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Small group owner Adams Radio Group has announced a change at its Salisbury/Ocean City Md., cluster.

Market Director of Sales Johnette Cochran has been promoted to vice president/general manager of the market group.

[Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com]

Adams Radio Group CEO Ron Stone said, “ She walked into a market and found herself operating as the top management person on site in the most unusual

of circumstances. She has proven herself during these ‘worst of times’ to be not only a terrific sales leader but also a terrific leader in general. I could not be prouder of what she has accomplished in the past six months and cannot wait to see the results as she is now fully unleashed.”

Cochran has worked in the past for Townsquare Media, Alpha Media and Guaranty Media.

Adams Radio of Delmarva includes WGBG(FM), WOCQ(FM), WUSX(FM) and WZBH(FM).

The post Cochran Promoted at Adams Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World will participate in September’s “Best of Show Awards Virtual Edition,” which normally is conducted at this time around the annual IBC show.

The program is intended to honor outstanding products and help raise awareness for the new products and services, this year honoring products launched or featured around the virtual IBC Showcase event.

The awards are supported by Future’s media and entertainment technology brands TVBEurope, PSN, Radio World and TV Technology.

Until Sept. 2, manufacturers and retailers can nominate products that have launched since the 2019 awards.

For more information about the Best of Show 2020 Virtual Edition, visit the FAQ page. To nominate, visit the official website.

The post Nominations Open for Best of Show Virtual Edition, Fall 2020 appeared first on Radio World.

The spring 2020 Nielsen Audio Market Report will be the final one for nine small radio markets.

Nielsen Audio will discontinue its syndicated market report for Battle Creek, Mich.; Bend, Ore.; Billings, Mont.; Grand Junction, Colo.; New Bedford-Fall River, Mass.; Texarkana, Texas-Arkansas; Tri-Cities, Wash. (Richland-Kennewick-Pasco); Twin Falls-Sun Valley, Idaho; and Yakima, Wash.

The company released a statement:

“Like most commercial businesses, Nielsen Audio continually reviews the economic viability of doing business in all markets. If the audio marketplace in select markets cannot financially support measurement, we discontinue producing our syndicated market report in those markets. That is just business as usual, the typical expansion and contraction of our rated audio market list, which is the case with these nine markets.”

See the most recent list of Nielsen radio market populations and rankings [PDF].

The post Nielsen Drops Nine From Its Rated Market List appeared first on Radio World.

From Radio World’s People News column: Bill Richards is retiring after five decades in the broadcast industry.

He is product manager of a test division at RCS, where he has worked for nine years. Earlier he held key programming roles at Premiere Radio Networks and what was then called Clear Channel, now iHeartMedia.

“As product manager of RCS’s Test All Media division since 2011, Richards has been one of the key figures driving the group forward in the field of media and research technology,” the company stated in a press release.

“Richards has been responsible for overseeing the tremendous growth of Test All Media, which he founded in 2008 and was later acquired by iHeartMedia.”

Prior to his role with RCS, he founded Bill Richards Radio Consultancy (BRRC), which created Rate the Music, an online research software that was acquired by iHeartMedia. Earlier he was  VP programming programming for Premiere, and then SVP of programming for Clear Channel.

“Throughout his tenure, Richards has held programming and consultant positions at well-known stations including KLUC in Las Vegas; KDWB in Minneapolis; WNCI in Columbus, KKBQ/93Q in Houston, KYUU/X-100 in San Francisco; and KIIS-FM in Los Angeles,” the company stated.

“He has also been recognized with numerous prestigious national industry awards throughout his impactful career as a programmer, including Billboard Magazine PD of the Year at KIIS-FM, Billboard Station of the Year at KIIS-FM, multiple Marconi Station of the Year awards at KIIS-FM during his tenure and Billboard Station of the Year at KLUC.”

He’ll spend time in Florida with his family.

Send People News information to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Bill Richards Retires From RCS appeared first on Radio World.

