Industry News

The prominence of voice assistants in new vehicles is making for a more hands-free environment for drivers and defining how they interact with media in the dashboard.

Companion voice-enabled technology like Alexa can also create a seamless infotainment ecosystem, allowing users to move freely from home and office to the connected car without interruption of services, which will likely influence in-car media behavior.

For radio broadcasters who quickly adopted the skill to allow Alexa-enabled home smart speakers to find their IP streams, the adoption of Alexa will provide a similar listening experience in connected cars, utilizing both the tuner and integrated LTE network IP connection in vehicles, according to Amazon officials.

The new world of connected cars is an ecosystem comprising over-the-air radio, streaming of FM and AM content,  satellite radio, on-demand podcasts, audiobooks and music from digital service providers like Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora.

In-vehicle voice recognition systems like Alexa Auto are seen as critical tools to guide the media experience in the vehicle.

Arianne Walker, chief evangelist for Amazon’s Alexa Auto, is preaching to a wide audience these days, including radio broadcasters.

She offers words of encouragement to radio people trying to understand how in-car voice assistants will drive consumption of media.

“The idea isn’t to reinvent or duplicate functionality that already exists in the car, and radio is a great example of that. We see Alexa’s role as complementing that experience and not replacing it,” she said.

“The software is designed to be able to connect to the tuner that exists in the vehicle. But it also allows for people to call up the streamed content via the cloud when they need to.”

The dash can become more streamlined, Walker says, through the adoption of voice assistants. For instance, to receive an OTA signal, Alexa users simply connect to the radio tuner.

“Customers can use their voice to tune by AM or FM, a frequency, a branded name or preset. Satellite radio works much the same way,” she said. “You can even adjust the equalizer or change the media input totally.”

A majority of auto manufacturers have announced broad rollouts of Alexa and are embedding the technology in more new models, according to Amazon. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are often included on many new vehicle models.

After-market add-ons such as Amazon’s Echo Auto are available for older vehicles. It allows the Alexa app on a smartphone to play through a car’s speakers via auxiliary input or Bluetooth connection. Garmin and Anker offer Echo Auto accessories that vary by price and features.

Alexa integration in a vehicle depends in part of the brand of car and the manufacturer, Walker said. “The automaker gets to choose what they feel the best integration for their customer will be to maximize that experience. Obviously, utilizing the radio tuner in the vehicle makes the most sense as a first option. But asking Alexa to find a station based on a skill like TuneIn or Radio.com will work, too,” Walker said.

The Alexa Auto software kit and vehicle integration make it possible for customers to interact with the technology without their phone and still connect with the cloud via the IP stream. Customers typically have to register with Amazon to access their accounts and to find all of their personalization they are accustomed to.

Walker says utilizing the radio tuner in a vehicle reduces any “potential latency” when using the IP connection and listening to a radio station’s stream.

“That means the vehicle media experience will be similar to what it always has been, but it will be voice-controlled without a driver having to take his or her hands off the wheel,” Walker said.

(Hybrid radio systems with the “service following” feature are also starting to show up in U.S. vehicles; they can switch from OTA to streaming too but do so automatically based on user preference.)

Automakers began flirting with Alexa in 2017 for rudimentary tasks such as starting the vehicle remotely through Alexa in-home devices. Those offerings quickly expanded to more in-car options, Walker said.

Amazon does extensive research on how drivers and passengers engage with Alexa for things like navigation and media entertainment, but it doesn’t share the data, she said.

She said its research shows those who use Alexa and Echo Auto “used voice recognition to control music streaming services and the radio turner” most often.

“Entertainment is a huge use case in vehicles. It always has been, and we don’t see that changing. We see the continued use of radio in the dash well into the future.”

Alexa coexists with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Walker said, with the media experience again based on how automakers integrate the software and customer preferences.

[Related: “Burnell Is at Center of Ford Dashboard Development”]

Walker’s job is to spread word of Alexa to the broader industry. “Our Alexa Auto team is focused on the functionality of the experience in the vehicle. From the embedded Alexa Auto experience to those experiences in older vehicles with Echo Auto.

“Voice will be a huge part of the future in the car, and the continuity of Alexa voice from the home to on the go is critical,” Walker said.

And the car is an exceptional opportunity, she said.

“Voice really shines when used in an environment where people are focused on other tasks, like the vehicle. Voice can strip away complexities and minimize distractions and make the drive more productive and entertaining.”

