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HC2 Station Group is committed to owning and operating television stations. It simply seeks to have fewer properties in its stable, and has been paring down assets in the broadcasting sector as part of a large capital-raising campaign led by Wayne Barr Jr.

In the latest divestment move from HC2, it is shedding a trio of LPTV permits under the HC2 Station Group licensee name and another three LPTV permits from HC2-held DTV America Corp.

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Broadcast radio still “owns the car.”

That’s one of the takeaways for Pierre Bouvard, chief insights officer at Cumulus Media/Westwood One, from the most recent edition of Edison Research’s “Share of Ear” study of how people consume audio.

He writes regularly about findings that he feels can help with radio’s advertising “pitch.”

Writing on the Westwood One blog Bouvard said that AM/FM radio’s in-car share of ad-supported audio, while down a bit, still has hovered around a 90% share for six years:

He also described as “stunning” a finding that for the first time, audience shares for podcasting surpassed the combined audiences of ad-supported Pandora and ad-supported Spotify.

“Podcasting achieved a 12% share compared to Pandora and Spotify’s combined 11% share of ad-supported audio among persons 18+,” he wrote.

“This is notable as ad-supported audio audiences are of great importance to brands and their media agencies. Podcasting also beat Pandora and Spotify handily among the persons 18–34 and persons 25–54 ad-supported audiences.”

Bouvard highlighted the finding that AM/FM radio remains the dominant ad-supported audio platform with a 74% share of ad-supported audio, “11 times bigger than Pandora’s and 19 times larger than Spotify’s.”

Read his post: “Podcasting Eats Spotify/Pandora and AM/FM Radio Remains the Dominant Ad-Supported Audio Platform”

The post Bouvard: Radio “Owns the Car” appeared first on Radio World.

In October 2020, Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group acquired MGM‘s over-the-air broadcast television networks This TV and Light TV, offered as digital multicast networks with national distribution, for an undisclosed price.

Now, This TV is getting a boost, bringing it to more U.S. locales.

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The number of licensed FM commercial stations in the United States hit a historical peak 15 months ago and has been declining slightly since.

That’s one of the findings of an analysis by Radio World of the latest station count data from the Federal Communications Commission.

We also found that the number of AM stations is at its lowest in decades while the number of NCE FMs has hit a record high, as has the number of FM translators/boosters.

The tally of commercial FMs had been rising steadily over several decades. In 1990 (when FCC public data reporting became more consistent) there were about 4,350 commercial FM stations in the country. Ten years later and four years after the 1996 Telecom Act, there were close to 6,000 commercial FMs; and by the end of 2019 that number stood at 6,772.

But each of the five quarterly reports from the FCC since then has shown a slight ebbing; and at the end of March the number of commercial FM stations was 6,682, or 90 fewer than 15 months ago.

Whether we can read any general decline in demand for commercial FM stations into these numbers is problematic. It’s a drop of only 1.3% since the peak, though it is notable that the trend line had been virtually all upwards over many years prior. And the FCC doesn’t provide analysis of its data. Any shift could be driven by a slowing economy and of course the year-long pandemic. It’s a number we’ll keep an eye on.

Meanwhile the trend in AM station totals is more familiar and it continues in the latest quarter, when the FCC said there were 4,546 AM stations.

According to Radio World’s analysis, the country’s AM station count is the lowest it has been since at least 1990 and very likely longer than that. In 1990 there were just under 5,000 AM stations, and the total around that period tended not to vary much year to year.

But we can say that there are now about 9% fewer AM stations than there were in 1990.

On the other hand, the number of FM educational stations today is at its historic high of 4,213, up about 3% over five years and double the number at the turn of the century.

And the number of FM translators and boosters has also hit yet another record. There are now 8,521 of those, up 30% from just five years ago and more than four-fold from 1990, when there were only about 1,850 translators and boosters.

Demand for translators has been helped by multiple factors including HD Radio multicast plays, AM revitalization and general demand for FM spectrum.

