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FCC rescinds grant of application for consent to assignment of WQZS(FM), Meyersdale, PA

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WTB and MB designate a single point of contact for coordinating BAS operations during the upcoming 2020 National Political Conventions and the 2021 Presidential Inauguration

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Those owning or considering purchasing Digital Audio Denmark or NTP Technologies converters/routers may wish to know about a newly released trio of controllers, the Penta 615 series.

These rackmounted boxes are compatible with Digital Audio Denmark (DAD AX32 and DX32R) and NTP Technology (Penta 720/721) routing products.

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

The pushbuttons are programmable. The color displayed when active is also programmable. The OLED display above each key is also programmable.

The 615-610A adds rotary encoders for volume control. The 2RU 615-620A has a display.

The group can be powered over Ethernet or by an adaptor.

Info: www.ntp.dk

The post NTP Provides Control appeared first on Radio World.

An image from the Westwood One News web page.

The radio news business in the United States will take a big blow when Westwood One ceases its news operations next month.

WWO is the national-facing arm of Cumulus Media. It has more than 900 affiliated stations for its news products.

The company declined to make public the number of employees affected by this closure, citing company policy. According to media reports, affiliates got the news last week.

Westwood One News launched in 2015; and two years ago the company was hailing the news operation as “the Edward R. Murrow Award-winning, highly-regarded full-service news division of the largest radio network in the U.S.” At that time it said its affiliates reached more than 25.7 million people, based on Nielsen Audio data; since then its reported number of affiliates has grown.

Now the news operation is set to shutter at the end of next month.

“Given the current necessity to make critical decisions about the deployment of resources, we made the decision to cease WWO news operations on Aug. 30,” a spokeswoman confirmed in a statement.

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to the entire WWO News Team for all that they have accomplished and acknowledge the exceptional leadership of Bart Tessler, who has commanded our admiration and respect throughout his 45-year news career.”

The company said it remains “heavily committed” to its personality driven news/talk programming with brands like Mark Levin, Ben Shapiro, Jim Bohannon and Michael Savage.

Related: “Westwood One Slams NYC-Based Ad Buying Assumptions”]

The post Westwood One Will Close Its News Operation on Aug. 30 appeared first on Radio World.

Don’t give the people who win your on-air contests a reason to call the FCC.

That’s the takeaway from two cases in Texas in which broadcasters have ended up facing possible fines.

On-air contests have long been one of radio’s most engaging and entertaining activities. But there are strict rules around running them. Failure to hold up your end of a contest can bring action from the Federal Communications Commission.

Townsquare Media of El Paso Inc. allegedly violated those rules when KSII(FM) failed to timely award a contest prize.

The commission said it got a listener complaint that KSII had failed to award a prize of Elton John tickets in late 2016. The winner said a station employee took his information, informed him that the tickets were not yet available and instructed him to call back after the new year. The listener called in January and February but was told the tickets still were not available.

Townsquare blamed the problem on a breakdown in communications and procedure, saying there was no intent to defraud or deceive. It eventually followed up and provided tickets to a different Elton John concert in Las Vegas, with airfare and hotel.

But the FCC says precedent is clear that “neither the improper actions of a licensee’s employees nor subsequent remedial actions undertaken by a licensee can excuse or nullify a licensee’s rule violation.” It plans a $6,000 forfeiture. This is higher than the base fine of $4,000 because of the trouble the listener had to go through and because of another past fine against Townsquare, though it’s nowhere near the upper limits in contest cases of about $50,000 per violation or even $500,000 for a single act.

In a separate case, contest rules tripped up Gow Media, licensee of sports station KFNC(FM) in Mont Belvieu, Texas. The FCC said KFNC failed to award a prize to the winner of a Fantasy Football contest in 2016. The listener said that the prize was an all-expenses-paid vacation to Marival Resort in Mexico, but that he he never received it “despite many calls, emails and messages.”

Gow Media said the operator of the resort had reneged on its commitment and that the station eventually offered the listener $3,600 in cash, which it said is twice the value of the prize. The listener accepted this, signed a Settlement Agreement and indicated that he would like to rescind his complaint.

But the deed was done. Although Gow Media later took steps to resolve the issue, this was only after the FCC began its investigation, the commission said, adding that Gow did not explain why it took so long to respond to the listener nor why the matter remained unresolved for two years. It also pointed out that KFNC’s contest rules limit the time period to claim a prize to 30 business days. “Timely fulfillment of the prize … was a material term of the licensee’s own contest rules.”

In this case the proposed penalty is $5,200. In both cases, the broadcasters have a window of time to pay the forfeitures or file a written statement seeking to overturn them.

