[Radio World] Workbench: Three Steps to a More Efficient A/C System

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Radio World

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Workbench: Three Steps to a More Efficient A/C System

Posted: 22 Jul 2022 10:01 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/workbench/workbench-three-steps-to-a-more-efficient-a-c-system


How are your studio and transmitter site air conditioning systems running?  

For the majority of our readers, this is the season when reliable
operations are crucial. But maybe your management has cut your service
contracts to meet reduced operating budgets. If so, there’s a YouTube video
that can help. It describes three steps you can take to ensure good
cooling. 

The first is to use a vacuum to clean the return vents of dirt and dust.
Restricted air flow can hamper cooling.  

The second tip is one that I’ve heard debated by engineers and air
conditioning techs. The video suggests NOT using pleated high-efficiency
air filters, but instead selecting the standard fiberglass ones. 

The argument is about whether pleated filters restrict air flow and make a
system work harder. Fiberglass filters may be fine for sites you visit
regularly — like the studio — where they can be changed regularly. However,
visits to transmitter sites may be several months apart. We’ve all seen the
filth that the pleated air filters trap, especially in transmitters. Ask
your air conditioning tech or the manufacturer of your system for a
recommendation.  
Use a hose and dish soap to clean condenser coils.

The third tip is simple enough: Clean the outside condenser unit. The fins
get clogged with dirt, dust and insects as air is drawn from the front,
sides and back and pulled through by the top-mounted fan.  

Disconnect the AC at the condenser. Using diluted dish soap, squirt the
liquid through the vents — no disassembly needed. Allow the soap mixture to
sit for a few minutes, then use a garden hose to rinse the fins, cleaning
the dirt-encrusted suds from the unit. Rinse several times with clean water
from the garden hose, though not at high pressure lest you damage or
distort the fins.

This routine provided a cooling improvement of 10 degrees in the video. Not
bad for an hour’s work. Watch it here. 
An image from the YouTube video with tips for getting the most out of your
air conditioning.
Mic mystery

Evan M. Tidwell is the general manager of WSHF(FM) in Muscle Shoals, Ala.
(“Real Country 94.5, The Voice of the Shoals”).

Evan writes that the picture from Dan Slentz that we published in June
shows an RCA 4-AA condenser mic, manufactured by General Electric.
Evan Tidwell gave us the scoop on this early RCA model.

This model was introduced in 1928 to compete with Western Electric’s 47-A
condenser. The RCA designation is 4-A for the mic and an extra A for the
“Announce” stand. The 4-AP version shipped with the “Program” floor stand.

The mic’s multiple pins are to allow both the audio circuit to pass through
the cable, as well as 6-volt and 200-volt supply voltages for the vacuum
tubes. 

When introduced, Evan says, this model was an impressive replacement for
the carbon mics in use at the time. Many photographs of NBC and other
studios from 1928 to 1933 show this microphone. 

Once RCA introduced the ribbon or velocity mics in 1932, they quickly
replaced most condensers.

Evan moderates the Vintage Radio Station Broadcast Gear group on Facebook,
to which Workbench readers are invited. Evan welcomes readers to share
photos of your favorite pieces. Remember to send them to us, too,
especially if the mic is still being used!

Arizona Public Media Senior Broadcast Engineer Stephen Claasen also
remembered this microphone model from a collection owned by his father, and
remembers his dad identifying it as a condenser mic.  

Unlike the electret condenser mics of the 1960s and later, the capacitive
element needed to have an external charge on it continuously, and the
output was quite low, so audio amplification was necessary. As Stephen
remembers, the condenser element looked a bit like the carbon button mics,
but internally it was different.

[Read Another Workbench by John Bisset]
Sniffing out AES signals

Those of us who have transitioned from the world of analog signals to AES
and digital probably still remember the “Fox and Hound” signal tester. 

The Fox was an audio signal generator clipped on one end of a wire, and the
Hound was an inductive signal “sniffer” that identified the cable carrying
that test signal.    

Alan Colwell, CPBE, wrote to see if there was a piece of test equipment
that can be used the same way but to identify AES signals.

System integrator Edwin Bukont, founder of E2 Technical Services and
Solutions, reminded me of the Ward-Beck Bit Spitter and Bit Buddy. Sadly,
they are no longer manufactured.

Ed says the next closest solution isn’t cheap. Most devices that will
generate a tone or silence for AES are video products, so they are
AES3id. To get AES3, you would need suitable impedance transformers; then
you need something to demodulate and “hear” the signal. That solution
starts at $2,000. It’s not cheap, and not always that functional either.
The good stuff is in the $3,000+ range.

Ed’s best inexpensive solution is to buy StudioHub AES converters from
Angry Audio and put one on each end of the circuit, coupled with a tone
generator and a powered speaker.

For a single-box solution containing both a generator and a receiver, there
is the Whirlwind Qbox-AES at under $700. This is an AES3/AES3id box with a
built-in speaker. It does require a separate analog tone generator to be
used with the AES generator, so there is some added expense.