And the number of low-power FM stations is now 2,114. That number has varied within a narrow range for the past decade.

The post U.S. Commercial FM Station Count Is Down appeared first on Radio World.

MIAMI — Until now, its collection of radio stations has been represented on a national level by Gen Media Partners, through its HRN Media Network. 

That’s changing, thanks to an agreement signed this morning by this Hispanic media company’s COO, Albert Rodriguez.

What’s the new national representation firm for Spanish Broadcasting System?

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The former General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has joined Wiley Rein LLP, today going by the “Wiley Law” brand, as the co-Chair of its Appellate Practice.

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Thomas M. Johnson Jr., has joined Wiley as a partner.

Johnson has more 15 years of experience in private practice and public service at the federal and state levels, representing clients in high-stakes appellate and regulatory litigation matters.

And, he has advised clients on all stages of Federal agency rulemaking, adjudication, and litigation, in fields ranging from communications to environmental law to securities to labor and employment.

in his role as the FCC’s General Counsel, Johnson successfully persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Commission’s media ownership reforms, resulting in last week’s unanimous ruling in favor of the Commission in FCC v. Prometheus Radio Project.

Johnson also “successfully defended” the Pai Commission’s “net neutrality” repeal at oral argument before the D.C. Circuit. “While naturally building upon a regulatory litigation practice that focuses on communications, technology, and the internet, Mr. Johnson will be positioned to strengthen Wiley’s capabilities in administrative law and appellate litigation across all sectors and practice groups,” the law firm says.

“Tom is an accomplished leader who has been an innovator throughout his career,” said Wiley Managing Partner Peter D. Shields. “His deep understanding of administrative and appellate law on a wide range of issues – as well as his nuanced insights from working in the government and private sector – will be indispensable to our clients.”

Kathleen A. Kirby, co-chair of Wiley’s Telecom, Media & Technology Practice, added, “Among Tom’s many accomplishments at the FCC is his important work streamlining regulations, strategically and successfully leading the effort to defend the Commission’s decision to relax certain media ownership rules before the Supreme Court, and freeing up spectrum for public use for 5G and other applications. His foresight and ingenuity greatly contributed to the efficient operations of our country’s communications systems, especially given the increased network demands of the past year. We’re thrilled he’s joining the firm.”

Prior to serving as FCC General Counsel, Mr. Johnson was the Deputy Solicitor General in the Office of the West Virginia Attorney General, where he helped develop litigation strategy and draft briefs in a series of challenges under the Administrative Procedure Act to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules under the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. In addition, he managed a team of attorneys, drafted briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals, and argued seven cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

It boasts the moniker “Key Weird Radio.” And, it presently has a Construction Permit for a Class A signal putting 680 watts of power over the southernmost city in the continental U.S.

Now, “the most diverse radio station” in Key West is heading to a new owner.

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What are the most active brands using spot radio?

The list of companies isn’t so different for the week ending April 4 than it was in the prior week. And, that’s good news for Radio.

Why? It demonstrates stability, with certain brands committing to the medium. Among those brands: Progressive, Indeed, and GEICO. That said, Bank of America is back, with a No. 7 placement in the most recent Spot Ten National Radio report.

With GEICO firmly in place as the top brand using Spot TV, by play count, there’s lots of new activity at over-the-air television with respect to campaigns getting a boost.

For the week ending April 4, a Unilever brand and a Procter & Gamble Co. brand, in particular, made waves with consumers.

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With T-Mobile President/CEO Mike Sievert gushing with confidence and a big trade marketing budget in play, TVision was designed to change pay TV for good.

It failed to catch on with consumers. But, one Wall Street feels Sievert’s plan worked — to the long-term detriment of MVPDs.

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With all eyes last week turned to Washington, D.C., and also fixated on a major audio media company’s name change, attention is just now being placed on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Here, a judge has cleared the way for Alpha Media to exit from debtor-in-possession status.

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She holds a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law and until now has been a senior associate at Mayer Brown LLP.

