Industry News

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

The coronavirus pandemic has had a tremendous impact on local media. You need only turn on commercial radio or television to catch rebroadcasts, Skype interviews and replacement programming. At many community radio stations, the situation is no different.

With worries about infection, plenty of community stations have opted to send volunteers home. In several cases, volunteers are encouraged produce their shows remotely. The catch? Stations are largely letting volunteers figure out this stuff on their own.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Salute to Stations Fighting On]

So, if you are a community radio producer or DJ, how exactly do you create your weekly radio show without a studio and minimal technology?

These suggestions are by no means complete for everyone, but here is an overview for any community radio volunteer.

It cannot be overstated that where you record is literally more important what you record and what you record it with. As the National Federation of Community Broadcasters notes in its free guidance for stations, the two primary issues volunteers must be aware of are the areas they will record and then the microphones they use.

Your first task is selecting where you will record your voiceovers. Rooms with high ceilings, open floor plans, hard surfaces and rooms likely to pick up ambient/white noise should not be used to record a program. This means living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and garages are out. Veteran journalist Ron Gonyea presents extensive insights in Current on what to look out for as well. Vents, street noise and pillows are among the items on your checklist.

Now, test out your sound deadening tactics. If you are not satisfied, vocal booth boxes and microphone sound shields are available online for under $50 and will vastly improve sound. For an even more extensive dive into acoustics, NPR Training provides diagrams that help you think about your space.

Next, for the thing everyone focuses on first: your microphone.

Do not use your mobile phone’s or laptop’s built-in microphones to record a full program. You’ll likely not get the sound you aspire to have. Quality microphones are available for under $50 from music equipment stores and online. These include the Rode, Audio-Technica, Samson and Shure lines of USB microphones. YouTube features many products tests. If you can’t test a microphone out, skim those tests to choose the right device for your vocal delivery.

If you’re worried about a microphone working with your sound card and input, or that your desktop or laptop is too old to work with a USB microphone, there are many lines of handheld recorders available. With these, you can record your spots directly there, then move the recorded files for production. Affordable brands used for media production include Tascam and Zoom (not to be mistaken for the video platform).

And finally, there are a range of software audio editing packages that volunteers can use, including Audacity, which is free, and Adobe Audition, which is part of Adobe Creative Cloud. Again, YouTube is a go-to. You’ll find beginner to advanced techniques for your software of choice.

At-home production may ramp up the switch to digital, especially for music DJs dependent on records, compact discs or cassettes. Additionally, the remote production road is sure to be bumpy for those new to it. However, during COVID-19, such program creation is required. And it could be just the kind of learning experience you didn’t know you needed.

 

The post Community Broadcaster: Tips for Better Home Recordings appeared first on Radio World.

Sine Control Technology, maker of PowerClamp Surge Protective Devices, has introduced the new Series 200 PowerClamp models. It describes the AC power line surge suppressor as ideal for broadcast transmitter sites or any other installations that require clean and reliable AC power.

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

The new Series 200 PowerClamp units are rated at 200,000 amps-per-phase of surge suppression capacity, and will be available for single-/split-phase and three-phase WYE electrical service in all standard voltages. The Series 200 units will suppress short-term power line surges to within a few volts of the sine wave, thus protecting transmitters from AC spikes that cause serious damage and unreliable operation. This new design also features internal LEDs to indicate if a fuse needs replacement, and remote status monitoring that can be interfaced to any transmitter remote control system.

Solid-state transmitters with switching power supplies are especially vulnerable to power line spikes and surges. These AC power disturbances often cause irreparable damage to power supply components. The new Series 200 PowerClamp surge suppressors will greatly reduce the chances of damage and keep the transmitter reliably on the air.

Series 200 PowerClamp units are housed in a NEMA-rated enclosure with all critical components hermetically sealed to prevent degradation. They are installed in parallel with the transmitter electrical service. Load-matching is not required, and power to the transmitter is not interrupted even if a PowerClamp fuse opens.

Info: https://henryeng.com/powerclamp

 

The post New Sine Control PowerClamp Series Available appeared first on Radio World.

