Radio World

The author is assistant chief engineer for Radio One Dallas.

When our station KSOC became the first in Texas to broadcast in HD Radio, we knew that we needed to be on top of our audio quality in order to best take advantage of the new technology. But like many stations we really had no idea where much of our music came from.

We knew that, although the songs in our playout system were all stored as uncompressed WAV files, at least some had originated as MP3 files. We wanted to find a way to identify those songs so that they could be replaced with pristine, uncompressed audio files.

It’s important to use the best-quality source material for on-air broadcast, but especially so when you are broadcasting in HD. The GIGO principle applies: Garbage In, Garbage Out.

Kirk Harnack, senior solutions consultant at Telos Alliance, had this to say about broadcasting previously compressed source audio on an HD Radio station: “Audio that’s been psychoacoustically encoded and decoded is now missing the ‘low-hanging fruit’ that the original encoder identified and eliminated or modified. If we cascade another psychoacoustic audio encoding algorithm after the first one, the second encoder will not have the benefit of the natural audio’s content that was easy to eliminate.”

So it’s in our interest and that of our listeners to ensure that the audio we broadcast, which will be processed by the HD Radio encoder, hasn’t already been subjected to a lossy compression algorithm. With hard drive space as abundant and affordable as it is today, storage space is no longer a reason to obtain our music in a compressed format such as MP3.

But short of listening to every song in the library with a critical ear in a studio, how could we determine which songs had once been psychoacoustically compressed? All of our songs are now stored as WAV files so just looking at the file extension or the file size gives no hint whatsoever.

It turns out that there are certain clues visible in the spectrogram of an audio file that can help identify the formerly compressed songs. The most obvious one is the cutoff frequency used by the encoder.

When a file is compressed to MP3 format, the algorithm attempts to remove parts of the audio that the designers of the standard felt wouldn’t be missed by the human ear in an attempt to reduce file size.

Part of this is the cutoff of all audio content above a certain frequency. That frequency varies according to the bitrate of the MP3 compression scheme.

From my tests, it seems that a bitrate of 192 kbps results in a cutoff of audio above about 18 kHz. A rate of 128 kbps cuts off above 16–17 kHz. This is easy to see when looking at the spectrogram of an MP3 song.

See Fig. 1. Notice that at 17 kHz, the audio levels of this file are already in the noise floor.

Fig. 1: Spectrogram of “Crystal Ball” by Styx as MP3

Looking at the uncompressed version of the same song in Fig. 2, we don’t get to the –67 dB level until we reach the 21 kHz frequency range.

Fig. 2: The same song, linear uncompressed.

Put on your SoX
This finding allows us an opportunity to examine our library programatically. There is a command-line audio utility called “SoX” (for “sound exchange”) that we can use along with a scripting language to open files and examine their frequency content.

I decided to see if I could figure out how to use this utility to check out all our audio. The hope was that it would identify the songs that may have once been compressed so that we could examine these more closely and replace them if necessary.

I ended up with a Python script that loops through a folder with the audio files, opening each and using SoX to create a temporary file from the song after applying a high-pass filter at, say, 17 kHz. Then a second process takes the RMS amplitude value from this temporary file and compares it to a value previously discovered by experimentation. If below this nominal value, the file is flagged as a potential candidate for replacement.

These files can be examined manually with a program such as Audacity or Adobe Audition that offers a spectrogram view. The spectrogram can be examined and the file can be played in a controlled studio environment so that a determination can be made as to the need for replacement of the audio.

The line that creates the temporary high-pass-filtered audio file (filtered at 17 kHz) looks like this:

sox [original_filename] [output_file_name] sinc 17k

The code that does rest of the heavy lifting (determining the RMS value of the high-pass-filtered audio file) is a little scary looking:

sox output.wav -n stat 2>&1 | sed -n 's|^RMS amplitude:[^0-9]*\([0-9.]*\)$|\\1|p' >>../rms.txt

All this really does is take a look at the temp file (output.wav) and call up the stats of the file. Then the sed program searches the resulting statistical output for the phrase “RMS amplitude” and writes the numerical value of that stat to a file called rms.txt. The rest of the code, not shown here, inserts the name of the song or audio file alongside the RMS value of that file. We end up with a list that looks something like Fig. 3.

Fig. 3

In this case, any song with a value below 0.001 is suspect. Subsequent inspection of those songs’ spectrograms confirmed that they had a “flat top” at about 17 kHz, thus we know that, although they are WAV files now, they have likely been compressed at some point in the past. Those songs should be replaced with known linear audio.

It should be noted that at high bitrates such as 320 kbps, this method won’t work as well because the frequency cutoff is close to 20 kHz.

If you’d like the complete Python script, email me at swalker@radio-one.comand I will send it along.
Comment on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post What’s in Your Audio Library? appeared first on Radio World.

(Getty Images/Pias Rahman)

The author is vice president and secretary of Seven Ranges Radio in St. Mary’s, W.Va.

The FCC is discussing adding requirements for backup power at radio stations and other key communications providers, in order to maintain service during emergencies.

A worthwhile idea — but it’s not going to happen without federal money.

In 2012 a “derecho” hit our market of some 20 stations. This straight-line wind event shut down power for a wide area. The next morning, only my suburban B-1 FM and an AM station in town were on the air carrying emergency information.

For most small to medium-market stations, the proposal is not going to happen unless the government pays for generator installation. Even for a small plant, generator installation can start at $7,000 and go up from there. And these small systems need continual, annual maintenance.

And that’s in “fly-over” country. In the East and West, infested with bureaucrats, installation costs may be double or triple that in order to satisfy all the government agencies.

I own three stations in Market No. 242, two FMs and a full-time AM, plus a fourth Class A FM at a small town some 40 miles out of the market. Also in this market are another five AM stations, five non-com FMs and seven commercial FM signals.

In town we have a full-time AM and a Class A FM. The AM tower is at the AM/FM’s studios. Our suburban B-1 is at a combined studio/transmitter site 20 minutes from downtown. Our fourth FM is programmed from there. Both studios have generators, and  that out-of-town FM has one at the transmitter site.

We installed our first generator some 25 years ago at our suburban B-1, not specifically for emergency broadcast but because the local public utility was so unreliable. It proved its value in 2012 when the “derecho” toppled several transmission towers at the local power plant. We were on generator power for a week.

But the transmitter site for our in-town FM has no backup. We’ve talked about installing a generator, but between COVID slowing sales and a certain government agency sucking up around $7,000 each year in “fees,” that’s been put off again this year. On our same tower at that site are a local non-com plus translators for four of the six AM stations in town.

But we are in better shape than the rest of the market. The “big group” owner in town doesn’t have working backup at any of their three FMs, nor at their studio. The other group owner can power three of their four FMs if someone goes out to start the generator manually. But they have no backup power at the studio.

