Industry News

One of the nation’s largest broadcast TV station ownership groups has asked the FCC to cancel in its entirety a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture handed to the company for its “apparent violation” of the Commission’s Top Four rule.

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The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council has called on the Federal Communications Commission to adopt seven new initiatives it says can better advance diversity and provide racial justice within the media industry.

At no time since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s has it been more important that the FCC affirm that it cares about issues of racial justice, said the MMTC in a letter submitted to the commission on Aug. 4.

“The FCC’s long and malodorous history of minority exclusion should both haunt and motivate all of us,” the organization said, adding that numerous proposals to advance racial justice in media and telecommunications have stalled. It is not uncommon for the agency to take 20 years or more to act on a proposal that would advance opportunities for multicultural communities and consumers, the organization said.

[Read: Getting a Look Inside the BIN]

“Today, the FCC carries the enormous responsibility of overseeing one-sixth of our national economy, including some of America’s fastest growing industries and greatest exports, and are the trustees of the First Amendment,” the organization said. “No federal body has a greater need to create and preserve racial justice than the Federal Communications Commission.”

As a start, the commission should ensure that minority voices have access to competitive technical facilities. Even though minority broadcasters are voices and conscience of their communities, these broadcasters often must compete using inferior technical facilities, according to the group.

The MMTC also pressed the commission to act on several pending proposals that would advance minority broadcast ownership. Some of these include granting an FM booster rule change that would authorize FM radio geo-targeting, creating a new station class known as C4 that would double the power of hundreds of small FM stations and repealing the rural radio policy that deprives small broadcasters of the opportunity to improve their signal coverage.

The organization also wants to see the commission establish a ubiquitous equal procurement program, similar to the cable procurement rule, which ensures that women- and minority-owned businesses have a fair chance at winning major contracts by requiring cable MSOs to disseminate major procurement opportunities (like laying fiber or installing equipment) broadly enough to reach eligible minority- and women-owned companies. Not only does this help these organizations grow and provide jobs, it helps drive down the prices. In addition, a more diverse pool of multiple suppliers of a key product will deepens the pool of talent and entrepreneurial mettle, it says. “Ubiquitous equal procurement opportunity would be a classic ‘win-win’ for everyone,” the organization said.

The commission should also ask Congress to restore and improve the tax certificate policy and create a tax credit for donating a station to a training institution. The 1978–1995 tax certificate policy “was by far the most effective vehicle for advancing minority broadcast ownership,” the MMTC said, noting that the policy quintupled minority broadcast ownership over the 17 years that it was in operation.

The organization also pressed the FCC to include diversity, equity and inclusion impact statements in all applicable rulemakings. “What gets measured gets done,” the MMTC said. “The commission should seek comment looking toward adoption of a universal policy where every rulemaking of general applicability will contain a diversity, equity and inclusion impact statement.”

In addition, the commission should put more bite behind its equal opportunity employment rules and begin prosecuting licensees that primarily recruit new employees by word of mouth. “[D]espite the continuing prevalence of low minority representation in influential broadcasting jobs, the commission has not brought a single discrimination prosecution since 1994,” the MMTC said. The commission should also commit to collaborating with the Department of Labor and the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission to investigate what the MMTC calls “abysmal diversity performance” displayed year after year by many high tech platforms.

The MMTC also wants to see the commission correct deficiencies that it sees in the radio incubator program. This program, which was established in June 2021, needs one update: it should only allow for incubation waivers in similar-sized markets.

Finally, it says it is time for the commission to ensure there is widespread access to multilingual emergency information, the organization said. The MMTC and the League of United Latin American Citizens have repeatedly asked the commission to ensure that basic information in widely spoken languages such as Spanish be available in the wake of major storms. This is a step that can be taken with minimal regulatory intervention and will immediately support and protect multilingual populations in emergencies, the group said. “It is simply unconscionable that a person’s lack of English fluency can become a matter of life or death in an emergency situation,” the MMTC said.

The MMTC hopes that the commission will seize the moment it now finds itself in and take a stand.

“Hopefully, looking back on 2021, future students of history will recognize the FCC as an agency that seized the moment and swiftly affirmed its commitment to racial justice by undertaking initiatives that will ensure that equal opportunity is present in our most influential industries,” the MMTC said.

