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Radio World

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TAB to Honor Seven Texas Broadcasters

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 01:29 PM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/tab-to-honor-seven-texas-broadcasters


At the conclusion of the Texas Association of Broadcasters annual
convention, seven industry leaders will be honored at TABs awards gala.

“Local radio and television broadcasters have been helping build local communities since the industry’s advent 100 years ago, a tradition embodied by the men and women TAB is recognizing this year with Texas broadcasting’s greatest honors,” said TAB President Oscar Rodriguez.

The gala is slated for Thursday, August 4 at the JW Marriott in Downtown Austin.

Included in the list of honorees is Sonny Cavazos and Gil Garcia, both
longtime engineers.

Cavazos will receive the George Marti Award for Engineering Excellence. He
is the director of technology at Entravision Communications, holding more
than 30 years of broadcast engineering experience.

[Cavazos] has been on the front line of handling the revolution in
engineering and technical change that broadcasters have confronted, said
TAB.

Garcia will receive TABs Distinguished Service Award. With a career
spanning 55 years in radio, Garcia has served as Certification Chairman for
the Society of Broadcast Engineers (Austin Chapter) for 33 years, as well
as a being an SBE test proctor.

A longtime volunteer for TAB on numerous efforts, he most recently curated
the curriculum and taught TABs inaugural Technical Academy for Chief Radio Operators in May, said TAB.
Toggle through the gallery below to see photos of the award winners. 











Other honorees of note for the radio industry include Sarah Frazier and
Chelsea Reber.

Frazier will be recognized as Broadcaster of the Year. She is the senior
vice president/market manager of Audacy’s Houston cluster and has been in radio for 25 years, 20 of which have been spent with CBS Radio/Audacy.

Reber will be awarded the Jason Hightower Award for Broadcast Excellence.
She works for Bryan Broadcasting as a news and sports reporter, anchor, and producer. She is also a co-host on NewsTalk 1620/94.5 WTAW’s morning show, The Infomaniacs.

On the TV side of things, Kathy Saunders of KDFW/KDFI-TV Dallas-Fort Worth
will be named Pioneer Broadcaster of the Year and Amy Anderson, the
director of sales for KXAN, KNVA, and KBVO in Austin, will receive the
Jason Hightower Award for Broadcast Excellence.

Alan Albarran will be named Educator of the Year. He has authored/edited 15 books on the management and economics of the media industries.

You can read more about the award winners on TABs website. 

The post TAB to Honor Seven Texas Broadcasters appeared first on Radio
World.


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NABOB and MMTC Stand Up for Geo-Targeting

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 12:58 PM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/nabob-and-mmtc-stand-up-for-geo-targeting


Two organizations that favor FM geo-targeting looked at the same field test data from GeoBroadcast Solutions that the NAB did, but reached much
different conclusions. And they too are citing a broadcast engineering consultant to back them up.

The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) and the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) told the FCC: “We respectfully suggest that now is the time for the commission to move
forward and allow FM broadcasters the choice of using technology to deliver hyper-local content to their audience like every other form of media,
including broadcast television.”

Commenting on the field tests of local origination on FM boosters that were conducted at KSJO near San Jose, Calif., and WRBJ near Jackson, Miss.,
NABOB and MMTC wrote: “These studies … contain impressive results and convince us that the technical questions that were raised by some
commenters … have been fully and satisfactorily answered.”

They told the commission that the NAB had originally been supportive but
then raised legitimate technical questions about this technology.

But in dramatic comparison to NAB’s subsequent comments (in which the association dismissed the tests and accused GBS of “rigging” them), NABOB and MMTC believe those questions have now been answered satisfactorily.

They told the FCC that the GBS system works with both analog and HD systems
and does not interfere with EAS. “And the transition area between the geo-targeted zone and the main station’s signal is entirely within the control of the broadcaster deploying the technology and can be designed to
take up only a tiny portion of the station’s service area and be
infrequent, transitory and unobjectionable.”