The Consumer Technology Association has announced that CES 2021 will take place as an all-digital experience rather than be held in Las Vegas, meaning that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry will continue into the early parts of 2021.

“Amid the pandemic and growing global health concerns about the spread of COVID-19, it’s just not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January 2021 to meet and do business in person,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CTA. “Technology helps us all work, learn and connect during the pandemic — and that innovation will also help us reimagine CES 2021 and bring together the tech community in a meaningful way. By shifting to an all-digital platform for 2021, we can deliver a unique experience that helps our exhibitors connect with existing and new audiences.”

CTA bills the new format as an immersive experience that will allow attendees to discover the latest technology, bringing the global event to people’s homes and offices.

There was some initial hope that CES 2021 would be able to conduct its usual in-person gathering in Las Vegas, but as COVID-19 continues to linger in the U.S. and other places around the world, CTA is following in the footsteps of NAB, IBC and other major conferences to go virtual.

CTA says that it plans to return to Las Vegas for CES 2022, where it will combine the best elements of a physical and digital show.

Shapiro offered more detail on the decision to take CES 2021 virtual in a LinkedIn post.

CES 2021 will take place from Jan. 6–9. For more information, visit www.ces.tech.

The post CES 2021 Moves to All-Digital Experience appeared first on Radio World.

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association will soon lose its Number 2 executive — and its Number 1 advocate for broadcast engineers.

I realize that the latter title doesn’t actually exist on her résumé. But anyone who knows Linda Baun won’t dispute it.

Linda will leave the WBA and its foundation in September, taking early retirement and moving to Indiana to be closer to family.

In sharing this news with colleagues, she led an email with the quote, “Life happens when you’re planning something else.” She wrote to her boss Michelle Vetterkind, the president/CEO of the association, that “life-changing issues necessitate that I vacate my position.”

She has been with the association since 2006, involved in all manner of its operations including its Awards for Excellence program and Awards Gala, Student Seminar, winter and summer conferences, and numerous other events and training sessions. She coordinated the association’s EEO Assistance Action Plan, ran numerous committees and handled administration of the WBA office.

But outside of Wisconsin — and maybe inside the state too — she probably is best known for her work in helping to run the Broadcasters Clinic. That regional engineering-focused event existed long before she arrived but she is one of the people who has worked hardest to keep it relevant while many other regional events have dwindled. Clinic Committee Chair Kent Aschenbrenner calls her “the heart and soul” of that event.

Linda established her national engineering profile while working for 15 years for the Society of Broadcast Engineers; she did great work as its certification director at a time of significant growth in SBE’s certification programs.

She also is the spouse of Terry Baun, the retired broadcast engineer whose honors include the SBE Lifetime Achievement and Broadcast Engineer of the Year Awards, and whose dedication to the education and support of engineers she shares.

“Terry instilled in me the love for the engineers,” Linda told me. When she had the opportunity to become SBE certification director, he encouraged her to “run it like it was my company.” And his influence in her professional career did not stop there; Terry sent Linda’s résumé to the WBA when the association was looking for a vice president. “Did I mention he didn’t share that with me, before he did this deed?”

Michelle Vetterkind said Linda “earned a well-deserved reputation for always going above and beyond what our members expected of her and the extra special personal touches she added to every event.”

I can speak from my own experience that the phrase “personal touch” is exactly right in describing Linda.

In the WBA press release, Linda is quoted saying, “Who knew that working at a college station, a small-town radio station doing farm reports and logs, could lead me to a Christian station, the Society of Broadcast Engineers, and ultimately to the WBA?”

So I add my appreciation for Linda Baun. The industry is better for her and her work. Congratulations, Linda — don’t forget to bring an ample supply of cheese curds with you.

PS: Linda Baun is often heard to end her phone calls with “I just want to do the best job I can for our broadcast engineers.” I wrote that sentence last evening, intending to use it in the text above. A few hours afterwards, I received an email from her answering another question, in which she wrote: “Being a part of the SBE certification committee and the SBE was truly a wonderful experience. ENGINEERS are the BEST.”

