[continued from previous message]

The feedback collected covers a lot of ground but one thing is clear: There
is new digital technology to consider, but the reliability of legacy EAS
and the structure provided by radio and television broadcasters should not
be underestimated, commenters say.

The FCC is reviewing the correspondence from its EAS Notice of Inquiry
(NOI) released last fall hoping to find ways to enable greater
functionality and accessibility. The NOI was part of a larger proceeding
from the commission that focused on ways to enhance the visual aspect of
EAS, which is expected to mostly impact television broadcasters.

The notice also reflected on the need to redesign legacy EAS, and perhaps
have broadcasters rely solely on Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), to receive
and relay emergency messages. The current EAS system consists of legacy broadcast infrastructure and internet-based CAP, which allows for better
visual messaging. And the FCC has previously expressed interest in
leveraging (CAP) to make significant improvements. 

In the NOI the FCC asked: If legacy EAS can’t be reasonably modified to
allow alert originators to distribute text and transcribe a two minute
audio message, should legacy EAS architecture be redesigned all together? 

Legacy EAS uses AFSK modulation to convert data to audible tones — is the
30 seconds of tone it would take to match text of 2:00 of audio too cumbersome? 

The FCC asked, rather than focusing on ways to modify EAS to relay text or
CAP, would it make sense to use legacy EAS only for the Emergency Action Notification (EAN) and NPT, but require the use of CAP for all other alerts?

Most of the comments received focused on the difficulties of upgrading
legacy EAS — text has never been a part of legacy EAS and lacks the capabilities of CAP – but still conclude legacy EAS is the ultimate
fallback when other communication infrastructure fails.   

[Related: NAB Voices Concerns About Proposed EAS Changes]

Xperi told the FCC it believes the company’s HD Radio platform should be a central part of any plan to enhance EAS in this country. 

“The FCC should look to digital emergency alerting as a model for
modernizing the legacy EAS and, in addition, should actively incorporate
the HD Radio emergency alerting protocol into its emergency alerting
plans,” Xperi commented.

Xperi points out that broadcast radio is not subject to network congestion delays and outages imposed by natural disasters to LTE and 5G cell
networks. The company estimates that HD Radio emergency alerting is
utilized over 321 radio stations in the U.S. already. And there is a visual component to emergency messaging over HD Radio. 

“HD Radio services today support text and image transmission. While the images are low-resolution (200px x 200px), this would be sufficient to send hazard-symbol images to all radios equipped with HD Radio Artist
Experience,” it told the FCC. “For HD Radio products, the visual text message can be incorporated into standard program fields for as the text of
an emergency alert message for pop-up display.”

HD Radio, which already formats CAP alerts, can also transmit non-real-time files to support additional messaging capability. “Audio clips or text transcripts may be efficiently transmitted in support of alert messaging services,” Xperi commented. 

In addition, Xperi says HD Radio receivers currently deliver limited
multimedia content, such as thumbnail images and ,soon, those capabilities
will expand to allow over-the-air transmission of graphics, images,
pictures, maps. Plus URL links, which can provide enhanced critical
information about threats.

Xperi, which conducted secondary tests for HD Radio in August 2021 when the commission and FEMA jointly coordinated a nationwide test of the IPAWS
network, is also developing service validation protocols to address the potential for EAS message spoofing. The tech company says it is attuned to
the concerns of automobile manufacturers about “potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities” that bad actors could exploit to compromise vehicle computers and other critical subsystems.

Other stakeholders replying to the FCC’s NOI included the National Weather Service (NWS), which asked the FCC to keep moving forward with development
of emergency alerting. “If the Emergency Action Notification (EAN) is to remain in its current form, then evolution and improvements should be
pursued for delivery of state and local alerts (non-EAN),” NWS wrote in its comments. “If EAS is intended to convey alert information beyond that of Presidential alerts, then EAS needs to be rethought and redesigned.”

[Related: MMTC Proposes Compromise Approach to Multilingual Alerts]

Digital Alert Systems (DAS), which manufactures EAS equipment, said many of
the FCC’s forward thinking accessibility objectives to relay visual information to match audio components can mostly can be met with the requirement for broadcasters EAS equipment to immediately poll its
configured CAP server for messages. However, it warns going forward with reliance on CAP-only dissemination would present significant risks.

“The EAS dissemination network provides an essential level of resiliency
for times when internet dissemination of CAP messages is inhibited by
regional, local, or last-mile interruptions. In short, our recommendation
is that the public warning architecture can be ‘IP first,’ but must not be ‘IP only,’” DAS opined.