The post Contest Missteps Slip Up Two Texas Stations appeared first on Radio World.

Ilker Akin has joined transmitter manufacturer Nautel.

He will be regional sales manager for Europe, Israel and Russia and be based in Germany.

Akin has been in technical management and marketing with several German and Turkish companies, many of which are involved in broadcast system installation and equipment sales.

The post Nautel Adds Akin appeared first on Radio World.

If you’re looking for an FM opportunity, here’s a heads up: The Federal Communications Commission has reinstated 14 vacant allotments in four states and one U.S. territory.

This is the result of some bureaucratic changes over the years.

At one time the commission’s table listed all vacant FM allotments as well as channels and communities occupied by authorized facilities. In 2006, it removed allotments of authorized and awarded FM facilities to accommodate new application procedures for stations to change their communities of license. And now when an authorization is cancelled, the vacant FM channel is supposed to be reinstated in the FM Table, to be protected for spacing purposes and preserve the opportunity to license a future station in that community.

The 14 allotments being reinstated by the Audio Division of the Media Bureau had been removed from the table because a construction permit or license was granted; but they are vacant now because of the subsequent cancellation of the authorizations or dismissal of long-form auction applications.

So the commission is reinstating them. In future it said it plans periodically to update the FM Table to reinstate such allotments when this situation arises again.

The allotments in this case have already undergone notice and comment rule making, so the staff said there’s no need for further notice and comment.

The list of reinstated vacant allotments is below. Most are in California, Texas and Colorado. But depending on your idea of heaven, there are single allotments in the Virgin Islands and Iowa.

The Audio Division adds that its engineering analysis confirms that these vacant allotments meet minimum distance separation requirements. But it added that to prevent short-spacing, it adopted new site restrictions for Channels 261B at Coalinga, Calif., and 278C2 at Hereford, Texas. “Both are considered fully spaced allotments notwithstanding the subsequent grant of authorization to several stations that are providing contour protection to these allotments” under FCC rules. Also, Channels 261B at Coalinga, Calif., 271A at Ford City, Calif., and *275A at Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands are considered fully spaced allotments as well.

Community      Channel Added

Avenal, California — 269A

Coalinga, California — 261B

Dos Palos, California — 240A

Firebaugh, California — 234A

Ford City, California — 271A

King City, California — 275A

Lindsay, California — 277B1

Calhan, Colorado — 284C3

Idalia, Colorado — 231A

Asbury, Iowa — *254A (*238A was deleted)

Ganado, Texas — 235C1

Hereford, Texas — 278C2

Palacios, Texas — 259C1

Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands — *275A

(Channels with an asterisk may be used only by noncommercial educational broadcast stations. Learn about the FM Table of Allotments here.)

The post FCC Reinstates 14 Vacant FM Allotments appeared first on Radio World.

It’s official, SiriusXM plans to acquire podcast biggie Stitcher later this year.

“With the acquisition, SiriusXM’s combined properties will contain the largest addressable audience in the U.S. across all categories of digital audio — music, sports, talk, and podcasts,” the company stated Monday.

An image from Stitcher’s home page. SiriusXM says that with this acquisition it “will be better positioned to advance the podcast ad market and help solve some of its critical challenges.”

SiriusXM has been aggressive in remaking itself well beyond its roots as a satellite-based company. In 2018 it acquired AdsWizz, a digital audio advertising technology company. Last year it completed its acquisition of streaming player Pandora. More recently it acquired podcast management and analytics platform Simplecast.

[Related: “SiriusXM Will Debut New Hybrid Radio System in Cars”]

SiriusXM will pay $265 million to Stitcher’s owner E.W. Scripps, plus up to another $60 million based on Stitcher’s performance this year and next. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter.

“The transaction will also further extend the substantial reach of SiriusXM in the digital audio ad marketplace,” it stated. “The SiriusXM and Pandora owned-and-operated digital platforms, combined with the company’s exclusive ad sales arrangement with SoundCloud for the U.S., and the Stitcher and Midroll networks that are subject to the agreement, will reach over 150 million listeners.” Midroll is a podcast ad network that is part of Stitcher.

The company said in its announcement that it “will be better positioned to advance the podcast ad market and help solve some of its critical challenges through precision targeting, ad efficiency and improved measurement capabilities via a streamlined ad marketplace.”

Stitcher was founded in 2007. It creates podcasts, operates targeted content networks and offers podcast ad agency services for shows, as well as offers its own popular podcast app.

[Related: “Stitcher’s Flexible New Facility in Manhattan”]

The post It’s Confirmed: SiriusXM Will Acquire Stitcher appeared first on Radio World.

