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Summit Technology Group said it has a new partnership with the Independent Broadcasters Association in which it can provide virtual or on-site broadcast engineering services to members of IBA.

“Effective June 16, all association members will have direct access to the national team of broadcast, electrical and RF engineers at Summit Technology Group,” the company said in a press release. IBA members can access the services as needed or through a subscription.

Members can view service offerings, sign up for routine service and request emergency support from within an account dashboard. An AR-based video conferencing platform allows members to connect with Summit technicians.

The announcement was made by Summit President Paul Stewart and IBA President/Executive Director Ron Stone.

Stone said the relationship will be helpful to members when “so many independents are located in areas where the days of having an on-site engineer are long gone, and even a contract engineer may be hours away.”

The post IBA Names Summit as Tech Partner appeared first on Radio World.

Paul Bury at the CHLO tower.

Evanov Communications recently switched on hybrid HD Radio on an AM station in Ontario. It’s believed to be the first AM to use HD Radio in Canada.

The company operates 16 radio stations across the country, including in the major markets of Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. Twelve of those are on FM, four on AM.

CHLO is in Brampton, a suburb of Toronto. The station is a Class B station broadcasting on 530 kHz with 1000W daytime operations and 250W nighttime to a non-directional antenna. Much of its programming caters to the area’s large South Asian population.

Director of IT & Engineering Paul Bury answered Radio World’s questions about it.

Radio World: What is the purpose of turning on HD Radio, is this a test, or a permanent change?

Paul Bury: We’re hoping that turning on HD will help combat the growing problems of noise and subpar audio quality that has plagued the AM broadcast band for many years.

With growing competition from FM broadcasters and online streaming, the listeners have grown accustomed to higher-fidelity audio and are slowly turning away from AM. We’re hoping that higher-quality audio will translate to higher hours tuned.

Because HD Radio on AM is new to us, we are treating it as a test at this moment. However, we hope that this will become a permanent change and a way to revitalize the historic AM band.

RW: How many cars in your market do you believe have HD Radio-capable AM receivers?

Bury: We have not seen many local stats showing a number of HD Radio-capable receivers. However, according to Xperi, there are more than 4 million HD-equipped vehicles in Canada, and one in three new cars sold in Canada every day come equipped with an HD receivers.

Over 30 auto manufacturers now ship their cars to Canada with HD decks — granted, some no longer include the AM broadcast band, but the majority still do. It’s safe to say that for the most part, if a vehicle comes equipped with FM HD, it will also have AM HD.

Since most receivers switch to HD signal automatically, we noticed with our FM HD operations that most listeners didn’t realize they were listening to the HD signal or that HD was even included in their car radio.

RW: Are you using the hybrid AM mode, or all-digital?

Bury: We are using the hybrid mode as we did not want to turn off the signal to those listeners who may not have HD-capable receivers yet. If tests in hybrid mode turn out to be positive, we will look into testing the full digital mode in certain dayparts, but as of right now, we’re not anticipating a full shutdown of our analog transmission.

A car tuner displays CHLO.

RW: Hybrid on AM in the United States did not succeed, with early adopters having a lot of issues with noise and interference, especially at night. Is there cause to believe it will work now?

Bury: The interference and noise issues are highly dependent on the broadcaster’s frequency.

We have specifically chosen CHLO to be our test station because of the frequency that it uses. Being at the very bottom end of the AM dial, 530 kHz is being utilized by very few stations in North America. This means that the interference levels are very low.

During our application process with ISED, Canada’s spectrum management body, we were asked to notify stations within 500 km of us on co-channel and first-adjacent frequencies. In Canada, we found that most of these stations have either gone dark, or switched to FM or other frequencies. Other broadcasters may not be so lucky.

Our own tests do confirm that the HD signal does not cope very well with any kind of interference past the 10 mV/m contour, including that which is generated by the new, fully electric transit busses the city has started rolling out.

RW: Is it correct to say that this is Canada’s first AM IBOC station?

Bury: Yes, CHLO is the first station using IBOC technology on the AM dial in Canada. Other broadcasters, us included, have chosen to simulcast their HD stations on HD subchannels of their FM sister stations or repeaters. Even though some have investigated setting up AM IBOC operations, for their own reasons, they never did.

RW: What is the digital air chain?