Another EAS stakeholder, equipment manufacturer Sage Alerting Systems,
urges the FCC to adopt a centralized text-to-speech engine going forward.

“If the originator does not provide audio with their CAP message, each individual EAS participant must provide their own. Text to speech is
provided in most EAS devices, but quality depends on tuning the lexicon, in particular for local location names and abbreviations. A centralized TTS engine, posting TTS audio to a server, supported by a government agency,
will provide a significant improvement to CAP audio when audio is not
provided by the originator,” Sage told the FCC.

Reply comments on the EAS Notice of Inquiry are due May 10. You ca file comments to the FCC and read others here, enter 15-94 in the “Specify Proceeding” field.


Randy J. Stine has spent the past 40 years working in audio production and broadcast radio news. He joined Radio World in 1997 and covers new
technology and regulatory issues. He has a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University.

The post FCC Pushes to Reimagine Emergency Alerting appeared first on Radio World.


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Comrex to Debut Remote Contribution Solution at NAB Show

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 02:14 PM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/products/comrex-to-debut-remote-contribution-solution-at-nab-show


For the first time since its announcement last fall, Comrex will be
showcasing its newest remote contribution solution called Gagl.  The cloud service will be highlighted at the NAB Show in Las Vegas this month — the first since the pandemic began. 

Per a Comrex press release, Gagl delivers conferenced audio from multiple contributors and allows between one and five users to send and receive
audio from computers and smartphones. Participants can also connect and
send audio by clicking a link using any common web browser.

If there is more than one user, audio is conferenced and delivered to a
Comrex hardware codec such as an ACCESS or BRIC-Link. All participants can
hear other participants, and the codec can send audio back to them.
Gagl guest mobile user interface

Gagl could be used as the hub for a round-robin reporting program or for a “morning zoo” radio show to support multiple simultaneous connections at once, said Comrex. Because it offers low latency, it’s appropriate for call-in talk radio. Gagl could also be used to allow a single contributor
to connect back to the studio from a computer or smartphone.

Gagl provides stable connections with limited bandwidth, according to the company. The cloud service also uses the Opus audio encoder and delivers
audio directly to a Comrex codec with all the stability enhancements,
pro-grade audio connections, and features that hardware codecs provide.

[For More News on the NAB Show See Our NAB Show News Page]

Gagl works with Comrex hardware IP audio codecs including the
AES67-compatible ACCESS NX Rack IP audio codec, the ACCESS MultiRack multi-channel IP audio codec, as well as the BRIC-Link series. A sneak peak
of the next addition to the BRIC-Link codec line will also be featured at
the 2022 NAB Show.

LiveShot (a bonded IP solution for live video) and other IP audio solutions
for IFB and POTS and /ISDN replacement can be found at the Comrex booth
C3024 in Central Hall along with a “behind the curtain” look at some new concept products. 

For more information, visit the company website.

The post Comrex to Debut Remote Contribution Solution at NAB Show appeared first on Radio World.


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Wheatstone Introduces Layers

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 12:30 PM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/products/wheatstone-introduces-layers


Preparing for the NAB Show, Wheatstone has announced a product that it says makes possible “full virtualization from mic to transmitter” for broadcasters who are not ready to put their broadcast chain in the hands of
a public cloud provider.

“New Wheatstone Layers introduces the entirely software-based broadcast chain from multitouch ‘glass’ consoles to backend mixing, audio processing and streaming into the transmitter or CDN provider,” the company said.

“Wheatstone Layers is the best of both worlds, combining the scalability of enterprise servers with the deep reliability of a Wheatstone facility.”

It said the user can host multiple instances from a standard IT server for several studios or locations connected by WheatNet-IP audio networking;
they can also mix and control from a laptop, tablet or other glass or
physical control surface.


The user can also consolidate several stations and studios into one or two servers; add instances as needed for backend mixing, FM processing, stream provisioning, and metadata management; and backup WheatNet-IP studios in a redundant server on or offsite without additional physical studios required.

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

“The Wheatstone Layers Software Suite runs on enterprise IP
servers/computers and replaces specialized hardware, specifically
standalone audio processors, mix engines and streaming appliances.”

Wheatstone Layers Glass Software for laptop, tablet or other glass surface includes control interfaces as well as radio and television virtual
consoles with familiar buttons, knobs and multitouch navigation.  



