Radio+Television Business Report

The individual who has served as SVP/General Manager of NBC Sports Chicago, the Comcast-owned RSN serving the Windy City, has been appointed President/GM of the two NBC-owned stations housed on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.

Getting the new duties, putting him in charge of NBC O&O WMAQ-5 and Telemundo sibling WSNS-44 is Kevin Cross.

He’s a veteran Chicagoland media executive and takes the job as David Doebler will retire, effective June 1, after eight years in the role, longtime Chicago media reporter Robert Feder reports.

Cross will retain his NBC Sports Chicago role, adding the WSNS and WMAQ duties.

Cross began his career at the former SportsChannel Chicago as a producer, in 1993. It became Fox Sports Chicago in 1998, and rose to Senior Producer.

Later, he held the role of President/Executive Producer of Timeline Productions and as Executive Producer of Sports for CLTV.

 

A first-of-its-kind demonstration is scheduled for the ongoing NAB Show Premiere virtual conference that aims to show how news companies “can embrace the interactive content opportunities of NEXTGEN TV to fight misinformation as the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard continues its national rollout on a voluntary basis.

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Standard Media Index has just released its March 2021 data, and the total monthly media investment was “way up,” it reports.

In fact, it was up 22% versus March 2020, which was down 13% from a year earlier as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived on North American shores.

The gains in the last month of Q1 2021 lifted this year’s ad investment higher than pre-pandemic levels, SMI notes: March 2021 investment was up 6.3% versus March 2019.

That said, radio broadcasting executives should not get too excited, as Digital continues to lead the growth, rising 27% in March versus last year. Further exacerbating matters for the Radio industry: TV’s “very strong” March, rising 13% versus 2020.

This, SMI says, is the “first real year-over-year increase in over a year,” excluding a 1% increase in August 2020.

To view SMI’s report, with graphics, please click here

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Deloitte has released the results of its 15th annual Digital Media Trends Survey.

It reveals how COVID-19 and shifting generational preferences are reshaping the U.S. media and entertainment landscape. How this may impact the future growth of broadcast television and radio makes this essential reading for your organization.

 

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Eleven years ago, an influential Member of the House of Representatives crafted legislation passed into law by President Obama designed to eliminate those jarring commercial breaks where the audio is out of sync with the regular programming — and much louder in volume.

In recent months, however, jarring TV spots have reemerged at over-the-air and cable TV, leading this politician on April 14 to seek — for the second time — an FCC investigation into the matter.

The Commission has now agreed to do so.

On April 14, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.)  sent a letter to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel specifically requesting the Commission investigate ” a reported increase in complaints related to loud television advertisements that may violate the CALM Act.”

The jump in complaints came concurrent to the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people sequestered in their homes and watching television. Thus, the loudness issue could have predated the arrival of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. It was the virus that likely exposed the problem to a greater degree.

Eshoo became aware of the problem. On July 21, 2020, she wrote to then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai requesting information about complaints related to and enforcement of the CALM Act.

The Pai Commission did not act.

On March 31, 2021, online publication Business Insider followed up on the complaints by offering a lengthy feature story that examined the four-month period from November 2020 to February 2021. In this timeframe, FCC complaints of loud commercials increased 140% compared to the same period a year ago — more than double the volume of complaints.

For TV broadcasters and cable operators, the CALM Act requires any station to abide by the A/85 standard approved by the ATSC, the Advanced Television Systems Committee. The FCC is the enforcement agency.

Eshoo was quoted in the Business Insider article, which makes the assumption that “2021 is poised to be the worst year since the initial rollout” of the CALM Act.

Fueled by the online report, Eshoo then pleaded to acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “This worries me a great deal,” she wrote to Rosenworcel.

It appears the FCC under Democratic Party influence is worried, to. On Monday (4/19), the Media Bureau moved forward with the issuance of a public notice inviting comment from consumers and industry leaders on whether any updates are needed to the Commission’s rules implementing the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act.

Comments are due by June 3. Reply Comments are due by July 9.

“We seek comment on the extent to which our rules have been effective in preventing loud commercials,” the Media Bureau states. ‘In particular, we invite consumers to tell us their experiences as they watch programming provided by television broadcasters and MVPDs.”

In response, Eshoo said, “I welcome the FCC’s action to protect consumers from the vexing issue of loud TV ads. I authored the law to put an end to this national irritant, but complaints are rising again. I welcome the decision of the FCC to hear complaints from the American people. I urge everyone who is annoyed to submit their complaints to the FCC about loud ads to ensure violations of the CALM Act can be investigated.”

DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. — He was most recently VP of Programming Communications and Special Projects for Cumulus Media and Westwood One.

Now, he’ll serve as a National Sales Manager for the United States at key Westchester County-based radio tech company RCS.

