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FCC denies the Application for Review filed by PMCM TV, LLC, challenging the community of license change of WEDW from Bridgeport, CT to Stanford, CT

FCC denies the Application for Review filed by PMCM TV, LLC, challenging the grant of an application for WEDW to convert its facilities to a Distributed Transmission System

An image from Google Maps shows the installation locations; click on map to see details.

Digital Radio Mondiale is highlighting test measurements done by the Radio Republik Indonesia network.

“RRI has just conducted measurements proving that DRM in FM is spectrum- [and] energy-efficient, delivering audio and text in superior quality without any interference even in very crowded FM environments,” the organization stated.

It provided a link to a one-minute RRI video about the project.

DRM said that in June, “a digital radio transmitter was installed and commissioned by RRI at Pelubharan Ratu in Sukabumi province, West Java. This innovative step meant this is the first-ever digital radio broadcasting station for FMset up for warning functionality in Indonesia and in Southeast Asia.”

It said the station is broadcasting three audio programs in digital DRM, and a data channel presenting text of news and current affairs information in the Bhasa Indonesia language; that data is provided through the Journaline system.

A second digital transmitter was installed at Pantai Labuan in West Java; a third DRM FM transmitter was commissioned in July in central Java.

In addition, DRM said, RRI plans to install and commission two more DRM FM transmitters in West Sumatra and in eastern Indonesia in August.

It said RRI’s tests in West Java indicated that six test points covered by the 1 kW transmitter could be served with only 50 watts of DRM power. “In testing a simulcast broadcast using 1 kW and 800 Watt with spacing distance 150 kHz between the middle frequency FM and DRM, the measurement showed no interference between FM and DRM. The DRM quality was at least equally good to FM, but the sound quality of DRM was even better than FM.”

DRM provided a link to a coverage map as well.

[Related commentary: “Use DRM for India’s FM Band”]

The post DRM Highlights DRM for FM Tests in Java appeared first on Radio World.

Cumulus Media is getting out of the tower ownership biz. It plans to sell “substantially all” of its broadcast communication tower sites to Vertical Bridge and to lease access to them instead.

The company also announced that its net revenue in the most recent quarter was down almost 48% from a year ago.

The sale of its towers is a move to raise cash to pay down debt. President/CEO Mary Berner described it as “an agreement to monetize our tower portfolio for more than $210 million, proceeds which will further add to our liquidity and contribute to significant incremental debt pay down.”

The company reported the agreement in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in its latest quarterly financial announcement.

[Related: Cumulus Considers Selling Tower Holdings]

The first closing of the transaction is expected to occur in the fourth quarter.

The initial term of each tower site lease would be 10 years, followed by five option periods of five years each. If all the sites are sold, Cumulus expects to have lease obligations of approximately $13.5 million each year; while it will lose some annual tenant revenues, it will also save money in operating expenses.

“The transaction will not have any effect on the company’s current broadcast operations,” the company told the SEC.

In reporting its latest financials, Berner said that despite the pandemic, Cumulus generated $90 million of cash in the quarter “through quick and decisive expense actions, strong working capital management and the completion of the sale of land in Bethesda, Md.,” referring to the former tower site of WMAL. The completion of that sale netted it an additional $66 million in cash.

The company told shareholders that it had “meaningfully mitigated” the pandemic’s impact in the second quarter through “significant fixed cost expense reductions,” and that it expects total reductions of more than $85 million in 2020.

Still, the numbers were filled with minus signs as Cumulus struggled, like other media companies, to cope with the pandemic. In the latest quarter, Cumulus reported net revenue of $146 million, down almost 48% from the same period a year ago. It had a net loss of $36.3 million. For its entire first fiscal half, net revenue was $373.9 million, down about 32%, with a net loss of $43.7 million.

Cumulus owns 424 radio stations in 87 markets and is a major syndicator through its Westwood One arm.

 

The post Cumulus Will Sell Its Towers to Vertical Bridge appeared first on Radio World.

Nautel is adding another series of webinars.

Working with equipment manufacturer Telos Alliance, and entitled “Radio Air-Chain Innovation,” the new series starts Aug. 13 and continues on Aug. 27 and Sept. 10.

Telos Alliance Executive Chairman Frank Foti said, “Nautel and Telos Alliance have collaborated numerous times in the past, and we have an affinity for each other, both technologically and philosophically.”

A release explained, “This new series indicates a close alliance between the companies to bring solutions to broadcast engineers that will focus on ways to leverage ‘Made for Radio’ standards and technologies — MPX, µMPX, MPX node, E2X, HD Radio PAR, and virtualization — to solve nagging air-chain issues and open the door to new and easier implementations of HD Radio transmission opportunities.”

