Industry News

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Monday, Nov. 18, disclosed his plan for reallocating part of the C-band spectrum (3.7–4.2 GHz) for 5G use.

In a letter to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Pai said the FCC will auction 280 megahertz of spectrum for 5G. An additional 20 megahertz will be used as a guard band with the remaining upper 200 megahertz available for the continued delivery of programming for radio and television.

[Read: New Bill Would Force C-Band Auction]

The FCC told reporters on Monday that with broadcast satellite services being downsized to just 200 MHz of spectrum a repack of the space will be required. There are more than 16,000 registered receive-only dishes in the field that currently use the C-band, according to NAB. They are used to receive national and syndicated programming for TV and radio.

The order is expected to be considered by the full commission early next year, according to an FCC official. FCC staff will be tasked with carrying out the public auction, which is expected to commence prior to the end of 2020, according to an FCC official. The FCC will accept public comment before any new rules are adopted.

On Nov. 18, the FCC called the process a “complicated rulemaking” that took over two years and raised a number of economic, legal, engineering and policy issues.

Pai in his letter to Congress outlined four principles that the FCC should advance in the rulemaking: “First, we must make available a significant amount of C-band spectrum for 5G. Second, we must make C-band spectrum available for 5G quickly. Third, we must generate revenue for the federal government. And fourth, we must protect the services that are currently delivered using the C-band so they can continue to be delivered to the American people.”

The public auction of the 280 megahertz for 5G (3.7 to 3.98 GHz) will be administered by the FCC. The commission determined an auction is preferable to a private sale, according to the FCC official. The C-Band Alliance, led by Intelset, SES and Intel, had previously proposed to split the band frequency to accommodate 5G services, with the alliance handling the private sale of spectrum.

The FCC on Nov. 18 said the repack of broadcast services to the upper 200 megahertz (4.0–4.2 GHz) has yet to be defined. The FCC official suggested that with the use of high-resolution video compression, the 20 megahertz guard band, the installation of filters on earth-stations and the launching of several new satellites, can compress all of the existing services and content currently delivered over the C-band into the upper 200 megahertz.

The FCC did not disclose whether incentive payments would be made to incumbent satellite providers affected by the repack. It is also not clear if there will be an independent facilitator appointed to oversee the clearing of the band.

NAB asked the FCC in an early filing during the proceeding to ensure “costs for implementing such a plan should be entirely borne by the beneficiaries of any private or public spectrum transaction: either the satellite operators or the mobile carriers who acquire spectrum usage rights.”

National Public Radio earlier pressed the FCC for clarity in its final decision when it comes to the financial ramifications of a massive C-band migration of satellite earth-stations caused by a repack. The Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS) depends on C-band for distribution of programming to approximately 1,275 public radio stations, said Adam Shoemaker, counsel for NPR, according to an FCC filing.

While the FCC’s plan on the repacking of broadcast services is unclear, the commission does expect to fully protect all incumbents currently relying on the C-band for video and radio programming, the FCC official said.

 

 

The post FCC Announces C-Band Repurposing Plan appeared first on Radio World.

Sofie Engelen hosts Willy’s morning drive

VILVOORDE, Belgium — The plan to launch a new radio station dates back from 2017, when Kevin Moens, music director with Joe, and a group of radio creatives came up with the idea.

“We felt we were missing something,” Moens said. “Both Qmusic and Joe have well-defined formats, but we couldn’t find a ‘guitar-focused’ station on the Flemish radio scene — part of the audience was left in the cold.”

NEW MARKET Willy’s on-air cast includes presenters, musicians and media personalities

The idea initially faced some criticism. “A third FM station for our media group was not the option, there was no room in the existing frequency plan — and streaming the signal was not enough,” Moens explained. “But gradually, the idea to serve a new segment alongside Joe and Qmusic became reality.”

When, in 2018, DPG Media decided to fully go ahead with DAB+, and with Alain Claes as head of the group’s innovation department, opportunities for new stations were created. “We launched the new Joe channels and DAB+ also became a facilitator for a new station,” said Moens.