Alexa in the car brings customers the convenience of an in-home smart speaker that can play music, set reminders, control smart home appliances and access tens of thousands of skills built by third-party developers, Walker said.

“We’ve seen a bunch of momentum with announcements from Ford, GM, Toyota, BMW integrating Alexa directly into their vehicles. They are developing connected car skills to allow customers to interact with their vehicles via an Alexa-activated device.” Amazon recently launched Alexa integration with Volvo trucks.

Walker believes broadcasters can benefit from voice technology in the car since Alexa can segue programming from the car to the home through any Alexa-enabled device, she said.

“There is a great opportunity to increase radio listenership in the home by using the cloud-based skill via TuneIn or Radio.com to play a favorite radio station. That’s a nice advantage for radio.”

There are also ways to use Alexa to customize local listening habits, Walker said. For example, by asking Alexa to play NPR it will prompt you to find local stations, she said.

“I would tell radio broadcasters that by having Alexa in the car, it just makes the listening experience ever easier for customers. They can access radio stations through the tuner or through the cloud via an audio stream. Streaming strategies will be important” for broadcasters, she said.

“Broadcasters will have the advantage of having customers who drive outside the signal area still having the capability to hear their favorite radio station’s stream. That’s an important combo.”

The post Amazon’s Alexa Gets in the Car appeared first on Radio World.

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

The National Federation of Community Broadcasters has issued a white paper on the state of community broadcasting during the pandemic. It is notable for many reasons; among them how important radio remains today.

More than 100 broadcasters shared data from this new study. NFCB asked about how stations are responding to community information needs during the pandemic, how often they are airing COVID-19 public service announcements and their sourcing, and the capacity that stations have to deliver their services.

The results, posted here, may surprise you.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Vaccines and Impact]

Stations are showing up as rarely seen in local broadcasting on the news and public affairs fronts. Twenty-seven percent of broadcasters are devoting 20–50% of their news programming to covering the pandemic. Another 20% cover the coronavirus in 50% or more of news coverage. Talk/public affairs programming is similarly strongly focused on the virus.

Public service announcements to help residents understand how to protect themselves has also seen a spike. Ninety-one percent for community radio stations air coronavirus PSAs. Among those, 73% of stations are airing daily PSAs, while 17% of community broadcasters are airing spots at least weekly.

Most notably, rather than simply recycling what’s being posted online, 69% of stations are taking ownership of the area voice and creating PSAs locally. Another 17% of community radio stations are collaborating with area and state agencies to deliver PSAs to their listeners.

Community broadcasters are also creating a range of content. From newsletters to virtual concert series, broadcasting games into elderly care facilities, and lots of daily local news, the white paper paints a clear picture of what these radio stations are doing. Where there is a need, community radio is seeking to fill it — in rural communities, tribal lands, and many more cities across the United States.

What is most astonishing is the diversity and depth of the work happening, all with limited staffing. Sixty-four percent of these broadcasters are able to accomplish this level of public safety content with one employee or less doing the work.

It has been said in many places, including this column: radio is often counted down and out. It’s been on the losing end of everything since television was invented, if you look back far enough in a land of hot takes. Its slayers — satellite radio, Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, cassettes and other long-gone tech of the moment — haven’t delivered. That’s in part because, in times like a pandemic, radio remains critical to communities. Its service is unrivaled in its stability. The bond of trust it has with communities is rare. This white paper now gives you a glimpse into the creative ways local broadcasters are serving audiences.

The post Community Broadcaster: How Stations Fight the Virus appeared first on Radio World.

After 41 years in the radio industry, longtime radio executive Jim McHugh is set to retire.

Like many radio execs, he began his career on air before eventually moving into sales and management. “I never once considered another position outside of radio,” McHugh said. “This business has been very good to me and my family and I have enjoyed every moment of my career.”

McHugh, who started his radio career in 1980, has served the Delmarva Peninsula community his entire career. A year after starting at WIBF(FM), he joined WJWL(AM), which is now WUSX(FM). Over the years McHugh moved around — working at WOCQ(FM), WZBH(FM) and WGBG(FM) — meaning McHugh was able to work for the same group of radio stations his entire career. He first worked for Great Scott Broadcasting and then Adams Radio Group after WUSX became part of the Adams Radio Group in 2017. McHugh ended his career as a senior account executive with Adams Radio.

“Rarely these days do you find an exemplary employee like Jim McHugh,” said Ron Stone, president and CEO of Adams Radio Group. “Someone that loves radio and commits their entire career to not only radio, but one cluster of stations and one community.”