For on-air audio radio and television production with high-demand operational requirements and workflows. Its X-Core engine can manage up to 1,024 audio channels of local content or AoIP that can be controlled using one or several control surfaces. Each control surface can have more than 90 motorized faders with pages for snapshots or memories.

Atrium offers simplicity of operation through a set of touchscreens, encoders, indicators and keys, all of which can be preconfigured and dynamically adapt their function to the operational context. This avoids unnecessary steps in workflows, maintaining the precise information visible and simple operation.

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

Each Atrium control surface and its individual controls can be customized for most any operation. Thus, classic workflows can be implemented. Users can also configure mix or very special workflows with flexible programming of keys to act on the routing of the console, maybe controlling external equipment such as routers, audio codecs, telephony broadcasting systems, broadcast automation, or IP intercom systems.

Atrium’s simplicity of configuration and integration within a system is not only restricted to the local production center, but reaches outside. It allows connecting with external events and remote production centers, enabling the creation of a multichannel audio network as extensive as the user application may require.

X-Core is a broadcast IP audio mixing, processing and distributing matrix. It can work as an audio matrix, intercom matrix or a combination. X-Core also can work as the audio engine of an Atrium console or set of consoles. Native IP (Dante, Ravenna, AES67, SMPTE ST 2110-30, SMPTE ST 2110-31).

Info: www.aeqbroadcast.com

 

The post AEQ Enters the Atrium appeared first on Radio World.

The FCC has said it declined to reconsider the selection of HD Radio as the U.S. digital radio standard. But Alan Hughes, a broadcast technical writer in Australia, believes the industry should not convert to all-digital HD Radio on the AM band but should consider Digital Radio Mondiale in the 47–88 MHz band, which he notes has been “virtually vacated by TV.” He says available DRM channels are more than enough to cover existing AM and FM stations, plus new entrants. 

The following is from comments he filed to the FCC about proposal to allow the MA3 all-digital mode of HD Radio for AM stations in the United States. It has been lightly edited for style and clarity.

Currently, radio in the USA is in an interference-fueled mess. 

VHF Band 2 (FM band) — According to the FCC database, there are nearly 14,000 FM broadcasters with over 10,000 translators, causing this band to be overcrowded and getting worse, particularly with the addition of FM translators for AM broadcasters, and FM/digital HD Radio sharing half of the channels either side of them which are used by other broadcasters. Digital power is 4–10% of their FM power to prevent digital interference to their own signal and others. This substantially restricts the coverage area before the receiver goes back to FM or, if it is HD2–HD4, drops out altogether.

There are no pure digital HD broadcasters in VHF Band 2.

Medium Frequency (“AM band”) — In the FCC database there are 4,616 AM broadcasters in North America; 240 are authorized for HD operation but this does not include broadcasters who have switched off HD.

Interference from electrical disturbances is caused by electrical switch mode power supplies, which are in virtually everything electrically powered including LED lighting, and electric cars when charging and moving. Petrol-powered engines can cause interference. Electric power line insulators also can cause considerable interference. 

[Real-World Tests Make Business Case for MA3]

On AM this causes annoying static but also unreliable digital reception, particularly for AM/HD where the digital signal is only 1% of the carrier power.

Interference between broadcasters is caused by AM broadcasters sharing half of their channels used by other broadcasters; this also occurs with HD Radio and is worse in its mode AM/digital mode. This is why many AM broadcasters have stopped broadcasting digital at night.

There are no high-powered pure digital HD broadcasts in the MF band. There is only WWFD, a city-wide station, on air.

Vehicle manufacturers have stopped using long telescopic antennas, which gather more signal for this band than the “Shark Fin” type, which is just too short. The “Shark Fin” antenna contains an amplifier that overloads on strong interference and will then affect the reliability of reception.

The FCC needs to do an independent survey to determine what proportion of the population actually listen to HD Radio. Since the HD standard has existed for 19 years some radios will have died. One would have expected that analog AM and FM should have been superseded by now.

OPTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Hybrid Digital (HD) Radio is not feasible because the digital signal has to be so weak and because listeners have to remember whether it is AM or FM, the frequency and if it is HD1–HD4. This approach seems to have not been able to produce a national conversion to digital.

Pure digital HD Radio in VHF Band 2 in this mode still requires 400 kHz (two FM channels) to transmit one broadcaster’s programs. Interference will continue when all broadcasts are pure digital in Band 2. In the medium-frequency band a signal can fit in a non-interfering channel but the sound quality is poor and it lacks the ability to carry data information, alternatively the wider channel will cause interference to broadcasters in the adjacent channels.

DAB+ is in widespread use outside of North America but cannot be used because TV is using nearly all the available DAB+ channels.

DRM in VHF low band (TV Channels 2–6) in this mode only requires 100 kHz. Thus four DRM transmitters can replace a pure digital HD signal in Band 2. Each of these DRM transmitters can carry three sound programs. DRM has not been trialled in North America. It does not use any of the existing bands used by broadcast radio. This means it can be broadcast in addition to any existing broadcasts without interference with existing services and also without power limitations caused by existing broadcasters. There is no sharing with adjacent channels.

See the accompanying graphic (Fig. 1).

66–72 MHz provides 59 channels that can be used around the locations of the above TV transmitters with the exception of TV Channel 4. Where radio broadcasters are near the seven medium-power TV transmitters they can use 47.1–49.9 and 76.1–77.9 MHz.

The FCC needs to allocate DRM frequencies to all broadcasters in groups of six consecutive channels, allowing broadcasters to share transmitters, antennas and towers. DRM can use the same frequency over the whole license area including repeaters in black spots. There are enough channels for both AM and FM broadcasters, leaving the medium-frequency band for low population density areas such as Alaska and Arizona.

Fig. 1: VHF band 1 uses from the FCC. High power is to cover a region, medium a district, low a city and LPX a village. CONCLUSION

In 1998, when Australia was selecting which system to use for digital television, our Communications Lab did a side-by-side performance tests (see http://tinyurl.com/rw-hughes) between DVB-T and the Advanced Television System Committee’s systems. 

As a result the only countries to take roll out ATSC were the USA, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. The rest of the world use DVB-T, its upgrade DVB-T2 and a later Japanese IDSB. 

The FCC should follow this example and do the same trials for radio. There are two United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union standards for digital radio, DRM and DAB+, which should be adopted in North America to make receivers cheap for all, just like AM/FM. This will enable a rapid rollout of an interference-free system.

I have no commercial interest in the outcome of your decision.

The author is a broadcast technical author from Australia and has spent a lifetime in training technicians. Radio World welcomes opinion and points of view on important radio broadcast industry issues.

The post A Better Way to Revitalize All U.S. Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Nominations will close April 17 for the Special Edition Best of Show Awards program, an initiative of our parent company Future plc to showcase new, innovative products introduced this spring for specialized technology users.

Companies can nominate products for awards presented by the following publications and sites: TV Technology, TVBEurope, Digital Video, Government Video, Video Edge, Radio World, Pro Sound News, Sound & Video Contractor, B+C and Next TV.

Companies seeking guidance about which brand to enter for can find guidance here.

Winners will be selected by panels of professional users, technical experts and editors based on descriptions provided by companies via the official nomination form.

Companies pay a fee to enter; not all products are selected as winners. All nominees and winners will be featured in a Program Guide sent to readers this spring.

For more information about the Special Edition of the Best of Show Awards visit the official Best of Show website.

The post Nominations Close April 17 for Special Edition Best of Show Awards appeared first on Radio World.

Could geo-targeted programming for over-the-air radio broadcasters be on the horizon?

The Federal Communications Commission is exploring that idea by requesting comments on a requested rule change that would permit radio broadcasters to air geo-targeted programming — such as emergency alerts, news and advertising — on a voluntary basis.

