Radio World

Roz Clark

What will radio’s future air chain look like? A newly announced session of the Pro Audio & Radio Tech Summit on April 1 will explore that question.

“Building the Virtual Air Chain,” sponsored by RCS, will include panelists Roz Clark, who is senior director, radio engineering for Cox Media and chair of the Next Generation Architecture working group of the NAB Radio Technology Committee, and Alan Jurison, senior operations engineer, iHeartMedia Centralized Technical Operations and the chair of the Metadata Usage Working Group within the National Radio Systems Committee.

Alan Jurison

“Radio is adopting new technologies and practices from the information technology industry for its own success,” said Radio World Editor in Chief Paul McLane, who will moderate the discussion. “What will the infrastructure of the future look like — and will we even have one? How far will the industry go toward a ‘virtual air chain’?”

The summit, announced last week, is a free one-day virtual trade show where radio and pro audio professionals can learn about new products and technology and network with colleagues and manufacturers. Organizers reported strong initial registration after the announcement.

It is produced jointly by Mix magazine, Pro Sound News and Radio World.

The summit will feature a virtual exhibition floor, live chat and a separate track of presentations showcasing technologies and trends in pro audio.

The radio keynote session “Hybrid Radio & Android Automotive” will provide a look at two technology topics that affect how radio stations are heard in the car.

Registration for the event is open.

 

 

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The duo MLEMON

Lots of folks sing in the shower. I happen not to — even the water would boo — but I bring it up because that’s where I do a lot of creative thinking.

There’s something about the steam and sound that allows my mind to drift. Wherever your happy place, plan on spending some quality time there because it seems that this pandemic isn’t leaving anytime soon.

To retain and even grow your audience during this time when lifestyle patterns and priorities are in flux, you’ve got to be in a good frame of mind.

I’d like to lay out what I believe to be a path toward engaging your audience. While I can’t solve this specifically for you, I’m hopeful that these thoughts will jumpstart your creativity during that proverbial time in the shower.

1 — What are musicians doing these days?

Many are writing, producing and recording, recording, recording.

A local duo that I follow in DC called MLEMON has done four full albums since last March. They are not alone in their creative output. There are artists in your back yard doing the same.

While the barrier to releasing new materials has never been lower, the ability to reach a big audience is especially challenging with shuttered venues everywhere. Radio to the rescue!

As a role model for this potential promotion, take a peek at NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts. Instead of performing on-site at the Tiny Desk, the norm for over a decade, musicians are recording at home.

NPR also conducted its annual Tiny Desk Contest this pandemic year, capturing over 6,000 entries. You can read the rules for yourself, but I’d like to point out that one fun requirement is that every video include a desk. There’s even a sponsor, State Farm.

Linda Diaz on NPR’s YouTube channel.

Leading up to the winner, NPR featured many of the entries on-air and then followed up by making their winner a featured guest on “All Things Considered.”

Could you pull this off? Yes! This can be done locally and during the pandemic. It has the potential to create huge buzz in your social media, your local press, and TV newscasts.

2 — Next stop: Fashion.

We may be stuck at home, but most of us still gotta get dressed.

This headline from inStyle caught my eye: “How Will Kim Kardashian Dress Without Kanye West Controlling Her Closet?”

No matter what your format — it could even be talk or news — there are many listeners who are interested in or at least curious about this subject.

Also, fashion is something that can be done from home. Create a fashion contest with best-of categories, some of which could be pandemic-specific: masks, lightweight gloves, indoor shoes.

And where would we be in 2021 without Best Unmatched Top and Bottom for Zoom Calls?

Post pictures and videos on your social channels and/or website. Have judges and a Listeners’ Choice award. Could you find a local clothing store as a sponsor? Of course you can.

3 — It seems that animals are endemic to the pandemic.

If you’re not on a lot of Zoom calls, let me share that nearly every call I’m on features a pet’s enthusiastic greeting. While it’s usually dogs and cats, I have also met a talking bird named Buddy and the occasional fish or reptile. Do they distract on the calls? Yes, they do, and man, do people love that distraction.

Adopting or fostering shelter dogs and cats are a huge thing right now as people need companionship and many are isolated. You can easily become part of promoting pet adoption through this process already in place in your community.

You could bring back David Letterman’s timeless “Stupid Pet Tricks.” Of course, you could also do contesting around this one with winners for the best bark or mellowest meow. You could have awards for the prettiest and, yes, the ugliest. Ugly pets can most certainly be adorable just because they’re so strange-looking.

4 — Couples therapy!

What happens when those in committed relationships can’t escape each other because they’re trapped in the same apartment or house, month after month? The time has never been better for a late night call-in therapist who specializes in Just A Little Too Much Togetherness.

This has all the elements that make for compelling radio: comedy, tears, marriage, divorce and more. Don’t have a host? Hold live on-air auditions with therapists in your city and then have listeners vote on the winning host. Of course, they will be doing their show from home. It may even help the show if their spouse, kids or pets would interrupt the live broadcast once in a while!

Mark Lapidus is a veteran media and marketing executive. Email him at marklapidus1@gmail.com.

 

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Our recent ebook “Console Tech 2021” explores how the physical and virtual surfaces that radio stations and online audio creators use are evolving.

Johan Boqvist is senior product manager, radio on-air at Lawo.

Radio World: Name a specific feature or option of your surface or GUI that you wish to highlight.

Johan Boqvist: Modern radio consoles are no longer standalone physical devices, but are steadily becoming a combination of physical and on-screen interfaces that complement and mirror each other. Lawo has led the way in this area with a software GUI called VisTool, which comes with every Lawo radio mixer, runs on Windows PCs and supports touchscreen controls. 

Lawo was one of the first companies to augment physical controls with virtual controls, which makes VisTool the most mature console GUI on the market.

RW: What makes it notable?

Boqvist: While every Lawo console comes with a basic version of VisTool, there’s an Unlimited version that allows users to completely customize the look, feel and layout of the control GUI with their own

Lawo VisTool Unlimited GUI builder software

layouts and graphics.

They can literally build a virtual console with it, complete with on-screen, touch-sensitive faders, rotary controls, meters, pushbuttons and more. VisTool can even integrate controls for studio peripherals, including playout systems, phones, codecs, video feeds and social media platforms, etc.

[Related: “How to Choose Your Next Radio Console”]

What makes this notable is that broadcasters have begun to use VisTool not only to control their consoles, but their entire studios. They’re building remote-control solutions with it, where a remote operator connected via IP has complete access to all studio equipment and can run it as if they were physically present in the studio. 

Remote studio control setup using VisTool along with a Lawo console at the Sutro Tower transmitter site.

In these days of social distancing, this has proven to be a very in-demand solution, both for stations seeking to be prepared for emergency operation, and for remote talent working from home studios or other locations.

RW: What are other notable features available now in surfaces that may not have been a few years ago?

Boqvist: We’re seeing more and more automation features appearing in radio consoles.

