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Broadcasters want to think ahead about how to capitalize on 5G fixed wireless. The problem is, they don’t know what it is or isn’t yet. In this issue, we ask technical thought leaders how 5G may affect our industry, while Michael LeClair cocks a skeptical eyebrow in that direction. Also in this issue: Spooky podcasts, a history of synchronous AM, and cool technologies for your phones and talk show systems.

 

Read it online here. DIGITAL RADIO
DRM Says “Not So Fast”

If the FCC allows U.S. AM stations to turn off their analog signals in favor of all-digital transmissions, Digital Radio Mondiale believes it should be among their options.

FUTURE OF RADIO
For Radio, It’s Wait and See About 5G

We asked a bunch of smart people how they think this new technology might play out in the radio biz.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

• Synchronous AM’s Long and Tortuous History
• With Consoles, It’s All About Connectivity
• Buyer’s Guide: Phone & Talk Show Management

The post Inside the Jan. 22 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

In this document, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposes to remove the existing non-federal secondary radiolocation and amateur allocations in the 3.3-3.55 GHz band and to relocate incumbent non-federal operations out of the band, in order to prepare the band for possible expanded commercial wireless use. Specifically, the NPRM would eliminate the non-federal radiolocation services allocation in the 3.3-3.55 GHz band and the non-federal amateur allocation in the 3.3-3.5 GHz band. This NPRM also seeks comment on appropriate relocation options for incumbent non-federal users, either to the 3.1- 3.3 GHz band or to other frequencies, on the transition mechanism and process for relocating existing non-federal users, and on potential relocation costs and considerations. The proposals in the NPRM are an initial step toward potential future shared use between federal operations and flexible use commercial services, consistent with the Commission's responsibilities specified in the MOBILE NOW Act to identify spectrum for new mobile and fixed wireless use and to work in consultation with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to evaluate the feasibility of allowing commercial wireless services to share use of spectrum between 3.1 and 3.55 GHz.

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Justin Chase

Beasley Media Group has promoted Executive Vice President of Programming Justin Chase to chief content officer, the company announced this week.

In a press release, Beasley Media Group CEO Caroline Beasley tasked Chase with “enhancing and expanding our content on all of our on-air and digital platforms.”

Chase has served as EVP of programming since 2016, and prior to that he was operations manager for Beasley Las Vegas and added the vice president of programming title in 2013. In Vegas, he also supervised KCYE(FM), KKLZ(FM), KOAS(FM) and KVGS(FM) as PD, and his work was recognized with Beasley’s “Program Director of the Year” award. 

Additionally, Chase is a member of the National Association of Broadcasters Radio Board and serves on the Media Ratings Council’s board of directors, the MRC Radio Committee and the MRC Digital Committee. He has participated as a member of the Nielsen Advisory Council and in special projects with The Council for Research Excellence.

The post Beasley Ups Chase to Chief Content Officer appeared first on Radio World.

Getty Images/Alexsl

The problem facing broadcasters trying to capitalize on 5G-fixed-wireless is they don’t know what it is or isn’t yet.

Prior to this month’s CES show, Gary Shapiro, president/CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, assessed the state of 5G for the Jacobs Media blog: “In 2019, 5G moved from trials to commercialization, with commercial launches in the U.S., Europe and Asia. By 2022, the majority (76%) of smartphones shipping in the U.S. will be 5G enabled,” Shapiro said.

“This year, 5G is capable of significantly greater data capacity for video and telepresence applications, significantly more connections at a time and ultra-low latency. The U.S. is now in a global race for 5G leadership, and connectivity — delivering anytime/anywhere access and information — and it is one of the driving trends of our time.”

And 5G’s potential content delivery powers continue to tantalize radio technical experts. Though the phase-in of 5G networks has begun, the full technical evolution is three to five years off, experts say. This leaves radio broadcasters time to think about ways to take advantage of the next-generation of cellular networks.

