No, Educational Media Foundation isn’t about to launch a Spanish-language Christian music station in Oklahoma’s second-largest market.
Rather, it is making a deal with David Ingles Ministries for a noncommercial band FM in Tulsa.
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Looking to upgrade those studio cameras to newer technology?
Who knew that a religious television outfit found on three MVPDs across the New York Tri-State area would provide a wholly different kind of inspiration than that it provides its viewers every day.
The Catholic Faith Network (CFN), a Long Island, N.Y.-based not-for-profit television organization that uses all forms of media to keep the Catholic community connected to their faith, is now future-proofed in the studio thanks to the addition of a trio of SK-HD1800 HDTV production cameras from Hitachi Kokusai Electric America Ltd. (Hitachi Kokusai).
CFN is available on Optimum, Verizon FiOS and Charter Spectrum systems throughout the Five Boroughs of New York, and communities across Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Ulster, Dutchess, Sullivan, Orange, Putnam and Rockland Counties; Northern New Jersey, and in Fairfield County, Conn. Select cable and satellite systems nationwide also provide CFN to viewers. CFN’s programming includes live masses, talk shows, and topics ranging from faith and societal issues to health and cooking.
With Catholic Faith Network expanding, CFN senior executive producer Sean Kennedy explains, “With our productions expanding and our existing Z-HD5000 models still going strong but over eight years old, we decided to double our roster of cameras by adding the latest and greatest HD technology. We didn’t go up to 4K because we wouldn’t really be able to take advantage of the extra resolution. We broadcast in HD, but some of our carriers even still down-convert our signal to standard definition.”
Before working at CFN, Kennedy and studio and production coordinator Bryan Butler worked for a high school sports network. There, they used twelve Hitachi cameras on the HD trucks. “We compared Hitachi picture quality side-by-side to more expensive alternatives, and nobody could tell the difference,” Butler says. “Despite constantly beating up those cameras while producing sports six days a week with many different operators, they withstood everything we threw at them without any issues.”
CFN purchased their new SK-HD1800 cameras in March. Setting them up went seamlessly. “We built the three cameras ourselves within 45 minutes from opening the boxes – more than 20 of them, from camera heads to lenses and teleprompters – to fully built,” Butler says. “Local Hitachi staff helped us wire in our new CU-HD1200 CCUs in the control room and commission the cameras. We were all done within two hours and shooting just three hours later.”
The CFN team points to the SK-HD1800’s global shutter sensor as one of their favorite features of the new cameras, and particularly valuable in their LED-intensive environment. Some of CFN’s sets are heavily monitor based — with a nine-by-nine monitor wall, monitor strip, and large standalone monitor – and also use a mix of generations of LED lighting.
“I do a lot of the set design in terms of lighting, and I’m dealing with a lot of different types of LED fixtures from various manufacturers,” adds TJ Katsoulas, studio manager at CFN. “With earlier camera technologies we could get rolling shutter artifacts from LEDs, so I would manually dial in the shutter to avoid issues such as banding. However, making those adjustments would affect my lighting. Now with the SK-HD1800’s global shutter I don’t need to worry about that, and it’s tremendous how much it has helped me in making my compositions what I want them to be.”
Katsoulas also highlights the SK-HD1800’s enhanced skin tone adjustments and notes that the ability to dial in and preset multiple skin tones has been very helpful when dealing with multiple people on set. “Other standouts from our upgrade include the RU-1500JY remote control units with their amazing LCD touchscreens, and the VF-PBM-307 color viewfinders, which our camera operators love,” he adds.
— Reporting by Brian Galante. Editing by Adam R Jacobson
The final stretch of the FCC’s Broadcast Incentive Auction, or spectrum repack, is in progress.
This will relocate displaced low-power TV (LPTV), TV translator and FM stations to new frequencies no later than September 5. And, Dielectric is preparing for “brisk business” over the next week as broadcast antenna and RF systems needs potentially increase.
Dielectric has developed a new strategy for low-power repack customers, anchored by its Powerlite Series and an automated, high-efficiency production process.
