Stakeholders weighed in Feb. 28 after the FCC voted to proceed with a public auction of C-Band spectrum for 5G, an item that had prompted heated debate from the Hill and elsewhere.
“The U.S. must win the race to 5G,” said House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Communications Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) in a joint statement. “It’s simple: either we lead the way, bring along other like-minded countries, and write the rules on advanced technologies, or we have them dictated to us by China. We know that only the first option will be written with free-market principles in mind. I’m encouraged chairman Pai and the FCC share this mindset and I commend their progress on the C-Band auction order.”
“ACA Connects praises chairman Pai and the FCC on the adoption of an order today that strikes an appropriate balance between clearing a large portion of the C-Band for 5G use and protecting incumbent users of the spectrum,” said ACA President Matthew Polka. “This proceeding turned out to be one of the most challenging undertakings of any FCC chairman’s tenure, and Chairman Pai and his team proved once again they know how to get things done.”
[Read: FCC Preps Big Spectrum Moves]
The C-Band is used by satellite companies to deliver programming to broadcasters and cable operators, so the FCC is having to free up 280 MHz of the lower portion of the band, move incumbents to the upper part, and make sure that new wireless broadband users of the freed-up spectrum don’t interfere with those incumbents.
“Today’s vote is another major step toward unleashing mid-band spectrum for 5G,” said AT&T EVP Joan Marsh. “Making the C-Band available for mobile flexible use will provide a vital resource for deploying next generation wireless networks and securing U.S. 5G leadership. We look forward to reading the details of the item and continuing to work with the commission to ensure a successful auction and effective transition.”
“The FCC’s vote today is a great success for the future of 5G in America. We cannot afford to wait any longer to roll out 5G nationwide in America and the approval of a public auction of the spectrum is a great step to unleashing American innovation,” said 5G Action Chairman Mike Rogers. “China has a head start on cornering 5G, but with this vote we are one step closer to ensuring we don’t lose the race. Getting 5G right is critical to our country’s long term economic and national security and I applaud the FCC’s and Chairman Pai’s actions today.”
“While surely there will be much quibbling about various facets of the FCC’s decision, to my mind, Chairman Pai and his Republican colleagues deserve much credit for proposing a sound way forward,” said Free State Foundation President Randolph May. “Absent the willingness to consider somewhat novel approaches to address the need to repurpose this midband spectrum sooner rather than later, I suspect we’d still be stuck in neutral — and in today’s technologically dynamic and competitive marketplace environment, being stuck in neutral doesn’t advance overall consumer welfare or the national interest.”
“I applaud the commission for voting in favor of the C-Band auction rules,” said Competitive Carriers Association President Steven K. Berry. “C-Band spectrum provides incredible potential for all carriers — both large and small — to deploy next-generation technologies, and a public auction of this invaluable resource is certainly the right decision. An auction of 280 megahertz will go a long way to helping meet consumers’ insatiable demand for more. While we would have liked to have seen a limit on spectrum aggregation to further promote competition, we commend the commission for its work on this enormously complex issue and look forward to a robust auction in the near future.”
The post D.C. Reacts to FCC C-Band Vote appeared first on Radio World.
The Intercollegiate Broadcasting System will host its 80th High School & College Media Conference March 6–7 in New York.
Ahead of the event, IBS President Chris Thomas and IBS NYC Co-Coordinator Shawn Novatt told Radio World that the event would feature guest speakers including iHeartMedia Division President Scott Hopeck, Z100’s Maxwell, WCBS(FM)’s Race Taylor, New 102.7FM’s morning show team, Cox Media Group Long Island’s promotions/marketing and sales team and many others.
The Hotel Pennsylvania-hosted conference will cover topics ranging from production, on-air and show preparation, podcasting, sales, production and more in order to teach attendees how to improve their student media operations.
IBS events are for member stations only; however, all college and high school media outlets are eligible for membership. Attendance costs $110 per person or $660 for groups of six or more people.
The post IBS to Host High School & College Media Conference for This Weekend appeared first on Radio World.
“StudioHub is back, baby!” Angry Audio founder Michael “Catfish” Dosch announced in a Monday press release.
Radio World reported in October that Dosch’s new company planned to acquire the StudioHub line of R-J45 adapters, cables and studio accessories from Radio Systems. That has now gone through.
