Radio World

iZotope has launched the latest edition of its long-running audio repair and enhancement software with the release of RX 8, introducing a variety of new features for recording, podcasting, post and broadcast pros. The company has also released RX Post Production Suite 5, and announced the upcoming launch of Music Production Suite 4.

All three versions of RX 8 — Advanced, Standard and Elements — have notable updates. Exclusive to Advanced is the new addition of Spectral Recovery and Wow & Flutter. Spectral Recovery restores frequencies above 4 kHz, helping turn bandwidth-limited audio into clearer, more articulate recordings. Meanwhile, Wow & Flutter corrects pitch variations and fluctuations associated with tape, vinyl and optical transfers. Wow can be used to fix longer, sustained pitch drift, while Flutter is intended for use correcting pitch variances that occur at faster rates.

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

New to both Advanced and Standard versions of RX 8 are Loudness Control and Guitar De-noise. Loudness Control loads preset loudness targets, helping users conform production audio to broadcast requirements, and monitor levels using the built-in numeric and history plot readouts for integrated, short-term and momentary loudness. Guitar De-noise aids in the removal of unintended sounds like electrical amp noise, string squeaks and the like.

All three versions now sport a 32 audio tab limit, and have the addition of horizontal scrolling built into the Spectrogram Display. Additionally, the Music Rebalance and Batch Processor features in both Advanced and Standard have been updated.

Wow & Flutter Module

iZotope has also released RX Post Production Suite 5, which includes RX 8 Advanced, Dialogue Match, Neutron 3 Advanced, Nectar 3 (with Melodyne 5 essential), Insight 2, RX Loudness Control, Relay, Symphony 3D and Stratus 3D by Exponential Audio, and Tonal Balance Control 2, plus a one year all-access pass to Groove 3, a video training tool.

Additionally, the company announced that Music Production Suite 4 will ship this fall, which will include RX 8 Standard, Ozone 9 Advanced, Neutron 3 Advanced, Nectar 3 (with Melodyne 5 essential), Insight 2, NIMBUS by Exponential Audio, and Tonal Balance Control 2. Those that have purchased Music Production Suite 3 after Sept. 2, 2020 will receive a free upgrade to Music Production Suite 4.

All three versions of RX 8 are being released with reduced introductory pricing — Elements ($99); Standard ($299); and Advanced ($999). RX Post Production Suite 5 has an introductory price of $1,499.

Info: www.izotope.com

 

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The author is with Griffin Communications in Oklahoma City, Okla.

I saw Mark Persons’ two articles this year on “Best Practices for AM Directional Systems.”

I too have used silicone to lubricate contactors, but I found over the years that often it collected dirt and dust in the contacts and sometimes just didn’t seem to really fix the issue with sluggish contactors.

I was able to fix a particularly troublesome contactor by switching to a dry lubricant using graphite because it wouldn’t get “gummy” over time.

WD40, CRC and Blaster offer aerosol delivery of graphite dry lube. It delivers via liquid and then evaporates, leaving the dry lubricant behind.

Submit letters to the editor at radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

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Stan Walbert

Stan Walbert is CEO and marketing director of MultiCAM Systems. The company uses an AI algorithm to choose the best video camera presets based on who is speaking, then emulates how a human operator would switch. A longer version of this appeared in the Radio World ebook “AI Comes to Radio.”

Radio World: What does the term “artificial intelligence” mean for your company and its products for the radio market?

Stan Walbert: Radio stations are now considering themselves as “content creators,” and they need to be able to deliver content in the most interesting form for their audience. Nowadays that means video first, in an increasing number of cases.

Since people don’t have the resources to do everything by themselves, they need to rely on AI to help create natural-looking video that engages the audience. The AI must act as a human would do to make the content interesting. The shots must look natural. What stations really need to avoid is setting up something that is boring with very few shot angles, or something where the shots are jerky in movement.

[Related: “AI Will Help the Industry Reinvent Itself”]

There is a big difference between dummy algorithms, macros and scripts, and AI. AI is the only one that can provide videos that make the show look natural. When you watch stations that use MultiCAM to create their visual experience, you will find you end up focusing on the video content and not the fact that it is “video for radio.” That is because of the AI, because it helps the station create something that you would normally need an entire camera crew and director to create.

Our stations are content creators, no matter what format they are providing. This technology gives radio stations a major “assist” into extremely well-produced video content.

RW: How is this different from other products or technologies on the market?

Walbert: There is no other product that uses AI for visual radio. MultiCAM is the only company that uses AI for visual radio. Our AI reproduces what directors are doing when they produce live videos. This is based on our experience of being in broadcast production for over 10 years; that is how we came up with the AI for this.

RW: Give an example of how the use of this AI changes the workflow for a typical user of your products.

Walbert: With MultiCAM radio, you can create entire programs without additional staff needing to be involved in any of the day-to-day workflow. This is groundbreaking technology because it allows radio stations to compete for content creation in both video and audio areas. In the past without our technology, there may have been a static camera shot or a few camera movements. The novelty of that wears off quickly.

In my opinion, what we are producing with automated almost works better than someone being there could. The reason for this is that AI allows the cameras to respond immediately; and frankly, no human could keep up with that. AI allows the station to avoid what we call “Aquarium visual radio.” This is where it is a static shot.

RW: Describe the development process.

Walbert: We spent a lot of time thinking about how we ourselves did this in our production work. For example, we would never as humans pick two shots with the same angle to follow each other. We emulated the rhythm of how a director would act, and we implemented that. We studied this extensively because we ourselves are from the broadcast production background, so we have looked at how these shots are made. We combined that with our knowledge of robotics and automation.

We are at the very beginning of where this technology can take this industry.

The post How AI Helps Create Natural-Looking Video appeared first on Radio World.

Broadcast Bionics Camera One is a new visualization system that the company says will enable radio stations to quickly and easily create live video streams and shareable video clips at an affordable price.