Taking the job is Aaron Roberts, who will focus his efforts around the GSelector, Aquira and Revma products. Roberts will also chair the RCS Academy, comprised of self-paced, online courses for individuals with basic to advanced knowledge of music scheduling and radio automation using GSelector and Zetta.

Roberts’ radio career spans over 20 years in operations and programming, including stops at WRQQ/Nashville; WIOT/Toledo, Ohio; and WROV/Roanoke, Va. He’s also served as Operations Manager for Citadel’s former Scranton, Pa., station group.

Roberts also has record industry experience, and was a Southeast Regional representative for Trauma Records.

“Aaron is a perfect fit for our team of talented radio experts,” says Neal Perchuk, RcS’s VP of Sales for the Americas, who Roberts reports to. “Aaron’s commitment to quality, professional radio is unmatched. We are excited to share his particular skills with our clients.”

KAISERSLAUTERN, GERMANY — Starwaves, a developer and distributor of receiver technologies centered around the digital broadcast standard DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale), has joined forces with a supplier in the field of broadcast encoder and receiver components for DRM to develop an Android app that allows DRM reception on mobile devices.

Starwaves enables Android phones and tablets to receive entertainment, text information, and emergency warnings via DRM Digital Radio.

The Starwaves technology is based on Fraunhofer technology.

Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) is being pitched as the “digital successor standard to the classic AM and FM radio services.”

Radio reception with mobile phones and tablets combines the mobility and flexibility of these devices with the benefits of free-to-air radio services.

And, it solves a conundrum that plagued NextRadio, a one-time unit of Emmis Communications, while the ambitious Soundot app failed due to lack of publicity and industry support.

Starwaves has been active in the field of DRM radio receivers for many years. The “STARWAVES DRM SoftRadio” app was developed in close cooperation with Fraunhofer IIS. Its goal: to ensure easy access to innovative DRM radio services for everybody.

It is available from now in the Google and Amazon Android app stores.

“The app provides listeners with access to all the essential features of the DRM digital radio standard, across all transmission bands from DRM on long wave to FM band and VHF band-III,” Starwaves says.

Fraunhofer IIS is a significant co-developer of core digital radio technologies.

This includes the innovative xHE-AAC audio codec, which provides high audio quality at lowest data rates, as well as the Journaline application, which gives radio listeners access to news, the latest sports updates, local weather forecasts, travel tips, and even radio schooling services without requiring internet access.

The app also supports many more DRM features such as the Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF), image slideshows, station logos, and service descriptions including Unicode support for worldwide application.

To provide all these services, the app only requires a standard off-the-shelf SDR RF dongle that is attached to the device’s USB port.

“We are proud to launch the world’s first low-cost full-featured DRM digital radio reception solution for mobile devices, developed in close partnership with Fraunhofer IIS. Now everybody can easily upgrade their existing mobile phone and tablet to enjoy DRM digital radio with its undistorted audio quality and advanced features including Journaline,” says Johannes von Weyssenhoff, founder of Starwaves.

 

— RBR+TVBR European News Desk

Broadcast media facility management software maker Xytech has selected a VP and Managing Director for its ScheduALL platform.

It’s an individual who was working with the product until September 2020 but has returned, now that Xytech is the ScheduALL owner.

Taking the role is Stefan Nied, and his appointment follows the closing of Xytech’s acquisition of ScheduALL from Net Insight earlier this month.

A veteran of ScheduALL, Nied devoted 23 years to ScheduALL, serving as Vice President of Services and Customer Success until the 2015 acquisition by Net Insight. He then served as Senior Director of Global Strategic Accounts within the larger Net Insight corporate structure, continuing his leadership and key account management within the ScheduALL software business unit.

In his new role, Nied will be responsible for the ScheduALL customer success and support teams throughout the ScheduALL-to-Xytech transition.

“Stefan and I worked together for 12 years when I was at ScheduALL and it’s a thrill to bring him into Xytech,” said Greg Dolan, CCO of Xytech. “With more than two decades of experience with the ScheduALL brand, he is the perfect person to seamlessly lead the ScheduALL-to-Xytech transition. Customer success is top-of-mind, and Stefan’s leadership skills will ensure a smooth and easy transition.”

Nied added, “After spending most of my professional career with ScheduALL, I know the product inside and out, and I’m very familiar with the needs of our valuable clients. I look forward to continuing to provide them with the world-class service they deserve.”

Nied will be based at ScheduALL’s office in Hollywood, Fla,, and report to Dolan.

Workflow automation, media processing, quality monitoring, and test and measurement product provider Telestream has brought to market six new models in its PRISM waveform monitor product line.

The new models have smaller form-factors to address the space constraints in Live Production, the company says.

