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Alpha BK Exit Closer as Judge Nixes Final Order Tweak Request

Radio+Television Business Report
4 years 1 month ago

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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Adam Jacobson

Meet Townsquare Media’s New Top Lawyer

Radio+Television Business Report
4 years 1 month ago

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.

DON’T GET LOCKED INSIDE.
FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON TWITTER AND GET THE BIG NEWS FIRST!

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.

Adam Jacobson

TEGNA Fires Up Female, LGBTQ-Friendly Twist

Radio+Television Business Report
4 years 1 month ago

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.”

Adam Jacobson

Cumulus’ National Capital Region Leader Dies

Radio+Television Business Report
4 years 1 month ago

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.

Adam Jacobson

ISS Antenna Is an Option in an AM Pinch

Radio World
4 years 1 month ago

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.

Paul Dobosz

Commercial Radio Station Count Clipped In Q1

Radio+Television Business Report
4 years 1 month ago

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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Adam Jacobson

Ohm’s Law Answers Your Questions

Radio World
4 years 1 month ago
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.

Mark Persons

Amazon’s Alexa Gets in the Car

Radio World
4 years 1 month ago
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.

Randy J. Stine

Community Broadcaster: How Stations Fight the Virus

Radio World
4 years 1 month ago

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.

 

The post Community Broadcaster: How Stations Fight the Virus appeared first on Radio World.

Ernesto Aguilar

After 41 Years in Radio, McHugh Ready for Retirement

Radio World
4 years 1 month ago
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

 

The post After 41 Years in Radio, McHugh Ready for Retirement appeared first on Radio World.

Susan Ashworth

Broadcast Applications

FCC Media Bureau News Items
4 years 1 month ago
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Consent Decree, Simpson College

FCC Media Bureau News Items
4 years 1 month ago
The Bureau enters into a Consent Decree with Simpson College

Broadcast Actions

FCC Media Bureau News Items
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Applications

FCC Media Bureau News Items
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Vandalia Media Partners 2, LLC Hearing Designation Order and Notice of Opportunity for Hearing

FCC Media Bureau News Items
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Designation of Station WJEH(AM) license renewal application for hearing

Pleadings

FCC Media Bureau News Items
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FCC Media Bureau News Items
4 years 1 month ago
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Top Court’s Ruling Reinstates Media Ownership Changes

Radio World
4 years 1 month ago
Photo: Getty Images Nigel Killeen

A unanimous decision by the U. S. Supreme Court justices on Thursday allows the FCC to ease limits on the ownership of local radio and television. Legal observers believe the court’s decision in essence reinstates the FCC’s 2017 media ownership rules.

The FCC adopted rules to abolish the ban on newspaper/broadcast and radio/TV cross ownership, and relax several local TV ownership regulations in 2017. Those new rules were held up from taking effect for years due to court challenges that have now been exhausted, experts say.

Legal experts believe the “practical result” of the high court’s decision is that the FCC’s media ownership rules adopted in 2017 will simply go into effect now, said Matt McCormick, co-managing member at Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth.

[Read: Supreme Court Rules on Media Ownership Question]

“The Supreme Court’s ruling supports the authority of the FCC and other administrative agencies to make reasonable predictive judgments, even on sparse record evidence,” McCormick says.

The FCC is currently split 2–2 along party lines and is under new leadership of acting chair Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel. It’s not clear if commissioners will discuss the top court’s decision at its April open meeting. A tentative agenda for the meeting on April 22 does not mention it. The meeting agenda could obviously be updated going forward, legal observers say.

Rosenworcel voted against the ownership rule changes in 2017 and again made her feelings known with a released statement following the SCOTUS announcement: “While I am disappointed by the court’s decision, the values that have long upheld our media policies — competition, localism, and diversity — remain strong. I am committed to ensuring that these principles guide this agency as we move forward.”

Meanwhile, Republican FCC commissioner Brendan Carr yesterday reinforced his belief that the 2017 rule changes made were common sense. “(Thursday’s) unanimous opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court leaves no doubt that the FCC’s modern approach to media regulation that we adopted in 2017 was the right decision.”

Scott Flick, a communications attorney at Pillsbury, wrote on social media that he believes Thursday’s SCOTUS ruling could mean even bigger changes to media ownership in this country. He published his thoughts on the CommLawCenter blog: “It will not end the debate over the FCC’s various broadcast ownership rules, but will certainly change the nature of that debate, and open the door to a different debate — whether broadcast ownership rules are needed at all.”

The commission also could now consider changes to local radio ownership rules. The FCC had paused discussion of changes to the radio ownership rules in 2018 at the start of a new ownership review period. NAB at the time suggested significant changes to the FCC rules limiting the number of terrestrial radio stations that one company can own in a radio market.

