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The author is with E2 Technical Services & Solutions. This article is excerpted from the ebook “The Real World of AoIP.”

This story is excerpted from the ebook “The Real World of AoIP.” Click the cover to read it for free.

Planning a new studio system based on audio over internet protocol begins with what we have always done. First, the number of rooms is settled on, then the capabilities of each room are defined by their function.

While many new studio builds now include cameras and more large video screens than in the past, for the most part studio rooms are built to perform similar functions. There the similarities end.

Broadcast integrators and equipment installers have always been the last in the project timeline and often crashed in the past because of their requirement for point-to-point, “single channel per wire” topology. Studios had all the audio gear and needed huge cable bundles to a tech core with an under-utilized and massive infrastructure. No longer!

Packet switched networks using IP encapsulation and centralized digital storage controlled remotely mean studios have little equipment in them, and the entire audio system has moved to an IT core where single boxes do multiple things.

This centralization is enabled by audio signals that are controlled and distributed as streams combined on a single cable between two points, where many, even thousands, of signals are carried on just four pairs. The efficiency of data technology developed by the information technology industry for personal computers has been repurposed to make the installation of audio systems less wire-intensive, less expensive and more flexible at the same time.

Welcome to AoIP.

Speak the local language

To best take advantage of the world of IT, you must blend in with its practitioners. The IT team can be of great assistance in building out your state-of-the-art studio complex, or it can be one of your greatest hindrances. You want to keep them on your side as much as possible.

Learn proper use of IT terms, because those with an IT background usually have no idea of ours.

Modern networks run on switches and routers according to the OSI model. Hubs are not used. There are no such things as “network switchers” or “switching hubs.”

Their routers are not the same as what we term an audio router. Nodes are items that create the network. This includes routers to guide packet traffic between networks, and switches that provide a connection point to the network. Endpoints are purpose-specific devices. For example, an audio console/video production switcher is a Human Interface Device (HID) and an endpoint. You should translate broadcast systems into that construct to talk to an IT professional.

IT is no longer a backend function, it is the platform on which we broadcast. Media networks use certain IGMP or Multicast protocols, featuring a “querier” that not all IT will know about.

AoIP is networked audio. AES67 is a protocol for use in AoIP. Neither is the same as AES3, which is point-to-point serial digital audio signal. Both use XLRs and RJ45s. And then there is AES50.

These various wiring and signal standards have been developed by the Audio Engineering Society in conjunction with audio industry manufacturers, but don’t get carried away with these terms in the IT world. The confusion in the use of terms with “AES” as a reference can lead to very expensive mistakes.

PTP for IT means Precision Time Protocol, a network standard aka IEEE-1588. This standard is the key to making media function at low latency on an IP network. Learn about PTP. Nothing else works if the PTP does not. The current standard is PTPv2 and was updated recently. Every network has a PTP Master Clock, which may be associated with more than one piece of hardware.

AoIP requires some different tools for troubleshooting and test that come from the IT industry. Learn about WireShark/pcap, PTP Track Hound, VLC, subnet calculators and other free but very useful tools for network admin. IT Command Line tools such as Ping, Arp -a and Netsh are useful in troubleshooting and testing.

There is much cooperation behind the scenes with some vendors. The network is becoming agnostic and ubiquitous, which will support competing product endpoints among different manufacturers.

Know where you’re going

AoIP moves along networks based on Internet Protocol addressing schemes. A typical AoIP network is often isolated from other networks and uses protected subnetworks (subnets) that allow only the audio streams and broadcast signaling to travel between them.

This is a critical part of network design, which is often done early in the design and then handed off to the audio team. It’s important to understand how these networks are described.

IP addressing is not magic and it is very logically structured.

IP addressing since 1996 uses a technique called CIDR (the /x after IP address). The smaller the x that comes after the slash, the larger number of IP addresses are available. In an IPv4 address there are four groups of binary octets, zeroes or ones, representing a number between 0 and 255. There can be a total of 256 addresses in each octet.

I suggest building AoIP networks on a Class B or CIDR /18 structure, which allows 16,382 total addresses and uses a netmask of 255.255.192.0.

For example, the above netmask would allow a range of addresses from 172.20.192.xxx to 172.20.255.xxx, or 64 x 256 addresses (255–191 = 64). Follow a pattern such as 172.20.X.Y/ where X= studio or rack and Y= device in the rack.

