Radio World

With AM improvement on the radars of broadcasters and the FCC, there has been renewed talk in recent years about the subject of AM “boosters,” the carrier frequency synchronization of multiple transmitters. The commission opened a comment period on AM boosters in 2017.

A graphic in the April 1931 issue of Popular Science explained the concept.

It wasn’t the first time the FCC has explored this topic and failed to act on it. In fact, AM boosters have been proposed and tested dozens of times since the early days of radio. But even though the technology has repeatedly been proven effective, the commission consistently has declined to allow the operation of AM boosters on anything more than an experimental basis, for a variety of reasons.

Let’s take a moment to look back at the history of this beleaguered technology.

BOSTON REPEATER

In 1930, crystal control of transmitter frequencies was still an emerging technology, and the allowable frequency tolerance of a broadcast transmitter was +/- 500 Hz. Two stations operating on the same channel, even if widely geographically separated, could generate a heterodyne beat note of up to 1 kHz, a disconcerting annoyance to listeners.

Consequently, only a few stations were allowed to operate nationwide evenings on any one channel at the same time. Further, there were 40 clear-channel stations, each one having exclusive nationwide use of its frequency.  As most of these clear-channel stations were network affiliates, many channels were wastefully duplicating the same programs.

In 1929, the respected radio engineer Frederick Terman proposed that, if all stations of the two networks (NBC and CBS) could synchronize their carrier frequencies within +/- 0.1 Hz to eliminate the heterodyne beat notes, they could all coexist on a single channel per network, freeing up dozens of channels for new stations.

Synchronization was first proved successful by the Westinghouse station WBZ in Springfield, Mass. Broadcasting from the roof of the Westinghouse factory, WBZ failed to cover Boston, so WBZA was opened as a Boston repeater. The two stations were synchronized on the same frequency beginning in 1926, using a tuning fork as a frequency reference.

WBZ in Boston synchronized its frequency with booster station WBZA in Springfield, Mass., beginning in 1926. The dual station operation — first on 900 kHz, then 990 and finally on 1030 — lasted until 1962, when Westinghouse was forced to shut down WBZA in order to purchase WINS in New York.

Synchronization improved coverage in some areas, but also created interference zones with distortion and fading wherever the two signals were roughly equal in strength. After a year of experimentation, a successful technology was found: a master crystal oscillator in Springfield set the frequency for both transmitters. Its output was divided down to the audio range and sent by phone line to Boston, where it was multiplied back upward to drive the WBZ transmitter.

Meanwhile, pressure was building on the networks to test synchronization, and in October, 1930, the Federal Radio Commission administered an overnight test on a single clear-channel frequency, 660 kHz. Three NBC 50 kW stations, WEAF, KDKA and WGY, broadcast the same program on the channel. It worked remarkably well. Long-distance skywave reception was greatly improved; fading was virtually eliminated. Whenever one station’s signal faded, the others continued to provide clear reception.

Although NBC couldn’t deny that the technology had worked well, it resisted. Its true reasons were not technical, but economic. It had become common practice to feed different network programs to different parts of the country to serve advertisers who only wanted regional coverage. With synchronization, such “split network” operation would no longer be possible. Also, NBC feared that giving up its clear channels would lead to the creation of competitive networks using the same system.

Nonetheless, NBC encouraged synchronization in the cases of several affiliate stations that shared time on clear-channel frequencies, thus allowing them to operate full time.

In 1931, NBC synchronized its New York flagship station WEAF with WTIC in Hartford. However, the stations were too close together, causing objectionable interference. Attempts at synchronizing WJZ in New York with WBAL in Baltimore had better results, and that operation continued until 1937.

Another successful synchronization experiment involved WHO in Des Moines and WOC in Davenport, Iowa, starting in 1930. B. J. Palmer owned both stations and operated them on 1000 kHz under the dual call sign WHO-WOC. Synchronization was accomplished using a new Bell Labs technology: An operator at a monitoring station halfway between the two transmitters monitored the beat note between the stations and remotely adjusted WOC’s crystal oscillator every 10 minutes.

Although the system was successful, the operation ended in 1933 when WHO raised its power to 50 kW.

A similar technology developed by Western Electric synchronized WBBM in Chicago with KFAB in Lincoln, Neb. The two CBS stations had been time-sharing their 770 kHz frequency since 1928. In January 1934, they synchronized their carriers, broadcasting separate programs during the daytime and the same CBS program at night.  A highly-accurate 4 kHz signal was delivered to both stations by phone line, multiplied up to the carrier frequency and compared with the transmitter, where a motor-driven variable capacitor adjusted its crystal oscillator. A unique part of this system was an audio delay line that retarded WBBM’s programs by 20 milliseconds to compensate for the phone line delay between Chicago and Lincoln.

WBBM in Chicago and KFAB in Lincoln, Neb. (later Omaha) synchronized operations on the 770 kHz clear channel frequency from 1934 to 1941. This map showed their respective groundwave coverage areas. At nighttime, both stations broadcast the same CBS network programs, generating what was essentially a single received skywave signal.

The combined nighttime coverage of these two stations was excellent, with almost no fading, and it continued in operation until KFAB changed frequencies in 1944.

Synchronization experiments were not limited to high-powered stations. In 1936, WLLH in Lowell, Mass., received permission to operate a booster nine miles away in the city of Lawrence. This was the first time synchronization was authorized on a local channel, using 250 watts in Lowell and 100 watts in Lawrence. WLLH’s special temporary authority became permanent when a license was issued for the booster in 1941, and it continues in operation today.

EVOLVING ATTITUDES

The FCC’s attitude towards boosters began to change in 1939, apparently for political rather than technical reasons.

That year, during an FCC oversight hearing, Rep. William Connery of Massachusetts declared his opposition to booster stations. He felt they represented new stations in new communities, and claimed they diverted advertising from local newspapers while providing no local employment. He named several boosters operating in his own district.

After that, the FCC began opposing boosters that added coverage in a new community instead of filling holes in a station’s existing coverage. About a dozen applications were denied for this reason.

In 1941, necessity created an exception to this policy for WBT in Charlotte, N.C. When the NARBA Treaty frequency shifts caused KFAB to move onto its frequency, WBT was forced to operate with a nighttime directional antenna to protect KFAB. To mitigate its loss of coverage, the commission allowed WBT to build a 1,000-watt nighttime booster in Shelby, N.C.

The cover of a 1940s promotional booklet for WLLH in Lowell, Mass. The station began operating a synchronous booster in neighboring Lawrence in 1937. The booster received a license from the FCC in 1941, the only known case of a booster receiving anything more than experimental authorization. WLLH continues to operate with two 1 kW transmitters on 1400 kHz today.
Author’s collection

During and after World War II, the FCC’s attitude towards boosters was inconsistent. Powel Crosley’s WSAI in Cincinnati was allowed to feed a 100-watt downtown booster from 1942 to 1945, but only during daytime hours. In 1944, a new booster was authorized to WRBL in Columbus, Ga., to cover Fort Benning. Then in 1944, the FCC approved two boosters in its own city of Washington. WWDC was allowed to install a 50-watt booster in Silver Spring, Md., and WINX was granted a 250-watt booster in Arlington, Va.

However, many other booster applications were rejected during this same time period.

By the 1950s, the FCC seemed to have set an internal goal of eliminating AM boosters, and it consistently pursued policies that resulted in the elimination of existing installations. This, plus the changing economics of AM radio in the face of competition from television, caused the shutdown of most of the boosters still in existence.

In 1954, the FCC ruled that Class IV (local) stations could not use boosters to extend their coverage areas because it was against the purpose of a local station license. WWDC’s booster renewal was set for hearing in 1954 and subsequently abandoned by the station. And when WINX proposed to move its booster to a new site, the application was denied “since commission rules do not provide for such operation.”

Yet another factor in the elimination of boosters was the FCC’s “7-7-7” rule, adopted in 1953. It prohibited any station group from owning more than seven AM, FM or TV stations in the country, and the commission was counting booster transmitters as one of the seven stations.

Thus, in 1953, CBS was forced to shut down its booster at WBT Charlotte to comply with the FCC’s ownership limits. And in 1962, when Westinghouse wanted to purchase WINS in New York, it was forced to close WBZA in Springfield, even though it had operated successfully for nearly 40 years.

REVITALIZATION BOOST?

