In April 2020, a Class A FM licensed to rural Effingham, Kansas, some 65 miles from Kansas City International Airport was in the headlines as its owner sought FCC approval for a silent STA extension.
Now, that licensee — Cumulus Media — is selling that station.
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The Educational Media Foundation is urging the Federal Communications Commission to decide quickly about FM6 stations — those low-power TV stations known as Franken FMs that effectively operate as radio stations in some cities, heard on 87.7 MHz just below the U.S. FM band.
Those stations will go away when LPTV stations are required to cease analog service on July 13 as part of the nation’s digital TV migration.
The FM6 stations are already six years past when we first thought the stations would be forced to shut down. And many radio broadcasters think these “radio” operations should not be allowed anyway, because the underlying TV licenses were not issued with radio service in mind.
The FCC has been considering allowing an exemption to keep them operating. We already knew that the big Christian noncommercial broadcaster was a supporter; it told the FCC earlier that “FM-on-LPTV stations are already operating and not causing interference at the lowest end of the FM band.”
Now, given the July 13 deadline for LPTVs to cease analog service entirely, EMF Vice President of Operations and Engineering Sam Wallington has written again to the commission.
He asked it to “act expeditiously on this matter” because stations need to be able to plan “to avoid a potential unhappy surprise should their audiences lose service that they have enjoyed for many years.” And he took the opportunity to reiterate EMF’s hope that the FCC will protect the stations.
EMF operates the K-Love and Air1 networks. It also has an FM6 signal of its own.
“EMF has been able to expand the coverage for its programming by using the analog audio channel of KBKF(LP), San Jose, Calif., which has been received by the public on their FM radio dial at 87.7 since August 2010,” Wallington wrote.
“This service is a benefit to the community, providing well-received programming to the residents of the San Jose area. Especially in larger markets like San Jose, much, if not all, of the FM band has been claimed, leaving little room for noncommercial services like those that EMF provides on 87.7 MHz.”
Silencing the station, he said, would leave a void; he said other operators have reported similar experiences.
“There is no apparent technological or policy reason — and certainly no public interest benefit — for ending FM-on-LPTV service. In fact the [TV] digital transition and preservation of analog audio on 87.7 puts the commission in a win-win position — viewers receive all the benefits of digital television on Channel 6 while the audio channel can be preserved to serve current listeners and be available for future listeners to discover.”
Opponents to the dual-mode operation, including National Public Radio, say the stations flout FCC rules and are misusing the spectrum. In addition, NPR has voiced concerns about interference to stations in the adjacent reserved band.
The term Franken FM was coined early in their history by online observers and promulgated by Radio World. It plays on the word Frankenstein and refers to what some consider their unnatural combination of licenses (or body parts).
[Related: “Goodbye, Frankens? TV Deadline Approaches”]
The post EMF Urges Quick Decision on Franken FMs appeared first on Radio World.
Despite the fact that traditional AM/FM broadcasting is at the century mark, it still leads all newcomers in the in-car media ecosphere.
That’s according to The Infinite Dial 2021’s latest data. The annual Infinite Dial is prepared by Edison Research and Triton Digital.
The numbers suggest that AM/FM radio holds a commanding lead at 75%. Owned digital music holds a distant second place with 48%, followed by the CD player, online audio, podcasts and Sirius XM. It bears noting that AM/FM broadcasting’s automotive lead is slowly slipping away, having been at 81% in 2019 and 2020.
[Read: Despite Disruptions in 2020, Media Consumption Trends Upwards]
Another entertainment technology that is rapidly disappearing in the rear view mirror is the car CD player, as more vehicles from the 1990s and early 2000s have a date with the scrapyard. To put this in perspective, the CD player came in second with 63%, behind AM/FM’s 84% in the 2013 Infinite Dial report. The most recent figures place the CD player third with 35% of audio sources ever used in the car.
Also trending down, according to The Infinite Dial 2021, is the percent of respondents driving/riding in a car/vehicle in the past month. Their 2020 data suggests 87% were cruising monthly, and that number fell this year to 83%. That’s not hard to understand when one considers the pandemic lockdown, employment statistics, and that rush hour traffic in many cities has become a thing of the past.