Lawo has pioneered this, with things like AutoMix automatic group mixing and Autogain mic gain features, and also with the ability to set, save and recall settings, customized to individual talent, through the use of snapshots and motorized faders. Built-in touch-sensitive GUIs beginning to appear in radio consoles as well, a feature that was previously available only in large live-sound audio consoles like Lawo’s mc2 series.

RW: For someone who hasn’t bought a console recently, describe the level of “customization” available.

Boqvist: All Lawo radio products are customizable to meet every customer’s unique requirements and workflows. This means console configurations from two to 60 faders, with IP and/or baseband audio interfaces, redundant and non-redundant DSP cores, power distribution, network interfaces and protocols, and a number of DSP licenses and software add-ons to choose from, depending on the application.

The behavior, logic, functions and labels in the console and virtual extension are fully user configurable with the help of intuitive, use-to-use graphical editors and software. 

But if the customer doesn’t require custom configuration, Lawo radio consoles can be delivered with a standard configuration and pre-configured plug-and-play applications.

These standard configurations are frequently updated by our configuration experts based on user feedback and market requirements, to meet the requirements for the majority of radio installations. These standard configurations can also be used as baselines for Lawo’s engineering team to use when collaborating with clients to develop custom solutions.

RW: How many surfaces can an “engine” accommodate?

Boqvist: Great question! But there’s no set answer for every engine and every manufacturer; it depends upon the hardware used. Obviously, hardware with greater power and resources is better.

In Lawo’s case, we have been receiving more and more requests for shared and distributed DSP resources, and for good reason — this approach not only saves money, rack space and power (an environmentally friendly alternative), it makes possible many new options for sharing audio and logic between “logical consoles” and studios without external connections. Our solution is Power Core MAX, a license option for our Power Core DSP mixing engine, which is a 1RU device that’s one of the most powerful DSP devices ever made for broadcast. 

MAX is short for “Multiple Access,” and this license enables the Power Core device to host up to four consoles, either physical, virtual or any combination of the two. The current generation of hardware supports up to 60 faders and 96 parallel DSP channels. That’s more audio resources than a typical single radio application requires, but ideal for sharing those resources among multiple smaller control interfaces. 

Our clients tell us this is a perfect option for multiple consoles in a single studio, or for co-located studios in close proximity, since physical I/O can also be easily shared as well as control. 

Other applications are virtual remote studios with a shared core and DSP engine deployed in a datacenter, with audio connectivity over Ravenna/AES67. Power Core units already in the field can be easily upgraded to MAX functionality with a simple license upgrade.

RW: How will the role of physical surfaces change in the next five years?

Boqvist: Like the rest of the industry, Lawo clearly sees a trend towards more and more virtual consoles and interfaces. As pioneers in virtualization, first with the development of our VisTool graphical control interface, and then with our RƎLAY virtual mixing and routing software, we support this trend and have plenty of experience, having helped customers around the world to deploying virtual user interfaces for production and live broadcasting.

At the same time, customers still want modular physical consoles, very often in combination with virtual interfaces. While we believe that a virtual interface can’t completely replace a physical surface in every application, we think that modular and hybrid console combinations, with open APIs for software integration, are the future. 

This enables flexible deployments and solutions designed for a common and unified workflow across a number of different application scenarios. Lawo Product Management and R&D are working with our UX team and with our clients to develop some exciting products in this vein, which are scheduled for next year, with interfaces that bring modern design and consistent workflow patterns together to unify the overall user experience — whether clients choose physical consoles, virtual consoles or a mixture of both.

The post Console GUIs Get More Powerful appeared first on Radio World.

Dielectric equipment inside the transmitter shack at WSRQ.

From our Who’s Buying What page: antenna maker Dielectric said consultant Hal Kneller specified DCR-T antennas for FM translators for AM stations WSRQ(AM) in Sarasota, Fla., and WMDD in Fajardo, P.R.

“WSRQ’s translator for 106.9 FM (W295BH) is part of a blended SFN and simulcasting network that synchronizes programming across four stations in the Sarasota/Bradenton market,” the company stated.

[Related: “Hybrid Synchronization in the Sunshine State”]

“In an effort to improve coverage the 250 W translator, previously located in Bradenton, was moved to Sarasota following FCC approval. While the move would establish a stronger signal with better building penetration, the existing ‘budget antenna’ had suffered recent water damage and would not suit the signal’s new directional pattern,” Dielectric wrote in a project summary.

“Kneller kept the station on the air with a backup system while the one-bay DCR-T antenna was installed on its new tower, which he described as ‘very busy and loaded.’ The compact DCR-T design was top-mounted on the 475-foot tower, using a tower pipe initially intended for cellular antennas. The top-mounted position, combined with the directional pattern designed for the translator, has substantially improved the translator’s effectiveness in the all-important Sarasota area.”

Dielectric DCR-T antenna at WMDD.

Kneller is using two Dielectric FM filters for the Sarasota transmitter building, with one feeding 106.9 MHz and the other feeding a system on 99.1 FM.

The WMDD system in Puerto Rico simulcasts the main AM signal on 106.5 MHz. The translator is 30 miles outside of San Juan; the translator is on the AM station’s 400-foot tower.

Send news for Who’s Buying What to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

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DTS AutoStage promo image

Xperi has officially announced the renaming of its DTS Connected Radio hybrid radio platform as DTS AutoStage.

Radio World recently reported the change after the company did a “soft rollout” of the new name during the online CES show in January.

[Related: “Summit to Explore Hybrid Radio, Android Automotive”]

In a press release the company expanded on the reasons. Xperi said the move reflects “the broad application of the platform within automotive infotainment systems.”

DTS AutoStage recently launched in the Daimler MBUX infotainment system, so it is showing up in vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Xperi said the platform also won a 2021 Business Intelligence Group (BIG) Innovation Award.

“The rebrand to DTS AutoStage was in part driven by the opportunities resulting from Xperi’s merger with TiVo in June 2020, which enabled the integration of TiVo’s world-class music metadata and personalized content discovery engine,” according to a press release.

It said the branding represents the entertainment “stages” the platform offers as well as how it can “amplify those stages as in-cabin technology continues to evolve.”

Recently announced features include lyrics, content metadata and personalization capabilities.

Xperi said its partners now include Entercom, Beasley, Cox Radio, Bauer Media and Global Radio, as well as regional platforms FM World, Quu Interactive, Radio.com and RadioApp.

Hybrid radio systems combine over-the-air reception with an internet connection that delivers metadata and can allow “service following” in which a receiver switches automatically to a station’s stream when the car is out of the range of the broadcast signal.

 

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A free World Radio Day banner for print and web use can be downloaded at the World Radio Day website resources page.

UNESCO had set up a resource page for radio stations enhancing its World Radio Day, Feb. 13.

Available are videos, suggested supplemental activities for stations along with advertising materials. All the materials are copyright-free.

[Read: WRHU to Go Worldwide on February 12–14]

UNESCO has declared the 2021 World Radio Day theme to be “Evolution, Innovation, Connection.”