Finally, depending upon your needs, another option may be to get a USB-AES
sound card for a PC or laptop and use the free audio tone generator and
edit software to generate a tone and monitor it. 

Let me know if you have discovered any other solutions. Send Workbench tips
to johnp...@gmail.com.  

The post Workbench: Three Steps to a More Efficient A/C System appeared
first on Radio World.


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Telos and Jnger Introduce the AIXpressor

Posted: 22 Jul 2022 09:29 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/products/telos-and-junger-introduce-the-aixpressor


Telos Alliance and Jünger Audio announced a new flagship Jünger audio
processor.

“AIXpressor combines a reliable hardware basis for real-time operation with
the flexibility of software-defined applications to deliver a whole new
concept of audio processing,” the companies said in a press release.

They have been working together since 2019, when U.S.-based Telos entered
into an agreement to market, sell and support Jünger Audio-branded products
globally. Jünger is based in Germany.

Telos and Jünger highlight the AIXpressor’s processing architecture. “The
flexAI system can scale the processing power to an almost unfathomable
level by using a new interface format, tieLight, to transport up to 1,024
channels of audio virtually latency-free to an additional processing unit
such as the flexAIserver.”

Tools and applications can be created like plug-ins in a traditional DAW.
“This concept of software-defined products enables us to create
user-specific audio solutions without considering the hardware as a primary
factor.”

FlexAI applications can run on the AIXpressor and Jünger Audio’s range of
flexAIserver audio processing servers, or on an array of multiple units. 

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


The 1RU box is driven by an x86 CPU-based processor board. The core
performs audio processing, encoding and decoding without the need for
additional DSP cards or codec boards.

For AoIP conversion the AIXpressor has Livewire+, AES67 and SMPTE ST
2110-30 formats built in, along with support for analog, MADI, AES3 and
SDI. Audinate’s Dante AoIP protocol can also be supported. 

Other features include a touch-sensitive glass front panel, headphone
amplifier for signal monitoring and a USB host connector for backups,
configuration or export of system data.

The post Telos and Jünger Introduce the AIXpressor appeared first on Radio
World.


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Oxenford: FCC "Cracking Down" on Long Periods of Silence

Posted: 21 Jul 2022 01:12 PM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/oxenford-fcc-cracking-down-on-long-periods-of-silence


An apparent FCC crackdown on silent radio stations is the focus of a
commentary by veteran broadcast attorney David Oxenford.

He writes on his blog that the Audio Division, perhaps concerned about
operators “warehousing” spectrum, seems to be taking an increasingly
aggressive position with stations that have been silent for extended
periods. He cites recent commission rulings; Radio World has reported on
the cases.

Oxenford said the FCC notes that silent stations cannot serve the public
interest, even if their silences were authorized under STAs. The
commission, he writes, has been issuing only short-term renewals so as to
keep a closer eye on such stations rather than having to wait until the end
of a normal eight-year term.

He said the FCC is renewing for as little as 20% of a license term. “So,
when commencing any voluntary period of silence for any station, a licensee
should be aware that, if the station stays silent for a long period of
time, its expectancy of a normal license renewal term may be jeopardized.”

Oxenford went on to note that typically it’s underperforming stations that
opt to go silent for long periods while their operators try to determine
what to do with them. He wonders what the impact of shorter-term renewals
might be. “Will operators of troubled stations, especially of troubled AM
stations, risk taking those stations silent while trying to find other ways
to operate them or potential buyers for those stations, or will they just
abandon the licenses, resulting in even less service to the public?”

Maybe, he concluded, leaving a station with its existing operator, even if
it is not operating consistently, may be a quicker way to find a way for a
station to return service to the public than will the cancellation of a
license.

Read his commentary.

The post Oxenford: FCC “Cracking Down” on Long Periods of Silence appeared
first on Radio World.


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Upcoming Movie "Fall" Is Centered Around a 2,000-Foot Radio Tower

Posted: 21 Jul 2022 11:53 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/programming-and-sales/upcoming-movie-fall-is-centered-around-a-2000-foot-radio-tower


Fear reaches new heights as two best friends find themselves at the top of
a 2,000-foot radio tower.
Fall movie poster (Credit: Lionsgate)

Fall — which Lionsgate dubs an adrenaline-fueled thriller — stars Grace
Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner.

The plot is built around best friends Becky (Currey) and Hunter (Gardner).
Per the official movie synopsis, for this duo, life is all about conquering
fears and pushing limits.

While these young women are experienced climbers, were shown in the movie
trailer that things take a turn for the worse after they climb 2,000 feet
to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower and find themselves stranded
with no way down.

Now, their expert climbing skills are put to the ultimate test as they
desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies and
vertigo-inducing heights.

Fall is dropping in theaters August 12.

This isnt the only movie that is centered around broadcast towers and the
strength that is needed to scale such metal monoliths. It will, however, be
the first available to the public.