“We purchased the IP to all of the products formerly manufactured by Radio Systems under the Radio Systems and StudioHub brands,” Dosch told RW Monday. “We bought the StudioHub brand and trademarks, but did not buy the Radio Systems brand. We also purchased all remaining inventory of Radio Systems.”
The terms were not disclosed. It was a three-party business transaction between Angry Audio, Radio Systems and Michael Sirkis, who owned most of the IP for the products manufactured by Radio Systems.
Earlier, Radio Systems had announced that it would no longer manufacture its own equipment but would instead serve as Lawo’s exclusive U.S. distributor.
Angry Audio is now offering the StudioHub products on its website at its own brand page, https://angryaudio.com/studiohub/.
Dosch said Angry Audio is manufacturing most of the more popular Radio Systems products. Angry Audio is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. The adapters and cables are manufactured in China; electronics products are assembled and tested in Nashville from parts sourced mostly from China.
Angry Audio is not continuing the Millenium console line. “We will however, provide spare parts support for owners of Millenium consoles on a ‘best effort’ basis, meaning as long as we have, or can reasonably obtain, inventory,” Dosch said.
The post StudioHub Products Now Available From Angry Audio appeared first on Radio World.
From Radio World’s “Who’s Buying What” department: Canadian broadcaster Bell Media says it has signed a deal to pilot Veritone Essentials and Veritone Attribute artificial intelligence solutions at three dozen of its radio and television stations for several years.
In the announcement, Bell Media Vice President of National Radio Sales Dean explained the Veritone deployments enable “real-time campaign optimization” in addition to “attribution and effectiveness metrics.”
Rutherford said, “We are now able to see campaigns as they air, including preproduced, live, and in-show executions. This allows us to provide up-to-the-minute analytics with a new level of transparency, enabling our local and national advertising partners and sponsors to better measure campaign effectiveness and return on investment.”
[Read more: Radio Just Got Smarter Thanks to AI]For example, the Veritone Attribute app demonstrates correlations between advertisements and web traffic within a select time frame via “intuitive dashboards and reports.”
Bell Media has 109 licensed radio stations in 58 markets in Canada.
Send your Who’s Buying What news to radioworld@futurenet.com.
The post Bell Media Chooses Veritone for AI Ad Solutions appeared first on Radio World.
With three national and several local DAB+ multiplexes on air today in Italy, about 83% of the Italian population can receive digital radio broadcasts. The March issue takes a look at how one of the national consortiums, DAB Italia, is working to expand the country’s digital services.
This month we also highlight BR Verkehr in Germany and detail the station’s use of an integrated newsroom system to help ensure the broadcast of timely traffic alerts.
Read the March issue of Radio World International here!
Prefer to do your reading offline? No problem! Simply click on the Issuu link, go to the left corner and choose the download button to get a PDF version.
COMMENTARY
The sound of radio is changing and the industry needs to listen
PRODUCT EVALUATION
MicPort Pro2 Delivers the Smartphone Audio Goods
CEntrance has a pro-grade recording interface for radio reporters and voiceover artists
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
BR Verkehr Puts Focus on Traffic
Kenya’s Simba Radio Selects Lawo
Buyer’s Guide: Sports Reporting & Remote Gear
The post Inside the March issue of Radio World International appeared first on Radio World.
Seemingly a new NAB Show tradition, once again Inovonics has a new INOmini SiteStreamer available for NAB attendees.
The Sofia 567 SiteStreamer+ focuses on monitoring the AM band (520–1710 kHz) and then offering an analog feed, AES3 digital feed (44.1 or 48 kHz), Dante AES67 AoIP network and web streaming (MP3 or Ogg 16–48 kHz and 32–256 kHz). It can be installed at a transmitter site or any place where an AM signal needs to be monitored.
SNMP and email messaging is supported as is remote operation via the web. Alarms include audio loss, low signal and AM reception loss.
The Sofia 567 can entertain up to 10 listeners via the internet. The StationRotation feature allows the 567 to monitor a programmed series of stations.
It is in the familiar rackmountable INOmini half-rack box.
NAB Show Booth: N6525 Info: www.inovonicsbroadcast.comThe post NAB Sneak Peek: Inovonics Sofia 567 to Visit NAB Show appeared first on Radio World.