It also the 10th anniversary of WRD. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azouley issued a statement: “More than ever, we need this universal humanist medium, vector of freedom. Without radio, the right to information and freedom of expression and, with them, fundamental freedoms would be weakened, as would cultural diversity, since community radio stations are the voices of the voiceless.”

 

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The author is chairman of Digital Radio Mondiale.

Radio is more than 110 years old; the World Radio Day, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly as an international day in 2012, will be 10 years old on Feb. 13 (while the life-changing pandemic is only one though it feels like a hundred).

While we read about the excellent results of Spotify in Q4, the spread of podcasting, are we celebrating or commemorating radio? It all depends on whether we look back at the past or try to reinvent radio for the current times and the future.

[Read: WRHU to Go Worldwide on February 12–14]

The international, not-for-profit DRM Consortium feels totally in tune with the three 2021 WRD themes: evolution, innovation and connection. They are wide and lofty enough so that any new technology or platform could subscribe to them. But we are demonstrating practically how radio can evolve and invent what is needed now.

The compression delivered in digital enables up to three audio DRM programs and one data channel on one AM or FM current analog frequency. DRM has been mainly tested, and rolled out for its excellent audio qualities, even in the less forgiving shortwave and medium-wave analog bands DRM delivers combined information like audio and data (i.e., text, pictures, maps etc.) that can enable vital services like the Emergency Warning Functionality to be received on digital radio sets.

It is the pandemic that has forced us to look at the DRM audio and data combination in another context, as an innovative learning platform for all. We looked more closely at the data carriage channel. Data means files, and files represent anything from pop song titles and singers’ pictures to stock market prices or maps and the RSS feeds made available through the universal medium of radio. At least this was the kind of illustration we used to give before 2019. In 2020 we realised that this unique combination of audio and multimedia services, available on a standard digital radio set delivered via terrestrial broadcasts (i.e., one to many, and as many as needed), can offer a real solution for distance learning where the internet is patchy, non-existent or the modern gadgets are rare and unaffordable.

For most, e-learning means nowadays something done via the internet. But internet penetration varies between about 95% in the United States (where 73% own a personal computer), to slightly above 50% in Asia and under 40% in Africa. And this has created yet another information and education gap, as amply documented elsewhere.

Can DRM Be the New Teacher?

DRM can deliver typical classroom education, as well as lessons for personal self-study. Instead of giving the same FM content, or similar, on one of the two extra digital channels, a broadcaster might choose to use one of the available DRM digital channels to broadcast lectures or lessons at certain times of the day. In parallel, complementary lesson notes, full textbooks including graphics and formulas, illustrative images, quizzes etc. can be displayed and cached after being loaded and made available through the Journaline application. As the data is repeated on carousel, they can also be used as notes to the lesson to be referenced during the class or be accessed for self-study at any time and as many times as needed afterwards. The Journaline application helps with the structuring of the information by language, class level, subject, and chapters, for easy navigation by students and teachers, too. The idea has certainly got a lot of attention in India and some African countries.

DRM School Demo

If a DRM receiver is not available or too expensive for individual students, DRM radio sets that are optimized for the radio schooling use-case may provide a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot feature, allowing anybody nearby to access the full DRM audio and textbook content. This means a single DRM receiver can be used for communities, households, or classrooms, still giving every student or user full control over navigating the content at their own pace.

Digital Radio Distance Education

In this instance the digital receiver functions as a “mini-station” that feeds cheap Wi-Fi devices or a larger screen placed in a community center where, if allowed, many students can enjoy informative, modern lectures.

DRM digital radio cannot mirror the richness of internet when this is available, affordable and working. DRM or digital radio e-learning is a more compact offer. It needs a highly structured presentation of the essential content with only the key notes, images and notes available. The information is presented in a logical and structured way. Maybe this is the essence of good and intelligent teaching and learning. Synchronization of audio and visual material broadcast terrestrially is a challenge and has its own limitations, so less is more as quality always trumps quantity.

On Feb. 13, the World Radio Day, we are highlighting DRM as a distance learning platform by launching our education DRM ebook, DRM for Education.

Being a “one-to-many” platform, digital radio can deliver audio and text over vast areas and, therefore, to all the schools and students in villages far away or in busy cities, with the same content and quality and without any discrimination.

On Feb. 13 we are also launching in parallel with our ebook, DRM Delivers Education for All Initiative, which is a project you may want to learn about, get involved in, support and implement. If so, please contact us at projectoffice@drm.org.

World Radio Day is a celebration. And what better way to support evolution, use innovation, and enhance connection than through DRM, a sure way to bring a 100-year-old friend to the new generation in the guise of a knowledgeable and encouraging teacher!

 

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iHeartRadio has launched a big 3D audio effort and announced a “strategic expansion into binaural podcasting.”

It promises to put listeners “into the middle of an audio soundscape, immersing them in the story like never before.”

It released this audio sample to promote it. “Put your headphones on,” it states.

The company plans to introduce a slate of podcasts using this technique.

“Binaural, or 3D audio, creates a sense of movement, location and triggers other senses,” the company wrote in its announcement, “enhancing listening experiences and providing a new way for people to hear high quality, surround sound, immersive content, and reproducing real-life experiences, much like virtual reality has done for video, right in their own homes.”

The announcement was made by Conal Byrne, president of the iHeartPodcast Network. Byrne was quoted describing the technology as “virtual reality for the ears,” a more immersive way of listening.

It said its binaural audio series “13 Days of Halloween,” produced with Blumhouse Television, drew 2.8 million listeners and that it will expand te franchise to other holidays.

“The new iHeart 3D Audio slate will also include the upcoming podcast ‘The Mantawauk Caves,’ a co-production with Blumhouse Television, as well as a series of bonus 3D episodes across the year for hit shows like ‘The Ron Burgundy Podcast,’” it stated.

A company spokeswoman wrote in the announcement, “The tech has been wildly underused in podcasting, and the move makes iHeart the first company to carve out a substantial stake in the space.”

 

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Jeff Welton and Wayne Pecena are shown in a past discussion about IT security.

Tuesdays are for transmission at Nautel.

Well, every day is probably for transmission at Nautel; but Tuesdays are when the RF manufacturer runs its series of online roundtables about transmission topics.

Jeff Welton hosts and brings in various guests.

Discussions in February are covering site maintenance, SNMP and IT security. Past topics have included minimizing costs; grounding and lightning protection; and site monitoring. Webinars are archived on the Nautel site.

Attendance qualifies for a half credit for SBE certification. Details are on the company website.

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Tom Lawler is a contract studio/RF engineer who builds and maintains analog and AoIP radio and home studios for broadcast; his full-time job is in field technical services for RCS. We spoke to him for the Radio World ebook “Trends in Audio Processing for Radio.”

Radio World: Tom, what do you see as the most important trend in the design and use of processors?