“We wanted something novel — and Willy became the group’s first digital-only station, broadcasting via DAB+, streaming and the Radioplayer platform,” he said.

“Willy was part of a business plan,” added Claes. “This has to be seen as a long-term investment and although we offer a modest program today, the new station has received a lot of enthusiasm from advertisers because it offers a new potential audience market. With DAB+ tripling its penetration here, we are confident in Willy’s future.”

Willy is complementary to Qmusic and Joe. With the tagline “Music Matters,” the new station targets the “music lovers” audience bracket. “It’s all about music and people talking about it,” continued Moens, who is Willy’s music director.

MODERN STRUCTURE Editors were the first international band to take the “Free Willy” studio

The station invited a cast of music and media personalities to host its Friday program roster. Musicians like Triggerfinger’s Ruben Block, television director Tim van Aelst and presenter Sofie Engelen received “carte blanche.”

Moens added that the only prerequisite is that “they are passionate about music and their playlist includes a guitar segment.” The rest of the week, Willy offers a no speech music format. Friday night’s “Free Willy” show is the platform for bands, interviews and album presentations.

Although Willy wasn’t planned when Joe and Qmusic moved to the Sound Park studio landscape, the new station benefits from the future-proofed structure.

“To be honest, when we planned the studios, we knew new activities would be coming our way,” said Alain Claes. “In-house production of commercials and jingles, podcasts, micro-podcasts — they all require studio space and today, it’s nice to see that we have the capacity.”

Willy broadcasts from one of Sound Park’s studios, which the broadcaster build this summer. The station makes use of a DHD RX2 console, Dalet Galaxy playout system, Neumann TLM102 mics and a Technics SL1200 turntable.

The post Music Matters to Willy appeared first on Radio World.

With a move to a new location already on tap, Lincs FM in the United Kingdom recently updated six of its studios with audio over IP equipment from AEQ and Dante.

Working with service provider Broadcast Radio, Lincs FM installed a Forum IP Split consoles that uses Dante AoIP Network signals and works with a central Routing Network Matrix Netbox 32 MX.

All signals in the studio, except for “local” microphone inputs, are exclusively in Dante and are concentrated to/from the Netbox 32 MX. The Netbox system provides 64×64 channels program and antennae matrix at the same time as it interconnects all the studios in the network.

As a result of the flexibility of the installation, all signals in the network can be shared with any studio. Routing and summing of all network signals is done through the Netbox 32 MX, which can be executed either manually or automatically from any mixing console or with the stations group also newly acquired Myriad 5 Playout automation system. Additional features like alarms and level monitoring are also possible through the Netbox platform.

Lincs FM is now operating out of a new studio complex facility that also houses Dearne FM, Ridings FM, Rother FM and Trax FM.

The post Lincs FM Group Updates Studios With AEQ, Dante AoIP Tech appeared first on Radio World.

Illegal broadcasting and media modernization continue to be top of mind at the Federal Communications Commission, as evidenced by recent remarks delivered by FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly when he addressed the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association’s annual Sound Bites event. His speech centered on pirate radio, payola concerns and media modernization efforts, among other policy updates of interest to broadcasters.

O’Rielly noted the spread of illegal radio stations from large to smaller markets, in addition to ever-increasing sophistication on the part of unregulated operators. He said the commission is “playing a long game here, and there is reason to be optimistic,” especially now that “Senate passage of the PIRATE Act is imminent.”

[Read: NYSBA Honors Native Son O’Rielly as New Yorker of the Year]

He explained that the PIRATE Act’s fine increases are meant not only to punish offenders, but to make sure these cases get on the radar of the Department of Justice. Additionally, O’Rielly said the act will speed up and streamline the commission’s timeline to file notices of apparent liability for pirates. He also cited the forthcoming list of licensed radio operators (required by the PIRATE Act) as another enforcement tool, one which citizens and advertisers can use to distinguish between legitimate stations and savvy pirates.

