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The author is director of engineering for the WXPN Radio Network.

PHILADELPHIA — WXPN(FM) is a long-time user of Logitek consoles — and by “long-time” I mean decades.

I arrived at the station in February, 2002. At that time we were looking at products to replace an aging Logitek Perfectionist console. We’ve used the original ROC-10, Remora, and Numix consoles at our facility since 2002. Their long life is backed up by the fact that our original Remora-4, purchased 18 years ago, is still in service!

Last year, we decided it was time to replace the two remaining Numix-12 consoles that had been installed in 2004, and of course we checked out Logitek to see what was available from them. We wanted to have a similar feature set to the Numix but with a smaller footprint — however, we didn’t want to lose any physical controls such as the number of faders on the surface. Having the console sit on the tabletop rather than requiring a furniture cutout was also an important consideration for us.

Our search resulted in the purchase of two Helix-12 consoles. The Helix series is Logitek’s entry into touchscreen control of audio consoles, and it’s nice. These consoles provide really easy access to bus assignments, EQ, limiter and compressor controls. Our two new Helix units are in the backup on-air control room, which is mostly used for production, and in our newly redesigned “World Café” production studio. “World Café” is produced by WXPN and distributed by NPR to over 200 U.S. radio stations.

I’ve been working with Tag Borland and John Davis at Logitek for my entire time at WXPN. They have guided me through my initial introduction to the world of networked audio systems, two major system expansions, multiple upgrades, and thousands of questions. It’s rare to nonexistent to work with the same people at the same company for so long. Their knowledge of the product, ease of accessibility for support and pleasant and calm demeanor is unmatched in the industry.

With this installation, since we were dealing primarily with a console replacement in each studio, we really didn’t need assistance from the factory. My only issue was a problem with source names not displaying — but if I had read the manual, I would have saved myself and John a five-minute phone conversation.

We have a range of users at WXPN, ranging from college students who have never entered a radio station to serious radio veterans. They’ve always enjoyed our Logitek consoles, but of all the different features offered over the years, I’ve received the most positive comments on the touchscreen features on the Helix. It’s so much easier for users to access the various controls, and something as basic as panning two sources opposite to each other during a recording for easier post production is now used more often than ever. We also rely on aux sends for a handful of important tasks, and our users have commented that the way the touchscreen displays the on/off status along with the touch controls is superior to the mechanical push button type on older consoles.

Logitek continues to be a very good value for the money, and it’s a pleasure to work with them.

Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.

For information, contact John Davis at Logitek Electronic Systems in Texas at 1-713-664-4470 or visit www.logitekaudio.com.

The post User Report: WXPN Upgrades With Logitek Helix appeared first on Radio World.

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

Recently it was announced that some of the biggest radio networks in the United States had agreed to terms with the Federal Communications Commission over failures related to the Electronic Public Inspection File system. The situation is an important reminder of several matters.

What is the issue? In February, Alpha Media, Beasley Media, Cumulus Media, Entercom, iHeartMedia and Salem Media Group informed the FCC that they had detected omissions in reporting related to the EPIF’s political file requirements. These regulations for commercial broadcasters are most interesting to the public for transparency purposes, as they provide a glimpse into ad spending by political candidates.

Closer to November, it’s a safe bet political files will be watched by journalists and the public. Earlier this winter? Maybe not as much, which may explain the FCC’s light touch as far as penalties go — no fines, and simply securing a commitment to do better.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Turned Up]

Pockets in the commercial and noncommercial radio world have blanched at this decision for good reason. Although the FCC was rather generous to give leeway due to the pandemic, these issues were reported more than a month before shutdowns and presumably caught much earlier. However, admonishments by the FCC rather than fines over political file issues are not without precedent. Last October, the FCC reprimanded several stations rather than issue fines. In December, two Georgia television stations also received FCC rebuke, but no fines, for political file violations.

Although the commission has been benevolent as far as financial penalties in recent months — the dramatic fine reduction for two Boston pirate radio operators being among the marquee examples — every station should assume such relaxed discipline over EPIF violations will only last so long.

What do noncommercial broadcasters need to know about the EPIF? In general, full-power stations are required to keep a variety of records for public review, including contour maps, ownership reports, Equal Employment Opportunity records and Programs/Issues Reports (essentially demonstrations of the educational nature of your broadcasts). Many records must be collected quarterly, although altered operations have changed timetables in a few instances. Then, you must upload those documents to the FCC’s EPIF database and provide a link from your website to your file there.