Tom Lawler: With the development by leaps and bounds in flexibility — between insert patch points for ratings watermarking, multimode boxes, as well as being able to do MPX over AES or AoIP — modern processors have become virtual Swiss Army knives. Not to mention that devices like StreamBlade from Wheatstone or software processors like StereoTool let your online presence have just as much punch as the OTA signal. 

It wasn’t that many years ago where the only option was to try and adapt an FM box or use a PCI card that couldn’t be easily updated.

RW: What should readers know about the differences in processing needs for analog over the air, digital OTA, podcasts and streaming?

Lawler: Every medium requires a different approach, but they all require you to have as clean a source material as possible. 

With analog OTA you can get away with clipping/limiting to achieve loudness without introducing fatiguing artifacts — but that approach won’t work with digital OTA as artifacts will cause issues with the bit-reduced codec. For podcasting, use a gentle multiband to smooth over transitions between segments/presenters — resist the urge to treat it like FM! 

Streaming can be treated like FM, but make sure to use lookahead limiting instead of clipping — also, make sure everything is in-phase for when it’s folded down to mono on a smart speaker.

RW: How will the concepts of the cloud, virtualization and software as a service affect the processing marketplace? 

Lawler: I hope that it will lead to greater flexibility, redundancy and better quality. Imagine no STL issues to contend with (as long as your ISPs are up), and you now have the ability to make upgrades with the click of a mouse rather than having to physically rack up gear.

This is a great opportunity for users as well as vendors alike — users gain as much flexibility as they are willing to pay for, and vendors can have a reliable subscription income stream. Plus, there is no single point of failure like in a traditional plant.

RW: The pandemic is changing thinking about the need for big buildings and studios to make good radio. What does this mean for processing? 

Lawler: I think COVID-19 will accelerate moving to flexible software/cloud solutions for processing — and it will be more important than ever with the myriad of sources and level differences. 

Given that more and more talent is working remotely from home rather than at the studio it will be a challenge to keep everything sounding consistent from source to source. Not every home studio has mic processing, and many automation systems do not handle ducking gracefully. 

Adding processing in the cloud will be necessary to keep the audio consistent — more so now than before. This also means less in the racks to power and cool if done right.

RW: How is consumer behavior changing; for instance are younger consumers moving toward greater fidelity? 

Lawler: Things have come full circle almost. In the 1950s and ’60s you had a 3-inch mono speaker that went hand-in-hand with the explosion of top 40 radio. And now, we have smart speakers that are about the same size fueling another revolution in how audio entertainment is consumed. Apple and their just released new iPod touting greater fidelity, and the ability to pair them and create stereo, similar to other smart speakers. 

If this is how your audience consumes the station/stream/podcast, make sure to give them a download or on-demand stream that is easy to listen to no matter the environment. Make the most of the 3-inch speaker without sounding smashed. Do your content creators have access to the tools to process voice without making it sound unnatural? That is the trick with modern listening — making it pleasing while taking into account less than perfect conditions.

RW: In 2014 we did a story asking if processors had become as powerful as they could get. In 2020, where might further dramatic improvements come from?

Lawler: Never underestimate the ability to go further. My grandfather once believed that Cadillac would go no further than a dual points ignition setup — now look at what can be done with engine management! 

Tools like the limitless clipper in Wheatstone’s X5 or being able to generate a perfect composite FM signal from a 192 kHz PC soundcard with StereoTool. Six years ago everyone was asking what was next after the big three (Orban, Omnia, Wheatstone) took FM to as loud as could be asked — and all went in the direction of how to put the quality back in with such hyperprocessed source material from record producers. I can’t wait to see what the next six years bring!  

RW: What else should we know about processing for radio?

Lawler: Look at your entire audio path — from the quality of the files you are playing (WAV vs MP2/MP3), the STL, the exciter/transmitter, and even the antenna. Any one of those could be the reason you cannot achieve the sound you are looking for. And as the old saying goes “Garbage in, garbage out.”

Read what other thought leaders have to say in the ebook “Trends in Audio Processing for Radio.” Read it here.

 

 

The post Lawler: Listening Has Come Almost Full Circle appeared first on Radio World.

Jim Schultz primarily does electrical contract work of all types for broadcast stations and telecom and data facilities. Along the way he has been involved in several transmitter installs.

Jim confesses that radio has always been a first love. For him the relationship started, like many in the biz, with a Knight Kit wireless broadcaster kit when he was 9 years old, six decades ago.

Although he spent a few years on both sides of the mic in medium-market radio, he now has owned his own business as a Connecticut E1 Unlimited Electrical Contractor for almost 40 years. Let that be an encouragement to anyone thinking about starting a contract engineering business!

Jim has been following our discussions about bonding and grounding in Workbench and took note of Wayne Eckert’s drawing of a properly grounded pole in December.

Jim suggests adding a bonding kit where the coax feedline leaves the pole, and a #6 or larger copper bonding conductor from the grounding electrode to the power/telco/ CATV station ground.

Fig. 1 shows a typical ground kit, available from CommScope.

fig. 1: CommScope manufactures a variety of ground kits for different size cables. Zap!

Mark Jensen is president of MWB Broadcasting, which owns stations in Nebraska and Hawaii. On a recent Idea Bank conference call, Mark related that an abundance of flies had made working inside his transmitter building unpleasant. Not only that but the flies were getting sucked into the transmitter, causing expensive damage.

Mark’s solution was to install bug zappers inside the buildings. The light attracts and kills the flying insects, keeping them out of electronic equipment. Simple but efficient.

On the same call there was a discussion about keeping weeds down from around your transmitter building or tower.

Terry Barber is with Little Engine Broadcasting, in Montgomery, Ala. He has a billboard company nearby, with scores of old billboards on hand. The sections are of no use to the billboard company, so Terry has placed the old billboard sections on the ground, around his transmitter building, and covered them with gravel.

Since the weeds won’t penetrate the boards, any that do grow amidst the gravel can be pulled easily. Another inexpensive, effective, solution.

X marks the driver

You probably have a screwdriver set with both straight and Phillips drivers. You go to grab one and have to stop and look at the tip to see if it is the one you want.

Mark Peterson, engineer at WCTS(AM), in Plymouth, Minn., offers a solution: Take a Sharpie brand or similar permanent marker and mark the handles of the Phillips drivers. If you store drivers vertically, in slots or loops in the tool case, place a mark on the on the butt end of the driver — an “X” to indicate Phillips or a slash “/” for the straight blade.

Take a minute or two to do this and you’ll never grab the wrong driver again.

We love all these simple, yet useful, reminders.

Who needs a carwash?

Alan Peterson is the national production director for the Radio America Network and a longtime member of the Radio World family.

Our recent discussions about cleaning equipment using a hose or carwash reminded Alan of the time in the early 1990s at WLAD(AM)/WDAQ(FM) in Danbury, Conn., when an oil burner in the basement of the studios malfunctioned and filled the building with greasy smoke and soot.

Professional cleaning crews took care of the general office mess while, but the guidance of the late Tom Osenkowsky, Alan and a few other staffers took care of degreasing the electronic gear.

