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A divided Senate has approved Pres. Trump’s Republican nominee to the FCC, Nathan Simington.

Democrats strongly opposed the nomination of Simington, currently with the National Telecommunications & Information Administration, arguing it was a way to stymie the Democratic FCC agenda out of the gate, but Republicans prevailed in a straight party line vote 49–46, though with no floor defense of the President’s nominee after Democrats had pilloried him.

Senate Republicans have consistently appeared unenthusiastic about the Simington nomination, not speaking up strongly for him during the Commerce Committee’s approval of the nomination on Tuesday before voting (the same 49–46) to proceed to a vote on his nomination.

[Read: Chairman Pai Will Leave FCC in January]

Simington was the president’s choice while traditionally congressional Republicans would have a voice in the pick.

He is expected to take his seat, succeeding outgoing commissioner Michael O’Rielly, late Thursday (Dec. 8) or Friday, following the FCC’s Thursday public meeting.

President Donald Trump nominated O’Rielly for a second term, but pulled the nomination following a speech in which O’Rielly raised questions about efforts to regulate social media, something the President has been pushing the FCC to do.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member on the Senate Commerce Committee, was the first to speak on the Simington nomination after the Senate, again divided along party lines, had voted to limit debate and proceed, eventually, to the nomination vote.

She said she had questions about his neutrality and independence, given reports he had tried to enlist Fox News to spotlight the issue of regulating social media and given the abrupt withdrawal of O’Rielly’s nomination in favor of Simington, who worked on NTIA’s petition to the FCC seeking social media regulation, a petition Trump had mandated in an executive order as part of his effort to regulate sites, like Twitter and Facebook, he has long argued censor Republicans, including him.

“I hope that we will not pass the Simington nomination,” Cantwell said, but added that if he was to be confirmed, as assumed, her colleagues should move quickly to also approve a Democratic nominee to the commission, when one is chosen. She pointed out that, usually, Republican and Democratic FCC nominees are paired in such circumstances. A Republican Senate is not likely to rush to such confirmation, however.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the second senator to speak on the nomination, pulled no punches.

He said Simington was dangerous to the FCC at this moment in history, for which he was the wrong person at the wrong time, pointing to President Trump’s attempts to retaliate against social media platforms, his attempts to enlist the FCC in that effort, and Simington’s participation in that effort.

Blumenthal called him unprepared and unqualified for the post. He also cited the potential gridlock issue and noted the usual bipartisan pairing of nominees. He urged a no vote.

Democrats have reason to be worried that Simington’s installation could tie up the Democratic agenda after Jan. 20 — there would be two Democrats and two Republicans — and until a third Democrat can be named to Pai’s commission seat — he is exiting Jan. 20 — which if Republicans retain control of the Senate could be months down the road.

FCC commissioner Brendan Carr, who will be the only other Republican on the commission after the chairman exits, has been urging the Senate to confirm Simington so together they can thwart a Democratic FCC’s moves out of the gate.

In an appearance on Fox Business’ “Cavuto Coast-to-Coast,” Carr said: “I think it would be very valuable to get Simington across the finish line and help forestall what really would be billions of dollars’ worth of economic damage that I think a Democratic FCC would look to jam through from Day One. One thing a Democratic FCC is expected to do is restore net neutrality rules, which Carr has called “socialism in sheep’s clothing.”

 

The post Republican Nathan Simington Confirmed to FCC Seat appeared first on Radio World.

In normal times, he’d likely be celebrating the birth of a brand-new digital multicast network, thanks to a recent purchase through his growing broadcast media operation, at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach while attending NATPE Miami.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that event is now a virtual affair. But, that’s likely not stopping Byron Allen and his team from cheering about the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day transition of Light TV to the latest offering superserving Black TV consumers.

As RBR+TVBR first reported on October 30, Allen Media Group has acquired MGM‘s over-the-air broadcast television networks This TV and Light TV, offered a digital multicast offerings across the U.S., for an undisclosed price.

