Radio World

We’re excited to bring you Radio World’s biggest ebook yet, providing a look at the state of global digital broadcast radio, with a focus on the major platforms DAB+, Digital Radio Mondiale and HD Radio.

In which countries have each of these technologies advanced the most? Where are they being considered? What should broadcasters know in 2021 about the rapidly changing car dashboard and how radio stations and metadata will appear to listeners there?

Read interviews and commentaries with leaders at WorldDAB, the DRM Consortium and Xperi Corp., each of whom assess the state of their respective rollouts.

You’ll also glean insights about digital radio, metadata, Android Automotive and other key trends from leaders of stakeholder organizations such as NAB PILOT, the European Broadcasting Union, Digital Radio UK, RadioDNS, Commercial Radio Australia, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, Nautel, 2wcom and Audi.

Read the ebook.

The post Trends in Digital Radio 2021 appeared first on Radio World.

With plans in place for the first in-person NAB Show in two and a half years, Radio World and its parent Future have announced the return of the popular Best of Show Awards for the convention.

RW’s sister brands TV Technology, Sound & Video Contractor, Mix, TVBEurope and Broadcasting + Cable will also participate.

“Manufacturers have not been sitting on their hands for the past year and a half,” said Radio World Editor in Chief Paul McLane, “and in the past month or two we have seen a rush of product announcements as they introduce products they’ve been thinking about and working on since the beginning of last year. These awards help shine the spotlight on them.”

Nominations are now open for manufacturers and service providers to submit their offerings. The deadline is Sept. 23.

The Program Guide from the most recent show in 2019, showing all nominees and winners, is available online as well.

The NAB Show, which was cancelled last year and was postponed this year from April, opens on Sunday Oct. 10.

The post Best of Show Awards at NAB Are Back appeared first on Radio World.

If you go to the NAB Show or Radio Show in October, it may be your first look at the massively expanded Las Vegas Convention Center. And you might also be able to take a ride in the Boring Tunnel Loop.

CNET posted this video report about the tunnel by Senior Editor Claire Reilly, which gives you a look:

The project, nicknamed “Teslas in a Tunnel,” opened in June based on a conception by Elon Musk. It is a three-station transportation system with 1.7 miles of tunnel, cored out by a special boring machine.

It connects the LVCC New Exhibit Hall with the familiar, North/Central/South Halls and is intended to reduce a walk of up to 45 minutes with a free 2 minute underground car ride (here’s a map). The Boring Co. would like to build it out to a much bigger system eventually.

An NAB official confirmed that the loop will be running during the NAB Show in October.

The post Get a Look at the LVCC’s Boring Tunnel Loop appeared first on Radio World.

In a move to simplify operation, BossFM, a radio station in Abuja, Nigeria, has adopted Lawo’s Rɘlay virtual soft mixer to replace its digital console hardware. This was, according to a release. Aimed at making operation “as straight-forward and intuitive as possible” for the station’s talent.

The release explained that the stations ownership said, “Showing our on-air talent and staff the basic functionalities of this novel tool took just a couple of hours. The first show presented with our new virtual setup went live that same afternoon.”

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

Rɘlay can handle 24 audio sources across its AES67-compliant digital audio network, all using a laptop computer or a connected touchscreen at a minimum. There are other tools and third-party hardware and software to expand Rɘlay’s capabilities.

Mega Cyber Plus, Lawo’s Nigerian partner, provided the integration and will handle servicing.

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

Info: https://lawo.com

The post Lawo’s Rɘlay Please the BossFM appeared first on Radio World.

Buying a new audio processor is a huge decision for so many reasons, and some of them are less than obvious. The goal of this article is to help guide you to make (or not make) the decision to change processors.

1) Go Over Your Current Airchain — You’d be amazed how many stations I have walked into over the past four decades that had terrible airchains, and by that I mean the entire audio path, from console to antenna. Many times, program audio was fed to multiple distribution amplifiers with different gain structures as the audio passed from D/A to D/A. This adds noise, and you can easily soft (or hard) clip your program audio. That “grungy” sound may not be the processor at all.

The best way to tackle this is to do a proof of your system. Your engineer or contract engineer should be able to go through this. If distribution amplifiers are necessary, the audio feeding the processor should always come from the first.

If this decision is for your AM, the bandwidth of the antenna system adds (or subtracts) from your audio. No matter how expensive the new processor is, it will not overcome poorly maintained transmission systems. I know this only too well. Do a proof on the antenna system, whether directional or nondirectional, to observe the behavior.

Remember, the radio station works as a system. The processor is one part of it.

[Read More Tech Tips Here]

2) Look at Your Source Material — You could have the most immaculate airchain from the console to the antenna, with a modern AoIP system, yet still be feeding lossy audio across that beautiful system.

This is a problem I see with many classic hits and classic rock stations, where the library was digitized in the early 2000s and disk space was at a premium. That’s not the case now.

When I was in New York City, one of my missions was to improve the audio sources. I knew the airchain was virtually perfect; it was the source material that had issues. I started to keep a log of songs that didn’t sound right. Nine times out of 10 I’d pull up the file in production and, sure enough, it was either a needle drop — you’d be amazed at how many songs were digitized from vinyl — or a low-bitrate MP3.

So I worked with programming to fix this. The powers were fixed quickly; it was the secondary cuts that took longer to source and correct (and in classic hits and classic rock, there’s the chore of getting the correct version and making sure that version hasn’t been “remastered” by the God of Clipping).

Part 2 of the mission was maintaining a consistent level for commercials, imaging, jingles and music. You may have a beef with your current processor because you’re hearing it take a long time to recover from cut to cut. If there’s a 20 dB difference between spots or a spot and a rejoin element, that’s going to happen.

Luckily our production director already had that under control. But I’ve seen some studios where a bumper pins the needles on the VU and the next element barely moves them. Processors can do a lot; but they aren’t miracle workers.

In sum: Use source better material, change out what you can and keep levels in production in check. This alone can improve an audio processor’s performance and may save you from having to buy a new processor.

3) What’s Your Price Range? — My hope is that you’ve taken Points 1 and 2 seriously. But if you still need to change the processor, the next step is to determine your budget.