Nautel is also continuing its current Transmission Talk Tuesday webinar series. On Aug, 18 is “Back-ups and STL” and on Aug. 25 is “Life on the Road.” The latter focuses on tales of sales pros traveling.

All webinars are free, start at noon and count for half an SBE recertification credit. They are hosted Nautel’s Jeff Welton.

 

The post Nautel Teams With Telos on Webinars appeared first on Radio World.

Rules are rules, so says the Enforcement Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. And there’s little leeway given, especially in the case of a licensee that bent the rules by modifying a station’s operating parameters without FCC approval.

Even if the licensee claims it did so as a form of “self-help.”

[Read: FCC Stands Behind Philadelphia Translator Decision]

That was the case for Ondas de Vidas Inc., the licensee of FM translator station K256BS in Palmdale, Calif. Ondas balked at the $12,000 monetary forfeiture handed down by the Enforcement Bureau after Ondas began operating the station at unauthorized power levels.

It was back in April 2017 that the bureau first issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture after finding (on two separate occasions) that Ondas operated the station at power levels that exceeded those found on the station’s license.

Ondas in turn argued that the proposed forfeiture should be reduced or canceled for several reasons: the bureau should have alerted Ondas of the violations before issuing the notice, the station was entitled to operate at a higher transmitter output power than specified on its license, and because Ondas was a thinly funded, nonprofit entity.

The commission considered those arguments but ultimately rejected them and formally issuing a Forfeiture Order of $12,000.

In a second round of arguments, Ondas also reasoned that, following damage to the station’s antenna, it intentionally increased the station’s transmitter power — a “permissible means of self-help,” Ondas argued — in an effort to continue operating at the station’s authorized effective radiated power. The licensee also acknowledged that, in retrospect, it should have followed established procedures — such as filing an application for special temporary authority — to obtain commission approval.

After fully considering the petition, the commission found none of the arguments persuasive and affirmed the $12,000 forfeiture originally assessed in the forfeiture order.

The bureau said that Ondas was mistaken in assuming it was somehow entitled to additional warning before the bureau can issue a notice. It also rejected the notion that a licensee can sit back and await findings of violation before taking appropriate steps to ensure compliance with commission rules.

The bureau also rejected the notion that any “good faith compliance efforts” outweigh the fact that Ondas deliberately increased the station’s transmitter power output. Ondas willfully violated FCC rules plain and simple, the bureau said.

The commission also rejected Ondas’ claim that it has an unblemished tenure as a licensee and thus any proposed forfeiture should be lowered. While this action may be Ondas’ first monetary sanction, the bureau reminded Ondas’ of several other nonmonetary sanctions over the years, which included operating from an unauthorized location, interference violations, unauthorized facility modification, unauthorized antenna orientation and several EAS violations.

As a result, the bureau dismissed Ondas’ petition and reiterated that the licensee is liable for a monetary forfeiture of $12,000.

 

The post Translator Handed $12,000 Forfeiture for Operating at Unauthorized Power Levels appeared first on Radio World.

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Cohan Radio Group, Inc. enters into Consent Decree to Resolve Political File Investigation

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Fort Myers Broadcasting Company enters into Consent Decree to Resolve Political File Investigation

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BMZ Broadcasting, LLC enters into Consent Decree to Resolve Political File Investigation

FCC Conditionally Grants Channel 3 TV's Complaint Seeking DBS Must Carry Rights

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In a move that many in the industry said was long overdue, the Federal Communications Commission eliminated the radio duplication rule for both the AM and FM services.

But the move was not cheered by all at the commission, including an FCC commissioner who said the decision to include the FM band in the rulemaking chips away at the commission’s goal of protecting localism, competition and diversity.

At its August open meeting the commission adopted a Report and Order eliminating the rule, which restricts the duplication of programming on commonly owned broadcast radio stations operating in the same service and geographic area.

[Read: Trump Rescinds O’Rielly Nomination at FCC]

Initially adopted in 1964, the commission had updated the rules several times over the years to reflect changes in the marketplace. But now was the time to eliminate the rule outright, said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The commission found that rescinding the rule would achieve several goals, including assisting struggling stations to stay on the air and giving licensees greater flexibility to address issues of local concern in a timelier fashion, particularly in a time of crisis.

“In order to help AM broadcasters overcome … challenges, the commission has been looking for ways to help by alleviating unnecessary regulatory burdens, providing more flexibility and improving sound quality,” Pai said.

Not only does the move give stations greater flexibility to simulcast programming — thereby helping them stay afloat and continue serving their communities — moreover, simulcasting could assist AM stations looking to transition to all-digital transmission, Pai said. “One station could offer the higher-audio quality of digital transmission, while another could keep supplying analog programming to listeners who don’t yet have digital-capable equipment,” he proposed in a statement.