Launched in 2008, This TV is programmed with films, and other limited general entertainment content in the form of classic television series.

Light TV dates to 2016; it has featured family-friendly movies and series. That fare will disappear on January 15, 2021 – the start of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.  At that time, Light TV will officially transition to TheGrio.TV.

According to Allen Media, TheGrio.TV will feature African American-focused content reaching over 100 million U.S. households via over-the-air broadcast television stations, cable/telco/satellite platforms, and free digital streaming. With its new network brand slogan Our Culture Forever, TheGrio.TV will feature movies, sitcoms, dramas, concerts, talk shows, variety shows, game shows, news, and lifestyle content.

What is “TheGrio”? The term, in parts of Africa, is used to define a storyteller.

At one time owned by NBCUniversal, TheGrio.com was purchased by Allen in 2016 when it had less than 1 million monthly active users. In Summer 2020, TheGrio.com achieved its peak of over 10.5 million monthly active users.

“TheGrio.com is now one of the most visited news and entertainment sites for the African-American community, and is the largest employer of African-American journalists,” Allen said in a press release.

He added, “TheGrio.TV is especially important to me as it will both serve and uplift all viewers. TheGrio.TV is the first and only 100 percent African American-owned and targeted broadcast television network and free digital platform – making us truly authentic, without being filtered or controlled by others outside of the community.”

On Tuesday, TheGrio.TV received a big boost courtesy of FOX Television Stations. It will carry TheGrio.TV as a digital subchannel on 11 owned-and-operated broadcast properties, including WNYW-5 in New York, KTTV-11 in Los Angeles, and stations in Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Minneapolis and Orlando.

RBR+TVBR RELATED READ:

Byron Allen’s Group Makes ‘Island News’ With KITV Buy Adam Jacobson Across the Hawaiian Islands, “Island News” has come courtesy of an ABC affiliate owned and operated by two brothers from Erie, Pa.: Brian and Kevin Lilly. That ownership will soon come to an end, thanks to one of the most aggressive buyers in broadcast television today. Byron Allen’s Multi-Million Deal Includes LPTVs Adam Jacobson USA Television Holdings, the Bob Prather-led entity, on Oct. 1 revealed that it is agreeing to sell 11 broadcast television stations to Byron Allen’s Allen Media Broadcasting for $290 million. It is now known that the blockbuster deal includes several low-power TV stations. DuJuan McCoy’s Next Move: A Spin To Byron Allen Adam Jacobson One month ago, DuJuan McCoy emerged as the buyer of two TV stations in Indianapolis that Nexstar Media Group needed to sell in order to get regulatory approval of its merger with Tribune Broadcasting. Now, McCoy is poised to focus solely on those properties. Lightning Strikes For Byron Allen With Weather Channel Buy Adam Jacobson In the early 1980s, Byron Allen was best known as one of several commentators on the NBC comedy talk show Real People. Now, he’s a media mogul that just acquired The Weather Channel and its Local Now streaming service through his Allen Media LLC. Entertainment Studios CEO Byron Allen Upset by Industry Racism RBR-TVBR Media mogul corners President Obama at fundraiser and makes racist claims against AT&T. A TV Mogul Talks To The Audio World Adam Jacobson Once a host on NBC’s “Real People,” Byron Allen is today at the helm of one of the most successful broadcast media growth stories of today. He’s the founder of Entertainment Studios and Chairman/CEO of growing TV station owner Allen Media Group. So, why was Allen a keynote speaker at the virtual 2020 Radio Show on Thursday?

As RBR+TVBR first shared on its Twitter feed on Tuesday afternoon, the Republican majority of the U.S. Senate, by a 49-46 vote, confirmed Nathan Simington to be a member of the FCC.

