Radio World

U.S. consumers have been resuming their pre-pandemic activities, including spending and listening, according to Nielsen Audio.

“[A] rising tide of optimism headlines the American experience as we continue to emerge from the disruption caused by the virus,” wrote Managing Director Brad Kelly. “Nielsen’s ongoing series of audio consumer sentiment surveys is reporting the highest levels of consumer confidence that we’ve heard since the COVID crisis began.”

The company has released its latest “Audio Today” report, focusing on consumer sentiment. The trend lines are sunny, though the data were gathered up through May and June, so they may not reflect the most recent concerns about coronavirus variants.

“Audio use is on the rise,” Kelly wrote. “It’s being driven (pun intended) by increasing levels of mobility and traffic on our roadways. Among the employed, two thirds are now working outside the home, up more than 70% since the height of lock-down in the spring of 2020. As a result, the AM/FM Radio audience just recorded its highest levels in over a year across Nielsen’s PPM markets. Radio remains America’s top weekly reach medium, and an essential part of the daily media diet for millions.”

Kelly said while listening migrated into the home during the past year via smart speaker or mobile device, Nielsen now sees an audience shift back to pre-pandemic habits, with in-car and out-of-home consumption increasing.

Nielsen Audio also reported that podcasting attracted new listeners, particularly from home, and that podcast consumption is on the rise. “The past 18 months have proven the resiliency of podcasts, despite the major life changes brought about by COVID-19,” the company stated.

Its updated charts for weekly reach and average quarter hour listening are shown below.

 

 

 

The post Nielsen Audio Cites “Rising Tide of Optimism” appeared first on Radio World.

Note the Comrex Access codec, with its optional mixer, in its traveling case in the lower right corner.

The author is host of Walmart’s “The Bo Show.”

Walmart Radio was created in the late 1990s. It was discontinued temporarily in 2008, and Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs switched to playing CDs over their PA systems. But a CD can only hold so much music, and it hit the point where store associates knew what time of day it was based on the song that was playing.

In 2015, during a meeting with the CEO of Walmart, a store manager said that they really needed Walmart Radio back. It was reintroduced on the spot.

I am a manager in the corporate affairs and corporate communications team for Walmart and Sam’s Club, and my primary job is to oversee the radio aspect of our stores and clubs. I also host “The Bo Show,” which airs live in all locations on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the afternoons.

We run it just like any other terrestrial radio show, except we syndicate in a retail environment. I do interviews with celebrities, shout-outs for associates, take calls from customers, and play games on the air — the kinds of things you’d expect to find on any national radio show. Additionally, my colleague hosts a morning show called “Live with Antonio,” and we’ll regularly do remote events along with other special programming.

 

Packing a Punch

I’ve worked in radio for over 20 years, and spent much of that time working in terrestrial radio. In that time, I’d used plenty of Comrex gear, and I really liked it.

During the pandemic, we realized that we needed to upgrade some of our equipment. The TV division of Walmart was using some Comrex stuff already, so the name was familiar. When it was time to shop for new equipment, I thought, “Hey, this is a good company, I know the stuff — let’s give it a try.”

During the pandemic, when the main office itself shut down, a lot of our associates began working remotely. Our stores were still open, though obviously with limited capacity; and we wanted to be able to do our show, even though we couldn’t be at the studio.

We owned a single Comrex Access 2USB unit, but that wasn’t enough to handle everything we needed to do since we were all about to be working from home. So we purchased several Access NX units, the newest portable IP audio codec from Comrex, so that we could give them to everyone who needed one.

We also needed a studio codec that could handle multiple remote connections at once. After bit of research, we chose the Comrex Access MultiRack, which can handle up to five connections with any kind of Comrex IP codec simultaneously. Once everything was installed, we were off to the races!

One of the things I like about the Access NX is that it’s small, but it packs a punch. It has a lot of bells and whistles, especially when you add the extra mixer.

I’ve used it with Wi-Fi, cellular networks and also with a hardwire connection through a cradle point. The battery lasts quite some time, so you can get through a good two- or three-hour broadcast on battery power alone when connected to the mixer. Without the mixer, it can last up to 5 hours.

Having used this gear for a year, I think it’s one of the best upgrades we’ve ever made. It was essential during the pandemic. We could connect from home, and I could also log into the user interface remotely if there was ever an issue. The flexibility on it is just amazing — it’s one of the best units I’ve used in my radio career.

Info: Contact Chris Crump at Comrex at 1-978-784-1776 or visit www.comrex.com.

Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.

The post User Report: Versatility of Access Keeps Walmart Radio Flexible appeared first on Radio World.

Movo continues it surge into the audio equipment market with another microphone, a versatile USB desktop and smartphone mic, the UM300.

According to Movo, the UM300’s three-capsule array captures 48 kHz/16-bit broadcast quality sound resolution. It offers cardioid and omnidirectional patterns.

A single knob controls gain, headphone level and muting. It is compatible with Windows, Mac and along with Android smartphones.

[Read: Movin’ on Up With the Movo UM700]

Movo CEO Ben Halberstam said, “We noticed the low-quality audio and video that people were experiencing while using their built-in or outdated microphones during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and wanted to provide better solutions that won’t break the bank.”

At a price of $69.95 it would be easy to stock-up on a few for ENG and remote content production or hand-off to the interns without worrying about losing an “expensive” microphone.

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

Info: www.movophoto.com

 

The post Movo Ships Another Microphone appeared first on Radio World.

Broadcasters are working hard to try to get the FCC to reverse course on its plans to increase their user fees, in part to pay for the better broadband maps Congress has demanded of the commission.

The FCC pays for its operations through user fees–as well as auction proceeds when it comes to covering the expenses of conducting those.

National Association of Broadcasters president Gordon Smith last week was on a phone conference with acting FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel to talk about the special appropriation of $33 million for the FCC to implement the Broadband Data Act, legislation that Smith and other NAB executives on the call said provided “no benefit whatsoever to broadcasters.”

[Read: Broadcasters Face Higher FCC Regulatory Fees]

They said that despite that, broadcasters would wind up fronting about 16% of what were costs unrelated to their operations. The FCC fees are based on how many full-time employees are used to regulate a particular service.

NAB has told the FCC that not only is making them pay some of the broadband mapping freight unfair, but that it violates statute, a point they reiterated last week, saying that passing along costs attributable to broadband does not square with the requirement that the FCC take into account factors related to which entities benefit from broadband mapping. “Had it done so,” they said, “the commission would have no doubt concluded that broadcasters – and more specifically the Media Bureau — are not involved in implementing the act.”