Camera One uses an HTML5 browser interface for setup and operation It offers automated camera switching, graphic generation, recording, streaming and sharing. Automated camera switching is governed with an algorithm that follows conversation.

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

Graphics can be created automatically from social media messages, album art, and RSS feeds for news, travel and weather. Live streaming can be provided to YouTube Live, Facebook Live and Periscope.

The Camera One application runs on a PC or Virtual Machine, is easy to install, easy to maintain and extremely powerful to use. It is compatible with Blackmagic ATEM Mini (4 Cameras) and ATEM Television Studio (8 Cameras) Switchers.

Info: www.bionics.co.uk

 

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Codec maker Tieline is pointing to new FTP features for its ViA IP codec/recorder.

The company says that ViA can simultaneously record and play back audio files so that users can create a podcast on the go while live at a remote, or record a post-game show, including post-game interviews and sponsor messages. All in the field without entering or contacting the home studio, Tieline says.

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

The ViA has an onboard SD card for recording and storing prerecorded segments, clips, music and more. It also has an onboard mixer.

The onboard FTP allows for direct uploading of recorded material straight to the studio or transmission hub.

Info: www.tieline.com

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The IP-4c from 2wcom is a four-channel rackmount codec.

With multiple channels it can feed more targets than the typical two-channel codec. According to 2wcom besides a standard codec it can be a streaming/transcoding encoder working with new media targets such as a CDN; aid FM or web streaming; and a gateway for DVB transport with cable or satellite distribution. It can operate in unicast, multiple unicast or multicast modes.

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

It supports major digital protocols such as AES67, Dante, Ravenna, WheatNet and Livewire+. Error correction schemes include Pro MPEG and streaming redundancy along with audio failover options.

For operation and transcoding G.711, G.722, MPEG1 Layer 2, MPEG2 Layer 3, AAC-ELDv2, Opus, Ogg Vorbis, PCM, Enhanced aptX are onboard. xHE-AAC and Dolby E and Digital plus are optional.

Program synchronization is achieved with synchronization is achievable by NTP, PTPv2 (Precision Time Protocol) and 1PPS (1 Pulse Per Second).

The IP-4c can be remotely operated with a web interface. There is also a server software version for cloud networking operation. An FM tuner option is available for monitoring signal functions.

Info: www.2wcom.com

 

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Antonio Guterres

As the United Nations celebrates its 75th anniversary, it is important to hail the critical role that radio continues to play towards the achievement of sustainable development especially in Africa.

Indeed, radio in Africa is doing outstanding job of keeping people informed and engaged in different aspects of life including governance, development, social integration and peace.

Radio has been important in the implementation of a new set of global goals — Sustainable Development Goals that world leaders adopted in September 2015 at the United Nations General Assembly. These SDGs establish the framework for joint global action on poverty, inequality and climate change until 2030.

[Read: Africa’s Youth Making Waves on Radio]

Use of radio in the implementation of SDGs has improved engagement of people and different actors, and hastened the attainment of the goals.

In his message to mark the World Radio Day this year, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres recognized radio as a powerful communication tool and low-cost medium that has played an important role in efforts to promote development and peace.

“Even in today’s world of digital communications, radio reaches more people than any other media platform, conveys vital information and raises awareness on important issues” the U.N. chief said, adding that “As we strive to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, radio has a key role to play as a source of information and inspiration alike.”

Different studies show that radio is still the dominant mass medium in Africa with the widest geographical coverage and highest audience. At present, African’s news and information-seeking behavior seem to depend mainly on radio.

Indisputably, radio remains a major source of news and entertainment in Africa. Over the years, radio has proven itself as a developmental tool, particularly with the rise of community and local radio outlets that broadcast content that is popular and relevant to the listeners.

Radio is important for people in Africa. In some cases, radio broadcasting provides a vital lifeline — broadcasting news and new ideas and transmits essential information into people’s homes, villages, schools, hospitals and workplaces among others.

One of the best examples of how radio has been used especially for peace building is the Democratic Republic of Congo. The second-largest country in Africa had been mired in conflict for decades and is still recovering but thanks to efforts from different actors including a United Nations peacekeeping missions radio station that has been offering vital information about peace and development, the future is brighter.

Radio Okapi has millions of listeners and is widely credited for having helped unify the country, smoothing the political transition, and contributing substantially to citizens’ participation in elections and peace processes.

In this time of coronavirus crisis, Okapi has been providing education via radio — on-air classes aimed for the 22 million children stranded at home because of COVID-19.

As the UNICEF Representative in DRC Edouard Beigbeder noted and it is true, education is a right and a child’s place is in school so distance learning like what Radio Okapi is providing offers students the opportunity to enjoy this right.

In other parts Africa, radio programs have become an effective tool to help fight extreme poverty. Radio is used creatively for anything from education to campaigning to community building. It is a low-cost way to relay information to remote communities and vulnerable people.

In Mali community radio stations have been useful in efforts to enhance life in poor regions. Radio Daande Douentza, serving a semi-arid region where most of the population consists of poor farmers or herders, broadcasts and transmits announcements of development issues, education and community news along with entertainment.

According to Save the Children Fund, before Radio Douentza’s launch a mere 6% of the local farmers were marking trees and managing naturally occurring harvest varieties. Since the establishment of agricultural programming, that figure has climbed to 44% among the same group of farmers. Furthermore, radio announcements helped to bring about an increase in enrollment in literacy courses by 120%.

Tanzania has one of the most vibrant media landscapes. Radios has proved to be effective in providing access to developmental information, especially to the majority of the population who are not connected to the electric grid, those who do not own televisions, or those who lack access to mobile phones.

Community radio broadcasters like Lake FM, Hits FM, Ice FM and Mkoani FM provide opportunities for more inclusive sustainable development. They inform people about what is going on in their community and in the world.

Similarly, radio is still the most popular source of news and information in Zimbabwe, especially in rural areas. According to Media Institute of Southern Africa in Zimbabwe, radio serves as a convenient information-sharing platform that is more popular and easily accessible than other media.

