Industry News

Here’s your 2021 Radio World Source Book & Directory, a cross-indexed guide to the manufacturers and suppliers of technology products and services for the global radio broadcast industry and digital audio marketplace.

This free reference includes an alphabetical list of industry companies with their contact information, as well as a cross-index that tells you which companies offer which kinds of products. Also learn about spotlighted new products from our sponsors who make this directory possible.

Read it here.

The post Radio World’s 2021 Source Book & Directory appeared first on Radio World.

U.S. broadcast media companies saw widely disparate activity on Wall Street Monday, with companies such as Townsquare Media seeing a healthy jump from Friday, while TEGNA and Urban One were also up.

Every other company on the RBR+TVBR Wall Street Report ticker was down.

This includes Nexstar Media Group, which finished below $100.

For Sinclair, an 84-cent dip to $27.80 was seen.

Nielsen Audio’s 2020 radio market survey rankings by frequency, type and population — by rank and by market — are now available for public viewing.

There’s also Total Survey Area Population data, and Television DMA regions, for those interested in this information.

What are the key takeaways?

Atlanta has moved up in the Top 10 and is now No. 7, with Washington, D.C., dipping to No. 8.

Meanwhile, Charlotte is just below the Top 20, and Detroit slips to No. 14 from No. 13.

To view the above document, please click here to download.

A collection of full-power and FM translator stations serving communities in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are being transferred into an irrevocable trust, according to a filing on the FCC’s LMS made Friday.

If approved, this will see a prolific New England broadcaster and 2010 U.S. Senate candidate shift ownership of the properties to an irrevocable trust that he’ll directly oversee.

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As RBR+TVBR tweeted on Sunday afternoon (12/20), a roughly $900 COVID-19 federal relief package was approved by the U.S. Senate, paving the way for $600 stimulus checks for adults earning up to $75,000 and additional $600 one-time checks for each dependent.

It turns out the coronavirus relief legislation includes expanded eligibility to local media outlets for the Paycheck Protection Program — a victory for many broadcast radio and TV companies.

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In an unprecedented year, the sports industry has had to take creative steps to generate all of the excitement of a live game while battling the reality of empty stadiums due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The solutions varied from cardboard cutouts of fans to digital audiences and artificial fan noise. To learn what sports fans thought about fan noise, as well as to ask about their other sports opinions in a year unlike any other, Westwood One teamed with media buying giant Horizon Media and commissioned market research insights firm MARU/Matchbox to execute a two-wave study on the subject.

The key findings are now available.

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I read the article “Community Stations Share COVID Stories” and thought you might like our perspective from New Zealand.

When the COVID virus struck here in New Zealand, the government and health authorities were very quick to act.

Everyone in New Zealand was put in Level 4 lockdown immediately within 24 hours of the first cases being identified. Stay at home, work at home, no visits, no travel.

Everyone had to stay in their bubble except for essential services. Only supermarkets, hospitals and radio and TV were allowed to operate under very strict rules. Community stations like our Radio Woodville were allowed only two people on station.

Hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes were abundant. The outside door was closed and locked. Anyone who was sick with no matter what stayed away. “Alph,” our automation computer, played on 24/7.

The community council had emailed me and asked we broadcast public health and safety messages if needed and requested by them. We were to stay positive and stay in touch with the community.

That’s how it was for four weeks of Level 4 and three weeks of Level 3. Staying isolated in bubbles was how it was. No going out to work and no school. Those who were nonessential workers were only allowed off their properties to shop for food and walk for exercise but maintaining a strict 2 meter social distancing.

Supermarkets were a nightmare because only 10 people were allowed in at a time, queues were long and delays were longer. Once in Level 2 social distancing was still required. The public had to keep a contact register whereever they went. We did this in our station logbook. Under this level the commercial world was starting to get back to normal.

We are not free of COVID yet, however all the cases are in managed isolation. This bug is sneaky. We got cases from people working in a cool stores unpacking imported meat. Again by quick action and tracing the source was identified and isolated.

We have a very resilient audio and transmitter chain and had no technical issues. The power supply also carried on without any outages.

Eric Bodell, QSM, is station manager of Radio Woodville.

The post Letter: Broadcasting From in the Bubble appeared first on Radio World.

The first all-digital CES 2021, scheduled for January 11-14, 2021, will feature an iHeartMedia conference session on how technology has enabled some of today’s hottest artists to continue to create and introduce new music and immersive experiences for their fans during the pandemic.

It’s moderated by a ubiquitous iHeart personality, and will see this individual interview a superstar who is arguably one of the world’s biggest pop recording artists today.

Virtual attendees will see Ryan Seacrest host a fireside chat with singer/songwriter Dua Lipa.

Also available exclusively to registered CES attendess: a special performance by Billie Eilish scheduled for 7pm Eastern on Tuesday, January 12, 2021.

Karen Chupka, EVP of CES for the Consumer Technology Association, says the session “will explore the art of the possible and the transformation that is happening in the entertainment industry.”

Tom Poleman, iHeartMedia’s Chief Programming Officer, adds, “iHeartMedia has always taken pride in our ability to bring artists and fans together, but when the pandemic hit we had to get even more creative. At a time when all of us are searching for ways to feel connected with the music and artists we love while remaining safe, we’re proud to have pushed the limits of technology to innovate and create intimate experiences for music fans nationwide, whether it’s taking our entire roster of iHeartRadio nationally-recognized events virtual or creating one-of-kind shows meant to inspire and support millions of Americans.”

BRADENTON, FLA. — On May 5, 2016, Calkins Media announced that it had agreed to sell an ABC affiliate in a unique situation to one of the nation’s biggest broadcast TV companies. For $82 million, the company agreed to spin this station, which is one of two ABC affiliates in its DMA, to Raycom Media.

Then came the June 25, 2018, announcement that Raycom would be merging with Gray Television, a transformative transaction that closed as 2019 began.

Now, nearly two years later, Gray is dealing with a retransmission consent feud focused on this single Sunshine State property. The MVPD at the center of the dispute, which has led to the latest “blackout” of a free-to-air TV station? Frontier Communications.

And, it’s a complex matter involving legacy customers to a grandfathered service.

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Colleagues are mourning the sudden death this weekend of radio engineer Chris Tobin.

He suffered a heart attack during HVAC project work for his employer WBGO in Newark, N.J., on Saturday, according to the station’s Interim President/CEO Robert Ottenhoff.

Tobin had been chief engineer of WBGO and this year was promoted to chief technology officer.

Ottenhoff described Tobin as not only a “spectacular engineer” with “amazing technical and engineering expertise, creative and innovative,” but also as a positive presence in the workplace.

“Optimistic and friendly. Everyone loved Chris, he did so much for so many people,” Otenhoff said.

Tobin also was known in the engineering community for his work as co-host for 11 years of the online program “This Week in Radio Tech,” or TWiRT. Show host Kirk Harnack posted a note on social media calling it “devastating news.”

Tobin was also former president of Content Creator Solutions, according to his LinkedIn page.

The post Chris Tobin Dies, Was WBGO Engineer appeared first on Radio World.