The two organizations commissioned engineering firm Meintel, Sgrignoli, & Wallace to review the field test reports that were prepared for GBS by
Roberson and Associates and to comment on their methodology and conclusions.

The resulting report from Meintel, Sgrignoli & Wallace addressed several criticisms that had been raised by various commenters:

It found that the scope and methodology of the Roberson tests “provided
much needed data” regarding the booster proposal and that the equipment
used is considered “off-the-shelf” commercially available gear.

It said the geography of the tests at WRBJ provided “an excellent demonstration of the local origination concept while providing difficult transition regions to test,” and that the tests at KSJO “provided more hilly terrain and provided an opportunity for demonstration of the system
in a terrain shielded environment (which is not uncommon in areas where
booster stations would be useful).”

Meintel, Sgrignoli also concluded that transition regions at both stations
were minimal and should pose only “fleeting” disruptions to the listener experience, with “no discernible degradation to the service to most listeners.” It found that the multipath analysis conducted by Roberson “provides an objective measure of the transition region and potential impairment to listening.”

And it found that EAS signals operated as normal and were re-transmitted appropriately by the FM boosters. “The tests demonstrate that no adverse impacts to EAS operations should be experienced.”

Those findings contrast with the analysis of the GBS data prepared by John Kean, senior engineer at Cavell, Mertz & Associates, and commissioned by
the NAB and NPR, in which he identifies what NAB calls a series of
omissions and skewed reporting in the GBS tests.

NABOB and MMTC believe geotargeting would give small and minority
broadcasters new tools to serve their audiences, and could help more small businesses afford radio advertising.

The post NABOB and MMTC Stand Up for Geo-Targeting appeared first on Radio World.


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RadioFX Helps Stations With Digital Revenue

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 11:07 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/products/radiofx-helps-local-stations-with-digital-revenue


Supply Side is a series of occasional interviews with manufacturers and
service providers with which readers may not be familiar.

RadioFX has created a mobile radio app designed to help independent
stations take advantage of digital revenue streams.

We saw how the corporate broadcasters were cashing in on the digital ad
dollars flowing to media, so we built a solution for local broadcasters,
says the company.

John Wanzung, founder, CEO and head of sales at RadioFX, said most local
radio stations dont get said advertising dollars because they don’t have
the digital assets that advertisers are looking for.

To learn more, Radio World spoke with Wanzung about the companys RadioMax mobile platform.
John Wanzung

Radio World: John, what is RadioFXs business mission?

Wanzung: To help local, independent, and college stations maximize the opportunity of the digital radio world by providing a super affordable, effective and easy to use mobile app.

RW: Who started the firm, and who owns it?

Wanzung: [I] started the company, and it is privately owned by shareholders/investors.

RW: Why would a small- to medium-market broadcaster want to explore your platform?

Wanzung: We have the best mobile platform in the market. The robustness of
our app and its feature set with engaging and interactive tools is
unmatched, and our dedication to the local/independent station needs is
unique.

RW: Common wisdom is that digital revenue is still a relatively small
portion of the radio revenue pie in the U.S., though growing. Why do you
think that is?

Wanzung: I think there are a few factors driving the slow adoption of
digital in radio, especially with small to mid-market stations. First and foremost is inertia — the this is how we have always done it issue. Second, particularly for local/independents and colleges, is resource limitations — they may not have the staff or knowledge to focus on the digital
opportunity. That is why we built this simple but effective mobile solution
and continue to add features and benefits to make this easy for stations to participate and capitalize on digital opportunities.

RW: What else should we know?

Wanzung: We continue to add digital advertising features to our platform so that digital can be a revenue-generating and profitable component of the
radio stations offerings. We have added audio insertion advertising with a large advertising network, and are adding upgraded banner advertising also
with a large advertising network, so stations can generate advertising
dollars without sales staff. Of course, our advertising capabilities also
allow for the station to sell their own advertising and include those in
the ads presented as well.

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

The post RadioFX Helps Stations With Digital Revenue appeared first on
Radio World.