See what I mean?

Paul McLane is the editor in chief of Radio World.

[Related: “Broadcasters Clinic in October Will Be Virtual Only”]

The post Linda Baun Will Retire from Wisconsin Association appeared first on Radio World.

Mid-size station group owner Spanish Broadcasting System has announced that it will be deregistering its common stock. The stock has been trading “over the counter.”

The company explained in a release that it was necessary to “reduce expenses and operate with utmost efficiency” during the global pandemic.

[Read: User Report: SBS FM Stations See Efficiency With GatesAir]

Furthermore, the decision would eliminate “the significant costs and administrative burdens of preparing and filing current and periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission.” The company noted the number of stockholders is relatively small, less than 300, allowing it to file a Form 15 Certification and Notice of Termination of Registration.

SBS is focused on the Spanish-speaking audience owning stations in markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco and Puerto Rico and it also provides programming and operates a small TV network, MegaTV.

The post SBS to Deregister Stock appeared first on Radio World.

NAB’s technology innovation initiative, Pilot, has announced it is accepting submissions for the fifth annual Pilot Innovation Challenge. The Innovation Challenge is just one of Pilot’s initiatives meant to support different parts of the innovation cycle.

The prompt for the 2020 Pilot Innovation Challenge is: “Develop a working prototype to improve real-time decentralized collaboration while managing live and recorded audio/video from multiple sources for media production in a limited bandwidth environment. Broadcasters should be able to implement the prototype as a supporting element within their current environment.”

More directly, contestants are tasked with creating prototypes that address limitations caused by remote television and radio operations while being able to support current production environments.

“This year’s challenge looks to answer a timely question that has surfaced in the broadcast industry,” said John Clark, Pilot executive director. “We are eager to see how technologists, many of whom are facing similar challenges, innovate to enhance remote production and overcome hurdles caused by physical distance, varying bandwidth speeds and remote operations.”

Individuals, teams, companies, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations can apply. Up to five finalists will be selected by a panel of industry experts, who will be notified by the end of September. The winners will be announced during the NAB Show New York Digital Experience in October.

Funding up to $150,000 will be allocated between as many as two winners. In addition to funds, winners will receive relevant mentorship, development feedback and a trip to the 2021 NAB Show in Las Vegas to demonstrate the prototype.

The deadline to apply for the 2020 Pilot Innovation Challenge is Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. ET. For more information, visit www.nabpilot.org/challenge.

The post NAB’s Pilot Accepting 2020 Innovation Challenge Proposals appeared first on Radio World.

The author of this commentary is CEO of Access Europe. Access Europe launched the first mobile web browser in the 1980s and now facilitates media consumption outside of the home and in the connected car.

As we enter a new era of driving experiences, basic radio and rather awkward bring-your-own-devices (BYOD) are unlikely to satisfy drivers and passengers as the only forms of in-car entertainment.

Today’s consumers want access to all the services they are currently using on their phone and at home while on the road, the car original equipment manufacturers understand this and are all evaluating the best way to deliver on the potential of the connected car concept. As BMW board member, Pieter Nota, suggests: “It’s not just about having big screens in your vehicle, it’s about the content you can have on those screens and what you can offer that’s so important, in terms of things like the best possible integration of music in your vehicle.”

The combination of smart software with stable 4G and advanced 5G cellular networks unlocks a future in which the car becomes an OEM-branded communications hub that offers entertainment, BYOD access and value-added services.

The relatively low cost of shipping 4G systems in a car has already seen a rise in its inclusion in next-generation vehicles. Around 75% of cars will be connected to the internet by 2025, and connected functionality has moved up the list of features consumers value. A 2018 survey by mobile app developer Metova found over half of consumers have a car that connects to the internet through their mobile device and 33% prefer streaming audio over radio largely due to convenience.