The Radio Adverting Bureau has created an audio campaign for radio stations looking to reinforce radio’s role as a purveyor of truth and trust.

The campaign was created in partnership with the company Yamanair Creative to emphasize that radio has long been a place to turn for truthful news — a necessity given the recent boycott of Facebook and the resulting interest in trying to ensure brand integrity, RAB said.

[Read: Amidst Stay-at-Home Orders, Radio Listenership Remains Strong]

For example, one of the new 20-second spots focuses on radio’s ability to deliver on the two most important commodities in advertising: truth and trust. “As an advertiser, you have to trust your partners to protect your brand’s truth,” said one of the new RAB spots, emphasizing that radio remains a media that listeners can trust.

“RAB thought it important to provide you the tools to reinforce to the advertising community and listeners that broadcast radio is not only a safe place for brand messages, but it is trusted by consumers and influential when it comes to their decision-making,” said Erica Farber, president and CEO of RAB. “…(N)ow is a perfect time to remind our advertising partners and listeners that they are in good hands with radio to protect their brand’s truth.”

The campaign, known as the Trust and Truth spots, can be customized with a station’s personal branding and are available to be downloaded for free. Once there, stations can also select from other RAB radio spots and dozens of social media tiles. Stations also have access to additional pro-radio messaging from the RAB including the Leading by Example and Spirit of Radio articles.

 

The post New Audio Campaign Aims to Reinforce Radio’s Role as Trusted Partner appeared first on Radio World.

Mark Simpson

This is part of Radio World’s series exploring trends in radio broadcast consoles.

Mark T. Simpson, CPBE, AMD, DRB, CBNE, MCP, is a veteran engineer who was with Townsquare Media when this article originally appeared in slightly different form in the RW ebook “Trends in Consoles.” He is now Arizona region engineer for iHeartMedia.

Radio World: What’s the most important trend in design of consoles for radio broadcast studios?

Mark Simpson: In my personal opinion, it is all about flexibility and the most capabilities for your money.

I believe having AES-67 capabilities, outside of the console’s native language, for the lack of a better term, is very important, and that all manufacturers play nice together. The more we can do on the AoIP level, the easier the installation can be.

We have fewer, classically trained broadcast engineers; and if we can draw talent in from other IT industries, I believe consoles may aid in that.

As far as the design of the console is concerned, due to various outside events, be it weather related, other equipment failures, etc., we need the console and the network designed around it, to self-heal. Remote capabilities are huge, and monitoring via SNMP is very important.

If we can tell ahead of time that a piece of equipment — whether it is the console control surface, computer attached to it or the engine running it — has a developing problem, we should know about it ahead of time. If there is a firmware upgrade that causes a memory leak, we need to know that before the console crashes or stops communicating with other devices.

RW: How could equipment manufacturers make your life as a user and buyer of consoles easier? 

Simpson: They should start talking to each other, to help the overall development of the product. They should also fully embrace the latest technology and not have an attitude of, well, we never did it that way before, or it’s just a fad.

The companies should also communicate with the peripheral equipment manufacturers so their equipment can be incorporated easily, through discovery, not forcing the network to “see” the peripheral equipment. Items such as XDS receivers such as the Pro 4R, codecs, phone systems, even speakers.

Anything that can make the installation of a console or an entire facility easier, faster, standardized on the latest Cat-6 or higher cabling, is a huge benefit.

Being able to remotely access the console during a remote, storm or failure is a huge benefit to the local staff, not to mention being able to view everything from a higher level so firmware versions, etc. can be viewed and planned for future upgrades or replacement.

RW: What role does the console play today when planning a new radio broadcast studio?

Simspon: The console is one of the top, if not the top, deciding factor — what features does it have and how can I leverage those features, not just in the studio, but from afar.

RW: What functions and features are being offered nowadays on new models that engineers who haven’t bought a console in a while should know about?

Simpson: Being able to program unlabeled buttons to be able to interface with other equipment in the facility, such as delay units, codecs, even to have a hot button to switch between stations or studios in the event of a failure. Also, the ability to save configurations for different shows, such as morning drive versus middays versus afternoon drive. Also, being able to press a button and take the console out of the air chain to voice track or go into a satellite show.

If you also have a AoIP mic processor, you can change presets on each mic based on a macro that is controlled by pressing a soft button on the console.

RW: How have AoIP technology developments been reflected in the look and function of physical surfaces? 

Simpson: It depends on the physical surface you buy.