The FCC’s Jekyll-and-Hyde attitude towards boosters hasn’t changed in more recent times.

In 1987, the FCC showed renewed interest in the technology, accepting comments under Docket 87-6. Several stations built and operated successful boosters at that time.

One of these was KKOB in Albuquerque, N.M., whose new 50 kW nighttime array placed a major null squarely over the state capitol in Santa Fe. As KKOB was the primary emergency station serving the capitol, the FCC allowed construction of a 230 watt nighttime-only booster in Santa Fe, which continues to operate to this day. Another was KLSQ in Laughlin, Nev., who operated a Las Vegas booster from 1986 to 1995.

This is a view of the WLLH two-transmitter operation in the 1940s. At left was the station’s main antenna in Lowell. At right was the 150-foot tubular steel tower on the roof of the Cregg Building in Lawrence.

But in the end the FCC opted to continue its policy of authorizing boosters on a case-by-case experimental basis.

Beginning in about 2000, WISO in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was allowed to operate synchronized boosters in Aguaduilla and Mayaguez under experimental authority. But in 2011, the FCC denied WISO’s request for an additional booster station in Guayama, and in 2017 it abruptly cancelled all of WISO’s experimental permits, without a clearly-stated reason and despite letters of protest from government authorities in Puerto Rico.

In 2017 the FCC once again opened a rulemaking proceeding to consider permitting AM boosters, part of its AM Improvement initiative, under Docket RM 11779. As of this writing, the FCC again has failed to take further action.  Will this be the time that the commission finally takes positive action on AM boosters, or will Lucy once again pull the football away from Charlie Brown in the final seconds?

John Schneider is a lifetime radio historian; author of two books and dozens of articles on the subject; and a Fellow of the California Historical Radio Society.

REFERENCES:

For more on this topic, readers may be interested in sources used in preparation of this article:

• Broadcasting Magazine:

1-15-32, “Synchronization status considered at hearing”
5-1-36, “WLLH Granted Right to Test Booster Station”
5-1-37, “WLLH Operating Booster Station”
5-1-39, “Sentiment for FCC Legislation”
1-1-41, “More Boosters are Granted”
2-15-44, “New Grants under FCC”
10-1-45, “Boosters for All AM Stations Possible”
1-7-46, “Seven League Boosts”
3-3-47, “FCC to Study Booster Pleas”
7-28-47, “WBT Extends Coverage With Booster Station”
5-17-48, “WINX Operates Two Boosters”
8-6-51, “WINX Transmitter Move Granted”
7-12-54, “FCC Rules Against Booster Bids”
5-7-62, “Westinghouse Buys WINS”

• Wikipedia, WBZ History
• Federal Radio Commission Annual Report, 1930: “Synchronization of Broadcast Stations”
• “Popular Science Monthly,” April 1931, “Chain Broadcasts On One Wave”
• Proceedings, Institute of Radio Engineers, March 1936: “Present Practice in the Synchronous Operation of Broadcast Stations, as Exemplified by WBBM and KFAB,”
by L. McC. Young, Columbia Broadcasting System
• Radio World, 1-14-2017, “Rackley on Synchronous AM Boosters”
• “A Wavelength for Every Network” by Michael J. Socolow, University of Maine, 2007
• Federal Communications Commission, MM Docket 87-6, 3-3-87, “Amendment of Part 73 to Authorize the Use of Multiple Synchronous Transmitters by AM Broadcast Stations”
• “KOB and Decades of Conflict,” by Mark Durenberger, 2017

The post Synchronous AM’s Long and Tortuous History appeared first on Radio World.

Mark Fowler

If the FCC does allow AM stations in the United States to switch to all-digital transmission, former commission Chairman Mark Fowler says they should be allowed to consider a system other than HD Radio.

But it seems a true longshot that another system could be taken up at this juncture, given that Xperi’s technology has long been established as the U.S. system for digital radio, and that the platform has two decades behind it of station implementation and receiver penetration. Indeed in its most recent NPRM, the FCC explicitly stated in a footnote that it declined to reconsider the selection of HD Radio as the U.S. standard. 

However, Digital Radio Mondiale has raised its hand requesting just that, as RW recently reported. And there have been occasional other inquiries from U.S. broadcasters about whether DRM should be considered.

Fowler — who chaired the FCC in the 1980s under Ronald Reagan and is credited with leading repeal of the Fairness Doctrine — wrote to Radio World last week in response to that filing by DRM. Fowler has a history of activity in digital radio technology; he is former managing member of startup company DigitalPower Radio, working at the time with principal scientist Brana Vojcic. DPR had counted Beasley Broadcast as an investor and has its own history with HD Radio.

Fowler wrote this week:

“Putting aside the merits of a flash-cut switch to digital, it can’t be a bad development in public policy to provide a choice of digital systems to broadcasters. Xperi obtained the digital franchise by default, given that there was no other viable player the FCC could also authorize. The result was and has been a monopoly.

“Xperi has made some major strides in improving digital radio reception,” Fowler continued. “They have stuck with it for decades. But nothing concentrates the mind of an Xperi like competition. Whether DRM can make a go of it in the marketplace will be decided by Mr. Market. For sure, it might make the folks at Xperi more customer-friendly than their early history of customer treatment.

“It might also serve to speed up getting AM viable and back in the game. May the best electrons win.”

[Related: “WLOH Would Have a Compelling Reason to Promote Its Signal Again”]

Fowler has commented before about other AM regulations, including a 2017 opinion piece in RW about Class A protections; read that here.

Others have expressed interest in DRM. Last year station owner Larry Tighe in New Jersey petitioned the commission to allow AM band stations to use the DRM+ standard on another part of the spectrum if they wanted.

But the FCC has shown no inclination to pick up on the idea, and its footnote declining to reconsider the selection of HD Radio as the standard was issued after Tighe’s petition was filed.

Industry observers have told Radio World that it seems very unlikely the FCC would countenance a switch at this juncture.

The above article is part of RW’s ongoing coverage of debate over the use of all-digital on the AM band. You can watch a free webcast about this topic in February; register here.

The post Fowler: Let “Mr. Market” Decide Best AM Digital System appeared first on Radio World.

Catching and prosecuting illegal radio operators may become easier now that the PIRATE Act is law.

Having finally passed both houses of Congress, the bill was forwarded to President Trump in mid-January; he signed it Friday, thereby giving the Federal Communications Commission broader authority to deter and fight pirate operations.

Broadcasters have long wanted the federal government to take more muscular action against such operators, and FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly has been an ardent supporter of stronger enforcement in recent years.

Reps. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) reintroduced the bill early in 2019 after it failed to be voted on in a previous legislative session.

The teeth of the PIRATE Act is in the details. The act gives the commission the authority to levy fines of up to $100,000 per violation and $2 million in total. The act also streamlines the enforcement process; requires the FCC to conduct mandatory pirate radio enforcement sweeps in cities with the highest concentration of pirate radio use; and seeks to ensure more coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement.

[Background: “O’Rielly Tells MBA ‘We Are Playing a Long Game’ Against Pirates]

Other provisions include creation of a yearly report by the FCC summarizing the implementation of the legislation and related enforcement activities; and giving the FCC the authority to skip the step known as a Notice of Unlicensed Operation and go straight to issuing a Notice of Apparent Liability.

The legislation also will lead to creation of a publicly accessible online database that lists all U.S. stations as well as all entities that have received notice that they are operating a broadcast radio station without authority.

“[This act] has been an NAB legislative priority for many years,” said Dennis Wharton, executive vice president of communications for the National Association of Broadcasters, when news broke about the signing of the act into law. “Pirate operators interfere with licensed, legal radio stations. On a number of occasions, the FCC has found that pirate radio operators interfered with communications between airline pilots and air traffic controllers, creating a public safety hazard.”

Details are still forthcoming on when various aspects of the law will be implemented.

[From March 2019: “Justice Department Steps in to Stop Alleged Pirate Operation”]

In late 2019, Commissioner O’Rielly told a state broadcast association audience that the PIRATE Acts fines are meant not only to punish offenders, but to make sure these cases get on the radar of the Department of Justice. He also said the pending list of licensed radio operators could be used by citizens and advertisers to distinguish between legitimate stations and savvy pirates.

The post It’s Official: PIRATE Act Signed Into Law 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.