One AM — also locally owned by former NAB board member John Wharff — has backup power for his station and its associated translator. His was the only station on-air in town the day after the derecho. But that’s the roster.

Come another big storm, our two AMs and my suburban B-1 will be the only sources of emergency information.

Require backups?

Should the FCC require communications providers including broadcasters to have backup power provision? Comment to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post A Genset Mandate? Only if Uncle Sam Pays appeared first on Radio World.

Peter Skiera

From a radio station that streams from underwater to a station composed of stream-of-consciousness thoughts from a New Yorker calling exclusively from payphones, there is a wealth of unique, charming, niche and bizarre internet radio stations out there online.

Radio World spoke with Peter Skiera, the creator and author of the “Recommended Stations” website that uncovers and highlights stations that listeners might not be able to uncover on their own. “Given that there’s over 61,000 internet radio stations from around the world, people understandably get overwhelmed trying to find stations, and they never discover many really good stations,” he told Radio World. “I figured it was time somebody sifted through all of these stations and made recommendations.”

The interview has been edited slightly for length and clarity.

Radio World: For the uninitiated, can you tell me a bit about the Recommended Station list and what it offers listeners?

Peter Skiera: The point of my monthly Recommended Station list is to make radio and music enthusiasts aware of different, interesting, great radio stations they probably would never have discovered on their own. Last month I recommended a station that specializes in music from the early 20th century. This month I recommend two holiday stations, both very different from what one would normally expect from a holiday station. Next month’s Recommended and Hitchhiker Stations are associated with outer space.

Once someone joins the Patreon membership platform for $1, they get access to all of the stations I’ve recommended, as well as future recommendations and occasional blog content. I just want to try to recover my website and blog expenses since this endeavor is entirely self-funded. I don’t accept advertising on my website, no companies sponsor my articles, and I don’t earn a commission for recommending a station or a CD or LP.

RW: Before we get to an explanation of what a “hitchhiker station” is, could you share the backstory on the creation of this service?

Skiera: There are people who recommend audio equipment, books, movies, restaurants, cars so why not internet radio stations? Given that there’s over 61,000 internet radio stations from around the world, people understandably get overwhelmed trying to find stations, and they never discover many really good stations. I figured it was time somebody sifted through all of these stations and made recommendations.

So I started writing Recommended Station articles for an audio company’s blog about every six months, highlighting between six and nine standout internet radio stations, really going into great deal detail about them, including interviewing station founders or music directors to get the story behind the station.

A couple of readers emailed me suggesting I put out a monthly Recommended Stations newsletter rather than writing an article every six months. It was a good idea, but finding and vetting stations is a lengthy process and there was no way I could come up with six or nine stations every month for a newsletter. I got the idea to do one Recommend Station a month along with one Hitchhiker Station and linked my recommendations to Patreon to help support my music-related blog. As far as I know, I’m the only person in the world who recommends internet radio stations on a monthly basis and purposely seeks out bizarre stations.

RW: Tell us a bit about the unearthing of a Hitchhiker Station? What do these stations do?

Skiera: I call them “hitchhiker” stations because searching internet radio is akin to picking up hitchhikers on the highway. You don’t know if the person getting into your car is a college professor or a serial killer. Honestly, I think I get more excited when I find a Hitchhiker Station than I do a Recommended Station because they’re so rare. I love discovering bizarre stations that would not exist were it not for the internet. Granted, they’re not stations you’d probably listen to for an extended period of time, or perhaps not at all, but it’s fascinating to learn about them.

RW: It’s surprising to hear how many free internet radio stations are out there. Can you tell me a bit about some of the niche stations you’ve found?

Skiera: I’m also amazed at the number of stations, and the list keeps growing every day. Many people have no idea about all of this free content. I’d be very surprised if you couldn’t find at least one internet station streaming your favorite music.

Examples of some of the stranger stations I’ve uncovered: There’s a station in Washington state that streams live audio from a microphone that’s 23 feet underwater. Trying find that on your AM or FM dial. Then there’s the internet station that has outdoor weather instruments connected to an analog synthesizer, so when you tune in you hear the current weather conditions expressed as a continuously changing frequency.

In the U.K., there’s an internet station that plays nothing but radio station jingles. But I think my favorite Hitchhiker Stations is Payphone Radio Network. The New Yorker who started it calls in and records his thoughts about whatever happens to be on his mind at the time and then plays the recordings over his internet station. The kicker is, he calls in exclusively from public payphones! Yes, Virginia, there are still payphones.

RW: When it comes to curating a list, is there a catalogue of criteria that you are looking for before including them on your list? Does distinctiveness, listenership or other qualities come into play when making a recommendation?

Skiera: My stations have to sound good. Some stations stream at low bit rates or have audio problems like random noise or large gaps of silence. I won’t recommend those. They also must stream reliably. I’m not interested in the guy who streams out of his garage three days a week between midnight and 5 am for seven months out of the year.

The station’s format is the real key. There are a ton of internet stations with the same format, be it classic rock, oldies, country, classical, rap or what have you. Most of them play the same songs. The stations I write about have to do something different.

Perhaps they mix in other types of music not normally associated with the genre, or they have a really different format altogether, or maybe the station’s founder has an interesting backstory that motivated him or her to start their station. Just about anything that makes a station stand out from the other 60,000 radio stations usually gets my attention.

This month I’ve been listening a lot to a Canadian internet station I discovered called “Easy Listening Christmas,” playing artists like Percy Faith, Hollyridge Strings, Manheim Steamroller, Ray Conniff Singers, etc. It’s old-school holiday music for sure but it won’t put you in a coma for Christmas.

RW: How do find out about some of the more obscure radio stations hiding in various corners of the internet?

Skiera: Believe me, it’s not easy. There isn’t a “bizarre” station category one can search under. Most of the time I find my Hitchhiker Stations purely by accident. I will be searching for a particular station and up pops a list of stations in the search results. I scroll through them and see a station with a curious name and tune it. Bingo! I found myself a Hitchhiker Station. But they are few and far between. On average I sample 10 internet stations a day. Sometimes I can audition 100 internet stations and not find a single Hitchhiker Station among them.

RW: Can you share a bit about your music blog and the kind of music/stories you gravitate to?

Skiera: Ordinarily, I try to keep my blog articles (which are free) music-related. I devote a lot of time researching and crafting each one.

In October I traveled to Minneapolis to visit some Prince landmarks and wrote an article about it. In December I posted an article examining strange holiday music, including an album of Christmas music played on hand saws and a group of 80 harmonica players who recorded several Christmas songs in a garage!

I recently posted an article featuring Dean Martin’s backup singers, The Golddiggers. I tracked down five of the original members and interviewed them about the Christmas record they released in 1969 and about working with Martin. I also spoke with the producer of the record.

