Industry News

As the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) reviews the results of a two-day attendee poll designed to help guide the nation’s biggest advocacy group for radio and TV stations on mask and/or vaccination protocols for its annual affair in Las Vegas, the organizers of the largest annual convention and expo to take place in the city has wasted no time in issuing a vaccination declaration for all in-person attendees.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) on Tuesday formally announced in an email communique that CES 2022, the world’s biggest technology event and an increasingly important convention for radio industry leaders, will require in-person attendees to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

What’s notable is that CES 2022 is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas on January 5-8, 2022. The NAB Show, which is eschewing a hybrid option, is scheduled to begin October 9, with the Radio Show events held October 13-14. As of now, it is reviewing its options while assuring the safety of participants will be stringent and per current guidelines.

Furthermore, those that are unable to travel to CES 2022 will have access to a digital event that will run in parallel with the in-person program. While this will not offer the same experience, the CTA says digital audiences “will have the opportunity to share the spirit of the in-person event.”

CTA President/CEO Gary Shapiro explains, “Based on today’s science, we understand vaccines offer us the best hope for stopping the spread of COVID-19. We all play a part in ending the pandemic through encouraging vaccinations and implementing the right safety protocols. We are taking on our responsibility by requiring proof of vaccination to attend CES 2022 in Las Vegas.”

CTA is also assessing the acceptance of proof of a positive antibody test as an alternative requirement and will share more details on this later.

In Las Vegas, CES 2022 attendees will be able to interact with representatives from some 2000 companies — including companies in the nascent space tech, food tech and NFT categories.

The show will undoubtedly highlight advancements in AI, AR/VR, gaming and computing, digital health, automotive and transportation, home entertainment, and the smart home.

Live keynotes from GM Chair/CEO Mary Barra and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert remain on the schedule.

Several organizations that push for diversity and civil rights are urging Congress to reinstate the minority tax certificate program.

“Supporting these pieces of legislation would eliminate barriers and create new opportunities for women, people of color and socially disadvantaged individuals to own local TV and radio stations,” they wrote to congressional leaders.

The letter supports H.R. 4871, the Expanding Broadcast Opportunities Act of 2021 introduced by Reps. G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina and Steven Horsford of Nevada, and S. 2456, the Broadcast VOICES Act, introduced by Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan and Robert Menendez of New Jersey. All four are Democrats. Menendez has been pushing for reinstatement since at least 2008, when he introduced a similar bill.

The bills would authorize the Federal Communications Commission to reestablish what would now be called a Diversity Tax Certificate Program.

Individuals who donated broadcast stations for the purpose of training socially disadvantaged individuals in the management and operation of stations would be eligible for a tax credit equal to the fair market value of the station.

[Read: NAB Gives Thumbs Up to Minority Tax Bills]

The joint letter is from the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council, the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, the National Urban League, United States Black Chambers, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Hispanic Federation.

“From 1978 to 1995, when the diversity tax certificate was instituted, it was an effective mechanism for bringing more people of color into station ownership,” they wrote.

“During this time, broadcast ownership by people of color increased by more than 550%. The elimination of the diversity tax certificate in 1995 disproportionately affected that rate. According to data from 2017, women make up less than 6% of broadcast TV station owners, and people of color account for less than 3%. Similarly, women own just 7% of broadcast radio stations, and people of color own less than 3%.”

The post Minority Advocates Speak Up for Tax Certificate appeared first on Radio World.

PreSonus has launched its new Revelator io24 USB-C audio interface, designed for both recording and streaming.

The unit is built around high-headroom mic preamps, a two-channel loopback mixer, and extensive processing with the aim of providing professional-sounding results for streaming, podcasting and music production.

The Revelator io24 sports a pair of analog mic/instrument/line inputs with PreSonus’ XMAX-L microphone preamps which can be stereo linked, as well as two balanced 1/4-inch line outputs, a headphone output, professional metering, and zero-latency monitoring. Users can record up to 24-bit, 96 kHz audio to the included Studio One Artist or other recording and production software.

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

The Revelator io24’s loopback mixer allows users to add backing tracks to live stream performances or conference in a Zoom caller to a podcast. With two dedicated stereo channels for loopback audio on Mac OS or Windows, users can simultaneously mix and record the audio from two different applications, along with the two analog input channels.

Each input channel can be processed using PreSonus’ Fat Channel DSP, which provides a high-pass filter, 4-band parametric EQ, compressor, gate and limiter. Effects include detuner, vocoder, ring modulator, filters and delay, while a dedicated reverb bus is also available.

Revelator io24 locally stores two presets per channel, and eight more factory presets can be loaded from PreSonus’ Universal Control software. Revelator io24 comes with Studio One Artist and Studio Magic Suite, which includes Ableton Live Lite, various virtual instruments and effects plug-ins, and more. The interface is currently available for $179.95.

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

Info: www.presonus.com

The post PreSonus Revelator io24 USB-C Interface Debuts appeared first on Radio World.

Two companies with significant radio assets have announced a digital content distribution partnership. Audacy signed a deal with Urban One under which the latter will provide live and on-demand audio content to the Audacy digital platform, including Urban One’s 57 radio stations.

Corey Podolsky, VP of business development for Audacy, described Urban One in the announcement as “a power player in the audio space” and said the agreement underscores Audacy’s own “unwavering commitment to amplifying diverse voices and delivering premier audio content to the communities in which we serve.”

Audacy, the former Entercom Communications, said its app now has more than 2,000 stations including its own 230 outlets. The app also includes podcasts and other audio programming. It is available on the Apple Store and Google Play, and via social media channels.

The post Urban One Joins Audacy App appeared first on Radio World.