If you buy what looks like a normal console, but every fader can be routed, that is one thing; but if you are using a console that has a touch surface of some sort, whether it is a standalone touchscreen using a PC, or a “console” that has a touch surface, you will see many more items that AoIP can do. Changing the colors of the screen, faders, buttons, how the buttons react if routed to external devices like a delay unit. These are all items that we had to buy and wire up in the past.

RW: What will the console of the future look like, if we use one at all? 

Simpson: I think we will always use a console. I say that more from an IT security standpoint. If we went with an app on an iPad or other tablet, we would have to make sure we can instantly shut down an individual’s ability to control the air chain.

RW: What does the next generation of user interface look like? 

Simpson: I think some of the current manufacturers are basically there, but just need a few tweaks.

This can only be done by taking input from the end user.

Engineers and IT personnel can help get the backend of the system to where it needs to be, but the end user, the on-air talent are the ones that have to use the console day in and day out.

Some of those people are younger and used to a touchscreen, and others, like myself, have been around long enough to want to “feel” the fader as well as buttons. Sort of like how you can adjust or completely turn off the “feeling” on your iPhone, I think that is the next step for the touch surface.

RW: What do virtualization and cloud technology mean for console users and studio designers? 

Simpson: From my personal opinion, this means an ultimate form of backup to the studio audio chain.

If you are syndicating a show to a lot of your own stations, it could help manage the show content and local ad insertion.

Being able to communicate with a cloud technology or some sort of virtualization can aid in rapid recovery of a catastrophic failure, such as a backhoe outage, LNB failure for satellite shows, etc.

RW: How vibrant is the marketplace for analog consoles? 

Simpson: I think the analog console market still has some value but it is getting harder to justify the time spent wiring, limited abilities and cost versus capabilities.

RW: How long will manufacturers of analog consoles support them? 

Simpson: Hopefully as long as the consoles are in service or parts are available. We are already seeing those issues and having to work around it.

RW: What common misconceptions about consoles would you like the industry to be aware of?

Simpson: The people using the consoles are adapting, they are not all set in their ways. If you can build it, we can teach them to use it.

Also, consoles are not necessarily like computers where they need to be rebooted or even have firmware upgraded constantly. If you find a firmware version that works for your installation, and it continues to work with peripheral devices, leave well enough alone. Don’t create more work for yourself.

RW: Any suggested best practices for someone shopping?

Simpson: Make sure your existing infrastructure can handle the technology.

Specifically, you should be using Cat-6 cable or better. Cat-5 will definitely not work. and even CAT5e is iffy, if you are installing a large enough network.

Budget for good Cisco switches and make sure you budget for plenty of ports. Just about everything has a network connection these days.

Buy outlet strips that have network capabilities that will allow you to remotely reboot a specific device, again, another Ethernet port.

Isolate you various networks based on the critical nature of their job function.

There is not a “one size or type fits all.” Do your homework and get what you want/need.

Don’t be afraid to talk to the manufacturers and ask for a feature to be added. If you can’t get that done locally, take it up your chain of command.

Remember, the console is part of the revenue generator!

RW: What other questions should we in the industry be asking about this issue?

Simpson: When will all manufacturers start playing well together on the AES-67 front? This is long overdue.

 

The post The Console Is Part of the Revenue Generator appeared first on Radio World.

Clark Novak

In a series of articles, we’ve been exploring the question: “What should radio console buyers know about developments in this product class?”

Clark Novak is radio marketing specialist for Lawo Inc. An earlier version of this interview appeared in the RW ebook “Trends in Consoles.”

Radio World: What role does the console play today in planning a studio?

Clark Novak: Choosing a console is still one of the first big steps in planning any studio build, but “console” may not mean the same thing today that it used to. Broadcasters are very interested in virtualization, and that includes virtualizing the mixer. Many forward-looking groups are looking at virtual mixing surfaces with context-sensitive, touchscreen GUIs as a way to streamline workflows and customize the controls given to operators. Others like traditional, physical consoles for their familiarity and tactile controls. Lawo offers both, but whichever you prefer, consoles are still the centerpiece of the radio studio.

RW: What are other important console design trends, and what are users asking for now?

Novak: It’s hard to pin down just one idea, but broadcasters continually ask us for two things: centralized control of broadcast peripherals, and interoperability.

The need for better control comes from today’s busy operations where talent is being asked to produce more content, more efficiently. Operators need to be able to perform complex tasks, and they need tools that make their workflows simpler, while keeping control surfaces purposeful and uncluttered.

And interoperability is key, not only for control of in-studio devices, but for interchange of program content between the radio and TV sides of the plant. The days of separate systems are gone; programming must be able to be transferred on-demand, seamlessly and easily, without worrying about format barriers.

