Industry News

The Federal Communications Commission is reminding U.S. broadcasters and other EAS participants of their obligations to comply with the Emergency Alert System rules, including ensuring that alerts are accessible to persons with disabilities.

Here is a link to the full advisory.

“In reporting on the most recent national level test of the EAS, the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau noted improvements in key areas, but identified several issues that impair dissemination of EAS messages,” the Enforcement Bureau stated in a five-page published advisory.

“The 2019 Nationwide EAS Test Report noted, for instance, that EAS Participants must ensure that messages comply with the FCC’s requirements designed to make the message accessible to individuals with hearing and vision disabilities.”

The document reminded stations and other to upgrade their EAS software and firmware to the most recent versions; change default passwords; secure EAS equipment behind good firewalls; and synch EAS equipment clocks to the National Institute of Standards and Technology if the gear doesn’t automatically synchronize via the internet.

EAS participants also need to understand their role in the broadcast-based distribution architecture of the EAS, for instance what it means if you have a “participating national” designation. They need to know how to monitor multiple sources to ensure redundancy and reduce the possibility of message receipt failures; how to follow up with monitored sources when an EAS message is not received to determine the cause; and how to submit national test results.

Read the full text here.

The post FCC Issues an EAS Enforcement Advisory appeared first on Radio World.

WEST PALM BEACH — The E.W. Scripps Company and Black Diamond Capital Management LLC have closed Scripps’ acquisition of ION Media Networks.

With the deal, Scripps is, as expected, combining ION’s assets with the Katz networks and Newsy to create “a full-scale national television networks business.” Together, the national networks will reach nearly every American through free over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite, over-the-top and digital distribution, with multiple advertising-supported programming streams.

Scripps President/CEO Adam Symson calls the ION merger “a historic and transformational moment” for Scripps, one that strengthens its leadership position in broadcasting and accelerates the media company’s multiplatform strategy “to serve diverse audiences everywhere they seek to be informed and entertained.”

And, with the closing of Scripps’ purchase of ION, Black Diamond has completed what it is calling an 11-year turnaround of ION.

“We are extremely proud of ION’s transformation from $33 million of EBITDA in 2009 to $300 million plus during our ownership,” said Christopher W. Parker, Senior Managing Director of Black Diamond and an ION Director. “This sale brings to a conclusion a successful investment for all of ION’s shareholders. We thank ION’s management team and wish Scripps well with its acquisition.”

Scripps believes “the highly accretive acquisition” will yield $500 million in synergies, most of which are contractually based, over the next six years, reaching a $120 million run rate.

Concurrent with Scripps’ merger with ION, the sale of 23 ION affiliated TV stations to INYO Broadcast Holdings, a Salt Lake City–based operator of stations, has also closed.

Scripps is the No. 4 broadcast TV station owner in the U.S.

However, this deal makes Scripps the nation’s largest holder of broadcast spectrum — a potentially valuable situation given the rollout of ATSC 3.0 and its data capabilities.

The transaction was financed with $800 million in term loans, $550 million of secured notes and $500 million of unsecured notes; a $600 million investment from Berkshire Hathaway in preferred stock; and cash from the balance sheet. The debt financing was led by Morgan Stanley Senior Funding Inc. with BofA Securities, Trust Securities, J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo as joint book runners.

Methuselah Advisors and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as financial advisors to Scripps and arranged the preferred equity investment by Berkshire Hathaway. Morgan Stanley Senior Funding Inc. provided the financing commitments for the secured and unsecured debt. Ernst & Young Capital Advisors, LLC served as debt advisor.

BakerHostetler and Brooks Pierce served as Scripps’ legal co-counsel for the acquisition, and Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Dickinson Wright PLLC served as Scripps’ legal co-counsel for the committed financing. Evercore served as exclusive advisor to the Scripps family, and Kirkland & Ellis served as its legal counsel.

Black Diamond was advised by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld on FCC legal matters. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Cooley LLP served as legal counsel for ION Media.

A “seasoned broadcast media legal executive” has joined the C-Suite at the broadcast media company superserving Hispanics that one year ago emerged from bankruptcy protection — and shed all vestiges of its founders by changing the company name.

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In the Pacific Northwest, the Iglesia Pentecostal Víspera Del Fin has emerged as a broadcast ministry dedicated to serving Hispanic evangelicals.

