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In February, RBR+TVBR first reported on the sale of nine radio stations owned by Sound Communications in the Twin Tiers of Northern Pennsylvania and Western New York.

The deal, brokered by Michael J. Bergner, has now closed — making the company led by Kristin Cantrell a dominant player in the region.

It didn’t even own stations here in 2017.

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The late Jim Baum now has part of a Texas highway named after him.

The Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a measure honoring the owner-operator of KVMC(AM) and KAUM(FM) in Colorado City, who died in 2018. Baum was also a three-time mayor of that community.

“SB 1124 by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, renames a stretch of Business Interstate Highway 20-J in his honor,” the Texas Association of Broadcasters noted in its newsletter.

“Baum owned and operated KVMC(AM) Colorado City, ‘the Voice of Mitchell County,’ for nearly 40 years. He signed KAUM(FM) on the air later in the 1980s.”

According to his obituary, Baum “found his lifelong love of radio” when he worked for KCRS(AM) in Midland. He later managed KBYG(AM) in Big Spring.

In an earlier post, TAB described Baum as “well remembered by those in Mitchell County and by the TAB staff as a tireless public servant, whether it was leading Colorado City through challenging times as mayor or by his dedication to reporting the day’s events in his radio newscasts. If wildfires or a tornado threatened the area, day or night, he was on the air with lifesaving information. Baum also brought Mitchell County history alive with on-air stories about the area’s past events.”

The post Texas Honors the Late Jim Baum appeared first on Radio World.

The Broadcasters Clinic returns with an in-person event in September.

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association has announced the conference agenda.

“We are committed to making the Broadcasters Clinic safe for all. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available at the Clinic,” WBA stated on its website. “If you are not vaccinated, please wear a mask. Guidelines are subject to change based on the latest public health guidance.”

The longtime, engineering-friendly event will be held Sept. 8 to 10 at the Madison Marriott West Hotel in Middleton, Wis.

Topics relevant to radio attendees include virtualization, cloud infrastructure and ”containerization”; computer modeling of FM directional antennas; on-air processing in the cloud; SRT protocol for signal distribution; the role of metadata in radio; saving power in FM transmitters; lessons from Alternative Broadcast Inspections; cybersecurity; LED obstruction lights; and post-pandemic management strategies.

Of the three days of the conference, the first day focuses on radio topics, the third is about television, and the middle day bridges both.

David Layer of the National Association of Broadcasters is among the featured speakers. An early bird rate applies for registration until July 15.

The post WBA Announces Broadcasters Clinic Lineup appeared first on Radio World.

iHeartMedia named Judy Copier as president of its Salt Lake City market.

She succeeds Stu Stanek, who has retired after two decades with the company. Copier will report to Division President Tom McConnell.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

Joyce Wirthlin was promoted to senior VP of sales, Copier’s former position; and Jeff McCartney was recently named senior vice president of programming for the market.

McConnell thanked Stanek for his work. “Stu has been one of our strongest leaders over the past two decades, and I can’t thank him enough for all of his hard work and countless contributions.”

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

The post Copier Takes Over in SLC for iHeartMedia appeared first on Radio World.

The Triangle region of North Carolina has long been known as a technology innovation center. For the television industry, this has seen Capitol Broadcasting Corp. become a NextGen TV pioneer, with its WRAL-5 and WRAZ-TV at the forefront of the new broadcast TV standard based on ATSC 3.0.

Now, the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill market is the latest to gain access to new technology that the NAB and the nation’s Big Four networks have tried to exterminate.

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June is Microphone Month here at Radio World. This is one in a series of interviews with people who work in and around radio about the kinds of mics they love and why.

Joan Baker is co-founder and vice president of the Society Of Voice Arts And Sciences. She is a voice actor, author and coach.

Radio World: What is your personal favorite microphone for the kind of work you do, and what sets it apart?

Joan Baker: I’m at a place in my career where I can afford the best, so I stick with Neumann and Sennheiser.

I have several mics. Some I rarely use unless a client specifically asks me to use a certain mic to help better match with previously recorded material.

But I’d say the one that sets me apart is my Neumann U 67. I can use it for multiple genres in voice acting especially commercial and narration because it blends the lower, mid and upper tones in a way that seems to add a certain sparkle to my sound. Also, no one’s ever asked for their money back, so why fix what isn’t broken?

RW: What is your choice for remote work or other specialty applications out of the studio like live venues? 

Baker: My choice is the Sennheiser MKH 416. It’s great because it reduces ambient noise and allows you to really work the mic. So when I’m doing remote work in unfamiliar or less than ideally treated spaces, the MKH 416 deliver a clean sound. I use it for promos as well, because it cuts through with a touch more edge, even when I’m performing in a naturalistic, conversational voice.

RW: If you were training someone about using and buying mics for voiceover or radio applications, what’s a tip you might share or a common misconception you’d try to dispel for them?

Baker: One of the most common questions, and it’s an honest one, is “What mic should I buy?” Choosing a mic depends on personal factors, like affordability, the equipment that will be needed to compliment the mic, the environment in which the mic will be used, and the predominant type of work for which you will use the mic.

No one can answer this question properly without knowing all these factors. So one misperception is that there is one mic that works best for your voice, without knowing all the other circumstances.

I recommend that all my students speak to full-time audio engineers, and learn to discern the different mic qualities when comparing (apples to apples) under various conditions.

Read more of Radio World’s coverage of microphones.

The post My Favorite Mics: Joan Baker appeared first on Radio World.

The Board of Directors for broadcast television company Gray Television has signed off on a quarterly cash dividend.

The announcement could only further fuel Gray’s stock price, which hit a five-year high on Tuesday (6/1).