BOSTON — For approximately 10 years, I worked for the New England Patriots football team. I didn’t have any radio skills when I began, but over the course of my first five years, I learned how to be an engineer and how to produce great radio. About a year ago, I decided to venture out on my own as an independent engineer, working with radio and podcasting clients.
I now work with several organizations, and much of my time is spent working with Boston College. I oversee their football, basketball and hockey programming in a chief engineering role. Additionally, I do color commentary for their away basketball games. I played basketball all through college and studied journalism, so working as a color commentator is a natural fit.
Recently, I purchased an Access NX (and finally retired my old Access 2USB, which I had owned for seven years). To broadcast college sports games, we connect with IMG Learfield, which owns over 100 Access units. When it’s time to connect, I get in touch with my guy, find out which studio he’s working from, select his Access unit from a dropdown menu and hit connect. It’s that simple.
The beauty of Access is once we set up connection presets with IMG, we can now see all the different units they have online. So when it’s time to connect, I can see the status of all their Access units, and I don’t need to enter additional information at any point.
When I was introduced to Access, I was really intimidated. I was originally taught to use ISDN, and I wasn’t sure what to do when IP codecs started to take over. I didn’t want to let go of my ISDN, but after getting some pretty simple instructions and diving into the user manual, I discovered that IP codecs are even easier to use than ISDN.
CONNECTIONSNot to mention, IP codecs are much more convenient to travel with. IP connections don’t take up a ton of bandwidth, so as long as you’re not sharing your connection with anything, you’re all set. Most arenas these days have a dedicated network for handling home and visiting radio, so when I’m traveling around the country, there’s usually reliable high-speed internet. Because networks are solid, it’s very rare that I get a lot of dropped packets or struggle to connect. IP networks are everywhere now, which makes IP codecs very easy to use.
When I began buying equipment to start working independently, I ultimately chose to buy a Comrex Access because I preferred the user interface. I also like having the portable Access mixer available.
I usually travel with a large Mackie audio mixer, and rarely use the Access mixer, but if I ever need a very bare-bones set up, it’s a great solution. I also regularly send it out with talent if they won’t have access to an engineer. It’s plug-and-play and takes no real tech experience to set up; all they need is the Access, mixer, microphones and some headsets.
[New firmware available for Comrex Access codecs]In my opinion, Access is the best IP codec I’ve worked with, and arguably the best one in the market. In the eight years I’ve been using one, I’ve never had a major problem. If I have anything minor, I know that I can call the support team and get dedicated, knowledgeable experts who will be able to answer my questions.
Comrex loaner units are also a lifesaver. I once had one for three weeks, when my unit was acting up right before the Super Bowl. Comrex took my Access in for repair and gave me a lovely portable travel unit as a loan, free of charge, no questions asked. There are very few places in this line of work, or in any line of work, that give you that level of attention to detail and customer service.
For information, contact Chris Crump at Comrex in Massachusetts at 1-978-784-1776 or visit www.comrex.com.The post User Report: Comrex Access Delivers College Sports appeared first on Radio World.
FM spectrum is desirable. If you want proof, just look at the comments from those who operate so-called Franken FM stations, which are fighting to sustain their business operations and stretch out their life expectancy in the face of an FCC deadline.
An LPTV coalition wants the FCC to allow dual digital LPTV and analog audio signals.There are two dozen or so low-power TV stations on analog Channel 6 that air limited visual programming but primarily target radio listeners with their audio content on 87.7 MHz, just below the standard FM band and receivable on consumer radios.
These operators believe that their “radio” stations are serving local audiences, and sometimes niche minority populations, with programming and lifesaving information.
Opponents to the dual-mode operation, including National Public Radio, say the stations have flouted FCC rules and are misusing the spectrum. In addition, NPR has voiced concerns about interference to stations in the adjacent reserved band.
Licensees of these LPTV6 stations are hoping to avoid their radio demise on July 13, 2021, the deadline the FCC has set for all LPTVs to terminate analog services. That termination effectively will silence those audio signals.
DEFENDING THE PRACTICEThe FCC in a public notice in December asked stakeholders and interested parties for additional feedback on whether LPTV stations should be allowed to operate in this way. The commission specifically asked whether digital LPTVs should be allowed to operate analog radio services as ancillary or supplementary services.