Twenty years ago there weren’t many offerings at bargain prices. For me this was a good thing, as I built my knowledge and reputation by designing airchains from multiple boxes you could get for-cheap online. But as technology improved and demand for inexpensive boxes that offered more grew, suddenly there were plenty of boxes in the $2,000 to $4,000 range. In many cases, the $3,500 box can sound as good as the $12,000 box, though it has less features — it may be FM-only, or may not have the analysis suite found in more expensive boxes.

Whatever your price range, I implore you to demo as many brands in that price range as possible. You may settle on a well-known brand, but don’t ignore the firepower of the new kid in town who may go that extra mile to make you happy with your purchase.

4) More Brand Considerations — Yes there are at least a half dozen brands to look at. But how are these companies with warranty and customer service?

An engineer once told me that you should call the manufacturer of each. The one that gets back to you the fastest is probably the one who will be most helpful down the line should questions or problems arise.

Knowledge is also key. There has been a reduction of force since the start of the pandemic. This slows response time. People may be laid off, but problems aren’t. It’s important to research tech support for your new investment. My rule about tech support is to treat each customer the same. You could be in Big Rapids, Mich., or Los Angeles, Calif., but if you have an off-air emergency, it’s an off-air emergency. Support should be there for you.

5) Talk to Other Engineers — If you’re working for a large company, there probably are engineers in other markets who can give you their opinions on which processors they use and what works for them. If you’re by yourself, there are still plenty of forums on social media, with many opinions about what is best for your particular situation. Which brings me to …

6) Price Range vs. Features — You can easily be swayed online towards one brand or another when you participate in one of the many social media groups. But some recommended processors may not have the features you need.

For instance, in the budget range, there are few that offer simultaneous FM/HD processing (if you’re an HD station, you probably can and should be spending more than $3,500 for your processor).

There are other things as well. Many companies shed front-panel controls in lower-priced processors, so to maximize performance, you’ll need to use the associated PC program. Others shed algorithms and use less DSP to cut costs; in other words, they take a Cadillac and cut it down to a Chevy Cruze.

As a user, you can easily get around minimized front-panel options with a PC interface. What you can’t get around is a $3,500 processor that’s a $12,000 processor with its knees cut off. The algorithms left over will not perform as intended if other features are pulled out.

If you are in the market for a top-of-the-line box, look for features like automatic HD alignment (one model has an HD tuner in it to keep the alignment within a sample), patch points for ratings encoders, signal analysis that go beyond the basic gain reduction metering you see on every processor and, most importantly, sound.

If you find your airchain really is immaculate (Points 1 and 2), it is up to the processing to add the extra flair.

7) I Want to Spend $12K to Sound Like My Competitor — This is actually somewhat infuriating to me. Your branding, imaging, talent, slogan, logo are all designed to set you apart. So why do you want your audio to sound the same as your competitor?

I was recently in a top 10 market and was astonished at how bad the audio was. Sure enough, each station had audible PPM encoding; and competing stations sounded nearly identical, with signature textures from one brand of processing. Everyone claims they want to sound better, but in the end it becomes a race to the bottom.

This is where the “hunger” comes in. Find a dealer that gives you the most flexibility to try as many boxes as you can, once you have checked off which features are important to you. You may end up with something that sounds better than the entire market.

During the demo, call the company. If you have the clout of a major market behind you, most likely they will send their guru to work with you. That’s a golden opportunity to explore what the hardware can do.

8) AoIP Suggestions — For me? The last mile should always be AES or analog. But different brands of processors use different AoIP formats, and you can stream in and out of the processors. Some AoIP solutions are brand-specific (Livewire or WheatNet), while others use third-party solutions.

If you’ve made the decision to pick a specific brand of studio gear, and if you are satisfied with that decision and have a good working relationship with the manufacturer, it’s a good idea to look at their processing line. Good customers get better prices — the worst kept secret ever.

9) Set Aside Time to Demo — the last thing you want is your processing demo to coincide with your studio move and five other projects. Get the other projects done before you tackle the audio processing. That way, you’ll devote the time needed to make the right choice, feature-wise and sound-wise.

10) Ask for Input From Staff But Know Who Makes the Decision — The needs of engineering and programming overlap in the processor. The engineer needs reliable gear that is compliant; the program director needs a processor that will allow PPM insert points, or the encoder built into the processor.

Get on the same page with must-have features and then outline what you want from the processor sonically. Just remember not to fall into the trap of Point 7.

If there is one bit of advice I can pass on to engineers for working with programming, it’s this: If the PD has the final say in what the audio will sound like, it’s all on them. They are the ones that have to lay down on the pillow every night with the station sounding the way it does.

In the minds of management, processing has a lot to do with the ups and downs of ratings (like it or not). If the PD has set the processing, they have to answer for it. If you decide, you have to answer for it. I’m not telling you who should take the lead, I’m just letting you know how it is.

In conclusion, I’ve made the decision to buy a processor a lot more complicated than you thought it should be. But I’ve been on both sides of the aisle and have set processors in every corner of the globe. The best path to your goal is not the quick one, it’s the right one. I hope this article has given you some food for thought.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

Mike Erickson is the president of WirelessMedia LLC, which specializes in matching the right processor with the right station. He worked on the manufacturing side for 10 years after spending 14 years at Infinity Broadcasting/CBS Radio in New York. He can be reached at wirelessmedia@gmail.com.

The post How to Pick an On-Air Processor appeared first on Radio World.

Concerns about the pandemic are the leading reason that some radio engineers won’t be going to the NAB Show in October.

That’s not a startling conclusion; but a survey by transmitter manufacturer Nautel offers some other insights into the plans of past engineering attendees.

[Read: NAB Lists “COVID Protocols” for Fall Show]

Nautel, which will have an exhibit booth at the show, surveyed past attendees of its Nautel User’s Group meetings to assess customer intentions for both October and April. NUG meetings are typically held in conjunction with the show and draw mostly engineers or people with related technical jobs.

The company received about 185 responses to its survey. The number who said they “definitely will” attend the NAB Show in October was about 28%, and another 16% “perhaps” will attend. The number who “definitely will not” attend was 37%.