The request was formally made in March by GeoBroadcast Solutions, a Chicago-based technology company whose ZoneCasting technology uses FM boosters to distribute locally targeted content. According to the company, the rule change would be similar to the 2017 FCC decision that allowed TV broadcasters to use the next gen ATSC 3.0 standard to distribute geo-targeted programming.

[Read: Tech Company Asks FCC to Allow Geo-Targeted Radio Programming]

According to GeoBroadcast in its petition, “The commission could bring some of these same benefits to the radio industry by permitting radio broadcasters to use single-frequency network technology to provide one of the main consumer and broadcaster benefits inherent in ATSC 3.0: hyperlocal programming, emergency alerting and advertising.”

Specifically, the ZoneCasting model uses a single-frequency network to originate programming separately from the booster’s primary FM station. (This technology uses lower-power and lower-height FM transmitters operating on the same frequency and within the service contour as the primary FM station transmitter.) To achieve this, however, the FCC would need to amend part of the FM booster rule that currently requires an FM broadcast booster station to retransmit only the signals of its primary station.

According to GeoBroadcasting, this type of zoned broadcast coverage technology would allow radio broadcasters to provide hyperlocalized content, such as geo-targeted weather, targeted emergency alerts and hyperlocal news, the company said. Zoned broadcast coverage also would enable radio broadcasters to air geo-targeted traffic information, second language programming and local advertisements.

Zoned broadcast coverage could make the medium attractive to new kinds of advertisers, the company said, as it allows radio to reach their target audience much more efficiently. The company pointed to February 2020 BIA Advisory Services study that found that more than 90% of local retailers indicated that they would spend more on broadcast radio advertising if zoned advertising were available.

Comments on the issue can be left in the ECFS database using proceeding number RM-11854.

 

The post FCC Seeks Comment on Geo-Targeting for Radio Stations appeared first on Radio World.

Bob Triplett

Robert S. “Bob” Triplett died April 5 at age 97. He passed away at the VA Medical Center in Chillicothe, Ohio, just south of his birthplace of Kingston, and is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Triplett “always had an interest in radio,” according to his son — who goes by his air name Ed Douglas and is senior vice president of affiliate relations for Tom Kent Radio Network. In fact, Douglas says Triplett had wanted to start a station in Chillicothe in the 1940s, but couldn’t raise the funds.

Instead, Triplett served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, training pilots to use radar during combat missions. After the war, Triplett had a variety of diverse careers, including Philco radio salesman, until he became a broadcast engineer in 1966 and went on to be general manager of Wellston, Ohio’s WKOV.   

[Jim Withers reminisces about his Philco radio]

Then, in 1972, Triplett cofounded Triplett Broadcasting Company with his brother Wendell. Together, they owned and built several radio stations in Ohio and Kentucky and one in Tennessee. The first Triplett stations were WOGM(FM) and WTOO(AM) in Bellefontaine, Ohio. The company later acquired TV station Channel 53 in Chillicothe.

At age 70, Bob Triplett retired from his full-time job and became a contract engineer. According to his son, Triplett worked on his last transmitter at 94 years old.According to his obituary, the family is planning a memorial service and will announce details when gatherings are again allowed.

The post Bob Triplett, 97, Has Died appeared first on Radio World.

Voicecorps Reading Service is a central Ohio organization that helps people with low-vision or other disabilities stay informed through a team of about 200 volunteers who read aloud newspapers, shopping flyers and periodicals.

Radio World caught up with Voicecorps Marketing and Development Director David Noble to learn about how Voicecorps is adapting to provide its services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Radio World: What is the mission of Voicecorps?
David Noble: Voicecorps enriches lives by reading printed news and information to people who are blind, have low vision, or other conditions that prevent reading.

RW: How can people access this content?
Noble: Eligible persons can hear Voicecorps on FM-SCA radios loaned to them by Voicecorps, on the SAP channel of WOSU-TV 32-2, on select cable systems, and as of March 12, in the northwest corner of Ohio as the virtual channel of WBGU-PBS 37-9 and on the SAP of 37-2, which takes us into homes via cable systems.