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Triton Promotes Four in Jelli Integration

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 10:05 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/people-news/triton-promotes-four-in-jelli-integration


From the People News page: Triton Digital announced four executive
promotions as it integrates the former Jelli business.
Alex Fournier

Stephanie Donovan becomes global head of revenue. Alex Fournier is promoted
to chief technology officer, Benjamin Masse becomes chief product officer
and Molly Glover Gallatin joins the executive team as SVP of marketing and Jelli customer experience.

“The promotions further support the company’s recent integration of Jelli to accelerate the development of innovative technology that serves the
entire audio ecosystem across radio, streaming and podcasting,” it said in the announcement.

The promotions were announced by President/CEO John Rosso. Triton provides audio streaming, podcasting, audience measurement and advertising
technology.
Stephanie Donovan

iHeartMedia acquired Jelli in 2018 and Triton in 2021. (Read an earlier
article in which iHeart’s Brian Kaminsky discussed the differences.)

“With Triton Digital and Jelli joining forces, Triton Digital’s audio technology stack now provides a cross-platform advertising solution that
serves the entire audio industry,” Triton wrote in the promotions announcement.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

The post Triton Promotes Four in Jelli Integration appeared first on Radio World.


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Waves Rolls Out a Cloud Audio Mixer

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 09:45 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/products/waves-rolls-out-a-cloud-audio-mixer


Waves Audio has introduced a cloud-based audio mixer for various broadcast
and media production applications, and radio people may find it of interest both for its features and for its “mixing as a service” pricing model.

Called the Cloud MX Audio Mixer, it includes audio mixing, processing and
Waves plugin integration.

The mixer is NDI-compatible, for patching and routing of NDI audio streams. “It is also easily deployed on AWS, making integration with your cloud production systems a breeze,” Waves states.

The company highlights benefits of being able to scale productions with any number of audio mixers, without costs of shipping or maintaining on-premise resources.

There are various versions; each comes with the cloud-licensed Waves eMo plugins (eMo D5 Dynamics, eMo F2 Filter, and eMo Q4 Equalizer), which form
the mixer’s channel strip. 

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]
A promotional image from Waves Audio.

Available upgrades are the Cloud MX Audio Mixer Plus, with 11 more cloud-licensed plugins including Primary Source Expander for automatic mic bleed elimination, Renaissance Vox vocal compressor, F6 Floating-Band Dynamic EQ, MaxxBass and L2 UltraMaximizer; and the Cloud MX Audio Mixer Premium, which adds 150 plugins “covering every audio need.”

Control options include multiple touchscreen support and tactile mixing
with the Waves FIT controller and/or Mackie/MIDI controllers.

The base package cost is $750 per month or $7,500 per year. The upgrade versions cost $1,000/$10,000 and $1,500/$15,000 respectively.

Noting that the mixer supports deployment on Amazon Web Services, Waves
added: “At the core of … next-generation workflows are cloud-based production tools that enable remote integration (REMI) and distributed operations. Waves’ Cloud MX Audio Mixer can now be integrated into cloud production environments to process and distribute high-quality audio for
media content distributed to a regional or global audience.”

The post Waves Rolls Out a Cloud Audio Mixer appeared first on Radio World.


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Pirate Radio, Facility Stories and Radios Mission

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 08:59 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/readers-forum/pirate-radio-facility-stories-and-radios-mission


Below is a sampling of recent letters to the editor of Radio World. Find
more on the Reader’s Forum page. Letters are invited by email to radioworld@futurenet.com.
Wasted Effort

So the “FCC Plans to Hire to Fight Pirate Radio”? The commission may as well tell those 15 new employees to go out and look for evidence of BigFoot.

How about tracking down and enforcing the real interference complaints that spray RFI from sea to shining sea but go uninvestigated?

Joe Zagar

Muskegon, Mich.
Define “Mission”

I appreciated the January interview with FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington
to see where he stands on radio priorities and how much he wants to help commercial broadcasters fulfill their mission.

“Mission” is a highly subjective term because in this case he did not really define the term. 