Nautel noted that the “will not attend” number has grown from 15% who checked that box eight months ago, when the convention was farther out on the calendar and the impact of the pandemic in 2021 was unknown.

Among those who think they won’t attend in October, the pandemic was the option chosen most, as shown in the graphic. The second reason was “rather wait until next year.” (Respondents could choose more than one option.) Others included budget considerations and not wanting to travel by air. Some reasons submitted under “other” were international travel restrictions, uncertainty about mask policies and “too busy.”

The numbers look much different where Nautel asked about attendee plans for next spring. Thirty-four percent said they definitely plan to go, and another 34% said they perhaps will. Only about 4% of past NUG attendees who responded said they definitely plan not to be there next April.

[Read: Evanov Tries Out Hybrid AM HD Radio in Toronto]

Head of Marketing John Whyte told Radio World that Nautel conducted this survey “to make sure we’re gearing up for the event in an appropriate way, to ensure we have the right team in Las Vegas to support show attendees’ needs and make sure we can answer questions about Nautel solutions promptly.

“We’re very excited at the prospect of seeing our customers and colleagues in person once again. It has been too long so we’re hoping, like many in our industry, that October presents a safe environment for us to connect face to face,” he said.

While Nautel does not plan its usual Radio Technology Forum event this fall, it does hope to host a casual product update and AUI briefing session on the Sunday morning. It said details are pending.

The post Nautel NAB Survey Reflects Pandemic Worries appeared first on Radio World.

Cumulus Media and its subsidiary Westwood One are trying to raise advertiser awareness of radio as a platform to reach the growing online sports betting market in the United States.

Cumulus and Westwood One commissioned a study in April across the 12 states where online sports wagering is fully legalized. They said radio listeners show “significantly more interest and engagement” in online sports betting than TV viewers.

[Read: Audacy Expands BetQL Sports Betting Network]

A blog post by the company’s Pierre Bouvard provides a number of graphics and data points. He says the research indicates that, in states with legalized sports betting, younger adults and men are the most likely to be interested in wagering on sports betting sites.

Also, compared to TV viewers, AM/FM radio listeners have “far more experience with sports betting,” greater interest and greater awareness of online sports betting brands.

The survey also gave insight into which sports betting brands are most familiar; Bouvard said 70% are aware of FanDuel and DraftKings, four out of 10 are familiar with BetMGM and Golden Nugget, and eight brands have “aided awareness” ranging from 20% to 29%.

His post “Sports Betting Big Bang” contains numerous additional graphics aimed at potential advertisers about how to use radio to reach people interested in sports betting. MARU/Matchbox did the survey.

The post Cumulus Highlights AM/FM for Reaching Bettors appeared first on Radio World.

When the National Association of Broadcasters returns to Las Vegas this fall for its first face-to-face conference since the pandemic began, attendees will be asked to follow safety health guidelines and allow for physical distancing due to COVID.

Face coverings will be required for the unvaccinated and meeting rooms and floor theaters at the Las Vegas Convention Center will be capped at 75% of capacity, NAB says. The group estimates 85% of the audience is either already vaccinated or intend to be by the time the NAB Show begins in mid-October, according to its website.

“We are constantly reviewing the guidelines and collaborating with other event organizers on what they are doing and discussing daily any changes we may want to make,” NAB wrote in a recent email to attendees.

[Read: The Fall Radio Show Will Be at the Westgate]

NAB has made it clear it will closely monitor all COVID-19 health and safety protocols outlined by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and local health officials in Clark County, Nev. It will adjust its approach as needed, an NAB spokesman told Radio World.

The group’s website covers many health recommendations, including asking attendees to register at one of their satellite locations prior to arriving at LVCC. This year will feature a touchless registration and feature a technology that allows attendees to obtain credentials in a safe, touch-free process, according to NAB.

NAB Show safety measures are numerous, according to the NAB website:

• Visitors may be required to undergo health screenings such as temperature checks or other screening processes upon entry to LVCC;
• A “no contact” policy will be observed. Attendees are asked to refrain from greeting others using physical contact;
• Exhibitors will be asked to safely design booths and layout exhibit space. Exhibitors will have the opportunity to order enhanced cleaning and disinfection services for their booths;
• Hand sanitizer will be placed in all public areas, including meeting room corridors, show floor and food and beverage areas;
• Attendees can download a free download through the NAB website called COVID Trace, an easy to use mobile app that notifies users of potential exposures to COVID-19.

The NAB Show from Oct. 9–13 marks the return of major trade shows for the group. The NAB has only recently started hosting small executive level meetings at NAB headquarters in Washington.

Las Vegas area businesses returned to prepandemic guidelines on June 1, and removed all limits involving capacity limits and large gatherings, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. However, Clark County health officials issued orders, effective July 22, for all employees of businesses across Las Vegas to wear masks. The employee mask requirement only continues until Aug. 17, but could be extended, according to health officials.

The post NAB Lists “COVID Protocols” for Fall Show appeared first on Radio World.

Augspurger has introduced a new line of studio monitors, the MX-Series, with the debut of its MX-65 MinimaX, a two-way nearfield monitor.

MinimaX speakers are built as mirror-image pairs that can be positioned either horizontally or vertically thanks to a rotatable, solid maple horn delivering 70 x 110 degree dispersion. Intended for traditional audio recording and post-production rooms, MinimaX has been designed to provide a main monitor experience in a near-field position and is expandable to a full-range three-way system with the addition of Augspurger subwoofers. For larger playback theaters where sound needs to travel further, MinimaX can be complemented with Augspurger’s SOLO range.

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

The MX-65 also features a 99.97% pure beryllium diaphragm, a signature feature carried through the entire Augspurger product line.

The DSP inside MinimaX’s onboard SXE Series amplifiers is accessed via Augspurger’s own DSP Tune software (available for Mac and Windows), providing complete setup and control of all parameters, including crossover, phase, group delay, limiting and EQ , allowing users to bring the speakers with them to new working environments and then fine-tune MinimaX as needed.