You say you want to run a radio station? Do you think you know what it takes to make incredible programming and community service? Your chance to prove it may be here.

This week, the Federal Communications Commission released its tutorial for a forthcoming auction for new full- and low-power FM channels, which will start in April. It represents an exciting moment for community media, a rare window for new full-and low-power community radio to flower in new places around the United States.

Community Broadcaster: Community Radio Relevant as Ever

In December, the FCC issued a memorandum outlining the bidding process for the upcoming auction, as well as the deadlines for pre-auction filings needed, should you wish to participate in the auction. There are a number of records you will need to have in place, and systems you must be entered into to join in.

The auction makes 130 FM channels available. You can see the full list of cities where signals will be auctioned, and auction starting prices, here.

For some of you, landing your very own radio station sounds like a dream come true. I’ve personally lost count of the number of community radio folks I have met over the years who think, if only they had a license, they could run a station better than others could. It is never clear how many people are actually committed to acquiring a community radio station, however.

Here are a few issues to consider, if you’re serious about the auction and wish to make a play for one of the available signals.

As you might guess, running a station in a community will require you to be in that community of broadcast. This means you cannot just scoop up a station in a small town in Alaska for $750 and just run it from the comfort of your contiguous 48 states or Hawaii home. You guessed it. If you win an auction, you will need to pack your bags and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.

In addition, running a radio station is not an inexpensive enterprise. There is equipment, a big list of tools and studio space you will need to pay for. Then, there are myriad licensing and insurance requirements your new station will have to cover on a monthly or annual basis. These are the costs of doing business.

Outgoing folks will love the fundraising part, because it entails talking to people and persuading them to donate to get the station going. However, in very small communities, the number of people available to financially support a station may not be equivalent to your annual operating budget. Clever and innovative development programs beyond individual giving will thus be the order of the day.

If you are open to a new city and have the resources to make a run this auction, times like this do not come around often. Few media experiences are as rewarding as launching a community radio station. Empowering local residents to be part of our media and democracy can be the signature of a career and a life. Best of luck, ambitious community media friends. All of community radio is rooting for you.

 

The post Community Broadcaster: Plant a Seed appeared first on Radio World.

About one quarter of the U.S. population — 60 million adults 18 and older — now own a smart speaker. That’s according to the winter 2019 edition of The Smart Audio Report from NPR and Edison Research, released this month.

Consumers also appear to be doubling down on the technology, quite literally: as of December 2019, there are more than 157 million smart speakers in the U.S., representing a 135% increase from last year’s accounting and more than double the number found just two years prior. U.S. households now average more than two of these devices. 

As the devices proliferate, smart speakers are more entrenched in daily life. Smart speaker owners 13 years old and up now say they choose smart speakers for a lot of their listening. Mobile devices remain the most popular (31%), followed by traditional radio receivers (19%), with smart speakers closely on their heels (17%). Smart speaker owners also tend to be power users, deploying it multiple times daily. 

Voice commands are also becoming a common activity. More than half of U.S. adults have told their devices to do something (how many have succeeded may be another matter), and 24% say they use voice commands on a daily basis.  

CONTENT SOURCES AND CHOICES

And when consumers choose smart speakers for their audio, streaming audio dominates nearly half of listening time. It’s worth noting that Amazon accounts for 15% of the audio sourcing — likely due to its association with the Alexa smart device. On the other hand, Google’s own audio offerings don’t track with the popularity of its Google Home. 

However, AM/FM radio is also actually the most popular audio source for smart speakers at 24%. It’s chosen at more than twice the rate consumers play Pandora, Spotify or owned music. That’s also up significantly from the prior year, when AM/FM only clocked in 18% of listening on smart speakers.

Podcasts remain a minority in this space, but spoken word content generally is on the upswing for smart speaker listeners. It’s up 20% since 2014, while music listening has dropped by 5% during the same period. (It’s unclear whether the report separated podcasts played via Spotify, a popular platform for that content, or if it double-counted it.)

The post Smart Speakers Continue Home Invasion appeared first on Radio World.

The authors are production directors at Broadcasting Experts.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Broadcasting Experts is a production house. We work with financial advisors, lawyers and other professionals who are interested in sharing their knowledge over the radio. We produce their programming and guide them through the process of recording and creating their shows. Most of our clients are not professional broadcasters, so it’s up to us to help them understand the equipment and the steps to making great-sounding radio.

Our programming is “flash frozen,” as we like to say. Our clients connect with us from wherever they’re located and we record live; then we edit after the fact. We had been using Comrex BRIC-Link units for this, because they’re ubiquitous at radio stations, and many of our clients could go to those locations to do their shows. We had also developed a BRIC-Link kit that we sent out to clients; they would set it up at their location and broadcast from there. But we’re working with folks who are often on Wi-Fi, or who are in conference rooms in hotels, so it can get fairly complicated.

Then we learned about Opal. It is an IP audio gateway that enables guests to connect to the studio by simply clicking a link. It provides HD-quality audio from consumer-grade equipment, like a cellphone or a computer with a microphone. It’s effectively a phone interface that uses an Opus codec through a web browser, as opposed to a traditional phone line.

We switched to Opal for ease of use. It’s amazing that now, when we work with guys who aren’t tech-savvy, they can just plug a USB headset into their computer, go to a website and click connect. It’s much easier than teaching them how to check the gain on their mixing board, or check mix minuses, etc. It makes that side much simpler.

We usually record a dozen shows per week, and we use Opal for 10 of them. In the past, we sometimes had to patch interviews into our system over the phone, but Opal has eliminated that. That terrible phone quality is a thing we no longer have to deal with. If our client is using a good microphone and the room is set up correctly, it really can sound like you’re sitting next to them.

Opal also helps our clients feel more comfortable. Because they’re not radio professionals, if there’s a minor technical glitch or if there’s some complication that needs to be ironed out, it can fluster them, and affect the ultimate product. Now, when we actually go to record the program, they’re not thinking about the technical elements — they can just focus on recording. They’re much more secure going into the show, and they perform better as a result.

Opal has resulted in several customers referring colleagues to us. We’ve picked up several new clients who choose our production house because it’s so easy for them to connect.

For information, contact Chris Crump at Comrex in Massachusetts at 1-978-784-1776 or visit www.comrex.com.

The post User Report: Broadcasting Experts Connect to Clients With Opal appeared first on Radio World.

Where might 5G lead for radio? Radio World shared this week’s feature story with Michael LeClair, chief engineer of Boston’s WBUR and former tech editor of Radio World Engineering Extra, who has watched 5G’s development with interest, from a distance, and invited him to comment.

Getty Images/Alexsl

There are so many questions raised by 5G that it’s almost impossible to know where this will lead. We don’t yet have a clear direction defined for what 5G is and isn’t.

From what I’m reading, there are multiple implementations of 5G. What was initially promoted was the concept of using SHF band licensed channels (3 to 30 GHz) where they could fit them in. Those of us using licensed microwave links in broadcasting are familiar with 6, 11 or 23 GHz. These are allocated in bands of 10 to 20 MHz (you can combine adjacent bands for more bandwidth if you need it), which are like communication channel building blocks. Based on the distance you need and what can be done without interfering with other licensed users, you can build out links capable of doing 100 Mbps or greater. At the higher speeds, dynamic QAM is used to achieve very high modulation rates; but the tradeoff is the number of errors that will occur due to signal strength, weather conditions and the size of dishes.

But the promise was 1 Gbps for 5G. Bidirectional. And mobile.

The simplest way to increase the data rate is to increase the channel size. For example, to get 1 Gbps data with a very robust QPSK modulation scheme similar to what we already use in 4G, you would need channels 500 MHz wide. This one channel would utilize more spectrum than the entire radio and TV broadcast bands combined (plus the unlicensed 2.4 GHz band to boot!). It’s more than all the spectrum currently licensed for all wireless carriers combined.

The only place where this kind of spectrum is still available is in spectrum above 30 GHz, or EHF. Lots of spectrum for sale up there. There has been discussion of displacing satellite communications operating in the 4-6 GHz range with mobile data services. If they absorb those frequencies there would be four channels of 500 MHz bandwidth in every city of the U.S., enough to handle the largest cell carriers today (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint).