The move is designed to help the AM band survive in an increasingly competitive marketplace, Pai said. Nowhere in his statement, however, does Pai make mention of the FM band.

The move was cheered by the National Association of Broadcasters.

“We applaud the commission for continuing to modernize its media rules,” said NAB Senior Vice President of Communications Ann Marie Cumming in a statement. “Given that there is no longer any rationale for imposing a ban on duplicating one’s radio signal, we appreciate the FCC’s decision to rescind the rule.”

But not all are onboard.

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel concurred with the ruling in respect to the AM band but dissented in all other respects, saying that in the 36 hours before the commission’s August meeting, FCC leadership discarded the original Report and Order language, which proposed eliminating the radio duplication rule in the AM band only.

“As originally drafted, this decision would help alleviate some of the strain on these stations and experiment with rolling back this rule in the AM band,” she said. “It would be a smart test bed to see how localism, competition and diversity in the band fared when this rule was set aside.”

But the agency threw this approach away, she said, deciding to eliminate the policy in the AM band and FM band in one fell swoop.

For one, signal quality issues in these bands are totally different, Rosenworcel said, as are economic issues and the impact of content duplication in the FM band.

 “So what we have is yet another small chip in our principles [that] rushes ahead without doing the due diligence needed to consider the impact on localism, competition and diversity,” she said.

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks agreed, saying that the majority leadership at the commission fails to explain “how the benefits to FM broadcasters outweigh the public interest in protecting truly local broadcast programming and local audiences from the potential harms caused by unfettered duplicate programming.”

“I have concerns that today’s decision will undoubtedly make it easier and more cost-effective for large station groups to hoard local stations without any obligation to provide significant programming that meets local community needs,” he said.

According to supporters of the rule change, which included Pai as well as Commissioners Michael O’Rielly and Brendan Carr, elimination of the rule will give radio stations greater flexibility when it comes to format changes and ultimately allow stations to improve service to their communities.

The rulemaking is part of the commission’s ongoing Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative.

 

The post FCC Eliminates Radio Duplication Rule for Both AM and FM Bands appeared first on Radio World.

Doug Williams and daughter Brooke Williams

Doug Williams, a longtime broadcaster and a past chairman of the Radio Board of the National Association of Broadcasters, has died. He was 78.

“J. Douglas Williams, whose legendary career in broadcasting, law, real estate, education and civic involvement spanned more than five decades, passed away on Friday, Aug. 7, in his beloved hometown of Woodward, Okla., at the age of 78,” stated an obituary.

He was president/CEO of Omni Communications Inc. for 40 years. Omni owns three radio and one TV stations.

“Affectionately known as ‘J. Doug,’ he also entertained and informed Northwest Oklahoma listeners every day as the voice of the ‘Morning Show’ on Woodward station K-101,” according to the obituary, which noted that he was a past recipient of an NAB Marconi Award as Radio Personality of the Year.

The announcement was distributed by the Radio Advertising Bureau, where Williams’ daughter Brooke Williams is senior vice president of membership.

The obituary quoted Woodward Chamber of Commerce President C.J. Montgomery saying, “Doug Williams held a radio station that has become as much a part of the tri-state area as the land and the people that call it home.” That area includes parts of Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas.

He held bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Oklahoma and was a former special agent with the FBI. In addition to law and broadcasting, he was a local real estate developer and held executive roles with the G.O. Williams Oil Company and f the G.O. Williams Investment Co. He also was president/GM of a concert and special events production and promotion company.

In addition to his work on the NAB Radio Board, Williams was a board member and former president of the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters, and a member of the Texas Association of Broadcasters.

“Mr. Williams will also be remembered as the founding producer of The 101 Classic Bowl in Woodward, an annual event that honors local high school athletes, band members and cheerleaders, and awards scholarships to deserving students,” the obituary stated.

In addition to his daughter, Williams is survived by granddaughter Drew and son-in-law Ryan Hamby.

A funeral is planned in Woodward, Okla., on Aug. 12 will be streamed via Billings Funeral Home’s Facebook page.

The post Doug Williams Dies, Was Longtime Oklahoma Broadcaster appeared first on Radio World.

Yogendra Pal

The author is chair of the India chapter of the DRM Consortium.

All India Radio (AIR) has adopted the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) standard for digital terrestrial radio broadcasting in MW and SW bands. Thirty-eight high-power DRM transmitters are carrying regular digital transmissions, either in pure digital and/or in simulcast mode.