Is it to serve in the public interest with pertinent information and thought-provoking programs? Or is the “mission” to satisfy an owner or investors by throwing anything onto the airwaves that guarantees big bucks
will come rolling in, no matter what the content might be? 

I am also curious to know how the commissioner thinks further relaxation of radio station ownership rules could possibly improve programming diversity
and political expression on the public’s airwaves. 

Portland, Ore., and San Francisco are the only major radio markets in the country with a liberal talk radio program on the air in prime time. Does he really think giving iHeart or any other radio empires one or two more
stations will improve the odds of having a liberal talk show on the air in Denver? Philadelphia? Houston? I doubt it. 

Ask iHeart. They will either laugh at you or give you the song and dance
about numbers, when numbers mean very little in a saturated talk radio environment. We need fewer than eight stations owned by one corporate
entity, not more.

Dare I say it, but the only type of public radio the new commissioner may
care about is the public radio approach that places a heavy emphasis on extensive focus group research and other commercially oriented approaches
to audience-building, coupled with an aggressive strategy placed on
obtaining as much corporate underwriting as possible. 

In other words, not much at all about that good old fashioned public
service component for public (or commercial) broadcasters. But you will
have to ask him about that. 

Pete Simon

Arvada, Colo.
More Facility Stories Please

Paul I saw your column asking “What could be better” about Radio World, and I want to let you know that I enjoy reading it. 

I usually start paging through the issue as I am walking across the
building from the mailroom to my office. And I go through your daily
SmartBrief e-newsletter a few times a week. 

I have been out of RF radio for 17 years, but about five years ago we added
a streaming radio station to our radio and TV program at Crown Point High School. Being just outside Chicago, there’s no place for us to go that
would give us enough power to broadcast to our entire district.

I also really enjoyed your “Spectacular Radio Studios” ebook. We are an Axia facility, and it was nice to see how other studios are set up. One
thing I really miss from the old Radio magazine is the Facility Showcase.

Brent Barber

Crown Point High School

Crown Point, Ind.

[Visit the Reader’s Forum for More Letters and Comments]

The post Pirate Radio, Facility Stories and Radio’s Mission appeared first
on Radio World.


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FCC Proposes to Fine Ham for Firefighting Interference

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 08:32 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/fcc-to-fine-ham-for-firefighting-interference


The Federal Communications Commission is proposing to fine an amateur radio operator for alleged interference with firefighting efforts in Idaho last
year.

It said Jason Frawley, WA7CQ, apparently interfered with radio
communications that were guiding fire suppression aircraft working the “Johnson fire” near Elk River. Frawley later told the FCC he was only trying to help.

The $34,000 fine would the largest of its kind, the commission said in
issuing its notice of apparent liability. All four commissioners approved
the NAL. Frawley now has the opportunity to respond, and the FCC would then consider final action.

Commenting on the notice, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote: “You can’t interfere with public safety communications. Full stop. So today we propose the largest fine of its type for this interference that put fire
suppression and public safety itself at risk.”
“Comm tech”

The U.S. Forest Service and Idaho Department of Lands were fighting the 1,000-acre wildfire on national forest land.

“As firefighting crews from the Forest Service and Idaho Department of Land worked to fight the wildfire, Forest Service radio communications received eight unauthorized transmissions on government frequencies from an
individual identifying himself as ‘comm tech,’” the FCC said in its announcement.

“The individual interfered with communications between fire suppressant aircraft and ground crews by communicating his observations of hazards near
the Elk Butte airstrip, where he and his radio equipment were located.”

According to the FCC account, a Forest Service supervisor drove to the airstrip, identified Frawley as the person and told him to stop.

“Mr. Frawley admitted to the supervisor to broadcasting on government frequencies as ‘comm tech.’ Mr. Frawley subsequently admitted to his conduct in a taped interview with an agent from the U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations Branch at his residence and in response to
an FCC letter of inquiry which followed a Forest Service complaint to the commission.”

[See Our Business and Law Page]

The commission says Frawley — the owner of Leader Communications, licensee
of eight microwave licenses and one business license — told the FCC he did not mean harm and instead meant to help the firefighters by providing them
with details regarding Elk Butte.