They invoked the pandemic, including the rise of the Delta variant, as reason that the increase would be hard to absorb, increases they can’t pass along to their audience–as say, could ISPs via their monthly bills.

 

The post NAB’s Gordon Smith Urges FCC to Reverse User Fee Hike appeared first on Radio World.

The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council has called on the Federal Communications Commission to adopt seven new initiatives it says can better advance diversity and provide racial justice within the media industry.

At no time since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s has it been more important that the FCC affirm that it cares about issues of racial justice, said the MMTC in a letter submitted to the commission on Aug. 4.

“The FCC’s long and malodorous history of minority exclusion should both haunt and motivate all of us,” the organization said, adding that numerous proposals to advance racial justice in media and telecommunications have stalled. It is not uncommon for the agency to take 20 years or more to act on a proposal that would advance opportunities for multicultural communities and consumers, the organization said.

[Read: Getting a Look Inside the BIN]

“Today, the FCC carries the enormous responsibility of overseeing one-sixth of our national economy, including some of America’s fastest growing industries and greatest exports, and are the trustees of the First Amendment,” the organization said. “No federal body has a greater need to create and preserve racial justice than the Federal Communications Commission.”

As a start, the commission should ensure that minority voices have access to competitive technical facilities. Even though minority broadcasters are voices and conscience of their communities, these broadcasters often must compete using inferior technical facilities, according to the group.

The MMTC also pressed the commission to act on several pending proposals that would advance minority broadcast ownership. Some of these include granting an FM booster rule change that would authorize FM radio geo-targeting, creating a new station class known as C4 that would double the power of hundreds of small FM stations and repealing the rural radio policy that deprives small broadcasters of the opportunity to improve their signal coverage.

The organization also wants to see the commission establish a ubiquitous equal procurement program, similar to the cable procurement rule, which ensures that women- and minority-owned businesses have a fair chance at winning major contracts by requiring cable MSOs to disseminate major procurement opportunities (like laying fiber or installing equipment) broadly enough to reach eligible minority- and women-owned companies. Not only does this help these organizations grow and provide jobs, it helps drive down the prices. In addition, a more diverse pool of multiple suppliers of a key product will deepens the pool of talent and entrepreneurial mettle, it says. “Ubiquitous equal procurement opportunity would be a classic ‘win-win’ for everyone,” the organization said.

The commission should also ask Congress to restore and improve the tax certificate policy and create a tax credit for donating a station to a training institution. The 1978–1995 tax certificate policy “was by far the most effective vehicle for advancing minority broadcast ownership,” the MMTC said, noting that the policy quintupled minority broadcast ownership over the 17 years that it was in operation.

The organization also pressed the FCC to include diversity, equity and inclusion impact statements in all applicable rulemakings. “What gets measured gets done,” the MMTC said. “The commission should seek comment looking toward adoption of a universal policy where every rulemaking of general applicability will contain a diversity, equity and inclusion impact statement.”

In addition, the commission should put more bite behind its equal opportunity employment rules and begin prosecuting licensees that primarily recruit new employees by word of mouth. “[D]espite the continuing prevalence of low minority representation in influential broadcasting jobs, the commission has not brought a single discrimination prosecution since 1994,” the MMTC said. The commission should also commit to collaborating with the Department of Labor and the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission to investigate what the MMTC calls “abysmal diversity performance” displayed year after year by many high tech platforms.

The MMTC also wants to see the commission correct deficiencies that it sees in the radio incubator program. This program, which was established in June 2021, needs one update: it should only allow for incubation waivers in similar-sized markets.

Finally, it says it is time for the commission to ensure there is widespread access to multilingual emergency information, the organization said. The MMTC and the League of United Latin American Citizens have repeatedly asked the commission to ensure that basic information in widely spoken languages such as Spanish be available in the wake of major storms. This is a step that can be taken with minimal regulatory intervention and will immediately support and protect multilingual populations in emergencies, the group said. “It is simply unconscionable that a person’s lack of English fluency can become a matter of life or death in an emergency situation,” the MMTC said.

The MMTC hopes that the commission will seize the moment it now finds itself in and take a stand.

“Hopefully, looking back on 2021, future students of history will recognize the FCC as an agency that seized the moment and swiftly affirmed its commitment to racial justice by undertaking initiatives that will ensure that equal opportunity is present in our most influential industries,” the MMTC said.

 

The post MMTC Outlines “Racial Justice” Initiatives for FCC appeared first on Radio World.

iHeartMedia is joining forces with a French multimedia group to curate a slate of its podcasts for a French audience.

iHeartMedia and the NRJ Group recently announced a strategic partnership in which the two will develop, translate, distribute and monetize iHeartRadio original podcast content for French listeners. The first translated podcasts will be available on the iHeartRadio app, in France on NRJ Group’s platforms and elsewhere in the last quarter of 2021.

As part of the partnership, NRJ Group will distribute certain iHeartRadio original English-language podcasts across its apps and websites and will lead the monetization efforts in France. NRJ Global will also leverage the supply-side platform Yield-Op from Triton Digital, a company recently acquired by iHeartMedia.

[Read: iHeartMedia Discloses Q2 Financial Results]

The partnership illustrates that demand for podcasts has become a global one. “[It’s] beginning to grow meaningful fanbases around the world,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group. The partnership allows NRJ to tap into iHeartMedia’s archives of existing programs for translation and allows both companies to co-produce new shows to better support the French podcast creator community, he said

The podcasts that will be translated include “Stuff You Should Know,” the first podcast to surpass one billion downloads, the company said. The podcast was launched in April 2008 and educates listeners on science, history, urban legends and other topics. Other shows to be translated include “Stuff You Missed in History Class,” “BrainStuff,” “Cabinet of Curiosities” and “Missing in Alaska” among others.

The partnership will also include new co-produced podcasts featuring French talent.

NRJ Group said it is pleased to be working with iHeart on a shared mission: making high-quality entertainment podcasts available to the widest audience. “This deal enables us to significantly enrich our offer to French listeners while clearly positioning NRJ Global as the top reference in France for the monetization of podcasts,” said Cécile Chambaudrie, NRJ global president and CEO of NRJ Group Digital Activities.

 

The post iHeartMedia Partnership to Bring Curated Podcasts to French Audience appeared first on Radio World.

Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel gavels the July FCC online meeting to order. The four commissioners all supported opening the notice of proposed rulemaking.

The FCC is moving to clean up more broadcast radio technical rules.