I also plan to post an exclusive, extensive interview I did with composer Paul Zaza who scored the soundtrack to A Christmas Story among many others.

I love music and radio. I love learning. I love painting pictures with words. And I love interviewing people. Everyone has a story to tell. It could be about anything. I enjoy telling people’s stories as it relates to the subject matter.

Case in point: A few months ago, I recommended a U.S. station called Crooner Radio and interviewed the station’s founder who I knew nothing about beforehand. In the course of my interview, I found out he knew Frank Sinatra and other big-name crooners, some of whom gave him previously unreleased recordings to play on his internet station. He is also a singer himself but never made any records. I love opening a door and finding a wonderful surprise.

RW: Can you been interested in music/radio for some time?

Skiera: I worked in radio broadcasting for almost seven years in various capacities throughout New England, including operations manager, DJ, promotion director, talk show producer, news announcer and board operator. I was a DJ at my college station, WERS(FM), I interned at WBCN(FM) in Boston, and my first radio job was with WPRO(AM) in Rhode Island. Radio is still very dear to my heart. I also worked in consumer audio at companies like B&W loudspeakers, Rotel, and Cambridge SoundWorks.

I took accordion lessons for a year when I was a teenager and piano lessons about 20 years ago, but I didn’t stick with either. I’m not gifted musically. I’m very jealous of people who have mastered a musical instrument. It’s truly a gift from God. Maybe when I retire 20 years from now, I’ll be able to dedicate the time necessary to learn an instrument.

RW: Is there anything else you’d like our readership to know about the kind of work you’re doing here?

Skiera: Internet radio is the new shortwave. You can tune stations a few miles away or from almost any part of the world without needing a shortwave radio and fiddling with an antenna. All you need is a stable Wi-Fi network and an internet radio or an app on your smartphone or computer. I live in an area with poor terrestrial radio reception, so internet radio is a godsend for me, and the sound quality is excellent.

There are so many music lovers who have no idea how much internet radio has to offer (and for free) or who are afraid of the technology. It’s my mission to make the medium less intimidating and expose great — and strange — internet stations for people to enjoy. As my website’s motto says: Stop Searching. Start Listening.

The post Delving into Quirky, Compelling Corners of the Internet Radio Universe appeared first on Radio World.

TASCAM has introduced a new line of analog cassette tape.

You read that right.

It’s been a long time since we got a press release about a new line of cassettes, but TASCAM says “many aspiring and professional audio recording aficionados adamantly maintain that analog recording and the ‘good old days’ of tape will never be replaced by today’s random access digital solutions.”

The TASCAM 424 Studio Master High Bias Type II Cassette tape is being issued in a limited edition. It is meant as a companion to the company’s Portastudio series cassette recorders.

“The 424 Studio Master C-60 was developed for the 50th anniversary of TASCAM as a tribute to their rich heritage,” the company said in the announcement.

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“In 1979, TASCAM/TEAC created the 144 Portastudio, the world’s first portable home studio integrating a mixer and multi-track recorder. The 144 truly revolutionized home recording for the masses, and an infinite number of artists and musicians created their music on a Portastudio. The 144 Portastudio and other follow up Portastudios such as the 244, 246, Porta One, Porta-02, 424 series and more used inexpensive and easily found Type II High Bias cassettes. In the early 1980s TASCAM created the legendary ‘gold reel’ cassettes, which are now collector items. But today, any high bias type II cassettes are very hard to find.”

The 424 cassette was developed with National Audio Company Inc., a manufacturer of cassette tape and duplicator of recorded music cassettes. TASCAM quoted Steve Stepp, president of National Audio Company, saying, “These new cassettes are, without a doubt, the optimal media to use on vintage TASCAM Portastudios.”

The design recalls the original TEAC shell with miniature gold reels.

Submit announcements for Who’s Buying What to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post TASCAM Offers a New Cassette Tape appeared first on Radio World.

(Photo Illustration by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Groups representing Deaf and hard-of-hearing people told the FCC it needs to mandate that emergency alerts appear on wireless devices, and recommends that streaming services like Netflix and Hulu carry them as well.

That came in comments on the FCC’s inquiry into how to improve its EAS emergency alert system.

The FCC is under orders from Congress to report back on the feasibility of extending the EAS mandate to over-the-top video given the rise in popularity of video streaming services.

The groups focused mainly on wireless and the need for those who have cut the TV cord to be able to get alerts via their smartphones, but in a footnote, they also said: “It is also recommended that messages be sent through streaming services so as to be accessible even for consumers who have cut the cord.”

[Previously: FCC Asks: Should Legacy EAS Be Redesigned Altogether?]

They also put in a pitch for government grants to nonprofits (like themselves) “that have direct engagement with the disability community,” so that they can “encourage further training and awareness on how to enhance emergency communications, awareness, preparation, and responses.”

Among the 20 groups joining in the comments were Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, AccesSOS, American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association, and the Clear2Connect Coalition.

Streamers have argued their OTT services should not be required to participate in that system, saying it would not appreciably increase the number of people who get such alerts, but would appreciably increase the burden on streamers if they were required to deliver them. And the obligation would not just be on the major streaming video services, they said, but Peleton, and even online instructional yoga videos.

Broadcasters and cable operators agree that streaming companies should not be required to carry the alerts.

Cable broadband operators have told the FCC that the combination of already-required broadcast, cable and wireless alerts “are more than sufficient to convey timely and relevant emergency and public safety information to the public.”

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Disability Groups: Streamers Should Carry Emergency Alerts appeared first on Radio World.

Ten college radio stations have been named recipients of the 2021 Spirit of College Radio Awards.

The program is from organizers of the annual World College Radio Day event.

“The Spirit of College Radio Awards are presented by the College Radio Foundation in recognition of truly outstanding and spirited efforts made by college radio stations on World College Radio Day, which happened on Oct. 1 this year,” they wrote in the announcement. “The theme for this year’s WCRD event was ‘In Tough Times, We Thrive.’”

“Stations are voted for by the team that organizes World College Radio Day, who seek to shine a spotlight on college radio stations that not only go above and beyond to celebrate the annual WCRD event but also embody the passion and mission of college radio.”

The announcement was made by Rob Quicke, founder of College Radio Day. The list includes seven stations in the United States along with stations in Costa Rica, Greece and the Philippines.

The recipients:

• Aggie Radio 92.3 KBLU LP Logan — Utah State University (USA)
• RADIO-E — Universidad de Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
• The Revolution, Rev 89 — Colorado State University- Pueblo (USA)
• UPFM — University of Patras Radio (Greece)
• UST Tiger Radio — University of Santo Tomas (Philippines)
• WKNC 88.1 HD-1/HD-2 — North Carolina State University (USA)
• WLMC Landmark College Radio — Landmark College (USA)
• WMSC 90.3 FM — Montclair State University (USA)
• WOLF Radio — University of West Georgia (USA)
• WWSU 106.9 FM — Wright State University (USA)

The post Winners Announced in Spirit of College Radio Awards appeared first on Radio World.