“We revamped our production floor and workflow to accelerate the antenna manufacturing and shipping process during the challenging high-power repack phases,” said Cory Edwards, Director of OEM, Distributor and Southeast Asia Sales at Dielectric. “We shipped a total of 1073 high-power repack systems over 12 phases, accounting for 80 percent of high-power repack market share.”
While these workflow changes remain in place, the commercial quoting process for low-power antenna systems take a different path. Edwards notes that a great deal of collaboration takes place on the front end between Dielectric, the transmitter OEM, and tower owner to ensure the most cost-effective system for the LPTV station.
To ensure expediency, Dielectric has recalibrated its precision automatic pole machine, first commissioned for the high-power repack initiative. The machine is equipped with a Bridgeport head with an automated flex drill. The system is driven by Dielectric’s CAD package, which includes the appropriate custom programming for each low-power antenna. This ensures that low-power antennas can now be built quicker than was previously possible.
“The poles range from 15 to 25 feet long for lower-power slot antennas, and fit into a series of saddles on the machine,” said Edwards. “The CAD software, which automatically uploads once the design work is completed, tells the flex drill precisely where every slot and hole on the antenna should be located. We can finish an 8-bay antenna for an LPTV customer in less than an hour, compared to what previously took nearly a full business day, and antenna tuning times have improved by 50 percent, which means quicker deployments..”
Dielectric produced and shipped nearly 60 Powerlite low-power TV antenna systems in the recent months using this machine and automated production workflow, Edwards said. That includes “analog sunset” LPTV customers that faced an early July deadline. The company currently has about another 60 Powerlite systems in production for low-power repack projects, and anticipates bidding on up to 500 additional projects in the coming months.
Edwards adds that the Powerlite Series, which serves broadcast requirements of 6kW or less, packages all required RF components into a singular system. This further simplifies challenging deployment timelines for low-power stations, which typically lack the budget to outsource installation services.
Powerlite systems ship with Dielectric antennas, transmission line, tunable filters and RF components. The company recently added a 5kW tunable filter to the Powerlite Series, which Edwards says has helped Dielectric efficiently match specific transmitter power levels that have become more common with LPTV repack projects.
— Brian Galante, with editing by Adam R Jacobson
Dielectric will demonstrate its Powerlite Series, including its new 5kW Powerlite filter, at its 2021 NAB Booth (C7215) from October 10-13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Nexstar Media Group has appointed a VP/GM for its broadcast and digital operations in DMA No. 167. This puts him in control of the market’s ABC affiliate and the company’s operational agreements with Mission Broadcasting.
Thus, he’ll also be overseeing operations of the local FOX affiliate.
Taking the role is Stephen Eaton. He reports to Traci Wilkinson, Nexstar’s SVP/Regional Manager for its broadcasting division.
Eaton has been GSM of KTVQ-TV in Billings, Mont., the CBS affiliate, since February 2016. Now, he’ll be across town, overseeing KSVI-TV, the ABC affiliate, and Mission-owned FOX affiliate KMHT-TV.
Prior career stops include a role as a Senior Account Manager at KUSA-9 in Denver.
JW Player, the leading video software and data insights platform, today announced it has appointed a Chief Technology Officer. The strategic hire, the company says, ‘will accelerate JW Player’s product innovation to meet the needs of a rapidly growing Digital Video Economy.”
Gaining the role is David LaPalomento.
“David has proven himself to be a visionary leader in both developing and scaling innovative video delivery products,” said Dave Otten, CEO and co-founder of JW Player. “I have no doubt that his expertise will strengthen our position as a leading force for innovation in the digital video industry. With his leadership, we will scale our engineering teams and bring new products to market that further empower customers with independence and control in the Digital Video Economy. We could not be more excited to have him on our team.”
LaPalomento enjoyed a decade-long tenure at Brightcove, where he led the overhaul of the company’s legacy data center-based architecture, replacing it with a scalable, cloud-native architecture. “His experience will be invaluable as JW Player rises to meet the explosive growth in demand for digital video since the pandemic began,” his new employer says.
JW Player’s data from over 12,000 publishers and broadcasters shows that video consumption has risen by nearly 50% since 2020 and by 28.6% since January 2021. “The growing demand has made it an imperative for organizations of all stripes, including fitness, e-commerce, sports and e-learning businesses, to develop a robust video strategy to engage their audience on the screen of their choice: web, mobile or connected TV,” JW Player says.