“CES will be in person in Las Vegas in January 2022, and we will require all attendees to be fully vaccinated.”

That’s according to Gary Shapiro, president/CEO of the Consumer Technology Association.

“We have seen a spike in cases due to the Delta variant, which is severely hurting the unvaccinated population,” Shapiro wrote in a blog post today.

“Yes, there are breakthrough cases for the vaccinated, but many of those have few or no symptoms at all. And of the vaccinated getting the Delta variant, only a tiny percentage are hospitalized.”

“We prioritize the safety and security of CES participants.” Shapiro called it a “major decision” to require vaccinations.

“We are also assessing proof of a positive antibody test as a requirement and will share more details on this later. Importantly, we will continue to follow state and local guidelines and recommendations by the CDC and will announce additional protocols as we get closer to the show.”

Shapiro said that the past 18 months have been “a roller coaster of emotion” for him as a CEO “as I work to lead by example and make decisions that will have positive effects.” He described the difficult decision not to do last year’s event in person and the need to lay off employees last year because of the pandemic.

“We all play a role in stopping the spread — requiring proof of vaccination for CES 2022 is one way we can take responsibility on our part.” He said those who choose not to attend will be able to experience the show online.

In a separate email to the show community, Veronica A. Lancaster, vice president, Standards Programs, said the requirement to provide proof of vaccination will affect all attendees, support staff and exhibitors’ staff.

“CTA decided this based on today’s science which shows that vaccines offer us the best hope for stopping the spread of this pandemic. … While we are still more than five months from CES 2022, we want to communicate this decision early to give you time to plan. CTA is also assessing the acceptance of proof of a positive antibody test as an alternative requirement and will share more details on this later.”

CES has a page with info about health protocols.

The post CES Show Will Require Vaccinations appeared first on Radio World.

The company formerly known as Entercom is also the owner of a digital streaming app formerly known as Radio.com, and both now use the Audacy name.

While Audacy’s radio stations dominate the Audacy app found on smartphones and other devices, companies including Cox Media Group and Seven Mountains Media have partnered with Audacy to help bring their audio streams to the widest audience possible.

The nation’s leading media company focused on Black consumers has followed their lead.

Audacy has signed a content distribution partnership with Urban One, bringing their radio stations audio streams and on-demand content to the Audacy digital platform. Already, one can stream such stations as WKYS-FM in Washington from the Audacy app; localized advertising is heard pre-roll, based on information provided to Audacy from the user’s app.

The partnership is non-exclusive, as Urban One’s radio stations are also accessible via the TuneIn app and the iHeartRadio app.

This makes Urban One’s radio properties universally accessible across the three primary radio streaming apps found in the U.S.

Some 57 radio stations across 13 Urban One markets are now on the Audacy platform.

“This partnership underscores our unwavering commitment to amplifying diverse voices and delivering premier audio content to the communities in which we serve,” said Corey Podolsky, Vice President of Business Development at Audacy. “We’re delighted to unite with a power player in the audio space to expand and enhace our content offering and add dozens of dynamic brands to our library.”

Alec Drake, the Director of Sales for Cumulus Media’s radio stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, is retiring.

The company revealed August 17 that he will depart the stations at the end of August. This puts the wheels in motion on a series of promotions, with a VP/Sales named as two other individuals take key posts.

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There’s a new Vice President and GM for Nexstar Media Group‘s FOX affiliate in DMA No. 139.

He’ll also oversee the operational agreements Nexstar holds with the Mission Broadcasting-owned ABC affiliate serving this market.

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Independent Out of Home (OOH) media specialist Talon is rolling out a new connected video offering that unifies over-the-top (OTT) and digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising.

As such, Talon is joining forces with MadHive to connect digital audiences across two of the fastest growing advertising channels in the U.S. — OTT and DOOH.

Madhive joins Hivestack as a strategic partner to enhance its services and solutions to serve their current and prospective clients.

Talon will utilize MadHive’s proprietary platform to connect advertisers to premium connected TV (CTV) inventory and its end-to-end campaign planning tools for audience targeting, measurement, and attribution. “Combining OTT and DOOH makes perfect sense,” said Adam Helfgott, CEO of MadHive. “It allows buyers to plan, activate, and measure two rapidly expanding media channels that represent an even larger percentage of marketers spend. The cross-channel platform will deliver a more holistic picture of the customer journey by creating new currencies and insights on a single audience — all while simplifying brand workflow.”

DOOH domestic advertising spend is projected to reach $3.84 billion by the end of 2023, according to Statista. Further, eMarketer notes that U.S. programmatic DOOH ad spend doubled last year and is projected to reach $533.8 million by 2022.

“The growth of digital video is fueling the movement from in-home to out-of-home and we’re empowering advertisers to activate their cross-channel video strategy of reaching high-value audiences at scale, whether it’s a traditional managed service or a self-service approach,” said Jim Wilson, CEO of Talon America. “As marketers look for measurable incremental reach and the ability to tie campaign spending to business results, we’re enabling advertisers to start an OOH journey in-home. By bringing to market new solutions with MadHive and Hivestack, we’re connecting audience data across OTT and DOOH to deliver outcome-based campaigns as advertiser demand on each channel reaches new heights.”

Hivestack’s Supply Side Platform (SSP) will programmatically feed DOOH screen inventory to MadHive, that will serve as the demand-side platform (DSP) for activation across OTT and DOOH leveraging Talon’s Ada audience segments.

Believe it or not, students in Palm Beach County, Fla., are in their second week of school while neighboring Broward County welcomes students back on Wednesday.

In other parts of the nation, there’s still plenty of time to plan for the start of the school year. And, that led Walmart to bump up its spot plays at the TV stations tracked by Media Monitors.

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