However, O’Rielly conceded that legislation alone won’t eradicate the problem, so the commission is “also deploying state of the art technology to make it very difficult for pirates to escape scrutiny.”

O’Rielly also addressed the issue of payola as it relates to the current broadcast laws and streaming. The practice was outlawed in 1960, and O’Rielly said he plans to explore whether the issue persists or if record companies have instituted policies that prevent the bribery — and if so, what are these safeguards.

Payola is a legacy regulation, and he questioned whether it might not fall under the umbrella of Chairman Pai’s Media Modernization initiative. But until the issue is addressed, O’Rielly pointed out, “there will continue to be two different sets of rules based on whether listeners tune in over-the-air or stream programming online.”

In his speech, O’Rielly also proposed “a guaranteed right at license renewal for a station to supplement its Issues Programming List” in order to make the documents less “over-inclusive” out of fear. O’Rielly acknowledged the Media Bureau’s efforts to help stations come into or stay in compliance, but indicated he believes this formalized system makes more sense.

The post O’Rielly Tells MBA “We Are Playing a Long Game” Against Pirate Operators appeared first on Radio World.

Acoustic treatment manufacturer GIK Acoustics has introduced an acoustic foam option for its Impression Series and Alpha Series room treatments.

Both the Impression and Alpha Series of acoustic panels utilize front plates with designs cut into them to both absorb low-to-mid frequencies while diffusing high frequencies simultaneously.

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

Available in squares measuring 23.5 inches x 23.5 inches and 2.25 inches-thick, the newly added acoustic foam option was characterized as “lightweight, versatile, affordable, and effective” by Glenn Kuras, president of GIK Acoustics.

The Impression Series is available in a dozen patterns, while the Alpha Series is available in three mathematical patterns and five different plate finishes.

Info: www.gikacoustics.com

 

The post GIK Acoustics Adds Acoustic Foam Option 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 recent announcement by a London radio station that it will build its full schedule from podcasts certainly garnered some attention. It comes not many months since iHeartMedia’s announcement over the summer that its stations would broadcast some of the company’s podcast properties.

If you’re a media company, these moves make sense. Since podcasts are the hot commodity at the moment — it stands to reason that radio wants to grab some of that attention. What’s stopping community radio from making more of its broadcasts to be podcast-first propositions too?

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Money Moves]

To be clear, there are a few stations that do the preproduction work typically associated with podcasting and use the finished mixdowns in their broadcast schedules. Richmond’s low-power FM station WRIR pops to mind as a station that has done this successfully. A few other stations, like WXPR, create podcasts that are aired at times. Community radio podcasting, in this regard, is not unheard of.

What are the obstacles to a community radio station going all podcast?

A station must overcome the structural issues it would have to deal with. Podcast production is a lot of work, and producing 168 hours a week of quality local podcasts is no small feat. A station could partner with local podcasters, but there are still particular broadcast and federal regulations to follow, should such podcasts become broadcast material. Rules around payola, indecency, plugola, obscenity and lobbying are just a few areas podcasters have far more latitude than a noncommercial educational broadcaster. There’s orientation and training, as well as quality assurance for everything on air. Such a commitment is not impossible. A community radio station going all-podcast could experience a unique set of challenges.

As an extension of local partnerships, and beyond, a station could opt to just air podcasts it finds online. Obtaining permission to air their work, and ensuring all podcasts meet broadcast regulations, are issues to be considered, though.

In a few other instances, whether community radio stations air all or even a few podcasts may be a cultural question. Over time, I have gotten the impression that some stations believe their brand and what people look to them for is live radio. While I think that opinion is a stretch — how much of the public, frankly, can ascertain live radio from the dozens of prerecorded “live” spots commercial radio has exposed them to for years? — the belief in live radio as “a thing” a community radio station is known for is not an isolated opinion. Implicit here may be the idea that podcasts sound polished while live radio sounds rougher, more organic or more like what longtime listeners associate with community radio.