Local radio revenue in the United States will increase 16% this year from its pandemic trough of 2020, and should continue to climb in 2022 though at a slower rate of about 6%. That’s according to projections from BIA Advisory Services.

The research company released this chart showing recent and projected local revenue from radio’s over-the-air and digital platforms.

After the obvious ditch in 2020, BIA thinks radio local ad revenue will edge up to $12.79 billion this year and $13.54 billion in 2022. That’s still shy of where it was in 2019.

BIA projects that the digital portion will be 16% next year compared to about 14% three years before.

More broadly, BIA increased its 2022 U.S. local ad forecast across media to $173.3 billion, up from an earlier estimate of $161.5 billion.

“The 2022 forecast indicates an 11.4 percent increase over 2021 due to faster than anticipated growth in digital advertising and a strong political year,” it said in its announcement.

SVP and Chief Economist Mark Fratrik called 2021 “a year of fluctuations,” with strong growth in the first half, then a stall when the Delta variant emerged. “We’ve taken pandemic concerns plus inflation and supply chain issues into account to prepare our local media estimates and, overall, we are bullish on ad revenue for 2022.”

Over-the-top (OTT) will grow about 57 percent this year, “surpassing the growth of mobile as consumers continue to embrace various streaming services on their TV screens.” Mobile, direct mail and PC/laptop continue as the top paid media channels for 2022.

Local television is slated to grow about 28 percent in 2022, boosted by political ads.

BIA also said political spending is expected to be “very large” next year.

The post Local Radio Revenue Projected Up 16% This Year appeared first on Radio World.

Eleven engineers who developed recommendations for loudness in internet audio streaming and on-demand applications are being honored by the Audio Engineering Society.

The inaugural AES President’s Award, which recognizes group collaborations, went to David Bialik, Rob Byers, Jim Coursey, Eelco Grimm, Bob Katz, John Kean, Scott Norcross, Robert Orban, Shawn Singh, Jim Starzynski and Alessandro Travaglini.

They were honored for technical achievement in drafting TC document TD1008: “Recommendations for Loudness of Internet Audio Streaming and On-Demand Distribution.”

“This award recognizes that contributions to the goals of the AES are often made collaboratively in groups,” the society wrote in its announcement. “The President’s Award may be given to a group of individuals in recognition of diligent and significant joint efforts on behalf of the Audio Engineering Society — those efforts making substantial contributions to the science or application of audio engineering.”

The society held an online ceremony last week honoring all of its recipients.

Its highest technical award, the AES Gold Medal Award, was presented to Richard Factor and Tony Agnello “for making the world sound better — and often weirder — through the continuous development of signal processors that inspire users and delight listeners.” Factor is co-founder and chairman of Eventide Audio, Agnello is managing director.

AES Fellowship Awards were presented to Ian Dennis, Mark Ethier, Paul Gallo, Leslie Gaston-Bird, Alexey Lukin, Doug McClement and Valerie Tyler.

AES Board of Governors Awards were given to Aníbal Ferreira, Valerie Tyler, Joel Brito, Paul Womack,  Jonathan Wyner, Ruud Kaltofen, Bert Kraaijpoel, Michael Fleming and Bill Crabtree.

Those and other award announcements can be viewed on the AES YouTube channel. The awards ceremony program with recipient bios is online.

The post Loudness Recommendations Are Honored by AES appeared first on Radio World.

BIA Advisory Services has released its 2020 list of the top-billing radio stations in the country.

The chart is below. Again this list is for last year; BIA’s list is usually issued earlier but like every other business, the company has seen its normal routines disrupted lately. Its list for 2021 won’t be out for a while.

At $62 million, Hubbard’s WTOP(AM) in Washington leads the 2020 list of estimated revenue by a whopping margin, way ahead of the No. 2, iHeart’s KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, and more than twice everyone else’s number.

Compared to 2019, WLTW(FM) moved from fourth to third in the rankings, but KBIG slid from third to seventh. WSB(AM) in Atlanta entered the 2020 rankings in fourth place, and WCBS(AM) in New York City was knocked out of the top ten.

The top 10 in 2019 were:

1. WTOP(AM)
2. KIIS-FM
3. KBIG-FM
4. WLTW(FM)
5. WHTZ(FM)
6. WFAN(AM)
7. WINS(AM)
8. WCBS(AM)
9. WBBM(AM)
10. WBZ(AM)

The post WTOP Was Top Biller Again in 2020 appeared first on Radio World.

A FM translator station in Rhode Island that allegedly failed to file a license renewal application on time is being told to pay a $5,000 monetary forfeiture, down from an original amount of $7,000.

Federal Communications Commission rules state that broadcasters must apply for a license renewal no later than the first day of the fourth month before the expiration of the license. If a station has not filed a license renewal application on time, the station has no authority to continue operation past the expiration date unless it receives a Special Temporary Authorization (STA) from the commission.

In the case of DiPonti Communications, licensee of FM translator W276DF in Westerly, R.I, the license was set to expire on Nov. 8, 2017. The issue was complicated by the fact that the station’s prior licensee — Harvest Broadcasting Association — received a one-year, short-term renewal on Nov. 8, 2016, as part of a consent decree with the bureau. (Harvest and DiPonti filed an application for consent to assign the license from the former to the latter on Nov. 3, 2016, several days after the consent decree and several days before the short-term renewal grant.) The Media Bureau also granted Harvest’s request to relocate the station from Vermont to Rhode Island so the station could rebroadcast DiPonti’s station, WBLQ(AM).

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The next steps moved smoothly: DiPonti constructed at the new Rhode Island location, filed a covering application to license the new facilities and received a covering license by the bureau that reminded the licensee that the station license would expire on Nov. 8, 2017. The bureau made clear that the covering license the station received did not extend the station’s license term — even though the license substituted the new Rhode Island facilities for the prior Vermont facilities.

That meant that DiPonti should have filed a license renewal application by July 1, 2017, which would have been the first day of the fourth full calendar month prior to the Nov. 8, 2017, expiration date. But DiPonti did not do so — not until three years later on Sept. 11, 2020. It also did not request an STA to continue operating under terms of the expired license until Sept. 16, 2020.

While DiPonti acknowledged that the 2020 application was late, the licensee did not realize that the license had expired when it did.

On Sept. 21, 2021, the bureau released a notice of apparent liability proposing a forfeiture of $7,000 — $3,000 for failing to file the renewal application on time and $4,000 for operating without authorization.

