Industry News

A company veteran who began his career as a Senior Editor for FOX Latin American Channels has been named SVP of Engineering, Operations and Technology for FOX Television Stations (FTS).

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A low-power television station serving the Redding, Ca., area is being spun to an operator known for its radio, TV and digital offerings focused on Christian-themed programming.

The purchase will help in bringing additional offerings from “theDove” to a region known officially as “Jefferson.”

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It’s known for the Ave Maria Grotto and for being the halfway point between Birmingham and Decatur, Ala. Now, this town of some 18,500 people is in the news as a low-power television station licensed to this municipality is heading to a new owner.

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Steve Moore has been promoted to operations manager of Audacy St. Louis.

“He will now oversee the market’s six brands: 102.5 KEZK (KEZK-FM), Y98 (KYKY-FM), 97.1 FM Talk (KFTK-FM), News Radio 1120 KMOX (KMOX-AM), Hot 104.1 (WHHL-FM) and 96.3 The Lou (WFUN-FM),” it stated.

The announcement was made by Becky Domyan, senior VP and market manager for Audacy St. Louis. She said Moore “has been so instrumental in building operational alignment, collaboration and synergy across our St. Louis footprint.”

Moore has worked in the market for CBS Radio, then for Entercom/Audacy, since 2000. He already had brand management and operations oversight of KMOX and KFTK, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Send People News announcements, especially concerning technical and executive management roles, to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Audacy Promotes Steve Moore in St. Louis appeared first on Radio World.

Stephen Hartzell (left) and Coe W. Ramsey

The law firm of Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP will take on the duties of regulatory counsel to the Society of Broadcast Engineers.

As we previously reported, SBE General Counsel Chris Imlay announced last year he was stepping down, having worked with the SBE since 1980 and as its general counsel since 1993.

Former President Wayne Pecena led a search committee and considered several candidates before making its recommendation to the SBE board in December.

[Read our profile story: “Imlay Prepares His Next Chapter”]

Two partners at Brooks Pierce, Stephen Hartzell and Coe W. Ramsey, will work with the society on its regulatory needs. “They both are experienced with broadcast technical regulatory issues, and Broadcast Auxiliary Services in particular, and they have worked with state broadcast associations,” SBE said in its announcement.

Imlay expressed support for the choice.

“In my experience, these able lawyers are well-positioned to work with the SBE Board to advocate for our members at the FCC, the NTIA and on Capitol Hill, especially in the area of spectrum protection,” said Imlay. “I have promised to be available to consult with them on current open issues and going forward to the extent they would like, and I will help [Executive Director] Jim Ragsdale and the SBE’s Indiana counsel with non-FCC legal issues going forward, as a volunteer.”

As we reported earlier, the society has split Imlay’s duties, planning also to hire an attorney for business matters based near its headquarters in Indianapolis.

The post SBE Names Its New Regulatory Counsel appeared first on Radio World.

AudioScience has a heads-up for customers that use CobraNet: It’s time to say goodbye.

The company wrote in an email to clients, “We have been notified of the end-of-life date of the Cirrus Logic chip, the main component needed for CobraNet, with the option to make a last-time purchase. AudioScience is asking all CobraNet customers to place a last-time purchase. We ask for your assistance to ensure we are able to cover the quantities your company requires.”

The company said affected users should send purchase orders covering outstanding quotes, including spares for the rest of this year. “If you have longer-term contract commitments for CobraNet product support, these quantities should also be added/included in this purchase.”

CobraNet is a technology from Cirrus Logic that provides distribution of isochronous digital audio, control and monitoring data over Ethernet. It operates at the Data Link Layer, also referred to as OSI Layer 2 or MAC layer.

According to its website, AudioScience developed a variety of CobraNet sound cards and standalone CobraNet interfaces.

The post AudioScience Notes “End of Life” for CobraNet appeared first on Radio World.

LOS ANGELES — It’s known as one of the few live audio streaming platforms to offer direct access to radio stations across the globe. Now, it is augmenting its already rich array of Spanish-language content from across Iberoamérica with the addition of radio stations tied to one of Mexico’s largest spoken word radio broadcasting companies and the regional Mexican-formatted stations held by a U.S. multimedia company based in Southern California.

TuneIn has inked partnerships with Estrella Media and with Grupo Fórmula, respectively.

For Estrella Media, known for such radio brands as “Qué Buena” in L.A., TuneIn will help expand the company’s revenue opportunities by reselling instream advertising outside of the local markets of Estrella Media’s 11 stations, all of which are now on the TuneIn platform.

According to a recent RIAA study, which TuneIn cites, revenue from online radio based Latin content grew 24% in the first half of 2021, which has helped pave the way for TuneIn’s collaborations with Estrella Media and Grupo Fórmula.