Current radio market caps were set in 1996 as part of that year’s Telecommunications Act. It placed limits on a sliding scale. In the largest of radio markets an entity can own up to eight radio stations (only five of which can be of the same service), and in the smallest markets, only two stations (one AM and one FM).

Radio World has reported NAB pushed for changes to market subcaps to allow a company to own up to eight FMs in the top 75 markets while also permitting the operator to own or control a limitless number of AM stations among other changes. Ownership caps are the total number of stations you can own in a market, whereas as a subcap is how many of those stations can be FM or AM.

David Oxenford at Wilkinson Barker Knauer wrote on his Broadcast Law Blog on Thursday: “Now that the Third Circuit’s reasoning has been rejected, that still does not mean that the FCC, particularly a Democrat-controlled FCC, will automatically look to relax the radio rule.

“Instead, we think it likely that the commission will ask for more comments on the issues raised in the 2018 proceeding. This will likely include a request to discuss the impact of the Supreme Court decision on the commission’s evaluation of proposed changes to its rules. It would not be surprising for the FCC to also ask for an update of the comments filed in 2019 to reflect the state of current marketplace. In other words, any change in the radio ownership rules will not come quickly.”

The National Association of Broadcasters, which joined the FCC in fighting the lower court ruling blocking changes to broadcast media ownership regulation, said it remains critical the commission continues to examine its media ownership rules to ensure that America’s broadcasters are able to compete. The group’s President and CEO Gordon Smith issued this statement.

“NAB commends (the) unanimous decision by the Supreme Court that the FCC’s recent and long-overdue modernization of its broadcast ownership regulations was lawful and appropriate. We look forward to working with the commission on this effort given the essential role radio and television broadcasters play for all Americans.”

 

The post Top Court’s Ruling Reinstates Media Ownership Changes appeared first on Radio World.

Randy J. Stine

FCC Declines to Expand Four-Station AM Auction

Radio World
4 years 1 month ago

The Federal Communications Commission has now published the procedures for Auction 109, which will take place in late July and involve 136 FM and four AM construction permits. At the same time, it declined a suggestion that it expand the auction to include every abandoned and deleted AM station in the nation.

An earlier FM auction was postponed last year due to the pandemic and has been canceled; this auction will include all of the permits that were included in the earlier one plus a handful more. The FM CPs are for vacant allotments reflecting channels added to the Table of Allotments.

[Read: FCC Schedules Auction of 136 FM CPs]

The four AM CPs to be auctioned are for stations in the St. Louis area that had their license renewals dismissed by the commission’s administrative law judge in the Entertainment Media Trust case last year.

To facilitate the auction of these four permits, their facilities will be treated as existing “allotments.” Any winning bidder will be limited in its opportunities to modify those AM permits.

The FCC wants to move quickly on the AMs, given that those CPs represent 13% of the AM stations in a top 25 radio market. “The effect of this removal of a significant portion of AM radio service to a major U.S. market supports our conclusion that the public interest favors replacing this service as soon as practicable,” it wrote.

No expansion

The commission, however, declined to make a dramatic expansion in the number of AM facilities in the auction.

One company wanted it to add nine specific facilities that it says have been “abandoned” and their call signs deleted. WTRW Inc. went on to ask that Auction 109 include all AM stations whose call signs have been deleted as well as abandoned AM expanded band facilities that were approved but never built.

The commission declined both requests. It basically said the four stations in St. Louis are a special case that also involves a protective application freeze.

Separately, Tracy K. Wood asked the FCC to add 14 more FM allotments to the list of CPs to be offered. The commission declined that too, saying most of those are among the most recent to be added to the Table of Allotments, but said it will consider offering them in a future auction.

Bidding is to start on July 27. An online auction tutorial is to be scheduled this month. Details are in the latest public notice. The commission also posted the station list and minimum opening bids.

The post FCC Declines to Expand Four-Station AM Auction appeared first on Radio World.

Randy J. Stine

A HC2 Investor Kicks Itself For Its Gamble

Radio+Television Business Report
4 years 1 month ago

Based in tiny Lynden, Wash., an hour from Vancouver, B.C., Cedar Creek Partners has carved itself a niche in the investment management space under the direction of Managing Member Tim Eriksen of Eriksen Capital Management.

For those who have entrusted their dollars with Cedar Creek, there’s good news — a 13.7% Q4 2020 return was recorded by the fund, outperforming the S&P 500. Among the companies Cedar Creek invested in is HC2 Holdings. 

And, Eriksen had something to say about that investment.

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Adam Jacobson

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