Soon after DiPonti asked the bureau to consider reducing the amount because that there was a discrepancy between expiration dates in the consent decree and in the FCC’s Licensing and Management System (LMS) database. But the FCC disagreed and said that an LMS error could not have caused the violations because that database did not come online until 21 months after DiPonti missed the renewal filing deadline.

DiPonti filed another petition for reconsideration and argued several new points, including that DiPonti was not responsible for Harvest’s misconduct that resulted in the short-term renewal; DiPonti’s broadcasts after the expiration date provided a public service without causing interference to any other stations; DiPonti had a clean record of compliance; the bureau incorrectly discounted the LMS database error since the same incorrect information appears in the existing Consolidated Database System; the violation was for a shorter period of time than the bureau suggested; and DiPonti was unaware that its license had expired because the commission continued to assess regulatory fees that showed the station as properly licensed. To support these arguments, DiPonti submitted copies of regulatory bills, database printouts and a covering license document.

After assessing DiPonti’s second petition, the Media Bureau agreed with some of the licensee’s arguments, including the suggestion that the station was serving the public interest and that DiPointi’s violations do not constitute serious violations.

As a result, bureau adjusted the forfeiture in light of DiPointi’s history of compliance and admitted that there is a remote possibility that a database error might have contributed to the confusion. As a result, the bureau said DiPponti is now liable for a forfeiture of $5,000.

The post FM Translator Issued $5,000 Forfeiture for Late Filing, Unauthorized Operation appeared first on Radio World.

Twenty-two years after launching Digital 1, the first U.K. national commercial DAB license, the Arqiva DAB multiplexing platform now runs 60 multiplexes across the United Kingdom. Recently, the company tapped Paneda of Norway and 2wcom Systems of Germany to re-engineer the platform.

2wcom is providing technology to bring audio from the studios into the multiplexing centers, as well as for EDI-to-ETI standards conversion. Paneda is providing a virtualized computing platform of DAB audio encoding and multiplexing.

“Arqiva is confident that in 2WCOM and Paneda, Arqiva have trusted partners to help Arqiva to respond to Arqiva’s Customer’s needs as DAB continues to grow in the U.K., taking pride in safely delivering hours and hours of painstakingly crafted radio content to millions of listeners,” stated Simon Mason, Arqiva’s head of broadcast radio technology, in a release announcing the agreement.

Submit business announcements to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Arqiva Taps Paneda, 2wcom for DAB Network appeared first on Radio World.

Audacy has named its first chief technology officer, promoting Sarah Foss to that position.

“Foss will spearhead the company’s efforts to innovate and differentiate its products and services via new technological capabilities,” it said. “She will continue to report to Rich Schmaeling, chief financial officer and executive vice president of strategic initiatives.”

Foss has been Audacy’s CIO since coming to Audacy in 2020. Before that she was senior vice president, strategic initiatives for FreeWheel Advertisers. She also has held executive roles at Imagine Communications, Yangaroo, Encompass Digital Media, VCI Solutions and Harris Corp.

She also is co-founder of Tech Bae, networking and mentoring organization for women in media and advertising.

Her job will be to manage “key technology initiatives” including software development, ad tech, business intelligence and analytics and data solutions. She also will oversee the live and on-demand audio streaming business, AmperWave, which it recently acquired from WideOrbit. The CTO role does not oversee broadcast engineering.

The post Audacy Promotes Foss to CTO appeared first on Radio World.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced new health protocols for CES 2022 in Las Vegas and is reporting that it will offer complimentary COVID-19 rapid testing kits.

This additional measure builds upon the previously announced requirement that all in-person attendees must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

Upon arriving at designated badge pick-up locations, CES attendees will be provided with Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Self Test kits. Each BinaxNOW Self Test kit contains two tests, which can be used twice while attending the show.

The CTA noted that the test is easy to use, requires only a shallow nasal swab, takes 15 minutes and can be done from the convenience of a hotel room. It strongly encourages all participants to test for COVID-19 before they leave home and within 24 hours before entering a show venue.

[Check Out More Events on Radio World’s Calendar]

“CES is a global event, and we continue to see strong momentum with new exhibitors signing up every day,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “In August, we announced that every CES attendee must be fully vaccinated. CES will also provide complimentary COVID-19 rapid tests, onsite at badge pickup locations, as an additional step to protect the health and safety of all our attendees, exhibitors and staff.”

The organizers also reported that CES 2022, which returns to Las Vegas Jan. 5-8, 2022, has attracted more than 2100 exhibitors, including brands like Abbott, Amazon, AMD, Autograph, Damon, Goodyear, Hisense, Hyundai, IBM, Intel, LG Electronics, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Qualcomm, Revival Health, Samsung Electronics, Sierra Space, Sony, Waymo and more.

The updated list of health protocols planned for CES 2022 is:

• Testing – All CES attendees MUST be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The organizers also request that attendees test for COVID-19 within the 24 hours period prior to entering a CES venue.
• CES will provide complimentary PCR testing for non-US based attendees who require testing prior to their return flight home.
• Vaccination Requirement – CES attendees MUST show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to attend CES. Detailed information on the proof of COVID-19 vaccination process can be found here.
• Attendees must be fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or World Health Organization (WHO). A list of approved vaccines can be found here.
• U.S. based attendees are encouraged to use the CLEAR complimentary mobile app and Health Pass feature to expedite vaccine validation.
• Non-U.S. based attendees, as well as U.S. based attendees who may be unable to use CLEAR, will need to provide their proof of vaccination at designated locations on-site.
• Mask Requirement – Masks are required for large indoor events in the State of Nevada.

CES attendees will be required to wear masks as follows:

• In exhibit booths and indoor exhibit facilities.
• In conference and keynote rooms.
• CES shuttle buses and any CES transportation services.
• Safety ambassadors will be walking the exhibit floor to offer masks to those who may need one.

Additional health protocols include:

• Venues – Enhanced ventilation systems and cleaning protocols in CES venues.
• Conference programming and meeting rooms – Set to enable social distancing.
• Show floor design and flow – Wider aisles and one-way traffic flows in certain areas.
• Food and beverage – Sanitizing stations and guidance on attendee best practices.

Detailed information for all CES 2022 health protocols can be found here. Those unable to travel to Las Vegas will be able to access CES digitally.

The post CES 2022 Adds New Health Protocols; Will Offer COVID-19 Tests appeared first on Radio World.

When you hear the name “Ocean Way,” you probably picture the iconic studios that bear, or once bore, the name, where countless hit records have been recorded. Allen Sides, the legendary engineer behind those studios, also makes high-end studio monitors through his Ocean Way Audio brand.

In commercial studios, you’re more likely to find the company’s three-way monitors with horns, often soffit-mounted in a control room. With large footprints and price tags north of $10,000, they’re not practical for all but the most elaborate personal studios.

