Radio+Television Business Report

“Positivity always wins.” It’s a mantra often repeated by social media guru and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, and one the Radio industry may wish to adopt as first quarter 2021 financial results roll out for the owners of AM and FM stations across the U.S.

Mary Berner, President/CEO of Cumulus Media, appears to have gotten the memo. In her remarks about the audio media company’s Q1, she struck a largely positive tone, noting “enhanced operating leverage” and “continued year-over-year sequential growth.”

The upbeat words couldn’t mask the financial realities Cumulus faced in Q1: tough comps and continued pandemic-related ad dollar dips led to a bumpy start to 2021 for the company.

It could have been worse, and that’s the key takeaway.

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MIAMI — It is being described as “the first-ever studio in Hispanic media exclusively dedicated to serving the growing Latino streaming audiences in the US and around the world.”

And, it is the creation of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.

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For the first time, audio media company Audacy is taking part in the IAB NewFronts. Additionally, it will have a presence at the IAB Podcast Upfronts.

At each event, the company formerly known as Entercom will preview the latest in digital content and podcast programming.

Audacy says it will be the lone “audio-only company” at NewFronts; Estrella Media was present.

For David Field, Susan Larkin and the Audacy C-Suite, it offers an opportunity for the company “to reinforce the power of audio to move business (or for advertisers)” and —importantly — to reintroduce itself to the industry under its new brand.

Audacy Chief Marketing Officer Paul Suchman noted, “At this year’s IAB events, we will demonstrate the unique ability of sound to connect, immerse, captivate and engage audiences like no other medium.”

The Audacy IAB NewFront virtual presentation was scheduled for, May 5 at 3:15pm Eastern. Virtual experiences from Audacy’s Cadence13, Pineapple Street Studios, and Podcorn companies will be seen at the IAB Podcast Upfronts, scheduled for May 13 at 12:50pm Eastern.

Audacy’s NewFront presentation will open with spoken word artist, poet and 2020 winner of “America’s Got Talent,” Brandon Leake. It closes with a performance by Hot Adult Contemporary chart act AJR.

Audacy’s Podcast Upfront presentation will showcase exclusive launches from Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios. This will include global superstar Demi Lovato discussing her forthcoming podcast with Cadence13; Ghostwriter, an upcoming C13Feature from Cadence13’s pioneering scripted studio focused on feature-length fictionalized audio “movies for your ears;” a look at the 2021 audio documentary slate from the Peabody-nominated C13Originals studio; Crooked Media co-founder Jon Lovett on Pod Save America in 2021; and Pineapple Street Studios’ upcoming slate of original series and its branded podcasts from partners including HBO, Netflix, and Nike.

Presentations will also showcase Podcorn’s influencer marketplace, a self-and full-service platform for brands to connect with independent influential podcast creators for native advertising.

“We’re seeing that digital audio campaigns are working harder when a total audio strategy is utilized – across the board – whether the goals are web visitation, sales, or brand lift,” said Ken Lagana, EVP/Digital Sales at Audacy. “Audacy helps brands and agencies take full advantage of a multi-channel ‘total audio’ strategy. Our proposition will resonate well with audiences at the IAB events. It’s easy to buy an impression, but it’s much harder to make an impression. Audacy excels at making an impression by delivering the most engaged audiences at scale.”

Sinclair Broadcast Group has turned to broadcast management company Operative Media for an effort the ATSC 3.0 pioneer believes will “transform the way local and national media is transacted across all digital and linear platforms throughout the industry.”

A multi-year enterprise partnership agreement has been executed, one that will see Sinclair become the first local television broadcaster to consolidate all sellable assets across its platforms and markets into a single ad sales system, creating a unified brand experience for customers and sellers.

The deal calls for Sinclair to use Operative’s advertising sales management technology platform, AOS, to facilitate the movement of all of its inventory types (linear and digital) to a common impression-based currency.

Operative’s AOS platform automates workflows across planning, order management, inventory management, stewardship and billing, driving efficiency into the way Sinclair works internally across its portfolio and externally with its customers.

This will support Sinclair’s current products, such as Compulse 360 and ZypTV.

“We already provide a unique opportunity for marketers to engage consumers of all kinds, and Operative’s technology will further consolidate and simplify our sales process,” said Rob Weisbord, President of Broadcast & Chief Advertising Revenue Officer of Sinclair. “It will bring this concept to our markets in a way that is easily managed by our various sellers and the portfolios of inventory they represent. It will provide them flexibility to dynamically manage audience and spend allocations across Sinclair’s broad asset catalog.”

As Sinclair sees it, the introduction of yield tools helps deliver improved outcomes for both Sinclair and their customers by optimizing inventory utilization, delivery and make goods.

