Industry News

How to get the most out of your station’s stream will be the focus of a session at the upcoming Pro Audio & Video Tech Summit.

“Let’s face it, many radio stations pay little or no attention to the quality of their online streams,” said Radio World Editor in Chief Paul McLane, who is programming the radio track sessions of the free one-day summit.

“But streaming involves different parameters and requirements than your OTA signal.”

David Bialik

Attendees will hear from David Bialik about stream loudness, important upcoming AES guidelines, the use of metadata and the importance of audio processing.

Bialik is former director of stream operations for CBS Radio and Entercom Communications.

Since forming a systems engineering consultancy, he has advised various industries and broadcasters on integrating technology applications such as studio construction, computer networking, AoIP and internet streaming.

He co-chairs the Audio Engineering Society’s Technical Committee for Broadcast and On-Line Delivery.

John Passmore

Also speaking will be John Passmore, director of streaming and on-demand audio architecture at New York Public Radio. NYPR recently embarked on a journey to upgrade its digital streaming architecture to create more efficient, cost-effective and better-sounding streaming audio.

“John will talk about some lessons learned and key considerations, beyond DSP, when building a streaming architecture for public radio,” McLane said.

Registration for the April 1 event is free and includes access to the pro audio and radio tracks as well as the virtual exhibit floor.

The post Bialik, Passmore to Share Streaming Expertise appeared first on Radio World.

The Media Bureau has extended a temporary freeze, originally announced on
March 20, 2020, on the acceptance of any AM minor change application that conflicts with the most recently licensed facilities of four now-deleted AM radio stations in the St. Louis market.

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Sinclair Television Group has announced that it intends to amend and extend the existing term loan B-1 tranche under its credit agreement.

This, Sinclair says, includes the incurrence of new term loans in order to refinance such term loan B-1 tranche.

This tranche currently has a maturity date of January 3, 2024.

The goal for Sinclair is to reach new term loans which will provide for, among other things, a maturity date that is seven years after the effectiveness of the amendment.

Sinclair notes that this credit facility amendment is subject to market and other customary closing conditions.

 

RBR+TVBR EXCLUSIVE

On Tuesday, it was widely reported that Global, the U.K.-based media company that boasts such British radio brands as Heart, Capital, Radio X, LBC, Gold and Classic FM, wants a greater stake in iHeartMedia.

In fact, its Washington-based counsel wrote to the FCC to advance regulatory approval for the acquisition of nearly 50% of non-voting equity in iHeart — five times what iHeart sought from the Commission.

RBR+TVBR has now learned that there’s a bit more to the story: iHeartMedia found itself in violation of FCC’s foreign ownership rules only after learning of Global’s initial investment.

What a company does when faced with a situation may be the biggest new concern for every publicly traded radio or TV entity in the U.S. today.

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She’s enjoyed a career in news and journalism that includes three decades of service at ABC News, rising to SVP/News, a role that saw her lead newsgathering across ABC’s news bureaus worldwide; business, law and justice, medical and investigative units; and ABC News Radio. 

Now, this longtime ABC executive who has also handled affiliate relations needs has been selected as the first head of The E.W. Scripps Co.‘s national TV networks business, starting April 12.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FCC on Wednesday moved forward with a plan to seek comment on procedures for the auction of 100 MHz of mid-band spectrum in the 3.45–3.55 GHz band — spectrum that can be used to facilitate 5G deployment across the contiguous United States.

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For years, the leading advocacy group focused on U.S. Hispanic marketing, advertising and public relations was known as the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies. To broaden its appeal, a name change to the Culture Marketing Council was made.

As of today, the “Hispanic” is back in the forefront for this Washington, D.C.-based group.

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“With Hispanics fueling U.S. culture shifts and population growth, the Culture Marketing Council: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing is sharpening its focus, re-invigorating its advocacy for Hispanic marketing, and rebranding,” the group says.

Introducing the Hispanic Marketing Council (HMC).

“At a time when intentional approaches via segment marketing have never been more critical, the HMC continues to be the only organization devoted to promoting the critical role of Hispanic marketing, media and specialist firms in today’s marketplace,” it says.

With a population of 60 million and growing, Hispanics accounted for about half of all U.S. population growth between 2010 and 2019, according to Pew Research. They are also the country’s second largest racial or ethnic group, behind non-Hispanic whites (NHW).

While commanding $1.9 trillion in buying power, “corporate focus on the Hispanic audience continues to lag,” the HMC says.