Media networks should use Static addresses on a private network. DHCP should be avoided. Instead of DHCP, AoIP may use automatic private number addressing. In an enterprise network, ask the administrator to use DHCP reserve, which requires you provide the MAC address in exchange for an address reserved in DHCP. This provides static address behavior while preserving the net admin’s control.

When doing network changes, patience is a virtue. Not all network changes are instant. Many timers run to 15, 30 or 60 seconds. Always wait to see the effect of change! And backup, backup, backup.

Keep track of everything

A useful organizational system before installing anything is to copy all Media Access Controller (MAC) addresses and Serial Numbers (S/N) to a spreadsheet with their assigned room location and IP addresses.

While everything has a MAC address and serial number, you can’t always fit that label on the back of a device that’s one rack unit high and only a half rack unit; the sticker ends up on the bottom cover plate, invisible after installation. Assign an asset tag number and place that number on the equipment front panel to allow easy location of a particular device.

In studios, custom software programs are essential to setup and operation of the equipment. They are often delivered by email or download from a company site. Be sure purchasing forwards confirmation emails so that you have the license or directions on how to download! Keep a separate spreadsheet of license keys that are specific to individual devices (e.g Pro Tools editing software).

When doing the system configuration for the first time, keep in mind that every signal is both a source and a destination depending on your perspective. It becomes important to structure the names of signal sources and other ID criteria so that you do not have 12 items called MIC_1 or Console PGM and no idea of Source/From or Destination /To.

Recent AoIP systems now allow both short and long signal names to assist with this organization. The short name is what will appear on the console channel display, for example, and is often limited to eight characters. The associated long name allows more information to be included, such as the signal location, to help locate the correct signal when troubleshooting or doing system configuration.

Plan for growth. A plant will have more, not fewer networked items in the future If your count is 20 devices don’t use a 24-port switch, go to the next size!

Spend a few extra dollars and purchase a dedicated PC for the tech core to hold system management tools and documentation. This computer should be able to access all the secure subnets for the audio systems equipment (consider making this computer available to offsite via a remote control program for remote troubleshooting).

Get a printer/scanner that handles 11×17 and scan to PDF everything that you may need to share with the installation team, such as system diagrams. Create a set of configuration backups or default settings on the PC that are clearly marked with the date in the file name.

Final tips

Build ahead of install to reduce the time of install. Almost the entire system can be put together in an office, programmed and put back in the box until final installation.

As noted earlier, the broadcast installers are at the very end of the project timeline, after everyone else has run into problems and the schedule has slipped perilously close to the move-in date. If you’ve got the space to do this pre-installation work, then do it early and be the hero who gets the job in on time.

Comment on this or any story to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The author is with E2 Technical Services & Solutions, offering media systems consulting and engineering including networked audio, video and A/V over IP.   

The post I.T. Is the Platform on Which We Broadcast appeared first on Radio World.

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James River Broadcasting Company enters into consent decree to resolve political file investigation

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Winton Road Broadcasting Co., LLC enters into consent decree to resolve political file investigation

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Shares of Black consumer-centric Urban One improved by 27 cents, to $4.87, on a day when nearly every media company stock price dipped — swept up in inflation fear worries.

The Dow Industrials were down by 2%, to 33,587.66. The Nasdaq index was down by 2.7%, to 13,031.68.

Joining UONE in a gain: Hemisphere Media Group, owner of Puerto Rico-based WAPA Television. HMTV gained 2%, to $12.25.

Otherwise, it was a dreary Wednesday for media stocks.

Audacy was down 5.4% to $4.02.

Veritone slipped 7.8% to $17.69.

Meanwhile, following its 30% surge on Tuesday, Saga Communications was down 8.5% to $25.10.

Beauford Jester and seven Waco businessmen started KWTX radio in 1946. (Associated Press Photo, 1946.)

The author worked at KWTX(AM/FM) in 1975–1979 as a board operator, announcer and DJ. He is a personal collector and preservationist of central Texas broadcasting memorabilia.

An application for a new Class 4 radio station (250 watts, unlimited broadcast hours) at 1230 “kilocycles” in Waco, Texas, was filed with the Federal Communications Commission by Beauford Jester in April 1941. Jester (1893–1949) was an attorney with political ambitions. He would be elected Texas governor in 1946 and again in 1948. He died before the end of his second term.