New automotive technologies continued to make gains in 2020, according to Triton and Edison Research data. The percent owning in-dash information and entertainment systems crept up from 18–20% over the past year. Data for online audio listening in-car through a cellphone suggests an increase from 45–50% over the past year.
A new category introduced to the 2021 Infinite Dial is the percent having an integrated mobile operating system in their primary vehicle. The numbers say Apple Car Play has 10%, while Android Auto has 8%.
The post Data Says AM/FM Radio Still Leads in Automotive Environment appeared first on Radio World.
Paul Rogers has been promoted by iHeartMedia to area president for North Florida, which includes the Jacksonville market.
He succeeds Nicky Sparrow, who was recently named the senior vice president of multicultural sales for iHeartMedia Markets Group.
The Jacksonville cluster includes eight stations with music formats in English and Spanish: WSOL(FM), WQIK(FM), WJBT(FM), WWJK(FM), WKSL(FM), WFXJ(AM), Rumba 106.9FM and 107.3FM Planet Radio.
Rogers has been market president for Tallahassee and Panama City since 2017. iHeart’s realigned North Florida area now also includes those two cities.
Rogers will report to Division President Linda Byrd.
Send People News announcements to radioworld@futurenet.com.
The post iHeart Tabs Paul Rogers to Lead North Florida appeared first on Radio World.
On January 26, Nassau, Bahamas-based Honeycomb Investments Ltd. (now named the Global Media & Entertainment Investments Trust) snapped up a total of 9,631,329 shares of iHeartMedia stock.
This gave the entity 8.8% attributable interest in iHeartMedia, leading sleuths to connect one of the key individuals involved in the investment to one of the biggest commercial radio station owners in Great Britain.
Now, this company that boasts such brands as Heart, Capital, Radio X, LBC, Gold and Classic FM wants a greater stake in iHeartMedia. And, its Washington-based counsel has written to the FCC to advance regulatory approval for the purchase.
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The author is chairman of the European Digital Radio Alliance (EDRA). This is one in a recurring series of commentaries from and about WorldDAB.
The European Digital Radio Alliance is a joint initiative bringing together 25 members from 13 European countries.
Its members represent public and commercial broadcasters from across the continent, several hundred large and small radio stations along with a few hundred million listeners.
One of EDRA’s key priorities has been to promote digital radio, and ensure it is included in the new European Electronic Communications Code. Digital terrestrial radio is now compulsory for new passenger cars sold across Europe, and member states have the possibility to extend this obligation to domestic receivers.
[Read: Commentary: DAB+ Takes Center Stage]
In November, EDRA decided to adopt a manifesto in the face of digital developments, and raise awareness regarding radio stations’ growing dependence on certain digital giants, and the dangers that entails.
European Digital Radio Alliance membersBy putting their content on the platforms of these tech giants, radio stations become increasingly dependent on tech giants and enable them to act as gatekeepers. Therefore they are becoming the new digital competitors of our radio stations, weakening them as they attract more listeners, make limited national production investments, and reduce the pool of choice of consumer and radio stations’ exposure on digital platforms.
We firmly believe that the intervention of commercial third-party platforms, mediating the relationship between the broadcasters and the listeners, is detrimental to the level playing field which has existed in European countries until now.
At EDRA, we aim to promote together a radio distribution strategy based on a secure, direct route to reach audiences, independent of the technologies employed. In this context, we would underline the importance of broadcast distribution in maintaining continuity of service for public safety in emergency conditions.
We have outlined two strategies to face these challenges — the first one is to facilitate collaboration within our industry. While we continue to compete on content, we need to bring the industry together to maintain a strong basis for radio around Europe and stay attractive to our listeners.
We also need to secure direct access to our listeners by favoring common platforms that allow for the growth of radio — DAB+ digital radio being the obvious one — but also by develop attractive digital platforms that will allow us to step away from third parties who are less likely to invest in our economies.
The success of DAB+ is based on cooperation between radio stations, and we are seeing strong growth in DAB+ listening across several European markets as the migration of radio audiences to digital continues.
Digital distribution, both terrestrial broadcasting and internet, is inevitably the future of radio; it will continue to deliver listener benefits around supplementary data and flexible on-demand provision.
The post DAB+ — Radio’s Biggest Ally in Facing Off Digital Giants appeared first on Radio World.
