play-by-play broadcasts of Negro Leagues games finally occurred, with Jackson as one of the announcers.

Sponsored by the Baltimore Afro-American, Washington station WWDC broadcast the series featuring the Homestead Grays and the Baltimore Elite Giants. WWDC also agreed to broadcast several other Homestead Grays games, including one against the Kansas City Monarchs in September.

No Negro Leagues games seem to have been broadcast during the next several years. Meanwhile, Sam Lacy and Harold Jackson collaborated on a once-weekly sports show on WINX in 1944, during which they interviewed Negro Leagues players and recapped the games from that week.

Contrary to some internet claims, there is little evidence of any regular play-by-play broadcasts until 1948, when the Cleveland Buckeyes got on the air at station WSRS; the station’s sportscaster Danny Landau did the play-by-play, assisted by sportswriter A.S. “Doc” Young, who covered the Negro Leagues for the Cleveland Call and Post.

But an effort to broadcast the Atlanta Black Crackers games over WEAS in Decatur, Georgia in mid-May 1948 was not as well-received: After one game between the Black Crackers and the Nashville Cubs got on the air, a subsequent broadcast had to be canceled after complaints from what one Black newspaper referred to as “Southern bigots.”

Ironically, by the time more games were about to be broadcast, the Negro Leagues were in decline. Major League Baseball had finally begun to integrate in 1947 with the arrival of Jackie Robinson, and soon, there were questions about whether the Negro Leagues would survive.

The Negro National League disbanded in 1948; the Negro American League struggled on, in weakened form, through the 1950s.

As a media historian and a baseball fan, I am saddened that most radio stations ignored the Negro Leagues when they were at their best. Because so few stations broadcast any of their games — and not until the 1940s — baseball fans were deprived of the chance to follow the exploits of talented (and record-breaking) 1930s players like slugger Josh Gibson and speedster “Cool Papa” Bell or hear about how pitcher Satchel Paige’s legendary career developed.

It was a loss for the fans. But it was a missed opportunity for radio.

Donna Halper is an associate professor of communication and media studies at Lesley University, former broadcaster and radio consultant. She also writes for the Society for American Baseball Research.

The post Missed Opportunity: Radio and Black Baseball appeared first on Radio World.

97.5 Licensee TX, LLC enters into consent decree to resolve political file investigation

Villecom, LLC enters into consent decree to resolve political file investigation