But recently, Ocean Way Audio released the Pro3, which is the latest in its smaller (and less-expensive) OWA monitor line. The company refers to the Pro3 as its “most affordable” monitor pair yet. At $3,000 for a pair, some might quibble with the term “affordable,” but it is within the range of many studios and recording musicians; to many, its high-end, pro-level sound quality makes it an exceptional value.

Not baffling at all

The Pro3 monitors are the smallest that Ocean Way makes. The cabinets are designed to reduce baffle reflections and low-frequency resonance. Each monitor features a circular port at the top of the back panel.

With dimensions of 9 × 14 × 13.5 (W × H × D) inches and weighing 23 pounds each, the Pro3 is small enough to fit in any-size room. They’re two-way active monitors with plenty of power — 125 watts per side for the aluminum low-frequency driver and 90 watts for the silk fabric dome–type tweeter.

Compared to most studio monitors these days, you could call their control set “minimalist.” What there is resides on the back panel. The front of the Pro3 has only the woofer and tweeter. The power indicator light is on the rear, not the front. I’m not sure I understand that design choice; to me, it makes more sense if you can see it from the listening position.

Back panel

The Pro3s offer two input options: Analog and Digital AES/EBU, both on XLR connectors. An AES/EBU digital XLR output is also included. The monitors can be switched between four different presets: Preset 1 is the default, with the analog inputs active. Preset 2 is also analog, for use with a subwoofer. When it’s on, a fourth-order high-pass filter rolls off at 85 Hz so as not to get in the way of the low frequencies coming from the sub. The other two presets are for digital input. Preset 3 sets the monitor to digital left input and Preset 4 to digital right.

The process for changing presets is not what I’d describe as user-friendly. Each monitor features a small recessed button on the back panel called the LED Selector. Near it is a series of four LEDs: two white and two red. The manual recommends using a “small blunt tool” or breaking off the end of a cotton swab to make adjustments. Pressing and holding the LED Selector for a second or more switches the white LED from 1 to 2, which toggles the active status of the analog and digital inputs.

Quicker presses set the two red LEDs, which blink when you first adjust them. The combination of white and red LEDs that are lit determines which preset is active. Fortunately, you probably won’t have to adjust them very often, if at all. I never thought I’d find myself wishing for dip switches, but I did in this case.

Each speaker also features a Master Volume control for trimming the output. It’s recessed and requires a small screwdriver or a tweaker to adjust it. It’s not detented, but has 10 position indicators printed around the recessed area, making it pretty easy to set the left and right evenly if you need to lower the volume.

That’s it for the controls, save for the power switch and voltage selector. Ocean Way Audio includes IEC power cables for each monitor.

Somewhat surprisingly, there’s no room correction filtering or EQ that you can deploy on the Pro3s other than the high-pass filter for subwoofers that’s available with Preset 2.

Taking them for a spin

I set up the Pro3s in a nearfield configuration, placed on speaker stands on top of Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizers, which are thick and heavy monitor pads. The Pro3s don’t have rubber feet, so you’ll want to use pads or decoupling stands. I connected the Pro3s to the outputs of my Cranborne Audio 500R8 interface, opened Ableton Live and hit Play on a song I’d been working on.

My first thought was, “These monitors are really bright.” But I soon realized that what I was reacting to was clarity. Everything in the mix sounded clearer and more present— the drum loops, the bass, the guitars and the keyboards. The transient reproduction was beyond impressive.

When I switched back and forth between the Pro3s and my regular monitors (I’m not naming names because it’s an unfair fight), which I like a lot, the contrast was enormous. Not only are the Pro3s excellent for mixing, their sonic clarity makes them extremely helpful in adjusting mic placement when setting up for a tracking session.

The bass response on the Pro3s is extremely tight and defined. The specs show that it goes down to 45 Hz. Mixing on the Pro3s, I found it easier to accurately gauge the level of the kick drum and bass than with my regular monitors. The imaging on the Pro3s is also impressive. According to the company, the frequency response between the two speakers is within ±0.5dB.

Crank ’em up

I was curious how the Pro3s sounded at higher levels than the 70–80 dB range I’d been listening in. I cranked the music up to over 90 dB — which, with the speakers less than three feet from my ears, was quite loud. I expected to hear the clarity diminish, but it didn’t. The monitors sounded louder but otherwise no different than at lower volumes.

If by chance you push the level up too high, the monitors are equipped with overload protection circuits that would prevent damage to the drivers and other components.

I mixed a couple of full songs on the Pro3s and got excellent results. I noticed less ear fatigue than I was used to on either pair of monitors that I use regularly in my studio. The ability to listen longer before you have to stop for a long break, or until the next day, could be a real boon for mixing productivity.

The last thing I tried was hooking up a subwoofer. I own a KRK 10s sub and connected its left and right outputs to the inputs of the Pro3s. After switching the monitors to Preset 2, to activate the high-pass filtering, I let it rip. With that extra bass, the overall sound of the system was magnificent.

Ocean Way Audio makes a couple of subs, the S10A and the S12A, which would probably sound better matched with the Pro3s than what I tried out here. But even with a sub from another manufacturer, the results were stunning.

Quality and consistency

Doing this review has been an eye-opening, or rather, an ear-opening experience for me. The Pro3s are hands-down the best-sounding monitors I’ve used in my studio. I’ve reviewed quite a few, but these stand above.

As noted, I have a few small issues. One is the lack of room correction features. Incredible as the Pro3s sound, if you have acoustical issues in your studio that you need to compensate for, they’ll be there no matter which monitors you use. I also wish they would add a front-panel power LED and that the switching system for the Presets was easier to use.

But when weighed against the stunning sound quality and performance of these monitors, those issues pale to insignificance. The headline here is that from a sonic standpoint, the Pro3s are a revelation and definitely worth every penny. If you’ve never considered spending three grand on a monitor system, you might want to change your mind.

This article originally appeared in our sister publication Mix. Radio World invites both users and suppliers to tell us about recently installed new or notable equipment. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Ocean Way Pro3s Offer ‘Ear Opening’ Experience appeared first on Radio World.

Jessica Rosenworcel, now FCC chair, is shown at a Senate committee hearing in 2018. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel made it clear to Republican lawmakers before her successful confirmation vote (68–31) earlier this month to a new, five-year term that she did not support efforts by “some liberal organizations” to remove conservative cable channels from their lineups or for the agency to use its license revocation power on broadcasters.

That assertion came in written answers to questions submitted after her confirmation hearing last month.

Rosenworcel was asked by at least three different Republicans about the issue of viewpoint diversity and alleged censorship of cable and broadcast.

