Industry News

ATLANTA — On the northeast corner of the I-285 spur, adjacent to Norcross, is the town of Doraville, Ga.

It’s home to a movie and television production facility developed five years ago that just happens to be next to an entertainment-centric studio and community development dubbed “Assembly.”

That proximity is what led one of the biggest broadcast TV station ownership groups to buy the film facility, Third Rail Studios, in a multimillion-dollar deal that closed on Tuesday.

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Gray Television has completed its purchase of Third Rail Studios from The Integral Group for $27.5 million.

And, it will be a key component to Assembly, presently under development at the former site of a General Motors Assembly Plant.

Gray says the location is “conveniently located” inside the I-285 perimeter.

With no traffic, it’s about a 25-minute drive from CNN Center in downtown Atlanta. MARTA Gold Line service to Doraville is available to, and it offers a direct 75-minute connection to Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport.

Integral purchased the property in 2014 and master developed the site before selling to Gray in March 2021.

Since it opened its doors in 2016, Third Rail Studios has gotten attention for its stages, mill and support spaces, and production offices; Gray says it will serve as an anchor for the future multi-studio site.

For the past few years, Netflix has produced a number of feature-length programs at
Third Rail Studios, including “Ozark.” Recently, Apple leased a significant amount of space within Third Rail Studios to help fulfill its production needs.

Gray CEO Hilton H. Howell calls Third Rail Studios “a pioneer in bringing film and television production to the Atlanta community. We are excited to join forces to create an entire
studio city to serve Georgia’s booming media industry and we are thankful for all of the work already completed at Assembly and proud to usher in the next chapter for the historical site.”

Development plans for Assembly include studio space, mixed-use development, as well as entertainment areas that will be a go-to destination for the Atlanta community. The first phase is expected to be finished by fall 2022.

Gray isn’t a stranger to sound stages: the company is a majority investor in Atlanta-based Swirl Films, which will occupy one of the stages on the property. Gray also owns video
production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo-Raycom, and RTM Studios, the producer of PowerNation programs and content. Furthermore, Gray launched Circle Network with Opry Entertainment in January 2020.

Gray Television, pending FCC approval of its Meredith Local Media transaction, will soon become the second largest local broadcaster in the United States. Gray will own
television stations serving 113 markets that reach approximately 36% of U.S. television households.

On July 29, 2008, the nation’s two subscription-based satellite radio companies officially completed their merger. Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio and New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio were now one. And, in retrospect, it saved satellite radio’s fiscal failures as deep debt eventually shifted to profit pops as Sirius XM fought traditional radio while acquiring streaming audio pioneer Pandora in the coming years.

Today led by CEO Jennifer Witz, Sirius XM Holdings has come a long way in 13 years. Now, it is contemplating a move that may eventually end the Sirius legacy of the satcaster, technically speaking.

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Of the big regional religious radio broadcasting operations, the Houston-based entity devoted to “keeping Him close by” has emerged as a force in the Lone Star State.

It’s expanded well beyond its home market, and is now ready to enter two new Texas locales.

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Travel along Interstate 81 between the Tri-Cities of Tennessee and such Virginia locales as Harrisonburg, and you’ll travel through the Blue Ridge region that’s a key part of the Appalachian Mountains.

And, it is an Eastlan-rated market, last updated just two weeks ago. With local broadcasters dominating, a new Virginia-based licensee has emerged as a station owner, thanks to a deal signed September 3.

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The 2021 NAB Show is coming soon. While some big companies including Ross Video have opted not to move forward with attendance at this year’s convention and expo, others including Marketron are excited about interacting with broadcast media executives for the first time since spring 2019.

In this InFOCUS podcast, presented by dot.FM, SVP of Product Jimshade Chaudhari chats with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson on what NAB Show attendees that swing by Marketron’s booth can expect in the way of safety and interaction, and what products Marketron is ready to put the spotlight on — including one new offering of interest to radio and TV.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Jimshade Chaudhari, Marketron” on Spreaker.

Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned Dielectric has literally changed how FM broadcast antenna manufactures validate directional pattern studies for new FM broadcast antennas.

In fact, the company’s research played a key role in the recent FCC filing of a Petition for Rulemaking, written with leading broadcast consultancy Merrill Weiss Group, that could be approved within weeks.

The new rule, Dielectric says, paves the way for the first directional FM pattern verification rule change in 58 years — a rule change that passes the torch from physical to AI-driven simulated modeling.

Merrill Weiss, principal of Merrill Weiss Group, offered his expertise on existing FCC rules while assisting with the writing and filing process.

The inspiration behind Dielectric’s effort is to provide FM broadcasters with a more efficient and economical antenna modeling process. FM broadcast antenna manufacturers today build physical models and collect measured data to verify antenna patterns – a time-consuming and burdensome process. Dielectric’s petition proposes that the FCC allow FM antenna manufacturers to transition to computer-based antenna modeling using computational methods – an approach widely used in other broadcast products. In fact, this technique has been used for TV station antenna modeling since 2017.