The four commissioners voted unanimously in July to adopt a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that identifies seven technical rules they want to eliminate or at least revise. The vote, and the subsequent publication in the Federal Register, will start a public comment process toward final action.

Some changes are more significant than others, but radio observers told Radio World that all will benefit broadcasters and allow them to operate more efficiently.

[Read: Comment Deadlines Are Set in Tech Rule Review]

Former Chairman Ajit Pai made it a theme of his tenure to eliminate outdated and redundant technical provisions for broadcast radio stations. But acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel too has identified rules worth revising or trimming.

The proposed changes include clarifying some conflicting technical provisions, as well as eliminating the maximum rated transmitter power limit rule for AM stations.

The FCC believes the latter is “outdated and unnecessary,” given the commission’s reliance on actual operating antenna input power as the most accurate and effective means of ensuring that AM stations adhere to their authorized power limits.

The commission also wants to eliminate a requirement that applicants demonstrate the effect of any FM applicant transmitting antenna on nearby FM or TV broadcast antennas, calling this rule seldom used.

It also plans to update the noncommercial FM community of license coverage requirement to create consistency across different rules for NCE stations. Specifically, the FCC proposes that “the requirement that stations reach 50% of their community of license or 50% of the population in their community should replace the more general requirement that the NCE station cover a portion of the community.”

 

“Reasonable and Prudent”

Bob Weller, vice president for spectrum policy at the National Association of Broadcasters, says the association is working with its members to ascertain whether there are particular benefits or concerns about the FCC’s plans.

“Most of the proposed rule changes seem reasonable and prudent. It’s always good to eliminate or clarify rules that are in conflict with other rules. But we want to ensure that those internal conflicts are resolved in a way that no broadcasters are harmed,” Weller told Radio World in an email.

NAB expects to work with the FCC in its ongoing review of regulations and possibly comment in greater detail on one or two of the specific changes, Weller said.

Broadcast engineering experts contacted for this story generally are supportive about the cleanup.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

One longtime observer of the commission said these updates are “safe and sane” deregulatory efforts and constitute a “clearing of regulatory underbrush” of outdated technical rules. “The changes being proposed appear to be mostly administrative in nature, harmonizing rules and eliminating inconsistencies from some areas and clarifying others,” according to this expert.

Veteran broadcast engineer Ben Dawson, consulting engineer with Hatfield & Dawson, said he is “delighted the FCC has set out to clean up” outdated broadcast rules, in particular the maximum rated transmitter power limit rule for AMs.

“No one has paid any attention to this rule for decades, and the transmitter manufacturers no longer design their products in the old power limit series anyway,” Dawson said.

Another rule that is mostly ignored, he said, is the requirement that applicants demonstrate the effect of any FM applicant’s transmitting antenna on nearby FM or TV broadcast antennas.

“It serves no useful purpose except in the rare case where there is a new installation that really does mess up an existing one — FM antennas improperly interleaved, for example,” he said.

However, one observer said that the “co-location rule” for FM stations provides legal teeth to a longstanding FCC policy that broadcasters who are “second in time” are “first in responsibility” to resolve interference problems due to proximity. “An FCC policy is subject change and may be difficult to enforce, while a rule carries clear legal standing,” he said.

Another FCC watcher, Chris Imlay, general counsel of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, said that efforts by the FCC to ease broadcast regulations and clean up old rules began in earnest during the Reagan administration.

“It was a feverish effort to pare away overly limiting broadcast rules, to try to get broadcasting closer to a print media level of regulation,” Imlay said.

“After that, the biennial review dockets looked for rules that were outdated or needed updating. Advances in the reliability of broadcast equipment and reliable automation justify elimination of outdated technical regulations to some extent,” Imlay said.

 

Update to a Fill-in

Imlay thinks the redefinition of AM fill-in areas will be perhaps the most helpful and relevant change.

The commission wants to amend the definition of an “AM fill-in area” when an FM translator simulcasts an AM station. It says its change would “create consistency” across different rules governing fill-in translator transmitter siting.

“It seems to me that by far, that’s the proposed rule change that will be most helpful, at least for AM radio broadcasters with FM translators,” he said.

“The rules have been inconsistent. Making these two rules consistent alleviates an anomaly that is confusing, to say the least.”

The FCC also plans to update the signal strength contour overlap requirements for noncommercial Class D FMs to bring those rules in line with the contour overlap requirements for all other noncommercial FMs.

The proposal states, “This change will allow Class D stations greater site selection flexibility as well as the opportunity to potentially increase their coverage areas.” The commission proposes that “the time is ripe to extend the otherwise universal 100 dBu contour overlap standard for second-adjacent channels to NCE FM Class D stations.”

The FCC believes the 100 dBu standard “is a better gauge of potential second-adjacent channel interference than the 80 dBu standard.”

According to Laura Mizrahi, vice president of the consulting firm Communication Technologies, “The NCE-FM Class D second adjacent channel interference ratio most definitely should be consistent with all other services. It’s been +40 dB or the 100 dBu interference contour for all other FM services for a long time now. High time to give the second-class Class Ds some relief here.”

Asked if these changes might mean a lot of new business for broadcast engineering consultants, she said no.

“There may be some modest increase, if only from a curiosity standpoint, from some Class Ds, but from my perspective there isn’t likely to be a huge influx of inquiries, since this would only benefit existing Class D facilities, of which it is believed very few would be able to benefit from the change.”

 

Border Issues

As part of the NPRM, the FCC is also seeking to eliminate a requirement for broadcasters to protect grandfathered common carrier services in Alaska operating in the 76–100 MHz frequency band, “since there are no common carrier services remaining in this band in Alaska,” according to the FCC.

The notice would also tweak allocation and power limitations for broadcast stations located within 320 kilometers, or about 199 miles, of the Mexican and Canadian borders.

Bert Goldman, president of Goldman Engineering Management, believes this particular update will affect broadcast licensees, particularly in the planning of translators.

“Codifying and updating some of the rules in Parts 73 and 74 will make things easier and will allow for some improvements of translators along the border. I have filed several translator applications near the Mexican border, and trying to decipher and apply the international treaty requirements for translators near the border is maddening,” Goldman said.

[Read: FCC Finalizes Changes to Part 95 Rules]

“These changes should simplify the application process and allow for more reasonable facilities.”

But Goldman is one of several observers who told Radio World they would like to see further action from the commission on outdated radio technical rules.

“I think it’s a good start, but they’re certainly not taking any risks. In my opinion, this NPRM is an attempt by the FCC to get something passed without creating a lot of pushback. It’s extremely benign,” Goldman said.