NAB Show Booth: N2631

The post Wheatstone Introduces Layers appeared first on Radio World.


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A Broadcast and Streaming Processor From Thimeo

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:30 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/products/a-broadcast-and-streaming-processor-from-thimeo


Thimeo STXtreme is a new FM, AM, HD and/or streaming audio processor. 

This plug-and-play device from Thimeo Audio Technology offers the features
of the company’s software audio processor Stereo Tool, such as the
Declipper that repairs clipped audio, and the FM section that optimizes the signal for maximum loudness, dynamics and clarity, with improved reception
in fringe and multipath areas. 
Thimeo front

“The firmware and hardware are meticulously tuned to each other to achieve maximum audio quality and minimal latency; the monitoring output can run at
a latency below 5 ms,” the company states.

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

STXtreme has an easy-to-use HTML5-based interface so it can easily be controlled from a PC, phone or tablet.

The included RDS encoder can be controlled remotely. It can output MPX
through analog and digital connectors, or stream it over an IP link using MicroMPX on low-bandwidth connections without loss of quality.
Thimeo rear

The post A Broadcast and Streaming Processor From Thimeo appeared first on Radio World.


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NAB Honors Ashruf El-Dinary

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 10:03 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/news-makers/nab-honors-ashruf-el-dinary


Jumping from spacecraft engineering to broadcast technology might seem like
a quantum leap (if we define quantum as impressively dramatic rather than tiny). For Ashruf El-Dinary, it started with a six-month contract to write software and led to a career in radio of 24 years and counting. 

The senior vice president of digital platforms at Xperi Corp. oversees its
HD Radio systems engineering teams, manages the certification and quality control processes, and represents HD Radio technology standards in
discussions at the International Telecommunications Union and international regulatory bodies. He leads Xperi’s efforts for new broadcast applications, upgrades to emergency alerting, and deployment of digital radio solutions internationally.

But prior to his tenure in broadcasting, he worked at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where he developed scientific instrumentation in support of space research programs. He also taught
signal processing courses at the university’s Whiting School of Engineering night school. 

So, he’s got some smarts.

El-Dinary is the 2022 recipient of the NAB Radio Engineering Achievement
Award.

Recent honorees include Dave Hershberger, Jeff Welton, and Gary Cavell. New
NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt will present the Radio and Television Engineering Achievement Awards at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. This year’s television recipient is Peter Sockett, director of engineering and
operations for Capital Broadcasting Company’s TV stations. 

Rocket science

El-Dinary, 54, was born in Cairo, Egypt, and moved with his family to the United States in the early 1970s; he grew up in the Chicago area. Early interests included math, science, and a propensity to try to fix things.

“I recall my dad giving me a cassette tape of a Beatles album, and it
sounded funny. Well, in the manufacturing process, the tape had been wound backward. Realizing this I disassembled the tape and rewound the tape. It
took some patience,” El-Dinary said with a chuckle. “I was all about troubleshooting and figuring out how things worked as a 10-year-old.”

In high school El-Dinary often listened to shortwave radio and recalls
being curious about broadcast radio and how it worked. He also dreamed of working on some cool technology or even a career in teaching. Astronomy and archeology were other childhood interests. 

El-Dinary stayed in the Midwest to attend Purdue University and earn a
degree in electrical engineering. A masters degree from Johns Hopkins University followed, with a concentration in communications and signal processing.

El-Dinary’s first job out of college was at the physics lab at Johns
Hopkins, where he worked mostly in the space department. He helped launch satellites with technology and software he designed, which orbited Earth
and took scientific measurements of asteroids.

It was during this time that El-Dinary took more interest in the
mathematics of signal processing. “I was doing algorithm development and
data science at the time and got excited about digital filters. All very
novel stuff in the early 1990s.” 

Then El-Dinary heard of an interesting company called Westinghouse
Wireless, based not far from the school, which was looking for engineers to write software for new digital radio technology. 

“I accepted a six-month contract to write software. That’s how it started,”
El-Dinary said.

Westinghouse Wireless eventually would be renamed USA Digital Radio, a consortium of broadcasters developing in-band, on-channel technology in the United States. It would eventually merge with rival IBOC radio developer
Lucent Digital Radio in 2000 to become iBiquity Digital, the forerunner to Xperi.

[For More News on the NAB Show See Our NAB Show News Page]

Career diversion

It was the signal processing part of the job that led to the change in
career paths, El-Dinary said. 