“This is simply long overdue,” Dielectric VP of Engineering John Schadler said. “FM is the only FCC service that still requires a physical range measurement, and anyone who has worked with range measurements knows that accurately measuring radiation patterns is extremely difficult. Simulated pattern verification is much more economical with less chance of error — it just makes sense.”

The clearance to leverage simulated antenna modeling will also result in better accuracy for broadcasters. “3D high-frequency simulation will, in many ways, yield results that are superior to traditional range measurement proofs,” Schadler added. “Since simulations are done in a true free space environment, any issues with the range or anechoic chamber and with the surrounding environment are eliminated, resulting in more reliable azimuth patterns and H/V ratios.”

The use of software also eliminates the lengthy set-up and take down time of models, as well as the need for a technician to adjust the model and take data points by hand. This removes mechanical tolerances and human error affecting the data. Another advantage of designing in a virtual environment is that the geometry can be completely optimized and not compromised by time, materials and tolerances.

Schadler adds that since the start of Repack in 2017, Dielectric has shipped more than 1,000 TV antennas using a virtual-only design process, which has both accelerated design timelines and eliminated the traditional physical design process. Many of these designs have been field verified, further supporting the accuracy of computer simulations.

“It is safe to say that it would have been essentially impossible to design, manufacture, test, and install this many antennas to successfully complete the Post-Incentive Auction Spectrum Repack, in the minimal time allowed, without the use of virtual simulation,”  Schadler said. “Another fallout of Repack is that we created a new crop of engineers – HFSS computer simulation super users. ANSYS HFSS is 3D electromatic simulation software tool for designing, simulating and evaluating high-frequency components. New opportunities such as FM pattern studies will take advantage of our engineers’ new expertise.”

HFSS software can make small changes to completely optimize radiation patterns and not be constrained by time and material. This replaces the time-consuming trial-and-error procedures that engineers and technicians have lived with for nearly six decades.

— Brian Galante

HD Radio, touted by parent Xperi Corp. as “the most successfully deployed commercial digital radio system worldwide,” has expanded into the motorbike category.

But, don’t expect any Harley drivers to suddenly start cranking up “97.3 The Coast HD2” while enjoying a ride down to the Florida Keys from Miami anytime soon.

The HD Radio receivers are currently available on the digital dash display of one motorbike brand — an uncommon one across the U.S.

So, who among the nation’s motorcyclists can enjoy HD Radio? The new 2022 BMW R 18 Transcontinental, the latest addition to the R 18 family, has it.

While it marks another industry first for HD Radio technology, which recently entered the commercial truck market, it also demonstrates that Xperi has a long way to go to get entry into the most commonly used motorcycles.

That said, HD Radio technology is currently available from more than 40 manufacturers across 200 passenger vehicle models and is currently in over 75 million vehicles.

“We are proud that the R 18 Transcontinental marks the first motorbike to offer HD Radio technology,” said Xperi SVP/GM for the Connected Car division, Jeff Jury. “Our entry into the motorbike category is yet another step in our mission to ensure that consumers across the globe have access to the best quality digital radio experience. We are so pleased to continue to partner with BMW, and other OEMs worldwide, as we broaden the reach of HD Radio technology.”

LONDON — AdTonos has appointed Paul Smith as Senior VP of Sales to support the global growth of sales, with a primary focus on the U.K.

Smith has more than 12 years of experience in the radio industry and has successfully managed multiple commercial teams across Great Britain.

In fact, Smith spent much of his career with iHeartMedia investor Global, becoming the youngest Commercial Director at the time.

Smith progressed by joining the Senior leadership team in NewsUKs Wireless group before finally integrating the stations into the Bauer portfolio.

AdTonos is owned by Radio Net Media, an operation designed to monetize podcasts, audiobooks, music and radio streams of over 200 recognized publishers across the U.S., U.K., European Union and in Latin America. Specifically, AdTonos works with online audio publishers and advertisers to deliver ad solutions.

Smith “will strengthen AdTonos’ network of advertising brands so the company can meet the increasing demand for effective, measurable tools within digital audio advertising
and seamlessly connect brands with online radio publishers to utilise the interactive nature of audio,” the company said.

AdTonos CEO Michał Marcinik commented, “Paul’s extensive background in scaling digital advertising solutions, combined with his unrivalled vision of how brands should interact
with their audience makes him the ideal candidate to join AdTonos’ team. Well-recognized
media buyers are actively investing in our audio offering, and the time has come to make it
available to a wider group of advertisers.”

With some vendors saying they’re not going to attend the 2021 NAB Show, Telestream has spoken out regarding its attendance at the early October affair in Las Vegas.