Bury: The air chain consists of a 900 MHz STL feeding into a Orban 9300 workhorse audio processor for the analog portion and an Omnia One for the HD portion. We started off running both on the Orban 9300 but found that the high frequencies were not very pleasant to listen to. The combined HD and analog signal then comes out of a Nautel NX3 transmitter running at 1000W during the day, 250W at night in analog into a single-stick 740-foot antenna.

RW: What are your observations about the signal quality and coverage so far?

Bury: So far, we noticed that the HD coverage is excellent out to about the 10 mV contour in the city limits, which perfectly covers our city of license and primary target area. In the countryside and away from human-made interference, the HD receivers have a pretty solid lock out to about 5 mV. Thus far we have not received any DX reports showing lock on skywave propagation and we’re waiting patiently for those to roll in.

RW: What comments have you had from listeners?

Bury: We’ve received nothing but positive comments from our listeners, mostly praising us for the added program data. Several have noticed the higher-quality audio, saying it’s comparable to online streaming and “less muffled.” Several of our advertisers have also noticed the improved audio quality and have shared their positive feedback.

RW: A DXer board posted a complaint that the signal is “wiping out 518 kHz Navtex.” Is that the case and what if anything should be done about that?

Bury: We have not received any reports of interference to other services nor broadcasters yet, so this is the first time I am hearing about it. We will investigate all reports of interference as is required during our testing phase by ISED.

Luckily, there are many things that can be done to mitigate such interference. We can play with the power of each IBOC sideband or even turn one off if required. We have a message playing on the air asking for reports of any interference via email to hd@am530.ca. The same address can also be used to send us reception reports.

RW: What else should we know about the project?

Bury: This has been a very exciting project for us, it was also a good learning curve to overcome. One of the challenging parts to the project was alignment of audio processing so that the switch from digital to analog in the weak reception areas is not too shocking to the ears. This is still a work in progress but we’re already seeing great results.

The post Evanov Tries Out Hybrid AM HD Radio in Toronto appeared first on Radio World.

He’s been the leader of the company he founded with the purchase of an AM radio station in Secaucus, N.J., in the early 1980s — a property that served as the foundation of Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) instead of the one he really wanted, the FM that today is Z100.

Now, Raúl Alarcón Jr. is handing his Presidential title to the individual that serves as SBS’s Chief Operations Officer.

Adding the role of President is Albert Rodriguez. 

He’ll retain his COO title, as Alarcón focuses on his role of Chairman/CEO.

As President, Rodriguez will manage all aspects of SBS’s operations and oversee the future growth and financial performance of SBS’s radio, TV, digital and experiential businesses and brands.

In addition to its broadcast radio stations, SBS’s assets include the Aire radio network; Hispanic streaming app LaMusica; the MegaTV operation; and concert promoter SBS Entertainment.

Alarcón said, “Albert has demonstrated an amazing ability to deliver industry-leading financial results for the company during the most extraordinarily challenging times in the history of electronic media. He has personally spearheaded a number of corporate initiatives which have been instrumental in establishing the Company’s leadership standing, while adroitly handpicking an executive team which is second-to-none in the industry.

“After nearly a quarter century of dedication and loyalty in building a track record of
stellar achievements, no one is more qualified than Albert Rodríguez to expand upon
this Company’s treasured legacy of nearly four decades of service to the nation’s Latino
community. I congratulate him on his many accomplishments and very much look
forward to his firebrand leadership of SBS in the future.”

Rodriguez commented, “I am honored that Raúl is entrusting me with these added
responsibilities, particularly at this time of universal recognition and acceptance of the awesome power of the Latino consumer. I look forward to continue executing our
Chairman’s vision, which has created extraordinary value for the Company and its
shareholders, and to working with our amazing team of content and sales professionals
as we together write the next exciting chapter in the history of SBS as the preeminent
entertainment destination for U.S. Latinos.”

SBS also notes that it will be implementing “additional management initiatives” in
the coming weeks “as part of its ongoing efforts at solidifying and expanding its
competitive standing in the U.S. media marketplace.”

The company did not elaborate on what that may entail.

An interesting free poster from Rohde & Schwarz identifies frequencies used in automotive contexts.

Dan Slentz bought and installed a Rhode & Schwarz “Spycer” network storage system for his UHD video. It’s 2 petabytes, or 2,000 terabytes, and uses about 15 rack units in RAID5 configuration, all linked by fiber through a network fiber switch to Dan’s five edit cells and four record servers, which use 6 TB SSDs to record up to three hours of UHD video. The write speed of the SSD (Solid State Drive) is necessary for UHD video because spinning disc drives wouldn’t work.