The intent of the ancillary service rule is to permit DTV stations, including LPTVs, to use a portion of their bandwidth to provide ancillary services on a supplemental basis. When a TV station provides such services and charges the consumer for the specialized service, they pay a regulatory fee of 5% of ancillary revenues made to the FCC.
This is not the first time the commission has taken input about FM6 stations; it asked these questions back in 2014 without taking subsequent action, and it is now “refreshing” its record.
(More than a decade ago, radio engineers in online discussions began calling such stations “Franken FMs,” referring to an unholy mashup reminiscent of Frankenstein’s monster; the term was picked up by Radio World and subsequently has found broader use, including among the latest filed comments. Some operators consider the term pejorative.)
The LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition is a defender of the practice. In fact, the group says it was instrumental in obtaining a five-year extension of the analog sunset.
“There are no legal or technical barriers to extending the authorization of currently operating analog Channel 6 LPTV stations to offer an analog 87.7 FM audio service after the LPTV digital transition,” it told the FCC in its comments. It said the commission just needs to modify two rules.
“Specifically, the FCC can amend its rules to allow currently operating analog TV6 LPTV stations to: (1) continue their analog TV transmissions after the digital transition on a authorized basis; and (2) utilize independent aural and visual transmitters, all subject to the existing requirement that they adhere to existing FCC rules which require they transmit a digital video signal that can be received by an ATSC receiver. Further, the FCC can carefully tailor these rules so they only apply to stations currently operating on analog Channel 6.”
The coalition wants the FCC to allow a dual digital LPTV and analog audio signal. “The FCC should authorize currently operating analog Channel 6 LPTV stations to continue using a portion of their spectrum to provide an analog aural service on 87.7 FM following the digital transition.”
The coalition said it doesn’t believe the FM6 stations should be charged the 5% ancillary fee for airing the FM signal.
“The 87.7 FM programmers and their LPTV licensee owner are providing the signal free to the public, and should not be charged any fee for doing what is allowable [under] existing rulemaking. Whether a programming service is paying the station licensee a fee to air their programming is irrelevant, and all that matters is that the 87.7 FM signal is free to the public.”
“VITAL” COMPONENTIn essence, operators of FM6 stations are asking for an “analog carve-out” for their 87.7 MHz signal as the TV digital transition continues.
La Invasora produces a format that uses the WTBS(LP) 87.7 FM signal to reach a Spanish-language audience in Atlanta. The ancillary audio service is positioned as the “musical mix channel of Mexican Regional and Pop music for Atlanta.”
Prism Broadcasting Network, licensee of WTBS(LP), supports grandfathering analog 87.7 FM LPTV stations so that they may continue their “valuable and unique” local programming.
“It is only fair that these ongoing successful programming ventures be allowed to continue to serve their local communities with their local programming,” Prism stated in comments.
El Sabor Lazer Radio is a service of Delta Media Corp., broadcasting its Spanish-language programming in Lafayette, La., where it says it is the only commercial Hispanic radio station.
El Sabor Lazer Radio is run by Delta Media Corp., broadcasting Spanish-language programming in Lafayette, La.Similarly, AlmaVision Hispanic Network, licensee of TV station WEYS(LP) in Miami, operates AlmaVision Radio on 87.7. It told the FCC that WEYS provides ethnic programming using the FM signal to reach a potential audience of 2.2 million Spanish speakers.
“AlmaVision Hispanic Network supports the grandfathering of analog 87.7 FM LPTV stations such as WEYS(LP) so that they may continue to provide their valuable and unique local programming. It is unquestionably in the public interest that the FCC permit these ongoing successful programming ventures to continue to serve their communities with their local programming,” according to the broadcaster.
In addition to providing Spanish programming and music, the Miami broadcaster said it provides emergency alerts in Spanish and has considerable local support from sponsors of content and local events, as well as advertisers.
“The station is a vital religious, educational and civic component of the Spanish-speaking community in the Miami metro area,” according to AlmaVision Hispanic Network.
Meanwhile, Lovcom Inc. is the licensee of KSHW(LP) television in Sheridan, Wyo., broadcasting sports news and commentary for audio listeners over 87.7 FM. The station is listed as a radio affiliate on the websites of Westwood One and the Colorado Rockies Radio Network.