But that spectrum is already largely in use. That is causing Ph.D.s and engineers to look at what can be done with transmissions at EHF (30-300 GHz). EHF attenuates in atmosphere very rapidly. The usable transmission distance might be 100 feet or so. To build cell service across one square mile would require 2,500 transmitters per square mile. Even a smaller city would require tens of thousands of transmitters, each with a dark fiber connection to some kind of central (or networked) router. Initial trials of this kind of 5G have taken place in Boston and have been found to only work on street corners at the moment. Once you move inside a building or any physical structure they fail.

Imagine how this would affect a product like the Comrex Access. I’ll stick with 4G.

ANOTHER APPROACH

There is a second approach to building 5G with lower frequency channels that are not as susceptible to attenuation in atmosphere. Cell carriers settled on channels in the 600–900 MHz range as being the optimal tradeoff between available bandwidth and data rates for 4G. To do so they have basically “taken” spectrum that was being used by UHF TV, essentially by eminent domain at the federal level. Auctions were used to determine the value of the spectrum.

At lower frequencies, by combining several more “blocks” of bandwidth together it becomes possible to get both a robust transmission system and higher data rates. For example, if I can put together enough blocks of 20 MHz (say five), I can get 800 Mbps using 256 QAM, which is somewhat robust for fixed location connections. Not quite 1 Gbps but still pretty impressive. Data compression would allow the capacity to go well over 1 Gbps but at the cost of overhead processing that may partially nullify the speed boost. This is the second form of 5G. I believe T-Mobile/Sprint is working on this method.

Again, the four major carriers, if they simply consolidate their spectrum efficiently could each acquire 100 MHz in every major city of the country (there is substantial spectrum around 1 GHz owned by various companies already).

If these services can be made reliable, I see home or small business Internet access as being much easier to build out wirelessly. Remote studios and broadcasts would no longer need to contract for wired data connections, especially in urban areas.

Remote transmitter sites would be able to use STLs based on wireless data services. Some technology would have to be added to these to protect them from congestion and interference reducing reliability.

What I don’t see with the SHF/EHF 5G is much disruption to radio beyond the cache streaming services already out there. The reception distance is too short for even someone walking down a city street.

However with lower frequency blocks, audio program providers could build a somewhat better real-time mousetrap than they currently have. With some consolidation of older services and multiple carrier entities, it might be possible to allocate enough spectrum in all the major markets that could come close to replicating the near-instant tuning of radio over distances that would be limited only by tower buildouts (highways would likely be good candidates for full service in rural areas, extending that mobile coverage in ways that radio can’t).

FUTURE OF CODECS

Any of these services at such high speeds begin to raise the question of whether super high efficiency audio codecs are really needed any longer.

Right now the most popular live streaming speed is 48 kbps mono. Millions of listeners use this on a daily basis for their “radio” feeds. The main reason is cost. As the number of streams multiplies, the amount of data at current rates becomes very expensive to support. It’s also robust enough for mobile services in real time. Cache services like Spotify or YouTube use cached file transfers instead of streaming to cut their costs (it allows demand to be managed more effectively than building streams in real time and the use of TCP to minimize errors). If the cost of data goes down due to the greater capacity of 5G, it might support standard higher streaming rates like 128 kbps and make the need for cache services less important (hard to believe YouTube won’t still need to cache files given the much higher data rate required for video).

To be competitive, businesses and IS’s will likely move their benchmark best delivery rates up to 10 Gbps or 100 Gbps over optical paths. Can copper lines still be competitive at those data rates? Office wiring systems are now deploying with 10 Gbps capacities over copper and 100 Gbps backbones over optical are a reality already.

MARKETING ADVANTAGE?

In brief: The limitations I’ve described, which have been confirmed in initial Boston testing, are so significant it’s hard to see how the wireless carriers could be marketing this service unless they’ve got some serious cards up their sleeves.

There may exist some new concepts for this technology that haven’t been shared yet, such as a localized burst mode with the highest speeds that trims down to “enhanced 4G” for everyone else. Unfortunately, most of the blue-sky thinking has been based on the deployment of nothing less than perfection. It’s why I have my doubts about how it will all work out.

In fairness, “I don’t know what I don’t know.” It’s possible there are other ideas floating around that work better than trying to build something in the 20 GHz range of experimental spectrum.

At the same time, I remember the days when live streaming was supposed to completely displace radio “any day now” (this was in the late 1990s). Those who proselytized this technology takeover have been proven wrong time and again.

Someone back then who bothered to calculated the approximate data resources for point-to-point streaming to replicate even one major-market radio station in the top 10 found that streaming in that era couldn’t possibly hope to displace radio broadcasting; it had only a tiny fraction of the capacity necessary to replace one broadcast station. Similarly, bitcoin, if mined at the rate it is today, would in 2025 or so consume 120% of all the electricity on the planet in server farms; it can’t possibly work as a transactional technology for a global financial system. These are ridiculous claims that either entirely ignore, or intentionally distort, the laws of physics for a marketing advantage.

Count me skeptical on 5G for similar reasons.

What do you think about 5G and its possible impact on radio? We invite your opinion. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line.

The post 5G? So Many Questions, But Count Me Skeptical appeared first on Radio World.

STRONSAY, Orkney Islands, Scotland — BBC Research & Development extensively tested live radio broadcasts over a purpose-designed 5G network to assess the capability of the technology to successfully reach people living in rural areas.

The landscape of Stronsay, Orkney Islands. All photos courtesy of BBC R&D.

These areas often suffer from inadequate radio coverage as well as low and unstable bandwidth on both fixed and mobile data connections.

IP FUTURE

The trial took place in Stronsay, a remote island in Orkney, Scotland, off the northern coast of mainland United Kingdom. Before the trial, islanders complained that it could take up to 10 minutes to download an email.

Andrew Murphy, BBD R&D lead engineer, during his speech at the IBC2019 session on digital radio.

“We chose Stronsay because of its very limited existing coverage overall,” said Andrew Murphy, lead engineer for BBC R&D. “There is almost no mobile phone coverage, no DAB coverage and even the FM is not strong. It was definitely a good place to run a test.”

BBC R&D worked closely with the local council and authority. The test in the far reaches of Scotland is part of the “5G RuralFirst” (www.5gruralfirst.org), a government-funded initiative deployed at multiple locations across the U.K. to experiment with new approaches to connectivity in rural areas.

“We were interested in radio,” Murphy explained. “We wanted to assess whether people living in remote areas (where there is a lack of traditional AM/FM or digital radio reception) could access the medium through 4G and 5G and were able to listen to BBC radio programming live.”

Screenshots from the radio app the BBC developed for the 5G broadcast radio trial.

Looking toward an IP future for media, BBC is aware that consumers are increasingly using smartphones to access content over mobile networks. The broadcaster is also active in EBU and 3GPP standardization committees.

“BBC needs to be able to test and understand the forthcoming technologies so that we can work on them and see how we can improve them where appropriate,” Murphy added.

BROADCAST MODE

BBC had some concerns about the capacity and coverage (BBC needs universal availability) mobile networks can effectively ensure. It questioned whether 4G and 5G technologies could potentially help broadcasters overcome these challenges.

Murphy said they decided to assess the delivery of radio through 4G and 5G broadcast technology because radio is a naturally mobile medium, and people enjoy listening to the radio on the move. At the same time, smartphones are increasingly not fitted with broadcast receivers.

Since no commercial 5G system was available, BBC decided to design and build its own base station, which Murphy’s team deployed in the center of the island at Stronsay Junior High School.

The base station (4G technology but designed to emulate 5G) was designed to give BBC engineers total control over transmission parameters, such as modulation and coding settings, and to alter them to assess performance in different situations. The trial used 2×10 MHz bandwidth in the 700 MHz band.

A crowd-sourced coverage map built on data coming from the BBC app installed on trial receivers.

The trial featured the broadcast-mode delivery of radio over 4G (eMBMS with MPEG-DASH), enriched by mobile broadband to give listeners access to live (broadcast) and catch-up (unicast) content, as well as internet access, using a mixed mode in 3GPP Rel-12, providing both broadcast and unicast.

DETAILED TELEMETRY

The broadcast mode can reduce the amount of bandwidth needed to air the involved content since in this approach the base station is only sending one transmission rather than multiple versions (one to each different user).

This means that when many users request the same live program at the same time, broadcasting it over 5G helps reduce congestion on the rest of the network.