Simington will take his seat as a Commissioner, replacing Mike O’Rielly, with the transition in power at the White House from President Trump to Joe Biden. Concurrently, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will step down, as is traditional with a change in leadership at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.

Much discussion is being had across Washington about a “deadlock” at the FCC come January 21, 2021. But, is that just conjecture?

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Noemy Rodriguez and her Alcon Media isn’t just purchasing a full-power FM and an FM translator from a husband-and-wife ownership team in the Tri Cities of Washington state.

In a separate deal filed with the FCC concurrently, Alcon is also seeking FCC approval for its purchase of a second full-power FM and two more FM translators.

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Wayne Eckert is an engineer with the Rural Florida Communications Cooperative. He occasionally comments here in Workbench on electrical matters of interest to broadcast engineers.

He noted the article by Mark Persons in the Oct. 14 issue of Radio World detailing lightning damage at KRJM. For engineers who are interested, he points out that AT&T has a relevant document “Grounding and Bonding for Network Facilities” that can be downloaded free in PDF form.

Fig. 1: The down conductor has been stapled to the 4-by-4 pole.

Wayne writes that while the document was created for central office grounding and bonding, it is now considered a company reference for all cell sites as well. And many parts it are applicable to broadcast sites, studios or any other facility where uptime is of high importance.

Wayne believes that if just some of the practices detailed in the AT&T document had been applied at KRJM, the damage suffered could have been greatly reduced.

One thing that caught Wayne’s eye was it appears that the pole supporting the STL link lacked a down ground. Wayne bases this opinion on the damage to the pole and from what Wayne could see in the photograph.

A down ground is an old utility practice and is a simple lightning protection device. Normally before the pole is placed, a lineman will secure a #6 hard drawn copper conductor to the pole with fencing staples. This line will attach from the top of the pole to the “butt” or bottom of the pole, leaving 6 inches or so of it standing above the top and coil up a few feet of the cable on the butt.

The goal is to produce a grounding electrode on the butt of the pole, so when the pole is placed in the earth it will make good contact with the earth.

If the pole is already in place, you can add a down conductor by installing an 8-foot ground rod into the earth.

Note well: Before pounding anything into the earth, contact your state’s one-call utility notification center. All states have such centers and require by law that you call 48 to 72 hours before digging. In most states the number is 811.

A “locate” will be scheduled and done at no charge to determine if there are any underground utilities present. Keep in mind that though this service is free, it is not “next day,” so plan your work, giving the “locates” folks plenty of time. Failing to notify them can get you killed should you drive the ground rod through an electrical cable or natural gas pipe. At the least, it can result in being sent a substantial bill from a utility should you damage something below grade.

The down conductor provides a bypass for the lightning’s energy into the earth, sparing the pole from extensive damage. Keep in mind that all pole attachments shall be bonded to the down ground cable. It is required by code that you bond the grounding electrode to the building’s grounding system using a direct buried #6 copper conductor, which prevents potential differences between grounds.

Wayne included several photographs that detail a down ground installed on a pressure treated 4-by-4 support pole.

In Fig. 1 above, note how the down ground is stapled to the support post. Also note that the last 36 inches or so of the down ground cable is protected by a piece of PVC pipe secured to the post.

Since the size of the 4×4 is too small for a butt coil, a ground rod was used, shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2

In this photo, also note that all of the bends in the grounding conductors are sweeps (gentle curves, no sharp angles). This is very important as it minimizes the inductance in the grounding conductors.

Fig. 3: A view at the top of the pole.

Wayne writes that though lightning is direct current, it acts more like RF due to its extremely fast rise time, so inductance must be kept to a minimum.

Fig. 3 shows the top of the 4×4 pole with a pigtail, to which supporting structures like antennas or STL dishes can be bonded and grounded.

More on GDTs and MOVs

Robert LaJeunesse in Ann Arbor, Mich., holds an MSEE. He read with interest our discussions about gas discharge tubes and metal oxide varistors.