The new wireless platform will be superior to earlier generations of mobile systems, with significantly greater throughput and considerably lower latency, according to those who follow the sector.

Fifth-generation cellular technology is expected to have a transformative effect on multiple industries, including audio and video delivery. 5G is initially being deployed in mobile broadband networks alongside 4G/LTE, with stand-alone 5G deployments following at a later stage.

Technical experts say 5G — which was also the theme of several NAB Show sessions last year, and presumably will be again this spring — has the potential to transform how radio broadcasters operate, with enhanced wireless data transmissions and more data-intensive applications, and even point-to-point links.

The FCC continues to conduct 5G spectrum auctions, recently reallocating part of the C-Band spectrum for its use, which will be critical to the deployment of 5G services and applications. And broadcast equipment suppliers like transmitter manufacturers and codec makers reportedly are experimenting with 5G in order to explore the potential of next-gen wireless, even though industry standards have yet to be set.

The point-to-point communication capabilities of 5G could someday eliminate the need for traditional STLs and other high-capacity data circuits for broadcasters.

Much has been written about the implications on video, including virtual reality and e-sports, but the end game for radio depends on the timing of 5G full implementation, since the adoption curve for 5G is a few years from completion.

Observers say broadcasters need to approach 5G from both the standpoint of what it means for consumers and for how stations acquire and deliver content.

“As 5G networks become more ubiquitous, wireless technologies will be incorporated into more consumer devices, expanding the availability of streaming services beyond even where it is today,” said Ari Meltzer, a partner in the telecommunications, media and technology practice at Wiley Rein LLP.

“And because 5G signals have more bandwidth than traditional AM or FM signals, radio broadcasters should anticipate having to compete against the almost limitless variety of programming that will be available over 5G networks.”

Radio broadcasters would be wise to incorporate 5G into their long-term planning, Meltzer said, even if some guesswork is involved.

“Radio broadcasters need to analyze how listeners are consuming their content and how that is likely to change as consumer adoption of connected devices continues to grow at an exponential pace. While this may create challenges for the traditional linear programming model, it also creates opportunities for radio broadcasters to provide expanded interactive services and to reach listeners in new ways with new content,” he said.

The European Broadcasting Union’s project group 5G Deployments is addressing technical and non-technical issues related to business arrangements, deployment models and regulatory conditions for 5G mobile systems, according to Darko Ratkaj, EBU senior project manager for technology and innovation.

Getty Images/diyun Zhu

“Where available, 5G will provide improved connectivity with high speed and low latency, which would improve the user experience with audio streaming,” Ratkaj said. “However, streaming of audio services is already possible over 4G networks and WiFi, and this is increasingly popular. Therefore, the impact of 5G will be incremental, rather than revolutionary. Much will depend on the availability and performance of 5G-enabled user devices.”

In addition, one of the main benefits that 4G and 5G bring to broadcasters, Ratkaj said, is the “possibility to deliver content and services to personal devices, in particular mobile phones, which cannot receive signals via terrestrial or satellite broadcast networks.”

He added, “Content distribution over mobile networks such as 4G and 5G may require different commercial arrangements compared to conventional broadcasting.”

The connected car is expected to make use of 5G next-gen technology as the service rolls out; indeed the connected car is likely to hog a lot of its capacity.

A radio working group of the North American Broadcasters Association notes that 5G is often cited as the primary path forward for vehicle connectivity. “It is believed by many in the automotive space that 5G video application and vehicle-to-vehicle communication will use the majority of 5G’s capacity,” the committee wrote in its report “The Value Proposition of Radio in a Connected World,” published last year.

TOO SOON TO SAY

Technical observers say it is too early to begin architecting radio’s future with 5G but acknowledge the need for the industry to consider all opportunities to share audio and metadata in a better connected world.

“It’s difficult to answer the question about how radio as an industry may take advantage of what 5G has to offer. It’s an emerging technology, and geographic availability is yet to be defined,” said Michael Beach, VP of distribution at National Public Radio.