KSHW(LP) wrote: “The station has a loyal following of listeners who would be harmed should the commission move forward with the elimination of analog LPTV service and not provide Lovcom with the ability to distribute its signal on an ancillary or supplemental basis after the digital transition.
“The impending LPTV digital transition does not have to lead to KSHW(LP)’s existing listeners losing access to programming that they listen to on a daily basis. Allowing LPTV stations to continue to operate an analog FM radio-type service on an ancillary or supplementary basis would be a permissible and efficient use of the spectrum,” it stated, in comments filed by communications attorney John Garziglia of Womble Bond Dickinson on behalf of Lovcom.
Educational Media Foundation is a notable name among those supporting the FM6 stations. EMF is a Christian noncommercial broadcaster that holds licenses for some 300 full-power noncommercial educational broadcast radio stations, many of which operate in the reserved band. But in addition to its full-power stations, EMF airs programming on the analog audio channel of KBKF(LP), San Jose, Calif.
EMF said it sees “no technological or policy reason for ending FM-on-LPTV service and encourages the commission to allow 87.7 MHz San Jose — and stations like it — to continue using Channel 6 to deliver an audio signal after July 13, 2021.”
It concluded: “FM-on-LPTV stations are already operating and not causing interference at the lowest end of the FM band, with the closest NCE channels at 88.1 MHz being second-adjacent and sufficiently protected from interference.”
NPR WEIGHS INNational Public Radio has taken a strong stance against FM6 stations.
NPR said that authorizing low-power Channel 6 TV stations to operate analog FM radio services after the final digital television conversion deadline would be misguided. It calls Franken FMs “a misuse of public airwaves.”
NPR and the public radio community believe they have significant stake in this; they believe these stations pose an ongoing threat of harmful interference to the adjacent FM band reserved for NCE stations.
“So-called Franken FM stations exploit regulatory gaps to transmit a silent video signal for TV receivers and an unrelated audio service for reception by FM radios tuned to 87.7, with each Franken FM occupying 30 times the spectrum a traditional FM station uses.”
If the FCC does not kill off these stations outright, NPR says, it must develop new rules to make sure they don’t interfere with noncom signals as well as ensuring that their primary video signal can be received by DTV receiver.
But the LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition downplayed the issue of interference that has been raised by opponents.
“These concerns are both highly exaggerated within these proceedings and are easily managed in real-world field engineering work. There currently over 20 LPTV stations transmitting analog audio carriers available on 87.7 FM, yet the coalition is not aware of any outstanding complaints about actual interference between the audio signal transmitted by these analog LPTV stations and nearby FM stations on Channels 201 or 202.”
QUESTION OF FAIRNESSMulticultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. operates radio stations in Los Angeles and New York City. It wrote: “At the heart of this matter are issues of basic fairness. The public was never given notice or a fair opportunity to apply for Channel 6 LPTV stations with the understanding that those stations could fill a dual role as a television and radio station.
“Likewise, AM and FM stations in communities where Franken FM stations operate are forced to compete with Channel 6 radio stations that were not authorized to provide FM service. Moreover, these Channel 6 radio stations compete directly with radio stations on an uneven playing field because Franken FMs are not subject to the same regulatory and financial obligations as other full service stations.”
Effectively, Franken FMs operate with the same power as a Class A full-service FM station, according to Multicultural.
Other detractors say FM6 stations are not EAS-compliant and that they pay lower fees to copyright agencies, such as BMI and ASCAP, creating an unlevel competitive situation for other FMs that do.
Common Frequency Inc., a non-profit that promotes community and college radio, wrote: “The commission writes, ‘Historically, some analog LPTV stations licensed on Channel 6 have operated with very limited visual programming and an audio signal that is programmed like a radio station.’ This is a polite way of stating that these LPTV facilities have ignored Section 73.682 of the commission’s rules and have been broadcasting at 300% of the allowable audio modulation to market itself as a radio station at 87.7 MHz on the FM dial instead of a television station.
“The issue here is continuing this service … would require an aberrant special carve-out of new rules to fit within the commission’s current rules if operated as an FM station.”