I gently suggest that sounding less than top-flight may not be something to aspire to, however. Public tastes have grown sophisticated, across many generations and demographics. People expect more these days. A raw sound we may think is community radio may not be as appealing to others. Moreover, I can hear that aesthetic on YouTube, Instagram Live and Facebook. We may not be able to hang our hats on the “radio” sound anymore.

Podcasts to broadcasts are done in limited ways in community radio today. The barriers to greater adoption may lie in costs and having the necessary staffing. Yet the moves happening in other media, and the natural fit local podcasts and local community radio could have, should inspire all of us to dream bigger.

The post Community Broadcaster: All-Podcast Radio appeared first on Radio World.

A Florida FM station’s CP extension request was denied after the station failed to properly prove its construction efforts were impeded by Hurricane Michael.

Back in May 2015, the Federal Communications Commission granted a construction permit to Florida Community Radio, permittee of WRBD(FM) in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., for a three-year-term expiring in May 2018. In April of that year, FCR filed a request to extend the date of its construction permit deadline by arguing that construction was delayed due to Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Also, due to the FCCs recent elimination of the main studio rule, FCR argued that it no longer would be required to build a main studio in Horseshoe Beach. Instead, it requested to apply for a studio-to-transmitter link license to deliver content from its new main studio location to the transmitter site. The Media Bureau agreed and extended the waiver of the construction permit by six months to November 2018.

[Read: FCC to Two AM Licensees: Pay Fees or Nixed Licenses Could Be Next]

Then came hurricane Number 2. In October 2018, FCR requested a second tolling based on construction delays caused by Hurricane Michael, which landed near Horseshoe Beach in October 2018. The bureau granted that request and extended the permit another six months.

FCR then asked for additional construction time to perform a structural analysis through a Request for Extension for Tolling. The station wanted to perform an analysis to determine whether to place its power lines underground instead of on a power pole and to determine the impact of a future storm on the station’s antenna.

But before agreeing, the Media Bureau asked for more specific information regarding construction delays. It wanted to see a direct connection between Hurricane Michael and the permittee’s inability to construct the station. But according to the bureau, no detailed information was forthcoming from FCR.

As a result, the bureau denied additional tolling for FCR to conduct the requested studies.

The reason? The bureau said that FCR failed to demonstrate that delay in construction was directly related to the prior storm. It also said that any electrical service studies should have taken place earlier. Plus, the bureau noted that any type of Act of God encumbrance, like a hurricane, only applies when the permittee can demonstrate that construction progress was impossible.

In a follow up response, the licensee said — for the first time — that Hurricanes Irma and Michael prevented construction of the station because they created long wait times for contractors to construct the facility. But the lateness of that response led to the bureau dismissing the petition because “it relies on new arguments not previously presented to the bureau,” the commission said.

In addition, the bureau only considers petitions for reconsideration when the petitioner shows either an error in the original order or raises new facts not known or existing at the time. “Here, FCR has neither demonstrated that the [bureau] erred in denying tolling to conduct studies on the effect of future storms, nor provided additional facts that were not known at the time of FCR’s [request].”

As a result, the bureau denied FCR’s petition.

 

The post Construction Extension Request Denied Despite Hurricane Impact appeared first on Radio World.

When we saw a photo of Jim Natoli’s radio-themed headstone, Radio World asked contributor Dan Slentz to find out more about the man it memorializes.

The late Jim Natoli.

Nestled in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, are the twin communities of Uhrichsville and Dennison. Here stands an AM/FM station built by a broadcast engineer.

The local industry was clay pipe; and the engineer was Ignasio Natoli, whom everyone called Jim. He was a first-generation American; his mom and dad came from Sicily.

Jim served during World War II as an Army staff sergeant in the Signal Corps, then attended Akron University; he also worked in the FCC’s Detroit office administering tests and with regional administration.

In the 1950s, according to family members, Jim took a job as a cameraman at WKYC(TV) in Cleveland; he eventually graduated to engineer over his 30 years there.