Milford Smith, principal with Smith, Khanna and Guill Inc., said while 5G is being rolled out by various carriers, some more aggressively than others, he thinks it’s going to take nearly ubiquitous availability before broadcasters explore new applications.

“One thing is for sure, it’s unlikely that there will be much need much longer for heritage wired pathways for out-of-studio events,” Smith said.

Another veteran engineer said how media is consumed will affect the efficiencies of using 5G next-gen services. “Audio is mostly consumed while mobile, whether jogging through the park or commuting to the office,” said Frank McCoy, CE at Salem Media Chicago. “Video is delivered more often to stationary devices. It’s a lot easier to maintain smooth connectivity through a single path than through an environment that requires regular system handoffs. This remains a limitation. The back end structure required to make this work will still struggle, I believe.”

As the small cell infrastructure in high-density areas for 5G is built out, the 5G canopy will expand, McCoy said.

“The new spectrum will linearly expand throughput per cell, but that’s it. To exponentially gain throughput requires more and smaller cells, so this isn’t a problem that’s easy to solve.”

There are technical implications of 5G adoption, too, McCoy said. “I expect 5G will look a lot like 4G but with more bandwidth. It’s still physics-limited to about 3.7 data bits per spectrum Hertz, though. And it may come without support for IPv4. Better study up on IPv6.”

McCoy said he is unaware of any 5G planning done by Salem Media, though fixed, point-to-point services should benefit from more bandwidth. “Then again, the Silicon Valley folks seem to come up with new, better consumer tools that require ever more bandwidth to function. And free connectivity may emerge, driven by ad content, as radio is,” he said.

There will be investment costs for broadcasters to be ready for the 5G world, said Richard Engelman, a technical consultant with Wiley Rein LLP.

“Given the variety of ways in which radio broadcasters can adopt 5G technologies, the range of required investments will vary tremendously,” he said.

“At one extreme, because 5G is a network technology that can be used to distribute a variety of content, radio broadcasters can invest in IP-based content distribution and take advantage of 5G without any incremental cost for 5G itself. At the other extreme, building new point-to-point links or equipping studios and remote facilities to take advantage of 5G technology will require both an upfront capital investment and, potentially, investments in the spectrum required to deliver the signal,” Engelman said.

The post For Radio, It’s Wait and See About 5G appeared first on Radio World.

Is our industry’s technical profession — particularly in the United States — in crisis? If so what is being done about it?

Radio World Editor in Chief Paul McLane talks to experts in commercial radio, public radio and technical education in this special report, sponsored by Nautel and Shively.

Are the number of qualified engineers in fact declining? How are companies are balancing the needs of RF vs. IT? What choices are available for technical training? Are broadcast groups changing how they manage product buying or approach infrastructure design with a shortage of technical talent in mind?

Find out what Paul learned here.

The post Radio Engineering in Crisis appeared first on Radio World.

Organizers of the 2020 European Radio & Digital Audio Show say they expect more than 8,000 visitors to the upcoming edition.

With some 160 exhibitors and over 100 conferences, masterclasses and workshops, the event is laying out what all in attendance will have in store for the three-day event in Paris.

“In 2020, in France and Europe, radio remains a safe bet and the soundest listening tool. Europeans love radio and have faith in it. It is still deeply rooted in the lives of listeners,” said show organizers Philippe Chapot and Fréderic Brulhatour.

“But at the beginning of the 21st century, audio is becoming more versatile and is spreading at an ever-faster pace over all areas of life and through all types of media. Digital audio is now available everywhere, anytime. It is definitely a new revolution and a new world of possibilities.”

“SOLID RADIO,  LIQUID AUDIO”

The show’s theme for this year will be “Solid Radio. Liquid Audio.” Supporting that theme will be a number of events and presentations.

One example is the dedicated pavilion that will showcase German and Austria’s work in the industry. More than 15 German and Austrian exhibitors will be present in the pavilion, including Audi and its e-tron automobile, featuring its latest infotainment system. After conference hours, the pavilion will also host a “Biergarten” starting at 7 p.m.