Low-power broadcasters are not required by the FCC to keep a public inspection file, but, like full-power stations, must keep a political file and maintain those records going back two years. Inside of a station’s political file is your quarterly history related to underwriting, airtime requests, appearances by candidates and documentation of air times and dates for same.

As a former program director, I can tell you the political file was one of the more irksome beasts during the election season. There is no shortage of candidates who wanted interviews, underwriters clamoring to have their say, and forums to be held. However, it was nevertheless important for the station. It was even more important for the public, as a device for democracy.

Fines or lack thereof may draw eyes and ears, but let us always keep in mind the importance of these sometimes overlooked records to our communities and country.

The post Community Broadcaster: Devices for Democracy appeared first on Radio World.

The authors of this commentary are SVP, Broadcast Radio, and SVP, Engineering-Digital Platforms of Xperi, respectively.

When the COVID-19 pandemic was at its most critical early phase, consumers went to radio for local and accurate information.

During the recent protests? Radio was the choice for listeners in search of consistently useful updates.

After all, the internet and social media aren’t as effective at cutting through the noise and sharing relevant information; television is too broad, slow and methodical in its programming.

Though formats may have changed over time, the unique way radio delivers content makes radio a trusted friend in times of need.

According to Nielsen, eight out of 10 radio listeners were either listening to radio more or the same amount during the early part of the COVID-19 crisis — with 28% saying they were listening to radio more than usual and 60% of listeners reporting that they greatly respect and trust their local radio stations to provide late-breaking updates for their community.

And, some local radio stations saw huge upticks: KFI and KNX in Los Angeles were significantly up from earlier in the year, according to the Los Angeles Daily News in late May.

Radio has also proven adept at getting and keeping the attention of consumers. And, while radio is primarily an audio media, thanks to advances in digital broadcasting, broadcasters are now able to enhance their audio messages with text and visual information to create a complete information experience that reinforces each message for even greater engagement, with important ramifications for PSAs.

This convergence of digital technology with the audio format of radio has increased brand recall by up to 1,500% when compared to audio-only messaging, and, according to Xperi research, improves message recall. In one study, there’s a 12% lift among millennials:

All of which means greater opportunities to get public service messages out during the pandemic — and making them stick.

HD Radio PSAs: Essential Community Tools in a Crisis

At Xperi, we have a unique perspective on how radio is used during this crisis, and how HD Radio has been a game-changer. Broadcasters are frequently updating their listeners — from school and business closings to hot-spot surges and reminders on how to be safe and protect the most vulnerable.

With HD Radio, which is in over 65 million vehicles on the road in the United States, broadcasters are serving their communities by enhancing audio PSA messages about the virus with text and visuals to more easily get their attention and hold it, such as illustrations of the six-foot social distancing rule.

To understand the degree to which broadcasters used HD Radio metadata to convey information related to the virus — from hand-washing to social distancing — we conducted a snapshot analysis of Xperi data across 39 markets and 76 stations in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico between Feb. 15 and May 12, the height of the pandemic information rush:

When segmented across categories, this information appeared 1,810 times in news programs, 226 in news headlines, 445 in info URLs and 676 times in PSAs.

Among the reasons for this increase in use? Speed and ease of integration.

For example, Beasley Media Group quickly integrated messaging into an existing community program, and ran it across all 60 of their stations in very high rotation:

Beasley Community of Caring campaign Social distancing metadata on Beasley’s WMMR in Philadelphia

In Mexico, Grupo Formula created their own designs, including visuals for mask-wearing, stay-at-home, hand-washing and social distancing, for all their FM HD stations in major cities, including Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey:

Grupo Formula created their own designs, including visuals for mask-wearing, stay-at-home, hand-washing and social distancing, for their FM HD stations in major cities. The “stay at home” image is visible at right.

Other Mexico groups implementing PSA campaigns through HD Radio are Televisa Radio, Multimedios, Pergom and Grupo Oro. And Rogers Media in Canada is effectively using digital data fields in their HD Radio transmissions to convey news headlines and local community information.

During the most recent crisis, Beasley utilized enhanced PSA messaging on their QUU RDS systems, including a statement they shared on social media channels about their commitment to listeners and their families to promote positive change in the communities they serve and across our nation.

Digital Radio Key to Upgrading Emergency Alert Ecosystem

HD Radio Emergency Alerts are also invaluable community tools for broadcasters for emergency notifications.