The National Association of Broadcasters has never established a position on the FM6 issue, according to a spokesman.
Reply comments in MB Docket No. 03-185 were due to the FCC in early February.
The post FCC Weighs the Future of FM6 Stations appeared first on Radio World.
The ABU Digital Broadcasting Symposium 2020 is taking place March 2–5 at Hotel Istana in Kuala Lumpur.
This year’s theme is “Collaborate and Innovate.” The primary role of DBS 2020, say organizers, is to “help broadcasters in the region make a smooth transition to digital broadcasting and introduce them to the latest range of technologies on the market.”
Held annually in Kuala Lumpur, DBS consists of a conference, an exhibition floor, masterclasses and workshops. In 2019, it attracted 1,254 participants from 377 organizations in 59 countries. They included 82 speakers and 60 exhibiting companies.
The organizers announced in February they would go on with the event despite the recent outbreak of COVID-19. Director of Technology & Innovation Ahmed Nadeem explained they were “monitoring the situation and following guidelines from local authorities and agencies,” and “taking all necessary safety precautions.”
SAFETY MEASURES
He said these include working closely with Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur to ensure specific safety measures; increased disinfection across all high-volume touch points; and the availability of hand sanitizer around the event. They are also encouraging a “no-handshake policy” for attendees and say the hotel has set up a protocol for anyone feeling unwell.
This year’s event will consist of a three-day conference on March 3–5 and an exhibition floor on the same days, along with a range of workshops and masterclasses. The conference’s 12 sessions will focus on topics of strong interest to broadcasters, with speakers from the region and beyond.
The conference aims to address the ongoing challenges facing the broadcasting industry and help find solutions that will enable broadcasters to remain relevant and take informed decisions.
“The industry confronts challenges both in terms of keeping its audience and the fragility of broadcasters’ business models,” explains the ABU.
“New technologies and advanced solutions, which are fast being rolled out by tech-savvy organizations, are disrupting the usual flow of media distribution. Media consumption is becoming more and more personal and the use of digital technologies to understand the preference of audiences is key to developing an edge over the competition,” it said.
“Broadcasters need to be agile and adopt a more mediacentric approach, taking advantage of the convergence of technologies and the new digital innovations in media delivery, intelligence and business operations.”
The symposium will address challenges, suggest solutions and share experiences related to digital transition, technology implementation, creative content ideas, along with enhancing user experiences.
It will explore opportunities the changing media business can provide and find effective ways for broadcast and media organizations to collaborate and futureproof their operations.
DBS 2020 will feature a best booth award, to be decided by participants. The winner will receive a free booth in 2021.
The post ABU DBS 2020 Starts This Week appeared first on Radio World.
In 1976, WOHO(AM) was second in the ratings to the legacy market leader in Toledo, Ohio, WSPD(AM), a stuffy bastion of Frank Sinatra records and call-in recipe shows pushed by air talent well past its prime. At the time, Ken Deutsch served as WOHO’s “outgoing program director.” Here, he recalls some of the efforts and misadventures the station embarked on while attempting to unseat its chief rival.
“I want you to get rid of that bubblegum crap we’re playing, and fire those rock jocks!” shouted our general manager. “Do it now!”
And with that subtle directive from the GM, Toledo’s WOHO(AM) began the transition from a successful top-40 operation to an adult news and talk format.
We did this by gradually adding more information segments and nighttime talk shows, and by tweaking what music we did play to reflect adult tastes. At that time, AMs around the country were heading in this direction in order to reach a more desirable demographic for advertisers: 18–49.
But our GM failed to predict the cost of this upgrade, and how long it would take to change our image in the mind of the public.
Rock n’ roll disc jockeys were relatively cheap; skilled and experienced news people were expensive, and we had many to hire. To get the message about our format change out to the public, we also had to invest in billboards, newspaper ads and TV spots, some of which couldn’t be traded out, no matter how we tried.
After about six months we sent an intern out on the streets to take an unofficial survey on what people thought of the new WOHO. Most “Joe and Jane Lunch Pails” (as our general manager referred to our listeners) thought WOHO was still top 40, and several mentioned the names of jocks who had not been at the station for over a year. Uh oh.
It looked like it might take a while longer to convert those people who had been listening to WSPD(AM) for most of their lives.