Fifteen years ago, manufacturers had proprietary protocols that didn’t talk to other companies’ systems, and AoIP was so new and novel that broadcasters didn’t much mind. But today, radio engineers are increasingly demanding that new IP systems be able to play well with others. AoIP gives tremendous advantages in system design, operational flexibility and easy expansion on demand; but what good is all that if your Brand X system can’t talk to a device that only speaks Brand Y’s protocol?

Our customers tell us that AoIP systems mustn’t be closed. This is why Lawo has worked so tirelessly over the years to promote interoperability and open standards like AES67 and ST2110-30, and includes them in all of our products.

RW: What should engineers who haven’t bought a console in a while know?

Novak: One thing that’s important to keep in mind is that modern boards are actually control surfaces. Where older digital consoles performed switching, routing, mixing and audio shaping within the actual console frame, today’s mixers offload these functions to a powerful mix engine. This permits you to tailor engines with DSP features and an I/O count customized to your application. You might choose a very powerful engine for the on-air suite and a more modest one for production or a newsroom, but the same control surface — or virtual mixing software  works with both — so your operators have a familiar layout wherever they work, and you control costs by choosing engines that deliver features tailored to your operations.

RW: How have AoIP developments been reflected in the look and function of surfaces? 

Novak: AoIP has made it possible for nearly every studio system to include some level of multi-point audio routing. Think back a few years and you’ll remember that routing was something only the largest, wealthiest facilities could afford. Same goes for mix-minus, which used to be a complex thing provided for just one or two contributors. AoIP has turned every console into a routing controller and made it possible to automatically generate mix-minus for every local and remote guest, simultaneously. These are just a couple of examples of how AoIP has brought very advanced capabilities to operations where they were previously out of reach.

RW: What does the next generation of user interfaces look like? 

Novak: Tablets and smartphones have reshaped the way we interact with technology. Board ops, especially those newest to radio, are used to tapping, swiping and touching screens, so console designs with touchscreen GUIs make sense. Lawo’s customers have really embraced the customizable, multi-touch graphical interface that comes with our consoles, because it helps talent create content faster, with fewer errors. We expect that broadcasters will increasingly demand this kind of customizable visual control in their mixing surfaces.

RW: And what do virtualization and cloud technology mean for users and studio designers? 

Novak: Maybe the most interesting part of modern broadcasting has been the leveraging of off-the-shelf computing power to provide capabilities formerly only found in hardware. Mixing, digital signal processing, routing, content storage — all of them have moved to the digital domain and been virtualized. If these functions move further, to the cloud, consoles may become even more connected in order to blend control of local devices with remote services.

One particular benefit of cloud technology for operators is that an IP console, whether physical or virtual, can be linked to a cloud-based audio mixing engine. This is interesting because the engine software lives in a centralized location, and talent can connect to it from LAN or WAN locations. This means more flexibility for local operations, streamlined workflows and the ability to create broadcasts nearly anywhere using familiar tools and a PC connection.

RW: Any particularly interesting recent installation to highlight?

Novak: Recently we partnered with Swedish Radio, who wanted to completely reinvent the radio studio. They wanted to open up the studio, eliminate clutter and optimize their talent’s workflow. They used Lawo’s console GUI builder, VisTool, to create a touchscreen interface that controls a powerful mixing engine. The GUI blends playout system, telephone and codec operation, machine control and mixing into a unified, context-sensitive interface. Faders are present, but de-emphasized; AutoMix handles most mixing. This is notable because even though the interface looks nothing like a traditional console, it enables talent to be more productive: they concentrate on creating, instead of controlling machinery. Plus, being software-based, it’s nearly future proof — the UI can evolve along with the needs of the broadcaster.

Another recent installation is San Francisco’s KQED, who needed a way to control their main studio operations remotely in case of a COVID-19 related shutdown. Thanks to the studio network’s IP connectivity, we were able to help them implement a way to control individual studios and main output switching from their tower site using a mirrored physical mixing console accompanied by VisTool touchscreen controls. It’s an excellent example of how IP serves as an enabling technology for solving new operational challenges, whether mixing is accomplished physically or virtually.

RW: What will the console of the future look like, if we use one at all? 

Novak: It may look a lot like that Swedish Radio model. Our world is increasingly touchscreen-centric — just look at your car’s dashboard! In the immediate future physical and virtual consoles will continue to coexist and complement each other, but I believe we will also see a continued trend toward touch-based control surfaces in radio studios.

[Related: “Lawo Adds Remote Console Operation”]

The post Consoles, Like Car Dashboards, Turn to Touch appeared first on Radio World.

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Granted Certification Application

Media Bureau reinstates certain vacant FM allotments

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