After submitting his FCC application, Jester realized he would need strong local support and financial backing to improve his chances of getting the Waco radio station. He recruited seven prominent Waco businessmen as investors. They formed a corporation and began acquiring the necessary equipment to build and operate the new station.

The FCC stopped approving new broadcast station licenses soon after World War II began. This was in an effort to help conserve raw materials, manufactured goods and skilled labor needed for the war effort. All Jester and his Waco investors could do now was wait until wartime equipment and construction restrictions were lifted.

M.N. “Buddy” Bostick was hired as KWTX(AM) station manager in 1946. He was the youngest radio station manager in Texas at the time. (Photo date and location unknown.)

The end of the second world war brought the news Jester had waited nearly five years to hear. The FCC granted the license for the new Waco radio station in January, 1946. Jester and associates turned their attention to getting the station on the air as quickly as possible. But first they needed someone to oversee construction and management. This task went to M.N. “Buddy” Bostick (1918–2017). Twenty-eight year old Bostick was the youngest radio station manager in Texas at the time.

“I knew radio was going to be my life,” Bostick told this author during several interviews between 2010 and 2012. “I went through Baylor University in Waco studying to be a radio announcer.”

While in college, Bostick began his own radio program, and became Baylor’s publicity man, scheduling broadcasts on Texas radio stations to promote the university’s professors, musical groups and sporting events. “I was ready for radio when I got out of school,” Bostick said.

KWTX radio advertisement in the 1946 Waco City Directory.

After graduating in 1939, Bostick worked at radio stations in Little Rock, Ark., Memphis, Tenn. and Dallas. During World War II, he trained as a fighter pilot, but the war ended before he saw action. Bostick dreamt for years of starting his own radio station in Waco, and after learning that Jester had applied for the license, Bostick contacted him many times in hopes he would be considered for a position once the license was granted.

“[Jester] called me, and said he wanted me to make my presentation [to the investors],” Bostick said. “I told them how good I was, and what a big operation we were going to have, and how it was going to be highly successful. They believed me, and said go to work.”

Bostick may deserve credit for selecting KWTX as the station’s ID. The call letters K Waco TeXas were selected not only for the station’s locale, but also to let Wacoans know they now had a new station at 1230 kHz on the radio dial to listen to besides the one with the city’s namesake — WACO at 1460 kHz.

Two-story building at 108 S. 6th Street in downtown Waco was the original of KWTX radio from 1946 to 1952. The radio studio and offices were on the upper floor. (2012 photo.)

“We had our first office and studio upstairs at 108-1/2 South 6th Street,” Bostick said. The second floor included a control room, 78 rpm record library, offices for sales, copy and bookkeeping, a reception lobby, along with the studio.

“The large, wood-paneled studio had no parallel walls. They were cylindrical,” Bostick said. He recalled that Jester, who had served on the University of Texas Board of Regents, asked University of Texas professor Dr. Paul Boner to design the studio. The professor was an expert in architectural acoustics, and had planned similar studios at several Texas radio stations. Dr. Boner had developed a thin soft plywood panel that could be curved into half-circle shapes. These rounded shapes resembled long pipes of different diameters stacked one on top of the other and attached to the studio walls. The design helped eliminate echo and evenly absorb low- and high-pitch tones. “The acoustics were wonderful,” Bostick said.

KWTX’s inaugural broadcast occurred at 11 a.m., May 1, 1946, at “1-2-3 on the dial.” KWTX broadcast from 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. Bostick interviewed more than 150 announcers — many of them with network experience — and chose four to represent KWTX on the air and spin records of popular tunes. The station presented numerous shows using local talent. Nationally known orchestras, drama shows and commentators were picked up from the Mutual radio network.

To help promote the new station, Bostick could be spotted driving around Waco in a Willys Jeep station wagon equipped with a public address system and loudspeakers. He announced what program was currently on the air and the schedule of upcoming programs. When he took a break, he placed the PA microphone next to the Jeep’s radio speaker to pick up the live KWTX broadcast and amplify it throughout the neighborhood.

KWTX moved to 4520 Bosque Blvd. in 1952. This new facility was designed specifically for radio operations. After the building was expanded a couple of years later, it was known as Broadcast Center with AM radio sharing space with KWTX(TV), Channel 10, in 1955 and KWTX(FM), 97.5 MHz in 1970.