NATE, in collaboration with Storybuilt Media, has created a feature-length
documentary titled “Vertical Freedom,” which highlights the professional
and personal lives of six cellular/broadcast tower climbers in the United
States. In a Radio World feature story, were told that the creators are
pushing for a streaming platform to purchase the documentary before
releasing it to the masses.

Watch the official trailer for Fall below.



The post Upcoming Movie Fall Is Centered Around a 2,000-Foot Radio Tower
appeared first on Radio World.


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Wheatstone Supports Toucher & Rich

Posted: 21 Jul 2022 10:13 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/buyers-guide/wheatstone-supports-toucher-rich


Radio World’s Buyer’s Guide section this month focuses on consoles and
mixers.

Faders fly during “The Toucher & Rich Show” that airs mornings on Beasley’s
WBZ(FM), “98.5 The Sports Hub,” flagship station for the Boston Bruins, New
England Patriots, Boston Celtics and Revolution teams. 

Two Wheatstone LXE console surfaces, one in the talk studio and another in
a control studio, sync fader moves for the six mic positions in the talk
studio.
The custom touchscreen includes sports routing — the buttons on the right —
programmed by Chris Penny; other routing by Dennis Knudsen.

Shown is host Fred Toucher at the controls of the WheatNet-IP audio
networked LXE. Studios are fast-paced, with contributor feeds coming in and
network feeds going out. The Sports Hub has custom touchscreens above LXE
consoles for quick network sends to the Westwood One syndication headend
along with the correct automation tones and triggers. 

“When they hit the Patriot button, that gives them control of those
triggers and that particular delay as well as talkback in certain places in
the talk studio and control rooms, depending on which network they’re
talking with,” said Dennis Knudsen, Beasley Boston director of engineering,
who did the routing backend scripting for Beasley Boston’s four music
stations and enlisted the help of Chris Penny with Agile Broadcasting to
script routing for the WBZ 98.5 network end.

[Read More Buyers Guide Reviews Here
Fred Toucher works at the Wheatstone LXE console.

LXE console surfaces have automated mix-minus and associated connections so
that the right mix-minus, codec return feed and GPIO logic follow sources
during live commentary, play-by-plays or for other incoming feeds. 

Toucher and Rich are Fred Toettcher and Rich Shertenlieb. In addition to
station syndication of Bruins, Patriots and Celtics games, The Sports Hub
syndicates “Toucher & Rich” nationwide as its number-one show dominating
Boston ratings for male and adult audiences 25 to 54.

The post Wheatstone Supports Toucher Rich appeared first on Radio World.


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Iowa Gets SMARTS

Posted: 21 Jul 2022 09:59 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/from-the-editor/iowa-gets-smarts


As an advocate for a vibrant broadcast technology marketplace, I’m always
glad when I learn that a longtime supplier has received kudos from their
colleagues or clients.

So it’s nice to share news that at its 2022 annual convention in Altoona,
the Iowa Association of Broadcasters inducted the founders of SMARTS
Broadcast Systems, John and Jan Schad, into its Hall of Fame. 

The IAB Hall of Fame recognizes “the best of the best” — Iowans who have
made a lasting and significant contribution to their community, their state
and the broadcast industry.

SMARTS Broadcast Systems has its roots at KEMB, an FM station that the
Schads ran for 13 years in in Emmetsburg, Iowa. John worked as morning show
announcer, news reporter and president; Jan ran traffic, billing and sales.
Their three children were also involved.
Company representatives celebrate their award. From left: Jeanne Schad,
Peggy Stolley, IBA board member Bernadette Merrill, Johnny Schad, John
Schad, Dave Potratz, Debbie Kribell and Kathy Roethler.

The automation software they developed for their station formed the basis
of their company, which formed in 1989 and has provided products to more
than 1,000 stations. 

John Schad remains president/CEO today; Jan Schad passed away six years
ago. The firm has 17 employees, including son Johnny Schad and daughter
Peggy Stolley, and is still based in Emmetsburg. Later the Schads also
helped the local Chamber of Commerce secure a license for an LPFM station,
which continues in operation today.

Congratulations to the Schads and their company family.

Read my 2019 interview about trends in automation with the company’s Johnny
Schad and Debbie Kribell.

The post Iowa Gets SMARTS appeared first on Radio World.


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AoIP Goes to Work at Sherbrooke Station

Posted: 21 Jul 2022 09:47 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/facilities/aoip-goes-to-work-at-sherbrooke-station


College station CFAK(FM) on the campus of the University of Sherbrooke in
Quebec, Canada, recently moved into two new studios equipped with a
self-contained AoIP network, a good example of putting AoIP to work in a
smaller context in the post-COVID world.

“Following a move to new premises, we had to review the technical
architecture,” said Special Projects Manager Jesse Fafard Théorêt. “So we
had to prepare a broadcasting studio as well as a production studio.” 
The air studio.