“I’d love to see the commission take on some really meaningful reregulation that helps broadcasters and consumers, and not just the biggest voices in the room.”

One industry veteran said he agrees that the rulemaking is conservative and not controversial. “This is what we have seen so far from Rosenworcel, who doesn’t want to rock the boat while an acting chairwoman,” that person said.

And Ben Dawson said the FCC should consider updating rule 73.51, which deals with determining operating power. “The only part worth retaining is a reworded section (e)(1), which would require use of the manufacturer’s stated final amplifier DC-to-RF efficiency factor.”

The text of the NPRM is on the Radio World website at https://tinyurl.com/rw-tech-rules. Interested parties may file comments and replies at www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings. Specify proceeding MB Docket No. 21-263. Comment deadlines had not been published as of late July.

 

The post FCC Takes a Broom to Radio’s Technical Rules appeared first on Radio World.

The three biggest U.S. podcasts by audience size are “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “The Daily” and “Crime Junkie.”

That’s according to Edison Research, which has released its latest quarterly list of the top 50 U.S. podcasts.

The list is shown at bottom.

Edicson Research SVP Tom Webster was quoted in the announcement: “This is the second anniversary of the Podcast Consumer Tracker, and the top shows have been fairly consistent over that time. Because our research covers the entire space, regardless of publisher or listening application, we have been able to report that stability even as the space continues to evolve.”

The company’s Podcast Consumer Tracking Report is a measurement service that measures relative audience size and demographics of all podcast networks. Podcast networks and technology platforms are its target customers.

He added that the company sees “some marked differences between people who primarily get their podcasts through Apple Podcasts, those who primarily use Spotify, and those who mainly use YouTube. The character of the shows — and of the audiences — differs by platform,” but did not publish those details.

The post Top-Performing Podcasts Are Consistent appeared first on Radio World.

Deadlines have been set to give the FCC your feedback on its proposed changes to technical rules for broadcast radio.

Comments are due Sept. 7, and reply comments are due Sept. 20. You can file via the FCC comment system. Click “Submit a Filing,” and enter 21-263 in the Proceeding field.

The commission wants to change a section of the rules to remove the maximum rated transmitter power limit for AM stations.

[Read: FCC Finalizes Changes to Part 95 Rules]

It wants to change two sections to “harmonize” with the NCE FM community coverage standard in another section.

Another change would eliminate a rule that involves FM transmitter interference to nearby antennas.

Also, the FCC wants to change a section that sets out signal strength contour overlap requirements for NCE FM Class D stations to be consistent across different station classes.

It proposes to delete a requirement that stations in the 76–100 MHz band protect common carrier services in Alaska.

It plans to tweak the definition of “AM fill-in area” in one part of the rules to conform to the requirement in another part.

And it proposes to amend the allocation and power limitations for broadcast stations within 320 kilometers/200 miles of the Mexican and Canadian borders to comply with current treaty provisions.

The full proposal is posted on the Radio World website.

 

The post Comment Deadlines Are Set in Tech Rule Review appeared first on Radio World.

One of the most familiar radio brands in big-market U.S. news radio now has an online Spanish version. Audacy has launched “1010 WINS Noticias.com.”

The company described is as a multiplatform digital audio offering that includes a dedicated website.

[Read: Audacy Recaps Q2 Earnings]

“The site will deliver the same energy, resources and trusted content for news as 1010 WINS, providing original content, audio and video podcasts and a daily newscast for download — all in Spanish,” the company said.

The announcement was made by Brand Manager Ben Mevorach of 1010 WINS.

“1010 WINS Noticias will also aim to create a unique value proposition for advertisers through multiple opportunities to reach consumers, included co-branded targeted social media posts, mobile app display ads and custom email newsletters, as well as homepage takeovers,” Audacy announced.

 

The post WINS(AM) Adds an Online Spanish Version appeared first on Radio World.

We told you recently about the introduction of an audio utility app called AudioLogger to the U.S. market. Now Benztown has signed an agreement to market and distribute it.

The company announced its relationship with Tracy Johnson Media Group, under which it will market and distribute AudioLogger to U.S. radio stations.

The app makes it easier for stations to repurpose audio for various applications. It was developed by broadcaster Alain Claise in Belgium. Tracy Johnson says it is used on approximately 250 stations.

[Read our interview with Tracy Johnson]

“With AudioLogger, all station staff can instantly access, manage and share audio for any station in the world,” the companies said in a release.

“Broadcasters can access audio for airchecks. The sales team can send proof of performance audio and live reads to advertisers without filling out a production request. And stations can even convert any audio segment into attention-getting videos to post online with just a couple of clicks.”

They highlight the app’s dashboard and the fact that it can monitor other stations in their market or company or elsewhere. Users can also export music logs and playlists, which, the companies said, “could replace expensive music monitoring services.”

Benztown also offers audio imaging, production libraries, voiceovers, programming, podcasting and jingle production, and has a major syndication arm as well. The company was co-founded by audio veterans Andreas Sannemann and Oliver Klenk of Germany and Dave “Chachi” Denes of the United States.

 

The post Benztown to Distribute AudioLogger in U.S. appeared first on Radio World.

Military mothers face unique challenges when it comes to celebrating occasions like Mother’s Day. WHUR teams with FedEx to host an annual luncheon just for military moms.

Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington, owns WHUR(FM), one of the few university-owned commercial stations in the country.

Considered a standalone radio station because the school owns no other full-power stations, WHUR nevertheless consists of seven entities: the flagship FM, which is heard on 96.3 MHz; three additional HD Radio multicast channels; two SiriusXM channels; and GlassHouse Radio, a student-run podcast operation.

The original content for all these outlets is created in one building on campus that also houses the university’s public TV station WHUT.

While the stations play music that appeals to underserved segments of the Washington community, many hours each week are dedicated to community outreach and public service.

Because of its year-round dedication, WHUR this year received the NAB Crystal Heritage Award, an honor reserved for stations that have earned five Crystal Awards. Only 10 stations have been given the Crystal Heritage Award by the National Association of Broadcasters.

 

“Giving Listeners”

WHUR sponsors a Rolling Food Drive. General Manager Sean Plater, left, and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, center, are shown taking part in a presentation to benefit the Capital Area Food Bank.

“Service is a huge part of what we do,” said General Manager Sean Plater.