“We incorporated 13 live radio services, including BBC Radio Orkney.” Murphy explained “We recruited 20 people to use broadcast-capable handsets featuring 4G technology but designed to emulate some features we hope to see in the forthcoming 5G standards.”

The specifically designed handsets allowed the tests to achieve greater results than currently possible with equipment commercially available today. The handsets included Rel-16, LTE-based 5G terrestrial broadcast, SIM-free reception as well as transport-only mode with AAC+ audio over RTP/UDP/IP.

Shona Croy is strategic advisor for Renewables and Connectivity at the Orkney Council.

A dedicated app, built on standard BBC app components, powered the receiving device and comprised detailed telemetry data of reception quality as people listened to the radio services.

“This enabled us to build-up an anonymized, crowd-sourced coverage map across the whole island and to assess the performance of different transmission parameters on the quality of service,” said Murphy.

ALMOST SATISFIED

The BBC R&D is working on 5G technology to provide broadcasters with better connectivity options.

The distributed availability of the monitoring probes built into the receiving devices allowed BBC engineers to run an analysis over a much longer time period and over a wider area than drive testing alone would allow.

In addition, since the data came from real-life handsets, a more accurate picture of how the technology works in practice was depicted.

Across the 16 active handsets over the first five weeks of the trial, average broadcast listening measured at just over two hours per day, which would be the equivalent of around 1.5 GB of data over a month in the conventional unicast scenario.

“This a very significant proportion of the average monthly mobile data per active connection in the U.K. of around 1.9 GB per month and would leave little allowance for other uses,” he added.

The trial demonstrated that people liked the convenience of having radio readily available on a smartphone, and almost all (9 in 10) were satisfied with trial internet service. They often used the handsets as mobile hotspots, giving them access to faster download speeds for films and music.

BETTER OPTIONS

Anecdotal evidence from teachers at the island’s junior high school — backed up by data from the devices — suggests that teenagers in Stronsay have become big fans of the music played on the BBC’s Asian Network, one of the 13 BBC stations they could access as part of the trial.

In a BBC video illustrating its 5G project, Shona Croy, strategic advisor for Renewables and Connectivity at the Orkney Council said: “We were really keen to do something that overcomes this barrier of rural areas being last to get a service, or not getting it at all. But the economic case for coming here is poor, so are there other ways we can look at delivering services?”

5G as a technology is still being developed and deployed, and it has a completely different level of maturity with respect to, for example, DAB digital radio.

“The BBC will continue working in this space together with the European Broadcasting Union to try to influence current and future standards that provide broadcasters with better options for these purposes,” Murphy concluded.

The post BBC Assesses 5G’s Broadcast Capability appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World is providing an ongoing sampler of comments of what people are telling the FCC about its proposal to allow U.S. stations on the AM band to switch voluntarily to all-digital transmission. Here are more in the series:

Kirk Mazurek told the FCC that he is an avid AM listener who has “invested time and money in equipment towards my hobby as many others have. If this proposal goes through it will make the millions of receivers obsolete requiring the purchase of new equipment. This is needless, there are a lot of people who have vintage radios and a lot of them have been restored. This proposal would make them useless. I urge you not to ratify this proposal.”

Mark Wells raised concern about interference from digital to analog signals on the same channel. “This is especially applicable at night when one is listening to distant stations in out-of-state markets, he wrote. “For example, clear channel stations WBT in Charlotte and KFAB in Omaha are both on both on 1110 kHz. Let’s say one switches to digital, and one does not. As it is they both may fade in and out as the atmosphere does its nightly tricks, but the signals remain mostly useable. But, if one is digital and the other analog would it not ‘blank out’ the analog station?”

[Read: “Allow DRM for Digitizing the AM Band”]

Wells also noted that existing analog AM receivers would become obsolete. “Adding a digital to analog converter as they did when switching to HDTV would perhaps not be a very practical solution, as it would require a not so easy installation.” And he reminded the FCC of AM’s role during disasters. “Analog AM receivers are among the most simple of devices to build. In a major disaster a person with the knowledge of how to do so, can build a receiver literally out of debris, and remain in contact with the outside world. This capability cannot be overstated — to say that a voice coming in on a dark, dark fright-filled night is a comforting cannot be denied, as well as the value of receiving emergency information.” He said one solution would be to limit all-digital stations to Class C local operations in the 1610–1700 kHz range “and leave the rest of the AM band as it is now.”

[Read: “WLOH Would Have a Compelling Reason to Promote Its Signal Again”]

Amateur radio operator Edward Thierbach, AB80J, worries about the distribution of emergency information to the general population. “I suggest that the proposed rules be amended to require the following types of AM stations to retain analog AM broadcast capability for a period of 10–15 years: Clear-channel stations; Emergency Advisory Radio Stations; Other stations officially designated as emergency information stations, whether the official designation is made locally or nationally,” Thierbach wrote.

He said few if any emergency radios (typically hand-cranked or solar-charged) can receive HD Radio, and that relatively few people have portable radios of any type with digital AM capability. Not enough receivers in vehicles have digital AM capability either, he argued, and predicted that proliferation of digital AM radio would likely take much longer than digital TV, “due to less consumer incentive.” He thinks it would take 10 to 15 years before emergency information can be widely and reliably disseminated via digital AM.

And David Bowers takes pleasure in the fact that in radio’s 100th anniversary year, antique radios can still be used to listen to modern AM broadcasts. But he predicted that the dawn of digital AM transmission “would require the design, build and distribution of millions of converters, as was done with DTV in 2009.” He also looked further down the road, saying, “Keep in mind the consequences of this proposal. I know it starts as voluntary, but wheels of progress suggest it could evolve to universal.”

Register to watch a free February webcast about all-digital on AM.

 

The post “It Will Make Millions of Receivers Obsolete … This Is Needless” appeared first on Radio World.

An Audi marketing photo shows a dashboard C-V2X display.

Here’s an interesting spectrum project for those watching the connected car space.

It’s called C-V2X, for “Cellular Vehicle to Everything,” and a notable deployment was announced Wednesday by Audi, Qualcomm and the Virginia Department of Transportation. The deployment will include warnings to automatically alert cars to work zones ahead as well as signal phase and timing, or SPaT, which enables cars to receive a countdown from a red to a green light.

The FCC is among those watching with interest. Chairman Ajit Pai put out statement noting that the deployment was made possible through an experimental license. He used the opportunity to voice support for the idea of redesignating spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band.

[Read: A Peek at Tomorrow’s Car Radios]

“The cars and trucks of the future will use wireless spectrum and advanced technologies to keep us safer on the road,” Pai said. “Cellular Vehicle to Everything, or C-V2X, is a new and promising technology that is gaining momentum in the automotive industry as it enables communications between cars, infrastructure, cyclists, pedestrians and road workers.”

He said rules governing the 5.9 GHz band need to be updated because they are tied up by Dedicated Short-Range Communications, a technology he said was “authorized by the FCC more than 20 years ago that has never been widely deployed.”

The commission recently voted to take “a fresh and comprehensive look” at the 5.9 GHz band and to designate at least 20 megahertz for deployment of C-V2X, calling it an emerging standard for transportation applications.

“If this proposal is adopted, it would be a significant step forward for automotive safety, since there is currently no spectrum designated for C-V2X. Americans on the move would be the beneficiaries — but only if the FCC takes action and leaves the failed status quo behind,” Pai said.

The FCC also has proposed to designate 45 megahertz of that band for unlicensed uses like Wi-Fi. “This 45 megahertz sub-band can be combined with existing unlicensed spectrum to provide cutting-edge high-throughput broadband applications on channels up to 160 megahertz wide,” it wrote in December.

You can read the Audi announcement about the deployment in Virginia here.

 

The post Pai Renews Call for Spectrum for C-V2X appeared first on Radio World.

Please no 504….

The post Test appeared first on Radio World.

FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly has reached out to some major music companies to ask what they are doing to protect against payola, the exchange of something of value for broadcast airplay. The radio broadcast industry has had some scandalous episodes of payola in the past.

O’Rielly also noted that current restrictions don’t apply to streaming or internet radio.

Last September, O’Rielly contacted the Recording Industry Association of America to ask about reports that possible violations of federal antipayola laws and regulations, but was told the he needed to reach out to the companies individually.

[Read: O’Rielly Tells MBA “We Are Playing a Long Game” Against Pirate Operators]

He has now done so.