Station manager Buddy Bostick drove around Waco neighborhoods in 1946 announcing the KWTX program schedule in this Willys Jeep station wagon equipped with a public address system and loudspeakers. (Photo circa 1946. Courtesy of Ellen Deaver.)

The AM station’s transmitter building and 200-foot-tall tower are still at the original location near South 17th Street and Primrose Drive in Waco. The FCC granted a daytime power increase from 250 to 1,000 watts in 1962, while nighttime power remained at 250 watts. Today the station broadcasts 24 hours at 1,000 watts.

KWTX(AM/FM/TV) moved to a new facility at 6700 American Plaza in 1986. Both radio stations were sold to GulfStar Communications in 1996. Today, KWTX (AM) “Newstalk 1230,” KWTX(FM) “97.5 FM #1 Hit Music” and other Waco iHeartMedia stations are located at 314 West State Hwy. 6. KWTX(TV) was sold to Gray Communications in 1999 and remains at American Plaza.

 

The post Remembering the Early Days of KWTX appeared first on Radio World.

Now more than ever, companies are looking for ways to engage the remote workforce.

“A year after most of us were forced to work from home, I cringe when I hear from online meeting managers that they still struggle to get participants to turn on their cameras,” says noted communications and PR veteran Rosemary Ravinal, most recently with Univision Communications. “Speaking to a black tile on screen is a morale crusher. But when combined with overall lagging engagement and short attention spans, the situation becomes part of the broader challenge of team building on Zoom or your video platform of choice.”

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More radio stations reported running local news in 2020, new research from the RTDNA finds.

There’s one twist to that data, however. An increase among AM stations was seen, offsetting a slight decrease among FMs — even with NPR member stations experiencing a pandemic surge in consumption.

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Three unbuilt construction permits for low-power TV stations in Illinois, New Mexico and North Dakota, respectively, are being purchased by Roseland.

OK, so most New Yorkers may only know the former Roseland Ballroom on 52nd Street. One Gothamate knows of another, and it’s a Vice President at HC2 Broadcasting — the entity selling the facilities.

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Despite facing revenue shortfalls, budget cuts and unprecedented operational challenges, local TV stations aired more news in 2020 than ever recorded.

That’s the finding of a new RTDNA newsroom survey that also reveals 2020 saw a record amount of local TV news for the second year in a row.

In addition, a record number of stations are running local news.

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She began her career in 1997 as an assistant assignment editor at WPXI-11, Cox Media Group’s NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh.

Now, after some time in the South, she’s coming back to the Keystone State to serve as President/GM of a TEGNA ABC affiliate.

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Mark Chernoff, the veteran programming executive who is one of four members of the New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA) Hall of Fame Class of 2021, is stepping down on June 30.

While that puts a firm date on previously known news he’d be calling it a day, it is only now known who will be taking on the VP/Programming role for what is perhaps Audacy‘s most prestigious asset: Sports Radio WFAN-AM & FM in New York.

It’s hardly a surprise. The job is going to Spike Eskin.

Eskin is the Brand Manager of Sports WIP-FM, which successfully transitioned from Rocker WYSP, in Philadelphia. He’ll serve as the programming chief for not only the WFAN on-air brand, but also for CBS Sports Radio.

The transition date is July 1.

“Spike has the vision, creativity, and drive to craft the next chapter of the iconic and influential WFAN brand,” said Chris Oliviero, SVP and Market Manager for Audacy/New York. “Along with CBS Sports Radio, his experience will be ideal … As a long-time colleague of Spike, I am excited that he has joined our all-star team and have no doubt that he will succeed.”

Eskin added, “I’m humbled and excited for the opportunity to help lead WFAN into its next chapter. It’s an iconic station with incredible talent, and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m grateful to Chris Oliviero and Audacy for the opportunity. Working at 94WIP over the last decade has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I’m grateful to David Yadgaroff for his belief in me and the staff who stepped up to every challenge.”

Eskin has been Brand Manager of 94WIP since 2014. Prior to that, Eskin held additional on-air and programming roles at the station and was a member of the WYSP staff.

Xperi announced a connected car partnership with one of Germany’s biggest media groups.

It reached an agreement with Südwestrundfunk (SWR) to integrate the ARD-Eventhub metadata distribution platform with Xperi’s DTS AutoStage hybrid radio platform.