“I thought I would improve my programming skills and then be able to apply that in the future someplace else. But the future never changed, and I transitioned into a 23-year career here.”

The early years at USA Digital Radio/iBiquity were spent developing the
signal processing technology and developing the algorithms that would
define the standard as the digital radio business was transitioning.

“I became involved in the analysis and the commercialization of the technology in the early 2000s. We had to start thinking about the commercialization of the technology and how to get it into chips and get
the software out and what does that look like,” El-Dinary said. 

“We came up with the architecture solutions and developed relationships
with manufacturers, both on the broadcast equipment and the receiver side.
I then took over the technology transfer group in the business and worked
with receiver manufacturers in Japan, Germany, and the United States.”

At the time, iBiquity was pushing the FCC to adopt its digital radio
technology standard in the United States with the promise of CD-quality
audio and additional wireless data capabilities. El-Dinary worked closely
with Albert Shuldiner, who was then iBiquity’s general counsel, further defining the transmission standard for digital radio.

“I had more of the systems engineering perspective and could explain the standard to people and how to manage the updates of the standard,”
El-Dinary said. (In 2018, Shuldiner was named to head the Audio Division of
the FCC’s Media Bureau.)

The FCC ultimately decided in October 2002 to approve iBiquity’s HD Radio IBOC technology as the delivery method for hybrid digital radio
broadcasting in the United States. 

What followed was development of a receiver certification program for
hybrid operation of analog and digital signals. An important part of that
was building up customer support and relationships with manufacturers. He
did that for the next 10 years or so before transitioning into more of a systems and R&D type of position at Xperi.

“We looked at further commercializing HD Radio and the features we could
add, how to improve upon reception and troubleshoot issues,” El-Dinary
said. “We wanted to make sure if there were problems in the field, we were there to solve it. And we did solve issues on both the receiver and the transmission side.”

The multicast capabilities of HD Radio quickly gained the attention of the broadcast industry, more so than the promise of improved audio sound,
El-Dinary said. 

Xperi reports that as of March 1, there are 2,346 radio stations in the USS broadcasting in HD Radio, mostly FMs, with a total of 4,471 channels of programming, including multicast channels. 

Most of those stations are in larger markets. El-Dinary says the hope
remains that additional radio broadcasters in small and medium markets will sign on HD Radio signals. 

“Obviously, it’s still a voluntary transition at this point. There’s no mandate. As it makes sense for broadcasters, they can move forward to converting to a hybrid broadcast model of analog and digital,” El-Dinary said. 

“(Xperi) is not actively working toward the goal of digital being mandated
in the United States. At some point, it could happen if the industry wants
to move in that direction. Or once there are enough digital receivers in
the market to warrant a change.”

Xperi charges a one-time licensing fee of $10,000 for single main FM
channel broadcasting, with payment plans available. Additional annual fees
are based on a percentage of revenues for each additional multicast
channel, with a $1,000 minimum per channel.

El-Dinary says Xperi remains focused on promoting all the services of HD
Radio, including multicast capability but also enhanced metadata and the
added value that it can bring for advertising clients, in addition to
enhanced traffic services like Total Traffic Network and HERE Traffic.

“Those added services have added a lot of value for radio broadcasters and car manufacturers. From a technical perspective, it’s really just an added layer of data for Artist Experience or traffic data. It’s really very versatile,” he said. 

Rocky start for AM

The initial launch phase of IBOC hybrid AM HD Radio did present challenges
for Xperi, El-Dinary said, as the digital portion of the signal brought complaints about interference. 

“Some of the digital carriers underneath the analog were audible on some legacy analog receivers, so that caused a problem. Once we went with the concept of using reduced data bandwidth but still carrying the signal, it cleaned up the experience. The AM band is just really challenging to deal
with.

“However, we are seeing good success with all-digital AM transmissions. It has great reception, great coverage, low noise and no interference with adjacent stations. It’s a much better experience.” 
Ashruf El-Dinary and his former iBiquity colleague Deepen Sinha of ATC Labs
are shown at the Broadcast Engineering Society India Conference in 2017.

El-Dinary said Xperi has had a considerable number of broadcasters take advantage of a free early-adopter AM all-digital license — usually a commercial AM stations pay a one-time $7,500 licensing fee — but only a few have as of now launched the service. 

“We see the capital investment for broadcasters to transition the equipment as slowing things down a bit, especially during the COVID-era. But we
envision that as a growth area going forward.”