While 66% of buyers are increasingly prepared to change their entertainment service providers and content packages for one that is available in their vehicle in order to gain better connectivity and seamless access to in-car entertainment.

5G Mobility Benefits

4G networks are already widely deployed and provide a pathway for high-speed connectivity across audio, compressed video and two-way communication for BYOD and onboard apps. In Europe, new car models approved for manufacture after March of 2018 must have the 112-based eCall emergency number system installed which uses a cellular modem within each vehicle.

Although 4G is ideal for streaming low bandwidth content, the cellular connectivity that will be fitted into all new cars is likely to be 5G ready — allowing a software/SIM upgrade to take advantage of new networks as they arrive to the market.

This move to 5G is more than just a gimmick; due to the short wavelength of 5G radio signals, cars with larger and better-integrated radio antennas will be able to transfer data at higher speeds with lower congestion at lower latencies and thus offer superior reception than that of smartphones. With the car acting as a reliable 5G access point, the ability to project a Wi-Fi hotspot for occupants provides increased reliability and performance across the entire journey for drivers and passengers alike.

With connectivity built in, automobiles finally gain several real-time capabilities that aid driver comfort, safety and utility. From instant updates for traffic and route guidance, to delivering new forms of infotainment such as streaming audio services and video for rear-seat passengers. 5G means, that for example, the car’s Wi-Fi and its built-in in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system will be able to seamlessly blend different audio inputs from national and local HD Radio, from across the world, to Spotify and to a much greater standard than streaming directly from your mobile device.

[Related: Read more articles about radio and the connected car.]

IVI acts already as a connectivity hub allowing various media formats — via Bluetooth and USB drives — to be merged into a single source of entertainment. The next-generation IVIs will also be a central access point to the services offered by the OEMs, allowing them to shape these in the most attractive and efficient way for the driver and passengers.

Infotainment Unlocked

The connected car approach will also allow car brands to offer integrated infotainment services through partnerships with existing or emerging music and radio services. In a similar paradigm to the smartphone market, vehicles are likely to be a showroom with connected services that are enabled through activating pre-downloaded apps within the IVI — along with companion apps for mobile devices. Playing a key role in how car brands are perceived.

As the automotive and digital media industries continue to evolve, car manufacturers are recognizing that the key to differentiating themselves is in building digital and software-based services around the car. But unlocking the potential for creating new relationships with drivers and building customer loyalty is through entertainment and next-generation radio services. This means the way we use cars is about to change and for the audio industries, this presents a unique opportunity to evolve its offerings, enter new territory and keep its services at the heart of the driving experience.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.

The post Entertainment Content for the Connected Car appeared first on Radio World.

The author is project director of RadioDNS. His commentaries appear regularly in Radio World.

RadioDNS has a mission to accelerate the growth of hybrid radio by establishing standards that reduce the costs and complexity of implementation. There’s growing adoption of our technical standards, but not all the impediments to growth are technical.

Radio receivers used to be simple devices. They varied in terms of support for FM/AM, stereo and RDS, but the broadcaster could generally be confident that what they transmitted was what the listener heard. As radio receivers have added more functionality, the opportunities for the listener experience to diverge from what the broadcaster intended has increased.

Sometimes this divergence is simply a misunderstanding. Many auto manufacturers started to include radio station logos in their cars, which made radio more visually appealing, but they didn’t realize how frequently stations and logos change, so they made no provision for the logos to be updated.

Logos got out of date, or entirely wrong as stations rebranded, and broadcasters became frustrated that they couldn’t fix it. With the best intentions, manufacturers had implemented a great idea very badly.

[Related: “Hybrid Radio Picks Up Momentum”]

Conversely, many broadcasters tried to circumvent restrictions on displaying dynamic text in the vehicle by “scrolling” their RDS station names, in complete contravention to the standards. As well as being a generally pretty poor experience, it frustrated manufacturers’ development of better interfaces to broadcast radio, and even regressed radio in some vehicles. Some broadcasters even misused the emergency signaling protocols to “hijack” listeners to their stations.