The MX-65 is shipping in Q4 2021, running $10,995 per pair, including Augspurger SXE Series amplification. Start your Christmas Dream list now!

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

Info: www.augspurger.com

The post Augspurger Unveils MinimaX Nearfield Monitors appeared first on Radio World.

Bill Bennett is media solutions account manager at ENCO. This interview appeared in the 2021 ebook “Remote Radio Phase II: What We’ve Learned During a Pandemic.”

RW: How will workflows and infrastructure be different in the long term?

Bill Bennett: With the pandemic absolutely accelerating the deployment of broadly distributed multi-platform workflows, engineering and content creators alike learned they can maintain high levels of quality despite being spread all over the world. 

We’ve seen how prosumer technology — USB mics, video conferencing apps, open-source audio editing software, earbuds, iPhones, etc. — are high enough in quality for most users, and can be easy to use; so I think we’ll see more of these flexible software-only, IP-connected devices and products proliferate. 

The station (and cloud for backup, playout and stream hosting) will always be the central repository of content and house the playout logic; but how that digital stream of data gets to and from the servers has now become vastly more flexible as to distance and access. 

Transmitters will always be the critical super-physical link in the chain, but you’ll see more IP links, even at the loss of an STL, so you can route audio from any playout cluster, to the tower — from the station, cloud, even a laptop if you had to. 

Humans will always be social animals, and we will need in-person interactions for sure. But there’s immense content that can be recorded, edited, voiced and programmed remotely too, as we’ve all found. The “new normal” means more flexibility, resiliency and opportunity for innovation yet to come.

RW: Which products in your lineup have played critical roles?

Bennett: WebDAD Mobile Radio Automation and iDAD Mobile Reporting have grown to be very popular. They allow browser- and app-based access to a main DAD playout system back at the station (or cloud), to record tracks, control gear, manage content and more. You can run your playout live from your home office (aka your guest bedroom), a Starbucks or anywhere with an internet connection and VPN.

RW: How well do current automation systems support remote workflows?

Bennett: ENCO’s WebDAD pre-dates the pandemic, making it a recognized and proven go-to platform for native, IP-based remote connectivity and control of DAD playout systems in the studios (or cloud platform). 

WebDAD evolves past what you’d get from remote desktop software (which is just an interactive, dynamic screengrab of a distant, existing computer), and allows you full native control over playout, tracking and editing, playlists and so forth, all from an HTML5-compliant Web browser you can run on a laptop. We engineered it so folks either in the same building who don’t have a full DAD installation on their computer, or folks working from around the world with VPN access to the studios, have that same production capability. 

That opens up some pretty powerful remote workflow possibilities.

RW: What would you say is the required level of home connectivity and ISP support to create reliable work-from-home operations?

Bennett: Home internet speeds fluctuate during the day because your traffic is pooled with your neighbors, often coming in at speeds below (or above) the tier that’s provisioned. Your speeds can be further hindered if there are three students learning from home, all via their own Zoom video classroom session, or if another family member is taking a break and watching a 4K movie on Netflix, etc.

Considering these factors, it’s better to pay for more bandwidth, if you can afford it and if it’s available in your area.

If you have a choice, go with fiber. If DSL is your only option, perhaps make sure you’re the only user (and force-reduce your video bandwidth if your software allows — or disable it entirely). 

Don’t go overkill though. Even if all those demands I mentioned were in place, you still wouldn’t need Gigabit service. Just be sure to use a modern modem and router, all with ports of 1Ge or better. 

Finally, try to keep everything wired via Ethernet and avoid Wifi. The more it’s used, the less bandwidth is available for all wireless connections.

RW: What role do commodity remote products like TeamViewer and AnyDesk play?

Bennett: ENCO’s been using these remote desktop access applications for many years, since our products run on standard Windows machines and thus offer full remote access for us to train customers or upgrade software remotely. 

But ironically, while some on-air talent discovered these tools so they can “remote back into” their computers at the station, the growth of native IP and HTML API interfaces means there’s no need to “virtualize” access to your playout computer now, you can just open a Web browser and have direct, VPN-secured access and control of your playout, playlist management, voice tracking, etc. 

Further, with optimized software as ENCO has, you can even use a customized smartphone application to control what’s on-air — from the palm of your hand. No need to virtualize; it’s a direct connection.

RW: And how do Zoom and similar conferencing platforms figure in? 

Bennett: This is interesting because at ENCO, we saw Zoom taking off as a popular and easy-to-use platform for folks using our automated captioning system for TV and meetings, so we made the strategic decision early on to develop our own custom application that integrates our enCaption AI-based captions directly into the Zoom interface, sends out captions to SDI video, embeds them as closed caption data and sends them out as HTML data for embedding in websites.

RW: What other products or platforms have taken on new importance?

Bennett: It’s amazing what you can do in a Web browser these days. With our WebDAD product, it’s possible to directly control playout, record and edit voice tracks, manage playlists, and more — natively. No software or drivers to install, just be on the same network as your playout system, either down the hall or across the Globe via secure VPN.

RW: And other considerations to mention?

Bennett: Definitely consider a dedicated PC / laptop just for video tiles, so you and your guests and collaborators can see each other (and it’s not taking up your main computer’s resources). Waving at colleagues goes a long way in keeping in sync. 

If you’re using our DAD system back at the studio, consider using X-Keys to control basic functions such as liners, beds, sound effects, etc. Those can be configured to have local home playout communicate and control the remote system.

RW: How about security? 

Bennett: When connecting to your studio (or transmitter), it’s imperative to use well-known VPN solutions for end-to-end encryption. Change ALL your default passwords to something hard to guess, and use two-factor authentication whenever it’s offered. It’s a mild added step, but well worth it.

RW: And how can talent at home assess and improve audio quality of room acoustics?

Bennett: Lots of walk-in closets became home studios too. Sure these aren’t the properly tuned for flat (or resonant) studio spaces that you’re used to, but they help. As for pets — when I had my curious cats, I’ve found two sets of doors worked best: the bedroom hallway door, and then the closet door.

The post A World of Broadly Distributed Multi-Platform Workflows appeared first on Radio World.