The pandemic, and recent events around the protests, have reinforced the urgency of leveraging digital radio as an upgrade of the public alerting ecosystem — and our PSA data indicates that broadcasters are ready to implement it to better serve their communities.

A December 2018 report by the FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) recommended upgrading several aspects, including, geographic targeting, multimedia, resiliency and redundancy, accessibility of alert information and integration of alerts across devices.

Digital radio technology — through HD Radio — can enable these improvements now. At Xperi, we believe it should be utilized as an integral part of the collaborative effort to upgrade the nation’s public alerting capabilities.

Proven Value Over 100 Years

Radio is simply the most efficient and flexible way to provide news and entertainment across geographic and topical segments, a claim the numbers support and remains the most consumed media channel, according to Nielsen Audio Today 2019 (total persons 12+).

So, it’s no surprise that it’s thrived for 100 years ( and why at Xperi, we are devoting a year-long campaign to celebrate the milestone).

During our recent unprecedented crises, it’s been radio — and digital radio — that has helped to deliver the information listeners have needed in the most comprehensive and convenient way. And when life returns to normal and priorities shift from social distancing to socializing, digital radio, and specifically, HD Radio, will help lead the way, providing a complete experience around the news and entertainment consumers want — when they want it — in a way that fits their lifestyle. It doesn’t take a crisis to see the value of that.

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

The post Digital Radio Has Expanded Community Messaging appeared first on Radio World.

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Media Bureau Releases Agenda for ACDDE August 3 Virtual Workshop on Libraries and Broadband

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Waiver of Section 76.101 (Syndicated Exclusivity)

Sage Alerting Systems has released an update to its Model 3644 Digital ENDEC EAS units. The update is required to be installed before Oct. 28.

A company release explains, “A signing certificate used by FEMA to validate CAP alerts will expire on Oct 28, 2020, at 14:05:29 UTC. Sage has released a free firmware update that you must install to permit your ENDEC to continue to receive EAS CAP alerts from FEMA after that date.”

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

In addition the update has tweaks to the SSL root certificates required for downloading alert audio files from state or county alert originators.

Explanatory release notes can be found here. Questions can be sent to support@sagealertingsystems.com.

 

The post Sage Updates ENDEC Firmware appeared first on Radio World.

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There’s good news on the horizon for podcast revenue growth, and presumably for radio organizations that are active in that space.

Over the last several years, podcast ad revenues accelerated at a rate “nothing short of stunning,” said Pierre Bouvard, chief insights officer at Cumulus Media and Westwood One. He often blogs in support of radio’s place in the audio arena.

He was commenting in his latest post about a report on U.S. podcast advertising revenues from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers. In doing so, he also noted the ongoing strength of AM/FM radio compared to other audio media, citing separate data from Edison Research.

Growth Trends

With expected growth of 14.7% through 2020, the stage has been set for podcast revenues to hit $1.1 billion in 2021, according to the IAB/PwC report.

Commenting, Bouvard wrote, “Even with the impact of COVID-19, 2020 podcast revenues are forecast to come in at 94% of last year’s 2020 prediction. … This speaks to the strength of audio as a powerful platform for both brands and direct response marketers.”

[Read: TechSurvey 2020 Looks at Podcast Growth]

While it remains to be seen what long-term impact the pandemic has on podcast revenues, IAB/PwC still predicts a 15% jump in 2020. This comes after podcast ad revenues soared 48% between 2018 and 2019, a “stunning” growth rate, Bouvard said.

He said podcast advertising has proven to be more resistant than other media against COVID-19 for various reasons, including the medium’s relatively flexible format, which enables quick shifting of ad messaging; the popularity of news content; and the strength of certain ad categories like direct-to-consumer retailers and financial services, which so far are maintaining market strength despite the coronavirus.

The report listed the top-earning formats. The leading genre for U.S. podcast advertisers is news, capturing 22% of revenues. Comedy captured 17% followed by society and culture at 13%, business at 11% and true crime at 9%. More than 70% of that ad spend comes from those five.

The report also found that annual buys were increasing as a percentage of the total, while “scattered” advertising declined illustrating that buyers are looking at the long term.

A key takeaway for Bouvard is that “ad-supported streaming audio has peaked over the last four years with little audience growth. Podcasting has all the audience growth and advertiser interest.”

Bouvard cites Edison Research “Share of Ear” data showing that podcasting audience shares have tripled over four years while Pandora’s are down, Spotify is up slightly and SiriusXM is up — but that AM/FM remains the dominant ad-supported audio platform.