“We hold an annual toy drive for kids in October and a coat drive in December. Then for the last 40 years we have dedicated a day’s programming to our Food2Feed event, during which we collect canned food and take donations over the phone and online for about 12 hours. We even ask students to go out with buckets to collect money. All proceeds go to the Capital Area Food Bank and Shabach Ministries.”

Denise McCain is executive director of the Family Justice Center of Prince George’s County in Maryland, an organization affiliated with the circuit court in that area.

“Over the last three years, WHUR donated 300 toys to families who would have otherwise been unable to provide presents for their families curing the Christmas holiday,” she said.

“We also received 60 boys’ and girls’ coats varying in sizes from newborn to adolescent to keep children warm. I can’t tell you how much this has meant to the survivors and children we serve in Family Justice Center.”

The station sponsored a three-day fundraiser in 2010 called “Holding on to Haiti,” benefiting Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children. Haiti had suffered a major earthquake earlier that month. The effort raised more than $42,000. Students who formed a “Bucket Brigade” collected most of the donations.

The station also has an ongoing event to assist Howard University students travel to various cities around the world to work on whatever the local communities need. It’s called Helping Hands, and WHUR runs it during spring break each year.

“We have some of the most giving listeners in the world, if you just tell them what you are trying to do,” said Plater. “For example, we held a radiothon, “Give Me Shelter,” to help build a house for women and children who deal with domestic violence, and we had people stopping our mobile vehicle on the street to donate cash.”

McCain also worked with Plater on Give Me Shelter.

“This initiative raised over $800,000, increasing the number of shelter beds from 18 to 42. We value our partnership with WHUR,” she said.

Another beneficiary of WHUR’s efforts is the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington.

“We worked together with Sean on opening up the totally rebuilt first African-American YMCA in the world, named after a slave called Anthony Bowen,” said Donnie Shaw, director of community relations-DC.

“Sean has remained accessible to the Y, always returning phone calls with a smile. He’s a Y Guy!”

 

In a Digital World

The Food2Feed event has been held for four decades. It generates canned food and cash donations for the Capital Area Food Bank and Shabach Ministries.

WHUR, which streams at www.whur.com, also was an early adopter of digital radio. On Jan. 21, 2004, it became the first commercial station in the D.C. area to deploy HD Radio.

Then in 2006 WHUR-World launched on its HD2 channel, with jazz, hip-hop, blues, African-American folk and music from other parts of the world. WHUR-World was a two-time winner of the NAB Multicast Award.

Recently, the HD2 relaunched as “The Quiet Storm Station,” a 24/7 channel celebrating the iconic Quiet Storm R&B format that was created at WHUR in 1976 and has proliferated on the airwaves of many other stations.

“We’re very excited to celebrate this format, especially as the station heads towards its 50th anniversary in December 2021,” Plater said.

Another campus station, WHBC, has moved from carrier current to WHUR’s HD3 channel. WHUR’s HD4 is DC Radio, run in cooperation with the Washington city government. It carries hearings and local community content.

The annual “Protect Your Dream” campaign.

The two SiriusXM channels are programmed by WHUR personnel. In 2011 the satellite company leased several channels to third parties, including Howard University, to fulfill a condition of its merger.

Channel 141 is known as “HUR Voices,” and it combines music and talk on issues of importance to people of color. Channel 142 (HBCU) focuses on the Black college experience and includes viewpoints of alumni, current and prospective students nationally.

 

Making It All Work

It takes a lot of people power to run a complex operation like this.

Plater said there are 40 full-time employees and about 15 part-timers, all of whom are paid.

Frank Ski is afternoon drivetime host. He’s shown at a station Toy Drive.

“We also have up to 60 nonpaid students working with us throughout the semester. The students get involved in all aspects of operation including engineering, programming and sales. We talk with them to understand their listening habits because the younger generation consumes radio in a different way. Of course they are hoping for jobs when they graduate, so we use the same automation and other equipment here at WHUR that they will find elsewhere in industry.”

Plater said that the aim of WHUR staff is to talk with the audience, not to the audience.

“Almost everything on WHUR is locally-oriented, and while our morning program, “The Steve Harvey Show,” is syndicated, we still have a segment called ‘Taking It to the Streets.’ This runs about two and a half minutes every hour, and it’s local content. Then we have something different between 7 and 7:30 p.m. on WHUR, a news show called ‘The Daily Drum.’ It starts with an update of news headlines and then goes into an interview section with local politicians, shows on COVID, anything that relates to the community.”

To give the community yet another forum during the pandemic and social justice protests, the station set up a listener response phone line to let people express themselves. Listeners can speak out about whatever is on their mind and those calls are played back on the air.

 

Looking to the Future

Plater said that the biggest challenge he faces is just trying to stay ahead.

“We are a standalone going up against large companies in a large market, and we’re competing well,” he said. “But we have to continue to provide the best product we can. From a service standpoint we can never lose those things that make us special, like that community connection.  That means staying relevant to our audience on all of our channels.

“But another goal of mine is to continue to develop the next generation of broadcasters, and part of that is helping the students understand how great this industry is and what opportunities exist. I want to bring the next generation along to love radio as much as I do.”

The post WHUR Serves on Multiple Platforms appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission will amend its rules governing short-range, low-power radio services that will affect the CB radio service, general mobile radio services (GMRS) and family radio service (FRS).

At its Open Meeting on Aug. 5, the FCC ruled on three petitions for reconsideration of the 2017 Report and Order to update the commission’s Part 95 personal radio services rules. The move will allow the FM band to be used as an optional modulation scheme for all existing CB radio service channels and allow automatic or periodic location and data transmissions in the GMRS and FRS, which are sometimes used during recreational activities and during emergencies and natural disasters.

Cobra 29LTD Classic CB Radio

The commission decided the public interest would be served by adopting additional rule changes. Cobra Electronics requested the commission permit frequency modulation as an optional modulation scheme in the CB radio service. Motorola Solutions asked the commission to allow automatic or periodic location and data transmissions on GMRS and FRS frequencies. Medtronic sought the correction of typographical errors and rule changes that inadvertently altered the substance of the Medical Device Radiocommunications Service (MedRadio) rules.

When the FCC last considered changes to Part 95 rules surrounding CB radio in 2017, the commission declined to allow use of FM frequency modulation; AM amplitude modulation and SSB single side band remained the only permitted voice-emission types. At the time, the commission concluded that such a change might substantially change the character of the service.

After considering Cobra’s request, however, the commission found that permitting dual modulation will provide a significant benefit to CB radio users, giving them an additional modulation option while still maintaining the basic character of the service. “The addition of FM as a permitted mode will not result in additional interference because users who hear unintelligible audio on a particular channel can simply select another channel or switch modes,” the commission said in its most recent ruling.