Most controversially, a radio was released that supported album art/visual content from radio stations, but utilized an internet connection to add preroll audio adverts to broadcast radio, and insert advertising into the radio station’s visual stream, without a station’s knowledge.

Mistakes have been made on both sides. Some times with good intent, sometimes not so. But each time the assumption was “this will be OK.”

Our latest activity is to be clearer about what “OK” looks like for radio, recognizing that the opportunity for there to be disagreements about what “OK” is has grown in line with the additional functionality that connectivity brings. Whilst our scope is hybrid radio, we think some of our thinking might also be useful for streaming and digital broadcast radio.

Our “Radio Device Metadata Terms” is an attempt to codify acceptable use of content made available by radio stations for radio devices.

It’s a standard template agreement that broadcasters can adopt if they think it describes how they’d like their metadata and content to be used. We think a standard is valuable because it dramatically reduces the complexity of working out what “OK” looks like, and establishes a consistency that allows manufacturers to make a radio that works for the majority of radio stations globally.

Much of it is pretty obvious: Don’t change the radio station logos, don’t edit or rewrite content provided by the radio station. Don’t add your own unauthorized content (or advertisements) to a radio station’s content.

Some of this is putting into writing things that should be clear now. The radio station should have all the necessary rights to distribute the metadata and content, and they should stick to the technical standards. They should be reasonable about how long content (like logos) can be stored before it’s deleted.

Nevertheless, it has taken time to consult and discuss these issues with all the stakeholders, because it inevitably creates some changes and places some (reasonable) restrictions in place in order to get consistency. We’ve taken input and circulated multiple drafts of the agreement so that people can understand how it will help and affect them.

We hope to publish the first version of Radio Device Metadata Terms on our website in the autumn. The key attributes are:

• It is a standard document which broadcasters and manufacturers can refer to, but RadioDNS isn’t a party to any agreement. Our role is to enable the market, but not participate or intermediate.
• Broadcasters can voluntarily adopt it by linking to it from their RadioDNS metadata. If a broadcaster adopts it, manufacturers should abide by it, but RadioDNS won’t be a party to resolving any disputes.
• If a manufacturer agrees with the terms, they can use all the content from any broadcaster globally offered under the terms.
• The terms don’t cover all use cases, and they don’t preclude any cases. If a broadcaster and manufacturer want to do something outside the scope of the terms, they can create their own agreement between them. That could be by extending the terms, or completely replacing it.

We’ll be providing guidance on how to implement the terms to both broadcasters and manufacturers. We hope it allows broadcasters and manufacturers to move forward with hybrid radio faster, with fewer chances of misunderstandings. We expect it to be widely adopted during 2021.

You can learn more at the Radio Device Metadata Terms portion of our website.

RadioDNS is funded by its members, and provides a uniquely non-partisan environment for stakeholders to discuss and resolve issues surfaced by the evolution of broadcast radio enabled by combined broadcast and IP. We’re really proud that our members represent every sector of the global broadcast radio industry.

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

The post RadioDNS Aims to Establish Metadata Consistency appeared first on Radio World.

With this issue, Radio World expands its readership to the international broadcast engineering community. We welcome the new readers to Radio World’s longest-running feature Workbench, and look forward to interacting with you, sharing tips and suggestions that make your job easier and more efficient.

MOVs

Longtime Workbench contributor and Malaysia resident Paul Sagi has been editing local science textbooks and scientific research papers in a variety of fields since retiring from broadcast and computer work.

Paul writes that much in life depends on timing. Since electric surges travel at a finite speed, the speed of current through the conductor, which is estimated at 98% of the speed of light, MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors) must switch on fast — in nanoseconds.

Surge suppression is a race between the surge current impulse and the MOV. Placement of the MOV has to be between the power (or data) input and the protected components. It must be close enough to the power (or data) input, and far enough from the protected electronic components, that the MOV can be turned on (or at least turning on) before the surge reaches the components.