“This is an opportunity to align our proven track record in the broadcast industry with Operative’s technological expertise, to create a simple solution that we believe will change the way advertisers connect with consumers across all devices,” Sinclair Chief Information Officer Brian Bark said. “This new platform will empower advertisers with the ability to optimize campaigns across Sinclair’s distinguished portfolio of content, while altering the way the industry does business — paving the way for other media companies in the process.”

Estrella Media, the fast-growing reborn Hispanic-focused multimedia company formerly known as LBI Media, has selected Google Ad Manager for monetizing its live and on demand streaming TV platforms.

The Burbank, Calif.-based company calls the move “another important step” in its digital transformation and expansion of its content distribution in the streaming and digital universe.

Know Latinos. You’ll say ¡ñooooo! to the new revenue.

More at www.hispanicradioconference.com

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Another Congressional session, another statement against additional royalty fees levied against broadcast radio stations for the music it plays over-the-air.

A bipartisan coalition of 77 members of the House of Representatives and eight Senators have joined together to introduce resolutions in both bodies of Congress that oppose “any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge” on AM or FM radio in the U.S.

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On April 13, Grupo Televisa, S.A.B. and Univision Holdings shared for the first time that they plan to merge, with Miami-based Univision — thanks, in part, to Google — making the binational deal happen.

Now, Univision is going to the bond market to finance the deal.

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In the view of American Enterprise Institute Visiting Scholar Mark Jamison, White House control of FCC regulatory analysis is a bad idea.

A better idea, he says, is to set transparent standards for such analyses, including public review.

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It’s despised by the nation’s “Big Four” networks and the NAB isn’t quite fond of it, either.

That’s not stopping Locast from rolling out its not-for-profit “donation”-fueled model of delivering local TV stations via an IP-based delivery platform in yet another market.

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Adjacent to the broadcast tower for Nexstar Media Group’s WKRN-2 in Nashville is the transmitter for a FM translator serving Brentwood, Forest Hills and tony Belle Meade, on the south side of Music City USA.

Until now, it’s been used for Middle Tennessee State University‘s MTSU Jazz Network. That’s about to change, as the facility has been sold.

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Thursday is shaping up to be one of the busiest in ages for media industry analysts and investors, with a half-dozen Q1 2021 earnings calls competing with Estrella Media’s Upfront presentation and a webinar showcasing Edison Research’s Moms and Media Study.

In the middle of all of these noteworthy events is Jacobs Media‘s presentation of its Techsurvey 2021 results. We’ve got a smidge of the details prior to this May 6 online affair.

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LOS ANGELES — The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) has four new board members, following their election to the organization that hosts the annual NATPE Miami conference each January in Miami Beach.

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Now on the board are the following individuals:

• Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max
• Sean Cohan, Chief Growth Officer and President of International, Nielsen
• Dan Cohen, President of Global Distribution Group, ViacomCBS
• Laura Kennedy, CEO, Avalon 

The new appointees will serve a term of three years.

The NATPE is comprised of 41 members from all areas of the content industry.

 

A wider net loss. Lower station operating income. Those are the key takeaways for Beasley Media Group, which released its Q1 2021 earnings results on Tuesday morning.

Investors reacted by shedding shares in BBGI. Within the first hour of trading, Beasley’s stock price was down by nearly 9%.

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Many high-power broadcast stations have few options for staying on the air while replacing a transmitter. Acrodyne Services, focused on transmitter installation and service, has developed the Mobile Acrodyne Transmitter (MAT) — a self-contained UHF transmitter housed in an enclosed trailer.

As an external system, MAT maintains broadcasting without interfering with the removal of the old transmission system, room prep, electrical modifications, and new transmitter installation inside the facility. MAT can broadcast ATSC 1.0 or ATSC 3.0 signals.

“Stations and TV groups are continuing to upgrade their broadcast infrastructures by replacing old transmitters,” Acrodyne GM Andy Whiteside said. “There are low-power solutions and other workarounds, but none of them are ideal, especially for stations that have limited space or run into unexpected delays because of logistic and structural issues. MAT provides a clean, external, and high-power solution that allows broadcasters to conduct business as usual.”

Whiteside added that the UHF version has been deployed successfully several times, and a VHF version is currently being prepared for deployment later in 2021.

Dale Scherbring, Director of Engineering for RF transmission at Sinclair Broadcast Group, described MAT as a “full-power transmitter on wheels that was designed by Acrodyne engineers who get their hands dirty.”

The climate-controlled trailer features a one-rack, liquid-cooled Rohde & Schwarz THU9evo UHF19kW transmitter with 12 amplifiers, Dielectric tunable mask filter, patch-panel, test load plus pumps, and separate heat exchangers for the transmitter and test load. Stations only need to provide AC power and an input signal from master control. Acrodyne provides a run of coaxial flex line to connect MAT’s output to the antenna to maintain regular broadcasting.

