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Judge Rules Against Enforcement Bureau in Auburn Case

Posted: 10 May 2022 12:42 PM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/judge-rules-against-enforcement-bureau-in-auburn-case


Despite the felony convictions of its president and sole shareholder,
Auburn Network Inc. should not have its broadcast licenses revoked.

That’s the initial decision by an FCC administrative law judge. She determined that the commission’s Enforcement Bureau did not satisfy its burden of proof to prove that Michael Hubbard and his company are
unqualified to be a commission licensee.

Hubbard is former speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives. He is serving a 28-month prison sentence on six counts of violating the Alabama Ethics Code.

Auburn Network, which he started in 1994, is the licensee of WANI(AM) in Opelika, Ala., and WGZZ(FM), Waverly, Ala., plus three FM translators in
Auburn that rebroadcast the FM station. It also holds a CP for a LPTV
station and it has other media holdings including a magazine.

Hubbard was elected to the Alabama House in 1998. He became minority leader
in 2004, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party in 2006, and speaker of
the House in 2010, a post he held until resigning in 2016.

The six felonies for which Hubbard stands convicted were based on
consulting contracts between Auburn Network and three private companies.

His actions were found to violate laws that prohibit public officials from soliciting a thing of value from a principal of a lobbyist, from using an official position for personal gain and using state property for private benefit; and that prohibit members of the legislature from representing a business entity for compensation before a state department or agency.

After he was convicted, Auburn Network filed an application to assign his licenses to Auburn Networks LLC, an entity owned by Frank Lee Perryman that apparently is operating the stations now. But that application has been
held in abeyance pending this proceeding.
The background

The Enforcement Bureau argued that Hubbard’s felony convictions make him unqualified to remain a licensee because he “deliberately monetized his political office through a series of private contractual arrangements for
which he personally received substantial financial compensation.” It said
he had betrayed the public trust, and it noted that the FCC system of
licensing depends on truthfulness of its licensees.

The bureau thought it significant that the structure of the consulting agreements was between each client and Auburn Network, “a media company
with no history in offering business or political consulting services,” despite the fact that it was clear that the consulting work was to be
performed by Hubbard. Deceptive use of the company to hide criminal
activity and evade his obligations as a public official to identify sources
of income amounted to a lack of candor, it said.

Auburn Network disputed the bureau’s arguments on numerous grounds, among them that Hubbard operated his businesses through Auburn because it was
simpler for accounting and tax reporting purposes. Auburn called Hubbard’s convictions “an aberration in a life of exemplary public and community service” and said the bureau had failed to meet its burden of proof.
The ruling

The FCC case turns on whether Hubbard’s behavior warrants license
revocation under the commission’s character qualifications policy.

In her ruling, the judge laid out the history and rationale of those
policies. She noted that in the past 30 years the commission has indeed
revoked licenses for a variety of felony convictions, including drug
offenses, child molestation, burglary and murder. And the judge agreed that
the FCC “relies heavily on the honesty and probity of its licensees in a regulatory system that is largely self-policing.”

But she said the Enforcement Bureau had not shown that an intent to
obfuscate was inherent in Hubbard’s actions. What the bureau submitted, she wrote, was conjecture, not evidence.

“Public officials in Alabama are permitted by the Alabama Ethics Code to conduct outside business, and Mr. Hubbard consulted ethics officials for
advice in that regard. While there were obvious flaws in the way he
followed the advice that he was given, the fact that he reached out
arguably belies an effort to deceive.”

More importantly, she said, “there are legitimate reasons why a businessperson would choose to provide consulting services through a
business entity rather than in a personal capacity.”

The bureau tried to show that Hubbard’s purpose was to “set Auburn up as the ‘dummy’ consultant and financial beneficiary” to justify omitting the consulting companies from his financial disclosure forms.

But the judge didn’t accept that argument, noting, among other things, that Auburn Network had been in existence for almost two decades and had served
as the umbrella under which Hubbard had operated a number of other
businesses.

“Rather than concealment of his consulting clients, what got Mr. Hubbard
into trouble, and ultimately convicted of six felonies, was his failure to properly separate his official state position and his extra-official
business activities,” she wrote.

However, “No persuasive evidence has been introduced … to show that Mr. Hubbard’s conviction on public corruption felonies logically leads to the conclusion that he is likely to behave dishonestly with the commission.”

Such questions of fitness after a felony conviction have to be determined
case by case, she wrote; and while there is no defined “hierarchy” of disqualifying felonies, the bar is higher in some cases, such as child molestation and murder, than in others. And FCC policy is clear that not
every felony is disqualifying.

“The crimes of which Mr. Hubbard is guilty are not trivial; indeed, he is currently incarcerated as a result,” the judge wrote.

But “a careful review of the criminal record and all the evidence submitted fails to persuade the Presiding Judge that Mr. Hubbard does not possess the character to remain a commission licensee. The goal of the commission’s character qualifications policy ‘is not to pass moral judgment on
applicants but, instead, to determine whether the public interest will be served.’

“The misdeeds of a public servant may indeed be relevant in gauging that person’s ability to serve the public interest as an FCC licensee, but in
this particular case and under these particular circumstances, the evidence presented does not satisfy the burden of proof. Accordingly, the licenses
of Auburn Network will not be revoked.”

You can read the judge’s detailed rationale in her initial decision on the FCC website. The Office of Administrative Law Judges is responsible for conducting the hearings ordered by the commission; initial decisions of the judges may be appealed to the commission.