The GM put up with the high costs for about a year — which I estimated was one third of the time it would have taken to change public perceptions — before he exploded in his office one day while looking at some financials.
“Ken, what the hell have you done to our station? We were doing great playing the teen hits, and we were making money like crazy! Now look at this!” he shouted while shoving a balance sheet in my face, “I told you that switching to an adult format was a bad idea!”
I looked at him standing there, veins popping out on his forehead, and it was at that moment that I made a decision: to just let him yell at me until his anger subsided. The next few months were difficult as our GM put increasing pressure on everyone to get the ratings up, something that was largely out of our hands. That would just take time.
Then our beloved GM, who as you may have guessed ran more on raw emotion than research, let me know he was bringing in a “consultant” to tweak our programming.
By that, he meant he was hiring a hatchet man to dismantle the news format and get us back into top 40, no matter who got crushed.
INTRODUCING PUNKIEShortly thereafter I met this guru, whom I’ll call “Punkie.” He was a California rock jock with no programming credentials, and he brought with him a character called “Timmy the Frog,” who existed as a sound effect on a cart.
During his air shift, Punkie talked to Timmy and spewed jive talk. Punkie didn’t have a title at our station, but he seemed to have the power to make whatever changes he liked to our personnel and our music.
I ran an aircheck of Punkie one day to preserve his shtick for posterity.
“More More More,” and the Andrea True Connection, and here comes Timmy the Frog —
(Sound effect: ribbit ribbit splash)
Hanging around in the WO-HO porcelain palace in the WO-HO powder room at 3:02, baby. We also have the Disco Lady —
(Sound effect: lady sighing suggestively)
Oh, right in my ear, dear! I love it!
(Starts next record)
You’re in a giving mood, I’m in a taking mood, I’m in a shaking mood, I’m in a quaking mood, baby. I’m in a mood that’s so good I got to deliver, man! I got to give give give, I got it all to live. Starbuck and “Moonlight Feels Right” at WOHO.
One of Punkie’s first acts was to fire the news writers and the woman who worked part time handling traffic reports on the air. This left our afternoon anchor, whom we’ll call “Lawrence,” bereft of support.
Lawrence calmly approached Punkie and told him that without these people he was unable to do his job, and furthermore that it was unfair to his staff to fire them so abruptly.
Punkie’s response to Lawrence: “Oh, I see, you got an integrity thing going on. I can dig that.”
But within three weeks the adult news and talk format had been dismantled, and we were back to bubblegum. It was the collapse of a two-year experiment.
I lost track of the station after that because I had already given my notice. But listen, if you see Punkie, or Timmy the Frog for that matter, give them my regards.
Ken Deutsch is a writer based in Sarasota, Fla. You can reach him at kenrdeutsch@gmail.com.
The post Adventures in 1970s AM: Helloooo, Punkie! appeared first on Radio World.
The author is membership program director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.
The last 10 days have seen fears escalate dramatically as news of the spread of coronavirus took center stage. The U.S. stock market tumbled. Japanese schools and industries came to a standstill. International diplomacy was tested in countries with travel to and from Asia. Coronavirus fears even entered the Democratic debates and the impending U.S. national election. To get a sense of the tensions worldwide, the New York Times set up a page of rolling updates.
While coronavirus has yet to strike the United States, many officials have said the illness’ arrival is only a matter of time. Such fears should only prompt federal, state and county leaders nationwide to ensure their area noncommercial media, including community radio, is at the table.
[Read: Community Broadcaster: Looking Up]
As I have written in past columns, community radio plays a crucial role in emergency preparedness. In rural areas, we are at times the only live, local media available. When there is misinformation and uncertainty, trusted local voices can make a huge difference and avert further tragedy.
With more attention squarely on emergency preparedness, now is the time to clearly state the necessity of noncommercial media.
America’s Public Television Stations President Pat Butler made the case for noncommercial media as an important partner in federal efforts to protect the public. His remarks came amid news that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be seeking support from the Department of Homeland Security for the first time.
“After 10 years of making do or doing without, that situation needs to change,” Butler said, according to Current. Given the rise in potential health emergencies, along with the earthquakes, fires and other calamities nonprofit media outlets inform the public about, funding for radio appears overdue.