COVID also brought a temporary halt to travel for El-Dinary, who before
2020 spent much of his time on the road, focusing on visits to
manufacturing partners in Japan, Korea, China and automotive partners
across Europe.

“And I was busy looking at new broadcast opportunities in the Philippines
and India. I was probably on the road at least three months out of the
year.”

The HD Radio system in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico is well established, El-Dinary said. Global broadcast observers have been following Xperi’s testing of HD Radio in India, curious about that country’s eventual path to digital radio on the FM band. Xperi has been testing with All India Radio, El-Dinary said. Testing was completed in Delhi in February 2021 and in
Jaipur, India, the following month.

Digital Radio Mondiale is also under consideration in India.

“It’s not clear what that country wants just yet. From a regulatory perspective, you have to realize that process takes years to complete. The government has to decide what they want to do for a solution. They are
looking to the best and most reliable path forward to guarantee commercial success,” El-Dinary said. 

“We think digital radio is well-suited for the market given all of the languages and dialects within India they need to support.”

Latin America and South America are potential future growth areas for HD
Radio, El-Dinary said, with “a lot more activity and interest right now” in digital radio. 

He continued: “It would make sense for the Americas region to be all one digital standard. That would be preferable from a manufacturing and
standards perspective.” 

Race for the dash

Xperi has spent a lot of time examining the in-cabin user experience. Its
DTS AutoStage hybrid radio platform has gained the attention of the
broadcast industry as Xperi lobbies for its use in the dashboard of
connected cars. 

El-Dinary says that although work on DTS AutoStage is “adjacent to” his broadcast responsibilities, there is significant overlap. He said the
platform “is going to play a crucial role in the user experience. Broadcasters will certainly have a role now in the personalization of
content and information in the dashboard.”

Implementing DTS AutoStage does raise some technical issues for Xperi
broadcast engineers trying to perfect the user experience.
Recording audio and noise during field testing of AM reception in electric vehicles.

“The handoff of terrestrial broadcast to the IP content can be a challenge. Making sure the receiver knows which station it is monitoring within the coverage area and ensuring you get the right IP content and product
delivered to the infotainment system,” El-Dinary. 

With HD Radio technology shipped in 54% of all new cars sold in 2021,
El-Dinary said he is excited about the future and continues to look at
other audio enhancements utilizing DTS audio technology. Xperi Corp. is the parent company of DTS.

“Now that we are in the car, we can start looking at other things,
including emotion detection or facial analyses that can help select the
right radio station for your mood. We did an interesting live demo at CES
in Las Vegas using in-car cameras able to detect mood based on whether a
person is smiling or not.

“This is all within the DTS technology space (DTS AutoSense) with our in-cabin solutions and connected car initiatives. It’s primarily for driver and passenger safety as vehicle entertainment becomes more immersive. It’s meant to cut down on distractions and measures driver attentiveness and activity, but there are other possible applications,” he said. 

El-Dinary resides in Howard County, Md., with his wife Pam; his off-hours hobbies include yoga, kayaking, snowboarding, cycling and cooking.

Established in 1959, NAB’s Radio and Television Engineering Achievement Awards are given to individuals nominated by their peers for significant contributions to advancing broadcast engineering. NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt will present the awards on Sunday, April 24.

HONOR ROLL

Recipients of the NAB Engineering Achievement Award are listed. Beginning
in 1991, radio and TV winners were named; only radio winners are shown for those years.