As Alan related the experience in the pages of Radio World, a reader suggested that a suitable way to clean an ITC triple-deck cart machine was to remove all rubber parts like pinch rollers and rubber feet, and run it through the dishwasher!

Alan fortunately hasn’t had a second shot at a station fire to test the idea, and cart decks have gone the way of the Conestoga wagon, so we can’t report any outcome of the proposed experiment. Perhaps Workbench readers can share one.

Smart water sensors

Jose Luis Bolanos is with Broadcast Services LLC. He attended a Zoom meeting for the Grand Rapids SBE chapter recently on which I spoke.

In the presentation on AoIP, I also mentioned the use of water sensors to protect both studio and transmitter sites from water damage.

Typically, these floods are caused by clogged condensate drains, but roof leaks in seldom-visited sites can be just as costly.

Jose Luis has been using water sensors in facilities as well, but his are battery-powered (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2: WER makes this Wireless Water Leak Sensor Alarm with 90 dB buzzer. We saw it on Amazon for less than $30 for a four-pack.

They will wail/beep when they come in contact with water. You’ll find them described at this Amazon link: https://amzn.to/37qSwQD. This set includes four sensors for under $30. Note that batteries are not included.

Jose Luis places the sensors in strategic corners or near AC condensate drain pipes — he had one of those clog once, and it started to drip water inside the transmitter building.

When the alarm starts, he can pick up the noise with a security camera that receives audio or an environmental monitor unit.

Nowadays, you can purchase water sensors that are connected through the internet (like everything else). These versions will send alarms to a smart phone/email.

Here is an Amazon link for these IP sensors, shown in Fig. 3, which cost less than $50 for three and come with batteries: https://amzn.to/3akUTWY.

Fig. 3: The Govee WiFi Water Sensor has an adjustable alarm but will also connect to WiFi and send emails, app notifications and alerts to your phone in the presence of a water leak. It’s around $50 for three. Note that it doesn’t support 5G WiFi.

Workbench submissions are encouraged and qualify for SBE Recertification. Email them to johnpbisset@gmail.com.

John Bisset has spent more than 50 years in the broadcasting industry and is in his 31st year writing Workbench. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. He holds CPBE certification with the Society of Broadcast Engineers and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award.

The post Workbench: Remember a Ground Kit at the Base appeared first on Radio World.

Are you ready for lightning?

Don’t miss our cover story by Wayne Eckert, who spent years protecting AT&T infrastructure from damage and shares his tips.

Also in this issue: T networks, SNMP, virtualization, off-air frequency measurements and more.

Radio World Engineering Extra provides a special deep dive into topics of interest specifically for radio broadcast engineers. It is edited by veteran DOE Cris Alexander.

Read it here.

The post Inside the Feb. 10 Issue of RW Engineering Extra appeared first on Radio World.

From our People News page: Jordan Lee has been named station director of WYMS(FM)/88Nine Radio Milwaukee.

The organization announced several other changes. Dori Zori was named program director while keeping her morning show role; Music Director Justin Barney becomes assistant PD.

Left to right: Jordan Lee, Dori Zori and Justin Barney

The announcements were made by Director Kevin Sucher, who said Lee has led 88Nine programming for more than five years.

“As station director, Jordan will be responsible for the development of new products that allow for greater music discovery and work towards the station’s mission of serving all of Milwaukee,” the organization said. “Lee also serves as the executive producer for specialty program Rhythm Lab Radio, which the station recently announced is available for nation-wide syndication.”

Zori becomes Radio Milwaukee’s first female PD. Lee joined Radio Milwaukee in 2008. The two co-hosted its morning show in 2012–2014.

Send announcements about radio management and engineering roles to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Radio Milwaukee Promotes Several appeared first on Radio World.

WRHU Station Manager Catie Egan With Cove City Sound Studios Owner Richie Cannata

The author is the chief engineer for Salem Radio’s WMCA in New York, WNYM-Hackensack, N.J., and Hofstra University’s WRHU in Hempstead, N.J. He is currently working towards a Doctorate in Education at Hofstra University.

Some time ago sitting in traffic in the Holland Tunnel, driving home from a routine maintenance visit to Salem Radio’s WMCA 570 AM transmitter site in Kearny, N.J., I had a wild thought. World Radio Day, the official UNESCO event celebrating terrestrial broadcast radio, was approaching in a few months. Wouldn’t it be cool if I could help a team of students turn the ambitious college FM station where I work into a worldwide radio network for just one day? At the time, it seemed like a silly, impossible daydream. But then again, WRHU Radio Hofstra University 88.7 FM is a place built on dreams.

First signing on the air in the late 1950s, WRHU (formerly WHCH and WVHC) has grown from its small studios underneath the campus’ Spiegel Theater to the broadcast powerhouse it is today. WRHU’s FM signal covers all of Nassau County on Long Island and parts of New York City’s five boroughs and the tristate area. Over the years, the station has won multiple Marconi Awards, enjoyed a high-profile relationship with the New York Islanders hockey team, and trained a multitude of passionate radio graduates who have worked their way into the New York broadcast market.

Housed in The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University, the station is powered by its 200-plus student volunteers. And this year, the station reached a new height — receiving the World Radio Day Award from the Academy of Radio Arts and Sciences of America.

General Manager Bruce Avery has spent the last 27 years of his career at the helm of WRHU. It was his passion for broadcasting and commitment to preprofessional development in an environment of mutual respect that helped grow the station to where it is today. Bruce has always stressed that WRHU is a student-run radio station supported by a diverse group of administrators, faculty, alumni and community volunteers.

WRHU Reporter Derek Futterman

To pursue this idea of a worldwide broadcast, I knew that the students would have to be in charge. I consulted with my colleague, Operations Manager John Mullen, on the best way to approach this. John is no stranger to big, globally successful ideas, having been program director for WBLS and operations manager for Hot 97 and CD 101.9 during their heyday in the 1990s. John and I agreed that the students would be best served by a broadcast that was a celebration of live and local radio, and that it would happen in two parts.

The first would be an actual global broadcast. WRHU would reach out to stations across the United States and around the world to invite them to join us for our special World Radio Weekend broadcast on Feb 12, 13 and 14. Student reporters and DJs would have the opportunity to do a bidirectional simulcast with each partner station. To accomplish this, we would use all of our technological options — our connectivity choices include Comrex Access codecs along with Telos VX IP phones and QGoLive soft codec apps for smartphones. Our updated studios feature the latest Wheatstone gear and RCS automation — to connect the World Radio Weekend broadcast affiliates with WRHU’s campus studios in Hempstead, essentially building an ad hoc network of international stations.

Finding interested affiliates was also easy. It turns out that radio geeks come in all shapes and sizes. WRHU alum and JVC Broadcasting owner John Caracciolo and Neversink Media Group’s Bud Williamson were the first to offer us airtime. We wanted to feature local stations that served their listeners with live and local programming. Established names like Pocono 96.7, Long Island News Radio, WKNY Kingston and WALL Radio seemed like a natural fit for the broadcast. From there the list grew longer. KBOO community radio in Portland, Ore., agreed to join us for a tribute to WCBS engineer and WRHU alum Marc Weiner, who passed away in 2020. Marc was a beloved technical mentor and friend of both stations, so it only seemed fitting to honor his memory as part of our joint broadcast.