Public, commercial and community broadcasting are all important because they can serve different audiences and needs. However, community radio stations are still to be licensed and legally recognized in Zimbabwe — there is strong case being made — for the licensing of community radio stations, to ensure that marginalized communities are effectively included in national conversations that take place on national publicly owned radio stations such as Radio Zimbabwe, Classic FM, Power FM, and National FM.

In Togo, where the media industry has been experiencing a boom since the 1990s, local radio stations have continued to be a powerful means of communication, particularly to smallholder farmers located in remote rural places.

In Benin, radio access has improved educational performance and literacy. Radio access, studies found, has a substantial effect on children’s educational performance. The literacy scores of school going children are significantly higher in villages with greater access to community radio.

Radio can enhance accountability and public provision. Citizens who are more informed about the benefits of public policies could use this knowledge to demand greater benefits from government. Greater radio access increases household exposure to information and about government provisions — the exposure potentially increases citizens demand for government services.

A key feature of media markets in northern Benin is the proliferation of community radio stations. These stations were established with the support of private and government donors to promote democracy and local collective action.

In Malawi, most people rely on radio as their primary source of news because they do not have access to television or newspapers. As such, radio has played a critical role in educating and informing rural communities across the country.

Also, radio stations like Nkhotakota and Mzimba have improved governance and development in Malawi. Radio programs have been instrumental in raising ordinary people’s awareness to existing problems and influencing them to do something about their situation.

As Canadian Journalists for Free Expression has remarked, radio continues to be a widely used medium for reporting both local and international news. Advances in technology may have led to the emergence of a broad range of media outlets and platforms, but it has also made the radio more accessible for populations that lack access to other means of information technology, which is why it is still very much relevant today.

Radio broadcasts can provide real-time information, 24 hours a day to provide the most recent updates to listeners. Stations have the ability to reach across borders and become a source of information where reliable news is scarce. When access to the internet is blocked and phone lines are cut, people can still search the airwaves for trustworthy sources. Even electricity is not a necessity with battery operated and hand-cranked radios available.

Radio is a vital lifeline for many people and it is integral to development. It is one of the most important channels through which people in Africa find information, knowledge and new ideas — imagine and solve problems.

Raphael Obonyo is a public policy analyst. He has served as a consultant with the United Nations and the World Bank. Also, he’s a writer and widely published in Africa and beyond. An alumnus of Duke University, he has authored and coauthored numerous books, including Conversations about the Youth in Kenya. Obonyo is a TEDx fellow and has won various awards.

 

The post Radio Promotes Development in Africa appeared first on Radio World.

Chris Gamelin

The Society of Broadcast Engineers’ Ennes Educational Foundation Trust has awarded five scholarships for 2020. The recipients were chosen from applications received by July 1, 2020, from the previous 12 months.

The Harold E. Ennes Scholarship, Robert D. Greenberg Scholarship, John H. Battison Founder’s Scholarship and newly created Gino Ricciardelli Scholarship are awarded to individuals interested in pursuing or continuing an education in broadcast engineering and technology. The Youth Scholarship is specifically for a graduating high school senior interested in broadcast engineering as a career. Each scholarship awarded this year is for $2,500.

[Read: Wayne Pecena Re-Elected SBE President]

SBE President Wayne Pecena, CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD, DRB, CBNE, said, “The SBE has an ongoing focus on education, and the Ennes Scholarships are yet another piece of the overall education effort. We look forward to seeing the great progress of these five budding engineers as they further their education goals with the assistance of the Ennes Educational Foundation Trust.”

Recipients of the scholarships are:

• Harold E. Ennes Scholarship — Chris Gamelin of Middletown, Conn.;
• Robert D. Greenberg Scholarship — Jon Sanelli of Albertson, N.Y.;
• John H. Battison SBE Founder’s Scholarship — Ismail Otu, CRO, CTO, Charlotte, N.C.;
• Gino Ricciardelli Scholarship — Sadie Levy, New York.;
• Youth Scholarship — Isaiah Dickson, Brookhaven, Pa.

 

The post SBE’s Ennes Educational Foundation Announces Five Scholarship Recipients appeared first on Radio World.

CallMe diRECt from Vortex Communications connects shows to guests and remote contributors by simply sending a link from a web browser to them, letting a user record both ends of a live interview in lossless quality for later editing.

Even when network conditions are poor guest audio will be recorded reliably in the browser and uploaded for use in the background in near real-time. All audio is end-to-end encrypted and never stored in the cloud securely offering the simplicity of a live call with the reliability of local recording, the company says.

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

It is available as an add-on for CallMe Click-&-Connect cloud codec that puts guests, contributors and reporters live on air by connecting them to a studio IP audio codec without the need for them to have special hardware or software. The guest clicks on the station’s branded CallMe page and connects with stable 15 kHz live two-way audio, accessible through their web browser.

For those who cannot afford a full-blown IP codec, CallMe-T is Vortex’s low-cost hardware IP codec with Quick-Dials for easy connection and SmartStream for multiple-destination simultaneous connectivity.

CallMe-T is compatible with most IP audio codecs. It has balanced stereo plus USB audio for connecting a USB headset or mixer making it ideal as a back-end for CallMe Click-&-Connect, for home studio use and as an add-on for the huge installed base of ISDN mixers for use over IP.

Info: www.vtx.uk

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Bob Houghton

All hail to the Georgia Association of Broadcasters for its program to salute dedicated engineers in the state.

Here at Radio World, we celebrate efforts to elevate awareness of the role of our industry engineers. One such program is the GAB’s Angelo Ditty–Frank McLemore Award. Nominations are now open.

I wanted to learn more about it so I reached out to Bob Houghton, president of the association.

“In 2012, the state of Georgia revised the state Emergency Alert System plan,” he said.

“The GAB worked closely with the state on this project and received tremendous support from four engineers. Later that year the GAB decided to honor those four at the annual GAB convention, GABCON.”

From then on, engineers have been honored every year.