In letters to the heads of Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group O’Rielly said that “even the most cursory review of consumer complaints and assertions provides cause for concern regarding the persistence of payola.”

O’Rielly, who is not fan of government overregulation, said he was not saying payola restrictions were perfect, including that they applied to radio but not to streaming, internet radio or podcasts.

He said that “asymmetry” clearly impacts the radio industry’s financial well-being and perhaps even “long-term sustainability.”

He also said that compliance is tough given that radio companies deliver content “via multiple platforms and methods.”

 

The post O’Rielly Seeks Payola Info From Music Companies appeared first on Radio World.

The FCC recently adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that recommends giving AM stations in the United States the flexibility to adopt all-digital broadcasting voluntarily, based in part on the experimental experience of Hubbard station WWFD in Frederick, Md. The commission then asked for comments; one of the first was filed by Digital Radio Mondiale. Its filing is below, with minor edits for clarity. For background about DRM, see www.drm.org/what-is-drm-digital-radio/summary/.

In your document (FCC 19-123) you rightly highlight the great advantage of AM broadcasts, primarily the ability to cover large areas and number of listeners, while the band itself is losing popularity because of a variety of issues to do with propagation, interference [and] environmental changes. At the same time, digital audio broadcasting is no longer the new platform it was in 2002. At that time [the] FCC mandated a proprietary system (IBOC, “HD Radio”) as the only system to be used in the USA, with the possibility of applying DRM for HF.

This image from a DRM information packet shows the frequency bands where DRM operates.

Since then DRM (the ITU recommended, only digital audio broadcasting for all bands, open standard) has been tested and used all over the world on all bands, shortwave, medium-wave and FM.

So while you are recommending now pure digital HD, based on the NAB tests and [WWFD’s] not completely convincing trial, we would urge the FCC to consider opening the straightjacket of 2002 and allow DRM to be used as a sure, tested, efficient way of digitizing the AM band.

There are several reasons for this. DRM digital radio delivers, in the AM bands, significant benefits:

• Audio quality that is on par or better than FM. DRM, of all recognized digital standards, is the only one using the ultra-efficient and compressed xHE-AAC audio codec that delivers, at even very low bit rates, exceptional audio quality for speech, but music as well (www.drm.org/listen-compare/).

• Record Data: DRM has been tested in medium-wave all over the world in both simulcast and pure digital. A list of the main tests (some of which have become ITU adopted documents) are included in Annex 4 of the DRM Handbook (www.drm.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DRM-Handbook.pdf). At the moment, 35 MW transmitters are on air in simulcast or pure DRM in India (http://prasarbharati.gov.in/R&D/).

• Auxiliary Data. DRM is the newest, most complete, open standard for digitizing radio in all frequency bands, and is recommended by ITU. DRM has been devised as a direct heir to analog AM (SW, MW). It uses 9/10, 18/20 kHz bandwidth and has a useful content bit rate of up to 72 kbps. It carries up to three programs on one frequency and one data channel, while data can be carried on each of the audio channels as well. One of the great advantages of DRM is that alongside excellent audio, the receiver screens will display visual information of any kind required (album titles, singer photos, maps, visuals of any sort, data of any kind). The Journaline application allows for extra information from the internet or the RSS feeds of the broadcaster to be captured and displayed. Currently broadcasters like the BBC, All India Radio [and] KTWR in Guam are using this extra facility that clearly differentiates digital [from] analog as a superior option.

• Power/energy efficiency. Using SW or MW in DRM can reduce the power used up to 80%. As per calculations made by Ampegon, a medium-wave transmitter can cover an area of 235,000 square kilometers with a 100 kW transmitter. The DRM ERP of such a transmitter is about 50 kW and the coverage area is the same, while instead of one analog program, up to three digital channels and one data channel can be broadcast, all in excellent audio quality.

• Spectrum efficiency (more programs can be broadcast on one single frequency used for one program in analog) as explained above.

• DRM, unlike analog, offers enhanced and stable audio quality that is FM-like (mono or stereo). DRM also offers multiservice data enabled by applications like Journaline (the enhanced text services, more information captured as RSS feeds or from other internet source), slideshows, multilingual text (practically being able to show any characters of any language, not just Latin script), and the Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF) in case of disasters.

• Interference. This has not been noted, as the DRM signal will always be lower than the analog one. AIR has not noted any interference in its operation of DRM transmitters. The mask values required for an optimal functioning of DRM transmitters [are] clearly stipulated in the ITU documents and as long as the network planning is correct and the mask is respected, there should not be any issue of interference in digital-analog or digital-digital DRM transmissions.

• Receivers. Currently there are several receiver models and SDR options for the reception of DRM in AM. India has almost 2 million new cars fitted with DRM receivers, at no cost to the buyers, that are capable of and are receiving DRM medium-wave signals. The audio quality is excellent and a sure benefit to the users.

• DRM is in direct succession to the analog AM (and FM) services, not owned or controlled by any single company, and immediately available with full know-how and technology access by the transmitter and receiver industry.

• As HD in medium-wave is a bit of a necessary step but still a leap in the dark, it would make sense from the practical aspects and even receiver solution availability to allow DRM as the best, clearly proven solution of digitizing the AM band (in preference or alongside HD) in the U.S.

In short, the salient advantages of DRM are:

1. The audio quality offered by DRM is equally excellent on all the transmission bands: MW, SW or VHF

2. Robust signal unaffected by noise, fading or other forms and interference in all bands

3. Clear and powerful sound quality with facility for stereo and 5.1 surround

4. More audio content and choice: Up to two and even three audio programs and one data channel on one frequency

5. Extra multimedia content: Digital radio listeners can get multimedia content including audio, text, images and in future even small-scale video, such as:

a. Text messages in multiple languages
b. Journaline – advanced text-based information service supporting all classes of receivers, providing anytime-news for quick look-up on the receiver’s screen; interactivity and geo-awareness allowing targeted advertising
c. Electronic Program Guide (EPG), showing what’s up now and next; search for programs and schedule recordings
d. Slideshow Program accompanying images and animation
e. Traffic information

6. Automatically switch for disaster & emergency warnings in case of impending disasters in large areas, automatically presenting the audio message, while providing detailed information on the screen in all relevant languages simultaneously. Great potential to become the surest and widest means of alerting the population to emergencies.

Therefore, we urge [the] FCC to take a wide view and consider all options including DRM, if AM is worth future-proofing in the USA.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.

The DRM Consortium describes itself as an international not-for-profit organization composed of broadcasters, network providers, transmitter and receiver manufacturers, universities, broadcasting unions and research institutes. Its aim is to support and spread a digital broadcasting system suitable for use in all the frequency bands up to VHF Band III.

The post Allow DRM for Digitizing the AM Band appeared first on Radio World.

The National Association of Broadcasters announced it will bestow radio’s most esteemed community service award to an Iowa station at the 2020 NAB Show.The association will present the NAB Crystal Heritage Award to KCVM(FM) of Cedar Falls at the third-annual We Are Broadcasters Celebration scheduled for April 21. The nod is especially fitting for a station owned by Coloff Media, which espouses the motto “Service to Listeners, Clients and Communities.”

The Crystal Heritage Award is reserved for stations that have won five Crystal Radio Awards for service, and KVCM will be the ninth station to receive the honor during the program’s three-decade history. In 2019, KFOR(AM) joined the Crystal Heritage ranks, as did WTOP(FM) in 2018.

[Crystal Heritage Award Winner KFOR(AM) Leads by Example in Lincoln]

“KCVM has served Cedar Falls for over 22 years and exemplifies radio’s strong connection and service to local communities,” NAB Executive Vice President of Industry Affairs Steve Newberry said in the announcement. And don’t forget: Stations can still submit entries to the Crystal Radio Award program through Jan. 31.

The post KCVM Gets Crystal Heritage Nod From NAB appeared first on Radio World.

Broadcasters want to think ahead about how to capitalize on 5G fixed wireless. The problem is, they don’t know what it is or isn’t yet. In this issue, we ask technical thought leaders how 5G may affect our industry, while Michael LeClair cocks a skeptical eyebrow in that direction. Also in this issue: Spooky podcasts, a history of synchronous AM, and cool technologies for your phones and talk show systems.