“Both Estrella Media and Grupo Fórmula are market leaders in Spanish-language entertainment and news radio content,” TuneIn CEO Richard Stern says. “We are extremely pleased to be expanding our Spanish-language offerings to a new generation of Latin radio fans and listeners around the world through the TuneIn platform. We’re also thrilled to help Estrella Media’s local stations increase monetization outside of their local markets as an added benefit of our partnership.”

René Santaella, EVP of Digital & Streaming at Estrella Media, adds, “Our partnership with TuneIn amplifies our popular shows like Don Cheto Al Aire and our Regional Mexican music stations by being available for free on all streaming platforms including the rapidly growing smart speaker and auto markets. It is a great pairing of our programming expertise with TuneIn’s scale and innovative distribution.”

Isaid Mera, Digital Manager for Grupo Fórmula, comments that the partnership with TuneIn represents an opportunity for the company to amplify the reach of our content and to increase profit for our clients. “We live in a hyperconnected world where we have access to much information, that’s why we need serious and trusted sources,” he says. “Grupo Fórmula achieved our goal of ‘Keep Mexico Well Informed’ by using our multi-platform presence and adding alliances with other important organizations who can help us in moving forward. Here is where TuneIn plays an important role as it lets us reach listeners during all moments of their days.”

 

Until one week ago, Beasley Media Group stock hovered near the $2 mark, with small fluctuations seen across much of December 2021 and into the first half of January 2022.

This seemed to be a stabilization point for the company’s shares, which began a downtrend to start the fourth quarter of 2021. With Beasley poised to release its Q4 and full-year 2021 fiscal results within the next 2 weeks, BBGI is showing particular weakness on the Nasdaq market. As of midday Wednesday, a new 52-week low is taking shape.

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The CFO Summit, Media Financial Management Association’s (MFM’s) “signature winter event” designed to help the media industry’s financial leaders prepare for the challenges ahead, will return to an in-person experience for 2022.

Additionally, MFM has selected co-chairs and agenda for the annual summit, which will once again be held at the Grand Pelican Resort in Ft. Lauderdale.

The dates of the event at the boutique beachfront hotel on A1A are March 3-4, 2022.

The 2022 CFO Summit co-chairs are Andre Alexander, CFO of GBH; Virginia Hernandez, CFO of Trilith Studios; and Glenn Krieg, CFO of Morgan Murphy Media.

Now in its 16th year, MFM’s annual CFO Summit is an opportunity for senior media finance professionals to exchange thought leadership as they discuss ongoing and future issues facing the industry. The event features expert speakers from across the media landscape who will share best practices and lead in-depth discussions on a range of topics of importance to high-level financial professionals in the media industry.

The sessions in the two-day summit include:

• A keynote address from Jonathan Kozy, Managing Director and Senior Macro Strategy Analyst for the Chief Investment Officer (CIO), Bank of America Corporation
• Cybersecurity and Data Breach with speakers Robert Schechter, principal of Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, and James G. Mottola, MS, CPP, CISM, Vice President – Data Privacy, Investigations and Security, Porzio Compliance Services, LLC
• Payment Trends with Kevin Outram, Executive Director, J.P. Morgan; and Steve Bernstein, Executive Director at J.P. Morgan
• A state of the industry presented by Mark Fratrik, SVP & Chief Economist, BIA Kelsey

“As the media industry – and it particular its financial leaders – continues to grapple with the repercussions of the ongoing pandemic, legal and political developments, and other business issues, companies must look to new strategies for growth,” said Dave Bochenek, Chair of MFM/BCCA’s Board of Directors. “The CFO Summit has long been known as the place for high-level media financial professionals to gather and share information vital to keeping their companies moving in the right direction. We’re excited that we can once again meet face to face to exchange ideas, network and be armed with new strategies and tools to effectively address what lies ahead.”

This MFM event is limited to senior financial professionals working for media companies. Attendees can obtain CPE credits over the 2-day summit. For additional details visit https://www.mediafinance.org/cfo-summit

Genelec’s Aural ID software is now available as a DAW plug-in, which the company says delivers a more reliable and headphone-listening experience, providing audio professionals the confidence to switch between monitors and headphones freely.

Using video footage supplied by the user via the free Aural ID Creator mobile app, Genelec will analyze the way the user’s head, external ear and upper body affect and color audio arriving from all directions. Unique to the individual, this effect is called the head-related transfer function (HRTF).

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

ID’s cloud-based calculation engine then models the user’s head and upper torso to calculate their personal HRTF, and then renders audio in any direction within the Aural ID plug-in. The plug-in is available in VST, AAX and AU formats for integration into DAWs.

The Aural ID plug-in also allows users of Genelec Smart Active Monitors to import calibration files directly from Genelec GLM loudspeaker manager software.

Suitable for audio professionals, including those working remotely, according to the company, the Aural ID plug-in compensates for the sound coloration headphones can introduce.

The Aural ID plug-in is available directly from the Genelec Cloud platform via a cloud-based subscription service. For more information, visit www.genelec.com/aural-ID.

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

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