With these new products, the PRISM family now offers a complete range of “Software Defined Monitoring” instruments, covering use cases from operational SDI monitoring to engineering grade IP analysis, with a common user interface throughout. The new PRISM products are designed to support both local and remote production situations up to 8K HDR. As software-defined instruments, customers can purchase a base model and add features as and when required by simply purchasing a software license; no hardware changes, no manufacturer returns, and no downtime.

“The PRISM technology platform has enabled us to create a range of form factors at affordable entry level price points, while retaining a “no penalty” software upgrade path to add higher end features as required,” said Charlie Dunn, Senior VP of Tek Video at Telestream. “We have effectively re-invented monitoring for the needs of a new generation of users and challenges.”

Remote production is fully supported, including full feature remote viewing of the PRISM display screen (noVNC required). When paired with Telestream’s Inspect 2110 probe, customers can get detailed monitoring and analysis of ST2110 IP video across their entire network. When an area of concern is flagged by Inspect 2110, a single button press launches any stream in PRISM for deep ST 2110 video waveform, audio, data, and PTP analysis to find and fix faults fast.

“Expanding the PRISM platform to this level was our vision from day one, but the collaboration with the Telestream IQ network experts to create the innovative Inspect 2110 product has surpassed everyone’s expectation of what can be achieved,” said Ian Valentine, Vice President of Product Management for Tek Video products at Telestream. “We’ve built a truly unique monitoring system that bridges the SDI/IP divide.”

The new PRISM models are more space conscious –only 5” deep– with no compromises in capability (4K/8K HDR/Wide Color Gamut, 4 inputs, Dolby Audio, 10/25G-IP and 12G-SDI). PRISM embraces a modern paradigm shift from the classic user interface that allows Telestream to provide the largest screens on the market, remote capability, and touch or keyboard/mouse operation.

With a unique set of HDR tools, including the patented STOP waveform, user-defined False Color, Light Meter, and CIE charts, PRISM focuses on content and offers multiple user interface options tailored to the task and role of the user. A single product, from a single vendor, is now the waveform monitor of choice across the facility, including remote production environments, and across both engineering and production applications.

 

New PRISM Models: MPS-100, 200, 300 are single screen half-rack with a depth of only 5 inches. MPD-100, 200, 300 are dual screen full-rack units with only 5 inches of depth. Availability: Shipping Summer 2021 (orderable April 2021)

Eurofins Digital Testing has introduced updated test suites for the Consumer Technology Association’s NEXTGEN TV Logo program.

They’ll be applicable to 2022 model receivers and released by the end of June.

The NEXTGEN TV Logo is the consumer-facing brand for ATSC 3.0, helping identify which devices offer the advanced technology of ATSC 3.0 standards, currently being deployed across the United States.

Developed in an ongoing collaboration with CTA and the NAB, Eurofins NEXTGEN TV Test Suite was first launched in 2019 and has evolved to comprise more than 200 tests covering requirements including ATSC 3.0 physical layer, signaling and ROUTE/DASH, AC-4 audio, 4K HEVC video, captions, interactive application environment, electronic service guides, advanced emergency alerts, watermarks, and other features of ATSC 3.0 standards.

CTA research forecasts U.S. TV shipments with NEXTGEN TV capabilities will increase from 2021 to 2022 by 500%, with 12 million units expected to ship by 2024. With this considerable increase projected for unit sales and multiple new broadcast stations planned to launch online into 2021 and beyond, these trends exemplify the accelerating pace of ATSC 3.0 adoption across the United States.

NAB Chief Technology Officer Sam Matheny commented, “The test suite for the NEXTGEN TV logo program assures confidence that ATSC 3.0 transmissions and receivers will work together properly. ATSC 3.0 technology has unparalleled flexibility and receiver manufacturers need to know that their products will respond appropriately to the wide
variety of services that broadcasters may transmit. This new expanded set of tests for 2022 products will increase confidence from broadcasters to provide more services, from TV set manufacturers to implement more features, and from consumers to look for products with the NEXTGEN TV logo.”

Separately, Eurofins Digital Testing operates an independent test lab for ATSC 3.0 technologies and is an ISO accredited lab for ATSC 3.0 RF testing, as well as its Arreios for ATSC 3.0 Test Tool, available to manufacturers opting to test for ATSC 3.0 conformance of devices in-house.

Eurofins also supplies the test suite used to verify compliance with ATSC 3.0 Security Authority (provider of service security and DRM licences for ATSC broadcast services) specifications.

Cheryl McHenry, the veteran anchor and reporter at Cox Media Group’s CBS affiliate serving Ohio’s Miami Valley, WHIO-7 in Dayton, will soon celebrate 40 years at the dominant TV station.