Starting today, she’s now the lead in-house counsel for Townsquare Media.

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Taking the role of SVP/General Counsel is Allison Zolot.

At Mayer Brown, she served as an associate in Mayer Brown’s New York office and a member of the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice. Her practice focused on representing financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and other multinational corporations in complex commercial and securities litigation in federal and state courts.

Specifically Zolot concentrated on the areas of banking and financial services, including actions involving alleged violations of the securities laws and allegations of fraud or misrepresentation in the sale of complex financial instruments, such as residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”) and other derivative instruments.

Townsquare CEO Bill Wilson said the local audio and digital media company is “thrilled to have such a talented lawyer” join the company.  He continued, “Allison is a strong and effective leader who will make a great addition to our senior management team.  I look forward to working with Allison as we continue to drive long-term growth and shareholder value through the execution of our ‘Local First’ strategy.”

Allison Zolot, Townsquare Media

Zolot said she is “humbled by the opportunity to work with Bill and the company’s senior management team.”

Mayer Brown has been her lone professional position following her receipt of a Fordham J.D. in 2009.

In late February, RBR+TVBR first shared the news that TEGNA was adding to its pot of digital multicast networks by stirring up a third creation.

As of today, Twist is on the air, putting a focus on women — and perhaps the LGBTQ+ crowd, too.

With a focus on lifestyle and reality programming including Top Chef Masters, Clean House, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Dance Moms, Tabatha Takes Over, Tiny House Nation and Flipping Out, Twist is already available in 41 TEGNA markets — and 43 of the top 50 Nielsen DMAs.

Aside from the TEGNA stations, Twist will also be found as a digital multicast for 11 Univision stations — a huge boost giving the network access to viewers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Then, there are 31 stations licensed to HC2 Broadcasting, a company that is paring down assets but intent on operating a core group of low-power TV stations in various markets.

In Indiana’s biggest market, DuJuan McCoy‘s Circle City Broadcasting has placed Twist on a digital multicast channel associated with WISH-8 in Indianapolis.

Other partners include Adell-owned WADL-38 in Detroit and CNZ Communications’ WIWN-TV in Milwaukee.

“With today’s launch of Twist, reality TV just got much more exciting for over-the-air viewers,” said Brian Weiss, president and general manager of TEGNA’s entertainment networks. “Audiences craving lifestyle and reality programming, who have been underserved in the multicast space, now have free access to high quality shows that have never before been available over-the-air.”

For nearly four and a half years, he has been linked to a group of Cumulus Media stations comprised today of WSBN-AM “ESPN 630” and highly regarded Talker WMAL-FM in Washington, D.C.

Before that, he led sales for iHeartMedia’s D.C. and Baltimore stations as a Sr. VP of Sales, a job he took in September 2009.

Sadly, his current post at Cumulus will be his last, as Ken Roberts has passed away. According to one media report, he was 65 years old.

Cumulus Media EVP/Operations Dave Milner confirmed Roberts passing, with a statement distributed to radio trade publications early Monday. “This is such tragic news and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family,” Milner said of Roberts. “Ken was a passionate and smart professional, who cared greatly for the team in D.C. He had been a friend and coach to so many in radio and we’re all better because of our time with Ken. We send our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Ken’s family, and are grateful for the time we had with him.”

Roberts in November 2020 had been promoted to VP/Market Manager from VP/Sales of the Cumulus/D.C. duo. He succeeded Jake McCann, who “returned home” to Philadelphia in
late December to lead The HOW Group, a real estate investment group.

With that promotion, Roberts said, “I am proud to continue our mission of super serving our listeners, employees and client partners. I am humbled to be part of our great history and excited to be part of our future.”

Among those already mourning the loss of Roberts is Jay Rosenberg, President/CEO of Rosenberg Media. “We lost a friend, a great husband and father, and great leader in the radio community.”

According to Rosenberg, Roberts died on Saturday. The cause of death has not been formally released. However, RBR+TVBR has learned that Roberts suffered from a suspected heart attack.