While learning more from the Rohde & Schwarz website, Dan found a neat poster that Workbench readers will want. It gives a visual overview of the radio frequency bands and regulations “in today’s and tomorrow’s cars,” including broadcast, mobile communications (3G to 5G), communications (Wi-Fi, V2X etc.), global navigation, radar sensors and EV charging.

As the company notes, “Being able to manage the coexistence and interference of the various radio frequencies in an (electric) car is a major challenge for research, development and testing of in-car.”

The poster is available via mail or download.

Free is good

While we’re talking about free things, Dan reminds readers of the free Loudness Meter software from Bob Orban.

There are Windows and Mac versions; find them at www.orban.com.

Click on the “Downloads” tab, and scroll down the long list of product downloads to the Free Loudness Meter software.

Helping hand As seen on the Radio Shack site, the Hot Holder’s molded silicon block aids in construction projects.

Longtime Workbench readers may recall the “home-brew” console that a young enterprising Dino Gatsoula built, complete with remote starts and status indicators, which we featured in 2018.

Dino’s 24/7 Greek-formatted station, which he runs with his dad, is now an internet station, having graduated from SCA status.

An avid hands-on engineer, Dino found a useful soldering device, shown in the first photo, at the Radio Shack online store.

The Hot Holder is a stamped silicon block with holes to mount a variety of connectors and parts, as identified in the second image. It serves as a third hand when you are either soldering or assembling.

To that end, there are even a couple of slots for holding wires that need to be tinned or soldered together.

Head to radioshack.com for more information. And if you like Modern Greek music, listen to Dino’s internet station by visiting www.radioedra.com.

Available from Radio Shack online, the block can be used for a variety of connectors, and even wires. A peek inside (or behind)

Hall Communications Director of Engineering Edd Monskie is a deer hunter and sports shooter. Edd was looking for an inexpensive borescope to see down rifle barrels to check their condition and to inspect up close for flaws not easily seen by the naked eye.

Edd checked Amazon and found a variety of new LED-lighted borescopes. Most are under $100, and one is about $20. They usually have a USB connection, and many have a plug for direct access to Android phones. Since Edd uses an iPhone, he had to purchase a small Wi-Fi adapter as well.

Some are listed as “endoscopes,” although for our engineering application, these devices can be used for hard-to-reach equipment inspections. The LED/camera is mounted on a 3-foot or longer flexible cable, giving you a really good video picture of whatever you need to see over, under or inside. The model Edd bought has adjustable LED lighting, which is really helpful in dark locations.

Some people even use them to see inside engine cylinders with the spark plug removed. Aside from using it for his firearm inspections, Edd has used it to see various places inside racks and transmitters, even down a clogged sink drain.

A quick search of Google or Amazon will bring up a variety of choices. Just enter “borescope” or “endoscope” in the search block.

For inspections, Edd likes that you send the cable — rather than your face, hand or phone — into the dark location.

The post Poster Shows Automotive Radio Bands appeared first on Radio World.

RW Engineering Extra is your deep dive into technology for the radio broadcast industry. It appears six times a year, in addition to the 26 regular issues of Radio World.

In this issue, Tony Peterle of WorldCast Systems writes that the emergence of MPX over AES technology to transport the signal via digitization presents a new topography, new challenges and new solutions.

Curt Yengst shares helpful applications to create your own schematics and PC boards.

Cris Alexander reflects on air chains then and now.

And Frank McCoy offers old ideas for a new cyberthreat environment.

Read the June 16 issue.

The post Inside the June 16, 2021 Issue of RW Engineering Extra appeared first on Radio World.

On March 7, 2021, the Media Bureau, Video Division (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in response to a petition for rulemaking filed by KHQA Licensee, LLC (Licensee), the licensee of KMYU, channel 7 (CBS), Hannibal, Missouri, requesting the substitution of channel 22 for channel 7 at Hannibal in the DTV Table of Allotments. For the reasons set forth in the Report and Order referenced below, the Bureau amends FCC regulations to substitute channel 22 for channel 7 at Hannibal.