Others, who have accessible PCs or smartphones, tune-in by going to our webpage www.voicecorps.org and listening to the live stream or choosing one of our on-demand audio files. The live stream is also available using Alexa over the Amazon system.

RW: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your organization?
Noble: We are heavily dependent on volunteers to perform the reading of print news and current information. They were almost exclusively coming to our studios to read live or record weekly programs.

In Ohio, the stay-at-home order meant we had to pivot to at-home recordings and telephones for live broadcasts. Not all our volunteers were geared up for that, so it’s been a scramble to coach volunteers remotely into producing readings that are of sufficient audio quality to broadcast — and maintain a normal schedule.

At the moment, we’re not dispensing SCA radios. Instead, we advise new listeners to tune in via TV-SAP, use a PC or hear our web stream using Amazon Alexa, if they have one.

[Bumblebee Brings the Buzz of Live Radio to People With Sight Loss]

RW: Have your goals changed in light of the stay at home order in Ohio?
Noble: Only in that we no longer ask volunteers to come to us. We still maintain the goal of keeping the blind and visually impaired public just as up-to-date as their sighted peers.

RW: What technological challenges have you and your volunteers faced?
Noble: Setting up a recording studio at home has been a challenge, as has been ensuring that the volunteers at home have access to the print news they previously picked up in our studio at the time of their broadcast.

We have to say that the volunteers are amazing. They have thrown themselves at this problem with as much or more dedication than we see on a normal basis. We have not missed a daily newspaper reading yet!

RW: What devices and software have you used to facilitate remote reading?
Noble: The volunteer lets us know what they have available in their home. We do our best to make that work. If they have Apple systems, they can record using that. If they use PCs, they can use that. If they can’t do those, we see if reading live over the phone works for their schedule and ours.

We just sent out an email suggesting they download Audacity’s free recording software because the interface is fairly intuitive, and we won’t lose too much time on software support issues.

RW: What else should readers know?
Noble: The ability to keep up with current print news has always been important to living an independent life. Now, access to current information is vital to surviving the pandemic. The news on personal safety is especially important to have when your means of interacting with the world relies largely on tactile input. Providing audio versions of the newspaper and other print is truly a lifeline.

The post Voicecorps Ensures Low-Vision Ohioans Stay Informed During Pandemic appeared first on Radio World.

A new category appearing in Techsurvey 2020 is “Hearables,” defined as wireless headphones and earbuds. Who uses “hearables,” and for how long?

The numbers Jacobs research found are almost evenly divided between male and female, but show a dramatic stratification by age. The silent generation trails with 20%, and Gen Z leads with 62%. No surprises there.

[Read: Techsurvey 2020 Says Home Stations Leads the Streaming Audio Pack]

Far more interesting is the TS 2020 breakdown of “hearables” use by ethnic groups. The Hispanic respondents lead with 52%, Asian is next with 50%, African American 47%, while Caucasian trails with 39%. What’s behind this trend?

Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs doesn’t have any hard data to answer that question, but he shares his thoughts. “Wearables might be perceived by some groups as a fashion statement, in the same way as designer clothes. This is a new category for Techsurvey, so we’ll need to watch and see how it trends in future research.”

When you break the “hearables” numbers down by format, rhythmic urban, CHR and sports radio fans are the most likely to use these devices, all at around 50%. At the trailing edge are classic hits listeners with 33%.

Jacobs data suggests that more than one in five use headphones/earbuds for AM/FM radio listening at least half the time. Note that in this category “hearables” includes conventional wired headphones along with wireless devices.

TS 2020 also looked at music discovery. The research said that AM/FM is still the first place where listeners go to find new music and artists, although radio is slowly losing its lead. It was the place where 41% went in TS 2018, 39% for TS 2019 and 38% this year.

Trailing far behind AM/FM are friends/relatives, Spotify, SiriusXM, YouTube/YouTube Music and Pandora.

 

The post Four in Ten Techsurvey 2020 Respondents Own “Hearables” appeared first on Radio World.