Roberts arrived in the Baltimore-Washington corridor in fall 2009, after spending 19 months in Phoenix as Director of Sales for Bonneville’s stations. From March 2001-February 2008, he was GSM of Susquehanna Radio’s former Dallas station group. It was his entry into radio, having served before that as VP of Videoaxs, which created “unique revenue programs that incorporated advertising and content distribution platforms.”

Roberts is a graduate of Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey.

Funeral arrangements were not disclosed by Cumulus Media.

He is not to be confused with original KROQ station owner Ken Roberts, who passed away in May 2014 at the age of 73.

The recent Radio World article “Quick, We Need a Temporary AM Antenna” showcased the ingenuity of WMJC engineers as they scrambled to get a station back on the air quickly.

While improvised antennas are one way to return to the air and can serve as an acceptable emergency or auxiliary antenna in a pinch, they may not be the best or easiest way to get an AM station back on the air. 

The HPR.0990 is designed to handle transmitter power up to 250 Watts.

AM stations faced with the dilemma of a damaged antenna, or one down for maintenance or replacement, have a commercially available option that is cost-effective and quickly deployable, one that allows them to remain on the air with reasonable coverage.

The Information Stations Specialists HPR.0990 is a resonant center and top hat loaded vertical monopole antenna with an integral 50 Ohm transmission line matching unit and optional quick-deployment ground radial system. 

A typical installation requires setting a simple wood or metal support pole or a short tower to mount the self-supporting antenna using a quick deployment ground radial system or a connection to the station’s existing ground radial system at its base. 

The antenna is side-mounted on the support using the included saddle clamps to attach it to the support pole. Due to its resonant design and integral impedance matching, the HPR.0990 can be directly connected to the transmitter’s 50 Ohm coaxial output without the need for an additional impedance matching network.

The base of the antenna is ideally mounted about 15 to 20 feet above ground level, which places the tip of the antenna about 45 to 50 feet high. This installation configuration, using the quick deployment ground radial system, shows a measured efficiency of 100 mV/m per kilowatt at 1000 kHz increasing to 175 mV/m at the top of the AM band. HPR.0990 efficiency declines gradually as the operating frequency moves toward the bottom of the band AM band due to the longer wavelengths, but despite its small stature, the HPR.0990 can still produce efficiency of 55 mV/m per kilowatt at 540 kHz.

Tuneup and installation are quick and easy once the support mast is erected and secured. The HPR- 0990 is designed to handle transmitter power levels of up to 250W. 

There are currently four HPR.0990 installations in commercial temporary use, serving stations in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Iowa. In addition to commercial applications, the HPR.0990 is well suited for use under Part 90.242 as a higher efficiency Travelers Information Station antenna.

My familiarity with the HPR.0990 comes from my role assisting Information Station Specialists with the design, development and field testing of this antenna as a contract engineer. The antenna was born out of the need for a more efficient cost-effective compact AM and TIS antenna capable of medium power levels. 

Based on its field deployment success, the HPR.0990 has achieved those goals.

The author worked for Collins Radio, then spent most of his career with General Motors engineering and Delphi/Delco Electronics as an advanced development engineer and engineering manager for the design of automotive radios and infotainment products. He founded engineering project firm PD Technologies.

The post ISS Antenna Is an Option in an AM Pinch appeared first on Radio World.

The latest quarterly broadcast station totals have been released from the FCC.

And, when one compares the numbers to the end of the third quarter of 2020, there’s one clear takeaway: noncommercial FM radio continues to be a growing opportunity for licensees, as the total number of commercially licensed FMs, and AMs, declined.

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Fig. 1: Ohm’s Law chart

This popular article was originally published in the Jan. 16, 2019, issue of Radio World and Jan. 24, here at the website.

Understanding electronics and electronic troubleshooting starts with knowing Ohm’s Law. This is not difficult and can make your work so much easier.