The post MMTC Outlines “Racial Justice” Initiatives for FCC appeared first on Radio World.

iHeartMedia is joining forces with a French multimedia group to curate a slate of its podcasts for a French audience.

iHeartMedia and the NRJ Group recently announced a strategic partnership in which the two will develop, translate, distribute and monetize iHeartRadio original podcast content for French listeners. The first translated podcasts will be available on the iHeartRadio app, in France on NRJ Group’s platforms and elsewhere in the last quarter of 2021.

As part of the partnership, NRJ Group will distribute certain iHeartRadio original English-language podcasts across its apps and websites and will lead the monetization efforts in France. NRJ Global will also leverage the supply-side platform Yield-Op from Triton Digital, a company recently acquired by iHeartMedia.

[Read: iHeartMedia Discloses Q2 Financial Results]

The partnership illustrates that demand for podcasts has become a global one. “[It’s] beginning to grow meaningful fanbases around the world,” said Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group. The partnership allows NRJ to tap into iHeartMedia’s archives of existing programs for translation and allows both companies to co-produce new shows to better support the French podcast creator community, he said

The podcasts that will be translated include “Stuff You Should Know,” the first podcast to surpass one billion downloads, the company said. The podcast was launched in April 2008 and educates listeners on science, history, urban legends and other topics. Other shows to be translated include “Stuff You Missed in History Class,” “BrainStuff,” “Cabinet of Curiosities” and “Missing in Alaska” among others.

The partnership will also include new co-produced podcasts featuring French talent.

NRJ Group said it is pleased to be working with iHeart on a shared mission: making high-quality entertainment podcasts available to the widest audience. “This deal enables us to significantly enrich our offer to French listeners while clearly positioning NRJ Global as the top reference in France for the monetization of podcasts,” said Cécile Chambaudrie, NRJ global president and CEO of NRJ Group Digital Activities.

The post iHeartMedia Partnership to Bring Curated Podcasts to French Audience appeared first on Radio World.

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises has moved forward with giving a Latin boost to its Peacock OTT offering and the individual streaming platforms tied to its broadcast and cable TV networks by creating a Hispanic Streaming division.

Who’s leading it? A woman who entered the U.S. market as an Executive Producer for Us Weekly‘s digital offerings in 2009 who joined NBCU in 2012 through its E! operations.

The opportunities. The ROI. What’s stopping your company from connecting with Spanish-speaking consumers through audio channels like yours? Learn more about the Hispanic growth story by attending the 2021 Hispanic Radio Conference, Sept. 22-23 in Miami. Attendance is limited – REGISTER NOW!

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Its merger with Gray Television is on track to close within a matter of weeks. But, that hasn’t stopped Meredith Corporation from signing a new deal for local TV ratings from the nation’s dominant source of audience measurement and consumption data.

A multi-year deal is in place that will keep Nielsen Local TV ratings in place at all Meredith Local Media stations.

The agreement includes a range of audience measurement and analytical services across all of Meredith’s broadcast TV stations, including Nielsen Scarborough. The contracts will be passed on to Gray following the closing of the Meredith Local Media spin-off from the media company dedicated to reaching women through lifestyle brands including People.

“We are pleased to continue our relationship with Nielsen as a trusted business collaborator,” said Doug Lowe, EVP of Meredith Corp.’s Broadcast Group.

Radio imaging, voiceover, programming, podcasting and jingles company Benztown has entered into an agreement with Tracy Johnson Media Group to market and distribute a new streamlined and intuitive audiologging app to U.S. radio stations.

Introducing AudioLogger, which Benztown says speeds the process for stations to repurpose audio for other uses.

AudioLogger was developed by Belgian radio broadcaster Alain Claise and is currently used on over 250 stations worldwide. The app is now available to stations from Benztown.

“With AudioLogger, all station staff can instantly access, manage, and share audio for
any station in the world,” Benztown notes. “Broadcasters can access audio for airchecks. The sales team can send proof of performance audio and live reads to advertisers without filling out a production request. And stations can even convert any audio segment into attention-getting videos to post online with just a couple of clicks.”

Benztown President Dave “Chachi” Denes comments, “AudioLogger transforms station
operations by empowering every member of the staff to do more with their audio content
– whether they’re in production, sales, marketing or digital. The system is fast and easy
to use, and audio is available to edit, export and manage within a couple of seconds of
being broadcast. Plus, it works on any platform and device, including tablets and cell
phones. AudioLogger is a game-changer for stations and Benztown is proud and
excited to partner with Tracy Johnson Media Group to bring this smart and affordable
technology to U.S. radio.”