Technical services were provided by Jean-Philippe Vallée of Marketing Marc
Vallée, and Jocelyn Blanchette and Nicolas O’Malley of Audiobec Sound &
Video. 

Branding work was done by Director of Marketing Marie-Hélène Ste-Croix in
collaboration with Bryan O’Malley of communication agency Bravad and Steve
Labbé of Productions Underground, who worked on the station’s sound imagery.

The studios are built around Wheatstone Audioarts DMX-16 and DMX-8 console
surfaces with mix engine, equipped with IP audio I/O and self-contained
with no external Ethernet switch needed. The station uses Jazler SOHO
automation and ElectroVoice RE20 and RØDE Procaster microphones. 
A view of production from a WhisperRoom voice booth.

Other notable components include JBL 308P MkII powered studio monitors,
O.C. White ProBoom Ultima Gen2 and Podcast Pro mic booms, and Dell
touchscreen PC monitors. Acoustics were designed by architects of the
University of Sherbrooke. Custom cabinetry was sourced locally.

A student fee helped pay for the job. General Manager Éric Laverdure was
quoted by Wheatstone saying, “The money for this project was provided by
the students. They believe in the station so we wanted to create one that
was on par with any you’d find in Montreal.” 
Another view of the production room.

The project certainly was an upgrade for CFAK, which had been working out
of one studio in a dorm that lacked air conditioning.

“For radios with a small budget, there is a false belief that the
professional equipment offered by the big suppliers in North America is
inaccessible or too expensive,” said Fafard Théorêt.

“With a limited budget and good organization, we have come to the
conclusion that suppliers such as Wheatstone have affordable and quality
product lines that are very accessible to us. Students and volunteers are
highly motivated to work in the new facilities.”

Read about more recent studio projects in the free ebook “Spectacular Radio
Studios.”

The post AoIP Goes to Work at Sherbrooke Station appeared first on Radio
World.


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Buying RF? Think Down the Road

Posted: 20 Jul 2022 01:10 PM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/news-makers/buying-rf-think-down-the-road


A recent Radio World ebook discussed trends in transmitters and best
practices for shopping for them.

Broadcast engineer Gregory Dahl, CPBE, is owner of Second Opinion
Communications.

Radio World: Can you describe your approach when considering a transmitter
purchase or giving advice about one?

Gregory Dahl: Reliability and accessibility. How well does the manufacturer
present the product and warranties, to include the past performance of
service, parts and knowledge base?
Gregory Dahl

Throughout the years, equipment servicing has shifted from component-level
troubleshooting to module replacement. How many modules need to be onsite
to service the transmitter effectively? If the station owner elects for no
modules onsite, what is the readiness of the manufacturer for stocking and
shipping modules?

Always plan for future improvements, don’t limit the facility’s ability to
upgrade without major replacement of equipment. 

Additionally, I would be looking at how the transmitter interfaces with
other equipment — as an example, remote control I/O or audio processing.
Many transmitter manufacturers have remote software for access with SNMP or
physical I/O. How does this interface with your on-site equipment or is a
replacement required. 

The HD operation is always a consideration, and the system should be able
to perform a level of transmitter output power for both FM and HD
operations. Along with exceptionable RF grounding of the transmitter and RF
transmission line, recommending a quarter-wave stub near the transmitter RF
output port.

[Check out more of Radio World’s Tech Tips]

RW: Name a feature or service that you wish transmitter manufacturers would
add or make more widely available.

Dahl: One simple word: “schematics.”

Transmitter companies contract with third-party companies to manufacture
modules or power supplies. This forces end users to replace the module or
power supply versus having the opportunity to troubleshoot the components
of the module or power supply. It’s a great revenue stream for the
manufacturers, not so much for the station owner.

RW: Virtualization of the air chain has been a focus of discussion lately.
What are the implications?
Read more in the ebook “Trends in Transmitters.” Link below.

Dahl: I believe it’s more than the broadcast air chain that will be
virtualized. As long as the FCC license is active, a physical component
will be necessary to produce the RF signal; anything and everything else
that can be created by software will be virtualized and can be controlled
and modified remotely.

Virtualization will remove equipment from the transmitter location and
placed into a controlled environment less likely to be damaged by excessive
heat, insects/rodents, lightning and electrical surges. 

Whenever we make improvements to a facility, there are always two sides of
the fence. As we continue to move equipment from multiple transmitter sites
to a central location, the probable failure of equipment could cause a
cascading effect with more than one broadcast transmission.

When considering a centralized location and possible failures, it’s
essential that the virtualization platform’s servers  minimize downtime
through redundancies, and that we provide multiple audio routes to the
individual transmitter site, reducing a possible failure of the broadcast
transmission.

Virtualization will also provide monitoring and auto correction if a route
to the transmitter site is disrupted.

RW: Recent years brought renewed interest in water cooling. Will use of
that approach continue to grow?