The conference is also expanding its Podcast & Co. area to become the POD.Village. There will be the In-car XP stand on embedded digital radio and audio experiments in the automotive industry, while the DAB+ pavilion will offer updates on digital terrestrial radio around the world.

A number of popular features are also returning after successful debuts, including the Rebounce Audio hackathon that looks at the ins and outs of tomorrow’s radio and digital audio world; the Sales House for hosting conventions and cross-industry meetings, like the national convention of the Indes Radio, National Radio Day of the RCF network and the 90th anniversary of “Music & the Spoken Word”; and the Muzicenter Meetup, offering meetings between labels and director of programs.

Additional offerings at the 2020 conference include personalized sessions in a KEODA soundproof booth; the International Radio of the Year Award Ceremony; and the French Young Talent Awards for Radio, TV and Net.

The 2020 European Radio & Digital Audio Show is taking place from Jan. 23–25 at the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris.

The post European Radio & Digital Audio Show Starts Thursday appeared first on Radio World.

“Very well, I admit the deed! Tear up the planks! Here! Here! It is the beating of the old man’s hideous heart!”

This is the climax to Edgar Allen Poe’s horror classic “The Tell-Tale Heart.” And like many a classic, it’s a familiar tale that becomes fresh again when the retelling is new and different.

This is why the National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre’s podcast production of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is such a worthwhile listen. Hosted online by Baltimore NPR station WYPR 88.1 FM, “Tell-Tale Heart” is one of a series of Poe-based podcasts being produced by the company’s “Poe Theatre on the Air” initiative.

“Poe Theatre of the Air is based on the ‘theater of the mind’ approach to radio drama, which uses actors, music and sound effects to conjure up vivid stories in the listeners’ imaginations,” said Alex Zavistovich, the founder and artistic director of the National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre.

Orson Welles’ famous 1938 “War of the Worlds” broadcast is based on the theater of the mind approach. The dark stories of Edgar Allan Poe lend themselves well to this audio production style, even though his 19th century tales were written long before radio came to be.

Allan Poe

Why Poe?

An experienced actor and director as well as a former editor of Radio World, Alex Zavistovich is no stranger to radio drama. Previous to creating the National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre, Zavistovich founded and managed Lean & Hungry Theater, which performed radio adaptations of Shakespeare and other English literary classics. These adaptations have been aired on NPR affiliate stations in Austin, Texas; Tampa, Florida; and Washington, D.C.

Although Poe was born in Boston in 1809 and then lived in Richmond, the indisputable Father of American Horror did much of his writing in Baltimore, where he died at age 40 after being found incoherent in Ryan’s Tavern.

Poe’s ties to Baltimore appealed to Zavistovich when he moved to this city.

“I learned that there was no national theater dedicated to the works of Edgar Allan Poe,” he said. “So I have set about to raise Poe’s profile, and Poe Theatre on the Air is one way I’m doing it.”

As for hosting these podcasts on WYPR’s website? “Being affiliated with an NPR station instantly gave us a credibility and a reach that we wouldn’t have if we did this on our own,” said Zavistovich.

Alex Zavistovich

The Nitty-Gritty

To date, Poe Theatre on the Air has produced five dramatic podcasts based on Poe’s works. As described by the theater’s web page, a sampling:

The Tell-Tale Heart: “A housekeeper takes a job caring for an old man, and it seems like a dream for them both. But the dream becomes a nightmare when the housekeeper’s obsession with the man turns deadly — with a truly heart-pounding ending.”
The Black Cat: “A man brings home a cat for his animal-loving wife, to replace a cherished pet. When the new family addition becomes too annoying for the man, it leads to a dark secret that the cat reveals at the worst possible time — for the man.”
Morella: “A man’s love for his scholarly wife fades as her fascination turns to morbid themes. On her deathbed, she gives birth and curses the man to ensure that he will never be freed from her memory.”

Posted more recently are episodes “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Berenice.”