This was how the question was posted by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R–Tenn.): “There have been efforts by some of our colleagues in the House of Representatives to pressure MVPDs into removing Fox News, Newsmax and other conservative channels from their lineups. There have also been calls by some liberal organizations to have the FCC revoke the licenses of broadcasters like Sinclair. Are you in favor of these calls to use the FCC to remove certain viewpoints from the airwaves?”

In an answer that would have made the late Rep. John Dingell proud, her answer was a succinct: “No.”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R–Wis.) asked the question this way: “Will you commit to ensuring the FCC does not factor political content or viewpoints when issuing licenses, making regulatory decisions, or approving mergers and acquisitions?”

This time, the answer was a simple “yes.”

Sen Rick Scott (R–Fla.) got right to the “C” word (censorship): “The FCC has authority over broadcast licenses. As a nominee for this bipartisan commission, do you believe the government has the authority to censor opinions?”

“No,” said Rosenworcel, adding: “FCC authority is limited by the First Amendment and Section 326 of the Communications Act.” That section says the FCC has no authority to censor speech.

The post Rosenworcel Opposes Calls to Use FCC to Remove Fox News, Newsmax, Others appeared first on Radio World.

The first batch of comments in the FCC’s “resilient networks” proceeding — possibly mandating broadcaster compliance to submit status reports after hurricanes and other natural disasters — are now in, and broadcasters are expressing concerns over the logistical challenges such a requirement could present.

Broadcaster participation in the web-based Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), which is activated in limited emergency situations, has been voluntary since it was established in 2007. The online service outage reporting system has come under scrutiny because of the frequency of major storms and other disaster events.

NAB wrote in comments any move to require broadcaster participating in DIRS would be “unduly burdensome” and could actually undermine the FCC’s overriding goal of improving public safety by disrupting stations’ efforts to provide critical information following a disaster.

“Mandating DIRS filings would force stations to redirect their already-strained staff away from trying to maintain or restore service to fill out a government form,” NAB wrote in its comments submitted this week. “Many smaller stations simply lack the bandwidth to log in, assess their operational status, and complete DIRS reports in the midst of an emergency.”

[Previously: “FCC Disaster NPRM Discusses Backup Requirements”]

NAB adds: “Alternatively, if the FCC still believes that DIRS should be mandatory, perhaps the onus should be on government to create and fund an automated system that identifies which broadcast stations are operating during a disaster.”

The proposed rulemaking, which was released in October, also looks at ways to mitigate the effects of power outages to improve communications reliability following disasters, including the possibility of imposing mutual aid obligations on broadcasters to support others when facilities are damaged or destroyed and generators become inoperable.

The FCC notes in the NPRM the Wireless Network Resiliency Cooperative Framework is a voluntary agreement developed by the wireless industry in 2016 to provide mutual aid. The new proposal, which focuses largely on cell site outages, proposes expanding the “framework” to include radio and television stations. Several commenters note the need to include broadcasters is unnecessary.

“Required mutual aid is unnecessary and potentially harmful to the already supportive relationships that naturally exist without FCC enforcement,” according to joint comments filed by the Colorado Broadcasters Association and Association of Radio Broadcasters of Puerto Rico. “In addition, requiring mutual aid between broadcasters and other industries covered by the Framework would serve little purpose. Broadcasters do not have sufficient personnel or the expertise to assist wireless and wireline telecommunications providers or cable providers recover from a disaster, and those industries do not have the expertise needed to help get damaged broadcast facilities back on the air.”

A coalition of state broadcast associations also summarily dismissed the need to require broadcasters to join the aforementioned framework: “There would be no benefit to such a move, and it would instead merely burden precious staff resources that are a fraction of what common carriers can bring to bear in such circumstances.”

The FCC proposal does raise the possibility of adopting backup power requirements for DIRS and NORS (Network Outage Reporting System) participants. The small carve out was included in the appendix section of the proposed rulemaking: “To the extent that the Commission were to adopt backup power requirements, providers subject to them, potentially including cable providers, Direct Broadcast Satellite providers, Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service, TV and radio broadcasters, Commercial Mobile Radio Service and other wireless service providers, could potentially be required to take steps to make their networks more resilient to power outages.”

That assertion led at least one observer to believe the commission could potentially require all broadcasters purchase backup power systems.

Gary Timm, chair of the Wisconsin State Emergency Communications Committee, filed comments as an individual on the matter: “If the Commission is suggesting requiring all broadcasters to acquire backup power generators on their own, this proposal should not even be considered due to the costs, particularly on small stations.”

Timm also notes there is no mention of federal funding for station generators in this current proposed rulemaking, “but that would be the most workable solution if the Commission is truly interested in broadcast station resiliency during power outages.”

NAB, which also discounts the need for additional rules regarding fuel backup for generators during times of crisis, concludes its comments touting the overall preparedness of radio and television broadcasters: “Given the Notice’s focus on the continuity of telecommunications services, it is important to highlight that broadcasting is likely the most reliable communications services during emergencies. Broadcasters, especially those in areas prone to severe weather conditions, plan and prepare throughout the year for disasters. They create, review, and practice their disaster response plans under various scenarios, enabling them to efficiently trigger such plans when disaster strikes.”

Reply comments to FCC docket 21-346 are due Jan. 14.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post FCC Reviews Comments on Network Resiliency appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World announced the recipients of the Best of 2021 Awards.

This award program normally is held in conjunction with the IBC Show, which was postponed and later cancelled this year.

The winners are:

• APTmpX – WorldCast Systems
• Adthos Platform – Adthos

These products will be featured in an upcoming issue.

The full list of recipients from TV Tech, TVBEurope and Radio World can be found here.

The pandemic disrupted the 2021 calendar for awards program in which Radio World participates. Just recently we also announced winners of the Best in Market Awards, a version of the program that normally runs in conjunction with the spring NAB Show.

The post Winners of Best of 2021 Awards Announced appeared first on Radio World.

(Flaticon/Freepic/AomAm)

Most of the people and companies that climb communications towers for a living in the U.S. don’t want a vaccine mandate. And their industry association is telling the government so.

NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association said its member companies are worried about retaining their workforce if a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate is implemented.

After President Biden and the Occupational Health & Safety Administration announced a mandate for private sector employees, NATE ran a survey of its members and now has sent a letter to OSHA expressing concern.

“According to NATE’s survey, nearly 80 percent of NATE members are opposed to a federal government mandate that workers be vaccinated,” the association wrote.

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“While NATE members generally oppose the vaccine mandate, many NATE members are encouraging and incentivizing employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Almost 20 percent of NATE members have either paid employees to get vaccinated or are considering similar incentives.”

It said the survey affirmed that its members are concerned a mandate would exacerbate workforce challenges they already face. Tower service companies already face a workforce shortage of almost 15,000 people, according to NATE.