 

Read it online here. DIGITAL RADIO
DRM Says “Not So Fast”

If the FCC allows U.S. AM stations to turn off their analog signals in favor of all-digital transmissions, Digital Radio Mondiale believes it should be among their options.

FUTURE OF RADIO
For Radio, It’s Wait and See About 5G

We asked a bunch of smart people how they think this new technology might play out in the radio biz.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

• Synchronous AM’s Long and Tortuous History
• With Consoles, It’s All About Connectivity
• Buyer’s Guide: Phone & Talk Show Management

The post Inside the Jan. 22 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.

Justin Chase

Beasley Media Group has promoted Executive Vice President of Programming Justin Chase to chief content officer, the company announced this week.

In a press release, Beasley Media Group CEO Caroline Beasley tasked Chase with “enhancing and expanding our content on all of our on-air and digital platforms.”

Chase has served as EVP of programming since 2016, and prior to that he was operations manager for Beasley Las Vegas and added the vice president of programming title in 2013. In Vegas, he also supervised KCYE(FM), KKLZ(FM), KOAS(FM) and KVGS(FM) as PD, and his work was recognized with Beasley’s “Program Director of the Year” award. 

Additionally, Chase is a member of the National Association of Broadcasters Radio Board and serves on the Media Ratings Council’s board of directors, the MRC Radio Committee and the MRC Digital Committee. He has participated as a member of the Nielsen Advisory Council and in special projects with The Council for Research Excellence.

The post Beasley Ups Chase to Chief Content Officer appeared first on Radio World.

Getty Images/Alexsl

The problem facing broadcasters trying to capitalize on 5G-fixed-wireless is they don’t know what it is or isn’t yet.

Prior to this month’s CES show, Gary Shapiro, president/CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, assessed the state of 5G for the Jacobs Media blog: “In 2019, 5G moved from trials to commercialization, with commercial launches in the U.S., Europe and Asia. By 2022, the majority (76%) of smartphones shipping in the U.S. will be 5G enabled,” Shapiro said.

“This year, 5G is capable of significantly greater data capacity for video and telepresence applications, significantly more connections at a time and ultra-low latency. The U.S. is now in a global race for 5G leadership, and connectivity — delivering anytime/anywhere access and information — and it is one of the driving trends of our time.”

And 5G’s potential content delivery powers continue to tantalize radio technical experts. Though the phase-in of 5G networks has begun, the full technical evolution is three to five years off, experts say. This leaves radio broadcasters time to think about ways to take advantage of the next-generation of cellular networks.

The new wireless platform will be superior to earlier generations of mobile systems, with significantly greater throughput and considerably lower latency, according to those who follow the sector.

Fifth-generation cellular technology is expected to have a transformative effect on multiple industries, including audio and video delivery. 5G is initially being deployed in mobile broadband networks alongside 4G/LTE, with stand-alone 5G deployments following at a later stage.

Technical experts say 5G — which was also the theme of several NAB Show sessions last year, and presumably will be again this spring — has the potential to transform how radio broadcasters operate, with enhanced wireless data transmissions and more data-intensive applications, and even point-to-point links.

The FCC continues to conduct 5G spectrum auctions, recently reallocating part of the C-Band spectrum for its use, which will be critical to the deployment of 5G services and applications. And broadcast equipment suppliers like transmitter manufacturers and codec makers reportedly are experimenting with 5G in order to explore the potential of next-gen wireless, even though industry standards have yet to be set.

The point-to-point communication capabilities of 5G could someday eliminate the need for traditional STLs and other high-capacity data circuits for broadcasters.

Much has been written about the implications on video, including virtual reality and e-sports, but the end game for radio depends on the timing of 5G full implementation, since the adoption curve for 5G is a few years from completion.

Observers say broadcasters need to approach 5G from both the standpoint of what it means for consumers and for how stations acquire and deliver content.

“As 5G networks become more ubiquitous, wireless technologies will be incorporated into more consumer devices, expanding the availability of streaming services beyond even where it is today,” said Ari Meltzer, a partner in the telecommunications, media and technology practice at Wiley Rein LLP.

“And because 5G signals have more bandwidth than traditional AM or FM signals, radio broadcasters should anticipate having to compete against the almost limitless variety of programming that will be available over 5G networks.”

Radio broadcasters would be wise to incorporate 5G into their long-term planning, Meltzer said, even if some guesswork is involved.

“Radio broadcasters need to analyze how listeners are consuming their content and how that is likely to change as consumer adoption of connected devices continues to grow at an exponential pace. While this may create challenges for the traditional linear programming model, it also creates opportunities for radio broadcasters to provide expanded interactive services and to reach listeners in new ways with new content,” he said.

The European Broadcasting Union’s project group 5G Deployments is addressing technical and non-technical issues related to business arrangements, deployment models and regulatory conditions for 5G mobile systems, according to Darko Ratkaj, EBU senior project manager for technology and innovation.

Getty Images/diyun Zhu

“Where available, 5G will provide improved connectivity with high speed and low latency, which would improve the user experience with audio streaming,” Ratkaj said. “However, streaming of audio services is already possible over 4G networks and WiFi, and this is increasingly popular. Therefore, the impact of 5G will be incremental, rather than revolutionary. Much will depend on the availability and performance of 5G-enabled user devices.”

In addition, one of the main benefits that 4G and 5G bring to broadcasters, Ratkaj said, is the “possibility to deliver content and services to personal devices, in particular mobile phones, which cannot receive signals via terrestrial or satellite broadcast networks.”

He added, “Content distribution over mobile networks such as 4G and 5G may require different commercial arrangements compared to conventional broadcasting.”

The connected car is expected to make use of 5G next-gen technology as the service rolls out; indeed the connected car is likely to hog a lot of its capacity.

A radio working group of the North American Broadcasters Association notes that 5G is often cited as the primary path forward for vehicle connectivity. “It is believed by many in the automotive space that 5G video application and vehicle-to-vehicle communication will use the majority of 5G’s capacity,” the committee wrote in its report “The Value Proposition of Radio in a Connected World,” published last year.

TOO SOON TO SAY

Technical observers say it is too early to begin architecting radio’s future with 5G but acknowledge the need for the industry to consider all opportunities to share audio and metadata in a better connected world.

“It’s difficult to answer the question about how radio as an industry may take advantage of what 5G has to offer. It’s an emerging technology, and geographic availability is yet to be defined,” said Michael Beach, VP of distribution at National Public Radio.

Milford Smith, principal with Smith, Khanna and Guill Inc., said while 5G is being rolled out by various carriers, some more aggressively than others, he thinks it’s going to take nearly ubiquitous availability before broadcasters explore new applications.

“One thing is for sure, it’s unlikely that there will be much need much longer for heritage wired pathways for out-of-studio events,” Smith said.

Another veteran engineer said how media is consumed will affect the efficiencies of using 5G next-gen services. “Audio is mostly consumed while mobile, whether jogging through the park or commuting to the office,” said Frank McCoy, CE at Salem Media Chicago. “Video is delivered more often to stationary devices. It’s a lot easier to maintain smooth connectivity through a single path than through an environment that requires regular system handoffs. This remains a limitation. The back end structure required to make this work will still struggle, I believe.”

As the small cell infrastructure in high-density areas for 5G is built out, the 5G canopy will expand, McCoy said.

“The new spectrum will linearly expand throughput per cell, but that’s it. To exponentially gain throughput requires more and smaller cells, so this isn’t a problem that’s easy to solve.”

There are technical implications of 5G adoption, too, McCoy said. “I expect 5G will look a lot like 4G but with more bandwidth. It’s still physics-limited to about 3.7 data bits per spectrum Hertz, though. And it may come without support for IPv4. Better study up on IPv6.”

McCoy said he is unaware of any 5G planning done by Salem Media, though fixed, point-to-point services should benefit from more bandwidth. “Then again, the Silicon Valley folks seem to come up with new, better consumer tools that require ever more bandwidth to function. And free connectivity may emerge, driven by ad content, as radio is,” he said.

There will be investment costs for broadcasters to be ready for the 5G world, said Richard Engelman, a technical consultant with Wiley Rein LLP.

“Given the variety of ways in which radio broadcasters can adopt 5G technologies, the range of required investments will vary tremendously,” he said.