Ohm’s Law was a constant companion over my long career as a radio broadcast engineer. The relationships among volts, amperes, ohms and power made it all so understandable.

German physicist Georg Ohm published the concept in 1827, almost 200 years ago. It was later recognized as Ohm’s Law and has been described as the most important early quantitative description of the physics of electricity.

Fig. 1 is a list of simple formulas for using Ohm’s Law. Nothing complicated, just good answers to your questions. You don’t need to be a mathematician to run the calculations. The calculator on your smartphone will handle this easily.

P is for power in watts, I is current in amperes, R is resistance in ohms and E is voltage in volts. Solve for any of those knowing two of the other parameters.

Ohm’s Law on Current

When I look at a 100 watt light bulb, I think 120 volts at about 0.8 amperes (0.8333 amperes is more exact). That is 100 watts of power being consumed.

So how many lights can be put on a 15 ampere circuit breaker? Let’s see — 15 ampere circuit capacity, divided by 0.8333 amperes for each bulb in parallel = 18 lamps. Conversely, it is 18 lamps X 0.8333 amperes per lamp = 14.9994 amperes … right at the limit of the circuit breaker.

The rule here says you don’t put more than an 80% load on any circuit breaker for fuse, which is 14 lamps in this case. Always keep some headroom in a circuit. As you know, breakers and fuses are used to protect against fires or other dramatic failures during circuit problems. They get unreliable at their current limit. You don’t need nuisance break trips or fuse burn-outs from running too close to the line.

Ohm’s Law

There are not many high-level plate modulated AM transmitters around anymore. The Gates BC-1 series is an example of this 1950 to 1970s technology. The design typically has 2600 volts running the RF power amplifier tubes.

Fig. 2: Bleeder resistors in a Gates BC-1G transmitter Photo: Mark W. Persons

Power supplies like that need a “bleeder” resistor between the high voltage and ground to bring down/bleed the high voltage to zero when the transmitter is turned off. This should happen in only a second or so of time. The power supply could stay hot with high voltage for minutes or hours if the bleeder resistor fails open. That is a serious safety issue for the engineer working on it, if he or she fails to short the high voltage filter capacitor before touching any part of the transmitter.

The bleeder in a Gates BC-1G transmitter is R41, a 100,000 ohm/100 watt wire-wound resistor. You see one hand-held on the left side of the photo in Fig. 2.

Ohm’s Law tells us that 2600 volts across the resistor squared (times itself) then divided by 100,000 ohms resistance equals 67.6 watts of power dissipation required on a continuous basis on a 100 watt resistor. You would think that the 32.4% safety margin would be enough. This resistor typically failed after 10 years of use. The answer is in the ventilation the resistor gets for cooling. The 67.6 watts in heat has to go somewhere. This transmitter model has some, but not a lot, of air flow on the bottom where the resistor is located.

My answer was to replace the 100 watt resistor with a resistor rated at 225 watts, as seen in the center of the photo. It gave more surface area so it ran cooler, thus longer. A 100 watt resistor is $15.14 vs $18.64 for a 225 watt unit. It is only a $3.50 difference for a huge increase in reliability and safety. The screw that holds it in place will need to be longer if you do this modification. No big deal.

Yes, there is a meter multiplier resistor string next to the resistor and high-voltage capacitor. It samples the high voltage for the PA voltmeter. Dirt has accumulated on the high-voltage end of the string. It is high voltage that attracts dirt, requiring frequent cleaning to maintain transmitter reliability. It’s maintenance.

The RF dummy load in this transmitter has six 312 ohm/200 watt noninductive resistors. The transmitter sees the 52 ohms because the resistors are in parallel. Simple math, 312 ohms divided by 6 resistors = 52 ohms. Yes, 52 ohms, 51.5 ohms, 70 ohms and other impedances were common in the past before solid-state transmitters more or less forced the standard to be 50 ohms. Tube-based transmitters will tune into almost any load while solid-state transmitters are designed to perform into 50 ohm loads … and don’t give me no VSWR!

