XPost: alt.radio.broadcasting

Radio World

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Control Is the Word: A Radio World Ebook

Posted: 29 Apr 2022 09:11 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/resource-center/ebooks/control-is-the-word-a-radio-world-ebook



A new ebook about getting the most out of your remote control and
management systems.

Technologies for controlling and monitoring your transmission system have gotten far more sophisticated in the 21st century. A new ebook from Radio
World discusses the implications.

“Monitoring and Control — call it M&C — isn’t just for transmitters anymore,” writes author Ed Bukont. “What began as a matter of regulatory compliance is now just as much about sustaining business operations as a
best practice. As with everything else in this era of constraint predicated
by COVID, whatever story Radio World may have written about control in 20XX would not be the story we would write right now. Monitoring and Control is
now also about access and configuration.”

He provides his perspectives on the topic as a veteran consulting engineer,
and gathers input from sponsor companies Nautel, Burk Technology,
MaxxKonnect, Davicom and Shively.

“Control Is the Word” explores these issues.

The post Control Is the Word: A Radio World Ebook appeared first on Radio World.


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Leave Time Alone

Posted: 29 Apr 2022 08:04 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/from-the-editor/leave-time-alone

Someone dear to me got excited when she learned that Congress was
considering making Daylight Saving Time permanent.
Excited, that is, until I told her that in wintertime here in northern Virginia, she’d find herself arriving at work each morning in the dark — even though she gets to the office as late as 8:30 a.m. She didn’t like
that so much. (Good thing she doesn’t work in the U.P. of Michigan.)
Why mess with a system that works? That’s my take on it.
I find it interesting that some folks get so worked up about this issue.
One end of the day or another, changing the system is going to
inconvenience someone.
Or if we do decide to change it, why not stay on Standard Time rather than
on DST? Isn’t that more natural?
Well … none of it is natural.
Me, I kinda like the semiannual changing of the clocks; I find it a rare
common ritual in our lives (well, almost common, looking at you, Hawaii and Arizona). It’s a ceremony that makes us all briefly aware that the structuring of our daily lives by the hours is really arbitrary. And even though DST itself only began in the United States in the early 20th
century, changing clocks somehow makes me feel just the smallest bit closer
to folks who lived centuries ago, their lives ruled by the cycles of agriculture and of the sun.
All of which is to let you know that in Radio World’s latest issue, Randy Stine reports on the reaction to the DST proposal among AM broadcasters.
Staff news
Also, I’m happy to welcome Elle Kehres to the Radio World team. She is the new editor of our daily Radio World SmartBrief e-newsletter and will also
work as a content producer across our platforms.
Elle is a journalist who has experience in print, radio, TV and web, and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She most
recently was assistant news director and reporter for WCHL(AM/FM). She is
based in our parent company’s new office in Atlanta’s Bank of America Plaza tower.
At least she’s in the same time zone as I am.

The post Leave Time Alone appeared first on Radio World.


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A Look at the Strange, Unique and Compelling World of LPFMs

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 09:17 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/news-makers/a-look-at-the-strange-unique-and-compelling-world-of-lpfms


When the call letters for an LPFM station in Florida were deleted in March,
one of the first outlets to report it was a radio devotee who tracks the low-power FM community so closely that he has a database tracking every
single LPFM on the dial. 

When the FCC created the LPFM radio service in 2000, Jim George’s interest was piqued. Intrigued by the breadth and range of LPFM stations out there, George started the LPFM Database in 2001. The website lists LPFM radio
stations state by state, with up-to-date listings of the status, coverage
maps and format listings of low-power FM stations nationwide.
Jim George, creator of LPFMDatabase.com

Dipping into his database page is like getting a slice of American life. A
peek at LPFM stations in the California Bay Area reveals stations like KUSF
in San Francisco, which is focused on inspiring peace through technology
via education, music and dance.  Across the nation, station themes run the gamut — be it a station celebrating the Baha’i Faith in the Arizona desert, two stations devoted to the Pascua Yaqui tribe or a trade association
focused on paint.

Another page is devoted to LPFM statistics, including a running tab on when
an LPFM license was granted, how many LPFM booster stations currently are broadcasting and how many stations have undergone frequency changes. When
those station call letters for station WPCQ 96.3 in Clearwater, Fla., were deleted in early March, George noted that the deletion of the station
brought the national count of active, on-the-air LPFM stations down below
2,000 for the first time in quite a while. In late April, the number had
dipped to 1,992.

Radio World spoke with George, the creator of LPFMDatabase.com, about his interest in low-power FM stations, the goals of the database, what he
thinks the future may hold for the LPFM community — and how he feels about
a station devoted to nothing but whale sounds. 

Radio World: Can you tell me about your interest in low-power FM radio? 

Jim George: My interest in LPFMs is rooted in my initial interest in pirate radio. Having been involved with two pirate radio stations in my area over
the years (both of which ceased broadcasting voluntarily), I felt it was important to have an alternative voice on the airwaves with independent programming that is normally not heard on commercial, corporate radio. When
the FCC initiated the LPFM radio service in 2000, it piqued my interest.