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Nearly 50 years after its first broadcast, a Vermont community radio station has announced that is officially owned by the public — a rare feat in the annals of radio ownership transition.

Station WGDR/WGDH was built and operated by Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt., as a college and community radio station. In 2020, the newly established nonprofit Central Vermont Community Radio (CVCR) was gifted the radio station from the college, making it the only full-power community owned and operated noncommercial station in Vermont.

The transfer represents “a huge milestone nationally for the public and community radio industry,” the station said in a release. The move is noteworthy, especially for a college station, since university- and college-owned stations across the country are often sold to meet budget shortfalls, the station said.

[Learn more about community broadcasting with our Community Broadcaster column]

Under CVCR’s ownership, the station will continue its affiliation with the Pacifica Network, a community of independent radio stations that give local communities a platform on which to share local issues on a national level. The Pacifica Network also airs nationally broadcast programming like “Democracy Now” and live coverage of international events.

With this move, Goddard College is saying that their commitment to residents, students and the local culture is far greater than money, said Ernesto Aguilar, executive director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. “When institutions like Goddard say they want to pass the torch of media access in this way, it’s worthy of thanks and celebration,” he said.

The transition allows WGDR/WGDH to continue to broadcast a diversity of ideas, stories and culture to Vermonters across the northern part of the state.

“Radio is more relevant and relatable today, especially on a local level,” the station said in its statement. “When you tune in to community radio, you hear the voices of your neighbors, which, during the pandemic, has proven to be a powerful tool in remaining connected.”

CVCR said it will continue the mission of the station, providing a forum that covers issues such as social justice, arts and music and protection of the environment.

“As an independent station, WGDR/WGDH will be able to pursue a variety of ways to diversify not just what is broadcast, but who is given a voice on the air, uplifting the stories of those who are underrepresented in the current Vermont media landscape,” the station said. “CVCR takes this deep responsibility of community radio to heart as it takes on ownership of WGDR/WGDH. CVCR invites all to tune in to help program what comes next.”

The post Vermont Station Celebrates Transition to Public Ownership appeared first on Radio World.

Adthos has introduced what it calls “the only free ad-serving technology built specifically for radio.”

Adthos Ad-Server is an ad sales application that replaces playout of ads by an existing automation system, allowing digital audio and radio “to be sold seamlessly within a single integrated campaign.”

The company said the accompanying “integrations” provide users more flexibility; replace audio live and quickly without having to take multiple actions; and send reconciliation back to the user’s traffic system. The system also can facilitate local insertion on boosters and translators, and integrate workflows between the user’s digital and broadcast products.

Its streaming encoder encodes streams in AAC, HE-AAC and MP3, and is compatible with major streaming servers.

The platform is free to stations, and Adthos says further releases are planned later this year.

Adthos is a trademark of Wedel Software. The introduction was announced by CEO Raoul Wedel.

“Adthos Ad-Server can be installed without the need for multiple integrations and zero downtime. Radio stations gain the ability to easily sell, schedule and execute multi-platform campaigns with minimal intervention and with many tasks completely automated,” the company stated.

“In the first release, users can enjoy features such as instant reconciliation and an intuitive customer interface providing for updates and insights on campaigns at a moment’s notice, while the ability to replace spots in real time delivers incredible responsiveness.”

The post Adthos Ad-Server Is Free Ad-Serving App for Radio appeared first on Radio World.

There’s a new Market President for the iHeartMedia radio stations serving Salt Lake City.

At the same time, a member of the sales team has been elevated to a Sr. VP position in that department.

Why are the changes being made? Stu Stanek, who has been with iHeartMedia for more than 20 years, on Monday retired.

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The woman who has served as President/CEO of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) is no longer in the role.

Effective today, Maurita Coley has retired from the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.

Her replacement is immediately taking over her position.

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With the Memorial Day holiday weekend leading one department store chain to bump up its ad spend, one health and beauty brand greatly accelerated its spending at spot TV to finish at No. 3 in the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten TV report.

At the same time, a big Procter & Gamble Co. brand is back on the weekly report.

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By Rosemary Ravinal

Masks off! … If you are fully vaccinated.  Yet, some people may opt to continue to WFH, at least part of the time.  Knowledge workers have become accustomed to working remotely, and splitting time between the office and home is expected to become the new normal, according to a PwC’s Remote Work Survey 2021.

How should businesses combine the flexibility of remote work with the opportunities of in-office interactions?  Hybrid solutions provide the best of both worlds with employees rotating in and out of offices configured for the virtual world.

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When it comes to retransmission consent fees, there’s perhaps no more touchier subject for both broadcast TV station owners and for MVPDs that earn revenue for bringing crystal-clear signals of these stations to their customers.

For companies such as Gray Television, Nexstar Media Group, TEGNA and The E.W. Scripps Co., retrans consent revenue is more important than ever, as broadcast TV’s core advertising trends remain hazy against local digital growth and evolving viewer habits.

Then, there are the “cable” and satellite TV providers, who consistently finger-point at broadcast TV owners for demanding more and more from them, even with substantial investments in local news departments and ATSC 3.0 NEXTGEN TV transitions.

The MVPDs have lamented that they have no choice but to pass the increased cost in carrying local TV stations on to customers. That’s exactly what is now happening for those who rely on Charter Communications’ Spectrum services. Higher bills are on the way.

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HOBE SOUND, FLA. — Until now, a licensee of radio stations in Upstate New York and the South has seen the involvement of two principal owner-operators and the investment of a Palm Beach County-based private equity and growth-oriented entity “that provides patient capital to exceptional management teams.”

It seems this investment has proven to be a smart one, and puts Jim Leven and Bruce Mittman in a positive light. They have filed paperwork to buy out this equity investor’s stake in their company, Community Broadcasters.

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