Bob points out that there are unique differences. The MOV clamps above its breakdown voltage while the GDT clamps below its breakdown voltage.

This may seem like a minor point but it has a major impact on the power dissipated by the clamping device, not to mention the pass-through energy.

With the GDT clamping lower, this device reduces the amount of energy that can pass into the subsequent protected circuitry; and the lower clamping voltage likely allows for more clamping current without over-dissipating.

It also makes sense that both be used together to protect a load. The MOV would absorb lower power surges but might allow the voltage to rise significantly above the MOV threshold on a higher current surge. The GDT can then kick in and clamp the voltage down, pushing more of the dissipated power back to the source — and source wiring — thus limiting the surge power that gets to the protected device.

Bob notes two PDF resources from Littelfuse to learn more. One is “Varistor Products Overview.” The other is a datasheet about its CG6 gas discharge tubes.

John Bisset has spent more than 50 years in the broadcasting industry. With this column he begins his 31st year writing Workbench. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. John holds CPBE certification with the Society of Broadcast Engineers. He is also a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award. Workbench submissions are encouraged, qualify for SBE Recertification and can be emailed to johnpbisset@gmail.com.

The post Workbench: A Lineman’s Tips to Ground an STL Pole appeared first on Radio World.

Deloitte on Tuesday released its “2021 Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions,” which highlights how worldwide trends in TMT may affect businesses and consumers worldwide.

In addition, the report highlights how many of these trends are being driven by the global pandemic’s economic and societal impacts, resulting in growth for cloud technologies, the intelligent edge, media segments such as sports and the shift to telemedicine.

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EUREKA, CALIF. — On November 10, an asset purchase agreement codified the transfer of a series of full-power and FM translator radio stations from an estate, trust and related broadcasting company to an individual who served as the day-to-day president of the stations under the now-deceased seller.

Here are the details of this Golden State transaction.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — It may be non-binding, but it certainly has meaning.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed H. Res 549, a resolution reaffirming the lower body of Congress’ commitment to diversity in media.

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Emergency alerts will be showing up on more digital billboards in the United States through a partnership of FEMA and Lamar Advertising.

“The alerts are transmitted over FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) on select Lamar digital billboards throughout the country,” the agency wrote in a press release.

[Read: COVID-19 and Emergency Alerting Best Practices]

The announcement was made by Administrator Pete Gaynor, who called 2020 an “unprecedented” year for public alerts thanks to the pandemic and “a record number” of hurricanes.

IPAWS alerts have appeared on Lamar digital billboards in 17 states “and are available to run in all 43 states that Lamar covers,” FEMA said.

“Alerts will be displayed for 30 minutes at a time. Not all alerts sent through FEMA will appear on a Lamar billboard.”

FEMA said that since 2011 IPAWS has carried more than 81,000 alerts and warnings, and of those, 11,000 have been delivered in 2020 alone.

The post FEMA Expands Use of Billboards for Alerts appeared first on Radio World.

The Telos Alliance has released a “soft” console through its Axia Audio badge.

The iQs AES67 mixing console software is an HMTL5 software-based console designed to provide remote operation powers via Windows and Mac computers along with mobile devices. It works with the company’s AE-1000 server or Docker.

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

Telos Alliance Executive VP of Sales, Support, and Marketing Marty Sacks said, “IQs software runs on roads built by industries much larger than our own and gives broadcasters flexible options for deployment, including our new AE-1000 server and Docker container. … All while giving you total control with a simple web browser, allowing broadcast engineers to ‘Studio Anywhere.’”

According to a release iQs is scalable and allows multiple iterations at the same time. It is compatible with off-the-shelf hardware and has easy upgrade paths. Multiple subscription levels are available. It also allows for customization.

The company also points to the advantage of cloud-based systems such as trimming cap-ex costs and also eliminating or keeping physical plant costs under control.

Info: www.telosalliance.com

 

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