Ohm’s Law on Voltage

Let’s say we know that 2 amperes of current is going into a 100 ohm resistor. What is the voltage across the resistor?

The formula is 2 amperes x 100 ohms resistance = 200 volts. From that, we can solve for power in the resistor. It is 200 volts x 2 amperes current = 400 watts.

Ohm’s Law on Power

A Continental 816R-2 FM 20 kW FM transmitter might have 7000 volts on the plate of the PA tube with 3.3 amperes of current drawn. Ohm’s Law tell us that 7000 volts x 3.3 amperes = 23,100 watts of power. That is transmitter power input, not output. The power output is subject to the power amplifier efficiency, which is typically 75%. Then, the transmitter power output is 17,325 watts. That also means that 25% of the input power is lost in heat. That is 23,100 watts of input power x .25 = 5775 watts of heat.

Be sure to check the manufacturer’s data sheets for exact numbers for each transmitter model.

Half Power?

Half power doesn’t mean the transmitter’s PA voltage is half. If it was half, then the PA current would be half and RF output would be one-quarter. You’ll remember when local Class 4 (now Class C) AM stations ran 1000 watts day and 250 watts at night.

A Gates BC-1 transmitter might have 2600 PA volts and 0.51 amperes of PA current during the day. We can determine the resistance of the power amplifier by taking the PA voltage of 2600 and dividing it by PA current of 0.51 amperes. The answer is 5098 ohms.

That same PA resistance applies regardless of the power level of this transmitter. At quarter-power, the PA voltage is 1300 volts. Ohm’s law, using the same 5098 ohms, tells us that the PA current should be 0.255 amperes. Yes, it worked out that way in practice. The simple trick was to connect 120 VAC to the primary of the transmitter’s high-voltage transformer for night operation in place of 240 VAC in the day.

With quarter-power, the antenna ammeter read half and the signal field intensity was half, not one-quarter. Let’s examine this. If you have a 50 ohm antenna and 1000 watts of power, what is the antenna current? Using Ohm’s Law, take 1000 watts divided by 50 ohms = 20. The square root of that is 4.47 amperes. Divide 250 watts by the same 50 ohm antenna resistance and you get 5. The square root of that is 2.236 amperes, half of the day antenna current. It’s Ohm’s Law.

Think Ohm’s Law when you are on the job. It answers your questions and makes perfect sense.

Mark Persons, WØMH, is an SBE Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer; he was named the Robert W. Flanders SBE Engineer of the Year for 2018. Mark is now retired after more than 40 years in business. His website is www.mwpersons.com.

The post Ohm’s Law Answers Your Questions appeared first on Radio World.

An Alexa promotional image, courtesy of General Motors.

The prominence of voice assistants in new vehicles is making for a more hands-free environment for drivers and defining how they interact with media in the dashboard.

Companion voice-enabled technology like Alexa can also create a seamless infotainment ecosystem, allowing users to move freely from home and office to the connected car without interruption of services, which will likely influence in-car media behavior.

For radio broadcasters who quickly adopted the skill to allow Alexa-enabled home smart speakers to find their IP streams, the adoption of Alexa will provide a similar listening experience in connected cars, utilizing both the tuner and integrated LTE network IP connection in vehicles, according to Amazon officials.

The new world of connected cars is an ecosystem comprising over-the-air radio, streaming of FM and AM content,  satellite radio, on-demand podcasts, audiobooks and music from digital service providers like Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora.

In-vehicle voice recognition systems like Alexa Auto are seen as critical tools to guide the media experience in the vehicle.

Arianne Walker, chief evangelist for Amazon’s Alexa Auto, is preaching to a wide audience these days, including radio broadcasters.

She offers words of encouragement to radio people trying to understand how in-car voice assistants will drive consumption of media.

Arianne Walker

“The idea isn’t to reinvent or duplicate functionality that already exists in the car, and radio is a great example of that. We see Alexa’s role as complementing that experience and not replacing it,” she said.