Dahl: Heat has been and will always be a major concern for the RF signal
amplification process. Liquid cooling provides the best method to remove
the heat from the RF amplifiers and power supplies modules, in my opinion.
It makes more sense to use liquid cooling to transfer heat away from the
modules and it reduces the fan noise. There’s a pump that moves the liquid
from the transmitter to the radiator located outside the transmitter room.
The pump produces a humming noise, but nothing compared to the fan blowers
of an air-cooled transmitter. A backup pump is recommended. Liquid also
requires more time for installation.

Comparing the valve of the liquid-cooled transmitter verses a air cooled,
heat is moved away from the components faster and better. Excessive HVAC
systems are not necessary, and a normal conversation can be conducted next
to the transmitter, including using the telephone with technical support.

Read more in the ebook “Trends in Transmitters.”

The post Buying RF? Think Down the Road appeared first on Radio World.


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VAB Offers Scholarships for Radio Engineering Class in Alabama

Posted: 20 Jul 2022 12:08 PM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/programming-and-sales/vab-offers-scholarships-for-radio-engineering-class-in-alabama


The Vermont Association of Broadcasters is offering a limited number of
scholarships for interested parties to attend a radio engineering class
out-of-state.

The Alabama Broadcasters Associations Engineering Academy class will take
place September 12-16 at the ABA Training Center in Hoover, AL (near
Birmingham). The radio engineering class covers basic electronics, audio
fundamentals (both analog and digital), RF systems (AM & FM transmitters
and antennas) and basic broadcast operations (EAS, FCC rules, good
engineering practices).
ABAs Engineering Academy class (photo courtesy of VAB)

VAB said, at the end of the week, students will also have the opportunity
to take the Society of Broadcast Engineers certification exam.

VAB recognizes the need to educate, excite and encourage more young people
to enter the field of broadcast engineering, the Vermont association said
in a press release. The VAB is willing to invest to send Vermonters to this
class and try for the SBE certification in hopes it will kickstart their
broadcast engineering education so they can be hired as assistant engineers
and eventually take over for current engineers getting ready to retire.

Scholarships include class/SBE exam fees plus transportation, lodging and
food. The deadline to apply is Thursday, August 4. Apply here.

The ABA is also holding a TV engineering class October 3-7 at the ABA
Training Center.

[Visit Radio World’s News and Business Page]

The post VAB Offers Scholarships for Radio Engineering Class in Alabama
appeared first on Radio World.


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Radio Owners That Support Geotargeting Appeal to NAB

Posted: 20 Jul 2022 11:46 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/radio-owners-that-support-geotargeting-appeal-to-nab


This story has been updated with comment from NAB.

A group of 58 broadcast owners has written to the NAB criticizing its
opposition to geotargeting.

These companies support GeoBroadcast Solutions, which wants the FCC to
allow limited geotargeting using FM boosters. The broadcasters, listed at
bottom of this story, are not big corporate names, yet they own about 1,800
stations in total.

They take NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt to task for suggesting that the
U.S. radio industry is united against geotargeting; and they say that NAB’s
opposition will actually hurt radio in the long run. GBS distributed the
letter to trade media. [Read the letter.]

“[T]he NAB has mentioned on several occasions that the radio industry is
unified in its opposition to geotargeting,” they wrote.

“In fact, a trade publication recently reported that you said you were ‘not
hearing from broadcasters that they support the rule change that would
allow FM boosters to geo-target programming and ads, a few minutes per
hour, to specific communities.’ That’s not true, and this letter is
intended to correct that misinterpretation.”

The companies also told LeGeyt that NAB’s opposition “will do long-term
damage to the ability of broadcasters to continue to effectively advocate
for deregulation of the broadcast sector.”

They reminded him of NAB’s efforts to ease the burden on broadcasters of
regulations compared to other media. “It’s for this reason that we are
troubled and confused by the NAB’s position in support of a legacy
regulation, rather than its repeal.”

They said technology has advanced to the point where the FCC can amend its
rules to permit broadcasters to geotarget.

“In fact, the NAB correctly advocated for geotargeting for television
broadcasters with the adoption of ATSC 3.0. We simply fail to understand
why the NAB pushed so hard five years ago to permit TV broadcasters to
geotarget content but now is leading the effort to deny that same
capability to its radio brethren.”

They expressed a concern that “the NAB’s position is a retreat from the
NAB’s ironclad commitment to broadcast deregulation.” They said this would
leave legislators and regulators uncertain as to broadcasters’ commitment
to deregulation and give an opening to competitors and critics.

Invited to comment in response to the letter, NAB spokesman Alex Siciliano
issued this statement: “NAB, state broadcaster associations from across the
country and an overwhelming number of large and small radio broadcasters in
a diverse range of markets have serious concerns with ZoneCasting
technology. Even GeoBroadcast Solutions’ own testing shows that ZoneCasting
will disrupt local radio stations’ ability to serve listeners. GBS has
conveniently avoided disclosing the substantial cost of its proprietary
technology that many broadcasters simply could not afford.