McHugh was instrumental in the transition from Great Scott to Adams Radio, Stone said, adding that his dedication and loyalty to the radio stations has been unmatched.

The post After 41 Years in Radio, McHugh Ready for Retirement appeared first on Radio World.

A unanimous decision by the U. S. Supreme Court justices on Thursday allows the FCC to ease limits on the ownership of local radio and television. Legal observers believe the court’s decision in essence reinstates the FCC’s 2017 media ownership rules.

The FCC adopted rules to abolish the ban on newspaper/broadcast and radio/TV cross ownership, and relax several local TV ownership regulations in 2017. Those new rules were held up from taking effect for years due to court challenges that have now been exhausted, experts say.

Legal experts believe the “practical result” of the high court’s decision is that the FCC’s media ownership rules adopted in 2017 will simply go into effect now, said Matt McCormick, co-managing member at Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth.

[Read: Supreme Court Rules on Media Ownership Question]

“The Supreme Court’s ruling supports the authority of the FCC and other administrative agencies to make reasonable predictive judgments, even on sparse record evidence,” McCormick says.

The FCC is currently split 2–2 along party lines and is under new leadership of acting chair Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel. It’s not clear if commissioners will discuss the top court’s decision at its April open meeting. A tentative agenda for the meeting on April 22 does not mention it. The meeting agenda could obviously be updated going forward, legal observers say.

Rosenworcel voted against the ownership rule changes in 2017 and again made her feelings known with a released statement following the SCOTUS announcement: “While I am disappointed by the court’s decision, the values that have long upheld our media policies — competition, localism, and diversity — remain strong. I am committed to ensuring that these principles guide this agency as we move forward.”

Meanwhile, Republican FCC commissioner Brendan Carr yesterday reinforced his belief that the 2017 rule changes made were common sense. “(Thursday’s) unanimous opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court leaves no doubt that the FCC’s modern approach to media regulation that we adopted in 2017 was the right decision.”

Scott Flick, a communications attorney at Pillsbury, wrote on social media that he believes Thursday’s SCOTUS ruling could mean even bigger changes to media ownership in this country. He published his thoughts on the CommLawCenter blog: “It will not end the debate over the FCC’s various broadcast ownership rules, but will certainly change the nature of that debate, and open the door to a different debate — whether broadcast ownership rules are needed at all.”

The commission also could now consider changes to local radio ownership rules. The FCC had paused discussion of changes to the radio ownership rules in 2018 at the start of a new ownership review period. NAB at the time suggested significant changes to the FCC rules limiting the number of terrestrial radio stations that one company can own in a radio market.

Current radio market caps were set in 1996 as part of that year’s Telecommunications Act. It placed limits on a sliding scale. In the largest of radio markets an entity can own up to eight radio stations (only five of which can be of the same service), and in the smallest markets, only two stations (one AM and one FM).

Radio World has reported NAB pushed for changes to market subcaps to allow a company to own up to eight FMs in the top 75 markets while also permitting the operator to own or control a limitless number of AM stations among other changes. Ownership caps are the total number of stations you can own in a market, whereas as a subcap is how many of those stations can be FM or AM.

David Oxenford at Wilkinson Barker Knauer wrote on his Broadcast Law Blog on Thursday: “Now that the Third Circuit’s reasoning has been rejected, that still does not mean that the FCC, particularly a Democrat-controlled FCC, will automatically look to relax the radio rule.

“Instead, we think it likely that the commission will ask for more comments on the issues raised in the 2018 proceeding. This will likely include a request to discuss the impact of the Supreme Court decision on the commission’s evaluation of proposed changes to its rules. It would not be surprising for the FCC to also ask for an update of the comments filed in 2019 to reflect the state of current marketplace. In other words, any change in the radio ownership rules will not come quickly.”

The National Association of Broadcasters, which joined the FCC in fighting the lower court ruling blocking changes to broadcast media ownership regulation, said it remains critical the commission continues to examine its media ownership rules to ensure that America’s broadcasters are able to compete. The group’s President and CEO Gordon Smith issued this statement.

“NAB commends (the) unanimous decision by the Supreme Court that the FCC’s recent and long-overdue modernization of its broadcast ownership regulations was lawful and appropriate. We look forward to working with the commission on this effort given the essential role radio and television broadcasters play for all Americans.”

The post Top Court’s Ruling Reinstates Media Ownership Changes appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission has now published the procedures for Auction 109, which will take place in late July and involve 136 FM and four AM construction permits. At the same time, it declined a suggestion that it expand the auction to include every abandoned and deleted AM station in the nation.