WRHU Reporter Crystal Bermudez

Since then, the list of international and domestic stations has grown considerably. Bush Radio 89.5 FM, a community megaphone in Cape Town, South Africa, eagerly joined the program, along with Bradford City Broadcasting’s 106.6 in the U.K.; Taipei, Taiwan’s FM100; Florida Man Radio; South Seas Broadcasting’s KKHJ in American Samoa; and GGFM in the Philippines. For the Spanish-language segment of the broadcast, Hofstra University professor and Latin American radio scholar Mario Murillo will connect us with his partner station WIOX, Roxbury, N.J., where he produces a weekly Rumba music show.

The WRHU student team, led by journalists Derek Futterman, Rachel Luscher and Crystal Bermudez, has been hard at work preparing “WRHU’s World Radio Passport.” Listeners will have the chance to hear shows featuring music, voices and stories from stations around the world, all co-hosted by WRHU students.

“We want the listener to sit back and let the radio take them on this amazing voyage around the world,” said Futterman ’23, a journalism major.

More than 50 industry professionals were also interviewed as part of the production. WRHU students have spent the last two months gathering stories and radio experiences from radio’s household names such as 1010 WINS anchor Lee Harris, Q104.3’s Jim Kerr, WNYC’s Paul Cavalconte, ABC Radio’s Todd Ant, and MaryKate “MK” Burnell of the “More Music Please” podcast. Matching the students with professionals in their fields of interest proved to be very rewarding for both interviewer and interviewee.

WRHU Reporter Rachel Luscher

Students from the station’s news and sports departments, led by Professionals in Residence Pete Silverman and Sara Hendricks, jumped at the chance to chat with some of the nation’s top talents. Shayna Sengstock ‘22, a WRHU student technical engineer, loved having the chance to interview veteran CBS engineer Mitch Glider. “It was really exciting to have the chance to learn about these amazing professionals and what they do,” she said. “They provided so much inspiration for my own career.”

WDST’s Lenny Bloch also enjoyed his interview with WRHU’s Grant Francis ‘21, responding with “Great kid, great chat!” Even Long Island music legends Richie Cannata and Liberty DeVitto got involved, talking about the crucial role of local radio in the region’s music history. Student Director of Music Programming Ed Mabeeza now has the challenge of scheduling the entire program in RCS Selector for the weekend.

None of this would have been possible without the support of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication and Dean Mark Lukasiewicz. Hofstra has given WRHU its support for over 60 years. On Feb. 12, we look forward to sharing WRHU with the world.

 

 

 

The post WRHU to Go Worldwide on February 12–14 appeared first on Radio World.

KSJO logo

Hoping to advance its push for the FCC to allow geo-targeting content on FM boosters, GeoBroadcast Solutions has applied for 90-day experimental authority to run two co-located, on-channel boosters in San Jose, Calif.

Its goal is to collect more field data about the company’s ZoneCasting FM booster system.

“The test will be conducted through Universal Media Access’ KSJO(FM) in San Jose, Calif., a South Asian/Indian broadcaster,” the company said in an announcement.

“The trial will demonstrate KSJO’s ability to add localized weather and traffic, news, advertising and EAS tests during short parts of a broadcast hour, and how seamlessly unrecognizable it will be to the average listener.”

The filing was made by Bert Goldman Goldman Engineering Management, who will install the equipment if the request is approved. GBS said Dennis Roberson of tech and management consultant firm Roberson and Associates will oversee and audit the process.

Bill Saurer is president and CEO of Universal Media Access.

“The requested testing will use a back-to-back booster configuration setup at different locations near the busy I-680 corridor,” GBS stated.

Goldman was quoted in the announcement saying the goal was to show that ZoneCasting “can be very simply implemented, in this case, adding only one booster location and can significantly improve coverage in low signal areas while providing geotargeted programming which can benefit hundreds of thousands of listeners without interference.”

As we’ve reported, the FCC currently is taking industry comments about the GBS proposal on geo-targeting. That comment deadline is Wednesday.

GBS added that this would be its fourth experimental permit and the second using this booster configuration.

 

 

The post GBS Wants to Test Geo-targeting in San Jose appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission has scheduled an auction in July of 136 FM and four AM construction permits.

Auction 109 will open on July 27, 2021. It will include all of the FM permits that has been included in Auction 106 plus six more.

Auction 106 was postponed last year due to the pandemic and has now been canceled; applications to participate in that auction have been dismissed; so hopefuls will have to file a new application to take part in Auction 109. That window hasn’t opened yet.

Also up for auction in July will be four AM licenses — three in Illinois and one in St. Louis, Mo.

The commission has published proposed bidding procedures for the auction and has asked for comments, due March 15. Read the FCC notice here. And here is list of permits to be offered.

The Media Bureau also has frozen applications to modify any of the vacant non-reserved band FM allotments involved in the auction, as well as proposals to change channel, class, community or reference coordinates for them, and applications that fail to protect Auction 109 FM allotments.

A temporary freeze on AM minor changes that would conflict with the expired licenses of the four AM facilities remains in effect.

 

The post FCC Schedules Auction of 136 FM CPs appeared first on Radio World.

A promotional image of the 635A from an Electro-Voice brochure.

No TV station today would send a crew to a news conference with a 16 mm film camera. Today’s radio reporter would think you were crazy if issued a reel-to-reel recorder before heading out on a story.

Audio and video have seen multiple generations of improvements leading to today’s digital gear. But for many radio and TV crews, one basic item has turned 55 years old and does not appear to be getting replaced.

In October 1965, Electro-Voice Vice President of Broadcast and Recording Equipment Lou Burroughs proclaimed, “The 635 is dead, long live the 635A!”

In a newsletter to customers, Burroughs wrote, “There is increasing demand for a small, lightweight, high-output microphone for stand and handheld use.” Click the image below to read the letter.

In a Broadcasting magazine full-page ad, Electro-Voice mentioned that the original 635 had been in use since 1947. The 635 was designed to be used on a stand: the cable connector was adjacent to threaded stand mount attached to the microphone through a hinge. It was unwieldy as a stick mic. The ad copy for the 635A included what at the time was a marketing boast, “the new 635A will take over as the new standard.” (Click the image to read the ad.)

It turned out to be a prescient line. With so little 1965 technology still in use, the endurance of the 635A is remarkable. Electro-Voice’s Guy Low attributes the longevity of “our most iconic product” in part to its utilitarian, workhorse role.

Burroughs noted what is likely the key to the 635A’s success. “I have one unit that was purposely dropped on hardwood and concrete floors 27 times during tests without altering its frequency response.”