“In fact, approximately 85 percent of NATE members believe that some staff would resign if they are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and 30 percent of respondents indicated they would lose more than half of their workers.”

The association said NATE members, like companies in other expert trades, “have struggled to recruit skilled workers.” It said the possibility of losing a significant number of technicians is a serious concern and comes at a time when America is investing billions of dollars in broadband projects.

“Furthermore, this could even impact the ability to deploy broadband and high-speed communications on federal lands and in federal buildings. Many NATE members, approximately 60 percent, either work on federal projects or have in the past, and if they are unable to hire and train workers to complete these federal contracts, then the government’s own broadband goals may be unfulfilled.”

NATE said tower labor is done primarily outdoors and at elevations that minimize risk of exposure and immediate interactions with other people.

“Americans needed tower technicians and communications workers to help lead us through the transition to remote learning and working, and tower technicians did not stop doing their jobs due to the fear of COVID.” The association urged OSHA “to strongly consider the workforce and economic ramifications that the ETS and any federal vaccine mandates could have on our industry as well as on every American.”

Comment on this or any article. Write to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Would Tower Climbers Quit in Droves Over Vaxx Mandate? appeared first on Radio World.

So maybe you think you need to invest your entire brand advertising budget in digital/online/social platforms only. The music industry knows better. The new cutting-edge platform being used for many top-tier artists? Billboards!

It seems counterintuitive that great billboard advertising can get fans talking on social media, but it is a fact that the music industry noticed years ago.

Example: Drake’s album releases and concert appearances have been promoted regularly on billboards since 2011. The campaigns are clever and sometimes only understood by his legions of fans, which adds to his allure and makes one feel as if they’re part of a special club of insiders.

More than ever, it’s important to recognize that big billboards require big thinking. Out-of-home has always had the potential to be sexy, controversial and cost effective, but radio stations advertising their own product too often view billboard creative as a branding exercise.

Times-Shamrock Communications ran this series of billboards to highlight its Rock 107 format in a pandemic context.

To get the most out of your creative, it may be necessary to contract an advertising agency that specializes in getting attention.
You should consider testing your creative. The message must be so simple that it can be understood from a moving car in just a few seconds and yet it still should generate some emotion as soon as it is seen. Fortunately, it’s not difficult or expensive to test creative, either online or through in-person focus groups.

One challenge with billboards is that it’s difficult for some folks to see the creative on a computer screen and then try to imagine what it will look like when it’s blown up to huge proportions and seen from a distance. When in doubt, make one board, put it up, and rethink before making 20 of them.

[Read More Promo Power Here]

If you’re still not sold on the relevance of outdoor advertising, consider the success of Apple’s and Amazon’s recent campaigns. “Shot on iPhone” shows rotating selfies on digital billboards. The creative shows off Apple’s smartphone camera features and the quality of the imagery is gorgeous, proving without a doubt that new iPhones take terrific photographs.

The hashtags are taking the campaign from the boards to social and back to the boards to see more. Amazon is using motion to grab attention. Passersby in New York are now seeing otherworldly creatures appear to jump out of gigantic billboards in promotion of Amazon’s new “Wheel of Time” series.

You won’t be able to afford to cover your entire city by buying up boards everywhere, but you can place ads on boards where you have the most potential for growing audience.

Or maybe your entire goal with a board or two is to gain the attention of a specific company, media outlet or even individual. The movie industry is famous for placing boards where stars and producers can see them so that the star will do more appearances to promote the film, or the producer will see that the studio is actively advertising the product.

Billboards are the perfect place to launch stunts and fortunately, digital boards can go up and come down quickly. Capture reactions of social media and amplify on-air and all your platforms. If your stunt is good, the action will catch fire. Putting out that fire is a topic for another day!

The post Build Some Buzz Through Billboards appeared first on Radio World.

Doug Ferber is vice president of sales for the Americas at Tieline. This interview originally appeared in the free ebook “Streaming for Radio 2021.”

Radio World: Does streaming need to be a bigger part of the radio business strategy?

Doug Ferber: If you believe that you have to be where the listeners are migrating to, then yes, streaming needs to be a bigger part of a radio company’s strategy. At least 10% of a station’s listening is done online, and growing rapidly, right? I think it would be a careless decision to ignore this trend.

RW: What are the problems radio managers need to solve to become successful streamers?

Ferber: Define successful for me. If success means higher listenership, then programmers should be promoting their streams and creating unique content to capture online listening. If driving increases in revenue from online listening is the measure, I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that question. If I did I’d likely be speaking with you from a big boat on a big lake near a great golf course.

Last I heard nobody makes a profit that is directly attributable to streaming. This is the biggest challenge presented by streaming.

RW: It seems that many radio managers still question whether they can monetize their streams. What advice do you have for them?

Ferber: They should support the NAB and hope that their trade organization can negotiate better music royalty deals. Otherwise they will have to treat the streaming as another necessary cost of doing business.

RW: What misconceptions do many people have about streaming that you’d like to dispel?

Ferber: There are still radio operators out there that don’t believe it to be a critical distribution channel for their content. Remember cable TV in the ’70s? How many people do you know today that watch television using an over-the-air signal?

RW: Do streaming and podcasting benefit or conflict with one another in a media strategy?

Ferber: I think they are complementary. While I’m not convinced of the commercial efficacy of streaming and podcasting (yet), radio should be seen as a platform … over-the-air, streaming, podcasting, live events, digital, etc.

Package these up for advertisers and they will reach your listeners no matter which element of your platform that they are using.

RW: There was an article in Variety with the headline, “As Streaming Dominates the Music World, Is Radio’s Signal Fading?” I’m interested to hear your take on this bigger question of radio’s future in this world of so many audio choices.

Ferber: The effect of competing media is significant, but what some don’t know is that people are consuming more audio in general. Another thing … not everyone has access to the internet. No internet? You won’t find them online. Radio a fading signal? Not yet … it is still very important to hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. market.

RW: Is there a major difference between how commercial and public radio strategize streaming?

Ferber: Public radio is much better at streaming mostly because they offer more local and original programming. Content is king.

RW: What does your company offer for streamers and what sets it apart?

Ferber: Tieline specializes in distributing high-quality broadcast audio between remote locations, studios and affiliates with best-in-class AoIP audio codecs.

These codecs currently integrate Icecast client support as one of several fail-over options when distributing broadcast audio signals over all IP network types. In recognition of the importance of streaming, Tieline Gateway and Gateway 4 codecs will also deliver support for HTTP streaming to servers in 2021, e.g., Icecast.

Along with a range of other IP innovations, this will deliver greater streaming flexibility to broadcasters employing a range of streaming applications across diverse radio network infrastructure.

The post Radio Should Be Seen as a Platform appeared first on Radio World.