It was named the Angelo Ditty Engineering Award after the association’s longtime ABIP Inspector. Then, “In 2016, our much respected and beloved ABIP Inspector, Frank McLemore was killed in an automobile accident.” Now the name honors both.

“The great part about this award is that the recipients are nominated by their peers,” Houghton told me. “This could be other engineers, station management or on-air- talent.” Recipients are selected by the GAB board.

This year’s GABCON will be virtual. Send nominations for the engineering award to mlewis@gab.org by the end of September.

Criteria include dedication, professionalism and willingness to help other engineers.

“Engineers are often the unsung heroes of the broadcast industry,” Houghton said. “Most people don’t realize what all goes on behind the scenes to keep a newsroom running and to get content on the air. This literally could not happen without the minds and talent of broadcasting engineers. They are a very active and close-knit community as well.”

Nominations are invited; email mlewis@gab.org by the end of this month. Qualified nominees must have 20 or more years as a broadcast engineer, with the majority of that time spent in Georgia. The awards will be presented in October during the GAB’s Virtual GABBY Awards.

While I had him, I asked Houghton how Georgia stations are doing at coping with the pandemic, and working to get back to some kind of normal operations.

“Since broadcasting is an essential industry, it’s been very important that all of our stations stay on the air in times of crisis,” he replied. Local radio and television often provide crucial, life-saving information to members of their community.

“While it’s true that revenue is down, morale remains high. Local broadcasting continues to donate PSA airtime while raising money and building awareness to our communities. We are so proud of the ways our stations have overcome challenges and established new ways of communicating with their audiences.”

The association asks that you check the list of past winners first; the list is below.

Recipients of the GAB Angelo Ditty–Frank McLemore Award

2013

Dick Boekeloo

Robert Butler

Daniel L. Davis

Frank McLemore

2014

Marty Foglia

Michael Lawing

2015

David Williams

Jeff Brock

 

2016

LaVaughn Thompson

Randy Mullinax

Perley Eppley

2017

Bill Williams

Stu Graham

Knox Carreker

2018

John York

Dick Byrd

Vic Lester

2019

James Gay

Tom Giglio

Bob Helbush

The post The Story Behind GAB’s Ditty–McLemore Award appeared first on Radio World.

The author is regional director of engineering for Curtis Media.

NEW BERN, N.C. — Hurricanes are common occurrences in the Carolinas at this time of year.

Two years ago, a big one even by Carolina standards hit. Water from the Neuse River spilled into Curtis Media’s facility in New Bern, depositing 36 inches inside our studios. The consoles, the equipment, the furniture, all the wiring was completely awash in soot, debris and floodwater pushed inland by Hurricane Florence. Even the backup generator was lost to the flood.

Then the water receded and the real nightmare began.

 

The entire building four feet up needed to be stripped to the studs and miles of wiring needed to come out.

Very little was salvageable, except the server containing music and automation that I had placed high on a shelf as an afterthought some time ago.

I set up folding tables along the facility’s only concrete wall, found a generator nearby and grabbed a few spare consoles from the Wheatstone plant a few miles inland. These temporary arrangements would keep WMGV(FM) 103.3 MHz, WIKS(FM) 101.9 MHz, WSFL(FM) 106.5 MHz and WXNR(FM) 99.5 MHz The New Hot 99.5 afloat. I then began to plan new studios.

I quickly realized that we didn’t have the manpower to replicate the studios even if we wanted to. The wiring for our analog studios alone would have taken weeks. Getting contractors in and scheduled to do the work when others were also dealing with their own cleanup and renovation after Hurricane Florence was another problem.

All of this convinced us to go with ready-made Quickline furniture for the three production rooms and four on-air studios. Quickline is made by Wheatstone and is extremely modular. There are essentially five modular components that can be configured 32 different ways. Plus, because it’s built by a broadcast equipment manufacturer, it has things like removable rear access doors and adequate rack space.

We dropped into the furniture Wheatstone’s IP-12 control surface with mixing engine, M4IP-USB mic processor Blades and a VoxPro audio recorder/editor for seven studios, all identical. I had to rewire the entire building, but when it came to the studios, all I had to do was run shielded Cat-5 and a patch panel.

Within no time, the studios had new furniture, new boards and new routing, and they were fully functional.

I don’t expect to have to repeat the process anytime soon. But we do keep an eye on the weather around here.

Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.

For information, contact Jay Tyler at Wheatstone in North Carolina 1-252-639-7000 or visit www.wheatstone.com.

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Studio console-maker AMS Neve has unveiled its latest console, the Neve 8424, a small-format desk based on the 80-series console range that is being aimed at project studios, educational facilities and small pro audios.

Intended for hybrid studios centered around an in-the-box workflow, the desk provides a center point between analog tools such as outboard gear, analog synths and the like, and the digital world of DAW workflows, software plugins and session recall.

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

The 8424’s dual-input channel strip allows for switching between recording and mixing inputs without additional patching, providing connectivity via 24 line-level inputs, dual 1073 preamps, and dual instrument DI channels, allowing users to record directly in the control room. The desk sports a dual cue mix system with talkback/return talkback capability and dual headphone amplifiers.

As an analog mixing platform, the 8424 offers 24 DAW returns across 24 channel faders or, for larger DAW sessions, a 48-Mix mode that allows a total of 48 mono inputs with individual level and pan controls to be mixed through the 8424’s Marinair transformer-coupled stereo mix bus. Engineers can use the 8424’s mono and stereo aux busses to connect to outboard FX units and route them back into the console’s two dedicated stereo reverb returns. Also onboard are four mono groups with two-band shelving EQ, inserts, and direct outs. The 8424 has an onboard recall system, allowing the console to save, load, and recall all settings, faders and pot positions for on a session by session basis.

Harkening back to the Neve 80-series console of years past, the 8424 stereo mix bus provides true voltage mixing into Marinair transformers, while additional features such as stereo insert, two-band shelving EQ and Neve’s proprietary Stereo Width control give users additional tools with which to work.