The Mentoring & Inspiring Women in Radio (MIW) Group, a volunteer organization dedicated to developing management and leadership skills for women in radio broadcasting, is pleased to introduce the MIW Group Mildred Carter Mentoring Program’s Class of 2021.
A total of four candidates from the radio industry — within sales, marketing, programming, and digital disciplines — are selected annually for the MIW Group’s heritage mentoring program.
Now in its 20th year, this opportunity matches up-and-coming women in radio with female professionals recognized as leaders in all aspects of the industry. vCreative, the provider of media workflow solutions, is the lead sponsor of this year’s program.
The 2021 class is comprised of the following professionals:
The MIW Group Mildred Carter Mentoring Program is named in the memory of Mildred Carter, who, along with her husband Andrew “Skip” Carter, founded the first African American-owned radio station in the U.S. in 1950, when they turned on KPRS-AM in Kansas City. Mrs. Carter ran the Carter Broadcast Group for many years, after the death of Skip Carter, before turning over control of the company to her grandson Michael Carter in 1987.
Entercom VP of Agency Partnerships Lindsay Adams, Chair of the 2021 MIW Group Mentoring Committee and a 2006 graduate of the program said, “The pandemic created such a demand and need for mentoring to aid in career development and advancement. The sheer quantity and quality of candidates desiring to develop their careers in audio tripled this year. Given the challenges we have all faced over this last year, the program will prove to be even more valuable to our 2021 mentees who highly reflect the excellence we’re seeing in applications. Let the mentoring begin!”
To read about these amazing finalists and former mentees visit: https://www.radiomiw.com/mentees
SAN FRANCISCO — A former FCC appellate lawyer has joined Davis Wright Tremaine’s San Francisco office as a partner in the technology and communications practice, where she will focus on matters before the California Public Utilities Commission, the FCC, and on other appellate and regulatory matters.
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MIAMI — One of the nation’s biggest Spanish-language media companies has secured a long-term agreement for services from the nation’s dominant source of radio industry ratings and audience listening estimates.
It’s a multi-year renewal that allows Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) to continue to benefit from Nielsen Audio audience measurement data in five PPM markets where the company owns radio stations, and the diary-based Puerto Rico marketplace.
Also benefiting from the new Nielsen deal is SBS’s national radio arm, AIRE Radio Network.
The agreement also allows SBS access to Nielsen Scarborough and the nationwide dataset are included.
SBS owns 17 radio stations that collectively reach a third of the U.S. Hispanic population.
JACKSONVILLE — On March 12, iHeartMedia promoted a 20-year sales veteran to the new role of SVP/Multicultural Sales for its Markets Group.
We now know who is succeeding Nicky Sparrow in her former role as the head of iHeart’s North Florida station group, headquartered in this fast-growing metropolis home to financial services and the U.S. Navy.
Taking the role of Area President for North Florida is Paul Rogers, which sees him assume oversight for a newly configured North Florida region for iHeartMedia that includes not only Jacksonville but also Florida’s state capital, Tallahassee, and Panama City, on the Panhandle in the Central Time Zone.
Rogers reports to Division President Linda Byrd, who has worked with Rogers for more than 35 years. She says, “His integrity, judgment, professionalism and competitiveness are what any manager would look for in a market leader. He is the perfect choice as a successor, and I have no doubt that he will take this area to the next level.”
Byrd also thanked Sparrow “for the great work she has done in getting Jacksonville to where we are today” and congratulated her on her new role within iHeartMedia.
Rogers, in essence, is adding Jacksonville to his current responsibilities. He’s been Market President for Tallahassee and Panama City since 2017, and before that served in multiple local, statewide and national roles for iHeartMedia while working in Jacksonville for 18 years. He began his career at WLAK-FM (now WLIT-FM) in Chicago in the late 1980s.
“I am beyond excited by this new challenge and to be given the opportunity to finally lead the Jacksonville market where I have spent so much of my career and where I still have family, many dear friends, teammates and customers,” Rogers said. “We have a strong and diverse staff, and so many of iHeartMedia’s leaders and many of our industry’s greatest air personalities have come from this area. But mostly, it’s a chance to once again work with Linda Byrd, who’s been my mentor for my entire career.”
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