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Radio World

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BMI Honors Xperis Joe DAngelo With Ambassador Award

Posted: 09 Jun 2022 11:45 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/uncategorized/bmi-honors-xperis-joe-dangelo-with-ambassador-award


Performance rights company Broadcast Music, Inc. has presented its
Ambassador Award to Joe D’Angelo.

The award, which honors an individual or company that has shown continuous support of Nashville’s songwriting community, was given at BMIs VIP
reception during the Key West Songwriters Festival.

D’Angelo is senior vice president of global radio and digital audio at
Xperi. As one of the founders of iBiquity Digital, the company behind HD
Radio technology, DAngelo has more than 20 years of experience in the radio technology industry. He leads Xperi’s global radio services with a focus on HD Radio, DAB, hybrid and streaming radio services.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]
L to R: BMI’s Clay Bradley, Bruce Esworthy, Sirius XM The Highway’s Storme Warren, HD Radio’s Joe D’Angelo, BMI’s Mason Hunter, and Dan Spears at the
BMI Licensing Customers and Partners VIP Reception during the Key West Songwriters Festival

The company said DAngelo has actively supported BMI for more than 15 years
and has played a key role in the success of various BMI events and
initiatives, including the Key West Songwriters Festival and the Maui Songwriters Festival.

He has helped to use HD Radio’s platform to create a place for songwriters
to publicly highlight their craft and provide an outlet for fans to hear
the stories behind their favorite hits, said BMI.

Mason Hunter, AVP, Creative, Nashville said DAngelos dedication to
songwriters is unwavering.

Even during the pandemic, Joe was able to create opportunities for
songwriters through radio and social media performances.”

The post BMI Honors Xperis Joe D’Angelo With Ambassador Award appeared
first on Radio World.


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NPR Hopes Franken FM Resolution Includes New NCE Stations

Posted: 09 Jun 2022 08:50 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/npr-hopes-franken-fm-resolution-includes-new-nce-stations


National Public Radio is floating a new idea on how the FCC’s rethinking
the future of Franken FMs could ultimately create a batch of new
noncommercial educational (NCE) radio stations across the United States.

The FCC is pondering a final resolution to the Franken FM issue and has
opened a notice of proposed rulemaking to gather industry comment. The so-called FM6 stations are low-power digital television stations whose
analog audio can be received on radios at 87.75 MHz.  

NPR has submitted an idea that piggybacks on whatever conclusion the FCC
adopts in its FM6 proceeding. NPR proposes to repurpose channel 6 spectrum (82-88 MHz) for FM services in locations where the channels are not being
used to provide “actual television programming,” by channel 6 LPTV and full-power stations, according to the FCC.

NPR believes that the continued use of digital TV channel 6 to provide
analog FM radio service is contrary to the current statute and poor public policy. FM6 stations currently operate with STA from the FCC allowing them
to utilize a hybrid configuration of ATSC 3.0 digital to operate a separate analog FM radio transmitter on 87.7 MHz in an analog format as an ancillary service. Radio operators have historically been opposed to the idea of officially sanctioning the dual operations of FM6 stations and likely would
be of “second-gen” Frankens.  

However, NPR still contends TV channel 6 spectrum is a valuable resource
the commission could use to expand opportunities for existing and
prospective radio broadcasters whose demand for spectrum cannot be
satisfied in the crowded FM radio band.

“Specifically, NPR maintains that the spectrum occupied by a single TV channel 6 station could potentially accommodate up to 30 new FM stations, exponentially increasing the variety of programming available for a diverse audience,” the FCC says in its new notice of proposed rulemaking deciding
the fate of FM6 stations.

The FCC acknowledges in the proposal that, in theory, 30 available 200 kHz
FM radio channels are available in the band that comprises TV channel 6, however “practically speaking, the number of channels for use by new FM
radio stations in any one area would be significantly less,” the FCC says.

[Related: FCC Will Consider Franken FMs in June]

NPR believes repurposing the spectrum would be a “far better use of a
scarce resource” than the analog audio operations (FM6) that exist in some locations, the FCC says.

“NPR also argues that it would increase the opportunities for diverse providers to provide local public interest programming for unserved and underserved audiences, especially in the rural parts of the country,” according to the FCC document.

Perhaps most importantly, the FCC seeks comment from industry stakeholders
on whether radio listeners will be able to receive new FM radio stations on
the frequencies NPR is suggesting. The commission notes that commercially available FM radio receivers currently only receive the upper-most portion
of the 82-88 MHz band (87.7 or 87.9 MHz). 

“Today’s FM radio receivers cannot tune down to the rest of the (proposed radio) spectrum − 82.1-87.5 MHz. We invite comment on how this technical roadblock should influence our consideration of this issue,” the FCC contends.

The FCC also is asking, if it were to allow for radio broadcasts to operate
on 82-88 MHz, should such stations be limited to noncommercial educational stations or should commercial FM stations also be allowed to operate on the
new frequencies.  

Finally, the FCC addresses the costs of “precluding existing TV stations
from using the currently unused locations where TV channel 6 is viable and foreclosing new TV stations on channel 6.”

The commission concludes its questions about the NPR proposal by addressing potential interference concerns: “We seek comment on the potential for interference if we permitted new FM radio services as contemplated by NPR. Would such services pose the threat of interference with existing services
in this band? If so, how should these concerns be mitigated to extent we
pursue such an expansion?”

The deadlines to comment in MB Docket No. 03-185 have not yet been
published. 

The post NPR Hopes Franken FM Resolution Includes New NCE Stations appeared first on Radio World.


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FCC Looking for Comments on Offshore Wireless Spectrum Use

Posted: 09 Jun 2022 08:29 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/fcc-looking-for-comments-on-offshore-wireless-spectrum-use


The Federal Communications Commission is looking for input on offshore
wireless spectrum use.

The commission has issued a Notice of Inquiry to begin the process of
gathering information on current needs, future needs and potential impacts
of offshore wireless spectrum use from offshore projects like wind
turbines, cruise ships and oceanography projects. Increased spectrum access
and updated spectrum management may help projects such as these, the
commission said, and input from the public helps determine the best ways to address these needs. 

The commission is also looking for information on which spectrum bands
might best meet offshore spectrum needs, how to protect active users
operating in those bands and examples of successes/failures in other countries.  

Commenters are being asked to share their thoughts on different spectrum
right models such as shared, tiered and primary rights structures. The
notice also seeks the public’s opinion on licensing and how different licensing assignment mechanisms might work best. 

[See Our Business and Law Page]

For operations like a windfarm, the FCC is seeking information on how
spectrum might be useful for testing, maintenance and communications with
ships and other offshore operations. The commission is also interested in
the needs of commercial or private maritime as well as aeronautical uses,
and is asking for information such as how far from land demand exists for wireless operation and how potential wireless infrastructure would be set
up.

“I support this Notice of Inquiry because it takes an important step toward ensuring that our rules work for a clean energy economy,” said Commissioner Geoffrey Starks when the notice was released. “Our inquiry puts us ahead of the game in understanding these connectivity requirements, and makes sure we’ll have the right framework in place to meet their needs, too. And we correctly seek comment on virtually every framework imaginable — licensed
by rule, licensed by site, licensed ‘light,’ by geography and even unlicensed — so that we calibrate our approach to each band and the nature
of demand behind it.”

Comments can be filed within the commission’s ECFS database under the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Docket 22-204. 

The post FCC Looking for Comments on Offshore Wireless Spectrum Use
appeared first on Radio World.

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