“Hispanics continue to be the largest underserved audience that fuels demographic changes, cultural transformation and economic growth in the U.S. Segment marketing is critical, and brands must realize Hispanics are a crucial part of the American mainstream with Hispanic marketing as a core practice for achieving sustainable market relevance and growth,” said HMC Chair Gonzalo Del Fa, President of GroupM Multicultural. “As we are the only organization representing Hispanic marketing subject matter experts, we felt it necessary to sharpen our focus and further clarify and crystallize our name—for both marketers and our own member constituency. The Hispanic Marketing Council needs no tagline and allows us to be specific about the power of our leadership and expertise.”

JOIN US ON SEPTEMBER 22-23, 2021
Intercontinental at Doral Miami

10 Minutes from Miami International Airport! An easy ride to every major Hispanic media and advertising agency office! Great restaurants right down the road!

LOOK AT WHO’S ALREADY COMMITING TO THIS YEAR’S EVENT!

DON’T WAIT: REGISTER NOW! FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, speaking at the 2018 Hispanic Radio Conference (Photo: Radio Ink)

DTS and radiko announced the integration of radiko into DTS AutoStage.

Radiko operates IP simulcasting of radio broadcasts in Japan. DTS AutoStage is a hybrid radio platform, formerly called DTS Connected Radio, that parent Xperi is hoping to bring to mass market vehicles around the world.

“This integration means that all radio stations and broadcaster metadata on the radiko platform are accurately, consistently and seamlessly represented in the DTS AutoStage ecosystem,” the companies announced.

The integration will provide station logos, program name, information about the performer and a live station guide to Japanese owners of vehicles supporting DTS AutoStage, including Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The announcement was made by Joe D’Angelo, Xperi senior vice president, radio, and Akitaka Nishimura, president of Xperi Japan. They noted that the company has content partnerships with broadcast groups and aggregators including BBC, Bauer, Cox, Beasley, Commercial Radio Australia and Entercom.

DTS AutoStage is free for broadcasters to join. Xperi says the hybrid radio platform currently supports operations in 60 countries.

Radiko is a “free online simulcast streaming service that allows anyone in Japan to listen to the country’s 99 commercial radio stations, NHK Radio 1, NHK-FM and Open University of Japan with a computer, smartphone or other smart device.”

The post DTS AutoStage Partners With radiko appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission now has officially proposed a number of rule changes “to improve the way the public receives emergency alerts on their mobile phones, televisions and radios.”

We reported earlier that the move was coming. The commission now has adopted both a notice of proposed rulemaking and a notice of inquiry.

The NOI is what is likely to grab the most attention among the general public; the FCC will explore the technical feasibility of delivering Emergency Alert System alerts through the internet, including streaming services, and whether it is feasible for EAS participants to use the internet to offer advanced alerting capabilities to the public.

That would be a major change in the nation’s alerting infrastructure.

More immediately, though, the NPRM asks for comments on several more immediate changes that the FCC wants to make.

The proposal would create a new mandatory alert class called “National Alerts” by combining the “Presidential Alerts” category, which is non-optional on devices that receive Wireless Emergency Alerts, with alerts from the FEMA administrator. In other words, mobile devices would not be allowed to opt out of WEA alerts from FEMA.

It would encourage the states to review their State Emergency Communications Committees and require SECCs to meet at least annually; among other things, EAS plans would no longer be publicly visible on the FCC website for security reasons.

If the changes are adopted, the FCC also would provide a checklist of information to be included in annual submissions of state Emergency Alert System plans and amend the process for commission review of those plans.

Government agencies would be allowed to report false emergency alerts to the FCC’s 24/7 Operations Center. And the proposal would require that EAS participants can repeat certain alerts over television and radio when the government alert originator requests it.

IPAWS architecture in an FCC graphic.

“The nation’s Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts help keep the public safe and informed and are of ever-increasing importance given the emergencies and disasters Americans have faced in recent years,” the commission noted in an announcement Wednesday.

“In 2018, however, a false emergency alert in Hawaii mistakenly warned of an incoming ballistic missile and highlighted the need to improve these systems. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 subsequently charged the commission with adopting rules to strengthen emergency alerting in various areas.”

The commission also asked for input on questions like whether it should adopt a National Security Event code.

We will report when the FCC comments system is opened for filings.

 

The post FCC Will Explore EAS on the Internet appeared first on Radio World.

A data driven, direct response agency with headquarters in Sheldon, Conn., and offices in Chicago has signed a multi-year agreement to become a new client of Nielsen’s National and Local TV measurement services in all markets.

Barrington Media Group signed the deal on Tuesday. It offers advertising services to clients in the insurance, healthcare, consumer products, and business services verticals.

David Hohman, Managing Director of Nielsen Media Demand Side at Nielsen, commented, “We are confident Nielsen’s measurement and planning capabilities will help support Barrington Media Group’s business objectives, furthering the company’s goals as a data and analytics agency that takes pride in campaign-driving insights.”