The commission noted that AM and FM operations are permitted in other Part 95 services under similar technical parameters. The commission will generally apply the technical rules to FM signals as they are currently applied to AM signals for the CB Radio Service, an approach taken in other Part 95 services.

The commission also made a specific note about peak frequency deviations. In those cases, the commission said it adopted a limit of ±2 kHz due to the 10 kHz channel spacing and 8 kHz occupied bandwidth maximum in the CB radio service. Although this specific limit differs from those established in other Part 95 services (such as ±2.5 kHz for 12.5 kHz channel bandwidth in the GMRS and Multi-Use Radio Service [MURS]), it is consistent across Part 95 services considering the respective occupied bandwidths.

The commission noted that parties planning to incorporate FM mode into CB radios will need to obtain a grant of certification under the commission’s equipment authorization rules.

The commission also agreed with Motorola’s petition and concluded that public interest will be furthered by allowing automatic or periodic location and data transmission on all GMRS channels. In an emergency situation, the FCC said, an individual who is disoriented or unable to send a manual transmission could be helped by the automatic transmission of location information.

The commission also agreed to fix typographical errors, clarify language within the Part 95 rules and correct unintended substantive changes made in earlier changes as part of this petition for reconsideration.

 

The post FCC Finalizes Changes to Part 95 Rules appeared first on Radio World.

Audacy’s plan to adopt a more centralized programming system and eliminate some on-air positions may have created some controversy, but this country’s second largest radio company says its second quarter financial report shows positive news that it is emerging from the havoc created by the pandemic.

The broadcaster, which has more than 200 radio stations and rebranded itself as Audacy earlier this year, did squeeze out a second-quarter income of $1.4 million after reporting a loss in the same period a year ago. The Philadelphia-based company posted revenue of $304.5 million total for Q2, which is an increase of 73% over 2020. That was led by a 98% increase YoY in spot radio advertising to $202.8 million of revenue in Q2.

[Read: Audacy/Entercom Signs Deal With Big Sportsbook]

Digital revenues were $58.4 million and up about 41% compared to the same quarter a year prior. The company notes it has launched some 350 new digital stations available on Audacy’s digital platform. Audacy, which rebranded to better reflect its push into the audio space outside traditional terrestrial radio, has made a concerted effort to monetize its streaming audio platform.

Audacy President and CEO David Field said while the company’s broadcast segment is recovering from the pandemic, it is still being negatively impacted by other “significant disruptions” facing some large sector advertising clients.

“Our recovery is being constrained by the widely reported disruption in supply chain and labor shortages that has impacted a number of our customers, including auto, our largest category,” Field says.

Audacy has aggressively expanded into sports betting content and what is calls “wagertainment” that focuses on “all things sports betting,” according to the company. The broadcaster announced in June it was converting six broadcast stations to a sports betting format with programming provided by partner BetQL.

The broadcaster, which operates nearly 40 all-sports stations across the country, also has advertising and marketing agreements in place with sports betting platforms like BetMGM and FanDuel while naming them preferred sports betting partners.

“The sports betting business is growing at a rapid pace. We expect sports betting to grow into a $100 million category for us in a few years as legalized sports betting grows across the country,” Field said on Friday’s earnings call.

[Read: Audacy Expands BetQL Sports Betting Network]

Audacy reported total operating expenses of $286.5 million in Q2, up 29% compared to $221.4 million in the second quarter of 2020. The rise in expenses is partly due to the build out of a team of digital professionals at the corporate level. “We have digital resources at the local market level as part of station operation’s costs, but there is also a growing and increasingly significant digital team not housed at the market level and that is the most significant driver of our so-called expense growth,” said Rich Schmaeling, chief financial officer for Audacy.

The company’s recent implementation of a centralized CHR programming structure, which involves importing several DJs to multiple stations across the country, has gained considerable industry attention. The move, which was announced in July, followed a similar streamlining of Audacy’s alternative and country formats earlier this year.

There are critics of Audacy’s format reorganizations and the resulting job losses due to consolidation of on-air positions. Jerry Del Colliano, editor of the Inside Music Media newsletter, said he believes Audacy’s debt is responsible for the programming shakeups, which results in less service to listeners in local markets and hurts ratings.

“Audacy ratings have been eroding as the company has aggressively sought to regionalize its programming and fire live and local talent to save money,” Del Colliano recently wrote in his newsletter. “One thing that is a proven fact is that live and local talent almost always generates better ratings than out of market syndication, nationalization or regionalization of programming.”

Audacy has close to $2 billion in debt, according to its most recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company did receive a large infusion of cash in July — pegged at approximately $75 million — after it entered into a three-year “trade receivables securitization” with several banks.

 

The post Audacy Recaps Q2 Earnings appeared first on Radio World.

Having a little fun at the microphone a few years ago, during a guest appearance with the Crosley Radio Players in Terre Haute, Ind.

With our latest issue, I’m taking a moment to note my 25th anniversary of joining Radio World and to appreciate the circle of friends and colleagues who create the memories and stories we’ve shared and continue to make. 

The year 1996, in addition to being a landmark one for U.S. radio regulation, was also when I came on board here, having cut my teeth in radio newsrooms and then learning about radio technology as a sales and marketing executive on the manufacturing and dealer side of our business.

This crazy industry has changed so much since. The challenges that have faced broadcast radio stations, radio executives and radio engineers over those 25 years have been remarkable.

But so is radio’s capability for reinvention.

It has been exhilarating to guide Radio World’s content through a similar process, in partnership with the leadership of IMAS, NewBay Media and now Future, our most dynamic parent company yet.

I’m grateful to today’s business leaders who have put their trust in me, including Carmel King, Rick Stamberger, John Casey and Zillah Byng-Thorne, and to our many advertisers. I’m also privileged to work with a remarkable cadre of contributors, including a “brain trust” of engineers who have become my dear friends.

But none of it happens without you, the industry professional who reads our stories, saves our ebooks, watches our webcasts.

Whether your title is chief engineer, station owner, department head, manufacturing employee, regulator or one of any number of other key radio roles, my hope is that Radio World’s content continues to help you in your job as well as your career, keeping you informed while also entertaining you and stimulating new thinking.  

So thank you for the trust and loyalty you’ve shown to me and to Radio World in those 25 years — and here’s to many more years together.

The post 25 Years and Counting appeared first on Radio World.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau has issued a $20,000 fine against ESPN for “willfully violating the commission’s rules that prohibit the transmission of false or deceptive emergency alert system” tones during a program.