The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Scripps Broadcasting Holdings, LLC (Petitioner), the licensee of KTNV-TV (ABC), channel 13, Las Vegas, Nevada. The Petitioner requests the substitution of channel 26 for channel 13 at Las Vegas in the DTV Table of Allotments.

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Petitioner requests the substitution of channel *15 for channel *11 at Staunton, Virginia, in the DTV Table of Allotments

Petitioner has requested the substitution of UHF channel 35 for VHF channel 5 in the DTV Table of Allotments

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Issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the amount of $1,500 to Pierre Educational Radio, Inc., for failure to timely file a license renewal application for Station KPGN-LP, Pierre, South Dakota

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Big semiconductor company NXP has joined RadioDNS, calling the decision a restatement of its commitment to broadcast radio.

The two organizations have worked together extensively but now the manufacturer becomes a formal member of the hybrid radio project.

Nacho Seirul-Lo Salas, NXP’s director of Program Management Customer Application Support, also joins the RadioDNS Steering Board.

He said in the announcement, “After years of fruitful collaboration, where NXP has presented at least three generations of hybrid radio demonstrators, NXP is now happy to join the RadioDNS organization to restate our commitment to broadcast radio and enhancement of its user experience by adding metadata from the internet.”

Nick Piggott, project director, said the decision “reflects the growing importance of our open standards for hybrid radio. … We’ll continue to work closely with [NXP] to help their OEM customers implement our global standards for hybrid radio.”

[Related: “Power Up Hybrid Radio With RadioDNS”]

The post NXP Joins RadioDNS appeared first on Radio World.

From our Who’s Buying What page: This fun photo shows some of the 12 NV5LT transmitters currently in production at Nautel that are headed for Turkish Radio & Television.

“These transmitters are going to nine stations across five regions to enhance TRT’s coverage across Turkey,” the company said in a Facebook post.

The manufacturer recently landed a substantial contract to provide 5 kW transmitters to that client throughout 2021. Combined with other orders over the past decade, Nautel has said that its transmitters have been “used to modernize a large portion of Turkey’s national FM Radio infrastructure.”

Among other notable sales recently reported by Nautel, Cumulus station WFAS(AM) in White Plains, N.Y., is using a Nautel NX3 transmitter with Omnia.9 audio processor for its all-digital AM signal that went live in May.

[More postings on “Who’s Buying What.”]

Submit announcements to mailto:radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Transmitters Prepped for Turkey appeared first on Radio World.

The best form of advertising has always been word of mouth. TechSurvey 2021’s way of measuring this metric for radio is the Net Promoter Score (NPS). When ranked on a likelihood to recommend scale of 1 to 10, those choosing 9 or 10 are classified as promoters. Those selecting 0 to 6 are the detractors. Applying simple math, percent promoters – percent detractors = NPS.

One thing that hasn’t changed since TechSurvey began publishing NPS scores is that Christian and public radio lead the noncommercial radio pack in the number one and two places respectively. Noncommercial radio has shown steady growth over the past 17 years, hitting an all-time high of 50% in 2021. Christian now has an impressive score of 80%, while public radio is close behind with 75%.

[Read: Survey Says Full Speed Ahead for Mobile Devices and Apps]

The commercial radio part of the NPS ranking has changed from TS 2020, where rock and country were in the lead, and alternative was bringing up the rear. This year, the leaders are rhythmic urban and urban AC, with news/talk in last place. The NPS numbers for TS 2020 were largely driven by women, younger demos and music fans. No breakdown was published for TS 2021.

Online meetings have experienced explosive growth over the past year and a half, largely due to COVID, and for the first time, Jacobs Media has begun to track who is attending, and how often.

The word Zoom has become ingrained in our vocabulary, often synonymous with any type of online meeting, even though there are Google Meet, GoToMeeting, Skype and other online gathering providers.

TS 2021 numbers suggest that daily and weekly participants in online meetings are largely in younger demographics, led by 53% of Millennials, with Greatest Generation at the trailing edge with 26%.

Online meetings have had unexpected benefits for some organizations. Many had relied on in-person gatherings in the past. That tended to restrict participants to those in close driving distance, and/or those who didn’t mind rush hour traffic and parking issues in urban areas. Online meetings have leveled the playing field, giving an equal presence to everyone regardless of distance from an organization’s main office.

 

The post TechSurvey Says Christian and Public Radio Still Leading Radio Recommenders appeared first on Radio World.