In a nice touch, the stories are tied together by the device of the listener visiting an insane asylum. Each cell they visit contains a deranged inmate directly related to the Poe tale about to be told.

The scripts, drawn from Poe’s own works, are created by Zavistovich and Professor Richard Hand, a professor of media practice at the UK’s University of East Anglia. The actors are from the Poe Theatre on the Air’s company, with production being handled in Baltimore by long-time audio engineer and producer Ty Ford, another Radio World alum.

Poe was originally buried in an unmarked grave but is remembered today with this marker in Baltimore.

Teaching theatrical actors to do radio drama wasn’t easy, Ford said. “We do the show in my 25- by-35-foot custom-tuned basement studio, and it took a while for some of them to get used to working with microphones rather than projecting to an audience from the stage,” he said. “But they’re getting the hang of it now.”

To make these Poe podcasts more compelling, Ford uses a mix of original music that he and Zavistovich compose/perform on the fly, plus recorded sound effects, and actual “real” effects that he creates as required.

Ty Ford prepares a microphone for Jennifer Restak.

“For instance, when we needed the sound of a trowel being used to brick a victim into a wall, I grabbed one of my own and rubbed across the terra-cotta saucer of a flower pot,” Ford said.

CLASSICS FOR THE PODCAST GENERATION

In creating theater of the mind audio productions, Zavistovich and Ford are aiming for the pinnacle of Golden Age radio dramatic production, a genre made popular by long-running radio series like “Gunsmoke” and “Suspense.”

Judging by the quality of Poe Theatre on the Air, they have hit this mark. These podcasts feature a lively mix of solid voice acting, convincing sound effects, and suitably eerie music that underlines Poe’s emphasis on pervasive, insistent unease; a sense of discomfort that begins by gently unsettling the listener at the outset, and building to a tsunami of terror by the end.

Actor Brian MacDonald at work. Find the episodes at www.wypr.org/programs/poe-theatre-air.

“We recently heard from WYPR that we have had 6,000 downloads for the first three shows,” said Ford, “not just streams, but downloads. They were excited by that and are planning even more promotion for the show.”

If all goes to plan, Alex Kavistovich hopes to keep producing new Poe podcasts on a monthly basis. “There’s a whole community of podcasts listeners who are deeply interested in radio drama and complex storytelling,” he said. “This is what we are trying to bring to them through the tales of Edgar Allan Poe.”

And if the living Poe podcasts transport their listeners into a world of deadly fear and trepidation, so much the better. As the Father of American Horror wrote in “The Premature Burial”: “The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?”

The post Listen to These on a Midnight Dreary appeared first on Radio World.

Radio Simba started broadcasting in November and covers western Kenya as well as the greater Rift valley region. The broadcaster chose Lawo equipment for its new facilities.

In the main studio, Lawo’s crystal mixing console and Compact Engine mixing platform connect to a standards-based AES67/Ravenna AoIP network. In addition, the Lawo VisTool GUI Builder software powers a graphical interface that displays onscreen control of source selection, EQ and other options.

For Radio Simba’s second studio, the station makes use of Lawo RƎLAY VRX software with a multitouch-enabled graphical interface.

“RƎLAY VRX software, installed on the same PC that hosts the playout system, software codecs, streaming encoder and other studio tools, is the equivalent of an entire broadcast studio on a single touchscreen PC,” pointed out Lawo in a press release.

The Lawo crystal mixing console

Byce Broadcast, Lawo’s Nairobi-based distributor and systems integration partner, managed the project planning, installation and commissioning of Radio Simba’s studios.

According to Lawo, Byce carefully reviewed the IT and broadcast technologies before fitting the studios to ensure Radio Simba would fully benefit from an IP-based studio environment.

“We are extremely proud of what we’ve achieved,” says station owner Joshua Kisiang’ani. “Our new studios are both very functional, and very beautiful!”

The post Kenya’s Radio Simba Choses Lawo appeared first on Radio World.

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