The Federal Communications Commission has done regular check-ups on the nationwide Emergency Alert System. While the latest FCC analysis indicates compliance improvements, the General Accounting Office says more must be done. Moreover we can’t pretend everyone’s mobile phones will do the trick. Radio remains central to people globally, and America must fast-track community media in its emergency preparedness planning.
By the way, the 10 years Butler is referring to is the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program, which Congress eliminated in 2010. PTFP helped many stations make tremendous infrastructure strides. Many stations need federal investment to make sure their communities are safe.
Some states are already on the move related to this matter. California Gov. Gavin Newsom stated radio is a big part of preparedness in his state as those travelling overseas return. New York State is also including radio as part of its response and education endeavors.
However, station leaders should not wait to be called. Touch base with county and state leaders. Reach out to members of Congress in your region. There is no greater service you can provide than stepping up in a time of need.
The post Community Broadcaster: Coronavirus Education appeared first on Radio World.
There was a lot of talk about “deleveraging balance sheets” and “improving capital structure,” but iHeartMedia’s fourth quarter 2019 earnings call on Thursday gave little new insight into the transformative shift in business operations the broadcaster announced in January.
iHeartMedia, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2019, said its modernization initiatives will take advantage of new technologies in order to create operating efficiencies, according to the company’s earnings statement. iHeartMedia let go over 1,000 employees last month and said it will create what company executives call “AI-enabled Centers of Excellence” located in select cities. According to the company’s 10-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, it still has 11,400 employees.
[Read: iHeart Defends Painful Change]
Those modernization initiatives at iHeartMedia, which operates 856 radio stations in approximately 160 markets, are expected to deliver $100 million in cost savings for the company by the middle of 2021, according to Thursday’s financial release.
Analysts during Thursday’s earnings call raised the issue of localism and whether iHeartMedia’s ratings could be hurt following all the staff cuts.
“We don’t think the quality will go down, but rather it will go up. We want the best programming in each market. Distance is no longer an issue in our business and our ability to project the best talent we have to any location any time is a substantial advantage for us,” said Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia.
iHeartMedia did disclose it anticipates seeing its real estate expenses jumping this year as it consolidates some broadcast facilities and downsizes others.
“Our investments in these modernization initiatives are expected to result in an increase in incremental capital expenditures related to real estate optimization of approximately $40 to $50 million in 2020. While we expect some additional capital expenditures impact from our modernization in 2021, the majority of this investment in capital expenditures is expected to impact 2020 and to be weighted to the second-half of the year.”
He added, “Additionally, we anticipate approximately $45 to $55 million of restructuring costs related to achieving our cost savings,” the company said in its financial statement.”
Overall revenue for the company came in flat for the fourth quarter of 2019 at $1.0261 billion compared to $1.0263 billion in Q4 2018. Broadcast revenue declined 2.7% in the last quarter to $611.79 million compared to Q4 2018, according to financial statements. Part of that drop is attributable to less political ad revenue in 2019, company executives said. Broadcast remains the company’s largest source of revenue.
For the year in 2019 overall revenue for iHeartMedia was $3.6 billion, up 2.0% from the previous year. Broadcast revenue for the year dipped overall by 1.4% to $2.2 billion.
“As the number one audio company in the U.S. based on reach, we look forward to expanding our unequaled multiplatform leadership position and leveraging the investments that we have made to modernize our infrastructure and become more efficient, effective and competitive,” Pittman said.
Premiere Networks and Total Traffic & Weather, both owned by iHeartMedia, generated revenue of $614.7 million in 2019 compare to $582.3 million in 2018, according to the company’s financials.
The broadcaster, which also owns online music service iHeartRadio, has seen its stock price drop this week right along with most of the market. Thursday’s price closed at $14.96, a slide of 6.1% for the day. It’s carrying $5.3 billion in debt even after emerging from bankruptcy protection just last year.
Pittman said the “audio environment has never been more exciting,” and at least part of his excitement can be traced to podcasting. The company did see gains in digital revenue, which were driven mainly by podcasting. iHeartMedia is the largest commercial podcast publisher, according to Podtrac, a third-party download service. Digital topped $376 million in revenue for the year, which is an increase of 32.2% over 2018.
The post iHeartMedia Gives Few Details on Modernization Plan appeared first on Radio World.
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