“NAB supports innovation that enables broadcasters to better serve their
communities and a regulatory framework that provides local radio stations
with the freedom to thrive in the future. We strongly urge the FCC to
reject GBS’s request to allow ZoneCasting, which achieves neither of these
objectives and would have devastating consequences for the long-term
viability of local radio.”



The list of companies signing the letter:

1400 Investment, LLC

Ashley Communications, Inc.

Ashley County Broadcasters

Best Media, Inc.

BroadSouth Communications

Center Broadcasting Company

Cheyenne Mountain Public Broadcast House

Cohan Radio Group

Core Communications

Country Gold Broadcasting

Datatech Digital LLC

Dockins Broadcast Group

Dockins Communications

Double-R Communications, LLC

Edgewater Broadcasting

Edison Broadcasting

Educational Communications of Colorado Springs

Evans Broadcast Company

Evans Broadcasting, Inc.

Falls Media, LLC

Far West Radio, LLC

Flagstaff Radio, Inc.

Friendship Broadcasting

G Communications

Hazard Broadcasting, Inc.

HubCast Broadcasting, Inc.

Jam Media Solutions

Kath Broadcasting Co.

Keyhole Broadcasting, LLC

KM Radio of Atlanta

LA Broadcasting

Lake Broadcasting, Inc.

Lazo Media LLC

Leslie County Broadcasting, Inc.

LHTC Media of West Virginia, Inc.

M&M Broadcasting

Marshall University Board of Governors

Monticello-Wayne County Media, Inc.

Mountain Broadcasting Service, Inc.

Murphy Broadcasting, LLC

Ohana Del Sol, LLC

Peak Radio, LLC

Phillips Broadcasting Company

Pikes Peak Community College

Q Media Group, LLC

R&M Broadcasting

Roberts Radio Broadcasting

Shamrock Broadcasting

Silicon Valley Broadcasting

Sky Media, LLC

Southark Broadcasters, Inc.

Southwest Media, Inc.

Southwestern Diabetic Foundation

Truckee Tahoe Radio, LLC

Two Black Cadillacs, Inc.

Wennes Communications

Windy City Broadcasting

Yeary Broadcasting, Inc.

The post Radio Owners That Support Geotargeting Appeal to NAB appeared
first on Radio World.


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Read the July 20, 2022 Issue of Radio World

Posted: 20 Jul 2022 10:29 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/resource-center/digital-editions/read-the-july-20-2022-issue-of-radio-world


A new home for broadcasters on Capitol Hill.

A visual radio system that deploys behavioral intelligence.

Transmitters that make smarter use of utility power.

The evolution of the emergency radio.

Busy times at the National Radio Systems Committee.

And Mark Persons on the power of mentoring.

Read it here.

The post Read the July 20, 2022 Issue of Radio World appeared first on
Radio World.


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Come Hell or Wildfire

Posted: 20 Jul 2022 09:48 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/guest-commentaries/come-hell-or-wildfire


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

As recent images from the Webb telescope morph our perceptions of the
vastness of the cosmos, extreme weather events here on planet Earth are
also morphing local radio’s role in the life of communities that are
increasingly ravaged by floods, storms, earthquakes and massive fires. Ali
Lightfoot, general manager of KVMR in Nevada City, put it this way during
my recent visit to the station: “There is more to community radio than
music. There is a lot more that you are doing in terms of serving the
community in times of trouble that you cannot neglect, she said. It’s about
finding a balance between keeping people informed and helping them through
a bunch of really difficult transitions.”

On a regular day we like to think that people depend on us, but in the
midst of a terrifying weather event like wildfire, local broadcasters
understand more deeply just how much their community needs them. Power
outages and evacuation orders are only the beginning of a domino effect of
issues that place pressure on small local stations in remote rural areas,
where so many community radio stations are.

In Nevada City this reality has led to a lot of restructuring. KVMR focused
on building collaboration with local county officials. They trained 200
people in emergency broadcast procedures, provided top of the hour coverage
around the clock and created a team of phone volunteers to field a plethora
of questions from the distressed public. In this way, they became
instrumental in completing a circle between the community and the agencies
that serve them. Mind you that this went on in the midst of staff being
evacuated from their homes and one staffer losing their home to fire.

In the last wildfire event, Lightfoot learned that she was being evacuated
from her home while she was on the air reporting. Sprinkle in a global
pandemic and you begin to see the outsized demands being placed on local
stations who run with a small staff and legions of volunteers.
Smoke from nearby wildfires darkens the sky outside the KVMR studios in
downtown Nevada City, California. August 2020 (Photo Credit: Ali Lightfoot)

[Read More Guest Commentaries Here]

There are ongoing concerns even when the fires aren’t blazing. For KVMR,
increased fire insurance rates plus more demand for people who can wire
backup generators into the system present challenges. In the quieter months
without fires the station has developed remote broadcasting kits, put
evacuation plans in place, fleshed out a plan to better mobilize volunteers
and generally beef up back up plans for the backup plan. Fire season used
to start in September at the base of the Sierras where Nevada City is
nestled, but now there is no real beginning or end to it so this kind of
emergency preparedness is ever present and year-round. As Lightfoot noted,
“Most of the time you are just trying to do the best you can.”