Now, it is gaining some broadcast power by striking deals with both Amador Bustos and Ed Distell.

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WorldCast Systems has announced new software for its Ecreso FM 100W–2000W transmitters.

According to the company, Version 1.9.0, tweaks automation, SmartFM and RDS functions.

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

WorldCast says the new version enables the transmitter to automate “a configuration change or send GPIO commands in case of specific alarms.”

There are changes to the SmartFM energy monitoring and usage algorithm which the company says will bring greater efficiencies and operational cost savings. The RDS module is receiving new TA, TP, PTY, DSN and MS settings.

Info: www.worldcastsystems.com/en/

The post WorldCast Updates Transmitter Software appeared first on Radio World.

Noted figures from the worlds of consumer technology, broadcasting and education will populate two live panel discussions organized by Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) after the first day of activities conclude for the virtual 2021 CES.

“From televisions to smartphones, from set-top boxes to better TV and distance learning, CES 2021 promises to be a showcase of all things NextGen TV,” said ATSC President Madeleine Noland.

ATSC is an Exhibitor at the virtual CES 2021.  “Our goal is to amplify and aggregate all the great NextGen TV messages and announcements that consumers, retailers and other stakeholders need to know,” Noland says.

Registration is free for the ATSC panels, which include a January 12 session she will moderate — “ATSC 3.0 at the Consumer’s Fingertips.”

Make your dinner arrangements accordingly: the session is set for 4pm Pacific.

Speakers include:

• Mark Aitken, SVP of Advanced Technology, Sinclair Broadcast Group
• Alfred Chan, VP of TV and Smart Home Business Unit, Mediatek
• Nick Kelsey, Chief Technical Officer, SiliconDust
• Steve Koenig, Vice President of Research, Consumer Technology Association
• John Taylor, Senior Vice President, LG Electronics USA

One hour later, at 5pm Pacific, education experts and broadcasters will offer their views during a panel discussion entitled “ATSC 3.0 Powers Distance Education.”  Moderated by ATSC VP for Standards Development Jerry Whitaker, the Distance Education panel will include participants:

• Aby Alexander, President/Americas, Thomson Broadcast
• Todd Achilles, Chief Executive Officer, Evoca
• Fred Engel, Chief Technology Officer, UNC-TV Public Media North Carolina
• Lonna Thompson, EVP/Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel, Americas Public TV Stations

To support its CES efforts, the ATSC has launched a dedicated web page (www.ATSC.org/CES) that is now spotlighting NextGen TV Consumer Devices (TV’s, phones, Set-Top Boxes, Systems on Chips, and more), Consumer Services (better TV, distance education, apps, deployments, audio services, advanced emergency messaging) and Future-in-the-Making (labs and testbeds around the world developing the future of NextGen TV.)

Registered CES attendees can also visit ATSC’s ATSC Virtual Booth at CES.

It bears a 1-year target estimate of $7. And, it hasn’t been priced that low since mid-November.

Cumulus Media stock has proven resilient in these COVID-19 pandemic times, and with Thursday’s trading on Wall Street, is again approaching its highest closing price since early March 2020.

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Urban One shares soared in Wednesday afternoon trading on Wall Street — triggered, perhaps, by the confirmation that Democratic control of the U.S. Senate had been reached.

Whatever the reason, the C-Suite has responded with a major offering of aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2028.

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It’s been a wild 24 hours in Washington, D.C.

That includes the stock performance on the Nasdaq GlobalSelect market for the multimedia company superserving African American consumers based in the Nation’s Capital.

Urban One shares rose by more than 100% on Wednesday. Within the first 25 minutes of trading on Thursday, UONE had given back some 29% of that gain.

What’s to come could be predicated on Urban One’s Q4 results. And, the company released a sneak peek of its fourth-quarter financial report card on Thursday, ahead of the Opening Bell on Wall Street.

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On January 4, RBR+TVBR exclusively reported on a matter involving Urban One and the Nasdaq stock market. The multimedia company superserving African American consumers had received notice from Nasdaq that it was no longer in compliance with its trading policies and, with no resolution, could face a delisting.

Such an action was unlikely, but nevertheless concerning. Now, Urban One has guaranteed that it will not happen.

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