JW Player uses an API-driven video platform.
Two AV companies have done something that may be of interest to the broadcast industry. Last week, they agreed to a strategic partnership to offer “the most complete and most collaborative versions” of the Crestron XiO Cloud product. This adds new levels of control, management and rapid installation features to Philips displays.
PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips pro TV products, is now among the world’s first manufacturers to gain Crestron XiO Cloud certification.
The company says this “unique and highly collaborative partnership opens up incredible opportunities for a multitude of industries.”
With Crestron technology now embedded and compatible across almost all Philips professional displays (including pro TV, digital signage and interactive), PPDS has become one of the world’s few display manufacturers to support all four of Crestron’s key technology integrations, including its Control, Remote Management, Video Distribution and Unified Communications solutions, the company says.
Built on the Microsoft Azure platform, Crestron XiO Cloud integrates seamlessly with a
wide range of Philips Windows and Android digital displays and pro TVs.
In 2020, PPDS became a Crestron Connected Gen 2 certified and trusted partner. The first examples of the relationship included the launch and availability of a range of new products, including Philips B-Line and C-Line interactive displays.
Customers can purchase the Crestron XiO Cloud service on a monthly basis, with pricing based on the number of rooms and service options required.
There’s a new VP/GM for the Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned FOX affiliate serving the Omaha-Council Bluffs market.
He will also oversee the market’s The CW Network affiliate, which Sinclair operates via a provision of services agreement.
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From big brick and mortar retailers to auto insurance specialist and a big Procter & Gamble Co. brand, there’s lots of strong activity at spot television for the week ending August 22.
The variety in advertiser categories is a welcome sign, even as Auto was absent ahead of the next end-of-month sales push.
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The latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report shows that there’s little movement from last week, with respect to fully paying advertisers and the amount of commercials aired for each of them for the week ending August 22.
As shown below, Progressive, Indeed, Babbel, GEICO and Bank of America — along with Grainger — are committing to their radio budgets.
For Progressive, that translates to nearly 54,000 spot plays for the week ending August 22.
For No. 10 Grainger, roughly 30,700 spots were detected for the week.
NBCUniversal is urging all measurement companies to offer alternative means of tracking viewing across multiple platforms.
The request is in an open letter signed by Kelly Abcarian, the former Nielsen veteran who recently became EVP of Measurement and Impact for NBCUniversal.
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Add Beasley Media Group to the list of major radio companies to require employees to get vaccinated. Employees have until November first to get fully vaccinated.
“As a company, we have a responsibility to ensure a safe working environment on behalf of our employees and their families,” said Caroline Beasley, Beasley’s CEO. “Accordingly, we will be requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated by November 1 — excepting those with religious or medical accommodations. This policy will apply to new and existing employees alike.”
Beasley follows Cumulus Media, Gray Television and Urban One as publicly traded broadcast media companies requiring “the jab” for employees.
BIN: The Black Information Network, launched by iHeartMedia in 2020, is planning to expand local new coverage in January 2022.
Right now the iHeartMedia national audio news network, presenting news with a Black voice and perspective is heard in 32 affiliate markets.
The expansion plans have resulted in the promotion of three staff members.
Tanita Myers, previously Director of News Operations, is now Vice President of News Operations; Chris Thompson, previously Director of Network Operations, is now Vice President of Network Operations; and Lauren Crawford, previously Associate Editor, is now Senior Director of Digital and Social Strategy.
“We are incredibly proud of the growth and success of BIN during our first year,” said Tony Coles, President of BIN. “We are thrilled to continue our leadership in providing the most trusted news source for the Black community, offering even more local news coverage to the communities we serve. BIN’s success has been, in no small part, due to our dedicated and talented team. I look forward to seeing how Tanita, Chris and Lauren continue to grow within BIN, and I am excited to add even more experienced talent to our team.”
iHeartMedia indicates that the expansion of local news coverage will create new employment opportunities including multiple news anchor and reporter positions, a Managing Editor, and a Podcast Managing Editor.
— Rob Dumke
There is a new Senior Vice President and General Manager of Bally Sports West, Bally Sports SoCal and Bally Sports San Diego.