She first covered the courts, and in June 1991 moved to the anchor desk. In the last two years, McHenry has covered COVID-19, social justice protests, devastating tornadoes and a mass shooting in the Oregon District of Dayton.

In this exclusive interview, McHenry shares her thoughts on longevity, the necessity of local news and what it means to be a journalist in 2021 in the latest RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Cheryl McHenry” on Spreaker.

TORONTO — It’s known for such stations as CHBM “Boom 97.3” in Canada’s largest market.

Now, Stingray Radio is moving forward with a podcast strategy. And, it has selected the Omny Studio platform from iHeartMedia-owned Triton Digital to support it.

Through the partnership, Stingray Radio will use the tools within Omny Studio to create, publish and promote their portfolio of podcast content to audiences across a range of devices and platforms, including smart speakers, social media networks and smart phones.

“We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Triton, and to be leveraging the Omny Studio platform to support our podcast strategy,” said Steve Jones, SVP of Brands & Content at Stingray Radio. “Triton’s commitment to innovation and receptiveness to the podcast industry’s needs make the Omny Studio platform a force. We are confident that Omny will provide us with an unparalleled workflow and efficiency that will enable us to create more content, grow our audience, and meaningfully increase our revenue.”

John Rosso, President of Market Development at Triton Digital, added. “Stingray is a meaningful contributor to the rapidly growing podcast landscape in Canada, and we are proud to provide them with a flexible, enterprise-level tool that will grow and scale with them.”

The owl ran afoul of the comatose coxswain.

You’ve most likely heard that line a lot of late, thanks to a new Progressive audio campaign.

But, when it comes to spot TV, a competitor has risen to the top in the latest look at brand activity by play count, courtesy of Media Monitors.

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For a generation of Spanish-language radio listeners in Central Florida, the 98.1 MHz frequency licensed to Deltona, Fla., has served as a home for salsa and Tropical programming.

Now, after 21 years, programming has shifted back to English fare, as RBR+TVBR has confirmed its sale. In doing so, it has ignited a war among Christian radio operators in the Orlando DMA.

The bigger news: this radio station’s owner, Entravision Communications, is set to say goodbye to the I-4 corridor.

Learn all about the power of the Hispanic audio content consumer at the Hispanic Radio Conference. For full details on this autumn 2021 event, click here!

 

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RBR+TVBR, the publication dedicated to the business of broadcast media, is proud to unveil the third annual Broadcast’s Best Financial Leaders list.

The Top 15 finance leaders in radio and television will be revealed, based on your vote, in RBR+TVBR’s June 2021 Special Edition, distributed at the virtual Kagan Media Summit electronically as part of the official Kagan conference app and via e-mail to all RBR+TVBR Members.

Make your nomination today for the RBR+TVBR Broadcast Best Finance Leaders list. Nominations will be accepted until Friday, April 23.

To make your nomination, please click here!

Those making nominations are asked to follow RBR+TVBR’s guidelines:

1. The persons you nominate must be active in radio and television media finance today and have a minimum of five years’ experience in broadcast media.
2. Nominations can come from any department of your radio or television station or parent company.

 

HURRY! You may make up to three nominations by our deadline of Friday, April 23 at 5pm Eastern/2pm Pacific. Please fill out only one ballot.

The latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report is out, and it’s very clear who wins the home improvement retailer battle when it comes to spot count.

Lowe’s has been practically silent with its radio advertising, while Menards continues to use radio where it has stores. Nationally, there’s no competition.

And, that Home Depot domination continued in the week ending April 18, Media Monitors data show.

The latest report also shows that Indeed, the job search website, is the lone other campaign to register more than 50,000 play counts in the last week.

 

Spanish-language content was in focus last week with the blockbuster news that Univision Communications would be merging with Mexico-based Televisa, combining the struggling operator’s content operations with Univision — a key recipient of its programming.

GroupM’s Global President of Business Intelligence, Brian Wieser, was compelled to take a close look at the deal.

His assessment? “With a similar scale among Spain’s dominant media owners and significant investment in related content from Netflix, ViacomCBS, Disney and others, significantly increased investment will likely be required to accomplish stated goals.”

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Despite what MoffettNathanson Senior Analyst Michael Nathanson calls the “recent turmoil” among media stocks, the respected Wall Street financial house has increased confidence that Fox Corporation shares will outperform.

Why? Nathanson points to “improving fundamentals in the near term.”

He also likes what Thursday night holds for FOX in the coming years.

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LOS ANGELES — The owner of The Weather Channel and a growing collection of broadcast TV stations including the ABC affiliate for the Hawaiian Islands has just launched a free streaming ad-supported service steeped in local news.

It’s available on most major platforms, bringing information on demand through another “over the top” offering.

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