“At one extreme, because 5G is a network technology that can be used to distribute a variety of content, radio broadcasters can invest in IP-based content distribution and take advantage of 5G without any incremental cost for 5G itself. At the other extreme, building new point-to-point links or equipping studios and remote facilities to take advantage of 5G technology will require both an upfront capital investment and, potentially, investments in the spectrum required to deliver the signal,” Engelman said.

The post For Radio, It’s Wait and See About 5G appeared first on Radio World.

Is our industry’s technical profession — particularly in the United States — in crisis? If so what is being done about it?

Radio World Editor in Chief Paul McLane talks to experts in commercial radio, public radio and technical education in this special report, sponsored by Nautel and Shively.

Are the number of qualified engineers in fact declining? How are companies are balancing the needs of RF vs. IT? What choices are available for technical training? Are broadcast groups changing how they manage product buying or approach infrastructure design with a shortage of technical talent in mind?

Find out what Paul learned here.

The post Radio Engineering in Crisis appeared first on Radio World.

Organizers of the 2020 European Radio & Digital Audio Show say they expect more than 8,000 visitors to the upcoming edition.

With some 160 exhibitors and over 100 conferences, masterclasses and workshops, the event is laying out what all in attendance will have in store for the three-day event in Paris.

“In 2020, in France and Europe, radio remains a safe bet and the soundest listening tool. Europeans love radio and have faith in it. It is still deeply rooted in the lives of listeners,” said show organizers Philippe Chapot and Fréderic Brulhatour.

“But at the beginning of the 21st century, audio is becoming more versatile and is spreading at an ever-faster pace over all areas of life and through all types of media. Digital audio is now available everywhere, anytime. It is definitely a new revolution and a new world of possibilities.”

“SOLID RADIO,  LIQUID AUDIO”

The show’s theme for this year will be “Solid Radio. Liquid Audio.” Supporting that theme will be a number of events and presentations.

One example is the dedicated pavilion that will showcase German and Austria’s work in the industry. More than 15 German and Austrian exhibitors will be present in the pavilion, including Audi and its e-tron automobile, featuring its latest infotainment system. After conference hours, the pavilion will also host a “Biergarten” starting at 7 p.m.

The conference is also expanding its Podcast & Co. area to become the POD.Village. There will be the In-car XP stand on embedded digital radio and audio experiments in the automotive industry, while the DAB+ pavilion will offer updates on digital terrestrial radio around the world.

A number of popular features are also returning after successful debuts, including the Rebounce Audio hackathon that looks at the ins and outs of tomorrow’s radio and digital audio world; the Sales House for hosting conventions and cross-industry meetings, like the national convention of the Indes Radio, National Radio Day of the RCF network and the 90th anniversary of “Music & the Spoken Word”; and the Muzicenter Meetup, offering meetings between labels and director of programs.

Additional offerings at the 2020 conference include personalized sessions in a KEODA soundproof booth; the International Radio of the Year Award Ceremony; and the French Young Talent Awards for Radio, TV and Net.

The 2020 European Radio & Digital Audio Show is taking place from Jan. 23–25 at the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris.

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“Very well, I admit the deed! Tear up the planks! Here! Here! It is the beating of the old man’s hideous heart!”

This is the climax to Edgar Allen Poe’s horror classic “The Tell-Tale Heart.” And like many a classic, it’s a familiar tale that becomes fresh again when the retelling is new and different.

This is why the National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre’s podcast production of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is such a worthwhile listen. Hosted online by Baltimore NPR station WYPR 88.1 FM, “Tell-Tale Heart” is one of a series of Poe-based podcasts being produced by the company’s “Poe Theatre on the Air” initiative.

“Poe Theatre of the Air is based on the ‘theater of the mind’ approach to radio drama, which uses actors, music and sound effects to conjure up vivid stories in the listeners’ imaginations,” said Alex Zavistovich, the founder and artistic director of the National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre.

Orson Welles’ famous 1938 “War of the Worlds” broadcast is based on the theater of the mind approach. The dark stories of Edgar Allan Poe lend themselves well to this audio production style, even though his 19th century tales were written long before radio came to be.

Allan Poe

Why Poe?

An experienced actor and director as well as a former editor of Radio World, Alex Zavistovich is no stranger to radio drama. Previous to creating the National Edgar Allan Poe Theatre, Zavistovich founded and managed Lean & Hungry Theater, which performed radio adaptations of Shakespeare and other English literary classics. These adaptations have been aired on NPR affiliate stations in Austin, Texas; Tampa, Florida; and Washington, D.C.

Although Poe was born in Boston in 1809 and then lived in Richmond, the indisputable Father of American Horror did much of his writing in Baltimore, where he died at age 40 after being found incoherent in Ryan’s Tavern.

Poe’s ties to Baltimore appealed to Zavistovich when he moved to this city.

“I learned that there was no national theater dedicated to the works of Edgar Allan Poe,” he said. “So I have set about to raise Poe’s profile, and Poe Theatre on the Air is one way I’m doing it.”

As for hosting these podcasts on WYPR’s website? “Being affiliated with an NPR station instantly gave us a credibility and a reach that we wouldn’t have if we did this on our own,” said Zavistovich.

Alex Zavistovich

The Nitty-Gritty

To date, Poe Theatre on the Air has produced five dramatic podcasts based on Poe’s works. As described by the theater’s web page, a sampling:

The Tell-Tale Heart: “A housekeeper takes a job caring for an old man, and it seems like a dream for them both. But the dream becomes a nightmare when the housekeeper’s obsession with the man turns deadly — with a truly heart-pounding ending.”
The Black Cat: “A man brings home a cat for his animal-loving wife, to replace a cherished pet. When the new family addition becomes too annoying for the man, it leads to a dark secret that the cat reveals at the worst possible time — for the man.”
Morella: “A man’s love for his scholarly wife fades as her fascination turns to morbid themes. On her deathbed, she gives birth and curses the man to ensure that he will never be freed from her memory.”

Posted more recently are episodes “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Berenice.”

In a nice touch, the stories are tied together by the device of the listener visiting an insane asylum. Each cell they visit contains a deranged inmate directly related to the Poe tale about to be told.

The scripts, drawn from Poe’s own works, are created by Zavistovich and Professor Richard Hand, a professor of media practice at the UK’s University of East Anglia. The actors are from the Poe Theatre on the Air’s company, with production being handled in Baltimore by long-time audio engineer and producer Ty Ford, another Radio World alum.

Poe was originally buried in an unmarked grave but is remembered today with this marker in Baltimore.

Teaching theatrical actors to do radio drama wasn’t easy, Ford said. “We do the show in my 25- by-35-foot custom-tuned basement studio, and it took a while for some of them to get used to working with microphones rather than projecting to an audience from the stage,” he said. “But they’re getting the hang of it now.”

To make these Poe podcasts more compelling, Ford uses a mix of original music that he and Zavistovich compose/perform on the fly, plus recorded sound effects, and actual “real” effects that he creates as required.

Ty Ford prepares a microphone for Jennifer Restak.

“For instance, when we needed the sound of a trowel being used to brick a victim into a wall, I grabbed one of my own and rubbed across the terra-cotta saucer of a flower pot,” Ford said.

CLASSICS FOR THE PODCAST GENERATION

In creating theater of the mind audio productions, Zavistovich and Ford are aiming for the pinnacle of Golden Age radio dramatic production, a genre made popular by long-running radio series like “Gunsmoke” and “Suspense.”

Judging by the quality of Poe Theatre on the Air, they have hit this mark. These podcasts feature a lively mix of solid voice acting, convincing sound effects, and suitably eerie music that underlines Poe’s emphasis on pervasive, insistent unease; a sense of discomfort that begins by gently unsettling the listener at the outset, and building to a tsunami of terror by the end.

Actor Brian MacDonald at work. Find the episodes at www.wypr.org/programs/poe-theatre-air.

“We recently heard from WYPR that we have had 6,000 downloads for the first three shows,” said Ford, “not just streams, but downloads. They were excited by that and are planning even more promotion for the show.”

If all goes to plan, Alex Kavistovich hopes to keep producing new Poe podcasts on a monthly basis. “There’s a whole community of podcasts listeners who are deeply interested in radio drama and complex storytelling,” he said. “This is what we are trying to bring to them through the tales of Edgar Allan Poe.”

And if the living Poe podcasts transport their listeners into a world of deadly fear and trepidation, so much the better. As the Father of American Horror wrote in “The Premature Burial”: “The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?”

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