RW: Why and when did you start the lpfmdatabase.com? 

George: I started LPFMDatabase.com in 2001, right around the time the FCC
was starting to grant construction permits and licenses for the initial
crop of LPFM. I felt it was important to document these stations, so people could find them easier and potentially listen and/or support them.

RW: What is it about LPFMs that make them such an important part of the
radio industry?

George: LPFMs were designed to be hyper-local stations that cater to their
city of license with independent programming and information, whereas full-power commercial, corporate radio falls short of that, especially now
with generic voice-tracked “personalities” being the norm. LPFMs provide a “voice” for the normally “voiceless.”

RW: You have LPFMs listed out in separate databases. Was that due to size reasons? Or to give people an easier way to search? 

George: Believe it or not, when I first started [the database], everything
was on one page. As more and more stations were granted, I didn’t want the page to get too big, so I started separating the states to make it easier
to browse through them.

RW: What kind of response have you gotten from people about the various
LPFM search options: new LPFMs, LPFMs that have gone silent and others?

George: I have had a very favorable response to the site and its features, pretty much from its inception. I’ve tried to keep it simple, without any fancy graphics or animations, so that everyone can access and utilize it.

RW: As you have been tracking various LPFMs over the years, would you tell
me about a few that interested you?

George: Since starting my website, I’ve befriended many LPFM operators all across the country. My father lives in the San Antonio area and from my
visits down there, I’ve had the chance visit some LPFMs there including “Encore Radio” KWSP(LP) 104.9 in Kerrville, Texas, which features a mix of adult contemporary and smooth jazz music, and KCJV(LP) 97.9 in Leon
Springs, Texas, which features obscure oldies music from the 1950s and
1960s. 

RW: Are there any stations that you feel are compelling, surprising,
strange, unique

George: There are a few LPFMs out there that are definitely unique. There
was an LPFM in Alaska (KAQU-LP 88.1 in Sitka) that featured nothing but
whale sounds. Some current stations that feature unique (to me) programming include Z-98 WDTZ(LP) 98.1 in Delhi Township, Ohio, which features
primarily an all-80s music format, and KVEX(LP) 97.5 in St. Cloud, Minn.,
which features a 90s alternative rock format. In both instances, these
stations (and most music-oriented LPFMs) also feature obscure titles that wouldn’t normally be played on traditional full-power stations.

Another favorite of mine is 99.3 The Wave KRWV(LP) 99.3 in Gold Canyon,
Ariz., which features a smooth jazz format.

RW: I was surprised at how many cancelled LPFMs there were. Are there any trends over the years that you think contribute to cancellations of those low-power stations?

George: There has definitely been an uptick in cancelled LPFMs in recent
years. Some can be attributed to the ongoing pandemic, but a lot of it is simply a lack of funding.

Without the support of listeners and underwriting from local businesses,
LPFMs cannot survive.

RW: What kind of interest or feedback do you get from those who visit the
site? Do you ever receive any questions about how they might get involved? 

George: Feedback on my site has been positive as people seem to appreciate
the simple format that I present. I do get occasional e-mails and messages
from people asking about information on certain stations and try to answer
them to the best of my ability.

RW: For our readers, many of whom are LPFM fans, do you have any advice or suggestions for those interested in getting into this space with a station
of their own?

George: I think the FCC is planning on opening a new LPFM filing window at
some point [soon], so those of you out there who are interested in applying
for a station should be on the lookout for a press release from the FCC. [Editor’s note: At press time the FCC had not yet announced the dates for
the next LPFM application filing window.]

RW: What else would you like our readership to know about your database?

George: The database is updated nearly every day and features station
websites (and parent organization websites), along with streaming links for
the station, if they’re available.

The post A Look at the Strange, Unique and Compelling World of LPFMs
appeared first on Radio World.


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Heres the NAB Show Attendance Number

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 08:07 PM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/show-news/nab-show/heres-the-nab-show-attendance-number


The NAB Show ended Wednesday. The National Association of Broadcasters announced preliminary registered attendance of 52,468. That compares to
91,500 in 2019.

In any normal time, an attendance decline of more than 40% would be
considered catastrophic. Of course the past three years have been anything
but a normal time. And from the standpoint of the exhibit floor, most
companies who talked to Radio World gave the convention positive reviews, describing a good welcome energy, regular traffic for most of the first
three days, and a predominance of serious rather than casual shoppers.

Though international attendance was down, the show still drew about 22% of
its audience from countries outside U.S. borders, compared to 26% three
years ago.

There were around 900+ exhibitors, compared to around 1,600 in 2019.

This was the first NAB Show in person since 2019 and the first since NAB decided to shift the exhibit floor opening to Sunday through Wednesday. It
also was the first for President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt.

The enthusiasm and engagement on the show floor, in sessions and throughout
the entire event have been invigorating,” said LeGeyt in the announcement.

NAB also announced that the 2023 show, to be held April 15 to 19, marks the conventions centennial.

The post Heres the NAB Show Attendance Number appeared first on Radio World.

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