The FCC said the violation occurred during the airing of the program “30 for 30: Roll Tide/War Eagle” on Oct. 20, 2020. After receiving a complaint about the broadcast of the tones on Oct. 27, 2020, the FCC started an investigation and notified ESPN.

In a March 21 response, ESPN admitted that the tones had been broadcast but said they were part of the depiction of April 27, 2011 tornadoes “for storytelling purposes” during the documentary.

[Read: Entercom Faces Penalty for Misuse of EAS Tones in 2018]

ESPN also admitted that the transmission was not part of any actual emergency or EAS test.

The network argued, however, that the broadcast EAS tones could “not have triggered any automated relay equipment” because the portion transmitted “did not include audio frequency-shift (AFSK) tones” and that the tones appeared very briefly in the program for only 1.83 seconds.

The FCC rejected those arguments and proposed a higher fine than the $8,000 base forfeiture for section 11.45 of the commission’s rules covering violations of emergency alerts.

“The nature of EAS violations requires particularly serious consideration because, among other issues, such violations undermine the integrity of the EAS by desensitizing viewers to the potential importance of warning tones and therefore implicate substantial public safety concerns,” the FCC concluded. It also noted that ESPN had been fined in the past for violating these rules.

“Although only a single transmission was involved, given the totality of the circumstances, and consistent with the Forfeiture Policy Statement, we conclude that an $8,000 base forfeiture plus an upward adjustment in the amount of $12,000 is warranted,” the FCC concluded.

 

The post FCC Proposes a $20K Fine for ESPN appeared first on Radio World.

Florence Deusi, right, was a child bride at age 16. She talks with a Mudzi Wathu Radio youth reporter.

The U.S.-based NGO Developing Radio Partners is playing a crucial role in socioeconomic development in several African countries by using local radio to address their communities’ greatest needs.

In Malawi, DRP is closing the knowledge and information gap on sexual reproductive health with a project that helps young people know their health rights. The project, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development, has trained more than 400 young people ages 14 to 19 to produce weekly radio programs on diverse topics related to reproductive health.

The project is aimed at making sure boys and girls understand their health rights and are aware of the reproductive health services that are available to them. DRP’s project includes partnerships with nine community-based radio stations that are focusing their weekly radio programs and public service announcements (PSAs) on topics aimed at ending child marriage and reducing rates of teen pregnancy, HIV infections and COVID-19.

The programs also encourage girls and boys to stay in school and complete their education.

In Burkina Faso, DRP trained community health workers and radio reporters to produce a weekly program that was broadcast by a community-based radio station. They believed that if local health workers delivered messages about COVID-19, the communities would pay attention and take preventive measures.

Charles Rice, DRP president and chief executive officer, says radio is how most people in Malawi and Burkina Faso get their news and information.

Internet is often nonexistent or very limited in rural areas, and television can be expensive and require electricity. Radio, on the other hand, is relatively inexpensive, and a radio set can be powered by batteries or by solar.

“We have found radio to be the best option to reach a lot of people all at once. In Malawi, for instance, our potential listening audience among the nine radio stations we work with is about 6.5 million people,” Rice said.

“We work with community radio stations because they are part of the community; they are operated by the community. They are often trusted, and the stations we work with often focus on stories that affect the community – whether it’s related to farming, public health or the environment.”

Chanco Radio RLC member Micah Mwalala reads the COVID 19 Bulletin.

Chiko Moyo, DRP’s coordinator and trainer in Malawi, works directly with the mentors, the youth reporters and the radio listening clubs at the nine partner radio stations.

“Just as an example, the youth are taught how to hold public officers accountable and they see the fruits that come out of such actions; public funds for SRH (sexual and reproductive health) are put to good use, youth arise to monitor how officers are conducting youth friendly health services, and many other things that help communities to be served better,” Moyo explains.

DRP conducts trainings on a monthly basis and sends weekly tip sheets to help youth reporters focus on specific topics for their weekly programs and PSAs. The Weekly Bulletin is researched, written, and fact-checked in Malawi; it provides background on specific issues as well as questions for the reporters to use in their programs and contact details for people to interview.

“Station partners have told us that they rely on these bulletins because they are accurate and timely — and we believe this is why their weekly radio programs are popular. Listeners know that the information they are hearing is accurate” said Mercy Malikwa, who writes the Weekly Bulletin.

DRP has been producing the Weekly Bulletin on sexual reproductive health since May 2017. It started a special weekly bulletin on COVID-19 in March 2020 and it is still being produced.

Changing behavior

The radio programs, both in Malawi and Burkina Faso, have proven to be popular with listeners as well as health officials.

“The project has tremendously improved youth reproductive health awareness and rights in the sense that we have better information dissemination through radio, and that has improved the lives of youth and changed their behavior,” said Jossein Chazala, the Youth Friendly Health Services Coordinator in Malawi’s Nkhotakota District.

In Burkina Faso, the radio program led to the creation of a health association covering 16 villages in the listening area; it comprises community leaders and local health workers who work closely with villagers to ensure everyone gets regular health checks and observes COVID-19 preventive measures.

The Malawi stations often use peer-to-peer storytelling to change behavior, and that was dramatically illustrative for Florence Deusi, who was a child bride at 16 but says the weekly youth program on her local station (Mudzi Wathu Community Radio in Mchinji in central Malawi) helped her escape her illegal marriage to a much older man.

“Whenever I was alone I could tune in to the youth program and that’s where I gathered courage to get out of the mess that I was in.”

Now 19, Florence has told her story on the program, “and I encourage girls who are in situations like me to get out of such marriages and go back to school.”

The Malawi stations have other notable successes, including a yearlong campaign by youth reporters at Chirundu Community Radio in Nkhata Bay to have an abandoned hospital converted into a vocational school teaching such skills as bricklaying, welding, and plumbing.

Women in Vithenja village listenito Nkhotakota Radio Youth Health Program in Malawi.

Also, data tracked by DRP and the stations suggests that programs and PSAs at the Mchinji station from January to March 2021 led to an eight-fold increase in the number of young people seeking HIV testing and counseling services. The station manager launched the programs after noticing a huge drop in visits related to HIV testing between October and December 2020.

After Gaka FM in Nsanje in southern Malawi began partnering with DRP in January 2021, visits to the local youth health clinic climbed 81% between January and March compared to figures from July-December 2020.

Data from the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare also suggest that there is correlation between the reduction in child marriages and the radio programs and PSAs produced by DRP-partner stations.