A colleague asked me recently how many apps I had on my phone. I guessed that I had about 50. She told me point-blank that my sense of reality was seriously impaired, so I did the count. The answer astounded me. I currently have 176 apps. Talk about a lack of self-awareness! 

With 128 gigs of storage, I don’t think about running out of memory until, of course, I do. 

According to socialmediatoday.com, the average smartphone user devotes 2.3 hours daily to app use. This stat is reflective of those with about 30 apps, and much of this time spent is with the big social media companies or huge national media brands.

For radio stations owned by the major groups, decisions about apps are made, generally, at the corporate level and then messaging is pushed down. 

iHeartMedia is to be commended for its “all-in” strategy and promotional roll-out across its stations. However, I’ve never heard or seen iHeart advertise their app to target a new audience that might never or rarely listen to broadcast radio. Perhaps they do so and I’ve just never encountered it. Marketing apps via digital advertising, in app stores and with Google search terms could be an opportunity for stations and groups who want to grow total audience. 

For small groups, standalones and non-commercial stations, what’s the app situation for 2020 and beyond?

I don’t think it’s debatable that every station in America has to be available via mobile phone and tablet in some form or another. 

On-demand behavior is driven by the desire for immediate gratification, most frequently obtained with the device in one’s pocket. A radio in the car or even on a different floor of the house won’t cut it anymore. I’ve stayed at four Airbnbs in the last six months and none of them even had a radio receiver. 

[Can an App Solve the DRM Receiver Problem?]

The least costly approach to streaming comes via radio station aggregation apps like TuneIn. The disadvantage of this platform is that it’s easy for your station to get lost among so many listening opportunities; listeners may not even bother looking for your station once they stumble upon so many wonderful choices.

For those who can afford to build and maintain a standalone app, there are three choices to evaluate. While there is no clear-cut best choice, it does seem that the future is moving toward the latest technology.

NATIVE 

The most common type of app is called a “native” app. This type is developed specifically for device use, primarily on iOS and/or Android. Native apps are the most expensive to build, maintain and market. 

They must be approved by Apple and/or Google to ensure they contain no malware or serious bugs. Each time you update your app, it has to be updated in-store. Plus, when Apple or Google roll out a new operating system, you may have to make your app compatible with their update. 

Because the native app has to match the user interface and software standards, the experience is often smoother and more intuitive for the user. 

On the other hand, the volume of competitors in the app store is enormous, potentially mitigating the discoverability benefits of that marketplace. 

WEB

Your next choice is a “web” app. This sort of app is really a mobile website built to look like and function as a native app. In fact, it’s often difficult to tell the difference between a web app and a native app. 

Web apps are much cheaper to build and maintain because they don’t have to comply with a phone’s operating system or meet standards for placement in an app store. Web apps run in a browser and auto-update each time they load. Yes, you can even make an icon shortcut that looks like a native app and resides on a phone home screen. 

The downsides are: not all functions may work off-line; they are less intuitive to use; they can be slower to load; and they may appear less premium to users . 

PWA

Your third choice has a ton of advocates and shows significant promise. It’s basically a hybrid between a native app and a web app. It’s called a “progressive web” app, or PWA. 

Unlike a web app, a PWA can use push notifications and access some device features, such as gestures.   

Unfortunately, this type of app does not yet work on all types and versions of browsers. This is ultimately slowing its adoption. 

I have never built one of these apps, so I can only repeat what I’ve read — and the reviews so far are mostly positive and optimistic. 

If Apple and Google don’t get greedy with their walled-off stores and instead encourage the development of PWAs, it will lower the barrier of app entry for all and provide an improved user experience. This seems inevitable, but there are no guarantees yet. 

One thing is certain though: We Americans love our phones and our apps. Radio must create and maintain a presence on mobile devices or risk relying completely on in-car listening, where even that piece of audio real estate is no longer the exclusive domain of broadcast stations. 

Mark Lapidus is a multi-platform media, content and marketing executive and longtime Radio World contributor. Email mark.lapidus1@gmail.com.

The post Apps Are Key to Radio’s Relevance in 2020 appeared first on Radio World.