1959 John T. Wilner

1960 T.A.M. Craven

1961 Raymond F. Guy

1962 Ralph N. Harmon

1963 Dr. George R. Town

1964 John H. DeWitt Jr.

1965 Edward W. Allen Jr.

1966 Carl J. Meyers

1967 Robert M. Morris

1968 Howard A. Chinn

1969 Jarrett L. Hathaway

1970 Philip Whitney

1971 Benjamin Wolfe

1972 John M. Sherman

1973 A. James Ebel

1974 Joseph B. Epperson

1975 John D. Silva

1976 Dr. Frank G. Kear

1977 Daniel H. Smith

1978 John A. Moseley

1979 Robert W. Flanders

1980 James D. Parker

1981 Wallace E. Johnson

1982 Julius Barnathan

1983 Joseph Flaherty

1984 Otis S. Freeman

1985 Carl E. Smith

1986 Dr. George Brown

1987 Renville H. McMann

1988 Jules Cohen

1989 William Connolly

1990 Hilmer Swanson

1991 George Marti

1992 Edward Edison & Robert L. Hammett

1993 Robert M. Silliman

1994 Charles T. Morgan

1995 Robert Orban

1996 Ogden Prestholdt

1997 George Jacobs

1998 John Battison

1999 Geoffrey Mendenhall

2000 Michael Dorrough

2001 Arno Meyer

2002 Paul Schafer

2003 John W. Reiser

2004 E. Glynn Walden

2005 Milford Smith

2006 Benjamin Dawson & Ronald Rackley

2007 Louis A. King

2008 Thomas B. Silliman

2009 Jack Sellmeyer

2010 Steve Church

2011 L. Robert du Treil

2012 Paul Brenner

2013 Frank Foti

2014 Jeff Littlejohn

2015 Thomas F. King

2016 Andy Laird

2017 John Kean

2018 Tom Jones

2019 Garrison Cavell

2020 Jeff Welton

2021 David Hershberger

2022 Ashruf El-Dinary


Randy J. Stine has spent the past 40 years working in audio production and broadcast radio news. He joined Radio World in 1997 and covers new
technology and regulatory issues. He has a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University.

The post NAB Honors Ashruf El-Dinary appeared first on Radio World.


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MIW Will Honor Michelle Duke

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 09:49 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/people-news/miw-will-honor-michelle-duke


The group Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio has chosen Michelle Duke
as the 2022 recipient of the MIW Frances Preston Trailblazer Award. 
Michelle Duke, recipient of the MIW Frances Preston Trailblazer Award

Duke is president of the NAB Leadership Foundation and the association’s chief diversity officer.

The award is named for the longtime president and CEO of BMI. It will be presented to Duke on Sunday of the NAB Show.

 “As president of the NAB Leadership Foundation, Michelle Duke oversees the team responsible for successful initiatives including The Media Sales Academy,  the Technology Apprenticeship Program and the Broadcast
Leadership Training program, which she managed for 15 years,” MIW wrote in its announcement.

“During her tenure, the foundations annual fundraiser and gala, the Celebration of Service to America Awards, was developed into a television
show that airs on local stations across the country.”

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

It said that as NAB’s chief diversity officer, Duke develops resources and fosters conversations to assist broadcast stations with developing their diversity strategies. “This includes the Diversity Symposium, which will be held at the NAB Show, and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resource
Center available on the NAB website.”

Prior honorees are Christine Travaglini (2019); Julie Talbott (2018); Mary Quass (2017); Beth Neuhoff (2016); Kim Guthrie (2015); Diane Sutter (2014); Weezie Kramer (2013); Caroline Beasley (2012); Ginny Hubbard Morris (2011); Lynn Anderson (2010); and Erica Farber (2009). 

The post MIW Will Honor Michelle Duke appeared first on Radio World.


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Radio Hosts Deemed Most Influential, Trustworthy, Survey Says

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 09:38 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/programming-and-sales/radio-hosts-deemed-most-influential-trustworthy-survey-says


A new report reveals that consumers perceive radio and podcast
personalities as trustworthy, authentic and highly relatable.

Those finds were part of a study sponsored by iHeartMedia and PMX called “Exploring the Brand Benefits of Trust and Companionship in Audio.” Conducted by the consulting firm Magid, the study delves into the role that different audio channels play in the lives of the audience when it comes to trust and companionship.

According to the study, 55% of participants said they listen to commercials more often on radio and in podcasts than on any other medium. A slightly smaller percentage — 53% — found radio and podcast advertisements to be more relevant than on any other medium. And 51% of respondents think radio
and podcast advertisers are more trustworthy than those on any other
medium. 

The study also compared radio and streaming music services and found that,
in nine consumer categories that include restaurants, retail and
automobiles, consumers who purchased a product were more likely to buy from
an audio advertisement in every single category. 

“With the resiliency of radio and recent explosion of the podcasting space, audio influencers have emerged as a new avenue for advertisers to continue
to connect with audiences in authentic ways,” said Chris Yarusso, national audio practice lead for PMX, the investment arm of Publicis Media, the marketing and communications company. “Our research confirms that radio and podcast hosts are perceived as some of the most trustworthy, essential and relatable personalities in the media ecosystem.

[Subscribe to Radio World]

Yarusso also said that the diversity and variety of radio and podcast
content in the marketplace gives advertisers a strategic edge to connect
with engaged consumers.

The study found that radio hosts are seen as some of the most relatable and trusted influencers around when compared to other vertical such as TV and

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