Chris Tobin of Brooklyn, N.Y., is being honored posthumously with this year’s Robert W. Flanders SBE Engineer of the Year award, the Society of Broadcast Engineers announced Tuesday.

The award honors the SBE member who has excelled in his or her career while furthering the mission of the society. Candidates are nominated by their peers. Tobin died in December 2020 of a heart attack.

Tobin, an SBE member for 22 years, has taken on several roles with SBE Chapter 15, the New York City chapter.

Beginning at an early age, Tobin became fascinated with radio. “As a small tot, I enjoyed the magic of the box on the kitchen table in my house,” he said in a YouTube interview. A little later Tobin got involved in broadcasting through a school radio station.

He was a self-taught engineer but also spent time behind the microphone, SBE said.

During his career, Tobin worked at ABC Radio Network, CBS Radio and Westwood One. In 2015 he became chief engineer at WBGO in Newark, N.J. He helped to develop the station’s video capacities, streamlined its operations and handled the logistical curveball thrown by the 2020 pandemic lockdown. He died while installing a new HVAC system at the station.

SBE also announced other award recipients, including:

• Telos Alliance — Technology Award for the conversion of the Axia iQ AES67 mixing console into a software version that does not require a physical surface. It is controlled by a full HTML5 interface;
• SBE Wisconsin chapters and Wisconsin Broadcasters Association — Best Educational Event for the Wisconsin Broadcasters Clinic in October 2020;
• SBE Chapter 17, Minneapolis — Best Chapter Communication for its sbe17.org website.

SBE also presents Statistical Awards in two classes: Class A for chapters with 26 or fewer members; Class B for those with 27 members or more.

• Percentage growth of new members: Chapter 106, Florida Panhandle, Class A; Chapter 17, Minneapolis, Class B.
• Highest percentage of certified members: Chapter 7, Jacksonville, Fla., Class A; Chapter 24, Madison, Wisc., Class B.
• Highest percentage of member attendance at meetings: Chapter 85, Central Western, Class A; Chapter 56, Tulsa, Okla., Class B.

The society will recognize winners at the SBE Membership Meeting and Awards Ceremony, Oct. 11, during the SBE National Meeting in Las Vegas. Award nominations for 2022 will open in February 2022.

The post SBE to Honor Tobin Posthumously as SBE Engineer of the Year appeared first on Radio World.

When the popular podcast “WTF with Marc Maron” (www.wtfpod.com) debuted 11 years ago, the iPhone was only on its third iteration and couldn’t muster downloads larger than 20 MB.

That’s an important fact in understanding the evolution of podcasting fidelity from tinny and flangey in the early ’00s, as the podcast’s producer Brendan McDonald describes, to the comparatively crystalline audio available from podcasts today.

“When podcasts were a fairly young medium, there were a lot of data concerns about them from users,” says McDonald, “people with early data plans or devices that did not hold particularly a large amount of data and did not have cloud storage plans yet. So, you had to be very mindful.”

[Read: True Crime Sound Design on “Anatomy of Murder”]

As MP3 compression technology progressed and the show upgraded to a server whose bitrate was 128 kbps, he found some listeners still preferred the original 22.05 kHz mono file, which was 32-bit at a constant 40 kbps.

Those longtime listeners can still find that format on the podcast’s website, while podcatchers and platforms like Spotify get a modern formatted file.

“I was like, if the default setting is [128 kbps] and I’m compressing down, [then] we’re getting like a VHS copy of a copy here,” he says. “Now we’re using a more standard, almost stereo MP3 style setting of 44.1 [kHz] stereo, 16-bit and 128 kbps — which is a much bigger file, but in the style that people are generally listening to podcasts now.”

No Pretense
McDonald has been with “WTF with Marc Maron” for all 1,200-plus episodes, and worked with the host in terrestrial radio in New York and Los Angeles before transitioning to the podcast format.

While he can hear improvements in the quality of the show and audio over that time period, the equipment he used to get the show to today has changed very little.

Maron, in his home studio, still tracks with a Shure SM7 microphone and a Samson MDR6 tabletop mixer with GarageBand. McDonald edits in Adobe Audition, the latest version of what was once known as Cool Edit he used in the show’s earliest days.

The only measurable changes to the show’s production, in fact, came with COVID-19. Maron and McDonald had to ease off their policy of only taping interviews in person, but maintaining the easy, conversational vibe that comes from conducting face-to-face interviews was a top priority during the upheaval of 2020.

“These interviews, and this show in general, really connect with people because the conversations feel so intimate,” says McDonald. “Marc, over the course of a decade, has gotten very good at that — basically creating an environment for people to feel like they’re comfortable and they can share with him. It doesn’t have a lot of pretense, it doesn’t have a lot of roadblocks to actual conversation, as opposed to feeling like it’s stilted or a list of Q&A. He wanted it to be personal; he wanted it to feel like two people connecting. And so that was really important to us.”

[See Other Interesting Features From Jim Beaugez]

Social distancing protocols meant that videoconferencing became a necessity. For interviews in which the subject has a home recording setup, McDonald is able to get a tape sync recording, but most audio now comes through Zoom with the Audio Hijack extraction tool by Rogue Amoeba (www.rogueamoeba.com) added to the mix. In the software’s Voice Chat mode, McDonald can select Skype, Zoom or another videoconferencing platform as the audio source and tweak the audio on the fly while Maron conducts the interview.

“It’s actually brought me back to my early days of live radio production, in that now I can actually sit on the live call with Marc and I can tinker with the sound if I need to,” he says. “It’s been more work in the last year, but we’ve been able to make it work and largely have been very satisfied with the way things have sounded.”

The post How Marc Maron’s Podcast Adjusted to COVID appeared first on Radio World.

Auralex Acoustics is debuting the ProPOD Acoustic Decoupler, intended for use in decoupling monitors and other audio equipment weighing 50 pounds or less.

Earmarked as the first in a new line of decouplers that the company will unveil throughout 2021, the ProPODs come in packs of four. Each cylindrical stand consists of a powder-coated carbon-steel exoskeleton and a viscoelastic-polymer shock absorber, and is intended to improve the soundstage and presence of a user’s monitor, loudspeaker or subwoofer within the specified weight range.