GatesAir, known for its wireless, over-the-air content delivery products used by radio and TV stations across the U.S., has joined forces with Pearl TV and Howard University to bring NEXTGEN TV service to Washington, D.C.

GatesAir will ship a Maxiva ULXTE-50 UHF transmitter to Howard University’s WHUT-TV in preparation for an October launch, forming the nucleus of the public broadcaster’s new ATSC 3.0 transmission facility. WHUT, the market’s secondary PBS member station, will serve as the host station for the collaborative effort — using the liquid-cooled GatesAir transmitter to carry NEXTGEN TV signals from WHUT and four local commercial broadcast network affiliates.

WHUT brings several compelling advantages as a lighthouse station, including a prime location in the city that will maximize market reach. Howard University’s academic resources and educational initiatives will add value to the cooperative effort taking shape in DC. These include a Media Technology Innovation Learning Lab that, in cooperation with NAB, was formed to drive industry collaboration and develop new NEXTGEN TV services. Working closely with NAB, Howard University is also the only learning institution in the United States to offer a dedicated NEXTGEN TV seminar series, which is an educational platform for next-gen eration engineering talent. This important initiative gives students a chance to be on the ground level of NEXTGEN TV development for the Washington DC service.

Local commercial stations WJLA (ABC), WUSA (CBS), WTTG (FOX) and WRC (NBC) will join WHUT in the delivery of HD programming and standard-definition sub-channels (including the PBS Kids service) from the GatesAir transmitter. The transmitter will also carry new digital and multimedia services supported through the ATSC 3.0 standard.

“WHUT is testing many of the datacasting concepts that come with NEXTGEN TV, and all four commercial stations are sharing innovative ideas,” said Sean Plater, Acting General Manager of WHUT. “WHUT will look to provide internet access to those without broadband internet service, particularly in the Ward 7 and 8 neighborhoods of Washington DC. All five stations are looking at emergency alerts and interactive services that weren’t before possible with local television. A Howard University student is interning with Pearl TV this summer to help develop a new application, and we hope to involve more students in these development processes over time.”

Pearl TV Managing Director Anne Schelle added that the Washington DC model exemplifies the spirit of public and commercial broadcasters working together to advance the future of local television. “The commercial stations recognized the challenges that Howard University would have as a lighthouse station and, along with GatesAir and other partnering technology suppliers, played important roles in funding this project,” she said.

GatesAir is one of many suppliers supporting the initiative. The Maxiva ULXTE-50 transmitter, built at GatesAir’s Quincy, Ill., manufacturing center, will provide interoperability with the encoders, schedulers, and other key technologies within WHUT’s transmission headend. GatesAir will provide installation and commissioning services for its transmitter, which integrates an ATSC 3.0-ready GatesAir Maxiva XTE exciter.

— Brian Galante

CP Communications-owned Red House Streaming has completed upgrades to one of the two studios at its St. Petersburg, Fla.-based professional and network operations center (NOC).

The result is the creation of an enhanced chromakey space.

Known as Studio B, the new area can accommodate a four-person interview set and produce a full 16:9 chromakey shot.

Red House Steaming completed the renovations to Studio B in about three weeks and began using the chromakey set in mid-July.

Originally, Red House Streaming had a small chromakey area in Studio B to accommodate single-person standups. “When we were approached by a client that wanted to produce a pilot for a TV series, we decided we needed something larger,” said Red House Streaming GM Lowell Beckner.

That pilot, for a young adult news series, was the first project produced in the new space. The studio continues to be used for regular programming for other clients. Studio B now features a cyc wall that measures 17 feet across and 12 feet high, as well as soundproofing to accommodate musical acts. Three new Neewer globe lantern softbox diffusers help create even lighting across the set for clean chromakey effects, and additional fixtures are used for lighting talent. Studio B features all LED lighting that is controlled via DMX.

The new chromakey area features four of Red House Streaming’s RHS CamSTREAM PTZ camera units, three on tripods and one mounted high on a vertical truss for wide shots. All four cameras are controlled using a Panasonic AW-RP150 touchscreen remote camera controller in the control room, so there are no camera operators in the studio. The Red House Streaming control room, which is shared by both studios, also features a Yamaha TF1 digital audio mixer, CasparCG graphics, and a vMix production switcher.