Each channel, group and stereo mix bus has its own switchable insert point, while dual onboard 500 series slots allow engineers to customize their signal chain and build a modular hybrid recording system, all connected and centralized through the 8424 console.

The Neve 8424 console is shipping, with an MSRP of $24,950.

Info: www.ams-neve.com

 

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Hunt down potential points of failure in your station’s power provision. Rethink how entertainment content gets to the car. Track EAS across your state. Plus a story about diversity in radio engineering and a special facility profile

Read it online here.

Prefer to do your reading offline? No problem! Simply click on the digital edition, go to the left corner and choose the download button to get a PDF version.

Radio Hiring

Blacks Are Few in U.S. Radio Engineering

We reached out to a number of African-American technical professionals who hold positions in radio and allied businesses to ask about their experiences in their engineering careers.

Facility Profile

They Built New Studios During COVID

Come inside Bonneville’s open-concept, interactive, AoIP broadcast facility in Daly City, Calif.

Also in this issue:

• How Alabama Monitors the EAS System
• Inside “Overheard at National Geographic”
• Don’t Dump on WWV (and Other Letters)

 

The post Inside the September 3 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

A new survey by iHeartMedia revealed that when it comes to the issue of trust, radio continues to rank among the most trustworthy media platforms around.

The new survey revealed that radio is ranked number one in terms of trust. Not only that, but radio was ranked by the respondents to be two times more trustworthy than social media.

[Read: New Audio Campaign Aims to Reinforce Radio’s Role as Trusted Partner]

The survey said that listeners found radio to be 79% more or just as trustworthy versus a year ago. Comparatively, social media was seen to be 50% less trustworthy than during the same time period. Similar sentiments were in store for other social media sites. In particular, the survey found that sentiment for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter has fallen in recent months, with Facebook down 56%, Instagram down 38% and Twitter down 140%.

When it comes specifically to trust the survey revealed that:

• 75% of those surveyed trust radio
• 66% of those surveyed trust television
• 57% of those surveyed trust websites
• 38% of those surveyed trust Twitter
• 37% of those surveyed trust Facebook

The survey also revealed that listeners believe that radio delivers tangible benefits to them, with an overwhelming majority of respondents citing that it improves their mood, helps them feel less isolated and allows them to feel more connected to their community. The survey revealed that listener connection with radio personalities is strong, with 77% saying that they trusting the information they receive from their favorite on-air hosts.

When it comes to advertising, the survey revealed that heavy radio listeners wield significant word-of-mouth power for advertisers. Those listeners had more brand conversations and more influence, the survey found, than heavy internet users or TV viewers.

According to Gayle Troberman, chief marketing officer for iHeartMedia, the pandemic has made it more important than ever for Americans to get information they trust and to find ways to connect with people. “These findings show that radio continues to deliver a much-needed and sought-out trusted companionship during this historic and uncertain time,” she said.

The survey was conducted by Engagement Labs during the timeframe of July 27–29. The findings released by iHeartMedia also include data from Engagement Labs TotalSocial survey, which was fielded between July 2019 and July 2020.

 

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Kent Cornish

The Sunflower State will recognize five individuals who represent the best that Kansas broadcasting has to offer.

The Kansas Association of Broadcasters will induct three new members into its hall of fame. That list includes Kent Cornish, who has served for more than 40 years as a Kansas broadcaster. Starting as an intern at WIBW(TV) in Topeka in 1975, Kent served as a news anchor, assistant news director and operations manager at WIBW for 12 years, as general manager for 10 years at KTKA(TV) in Topeka, and then spent seven years at KSAS/KMTW(TV) in Wichita. He served as president of the National Alliance of State Broadcast Associations in 2015 and will conclude his career later this year as president of the KAB.

Don Hall

A posthumous induction will honor “Dancin’ Don Hall,” an energetic radio personality who spent nearly 45 years on air in Wichita before he lost his life in an auto accident this past spring. Don began his career at KSEK(FM) in Pittsburgh while in college. He spent two years at KWBW(AM/FM) in Hutchinson, before moving to KEYN(FM) in 1974. He later joined Clear Channel Radio in Wichita before returning to KEYN in 2009. For 36 years Don served as the PA announcer for Wichita State Basketball and in 2019 was inducted into the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame.

Ralph Titus

Another posthumous induction will be made to Ralph Titus, well-known by many in Kansas as the “Voice of Kansas State University” for nearly 40 years. Ralph helped establish KSAC(AM)/KKSU(AM) radio as one of the premiere university-owned stations in the country. Ralph, a 1955 graduate of Kansas State, worked at KSAC during the four years he was a student. After serving in the Air Force, he had news and public affairs stints at WIBW(AM/TV) and KWTV(TV) in Oklahoma City. He returned to Manhattan, Kan., in 1961 as assistant manager and program director at KSAC. Ralph was instrumental in helping to develop the programming format for National Public Radio, which started in 1976. At KSAC/KKSU he was known by listeners for his erudite style and love for the arts. He is remembered for the many interviews he conducted with U.S. presidents, world leaders and listeners across the state of Kansas. Ralph retired as manager of KKSU in 1994. He passed away in October 2018.

KAB is also honoring two other Kansas broadcasting professionals.

Amy Jo Williams-Wintz

Amy Jo Williams-Wintz — known as AJ to many — has been a KWCH(TV) sales rep in Hutchinson for 23 years. In addition to her role in advertising sales, AJ serves as a marketing consultant, able to advise her clients on all aspects of their business. Over the years AJ has given back to her community by volunteering her time and marketing talents to local schools, colleges, various non-profits, organizations and businesses in the communities where she has resided. She will be honored with the Mike Oatman Award For Broadcast Sales Excellence.