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

“We invested significant resources in the development of the ProPOD and are happy that it will help folks hear what their loudspeakers — and other components — actually sound like. The sonic benefits of the ProPOD are not subtle; it definitely removes the veil. We feel that it dramatically outperforms the competition — and at a more agreeable price point,” said Eric Smith, founder and president of Auralex.

The puck-like ProPODs are placed at corners or where need be. The powder-coated steel exoskeleton found on the decouplers is available in two color choices: matte black and pearl white. The ProPOD Acoustic Decouplers retail for $129.99 per set of four and are available through all Auralex retailers.

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

Info: www.auralex.com

The post Auralex Debuts ProPOD Acoustic Decouplers appeared first on Radio World.

The general manager of one of the nation’s best known news stations has denounced anonymous listener racism directed at one of the station’s employees.

And the Black national security correspondent who was the target of racist bullying is highlighting the station’s response on social media: “[It shows] how investing in a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment over time is a weapon against hate and bigotry.”

WTOP General Manager Joel Oxley penned an open letter to the WTOP community on July 21.

He acknowledged that the station, which is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, receives its share of constructive criticisms and said many of those are valid.

“And that’s all OK. We’re not perfect,” said Oxley, who has served as the station’s general manager since 1998. “We strive to be accurate all the time. We aim to be unbiased. At WTOP, we are glad to get the feedback. It makes us better — negative, positive and in-between.”

But he drew a strong line at feedback that is outright racist, focusing on a letter that the station had received from an anonymous author in Bowie, Md.

In his post Oxley called out the writer in no uncertain terms, posting an image of the letter and saying that this kind of missive cannot go unaddressed. “[This] is the communication that really bothers me,” he said. “The kind that is racist. The kind that gets my back up. Makes me angry.”

In the letter the author criticizes reporter J.J. Green and WTOP for their ongoing discussion of race, racism and the Black Lives Matter movement. Green is WTOP’s national security correspondent and co-creator of the podcast Colors: A Dialogue on Race in America.

The unnamed author logged a litany of what he called “tired” messages about “Black excuses,” “Black crime,” “thugs” and the BLM movement that he retitled “Burn, Loot, Murder.”

“I can assure you and all of WTOP that we are all sick and tired of hearing about racism,” wrote the letter writer. “No one believes in systemic racism. Just an excuse Blacks use for not improving themselves.”

“Stop the BS,” the author wrote. “We don’t want your podcast.”

Oxley wanted his audience to understand that J.J. Green is an award-winning journalist highly respected in the halls of the Pentagon and at the CIA. “We are very fortunate to have him working with us. He makes us better and helps our area be more informed,” Oxley said.

Beyond Green’s work as a reporter, he added, “he is my friend. I’ve known him for over 30 years. We met playing basketball in the ’80s. We started working together at WTOP in the ’90s. We’ve been through a lot together, and I have nothing but respect for one of the smartest and most caring people I know.”

The real reason that this listener wrote, he continued, is because Green and podcast co-host Chris Core have done a “tremendous job” taking a hard look at race relations. “They’ve done it in a balanced, thoughtful and insightful way.”

This anonymous writer — like others before — attack and discredit what they do not understand instead of stopping to listen and learn.

“J.J. is Black. And I’m white,” Oxley wrote. “Shouldn’t matter, right? But obviously it does to the person who wrote this letter. My goal with my response to this is to expose this kind of racial intolerance and ignorance in the hopes of putting more and more of it behind us for good.”

Green responded in turn, saying that such attacks are not new and are not limited to Black journalists. “During more than 30 years in radio and TV, I’ve gotten thousands of angry letters, phone calls and emails,” he said. But this one — with its unbridled, uncivilized and racist rants — led to a a different outcome: His boss, who happens to be white, stood up and demanded it stop.

“Joel Oxley … took the extraordinary step of writing an open letter … rejecting the hater, standing by my work and sending the message that we are living in a new day,” Green said.

“Let me be clear, no boss, regardless of race or gender, has ever gone this far for me,” he said. While there have often been mangers willing to express their disdain for racist communications, no one else knew about it. “Some may wonder why the big deal,” he said. “The big deal is that by Joel Oxley standing up against hate, he willingly made himself a target and established himself as a true leader in the fight against racism.”

He called that a model for industry about how to send a clear message disavowing racist acts.

Oxley said the incident will only make WTOP and its staff redouble their efforts.

The post WTOP GM: Racism Has No Place Here appeared first on Radio World.

Author and AV professional Jay B. Myers will keynote the 2021 AV/IT Summit, held virtually on Thursday, Aug. 5.

The keynote, based on Myers’ book “Rounding Third and Heading for Home: The Emotional Journey of Selling My Business and the Lessons Learned Along the Way,” will review the components that go into the sale of a business, including building a business designed to sell.

He will also explore how mergers and acquisitions affect everyone in a company and how to manage culture through change.

The 2021 AV/IT Summit is produced by Radio World’s parent company Future. It is free to attend for qualified integrators, consultants, content creators, technology managers and the like. Non-sponsoring manufacturers and distributors can register for $495, or inquire about sponsorship opportunities.

The post Myers to Keynote 2021 AV/IT Summit appeared first on Radio World.

A proposed increase in the regulatory fees that radio licensees pay the Federal Communications Commission has sparked backlash from the industry and calls for the commission to revamp the process by which it establishes those such fees.

Broadcasters also are repeating their years-old argument that the FCC should also charge unregulated “Big Tech” fees for their use of spectrum.

The FCC in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposed an average increase for radio stations for FY2021 of 8 percent, though some fees would climb by as much as 15%. Broadcasters view the increase as significant especially coming on the heels of a pandemic. The commission aims to collect $374 million from all the industries under its purview for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

[Read: Procedures Are Published for NCE FM Window]

Filings by the National Association of Broadcasters and a joint filing by state broadcast associations complain of discrepancies in how the FCC calculates the fees it collects; and the broadcasters argue that the commission cannot justify the substantial increase in regulatory fees.