Sinclair Broadcast Group Manager of TV Transmission Engineering Rusty Mooney was part of MAT’s initial deployment in June 2020 at the company’s two stations serving Raleigh: WLFL-TV and WRDC-TV. Both transmitters were in the same room and both needed to be replaced. Plus, a new filter for WRDC needed to be installed. “There just wasn’t enough room for all of that work,” Mooney recalled. “You’d run out of wall space trying to keep one transmitter running while trying to build a new transmitter.”

With MAT parked outside the facility and transmitting, the old WRDC transmitter was removed – and when the new WRDC transmitter was commissioned, MAT was quickly reconfigured to broadcast for WLFL while its transmitter was replaced. “MAT allows you to offload your signal to the trailer,” Mooney said. “Then you can gut the room and start with a clean slate for the new install.”

MAT’s next stop was KDNL-TV, a Sinclair station serving St. Louis, in early January 2021. According to Mooney, the small RF facility required extensive renovations in addition to a new transmitter. The station stayed on the air until late March with MAT while it replaced its two-cabinet IOT transmitter.

Acrodyne’s “transmitter on wheels” concept was first developed during the recent FCC Repack, when hundreds of UHF stations across the country transitioned to new channels. Last September, WHKY, an independent station owned by Long Communications that serves part of the Charlotte market, rented an earlier version of MAT while renovating its facility and replacing its old transmitter.

Between the four-cabinet transmitter and two very large filters for the channel 14 UHF station, the building did not have room to accommodate a second transmitter. “I had to get the old transmitter out of the building,” said Tom Long, one of the station owners. “MAT makes it a lot easier. It got everything out of my way and it’s self-contained.”

Once all its Repack projects are complete, Sinclair is expected to replace the remaining IOT transmitters in about 20 of its stations with solid-state transmitters. Scherbring expects to use MAT at those locations and at the VHF-to-UHF conversions currently being considered. However, he said MAT can also be deployed for emergency or disaster situations, and the system can be operational within a day. Both VHF and UHF versions of MAT will be available for use by all broadcasters, subject to demand.

At first glance, the 2021 first quarter results for the nation’s largest owner of broadcast TV stations seems super: Net income rose by 26.3%. Adjusted EBITDA improved by 2.4% against tough comps tied to roughly $50 million fewer political ad dollars.

But, the big reveal for Nexstar Media Group is that its “Distribution Fee Revenue,” a.k.a. retransmission consent dollars, are far and away the greatest revenue driver — significantly surpassing core ad revenue, which slipped in Q1.

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Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned broadcast antenna and RF system subsidiary Dielectric has selected the individual who will succeed Steven Moreen.

He’s retiring, and will soon conclude a 52-year career in the broadcast industry.

Taking the job of Western Region Sales Manager is Dan Glavin.

He now has responsibility for all U.S. TV and FM sales and customer service west of the Mississippi River and reports to Jay Martin, Dielectric’s Vice President of Sales.

Glavin joined Dielectric in 2018 as an Electrical Engineer, with an emphasis on system
design, data analysis and antenna testing. He has since led technical development
initiatives and field installations for RFHAWKEYE, the broadcast industry’s first IP-based
RF monitoring system.

“The ability to identify product requirements and respond in a technical capacity is key to
this position, and Dan’s level of problem-solving expertise is rare among field sales,”
Martin said. “Dan is an extrovert and extremely technical, and will be a strong mediator who can communicate complex technical requirements between our customers and internal
Dielectric engineers. His fluency in Spanish will benefit the Hispanic communities we serve,
and his experience across site logistics, off-air challenges and other common over-the-air
issues will benefit all customers.”

Glavin added, “The expansion and integration of ATSC 3.0 broadcast systems, single-frequency networks, and investment in public television and radio all represent exciting opportunities for business development throughout the western U.S. region. Steve has set the bar high, but I look forward to building on his example in working closely with customers to help them solve problems, and explore the next-generation of over-the-air opportunities. Every opportunity comes down to helping broadcasters achieve their goals through cost-effective and efficient implementation, while delivering robust designs and products that offer long-term value.”

PromoSuite has revealed who its new VP of Product Design & Development is. It is someone who joined PromoSuite in 2018 to lead the design and development of the new PromoSuitePlus platform.

That would be Rey Mena, who PromoSuite says will ontinue fulfilling his current role, in addition to new responsibilities including strategic oversight to PromoSuite’s entire product line.

Mena’s media career spans over three decades and includes key leadership roles including LSM, NSM, GSM and Marketing Director at Emmis Communications’ former Chicago properties and as Co-President of Emmis Interactive.

Mena left the radio industry in 2014 to launch branding and consulting firm Menagery Inc.