One major market chief photographer referred to the 635A as a “hammer” for its resilience. There are 635As of uncertain vintage lurking in many an audio box, scuffed and perhaps with a dented screen, but still sounding as good as new.

While the 635A does not make as many appearances on entertainment TV as it used to, its presence is a unifying element for news conferences over the last six decades.

In 1967, Stanford University scientists announced a breakthrough in genetic research. At least three 635As were used to capture the sound of the event.

Electro-Voice management has not considered withdrawing the 635A from its catalog, as demand for the original model continues year after year.

“There isn’t necessarily a need for any bells and whistles to be added,” to the 635A, Low said. The original 635A model came in Electro-Voice’s standard fawn beige color and was 6 inches long. Over time, the company added a black color option, the 635L, which is 3.5 inches longer than the original, and the 635N/D-B, which uses Electro-Voice’s neodymium element.

EV 635A published frequency response

Electro-Voice’s Low adds the 635A is attracting a new generation of fans, “We are hearing from kids who are using these mics on stage and studio … and people like them because they are robust and durable and they kind of hearken back to the era when things were built to last.”

Electro-Voice aficionados were a bit concerned in 2006, when the company became part of the German conglomerate Bosch. The American name for microphones, speakers and other audio products was now part of an organization that made RTS intercoms but had many interests, including the aviation, automobile, and security sectors.

Low said little has changed as the parent firm, “lets each brand’s core competencies remain in place.”

Those same technical developments that have affected broadcasting have led to podcasting and home studios. Low added the company’s standard studio microphone, the RE20, is seeing record sales numbers, likely due to demand from podcasters trying to recreate the sound of radio stations, “people imitate what they see.”

Electro-Voice has no official records of how many 635A microphones have been sold in the unit’s 55-year history. But even if Electro-Voice were to discontinue its manufacture, its resiliency and the many thousands likely sold would keep the 635A in use for a long time to come.

Kevin Curran, Ph.D., is a veteran broadcast journalist and member of the journalism faculty at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

 

 

The post In Appreciation of the EV 635A appeared first on Radio World.

An L-810 LED red obstruction light from Flight Light Inc. is compatible with night vision equipment.

Here’s a note for broadcasters who own their own towers:

The Federal Aviation Administration has known for more than a decade that certain high-intensity red LED-based obstruction lights on communication towers are visible to the naked eye but invisible to those wearing night vision goggles (NVG) in most cases.

The FAA previously issued advisories addressing non-NVG compatible LED lighting systems, but in November 2020 it levied final orders to require manufacturers meet a new specification for certified red LED-based obstruction lights that include Infrared (IR) emitters to make lighting systems more visible to pilots using NVG.

Several light manufacturers have already standardized on the new IR LED lighting, according to experts familiar with the issue.

The use of NVGs and Night Vision Imaging Systems (NVIS) is increasing in civilian aviation to conduct search-and-rescue, emergency medical transport and other flight operations, according to the FAA.

It says certain legacy LED lighting systems fall outside the combined visible and near-infrared spectrum of NVGs, and thus are not be visible to some flight crews. LED-based lighting has largely replaced incandescent technology for red (and some white) obstruction lighting because of its reduced maintenance requirements and extended service life.

Existing non-IR LED tower beacons are grandfathered in, but going forward all certified LED Aviation Obstruction Lighting installed for newly constructed towers or FAA circular updates must be NVG-friendly, according to the FAA.

Broadcasters who own tall towers will need to upgrade to the new certified red LED-based beacons in the normal course of replacing their tower lighting systems, according to the FAA. However, since the new specification ensures the light is visible to pilots operating with night vision goggles, there is risk of a pilot misinterpreting the tower height if a legacy intermediate-level light is replaced with one that meets the new specification unless the top light meets the new specification as well.

“Therefore, if a legacy specification intermediate-level LED-based light is replaced with a light that meets the new specifications, then the top-level light(s) on the obstruction must also meet the new specification to ensure the entire obstruction is visible during the use of night vision goggles,” according to the FAA Advisory Circular issued in November.

Tower consolidator Vertical Bridge recommends broadcasters call their lighting manufacturer and provide them with serial numbers of their red color LED obstruction markers to determine if the pre-existing fixtures on the tower are NVG compatible and are equipped with an IR emitter.

“Knowing that the rule change was coming for several years now, we started upgrading our systems as part of our normal repair and replace program. It’s important that tower owners, including broadcasters, use night vision goggle-friendly lighting going forward,” said Bernard Borghei of Vertical Bridge.

The FAA notes that failure of the IR component merits a NOTAM, a Notice to Airmen, and must be reported even though the LED light may still be flashing.

Any structure that exceeds 200 feet above ground level generally needs to be marked and/or lighted, according to the FAA.

[Related: “Vertical Bridge Remains in Acquisition Mode”]

The post Night Vision Issue Comes to Light appeared first on Radio World.

A drone’s eye view of a Vertical Bridge facility in Brunswick, Tenn.

High demand for tower space from wireless, broadband and data providers continues to drive up the value of communication towers across the United States.

Vertical Bridge, an acquisitive company formed by the former management team at wireless infrastructure company Global Tower Partners, continues to scoop up tower properties. Its purchase of Cumulus Media’s tower portfolio in the second half of 2020 aligned the telecommunication infrastructure company even more closely with broadcast radio.

Vertical Bridge has previously made headlines for its broadcast tower pursuits. iHeartMedia sold more than 400 of its broadcast towers to Vertical Bridge for $400 million in 2014. In recent years the tower consolidator has also announced notable broadcast structure deals to buy or manage tower properties for Townsquare Media, Cherry Creek Radio, Univision and Alpha Media.

Radio broadcasters continue to unlock value in their towers by selling off the assets and generating large amounts of cash. In most cases radio broadcasters lease back antenna space on the towers they sell, according to those familiar with the arrangements.

Selling off towers also means radio broadcasters are left without the worry of tower maintenance and the associated operational expenses. And in the case of Cumulus, the move brings in a large influx of needed cash.

The tower industry is booming with the fast spread of 5G and further TV repack work. Vertical Bridge has been quickly expanding its footprint. It already is the largest private owner and manager of communication tower infrastructure in the United States.

The company, founded in 2014, has approximately 2,000 broadcast towers in its portfolio. In total it says it has more than 290,000 owned and managed sites in the United States, which includes wireless and broadcast towers, rooftops and land parcels. It recently completed a merger with another tower company, Eco-Site, that brought in approximately 600 towers.

The Cumulus purchase was valued at $213 million and included 250 sites in 32 states, according to Cumulus filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The purchase has closed except for a few pending obtaining consent from landlords, according to Vertical Bridge. The remaining assignments are expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2021.

Cumulus President/CEO Mary Berner said in a press release about the transaction last year that it was a way to “further add to our liquidity and contribute to significant incremental debt pay down.”

The leaseback period between Cumulus and Vertical Bridge is for 10 years, followed by five option periods of five years each, according to government filings by Cumulus.