The chromakey studio is the first major upgrade for Red House Streaming studios, which launched its first production in January 2021. The facility already has several regular clients using its production studios as well as its NOC for content management and delivery. Red House Streaming also offers mobile production and streaming packages.

— Brian Galante

WideOrbit, known for its widely used broadcast TV and radio inventory and revenue workflow management products, has brought to market the latest release of its flagship ad sales and commercial operations platform.

Providing a foundation from which 90+% of US local TV and 50+% of US radio broadcasters manage, execute, and scale ad sales, the WO Traffic v21.0 release includes new features and enhancements to help stations and station groups generate new revenue, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.

WideOrbit says the newest release of WO Traffic “marks a significant milestone in the industry” with the introduction of the Electronic Material Instructions module, an automated tool designed to address the need to simplify and streamline the material instructions process.

The Electronic Material Instructions licensed module integrates with several leading material instructions providers, including ECN, PremiumMedia360, ITN Networks, and SpotGenie. More integrations are coming soon, including Warren Lamb and vCreative. These integrations simplify the exchange of new and revised material instructions, helping broadcasters reduce errors (and costly makegoods) while increasing staff productivity.

WO Traffic v21.0 also introduces additional enhancements to improve efficiency, including easier, more intuitive log editing functionality; a new, customizable Inventory Analysis Report; improved New Orders navigation with easier property location and selection, and more.

“WideOrbit has always been committed to continuous innovation and investment in our core products and we’re proud to continue that tradition,” says Will Offeman, WideOrbit Chief Product Officer. “Our 21.0 release of WO Traffic includes the Electronic Material Instructions module, a significant step forward in automation for what was previously a highly manual process, and just one of several new features designed to help our broadcast TV and radio customers maximize revenue, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.”

Software-defined network and cloud platform Masergy’s private network and cloud platform is now playing a key role in enabling Azzurro HD’s AzzurroCam to deliver high-quality broadcast signals required for live, on-air interviews created outside of a professional studio.

Thanks to Masergy, AzzurroCam systems in the field can transmit high-definition signals backed by industry-leading service level agreements, including 100% in-sequence packet delivery and less than 1 millisecond of jitter.

“Masergy gives us the lowest possible latency you can get on the market today, and that’s one of the biggest reasons clients rely on us,” said Azzurro HD CEO Francis Luperella, explaining the criticality of service uptime. “There is very minimal delay, so you can have a long, live TV conversation in high definition. Our business is not about streaming TV shows and it’s not about video conferencing at its best. This is live, real-time TV broadcasting for big-name networks.”

In 2020, TV viewers everywhere got a glimpse into the challenges of remote broadcasting as TV networks were forced to produce shows directly from their homes. Pictures were fuzzy, and split-screen conversations were not always in sync—an experience all too familiar for those using video conferencing tools with home internet services. When it comes to high-profile, national broadcast, dips in service quality are not tolerated. AzzurroCam, released by Azzurro HD more than 10 years ago, is a self-contained camera system providing TV networks with studio-quality broadcast capabilities from anywhere.

Azzurro can monitor and manage the network service via Masergy’s online management portal. AI-powered applications in the portal provide recommendations and predictions to thwart any performance degradations. The portal also allows Azzurro to control bandwidth in an instant. Meanwhile, Masergy provides overall management of Azzurro’s solution from the network to security, including threat monitoring and response services.

“Masergy has been a part of our company since inception, and we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with all-in-one turnkey service,” said John Bonaccorso, Vice President of Operations at Azzurro HD. Now that Azzurro is forging the future using ultra-high-definition broadcast, also known as 4K, Masergy can deliver the additional required bandwidth.

Bonaccorso commented, “We’re building camera systems that can deliver broadcast-quality 4K video directly from a home studio, so the ability to segregate network traffic on a different tier is key. When we need more throughput and bandwidth, we simply turn it up. The Masergy network is highly responsive.”

When Azzurro is supporting high-profile events, Masergy flags corresponding circuits, delaying any scheduled routine maintenance and automatically escalating issues if they arise.  Luperella said, “That’s the kind of attention you can’t find with big carriers and the reason our events air flawlessly. We will always aim to deliver the most pristine broadcasting service possible, and Masergy is our partner in making that a reality.”