“The software is designed to be able to connect to the tuner that exists in the vehicle. But it also allows for people to call up the streamed content via the cloud when they need to.”

The dash can become more streamlined, Walker says, through the adoption of voice assistants. For instance, to receive an OTA signal, Alexa users simply connect to the radio tuner.

“Customers can use their voice to tune by AM or FM, a frequency, a branded name or preset. Satellite radio works much the same way,” she said. “You can even adjust the equalizer or change the media input totally.”

A majority of auto manufacturers have announced broad rollouts of Alexa and are embedding the technology in more new models, according to Amazon. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are often included on many new vehicle models.

After-market add-ons such as Amazon’s Echo Auto are available for older vehicles. It allows the Alexa app on a smartphone to play through a car’s speakers via auxiliary input or Bluetooth connection. Garmin and Anker offer Echo Auto accessories that vary by price and features.

Alexa integration in a vehicle depends in part of the brand of car and the manufacturer, Walker said. “The automaker gets to choose what they feel the best integration for their customer will be to maximize that experience. Obviously, utilizing the radio tuner in the vehicle makes the most sense as a first option. But asking Alexa to find a station based on a skill like TuneIn or Radio.com will work, too,” Walker said.

The Alexa Auto software kit and vehicle integration make it possible for customers to interact with the technology without their phone and still connect with the cloud via the IP stream. Customers typically have to register with Amazon to access their accounts and to find all of their personalization they are accustomed to.

Walker says utilizing the radio tuner in a vehicle reduces any “potential latency” when using the IP connection and listening to a radio station’s stream.

“That means the vehicle media experience will be similar to what it always has been, but it will be voice-controlled without a driver having to take his or her hands off the wheel,” Walker said.

(Hybrid radio systems with the “service following” feature are also starting to show up in U.S. vehicles; they can switch from OTA to streaming too but do so automatically based on user preference.)

“Easier for customers”

Automakers began flirting with Alexa in 2017 for rudimentary tasks such as starting the vehicle remotely through Alexa in-home devices. Those offerings quickly expanded to more in-car options, Walker said.

Amazon does extensive research on how drivers and passengers engage with Alexa for things like navigation and media entertainment, but it doesn’t share the data, she said.

She said its research shows those who use Alexa and Echo Auto “used voice recognition to control music streaming services and the radio turner” most often.

“Entertainment is a huge use case in vehicles. It always has been, and we don’t see that changing. We see the continued use of radio in the dash well into the future.”

Alexa coexists with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Walker said, with the media experience again based on how automakers integrate the software and customer preferences.

[Related: “Burnell Is at Center of Ford Dashboard Development”]

Walker’s job is to spread word of Alexa to the broader industry. “Our Alexa Auto team is focused on the functionality of the experience in the vehicle. From the embedded Alexa Auto experience to those experiences in older vehicles with Echo Auto.

“Voice will be a huge part of the future in the car, and the continuity of Alexa voice from the home to on the go is critical,” Walker said.

And the car is an exceptional opportunity, she said.

“Voice really shines when used in an environment where people are focused on other tasks, like the vehicle. Voice can strip away complexities and minimize distractions and make the drive more productive and entertaining.”

Alexa in the car brings customers the convenience of an in-home smart speaker that can play music, set reminders, control smart home appliances and access tens of thousands of skills built by third-party developers, Walker said.

“We’ve seen a bunch of momentum with announcements from Ford, GM, Toyota, BMW integrating Alexa directly into their vehicles. They are developing connected car skills to allow customers to interact with their vehicles via an Alexa-activated device.” Amazon recently launched Alexa integration with Volvo trucks.

Walker believes broadcasters can benefit from voice technology in the car since Alexa can segue programming from the car to the home through any Alexa-enabled device, she said.

“There is a great opportunity to increase radio listenership in the home by using the cloud-based skill via TuneIn or Radio.com to play a favorite radio station. That’s a nice advantage for radio.”