The time when emergency response was four beeps from a box, randomly
scheduled to make sure a mechanism was in place when it might be needed, is
a thing of the past. Larger global weather patterns affect local
broadcasters on a daily basis in their technical operation, reporting
capacity, budget needs and their immediate physical well-being and safety.

It’s a daunting reality to absorb, yet it is also an unprecedented
opportunity to show up in new ways to serve communities that rely on the
signal flow to keep them safe, connect them with resources and deliver
comfort in times of trouble. There is a whole new world of galaxies that
the Webb telescope is showing us at this moment in time and there is a
whole new world of service that local broadcasters are revealing in their
quest to be a beneficial presence in the places they call home.

The post Come Hell or Wildfire appeared first on Radio World.


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Public Media Company Promotes Holmes

Posted: 20 Jul 2022 09:11 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/people-news/public-media-company-promotes-holmes

Audrie Anderson

Public Media Company has promoted Steve Holmes to managing director and
hired a new director of accounting, Audrie Andersen.

The Colorado-based nonprofit is a consulting firm that focuses on public
media.

Holmes has been with the organization for five years as director. Among
other things it credited him with providing public media organizations with
new analytical insights and leading the Impact for All initiative. He
worked prior at PBS for 11 years.
Steve Holmes

Andersen is former director of finance for Fathom Events.

“Audrie Andersen’s addition to Public Media Company will help the strategic
consulting nonprofit expand its services to local and independent media
across the U.S.,” it stated. CEO Erin Moran said the company’s virtual
accounting service has grown significantly in the past three years.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

The post Public Media Company Promotes Holmes appeared first on Radio World.


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StoryCorps Launches Fresh App

Posted: 20 Jul 2022 08:46 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/storycorps-launches-fresh-app


StoryCorps has a new free mobile app.
A sample screen as seen on iPhone

“From one device, the StoryCorps App allows anyone, anywhere, to
conveniently prepare for and record a high-quality interview for
preservation in the online StoryCorps archive and eventually at the
American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress,” the nonprofit
organization announced.

“The app also seamlessly enables users to explore StoryCorps’ rich content,
curate personalized interview collections and share StoryCorps stories to
social media.”

Since its founding 19 years ago, StoryCorps says, it has given 600,000
people, in all 50 states, the chance to record interviews about their
lives. The recordings go to the American Folklife Center at the Library of
Congress, “the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered.”

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The app user can choose to make their interviews public, or available only
to the StoryCorps community, or just with friends and family.

The app is available on the App Store and  Google Play. 

StoryCorps’ first app rolled out in 2015 with the help of a $1 million TED
Prize awarded to founder Dave Isay. The organization credits that app with
helping grow its archive significantly.

The post StoryCorps Launches Fresh App appeared first on Radio World.


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CRA Runs DRM Digital AM Trial in Czechia

Posted: 20 Jul 2022 05:46 AM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/global/cra-runs-drm-digital-am-trial-in-czechia

Marcel Prochazka’s tweet announcing the CRA DRM trials from České
Budějovice.

Czech transmission services company České Radiokomunikace (CRA) is testing
the DRM medium-wave digital radio system on 954 kHz.

According to a tweet from Marcel Prochazka, director of legal and
regulatory affairs for CRA, the transmissions are originating from České
Budějovice in South Bohemia and operating at a power of 3.16 kW from a
107-meter HAAT antenna.

CRA stated in a Czech-language press release that the test is designed to
verify the possibility of using its existing analog transmitters for
digital radio broadcasting. It hopes to verify various modulation
parameters along with day and night coverage, usable network capacity and
immunity to interference.

CRA Spokesperson Anna Tůmová said the primary goal of the test is “to
verify the compatibility of our existing AM mid-wave transmitters with DRM.
We will evaluate the test results in 2023.”

[Related: “Australia Demonstrates DRM on AM, FM”]

Although the DRM Consortium is not involved in the Czech trial, Ruxandra
Obreja, chair of the consortium, welcomed it. “We are very pleased to see
this new digital medium-wave test in the Czech Republic and its
thoroughness … We are confident that this test will confirm the good DRM
performance as recorded daily in India on their 35 plus transmitters and
elsewhere.”

Obreja also noted the potential value of upgrading CRA’s analog equipment
to support digital radio. “The fact that the analog transmitter used in
České Budějovice can be upgraded to DRM is a bonus and will give confidence
to those who want to go digital for wider coverage without replacing
everything and investing vast sums of money, especially in the current
climate. … We are looking forward to the Czech test results due out in
2023.”