Working behind the scenes in Topeka television for more than 40 years, Bob Thibault is being honored

Bob Thibault

with the Sonny Slater Award for Service to Community and Station. Bob is currently the managing editor at the television stations KSNT/KTMJ/KTKA in Topeka and has served in several capacities in his 20-plus years there. Prior to his current position, he worked at WIBW(TV) for nearly 15 years as a photographer, producer and assignment editor. He’s a lifelong Kansan and a graduate of Colby Community Junior College and Fort Hays State University.

Due to the cancellation of the 2020 KAB convention, these honorees will be honored in person at the 2021 award ceremony.

 

The post Kansas Broadcasting to Honor Its Own appeared first on Radio World.

Entercom is taking another step toward automotive connectivity as it joins forces with an interactive technology manufacturer to integrate the Radio.com platform into a fleet of connected rental vehicles.

Entercom said its Radio.com audio platform will be made available through the Avis Budget Group Travel Assistant developed by Edison Interactive. Radio.com, a broadcast and internet platform that serves as the digital home for Entercom’s content across its stations and affiliates, was launched 10 years ago by CBS Radio and is now owned by Entercom.

This new platform by Edison will offer rental car customers a digital experience that includes talk and text capabilities, streaming media apps, media and gaming applications as well as audio through Radio.com. The Travel Assistant will be available to rent at locations throughout the U.S. and in Canada.

[Read: Entercom Places Radio.com Native App in GM Vehicles]

The goal, said Entercom and Edison, is to effectively digitally captivate customers from the beginning to the end of their rental car journey. For Entercom, partnering with Edison gives the media company the ability to further expand the reach of its audio content on a local and national scale as it attempts to redefine what a connected vehicle listening experience looks like.

“We want our listeners to be able stay connected to their favorite stations and podcasts regardless of the type of vehicle they may be in,” said David Rosenbloom, vice president of Corporate Business Development at Entercom. “We are excited to reach customers out of home in new and exciting ways in the transportation landscape.”

The radio industry has long been experimenting with different ways to heighten the customer automobile experience by connecting drivers to premium audio content. Recently Entercom launched its first native automotive application on nearly 7 million General Motors vehicles. Drivers with compatible vehicles will be able to access the Radio.com digital audio and content platform beginning Sept. 15.

Rosenbloom said this new native auto application will give drivers another way to connect with stations and talent “regardless of the market they live in.”

In addition to its Travel Assistant, Edison has also stepped into another four-wheel vehicle (the golf cart) with Shark Experience, a connected platform built into more than 23,000 golf carts across the U.S.

“We are heavily invested to develop solutions that amplify the customer experience,” said Jeremy Ostermiller, CEO of Edison Interactive. “By integrating Radio.com into our connected vehicle platform, we not only give end-users unprecedented access to hundreds of stations and thousands of podcasts, but they can also now enjoy the music and personalities they love.”

 

The post Entercom’s Radio.com Platform to Be Integrated in Expanded Range of Vehicles appeared first on Radio World.

An image of the sun in space. Stock photo Getty Images/fotojog

James Careless’ article in the Aug. 19 issue of Radio World about WWV and the MARS system being a last line of defense in case of another Carrington event was interesting and useful.

However, it should be pointed out that many of us have already lived through a Carrington-event-sized solar flare.

In August of 1972 there were a number of large flares that caused severe geomagnetic storms, causing AM station engineers to wonder what was causing their spark gaps to arc over seemingly at random.

The geomagnetic disturbance was enough to set off magnetic mines in Haiphong harbor, much to the dismay of the U.S. Navy. Auroras were seen as far south as Spain and there were serious ground fault currents generated in telephone and power distribution systems. Phone lines went out and power line protective relays tripped.

There have been some debates about what the actual strength of the Carrington event was, but the 1972 solar storm was in the same basic order of magnitude and was sufficiently well-measured to be a useful reference for people preparing for solar storms today.

Send Letters to the Editor to radioworld@futurenet.com.

Read more opinions n the Radio World Columns & Views section of the RW website.

The post Letter: We Already Had a Carrington-Style Event appeared first on Radio World.

Key players in the project, from left: James Jenkins, principal of GCI; Tom Frank, superintendent of GCI; Jason Ornellas, project manager for Bonneville; Darrell Brown, president of Bonneville International; Chuck Bullett, director of engineering, Bonneville San Francisco; Kurt Kerns, principal of V-Three Studios; and Kyle Larson, project manager at GCI.

Bonneville International Corp. currently operates 22 radio stations, four of which are now broadcasting from its new facility in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Bonneville Bay Area consists of four FM radio stations, each of which holds a special place in the community. They are 96.5 KOIT, 99.7 NOW, KBLX 102.9 and 98.5 KFOX.

Building a brand-new facility during COVID-19 is one for the books. Bonneville has since debuted this new open concept, fully interactive, audio over IP broadcast media plant in Daly City, Calif.

It is a showcase, with high-quality construction, from the beautiful design in architecture to the technology deployment of Bonneville’s engineering team.

While this move from the SOMA District meant no more penthouse views of downtown San Francisco, we left behind a dated facility and layout. The new design was well thought out prior to construction and creates an experience for our listeners and clients, as well as a collaborative space for our employees.

Blank canvas

At the start of the project, the new suite, formerly used by Avid Technology, still had edit bays but the rest of the existing space was completely gutted back to concrete.

We brought in V-Three Studios as the design and architects to create our vision on a blank canvas. V-Three Studios specializes in spaces that meet technical and functional demands while maximizing aesthetic appeal and respecting environmental and civic contexts and achieving their client’s unique goals.

Our contractor GCI Inc. is a premier Bay Area commercial general contracting firm specializing in building and site renovation, infrastructure, labs and tenant improvement with a focus on sustainability and LEED.

Bonneville’s construction and design team was led by Scott Jones, senior VP of engineering and technology (corporate); Carl Gardner, SVP and market manager for San Francisco; Chuck Bullett, director of engineering for the market; and myself, the director of engineering for Bonneville Sacramento.

I was tasked as the project manager to oversee the cutting-edge renovation of a floor in an existing building in the Daly City area, as well as the integration.