She returns to Southern California after more than a decade in Washington D.C., where she served as President/GM NBC Sports Washington.
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For nearly three-decades the best sellers and managers in the business have been honored with Radio Wayne Awards.
Here are the Radio Ink 2021 Radio Wayne Award finalists:
DIGITAL OR INTERACTIVE SELLER
Tiffany Cobb
Tidewater Communications
Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, VA
Michael Walden
Audacy
Chattanooga, TN
Cathleen Mingarino
Longport Media
Atlantic City- Cape May, NJ
Deana Poole
Beasley Media Group
Philadelphia, PA
Yoni Schwartz
Audacy
Philadelphia, PA
Ryan Dietrich
Beasley Media Group
Philadelphia, PA
STREETFIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Tich McWilliams
Tuned In Broadcasting
Nashville, TN
Rita Munoz-Dalati
Cumulus Media
Houston-Galveston, TX
Mandy Jo Choat
Williams Media Group
Enid, OK
Roger Nelson
Morgan Murphy Media
Spokane, WA
Kelly Greeley
Capitol Radio Group
Springfield, IL
Melanie Martin
Cox Media Group
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Paula J. Ingram
Forever Media
Altoona, PA
Steve Simons
Beasley Media Group
Philadelphia, PA
SALES MANAGER 1-2 STATIONS
Tom Hansen
Tuned In Broadcasting
Nashville, TN
Marta DeLisi
Beasley Media Group
Wilmington, DE
Shawneen Thompson
Howard University Radio
Washington, DC
Tim Gratzer
Cumulus Media
Houston-Galveston, TX
Stephen Tarpley
Nexstar
Chicago, IL
Jaime Frankel
Beasley Media Group
Philadelphia, PA
STU OLDS NATIONAL SALES MANAGER
Susan Isreal
Hubbard Radio
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL
Phillip Whisnant
Univision
San Diego, San Francisco & Fresno, CA
Pam Foley Crouch
Press Communications
Monmouth-Ocean, NJ
Amanda Health
Lotus Communications
April Brinks-Bailey
Beasley Media Group
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
DOS OR GENERAL SALES MANAGER
Emily Ward
Audacy
Atlanta, GA
Vince Gambino
Longport Media, LLC
Atlantic City- Cape May, NJ
Paul Blake
Beasley Media Group
Philadelphia, PA
Dawn Girocco
Cumulus Media
Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX
Jason (JC) Campese
Cox Media Group
Orlando, FL
Nicki DellaPosta
Audacy
Chicago, IL
MARKET OR GENERAL MANAGER
Mac Edwards
Beasley Media Group
Detroit, MI
Trey Stafford
Saga Communications
Jonesboro, AR
Sabina Widmann
Univision
San Diego, CA, Las Vegas, NV & McAllen-Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Jason Meder
Cox Media Group
Orlando, FL
Keith Lawless
Cox Media Group
Houston-Galveston, TX & Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Mary Menna
Beasley Media Group
Boston, MA
In early July, it became known that a special group of low-power television station permits were available, placed on the market by a licensee that didn’t wish to build them by their rather unique deadline.
What makes these LPTVs so special is that they don’t need to be built until 2023. And, that’s proven to be of interest to The E.W. Scripps Co., which is agreeing to purchase a LPTV construction permit in the Southernmost City in the U.S. and another in California’s Coachella Valley.
It is now known that two more of these LPTVs have been sold.
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ACA Connects Chairman Patricia Jo Boyers and ACA Connects Vice Chairman Mike Bowker on Friday announced the results of recent ACAC Board of Directors elections, in addition to Board replacements and appointments to the six-person ACAC Executive Committee.
The six people elected to the ACAC Board of Directors won their seats based on balloting by the ACAC Membership. The ACAC Board replacements occurred pursuant to existing ACAC bylaws, and the ACAC Executive Committee selections to serve one-year terms were based on a vote by the ACAC Board.
“To associate with all the many talented people who serve on the ACA Connects Board of Directors means a lot to me personally because I know our members are in good hands and can trust ACAC’s leadership to act with utmost integrity, intelligence and diligence,” Boyers said.