Public-service broadcaster Český Rozhlas is cooperating with CRA in the
tests, which are broadcasting ČRo’s news station Radiožurnál. ČRo has
steadily decreased its use of AM broadcasting in recent years in favor of
FM and DAB+.

Although CRA does not have current plans for ongoing DRM transmissions,
Tůmová said “We are discussing further use of DRM with potential customers.”

The post CRA Runs DRM Digital AM Trial in Czechia appeared first on Radio
World.


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NAB Supports Leaving Franken FMs in Place

Posted: 19 Jul 2022 02:01 PM PDT
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/nab-supports-leaving-franken-fms-in-place


For years no one knew exactly where the National Association of
Broadcasters stood on the idea of sanctioning the operation of “Franken FM”
stations in the United States. Now we know. NAB this week expressed support
for the continuation of service for the 13 FM6 stations currently in
operation. 

The so-called Franken FM stations, which derive their nickname from a
phrase coined by broadcast engineers to describe their unorthodox nature,
are hybrid, digital, low-power TV/analog FM operations serving several
major cities, including Chicago and New York. 

NAB’s recent comments to the FCC outline a path forward to compatibility
between so-called Franken FM stations broadcasting at 87.7 FM and
traditional FM stations operating on the lower end of the reserved band. It
notes that there have been no reports of interference from the FM6
stations, which operate as ancillary or supplementary services, in their
more than 20 year history.

“Loyal audiences have developed around some FM6 stations during this period
and NAB believes permanent authorization of those established services is
warranted and would serve the public interest,” NAB told the FCC. 

There are 13 FM6 stations under temporary authority from the FCC, according
to the latest documentation, which operate under the condition that their
audio and video programming reach similar populations.  

The FCC released a Fifth Notice of Proposed Rulemaking earlier this summer
with designs to finally settle the issue of what to do with FM6 stations.
The agency asked if it should allow the FM6 stations to continue to operate
or look for more efficient uses of the TV 6 spectrum. The FCC could simply
grandfather in the 13 FM6 stations rather than continuing to renew STAs
[Special Temporary Authority].

[Related: Comment Deadlines Set in FM6 NPRM]

NAB submits that television service must have “unconstrained primacy” in
that spectrum and that any expansion of the FM6 station service must first
be studied further.

“NAB is aware of no new technical studies that would support elimination or
revision of the current channel 6 distance separation rules for the various
classes of FM service operating on reserved band FM Channels 201-220 and
believes such studies must be a prerequisite to any expansion of FM6
stations,” NAB commented to the FCC.  

The broadcaster group downplays the need to repurpose the TV 6 spectrum for
additional FM channels, as suggested by National Public Radio. “NAB
recognizes that there may be a desire for additional FM channels in some
markets, for example, to provide translator outlets for AM stations or to
relieve crowding in the FM band. However, the minimal relief afforded by a
limited repurposing of TV channel 6 to the FM service in areas where there
are presently no channel 6 stations is unlikely to outweigh the potential
costs.” 

In addition, any authorization of new FM stations in an FM expanded band
created from television spectrum could also preclude new television
stations, NAB wrote in its comments. There are currently 98 television
stations authorized to operate on Channel 6 in the U.S., according to the
FCC.

NAB also believes that the requirement to transmit FM6 at 87.75 MHz is
unnecessary and is linked to the now-obsolete NTSC television transmission
system. Instead, NAB proposes a minor tweak to require the 13 FM6 stations
to operate on 87.7 MHz in order to give licensees the opportunity to
improve analog FM6 reception while maintaining ATSC-3.0 compatibility.  

[Related: Do Frankens Really Fit Into the Radio Ecosystem?]

NAB explains this suggestion further: “This small 50 kHz shift in frequency
away from the FM band would presumably reduce the potential for
interference to FM stations operating in the reserved band while improving
compatibility and fidelity for FM receivers that can tune only in 200 kHz
steps. Indeed, NAB notes that many or most FM6 operations apparently
operate at 87.7 MHz and that the technical analysis done in support of FM6
operation in conjunction with ATSC 3.0 involved testing at 87.7 MHz.”

NAB concludes its FM6 comments by suggesting that no change in protection
by FM stations of TV6 stations is required. It does, however, believe that
FM6 operations on 87.7 MHz are an interference threat to FM stations on at
least 88.1 and 88.3 MHz and vice-versa. “Protection requirements are needed
to protect both stations in the FM band and FM6 stations on 87.7 MHz. 

“As a starting point, NAB believes that the second-and third-adjacent
channel protection requirements contained in Section 73.509 of the rules
may be appropriate with respect to 87.7 MHz FM6 stations and FM stations
operating on Channels 201 and 202 (88.1 and 88.3 MHz, respectively).”

Reply comments are due by Aug. 1. Submit comments using the FCC online
comment system. Use 03-185 in the Proceeding field. 

The post NAB Supports Leaving Franken FMs in Place appeared first on Radio
World.