Having worked with all the vendors in the past on numerous other projects made for a smooth transition from San Francisco to Daly City, given the circumstances Bonneville was up against.

The new 18,000-square-foot facility is exactly what Bonneville was looking to achieve with a high-tech performance space, a multipurpose break room, a roof deck and the latest technology and digital integration for both broadcast and employee workspaces.

Scalloped positions and outside greenery make the talent more comfortable at 96.5 KOIT.

Beyond the visual elements throughout the suite, with both graphics and branding on video displays, the work area for non-programming employees features flexible seating arrangements known as a huddle space, as well as a mesh corporate Wi-Fi network to allow seamless flexibility. Studios were assembled in record time and the office furniture delivery and assembly went off without a hitch.

“In recent years, we have had numerous studio projects with Bonneville San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Sacramento and Seattle in 2011,” said David Holland, the chief design officer at Omnirax.

“This project really was the confluence of the dream team — V-Three Studios and Bonneville Construction Team — and everyone involved was committed to make this facility a showplace collaboration. Scott visited Omnirax a couple of years ago at our showroom in Sausalito. Seeing our curved open plan and private office furniture, he immediately ‘got’ what we have been doing with our WeDesk line. This provided the entrée to allow Omnirax to bid on and then furnish the entire facility for Bonneville.”

Natural wood, neutral colors

As guests enter the facility, views of a “showcase” on-air studio for 99.7 NOW greet them, as well as a display of the technical operation center for which engineering is responsible.

A gorgeous first impression. Visitors are greeted with views of the Technical Operations Center, right, and a showcase air studio for 99.7 NOW.

Also visible from the lobby is a performance space fitted with a stage and truss with lighting, a sound system, a movable front-of-house station, and adjacent audio and video control rooms. This gives visitors a sense of what goes into making modern day media and shows off the new digs.

The performance space and adjacent audio and video control rooms.

Glass blankets the suite to allow natural light throughout, and the interior is set against the exposed concrete floors and finished with natural woods. A neutral color scheme was designed to enhance the LED cloud lighting for color to flow throughout ceiling grid of the suite.

The enhanced finishes, flow, continuity and efficiency now rival that of any modern office and multimedia facility.

“This facility is built for the future, with its planned flexibility in the technology infrastructure and the office/studio environments,” said Kurt Kerns, principal at V-Three Studios, LLC.

“As the broadcast industry continues to evolve in the digital age, the facility will be ready to adapt to the changing needs of the business model.”

Moving away from traditional office design and having less square footage, the open office layout dramatically improves the openness and visibility of the facility with a focus of huddle areas to promote collaboration and inter-department interaction.

End of May or Bust

Completion had been targeted for spring, with business commencing on April 13. Then the world got hit with a pandemic.

The project had been proceeding seamlessly and on schedule when the virus hit, right after delivery of the studio furniture. The project was just three weeks away from completion when lockdown went into place. A waiting game began for of all parties trying to find a solution to proceed cautiously.

Bonneville faced an additional challenge of its lease ending at its prior facility, which needed to be fully demised by the end of May.

The company was prepared to reopen the job site and resume construction with multiple shifts, subject to GCI’s site-specific plan for COVID-19 prevention and remediation. Kudos to GCI for a detailed plan and a full decontamination team to sanitize the site before remobilizing.

As GCI got back on site, we saw requirements for more additional notification, site signage and other added protocols. GCI’s safety and field teams, along with the industrial hygienist, walked the site with no indications that there would be any problems.

Visual inspections and site practice demonstrations went extremely well. They went through every process of the competent person training, site deliveries, subcontractor management and work procedures. Bonneville had a team of engineers from Salt Lake City, Seattle and Sacramento, waiting to fulfill the integration needs.

It is a testament to the trust amongst all the stakeholders, including GCI, that all were all able to weather the extended break and resume the project once the authorities deemed it safe to return to work.

AOIP Flexibility

The team of Bonneville engineers built 11 studios, four on air, with adjacent support rooms, a main production studio, and two voice-tracking booths.

This studio serves KFOX. All four on-air studios feature Wheatstone LXE consoles; and the workflow relies on RCS G Selector and Zetta for music playout and scheduling.

The backbone of Bonneville Bay Area now runs off Wheatstone, with its WheatNet-IP architecture, allowing any studio to be utilized for any function of the business. All four on-air studios feature the LXE consoles, and the eight production, support and voice tracking booths are equipped with L-8 consoles.

Various flavors of I/O WheatNet Blades plus multiple M4 and M1 microphone processors, Yellowtec mounting systems, KRK Rokit 7 Gen 4 monitors, and Telos VX enterprise studio phone system round out the broadcast infrastructure.

Also, during this transition, the cluster had an automation transition to throw into the mix. Bonneville has committed to RCS as a standard for all markets, utilizing both G Selector and Zetta to handle the music playout and scheduling functions. The Field Tech Services team of RCS did a lot of work prior to arriving for the cutover and made it a smooth transition as the stations began to operate from their new spaces.

Station branding is integrated into the design. The studios are inside DC Station on Junipero Serra Boulevard, a nine-story, multi-tenant LEED-EB Silver office tower with bay hill views.

The Technical Operation Center at the previous facility housed 30 racks, and our new space has 14. We went with in-line CRAC (computer room air conditioning) units with an HVAC unit in each row creating a hot/cold aisle like a data center. A great amount of thought went into rack placement and layout, with a standard of color-coded cables all leading into a master patch panel that interconnects the whole facility, making it extremely versatile.

Closer view of the Technical Operations Center

Bonneville wanted the glass-enclosed TOC to be on display with all the lights and meters visible from the lobby as people enter the suite. Bonneville’s integration team of engineers moved into the TOC and studios to receive and rack equipment and begun cabling the space from start to finish in record time.

Unified Look

The result of this collaborative design effort is a space that has a unified look that extends from reception, studios and conference spaces, out to groups of open-plan desks and private offices. We are excited to put this facility on display and ready to have it filled with our employees as soon as it is safe to do so.