This also was the first hearing proceeding conducted on a written record, rather than by live oral hearing, under streamlined procedures adopted by
the commission in 2020.

In her decision the judge addressed some complications that the new
processes raise, saying, “We may still have some work to do in developing procedures for the consideration of evidentiary arguments in written hearings.”



The post Judge Rules Against Enforcement Bureau in Auburn Case appeared
first on Radio World.


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Onda Madrid Turns Radio Into Television With AEQ

Posted: 10 May 2022 10:08 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/global/onda-madrid-turns-radio-into-television-with-aeq


Radio World Buyer’s Guide articles are intended to help readers understand why their colleagues chose particular products to solve various technical situations. This month’s articles focus on products for visual radio.

Onda Madrid is a public radio station run by the Regional Government of
Madrid, Spain. It has been using AEQ equipment and applications since its inception more than 35 years ago.

“AEQ has accompanied us through all the changes in technology,” said Technical Director José Luis Granado.

“Very recently, we installed a Visual Radio system in our main studio that
is equipped with an AEQ Arena console. The console sends the information
with regards to the levels for each microphone channel over the IP network. This allows the video switcher to detect which microphones are active.”

Additionally, the station programmed keys on the console to signal the
video switcher to execute exceptions, change camera angle, go to curtain, etc. 

“We have created camera presets for the main presenter, studio overview or beauty shot, guests to the left and to the right, and so on,” he said. “We continue rehearsing and testing out new angles and views. Summarizing, programmed macros make the system automatically follow whomever is
speaking, take a wide shot or play a clip.”

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]
The main studio of Onda Madrid, with three cameras and monitor with the generated video.

The AEQ Visual Radio system is based on a Broadcast Pix video switcher that manages the signals and automatically switch and mix, delivering the final product to be broadcast or streamed. It can also record its own generated signal.

“When a station has both radio and TV channels like us, sometimes the video signals produced in the radio studio turn into content for the TV station itself. Therefore, it is essential that the switcher has a video broadcast quality and processing capacity similar to that of television channels in a box. This switcher also provides a broadcast-grade video output for
television in various formats and in parallel with a streaming output.”

In the event the production requires a bit more sophisticated signal
treatment, the AEQ / Broadcast Pix system allows for the connection of an external mixing control panel and that can be manually operated in the traditional way.

“And to make it enjoyable, in addition to having several cameras as we do
and changing camera positions automatically or by forcing a macro, the
system has a professional graphics engine. Additionally, a two-channel
video clip server and the possibility to split the image on several
displays and even source and play content coming from social networks are
all standard features.

“All this makes an excellent product that is aligned with the great service that is part of the AEQ brand name.”



Suppliers and users are invited to send news of recent product
installations. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Onda Madrid Turns Radio Into Television With AEQ appeared first on Radio World.


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MIW Launches Mentorship Program With State Broadcasters Associations

Posted: 10 May 2022 08:49 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/miw-launches-mentorship-program-with-state-broadcasters-associations

On Tuesday, the nonprofit Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc. announced a new national program designed to create mentorship opportunities in every state.
Dedicated to the advancement of female leadership in radio broadcasting,
MIW said this program will work to expand the organizations mentoring
outreach over the next three to five years.
The first pilot program partners MIW with the Minnesota Broadcasters Association to create “Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Minnesota.” “Minnesota’s broadcasting community is full of amazing and talented women, said Wendy Paulson, president of the Minnesota Broadcasters Association. I
am honored to be the lead on this pilot program.
[Visit Radio World’s News and Business Page]

MIW Board President Ruth Presslaff said: We couldnt ask for a better first partner than Wendy Paulson and the Minnesota Broadcasters Association as we work toward a mentee in every state. Cheers to the first. Forty-nine to go!
Per a company press release, MIW’s long-term plan includes establishing working relationships with leadership from all interested state
broadcasters associations to create mentorship curriculums for female professionals in radio broadcasting.
To learn more, or to apply to the pilot mentorship program, visit the
Minnesota Broadcasters Associations website.

The post MIW Launches Mentorship Program With State Broadcasters
Associations appeared first on Radio World.


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Radio IKIM Upgrades Studio Headquarters

Posted: 10 May 2022 08:08 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/products/radio-ikim-upgrades-studio-headquarters


From our Who’s Buying What page: Radio IKIM celebrates its 21st anniversary with an upgrade to its studio headquarters based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Upgrades were made to the stations master control room and two live-to-air studios, connected via a DHD XC2 DSP core. Installation and commissioning
were coordinated by DHDs Malaysia distribution partner Stagetec Asia. The details were announced in a DHD press release

Encik Shazril Sopian, IKIM engineering team leader and the head of the
upgrade project, said there was a need to modernize the stations production infrastructure as their previous system was becoming outdated.

DHD quoted him highlighting the DHD SX2 mixing console for its space
efficiency and ease of integrating with third-party equipment. He said the console’s touch screens are particularly useful during live mixing.


[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

Designed for radio and other broadcast applications, the DHD SX2 is is
based on a central module with four faders plus a control section including monitoring and talkback. Central and fader modules each incorporate a 10.1
inch multi-touch display showing relevant configuration and operating parameters.

General Director of Stagetec Asia Advon Tan said, Linked to the DHD audio system is IKIM Radios Dante Audio over Internet facility which is managed
from the master control room. Dante coding is used on the primary
transmission path and AES3 on the secondary path, fully switchable.



Suppliers and users are invited to send news of recent product
installations. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Radio IKIM Upgrades Studio Headquarters appeared first on Radio
World.

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