“They’ve got tons to talk about and, despite a reduced presence, will be showing the fruits of their labors especially in regards to technology integrations between products from previous acquisitions,” a spokesperson says.

The workflow automation, media processing, quality monitoring and test and measurement product maker will be using booth C3013 at the NAB Show, from Oct. 9-12 in Las Vegas.

From live and studio production, video on demand and post production, content management, and distribution and monitoring, Telestream has a story to share.

“Attendees will see important updates and enhancements to the company’s wide range of offerings as a direct result of the synergies and integration of intellectual property by development teams provided by the company’s recent acquisitions,” it says.

With rapid analysis, faster diagnosis, and quicker resolution of issues, monitoring and measurement solutions are focused on preserving quality and reducing cost resulting in higher subscriber retention and better business value, Telestream adds.

“It’s been a challenging year and having NAB in October says it all, but the good news is that Telestream has been working closely with top tier organizations to develop processes and workflows that keep them competitive, profitable, and flexible enough to grow in these unprecedented times,” says Scott Murray, SVP Product Marketing at Telestream.

Telestream has continued to advance the state of the art in cloud and hybrid deployments for media processing and video quality assurance. Several Telestream media processing and workflow automation tools will be on display including updated versions of the Vantage Media Processing Platform, ContentAgent, and Lightspeed Live Capture.

The Telestream Cloud suite of services will also be on display allowing customers to mix and match services that meet their specific needs. A brand new, soon to be announced Telestream Cloud service, will make its debut at NAB 2021.

The latest versions of Content Management solutions including Kumulate and DIVA allow customers to easily migrate, update and upgrade their media libraries without affecting day to day operations. Attendees will see how to intelligently manage their storage on-premises, remotely or in the Cloud.

For video quality assurance, new tools for monitoring of QoE and QoS in the production network will be demonstrated. Users benefit from enhanced visibility post origin server of encrypted streams and Dynamic Ad Insertion. Flexible cloud, virtual or appliance-based deployment options are available.

The latest PRISM SDI/IP family waveform monitors will be shown for ST 2110, 4K/8K HDR measurement. PRISM is available in a wide array of form factors and designed to be used in multiple applications from HD-SDI Live Acquisition to 25G ST 2110 IP engineering and diagnostics.

For those unable to attend this year’s show, please visit: https://www.telestream.net/company/events/nab/NAB-2021.htm for more information.

EUREKA, CALIF. — Expanding the range of smart home devices through which radio broadcasters can engage their audiences, streaming and podcast product provider StreamGuys is now offering custom development of Google Actions.

Paralleling the popular Alexa Skills that StreamGuys has been providing for many years, Google Actions enable listeners to access stations’ live and on-demand content on Google smart speakers and other Google-enabled devices through intuitive voice commands.

StreamGuys’ Google Actions creation service allows broadcasters who don’t have their own in-house development capabilities to take advantage of the growing ecosystem of Google smart devices for engaging their audience. Once enabled on a smart device, the custom Actions allow listeners to verbally access not only live streams and podcast episodes, but also additional on-demand content offered by the station. Broadcasters can choose the unique words that users speak to launch their programming, as well as tailoring the interactive experience surrounding their content with customizations such as using their own DJs’ voices for device messages and prompts.

“In today’s media-saturated world, it is important for broadcasters’ brand voice to be presented consistently to their audiences across all listening platforms,” said Eduardo Martinez, Director of Technology at Humboldt County-based StreamGuys. “The ability to create tailored experiences also helps them forge deeper relationships with their listeners than the typical ‘cookie cutter’ approach available through third-party aggregators. Our customers have enjoyed using Alexa Skills to better engage their audiences, and our new Google Actions offering lets them extend these benefits onto Google-enabled devices while providing consistent, cross-platform listener experiences.”

One of the first stations to take advantage of Google Actions developed by StreamGuys is KJTH-FM 89.7 in Ponca, Okla., known as “The House FM.” It is a listener-supported, Oklahoma-based Christian radio broadcaster. Listeners can access the station’s voice-prompted menu by saying “OK Google, ask The House FM to play the live stream” or “OK Google, talk to The House FM”, or go directly to desired content with commands such as “OK Google, play The House of Praise”.

For broadcasters using StreamGuys’ CDN and SaaS-based solutions, tight integration between the Google Actions and StreamGuys’ SGmetadata metadata delivery system also allows live stream listeners to ask questions such as “what’s playing?” or “what song is this?”, with the device then speaking out the current song details.

StreamGuys-created Google Actions can be used on all Google Assistant-compatible devices. This includes native Google devices (Google Nest Audio, Google Nest Hub Max, Google Nest Mini) and third-part smart devices from JBL and Sonos. In addition to dedicated smart home devices, Google Actions are also supported natively on Android smartphones.