“The leadership team at Bonneville dedicated a serious amount of time to work with V-Three Studios in the planning stage of the project,” said Kurt Kerns of V-Three. “That kind of early input makes for a well thought out facility and minimizes the potential damage further down the road while building such a complex technical facility.”

102.9 KBLX. Note station logos on cabinetry legs.

Bonneville wishes to thank all the vendors and partners that went above and beyond for this project, as well as the dedicated engineers from out of market who contributed a significant amount of time to the build. This is a huge technical success that accomplished Bonneville’s goals and exceeded all expectations.

Radio World welcomes proposals for facility profiles including studios, RF plans and other technical infrastructure. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post They Built New Studios During COVID appeared first on Radio World.

The author is director of engineering services for the Alabama Broadcasters Association.

Prince Hamlet spoke the words “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” Today the question is “to lump sum or not.”

U.S. broadcasters and cable systems that utilize a C-Band satellite system to receive programming must each answer that question, and do so by Sept. 14.

As you probably know, these changes to your satellite system are due to a pending FCC auction of the lower half of the C-Band spectrum to broadband operators for 5G operation. And there have been many articles written over the last several months about this repack and the technical upgrades that will have to be completed to your satellite system.

But there’s still a lot of confusion over whether a user should take an FCC-authorized lump sum payment (about $8,900 for most people reading this), which is enticing but will require the owner then to pay for any upgrades needed to their satellite system or just let satellite operators do the necessary upgrade with no cost to the station.

Satellite operators will supply and install necessary equipment to have your system compliant (even if it means moving the dish or installing a new one). Changing your inside equipment such as receivers or decoders? That may be required by programmers and is not covered by the FCC payment plan.

During their changes, satellite operators will dual-feed programming to minimize interruption of service.

Mark Johnson of LinkUp Communications

In a recent webinar from the Alabama Engineering Academy, available here for your viewing, Mark Johnson of Linkup Communications did a great job of untangling some of the confusion. (The discussion is not just for Alabama stations.)

He warned operators to do their homework on what upgrades will be needed before making the final decision. “Everybody doesn’t have the same situation.”

Unforeseen situations with your satellite system could exhaust the lump sum amount, leaving the operator paying the overage out of pocket. Older satellite equipment may not compliant; replacement parts may no longer be available.

“There’s a lot of antennas out there that are no longer manufactured,” he said during the webinar. “If for some reason there’s something wrong with your feed assembly, you take the lump sum you’re responsible for that.” And the FCC, he said, has been very clear: The lump sum irrevocably surrenders your right to ask for additional reimbursement.

Among the insights he shares is what happens next if you don’t take the lump sum, and how long he thinks it’ll take to receive reimbursement. That starts at about the 57 minute point of the video.

Should you decide to take the lump sum, stations are encouraged not to put the funds in the general operating budget. Put it in a separate account or shoe box under the bed. It would be too tempting to use it for current expenses, but then when the work is done, guess who has to come up the money?

In addition, if you decide to receive the lump sum, you must notify the FCC by the Sept. 14  deadline and answer a number of technical questions. Johnson covered the needed information during the webinar.

Finally, what if you failed to register your dish in 2018? Unfortunately  the FCC has not indicated that they will open a new window for stations that did not register their dish in 2018 to do so. That means you are not eligible for any reimbursement, including the lump sum.

Find more articles on this topic including information about other resources here.

The post ABA Webinar Offers C-Band Advice appeared first on Radio World.

The author is membership program director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

Labor Day brings all kinds of folks into travel mode. Yet, across America, the mask wars are raging. How can radio best intervene in the interests of public safety?

By now, virtually everyone has heard of the feuds over how helpful face coverings are in stopping the spread of COVID-19. Georgia is one of the most prominent examples of the partisan divides, but this disagreement is being played out across the United States. And who has not been exposed to a Facebook post, text or image about face coverings?

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Tuned Out]

Since the days of “duck and cover” and even long before, radio stations have been a first line of defense for the American people. As media first responders, radio stations nationwide educate listeners about natural disasters, wildfires and area emergencies by providing essential information. We may tell our audiences about shelters, the latest data about a regional calamity, or ways they can protect themselves from smoke, landslides, and any number of issues that arise. Many now are important players in explaining COVID-19, but it’s evident our job has only just begun.

Scientists agree that social distancing and mask wearing are both effective in slowing the spread of coronavirus. However, in many communities, this is not a debate about health of a community. Instead, it is about misunderstandings and, at times, conspiracy theories that threaten to tear at the very fabric of who we are.

First Draft News recently held a meeting on the proliferation of antiface covering social media messages and memes. Their themes may prove instructive for your station.

The “infodemic,” as First Draft News called it, is worldwide and taps into old boogeymen like The Government, Big Brother, the New World Order, et al. At points, you’ll see mask wearing likened to gun ownership — arguing that, if liberals can choose whether or not they own firearms, conservatives can choose whether or not they wear masks. However, these forces are not the only problem, as First Draft notes the pro-mask contingent regularly amplifies their opposition and spreads misinformation. The Guardian takes a dive into how masks became a political issue.

What can a radio station do in this climate? Clearly, there are the established health protocols to share. A station can do creative public service announcements that make information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many stations are doing exactly that — educating listeners with information that may is online, but could feel intimidating or hard to access. Stations are diligent about making emergency information understandable during a disaster; surely that ingenuity exists in a pandemic too.

Similarly, PSAs and other conversations may be the way a station can tackle misinformation about safety. A plethora of journalism organizations have stepped to help media correct the public record and clear up misunderstanding. How could your radio station tackle some of the rancor in a fashion that is compassionate and builds community? Panel discussions, listening sessions and more beckon.

Unfortunately, disputes over masks are here seemingly as long as COVID-19 may be with us. Radio stations can play a crucial role in cutting through the noise during this major health emergency.

The post Community Broadcaster: Mask Off appeared first on Radio World.