“Based on the data, we believe the radio programs are having a significant impact by reducing child marriages in the districts where we work and increasing the number of COVID-19 vaccinations in those districts where DRP is operating” Rice said.

Raphael Obonyo is a public policy analyst. He has served as a consultant with the United Nations and the World Bank. Also, he’s a writer and widely published in Africa and beyond. An alumnus of Duke University, he has authored and coauthored numerous books, including Conversations about the Youth in Kenya. Obonyo is a TEDx fellow and has won numerous awards. Read more articles by this author.

The post Developing Radio Partners Makes a Difference in Africa appeared first on Radio World.

iHeartMedia says it is positioned to return to revenue levels last seen in 2019 by the end of this year as the company continues to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In its second quarter 2021 earnings call on Thursday the country’s largest radio broadcast company reported a 77% year-over-year revenue increase to $862 million for the quarter ending June 30.

The company’s Multiplatform Group, which includes nearly 860 radio stations, continued to rebound from the pandemic amid the return of the commercial advertising market. The company says revenues in the segment were up nearly 70% compared to the same period in 2020 to $605.8 million. For comparison, iHeartMedia disclosed revenue from the second quarter 2021 was down 21% compared to Q2 in 2019.

[Read: iHeartMedia Continues in Recovery Mode]

Specifically, radio broadcast revenue was up nearly 85% in Q2 YoY on a reported basis while iHeartMedia’s network business, which includes Premiere Networks and the Total Traffic and Weather Network, grew 28.3% compared to Q2 in 2020.

Podcasting remains a strong focus of the company. iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman spent a large amount of time on Thursday’s earning’s call examining the Digital Audio Group, which includes all digital assets like podcasting. The group showed a 112% year-over-year increase in Q2 revenue to $197.9 million. Podcasting revenues were up even more at 152% compared to the same period in 2020.

iHeartMedia’s build out of its tech capabilities continues, Pittman said, but it’s not only podcasting catching the eye of advertisers. The company continues investment in the expansion of broadcast radio in digital devices, he said. “We have invested in broadcast radio to make it look like digital for the advertiser. When you look at the unique reach we have with broadcast radio and having the ability to make that digital, and put that into a digital buy, at a very efficient price,” Pittman said

The broadcaster’s Audio and Media Services segment, which includes Katz Media Group and software provider RCS, saw revenue grow by 55.9% in Q2 compared to the comparative period in prior year, as a result of the continued recovery from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the company’s financial report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Pittman said on Thursday’s earnings call iHeartMedia is still facing some uncertainties, but “based on what we are seeing we remain confident we will be back to 2019 adjusted EBITA levels by the end of 2021.”

The broadcaster, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2019, continues to centralize resources into its Center of Excellence; and its SEC filing on Thursday indicates the savings from the endeavor could be substantial.

iHeartMedia President/COO/CFO Rich Bressler said during Thursday’s earnings call capital expenditures will be elevated in 2021 primarily due to the proactive streamlining of the audio company’s real estate footprint. The company projects cap ex of $165 million to $185 million in 2021 and then a return to normal levels in 2022.

“The [real estate] program has made certain real estate assets redundant enabling the company to sell such assets to partially offset the initiative expenditures,” Bressler said. “The real estate program is a company wide effort to leverage new technology and adopt new best practices to make our office spaces more efficient.”

By the conclusion of the real estate project, the company experts to reduce occupied square footage and rent and related expenses by approximately 50%, Bressler said.

iHeartMedia continues to eye debt reduction, Bressler said on Thursday. The broadcaster announced in July it made a voluntary prepayment of $250 million of debt. The majority of the prepayment was used to prepay a portion of iHeartMedia’s $2.07 billion term loan, according to the iHeartMedia SEC filing. As of June 30, 2021, the company was carrying nearly $6 billion in total debt.

 

The post iHeartMedia Discloses Q2 Financial Results appeared first on Radio World.

The National Association of Broadcasters has endorsed legislation on Capitol Hill that would reestablish a Minority Tax Certificate Program.

Democratic lawmakers in both houses have introduced bills to provide a tax incentive to those who sell a majority interest in a radio or TV station to underrepresented broadcasters. NAB has long been on record as favoring such a move.

The original FCC program started in 1978 and was in place for about 17 years. “The program was highly effective in leveling the playing field for underrepresented broadcasters, increasing diverse ownership in broadcast stations by more than 550%,” NAB wrote in a policy statement. Congress repealed it in 1995.

“Reinstating the Tax Certificate Program at the FCC would encourage investment in broadcast station ownership for women and people of color and dramatically help underrepresented voices realize their dreams of radio and television station ownership,” NAB said.

It noted that supporters include the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB).

The backers of the bills are Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Reps. G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina and Steven Horsford of Nevada. The Senate bill is called the Broadcast VOICES Act; in the House it’s the Expanding Broadcast Opportunities Act of 2021.

President and CEO Gordon Smith released a statement: “NAB and its members are strongly committed to market-based initiatives that expand radio and television station ownership opportunities for women and people of color. A tax incentive program is a proven solution that significantly diversified the ranks of broadcast owners over its nearly two decades of existence.”

He urged swift passage of the legislation.

 

The post NAB Gives Thumbs Up to Minority Tax Bills appeared first on Radio World.

Seeking to update its political programming and recordkeeping rules, the Federal Communications Commission has opened a new notice of proposed rulemaking.

We shared the draft notice with you earlier and reported that the commission was planning to take this step; it now has done so.

This means the FCC will start taking public comments. Deadlines for those will be announced soon. The Media Bureau docket number for filing comments is 21-293.

Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has said the goal of the NPRM is to comply with statutory requirements and take into account modern campaign practices.

The NPRM would revise the definition of “legally qualified candidate for public office.” If ultimately passed, this would update the list of activities that can be considered in determining whether an individual running as a write-in has made a “substantial showing” of their candidacy. It would add the use of social media and the creation of a campaign website to the list.

The NPRM also would also revise the FCC’s political recordkeeping rules to conform with the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 to include any request for the purchase of advertising time that “communicates a message relating to any political matter of national importance” (i.e., issue ads) and specify the records that must be maintained. The commission said the current rule language does not reflect the federal law on this question.

In addition to radio and TV stations, the changes would apply to cable system operators, Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) service providers and Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service licensees.

The commission noted that it had not has done a formal review to update the political programming and recordkeeping rules in 30 years.

The post FCC Proposes Change in “Substantial Showing” appeared first on Radio World.