There are also ways to use Alexa to customize local listening habits, Walker said. For example, by asking Alexa to play NPR it will prompt you to find local stations, she said.

“I would tell radio broadcasters that by having Alexa in the car, it just makes the listening experience ever easier for customers. They can access radio stations through the tuner or through the cloud via an audio stream. Streaming strategies will be important” for broadcasters, she said.

“Broadcasters will have the advantage of having customers who drive outside the signal area still having the capability to hear their favorite radio station’s stream. That’s an important combo.”

The post Amazon’s Alexa Gets in the Car appeared first on Radio World.

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

The National Federation of Community Broadcasters has issued a white paper on the state of community broadcasting during the pandemic. It is notable for many reasons; among them how important radio remains today.

More than 100 broadcasters shared data from this new study. NFCB asked about how stations are responding to community information needs during the pandemic, how often they are airing COVID-19 public service announcements and their sourcing, and the capacity that stations have to deliver their services.

The results, posted here, may surprise you.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Vaccines and Impact]

Stations are showing up as rarely seen in local broadcasting on the news and public affairs fronts. Twenty-seven percent of broadcasters are devoting 20–50% of their news programming to covering the pandemic. Another 20% cover the coronavirus in 50% or more of news coverage. Talk/public affairs programming is similarly strongly focused on the virus.

Public service announcements to help residents understand how to protect themselves has also seen a spike. Ninety-one percent for community radio stations air coronavirus PSAs. Among those, 73% of stations are airing daily PSAs, while 17% of community broadcasters are airing spots at least weekly.

Most notably, rather than simply recycling what’s being posted online, 69% of stations are taking ownership of the area voice and creating PSAs locally. Another 17% of community radio stations are collaborating with area and state agencies to deliver PSAs to their listeners.

Community broadcasters are also creating a range of content. From newsletters to virtual concert series, broadcasting games into elderly care facilities, and lots of daily local news, the white paper paints a clear picture of what these radio stations are doing. Where there is a need, community radio is seeking to fill it — in rural communities, tribal lands, and many more cities across the United States.

Getty Images/Yaroslav Mikheev

What is most astonishing is the diversity and depth of the work happening, all with limited staffing. Sixty-four percent of these broadcasters are able to accomplish this level of public safety content with one employee or less doing the work.

It has been said in many places, including this column: radio is often counted down and out. It’s been on the losing end of everything since television was invented, if you look back far enough in a land of hot takes. Its slayers — satellite radio, Spotify, YouTube, Pandora, cassettes and other long-gone tech of the moment — haven’t delivered. That’s in part because, in times like a pandemic, radio remains critical to communities. Its service is unrivaled in its stability. The bond of trust it has with communities is rare. This white paper now gives you a glimpse into the creative ways local broadcasters are serving audiences.

 

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Jim McHugh at the mic, WJWL, 1982.

After 41 years in the radio industry, longtime radio executive Jim McHugh is set to retire.

Like many radio execs, he began his career on air before eventually moving into sales and management. “I never once considered another position outside of radio,” McHugh said. “This business has been very good to me and my family and I have enjoyed every moment of my career.”

McHugh, who started his radio career in 1980, has served the Delmarva Peninsula community his entire career. A year after starting at WIBF(FM), he joined WJWL(AM), which is now WUSX(FM). Over the years McHugh moved around — working at WOCQ(FM), WZBH(FM) and WGBG(FM) — meaning McHugh was able to work for the same group of radio stations his entire career. He first worked for Great Scott Broadcasting and then Adams Radio Group after WUSX became part of the Adams Radio Group in 2017. McHugh ended his career as a senior account executive with Adams Radio.

“Rarely these days do you find an exemplary employee like Jim McHugh,” said Ron Stone, president and CEO of Adams Radio Group. “Someone that loves radio and commits their entire career to not only radio, but one cluster of stations and one community.”

McHugh was instrumental in the transition from Great Scott to Adams Radio, Stone said, adding that his dedication and loyalty to the radio stations has been unmatched.

WJWL c. 1957

 

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