And he said AM/FM radio’s share of ad-supported audio is consistently strong.

Read Bouvard’s analysis here.

 

The post Podcasting to Break Billion-Dollar Barrier in 2021 appeared first on Radio World.

We like sharing announcements from Radio World’s Who’s Buying What column partly because it gives us a chance to peek into various new radio facilities.

Here’s one from Swiss radio station Canal 3 and Lawo.

The console manufacturer says the station chose a Ruby on-air console and Power Core DSP mixing engine for their recently completed air studio. Lawo provided the photos shown at bottom of this story.

The studio is used for pre-production and as an on-air backup. Consulting, construction and installation of the hardware and studio furnishings were provided by system integrator SLG Broadcast AG.

[See more recent Who’s Buying What stories.]

The flush-mounted console has a split-frame setup with a 12-fader main mixing surface for DJs and a four-fader module for in-studio newscasters; this lets presenters work independently and at the same time. MADI connects the new studio with two existing rooms, currently equipped with Lawo sapphire consoles. And a mobile studio setup in three flight cases includes a 12-fader ruby with Power Core.

The studios are in Biel, southwest of Bern. Canal 3 broadcasts on two frequencies in Bern and Solothurn; it’s a bilingual private station that went on the air in 1984, supplying content for Swiss German- and French-speaking listeners. It broadcasts with DAB+ on SwissMediaCast and C3F on Digris.

Photos are below.

We welcome news for Who’s Buying What from both users and suppliers, including RF and other non-studio applications. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

Above, inside the new studio

 

News position

 

Studio exterior

 

The post Canal 3 Installs Lawo Ruby appeared first on Radio World.

The 2020 College Broadcasters Inc. National Student Electronic Media Convention (NSEMC) will be held online Oct. 28–30. This decision was made by the CBI Board of Directors with the safety of CBI members and guests in mind.

CBI is planning presentations, access to the latest technology and expert vendors and opportunities to network with peers and special guests. There also will be modified versions of CBI’s Swag Swap Social and National Student Production Awards Ceremony.

[Read: College Media Convention Will Be Virtual-Only]

The $100 registration fee for this year will be per media outlet member; so members may include as many affiliated attendees from their organization as they would like.

CBI also will be producing online sessions twice a month between now and the convention, featuring workshops with tips on training, programming and recruiting new members at the onset of the fall semester.

Information for member and non-member attendees, vendors and guests is online. For information on programming, email Events@AskCBI.org. For information about vendor and sponsorship opportunities, email Development@AskCBI.org.

 

The post CBI’s 2020 Student Convention Goes Virtual appeared first on Radio World.

AEQ Forum Split console in use with the Forum Screen Display software on the screen to the left at Miguel Hernández University’s radio station.

Miguel Hernández University Radio is now broadcasting from all four of its campuses in FM and several on-line platforms with the addition of a new studio on the Elche, Spain, campus. AEQ performed the installation and upgrades.

The new digital broadcasting studio includes a room with seats for an audience. The main digital control is equipped with an AEQ Forum Split digital mixer with 16 faders. The Forum mixing console configuration includes five microphone/line inputs, eight analog line outputs, eight AES and SPDIF digital inputs/outputs, four USB inputs/outputs, 64 MADI inputs/outputs and two digital phone hybrids.

[Read: A Look Inside Valencia’s À Punt Radio]

The Forum Screen Display software shows operating parameters and information such as dynamics, parametric equalizer and VU meters.

AEQ installed the mixer together with the auxiliary equipment (microphones, audio monitors, turntables, etc.) to complete the main control room.

AEQ Forum Split console is installed with the Forum Screen Display software on the screen to the left at Miguel Hernández University’s radio station.

In the talent room seven AEQ HB-02 microphone and headphone guest stations with level controls were installed. An AEQ Studio Box desktop signaling system was located in the studio and on-air signs were placed over the entrances and in the studio’s interior.

AEQ digital equipment was also installed at the Orihuela and Altea, Spain, campuses. Both studios share the same configuration: each control room has an AEQ Capitol mixer with dual phone hybrid and an AoIP Dante module enabling the connection of the AEQ NetBox 4MH on-air studio interface. Auxiliary equipment was also upgraded with AEQ HB-02 guest stations, AEQ Studio Boxes and on-air signs.

RW welcomes news for Who’s Buying What, email us at radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

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