“For the third consecutive year, the commission plans to significantly increase regulatory fees for broadcasters to unfair, unsustainable levels, and in a manner that is unlawful and ignores the COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating economic impact on broadcasters,” NAB wrote in a filing in June.

The association believes the FCC failed to explain the basis for the proposed increases “in any meaningful way.” It also said it is “apparent that broadcasters are not being charged more in regulatory fees because of any increased costs or benefits of their regulation.”

Spread the Burden

The commission is required by Congress to assess regulatory fees each year in an amount that can reasonably be expected to equal the amount of its appropriation. The commission issues a NPRM yearly seeking comment on the proposal; it did that in May.

The FCC estimates that in fiscal 2021 it will collect approximately $20.1 million from FM stations in annual regulatory fees, and another $9.6 million from AM licensees. The fees are based on the size of market a station serves. In all, the FCC projects it needs to collect approximately $136 million from industries regulated by the Media Bureau, including radio and television licensees, to cover the costs of some 119 full-time bureau employees.

The proposed fee increase would mean a Class A AM station in a small market serving a population of under 25,000 would pay $1,050 in 2021 compared to $975 a year ago. The largest FM broadcasters in markets of 6 million or more people would pay a top fee of $22,650 this year compared to $20,925 in 2020.

The FCC’s NPRM asks whether it should extend the temporary measures it adopted last year to help businesses suffering financial hardships because of the pandemic. Those include allowing some payment deferrals at a discounted interest rate, and in some extreme cases, fee waivers.

NAB asked the FCC to take steps to require huge tech companies and other unlicensed spectrum users pay their fair share of the commission’s activities from which they directly benefit. It contends that some of the largest and wealthiest companies in the world leverage commission proceedings to develop profitable business models yet contribute no regulatory fees.

The NAB estimates that broadcasters use 0.07% of allotted spectrum but account for at least 16% of the FCC’s entire budget while offering a free service to the public.

“The commission is forcing broadcasters to subsidize the regulation of other entities that are either contributing less than their fair share of the fees; or allowed to free ride entirely on the commission’s activities,” it wrote.

Broadcasters typically pay their annual fee by the end of September unless granted a financial hardship waiver due to the pandemic. The FCC says it has the authority to charge a 25% late fee if necessary.

The NAB asked the FCC to issue a Further Notice about expanding the base of payers to include Big Tech so the fee system can reflect the work the commission performs and the entities that actually its resources and derive benefits.

“The substantial financial impact on broadcasters and other regulated entities of exempting such companies from regulatory fees certainly warrants further consideration,” Rick Kaplan, NAB general counsel, wrote in ex parte comments in the docket.

States Speak Up

NAB is not alone in making this argument. A joint comment filing from the 50 state broadcast associations says the industry “has been unfairly subsidizing its competitors through regulatory fees for almost 30 years.”

The associations pointed to a recent D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals decision, Telesat Canada vs. FCC. They said he court dismissed a non-U.S. licensed space stations’ challenge to the FCC decision to expand the base of regulatory fees to include such entities.

The associations said the FCC can no longer “robotically apply its outdated methodology for calculating the regulatory fee obligations of broadcasters.”

Observers note that the FCC has recently made changes to the satellite and earth station fee category, resulting in an increase in the fees charged to the satellite industry.

Advocates for broadcasters claim the appeals court decision makes it clear that the commission has the statutory authority to charge “Big Tech” regulatory fees.

“The FCC should begin the process of expanding its payor base to include unlicensed spectrum users that broadcasters and other licensees are currently forced to subsidize,” the NAB wrote in reply comments to the FCC’s NPRM.

The state associations also wrote that the Ray Baum Act (RBA) of 2018 makes clear that “benefits, rather than licenses, are the touchstone for assessing regulatory fees.”

“The RBA equipped the FCC with the flexible authority to assess and collect fees based on the benefit of the commission’s work, not on the increasingly arbitrary factors of whether the payor holds a license or how the commission has organized itself.

“However, each year, the FCC has continued to reject that notion, asserting that the fee assessment structure dictated by the statute fundamentally remains unchanged,” that state broadcasters wrote.

Individual state broadcaster associations have been communicating with the membership on the potential fallout of the regulatory fees increase.

Smaller Entities Hit?

The New York State Broadcasters Association stated on its website the FCC previously has exempted stations whose fees were $1,000 or less.

“Some stations, especially Class A AM stations, have historically been assessed a fee under $1,000, and therefore were exempt. With the new fee schedule, some stations that were exempt in past years could find they are no longer exempt and must pay a fee,” it wrote.

Oscar Rodriguez, president of the Texas Association of Broadcasters, wrote on its website: “TAB once again is pushing back on the FCC’s proposed regulatory fees for broadcasters, which continue to soar while tech giants like Microsoft and others skate free despite benefiting immensely from the federal agency’s decision-making.”

Since the FCC is required to collect the money by the end of the fiscal year, it has to collect the fees in September, according to attorneys familiar with the process.

“That means an order setting the fees normally is released in August,” said Scott Flick, partner at Washington-based Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, who filed the reply comments on behalf of the 50 state broadcaster associations. “The FCC needs time to set up the fee database with the correct fee amounts before the filing window can be opened.”

Flick said payers also need notice in order to arrange for making the fee payments, particularly when the fees are higher than what they may have budgeted for.

Melodie Virtue, communications attorney with Foster Garvey, said she is doubtful of the prospects for the NAB petition: “I fear it will take an appeal to make the FCC budge on adjusting the annual regulatory fees imposed on broadcasters. The regulatory fee setting process is so interrelated among the various FCC bureaus, and since the FCC must collect by the end of September for the federal fiscal year, I don’t see any short-term resolution to this issue.”

The post Broadcasters Face Higher FCC Regulatory Fees appeared first on Radio World.

Broadcast business software developer and service provider Marketron has named Christian Kligora as senior vice president of Client Success.

Kligora comes most recently from Gannett/USA Today where he served as VP of Client Success.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

Marketron CEO Jim Howard said of Kligora, “He understands what it takes for an organization to do more than deliver a great product — to move forward into sales enablement, providing the training, resources and tools that clients need to sell the right mix of linear and digital advertising to help their customers get results.”