“The annual lease payment obligation for the assets leased back in the initial closing is approximately $13.2 million, subject to customary escalators,” according to a Cumulus investor note in October.

Urban spread

Those properties were attractive for one very specific reason, said Bernard Borghei, co-founder and EVP of operations for Vertical Bridge — the same reason most tall broadcast sticks interest the company.

Bernard Borghei

“These tower properties were built 40, 50 and 60 years ago. These properties now exist in core urban areas. With the restrictions you have on zoning and permitting towers, these towers exist in locations where no one else can zone to build a tower,” Borghei said.

“These are assets we refer to as zoning protected. Meaning our competition cannot come in and try to build a new tower.”

Some of the former Cumulus tower sites are in the middle of urban areas in Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, he said, and are attractive to non-broadcast tenants as well.

“And as a real estate company we love the great locations,” Borghei said.

Vertical Bridge, headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., leases tower space to radio and TV broadcasters, telecommunication carriers and other users of wireless technology.

Borghei believes the terrestrial radio broadcast industry is healthy enough to support Vertical Bridge’s long-term growth.

“Certainly we intersect closely with radio. We think the broadcast industry is on its own healthy. We could see that iHeart, once they restructured, would come out healthy and strong. We have that same feeling about Cumulus. We believe in that market sector and secured what is now the largest broadcast towers portfolio in the country.”

Vertical Bridge is owned by private equity groups including Digital Colony, The Jordan Company and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, along with private investment groups like the California State Teachers’ Retirement System. It has lease agreements with many regional radio broadcasters, Borghei said.

“The leaseback agreements help us maintain occupancy, of course. The lease terms are in line with what the tower industry is experiencing on the broadband side as well.”

Borghei said there are obvious advantages for radio broadcasters who sell their tower sites to Vertical Bridge.

“Some of the broadcast companies needed to raise capital. And didn’t want the ongoing maintenance cost of looking after these really tall towers,” Borghei said. “Broadcast towers require time and money to maintain. I think many broadcast companies are optimizing their resources and their engineering teams. And they don’t have to worry about having cap ex allocations in their budgets to maintain these towers.”

The company handles the obstruction lighting, painting, structural inspections and ground maintenance of the towers they own and manage, he said. Vertical Bridge also maintains generators and HVAC systems while keeping abreast of all FAA and FCC regulatory requirements (see sidebar).

Borghei says the company’s pipeline for mergers and acquisitions of broadcast towers remains strong.

“(Vertical Bridge) is keenly interested in further broadcast tower projects to develop. Operating a broadcast tower is quite different than a broadband tower. We understand both. You have to have that understanding to be able to work with different tenants, and especially live broadcast companies.”

The integration of 5G remains a primary focus of Vertical Bridge’s infrastructure plans, Borghei said, including the plans of Dish Network now that that company has been confirmed as the fourth national 5G network. Dish has said it will begin its 5G network buildout in earnest in the second quarter.

“More 5G and CBRS [Citizens Broadband Radio Service] networks are beginning to take hold. It’ll also be interesting to see who comes out and owns what as a result of the C-band spectrum auction. That’s very valuable spectrum, and it looks like Verizon and AT&T are the top two,” Borghei said.

Borghei said the COVID-19 pandemic has done little to slow the growth of Vertical Bridge despite some challenges.

“For us 2020 was a heck of a year. From a business perspective it was a tremendous year from the Cumulus acquisition to closing the Eco-Site merger. And our new build program has been extremely successful. We continue to have a lot of new tower builds and we don’t expect that to slow down in 2021,” he said. “The majority of our new towers are 180 to 250 feet for 5G and 4G densification upgrading to 5G.”

In fact, 5G plays a critical role in Vertical Bridge’s pursuit of tall broadcast towers, Borghei said.

“Broadcasters are typically at the top of the towers but then you have the 400 to 500 feet beneath broadcast available for broadband carriers looking to deploy 5G. And again we own towers in locations where no one else can ever zone a new tower,” he said.

Other major ownership groups making notable deals to sell off communication towers in recent years include Townsquare Media, who sold 43 towers and property to Vertical Bridge for approximately $22.8 million in 2016, and Cox Enterprises, which sold all but one of its towers to InSite Wireless Group in 2015.

[Also read “Night Vision Issue Comes to Light”]

The post Vertical Bridge Remains in Acquisition Mode appeared first on Radio World.

The author is executive director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

This was quite a wild week for news. Radio was asked to respond to events in Washington, the ongoing confusion about vaccination in communities, and the sundry local stories that come up each day. However, a particularly important study on radio should not be missed.

Many community broadcasters focus on volunteer recruitment and offering an assortment of programming. For generations, the reasoning has been “the more, the merrier” — the more voices on the air, the more access you create, the more support and word-of-mouth marketing your station can build. However, with generational change comes a change in thinking. More local stations are focusing on training and giving DJs a baseline of expectations. They recognize the hosts want to sound better, want to represent the station well, and stations are finding a lack of attention to what goes out over the air can damage community relationships and make engagement and revenue much more demanding.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Distant Tension]

This week, NuVoodoo Media Services revealed its study of 3,500 radio listeners, aged 14–54, on a variety of topics. One area looked at a cornerstone of radio: the DJ. What people said may inform your training, or even get your station thinking differently about your hosts.

Among the more shocking things to come up? Millennials and Generation Z listeners feel stations would be better off without DJs, at least more than their older counterparts. By a lot.

In fact, almost 75% of Gen-Z gives DJs a “Meh,” noting they either have no use or are okay, but don’t add anything to listening. Millennials were slightly better, at 63% who felt the same way. 43% of Generation X audiences found DJs made listening more enjoyable, compared to just 26% of Gen-Z.

NuVoodoo promises to get more into these issues on an upcoming webinar, though to most observers in radio, what’s lending to these perceptions may be quite obvious.

Streaming services, podcasting and micro-content distributed on social media and platforms have changed how we perceive programming as well as listening experiences. Generation X’s formative media experiences weren’t in a world that was nearly as disintermediated. For subsequent generations, faster, shorter and on our terms are baselines, not bonuses. As a result, the days of the DJ with long stories or inane trivia may not be over, but seem destined for limited, older audiences. Surely there may be exceptions, but that seems the forecast.

Community media and local stations have long leaned on unique on-air personalities to foster relationships with audiences. As there are demographic shifts in how people listen to the programming a station puts out, however, we in radio must evolve. Thus, it is the responsibility of a station to think carefully through how hosts use their precious time on the microphone.

Every station or network will come up with their own solutions, but it is certain that many leaders may look at the length of breaks and what is being conveyed during that time. The million dollar question: how can you create that memorable moment for a listener that isn’t a turn-off or take up too much time? Future radio, in this regard, is very exciting.

These issues are more than DJs and personalities, but our community relationships and our bridge-building to new generations of listeners. No one has all the answers yet, but if you are in radio, how millennials and Gen-Z hear you is critical to your success.

The post Community Broadcaster: DJing the Generational Divide appeared first on Radio World.