“Regardless of the intent, the FCC finds that the apparent willful
violations cannot be overlooked as interfering with authorized radio communications — and especially public safety related communications — is a serious violation of the law and can put lives and property at risk.”

The post FCC Proposes to Fine Ham for Firefighting Interference appeared
first on Radio World.


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Hawaiian Station Limited to Single-Year Renewal After Unauthorized Silence

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 07:59 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/hawaiian-station-limited-to-single-year-renewal-after-unauthorized-silence


It’s not all paradise for an AM station in Hawaii after the Federal Communications Commission granted the station only a one-year renewal of
its license — instead of a full term of eight years — for staying silent without authorization.

Radio Hawaii submitted an application to renew its license for station
KWAI(AM) in Honolulu. After reviewing the application and other commission-related records, the Media Bureau discovered that the station
had been silent for 890 days during the license term that started on Oct.
10, 2014, and ended Oct. 1, 2021.

In its communication with the licensee, the bureau reminded Radio Hawaii
that unauthorized silence of this type is a “fundamental failure” in a station’s promise to serve its community of license. A silent station
offers that community no public service programming such as news, public affairs, weather information and emergency alert notifications, the bureau said. Even brief periods of station operation that is sandwiched between prolonged periods of silence are of little value because the local audience
is not accustomed to tuning into a station’s frequency, it continued. 

If, when determining whether to grant a station’s license renewal application, the Media Bureau finds that a station has not served the
public interest or there have been violations of either the Communications
Act or FCC Rules, the commission may outright deny the application or grant
the application on certain terms and conditions.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

In the case of Radio Hawaii and KWAI, the licensee’s conduct has fallen
short of that which would warrant a routine license renewal. As a result
the bureau agreed to enter into a consent decree with Radio Hawaii that includes a short-term license renewal. This limited renewal gives the commission the opportunity to review the station’s public service
performance and to determine whether it has complied with the rules moving forward. 

As part of that consent decree, Radio Hawaii must designate a compliance officer to develop and administer the compliance plan, which includes
creation of a compliance manual, creation of a compliance training program
and submission of a compliance report to the bureau a year after the
compliance program kicks off. 

The post Hawaiian Station Limited to Single-Year Renewal After Unauthorized Silence appeared first on Radio World.


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NABLF Honors Broadcast Service

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 07:28 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/programming-and-sales/nablf-honors-broadcast-service


A one-hour production of the “Celebration of Service to America Awards” ceremony will be available to air on U.S. broadcast stations in July and August.

The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation held its
gala in person this week at The Anthem in Washington. The awards recognize broadcasters’ outstanding service to their communities.

Beasley Media Group received the “Service to Community Award for Radio, Broadcast Ownership Group,” while Cox Media Group received it for the TV side.

The “Service to Community Award for Radio” for large and major markets went to Urban One station WTLC(FM) in Indianapolis for its “Feeding Families for 365 Days Plus” campaign. The TV honor went to Tegna’s WFAA in Dallas.

The service award for radio in a medium market went to Beasley’s WJBR(FM)
in Wilmington, Del., while the TV award was given to Gray Television’s WIS
in Columbia, S.C.

[Visit Radio World’s News and Business Page]

For small markets, the radio service award went to ADX Communications
stations WNRP, WYCT and WEBY Radio, Pensacola, Fla., and the TV award to California Oregon Broadcasting’s KOBI in Medford, Ore.

Former NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith was honored with the Service to
America Samaritan Award. Among the reasons was the launch of the OK2Talk campaign to educate Americans on the importance of ending the stigma surrounding mental health issues. And after Hurricane Marie in 2017, he led
a coalition of organizations to distribute 10,000 battery-operated radios
to residents of Puerto Rico. 

José Andrés and Patti LaBelle received Service to America Leadership Awards, and GEICO was honored with the Corporate Leadership Award.
José Andrés speaking at the NABLF gala. (Photo via NAB)

The post NABLF Honors Broadcast Service appeared first on Radio World.

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