“The integration means that all broadcaster metadata, such as program information, station logos, album/artist imagery, etc., on the ARD platform for SWR stations will be accurately, consistently and seamlessly represented in the DTS AutoStage ecosystem,” the organizations announced. “This delivers a cutting-edge in-vehicle entertainment experience to German owners of vehicles supporting DTS AutoStage platform, such as the latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class.”

Xperi positions DTS AutoStage as a global radio platform that will deliver rich in-car experiences in a way that also protects the role of broadcasters in the dashboard, where it says big tech companies are encroaching on radio’s familiar terrain.

[“Xperi Has Big Ambitions for DTS AutoStage”]

The company says the platform was “purpose built to support radio broadcasters around the world … open and available to all broadcasters at no cost.”It encourages broadcasters to participate to ensure that their metadata is protected and compliant with local privacy and copyright laws.

SWR’s radio station partners will be represented in the DTS AutoStage ecosystem with artwork, artist and album information and imagery, songs, playlists and personalization. Listeners can also continue to listen to a station after they drive out of a given broadcast coverage area via the service following feature.

The announcement was made by Joe D’Angelo, Xperi senior VP, business development, broadcast, and Christian Hufnagel, co-founder of SWR Audio Lab.

In the announcement Hufnagel described DTS AutoStage as delivering a “stunning infotainment experience.” D’Angelo complimented SWR — which is part of ARD, the association of public broadcasting companies in Germany — for its reputation for innovation.

Xperi hopes to expand the platform into mass market vehicles globally, and it has content partnerships with broadcast groups and aggregators including names like BBC, Bauer, Audacy, Beasley and Commercial Radio Australia.

Read more of Radio World’s coverage of radio’s role in connected cars.

 

The post SWR Signs on With DTS AutoStage appeared first on Radio World.

On April 19, RBR+TVBR exclusively reported on the sale of WNUE-FM 98.1 in Deltona, Fla., as part of Entravision’s wind down of operations in the Orlando DMA.

The buyer is the operator of a “positive & encouraging Christian radio” non-commercial Contemporary Christian Music network, and programming has already shifted from secular Spanish-language programming.

Now, this Christian broadcast ministry is growing again, with the addition of FMs in the Treasure Coast and in the state capital.

Radio Training Network Inc., a Georgia-based non-profit corporation that owns The Joy FM, is agreeing to purchase WTSM-FM 97.9 in Woodville, Fla., presently an ESPN Radio affiliate, and Adult Contemporary WHLG-FM 101.3 in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

WTSM is a Class A covering Tallahassee from the southeast. WHLG’s Class A signal covers Martin and St. Lucie Counties, including Stuart and Fort Pierce; it is not to be confused with the original WHLG, at 102.3, which is today WMBX-FM.

The seller is licensee WJZT Communications, and licensee WHLG FM LLC, doing business as Horizon Broadcasting Co., led by Christopher D. Smith.

The deal was struck on May 5, with an asset purchase agreement posted to the FCC’s LMS after hours on Tuesday (5/11).

With Melissa G. Repp representing the seller, Horizon is pocketing $1.3 million from the asset sales.

A $65,000 escrow deposit is being held by Fowler Media Consulting, led by Todd Fowler, the buyer’s broker. Representing the seller is industry veteran Jay Meyers, of Broadcast Management & Technology.

With the divestments, Horizon’s holdings are reduced to WSBH-FM 98.5 in Satellite Beach, Fla., and WGSX-FM 104.3 in Lynn Haven, Fla. The station serve Melbourne and Panama City Beach, respectively.

For The Joy FM, the Florida footprint will now extend to the Panhandle, and closer to South Florida.

Listener-supported, The Joy FM in 2021 celebrates its 35th year of operation.

Ed Bukont provides some frank advice about working with AoIP in an IT world. Wheatstone, Jutel and Orban announce new offerings.

Buyer’s Guide lists visual radio resources from Comrex, MultiCam Systems, StudioCast, Broadcast Bionics and Broadcast Pix.

We check in on the realms of college and high school radio, and hear from the new head of radio at the European Broadcasting Commission.

And lots more! Read the issue.

The post Inside the May 12, 2021 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

Alphonso Inc., recently rebranded as LG Ads, has successfully won a patent dispute with the developer of a content recommendation engine and viewer tracking application designed for Smart TVs regarding the use of television audience data for targeting viewers on digital devices.

It concludes 5 1/2 years of litigation, including a December 2018 Federal District Court ruling in Alphonso’s favor.

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