Meanwhile, in 1959, Jim and his mother Mary formed Tuscarawas Broadcasting Company with the hopes of putting an AM radio station in their community. After nearly four years, they succeeded in launching 1540 WBTC, which stood for Wonderful Beautiful Tuscarawas County. Jim continued to work for the TV station, commuting that hour drive from home in Uhrichsville and his AM station, and his other job in Cleveland.

WBTC’s building as seen in 1963. It looks much the same today.

In 1970, Jim added 95.9 FM to the AM station, with the call letters WNPQ, which stood for New Philadelphia Quakers. The station was licensed to nearby New Philadelphia; the Quakers was the team name for the high school sports.

Jim retired from WKYC in the early ’80s but continued to manage his AM and FM station with the love and passion of a parent. He never married nor had kids, so these stations were truly his love. He continued to work at them until 2016 when he turned 98; he was a daily part of their operation until an injury put him in assisted living. Jim recruited some relatives and trusted friends to keep the station running.

When he died, Jim Natoli’s niece paid tribute to her uncle through the design of a unique headstone.

He passed away just short of his 99th birthday, which would have been July 4, 2017. His relatives were willed the station and have taken on the responsibility of keeping WBTC and WNPQ on the air and growing with a small staff. The stations carry classic hits and Christian programming, respectively. Jim’s dream continues to this day.

When he died, Jim Natoli’s niece paid tribute to her uncle through the design of a unique headstone appropriate for a man who lived a life dedicated to his radio love, WBTC(AM) and WNPQ(FM).

Got an idea for a story in Radio World? Many of our best articles were prompted by reader ideas. Email Editor in Chief Paul McLane at radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Jim Natoli’s Lifelong Love Was Radio appeared first on Radio World.

The New Jersey Broadcasters Association sounded an alarm about New Jersey’s emergency alert system in its latest  e-newsletter, stating that “EAS failure” might occur as soon as the New Year unless something changes in the state.  

The current EMNET-EAS is more than a decade old, and NJBA President Paul S. Rotella wrote that it “has flaws that make it unreliable.” Therefore, the association is lobbying state officials and lawmakers to augment, upgrade or replace the system as soon as possible. 

[FCC Reveals 60-Day Grace Period for IPAWS Update]

In its member communiqué, the NJBA suggests New Jersey seek to apply funds from post-Superstorm Sandy community block grants toward this endeavor.

The post NJBA Warns About EAS Potential Failure appeared first on Radio World.

Nielsen’s latest Audio Today Report offers yet more data points to fend off radio naysayers. 

This report focuses on medium- and small-market radio consumers in the United States and tracks listening behaviors and related demographics. 

Nielsen Audio Managing Director Brad Kelly writes in the report’s introduction, “Radio is not simply resting on a hundred years of legacy or its enviable place in the dashboard. Radio is evolving in new and different ways that are resonating with both consumers and advertisers alike.”

Radio’s continued ubiquity in small-town USA is evident: In medium and small markets, 98% of adults 18+;  94% of adults 18-34; and 99% of adults aged 25-to-54 listen to radio monthly.

And while rural areas have a reputation in some circles for being slower to adopt new technologies, Nielsen says that consumers in these markets are “sophisticated audio users” who have also added podcasts and smart speakers to their routines. These consumers’ podcast affinity also makes sense when you consider that news/talk radio is the second-most popular radio format at 11.8% in medium- and small-markets. These listeners haven’t abandoned radio, however. 

[Smart Speakers Grow in Importance]

According to the report, 90% of podcast listeners continue to tune in to radio, and the same is true for 92% of smart speaker owners. 

Kelly also points out that radio hasn’t abandoned listeners who have adopted these new technologies: “Radio companies are developing interesting new digital brand extensions and delivery platforms including streams, podcasts, and voice-activated assistants.” That’s especially good news, considering that smart speakers were found in 29% of U.S. homes as of Q2 2019, according to the Nielsen MediaTech Trender. 

Learn more about these and other insights in Nielsen’s Audio Today Medium & Small Market Edition report.

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