Boyers, who is President of BOYCOM Vision in Poplar Bluff, Mo., was elected ACAC’s Chairman in 2019, following a five-year stint as ACAC Vice Chairman. ACAC Vice Chairman Bowker, who is Chief Operating Officer of Cable One in Phoenix, joined the ACAC Board in January 2018.
Bowker said, “Patty and I greatly appreciate the hard work and effort that ACAC Board members bring to the task. Their passion for ACAC as an organization and for the success of independent broadband, phone and video providers is inspiring because it never flags. I see a very bright future for our industry.”
The following individuals were elected to three-year terms (2021-24) on the ACAC Board of Directors:Phil Valentine, the conservative Talk radio host who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and became seriously ill, has died.
Valentine, who initially spoke out against the use of vaccines to combat the coronavirus, was a key air personality at Cumulus Media-owned WWTN-FM 99.7 in Nashville. He hosted the 3pm-7pm CT program.
WWTN confirmed Valentine’s passing in the 6pm Central hour on Saturday (8/21). He was 61 years old.
“We are saddened to report that our host and friend Phil Valentine has passed away,” the station posted on Twitter. “Please keep the Valentine family in your thoughts and prayers.”
Valentine had been hospitalized for more than a month while battling COVID-19. His family in late July revealed that he was in “very serious” condition and suffering from “COVID pneumonia” along with other side effects. His condition had worsened and was “grave” as of last week.
Valentine’s brother, Mark, spoke with several WWTN hosts on Saturday, confirming Phil’s passing in the early afternoon hours.
Initially, Valentine believed that he had recovered from the virus. “I think I’m on the other side of it,” Valentine said of the virus, as he described coughing, congestion, and fatigue that “hurts like crap. I’m certainly moving forward, it appears, but not in a straight line… It’s just one of those things. I don’t want it to linger on.”
Prior to falling in, Valentine took to his show to not only express his concerns over the safety of the approved COVID-19 vaccines, but also with mask mandates.
Among those expressing their condolences is former House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman and current Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn). In a statement, she said, “Phil Valentine was a visionary for the conservative movement. He made an enormous impact on the lives of many Tennesseans as an esteemed radio host, actor, and author. It was a privilege to know Phil, and I know his legacy will endure. My deepest condolences and prayers are with Phil’s wife, Susan, and his family. May they be comforted and surrounded by love during this difficult time.”
If there was ever a statement that solidified Nexstar Media Group’s commitment to covering Capitol Hill, this is it.
The media company known for its ownership of broadcast TV stations and the struggling NewsNation has agreed to acquire one of the leading political news brands covering Congress and the Federal government in Washington.
For $130 million, Nexstar is buying The Hill.
“With more than 100 journalists who cover political news and events and provide a wide variety of engaging content to its users, The Hill’s business model is primarily advertising supported by direct, programmatic, and licensing revenue,” Nexstar said, noting that its “omni-channel approach to content distribution” will allow it to expand The Hill’s reach and revenue channels while creating synergistic opportunities with Nexstar’s NewsNation.
Commenting on the transaction, Nexstar President/COO Tom Carter said, “The accretive acquisition of The Hill’s independent, political digital media platform marks continued progress with Nexstar’s ‘content-first strategy’ and reflects our organization-wide commitment to deliver trusted, unbiased, fact-based journalism that engages and informs our audiences across all screens and devices. The Hill has a nationally recognized brand known for delivering balanced political reporting, as well as authentic opinions and perspectives, and is highly complementary to NewsNation.”
The Hill marks the second digital transaction under Nexstar’s “content first” strategy, following the December 2020 acquisition of BestReviews.
Bret Pearlman of HRS Management, the largest investor in The Hill, commented, “We are pleased to have been investors in The Hill and partners with [Chairman Bill] Finkelstein for the past five years as he and the company’s management team transformed the business into a digital media powerhouse. With a strong foundation in place and unique offering in the market, we are confident that the future of the company is extremely bright.”
It’s been a challenging six months on the NYSE for Audacy shares. At 2:15pm Eastern Thursday, the company’s stock dipped as low as $2.93, continuing a fresh downturn that began August 5 but, on a grander scale, dates to mid-March.
Friday’s trading was a bright one, however, with heavier than average volume fueling a 9.8% rise.
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