In Paul’s case, he placed the MOV right next to the phone line input of a DSL splitter, not 3/4 of an inch  away. He drilled holes through the printed circuit board (PCB) of his DSL splitter to add an MOV right next to the phone line jack. While inside, he replaced the original GDTSS (gas discharge tube surge suppressor) with a MOV because the MOV has a much quicker response time.

On the way to the DSL splitter, the phone line (Cat-5e Ethernet cable, green/white pair) passed through a surge suppressor he made with a 130V MOV. Between the DSL splitter and the modem was (you guessed it) another MOV surge protector and more Cat-5e Ethernet cable, green/white pair.

This brings to four the number of MOVs that Paul installed to take the punches from the lightning. Paul reports that over the years, he’s lost an MOV or two but never a modem. Timing is everything.

Paul also has an APC by Schneider Electric. The model is EasyUPS BV650I-MS UPS/AVR combo, and it works well. But even though Paul bought it from a Malaysian chain of computer stores, it was supplied with USA power outlets. The electrical outlets in Malaysia are the British type. The tip here is to have a good adapter for your AC cables.

Head for the Tunnel

Fighting the gummy residue after duct taping remote broadcast cabling on the floor or pavement is the bane of most remote engineers. The problem easily disappears with Tunnel Tape.

This patented, 3-inch-wide tape has adhesive only on its edges. This creates a stick-free “tunnel” in the center of the tape, where wires and cables can pass and not be affected by the adhesive on the edges.

The tape has some other benefits as well: You can easily tear the tape by hand, it is puncture-resistant, and it can be lifted and repositioned several times without losing adhesion.

A 3-inch by 40-foot roll runs just under $25. For larger cable bundles, the tape is available in 4-inch widths, at a slight increase in price.

Specifications and ordering information can be obtained at www.cableorganizer.com/tunnel-tape.

Low-Cost Software

Florida projects engineer Dan Slentz alerts readers to more free and low-cost metering software! This time it’s from UK-based Darkwood Designs  (www.darkwooddesigns.co.uk), which offers a variety of software meters including VU, PPM, multi-channel level meters, all supported by Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 10  only.

From the home page, click on “More PC Software” to download a slick Audio Test Generator. This level meter includes a digital readout and is combined with a Sine Wave Test Generator. Ideal software for your shop, workbench or laptop for field applications.

Dan also came across a new and useful YouTube video for owners of Moseley 6000 series studio/transmitter links. It describes the process to change operating frequencies on this equipment, but it also includes useful servicing tips. To find the video, enter “Moseley 6000 Series STL Pair Frequency Change” in the YouTube search block.

Another Software Tip

Readers may remember Dan’s earlier submission of free drawing software, similar to Visio, called Draw.IO.

The company has released another free software version called Flowchart Maker & Online Diagram Software. It’s ideal for developing flowcharts and other engineering diagrams.

Here’s the link.

Put it in the Dryer

San Diego’s Marc Mann found Bill Fike’s suggestion of using a clothes dryer to persuade AC cord sets to relax a great idea.

However, Marc urges caution. Bill’s model Maytag is similar to Marc’s 16-year-old Maytag.  The drying rack in that model and other early models were the subject of factory recalls, because when mounted, they allow lint to bypass the filter and accumulate in various areas of the heating and vent train, possibly causing a fire during normal use.

Marc’s model (Fig. 2) requires the user to remove the filter to mount and utilize the rack. The issue is that anything that would come loose while drying would pass directly through and likely get lodged in the squirrel cage fan. Bill’s model evidently uses a different rack mounting method.

Anyone who has the older style of dryer, which requires removal of the lint filter for rack use, should ensure they first remove any adhesive labels on the cords, which once heated could come loose and cause issues as they float around inside the dryer.

John Bisset has spent over 50 years in the broadcasting industry and is still learning. 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. Workbench submissions are encouraged and can be emailed to: johnpbisset@gmail.com.

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