Send news of engineering and executive personnel changes to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Marketron Names Kligora as SVP of Client Success appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission this week reinstated operations of a low-power FM station at the center of a long running dispute over alleged interference to a nearby full-power FM station.

New River Community Church’s WYPH(LP), licensed to Manchester, Conn., has been the subject of interference complaints from Red Wolf Broadcasting’s WDRC(FM) in Hartford, Conn. Red Wolf began submitting letters of listener complaints of interference to its WDRC, which broadcasts at 102.9 MHz, in early 2020. WYPH commenced operations in 2017 at 102.5 MHz.

The FCC in April 2020 ordered the low-power FM station cease operations until it could demonstrate it was not the source of the interference. What followed was back-and-forth series of complaints, supplements and petitions filed by the two interested parties; and Media Bureau decisions that ultimately led to this week’s decisive ruling to reinstate WYPH’s operations.

[Read: FCC Resolving New England Interference Case]

The Media Bureau ordered the parties earlier this year to participate in “joint interference testing” to settle the dispute once and for all. The commission ultimately accepted test results conducted by a third-party independent broadcast engineer filed by WYPH, according to FCC documents released this week, after it determined Red Wolf was not cooperative in the interference testing.

New River conducted interference testing earlier this year and submitted its results in April. The on-off tests were conducted by independent broadcast engineer Michael Graziano and overseen by New River’s consulting engineer Tom Ray, according to the FCC release. The testing occurred at locations of the alleged interference incidents cited by WDRC listeners.

“We have reviewed the Interference Test Results submitted by New River and find that they demonstrate that WYPH-LP is not the source of the interference to the over-the-air reception of WDRC-FM,” according to the FCC. “Therefore, based on those results we will dismiss the complaint.”

The FCC’s letter also points out Red Wolf’s lack of cooperation in testing: “Subsequently, in a series of emails to Red Wolf, New River repeatedly sought Red Wolf’s participation in the on-off testing but Red Wolf did not commit to participating in such testing. Commission staff reaffirmed in an email to the parties that Red Wolf was obligated to work cooperatively. We find that Red Wolf’s decision not to participate in the testing with New River was unreasonable.”

The commission went even further to chastise Red Wolf for its lack of cooperation: “Red Wolf unreasonably refused to participate in the on-off testing as directed multiple times by the bureau and staff. In the future we encourage Red Wolf to participate in joint testing when provided the opportunity to do so.”

Red Wolf also claimed WYPH was using an unauthorized antenna that was not listed in its original construction permit. WYPH uses a two-bay Shively antenna instead of the four-bay Nicom antenna proposed as part of the station’s second-adjacent channel waiver request in its CP application. The FCC says WYPH notified them of the antenna swap.

In addition, Red Wolf argued that the WYPH license expired since the low-power station had been silent for over 12 months. While there have been previous such cases of license revocation under those circumstances “the commission may extend or reinstate such a station license if the holder of the station license prevails in an administrative or judicial appeal, the applicable law changes, or for any other reason to promote equity and fairness,” the FCC wrote in its decisive decision.

[Read: LPFM Facing $3,500 Forfeiture]

Those familiar with the most recent developments told Radio World they are unaware if WYPH has resumed broadcasting.

LPFM advocate Michi Bradley, founder of REC Networks, wrote about the New England interference case this week on her website. REC Networks previously worked with New River Community Church on its original CP application.

Bradley made following recommendations for other LPFM licensees based on what she learned from the WYPH circumstances: “LPFM construction permits do not specify a particular antenna make and model. When a second-adjacent waiver is requested, the applicant needs to demonstrate how a certain antenna can prevent interference from reaching occupied areas. While REC does not officially endorse this, if an LPFM station uses an antenna different than what they used in the exhibit demonstration, they leave themselves wide open for a second-adjacent complaint like this. It is important to realize that even if the station was built with the antenna used in the exhibit, they can still receive complaints. It would just be harder for the complaining station to make their case.”

Bradley concluded: “If you get a second-adjacent channel complaint and are forced off the air by the FCC, make sure that you cooperate fully with the Audio Division’s instructions and make every effort, even if the complaining station is uncooperative as was this case. WYPH’s cooperation in this case saved their license from statutory cancellation.”

The post LPFM Station Allowed to Resume Operations appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World’s Community Broadcaster columnist, and executive director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, Ernesto Aguilar is heading for San Francisco to be the new program director for KQED(FM).

He said, “It’s been an honor supporting local broadcasters nationwide as part of NFCB’s leadership. As public media’s leading organization, KQED is a beacon of education, culture and hope in its community and beyond. I look forward to crafting the future of public broadcasting with some of the most brilliant minds in our industry.”

Aguilar was with the NFCB beginning since 2016. His last day is July 30. His first day at KQED will be Aug. 23.

The post Aguilar to Be New KQED Program Director appeared first on Radio World.

If you plan to seek a CP for a new noncommercial educational FM construction permit in the upcoming filing window, be aware that the FCC’s Media Bureau has released procedures and requirements.

The bureau also will put a freeze into effect for certain FM applications starting Oct. 5 until Nov. 9, the close of the week-long filing window.

Remember, this new station opportunity is just for proposals for the FM reserved band, 88.1 to 91.9 MHz. (Read the notice.)

In this window, an applicant can file no more than 10 applications.

The commission reminded first-time applicants that NCE stations are licensed only to non-profit educational organizations, not individuals; that NCE FM new station licensing opportunities are more readily available in rural areas and smaller communities; and that the FCC doesn’t publish a list of “available” frequencies or provide a “channel finder tool” to locate “available” frequencies.

It also pointed out that applicants usually hire legal counsel and broadcast engineering consultants to do frequency searches and help prepare the legal and technical portions of the applications. It noted that the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers is one available source for such help.

The notice also lays out the system that the FCC uses to analyze “mutually exclusive,” i.e. competing, applications, which is expected to come into play given the general desirability of FM frequencies.

Instructions on using the LMS electronic filing system are also available on the Media Bureau’s LMS Help Center page.

The post Procedures Are Published for NCE FM Window appeared first on Radio World.