An earlier FM auction was postponed last year due to the pandemic and has been canceled; this auction will include all of the permits that were included in the earlier one plus a handful more. The FM CPs are for vacant allotments reflecting channels added to the Table of Allotments.

[Read: FCC Schedules Auction of 136 FM CPs]

The four AM CPs to be auctioned are for stations in the St. Louis area that had their license renewals dismissed by the commission’s administrative law judge in the Entertainment Media Trust case last year.

To facilitate the auction of these four permits, their facilities will be treated as existing “allotments.” Any winning bidder will be limited in its opportunities to modify those AM permits.

The FCC wants to move quickly on the AMs, given that those CPs represent 13% of the AM stations in a top 25 radio market. “The effect of this removal of a significant portion of AM radio service to a major U.S. market supports our conclusion that the public interest favors replacing this service as soon as practicable,” it wrote.

The commission, however, declined to make a dramatic expansion in the number of AM facilities in the auction.

One company wanted it to add nine specific facilities that it says have been “abandoned” and their call signs deleted. WTRW Inc. went on to ask that Auction 109 include all AM stations whose call signs have been deleted as well as abandoned AM expanded band facilities that were approved but never built.

The commission declined both requests. It basically said the four stations in St. Louis are a special case that also involves a protective application freeze.

Separately, Tracy K. Wood asked the FCC to add 14 more FM allotments to the list of CPs to be offered. The commission declined that too, saying most of those are among the most recent to be added to the Table of Allotments, but said it will consider offering them in a future auction.

Bidding is to start on July 27. An online auction tutorial is to be scheduled this month. Details are in the latest public notice. The commission also posted the station list and minimum opening bids.

The post FCC Declines to Expand Four-Station AM Auction appeared first on Radio World.

Based in tiny Lynden, Wash., an hour from Vancouver, B.C., Cedar Creek Partners has carved itself a niche in the investment management space under the direction of Managing Member Tim Eriksen of Eriksen Capital Management.

For those who have entrusted their dollars with Cedar Creek, there’s good news — a 13.7% Q4 2020 return was recorded by the fund, outperforming the S&P 500. Among the companies Cedar Creek invested in is HC2 Holdings. 

And, Eriksen had something to say about that investment.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

On July 27, the FCC will conduct an auction of AM and FM broadcast construction permits.

What do individuals or groups seeking to participate need to know? Filing requirements, along with minimum opening bids, upfront payment information and other procedures are now known.

Oh, and the auction is comprised of more than 100 new FM CPs, and four AM stations serving the St. Louis market that replace a now-defunct quartet.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

With the FCC’s announcement that it will conduct an auction of some 136 vacant non-reserved band allotments in the FM broadcast service, the Media Bureau is putting a freeze on FM minor change applications.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

The Federal Communications Commission has announced the deadlines for public comment on its proposed changes to the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Alerts system.

As we reported earlier, the commission, prompted by Congress, has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking and a related notice of inquiry.

The NPRM’s new rules would ensure that mobile devices cannot opt out of receiving WEA alerts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency; adopt additional requirements for State Emergency Communications Committees and state EAS plans; establish a false alert reporting system for certain government entities; and require the repeating of certain EAS messages.

Comments in PS docket numbers 15-91 and 15-94 are due April 20 and replies are due May 4. They can be filed in the FCC’s online comment system.

The separate notice of inquiry seeks comment on the feasibility of updating EAS to enable or improve alerts through the Internet, including from streaming services. Comments on that are due May 14, and replies are due June 14.

[“FCC Will Explore EAS on the Internet”]

The post FCC Sets Comment Deadlines in EAS NPRM appeared first on Radio World.

iHeartMedia named Charlie Thomas as area president for its Mid-North area, comprising six markets and 29 stations.

“As area president, Thomas will be responsible for overseeing programming, advertising and operations across the Mid-North area, including the Bismarck, Dickinson, Minot, Grand Forks and North Dakota markets, with the addition of the Eau Claire and Rochester markets,” the company stated.

[Read: iHeart Promotes Latham in Florida]

He will report to Shosh Abromovich, division president for iHeartMedia.

Abromovich was quoted in the announcement saying, “His proven leadership helped the North Dakota area be among the top performers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Thomas has been area president for the company in North Dakota, market president for Bismarck and area president for Grand Folks.

Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post iHeart Picks Thomas in Mid-North appeared first on Radio World.