Sometime back, AIR had issued instructions to increase the transmission hours of such transmitters in pure digital mode. Also each of the four metro cities had been asked to operate one transmitter in Pure Digital Mode. Over 80% of the Indian population was expected to be able to receive radio programs in digital. And this is before most of these transmitters started operating in pure DRM digital mode.

The COVID-19 lockdown has adversely affected the digital transmission schedule in pure digital but we are confident that it will be restored soon.

The stakeholders’ efforts are also paying off, as the ecosystem for DRM digital receivers has evolved in India, from domestic chipset development to receiver design and production.

The Indian auto industry has responded very positively. Over 2 million cars on Indian roads have line-fit DRM receivers, and this number is increasing every day.

Five leading automotive manufacturers — Maruti/Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra, MG Motors and Toyota — are rolling out cars with built-in DRM receivers. Most of the other leading car manufacturers are understood to be in the process of incorporating them but are waiting to see the demand first.

Development and production of standalone DRM receivers is also being taken up fast by Indian as well as foreign companies.

Made-in-India Avion DRM receivers are already available online at Amazon. The DRM receiver prototype by Inntot, another India company, has been successfully demonstrated. The company paired with Clarion for manufacturing DRM car receivers and is looking for partners for starting large-scale production of standalone DRM receivers.

Foreign companies — Gospell, Starwaves, Titus and Nedis — have come out with a number of models of standalone as well as car models of DRM receivers. Cambridge Consultants in the U.K. have just unveiled the prototype of a low-cost DRM receiver. Korean companies RF2Digital and AlgorKorea are also developing software-defined DRM radios.

To further boost the presence of digital radio in the country, AIR has taken a number of initiatives and it held a DRM Stakeholders Meeting in February, which was addressed by the CEO and Member (Finance) of the Prasar Bharati. A Project Management Unit (PMU) has also been constituted to ensure that DRM Digital Radio is rolled out successfully.

AIR is broadcasting in the FM band also for local coverage. It provides about 43% coverage of the 1.3 billion population. Private broadcasters in India are allowed to broadcast in FM only but it is not possible to meet their demand for additional FM services, particularly in big cities, due to limited spectrum available for FM broadcasting. Their coverage is also limited to about 40%.

Therefore, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the broadcasting sector regulator, has recommended that private FM broadcasters be allowed to broadcast in digital in the white spaces in the VHF band II (FM band). Though TRAI has not specified which digital broadcast standard is to be used, it is recommended that white spaces may be auctioned by 200 kHz bandwidth blocks.

India is currently carrying out trials of ITU-approved standards, including DRM, in the FM band. DRM is fully compatible with the existing FM band transmissions. It utilizes the unused white spaces in the spectrum, technically unavailable for further analog FM expansion.

Using DRM, in the allocated 200 kHz bandwidth, a broadcaster can transmit up to six high-quality audio services along with a host of value-added services and Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF). All digital services work without disturbing the existing analog FM services.

DRM standard can be supported natively on all mobile phones based on the already available tuners for analog FM reception. No additional hardware and, therefore, no additional design or component cost is required to enable DRM digital FM support on these phones.

The DRM App for mobile phones has already been developed and demonstrated by a number of organizations. Only the mobile phone manufacturers need to provide access of the baseband digital output. The mobile phone industry is also expecting the clear policy announcement for the country to start incorporating this functionality in future phone models.

For legacy phone models, external FM front-end dongles have been developed. These dongles along with the already developed DRM radio app can be used to receive full DRM FM functions. This has been demonstrated successfully by a number of developers.

As the DRM standard works in all the broadcast bands, most of the DRM desktop receivers available today or in development are already prepared for DRM in the FM band. Several of them have demonstrated their working in all the broadcast bands, including FM band.

The designers/manufacturers of DRM receivers are thus eagerly waiting for the official policy announcements of the Indian government to finalize the digital FM support in their DRM receiver models. Use of DRM in FM band by AIR and private broadcasters in India would motivate them further to incorporate DRM FM facility in the receivers being produced and/or designed by them.

It is thus the right time for India to go for digital broadcasting in the FM band, too, using the DRM standard already adopted in MW and SW bands. Indian industry is looking towards meeting the huge domestic demand and is ready for massive exports.

Read other recent stories and commentaries about digital radio.

Radio World welcomes comments on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.

The post Commentary: Use DRM on India’s FM Band appeared first on Radio World.

This document amends the FM Table of Allotments, of the Commission's rules, by reinstating certain vacant FM allotments. These FM allotments are considered vacant because of the cancellation of the associated authorizations and licenses, or the dismissal of long-form auction applications. Theses vacant FM allotments have previously undergone notice and comment rule making. Reinstatement of the vacant allotments is merely a ministerial action to effectuate licensing procedures. Therefore, we find for good cause that further notice and comment are unnecessary.