“There’s no one more qualified, capable and forward thinking in the media technology space to propel PromoSuite to the next level than Rey,” said PromoSuite CEO Rocco Macri. “I’ve known him for over 20 years and have watched in awe of the advancements he’s made for brands, radio stations and in technology. He’s an innovator that dreams big and knows how to execute. We are proud to have him on our team.”

Technical Services Group (TSG), a broadcast engineering and commercial AV solutions provider, has been awarded the bid to upgrade the statewide microwave distribution system for Alabama Public Television (APT) to support ATSC 3.0 transmission.

Valued at approximately $2.8 million, the project will require an upgrade of 30 locations with bi-directional, high-speed IP components from Vislink Inc., which focuses on the collection, delivery, and management of high-quality live video and associated data.

“Before we could upgrade to an ATSC 3.0 on our transmitters, we had to have an IP network over the microwave system designed to handle an ATSC 3.0 signal,” said Windell Wood, Director of Engineering and COO for APT.

The current system has been in place since 2010; it is only capable of supporting ATSC 1.0.

The APT network utilizes nine transmitters and 21 repeaters to maintain statewide coverage. The master signal originates from the network operations center at APT’s flagship station, WBIQ-TV in Birmingham. To achieve bi-directional connectivity and full redundancy across the entire network, TSG will install 120 of Vislink’s most popular transceivers, the IPLink 3.0 — four at each site.

Vislink’s all-indoor digital video microwave system, which features a touchscreen display and clean front panel design in a 2RU chassis, will allow APT to transition from traditional ASI transport to an IP-centric system architecture. The new system will also use Simple Network Management Protocols (SNMP), which will monitor and manage the overall health of the APT network.

Both TSG and Vislink have worked with APT in the past. During the recent FCC Repack, for example, TSG replaced three IOT transmitters with GatesAir solid-state transmitters for APT.

“Alabama has one of the best public television organizations in the country, with one of the most robust microwave infrastructures,” Mickey Miller, CEO of Vislink, said. “We have worked with APT for more than 20 years, and we’re proud to continue our relationship as they prepare for an ATSC 3.0 migration and move toward a total IP-centric network. TSG is an incredible company that provides great technical solutions, and we value our collaboration.”

Work on the project is expected to begin in early summer and be completed by the end of the year. With the built-in redundancy (and hot standby feed) of the system, APT should be able to minimize or avoid signal disruption during the upgrade, according to Wood.

Once ATSC 3.0 is implemented across the state, a portion of the bandwidth will be allocated to emergency services, including police and fire departments, while part will maintain distribution of the ATSC 1.0 signal. The remaining bandwidth will be allocated to the ATSC 3.0 feed.

Another key technical layer to the APT plan for ATSC 3.0 adoption is a separate fiber network, currently in the planning stage, which will connect all 30 transmission sites throughout the state. Fiber connectivity will provide additional redundancy and seamless failover for APT.

“ATSC 3.0 is the next step in the evolution of broadcast television. With their emphasis on infrastructure, Alabama Public Television is in front of the curve,” said Bo Hoover, CEO of TSG. “APT’s transition to ATSC 3.0 is going to serve as a model for other statewide networks, and we are excited to work with Vislink to deliver this solution.”

RBR+TVBR Products and Services

Lav miking options have just increased, with the release of the new LAVALIER SWITCH KIT from Point Source Audio. The new kit offers one lavalier mic that transforms into two wearing styles, and into three different color options to help audio technicians meet the ever-changing conditions of miking the talent.

At the heart of the LAVALIER SWITCH KIT is the company’s IP 57 Waterproof Omnidirectional Lavalier. The mic choice includes a low sensitivity option for live stage applications or a high sensitivity option for studio broadcast. The mic has a low profile at 4mm in diameter.

EMBRACE earmounts include beige, brown and black colors.

To further camouflage the mic, the mic element color can be changed with a selection of custom-designed color caps in beige, brown, black, white, and gray that also serve as pop filters and added protection from water and other elements.

For traditional lavalier mounting, the kit contains 8 clip-based mounting options to meet every need. The smooth SLIDER clips come as a single or a double mount, while magnetic, vampire, and alligator clip options are also included in black and white colors.

The LAVALIER SWITCH KIT can be purchased in a variety of different connector variants including Lemo-style, 5-pin mini-XLR for Lectronsonics, 4-pin mini XLR for Shure wireless, as well as 3.5mm locking ring terminations for either Sony or Sennheiser wireless. In addition to this, every kit also comes with an X-connector with TRRS termination for mobile devices and computers.

Pricing and Availability

• The new LAVALIER SWITCH KITS are available to order immediately through all Point Source Audio authorized resellers and distributors.
• Each SWITCH KIT is priced at $800 MSRP and includes the lavalier microphone in black color, 3 pre-trimmed EMBRACE earmounts, 8 mounting clips, 5 colored windscreen caps, 6 additional foam windscreens, an X-Connector for a specified wireless system, and a bonus TRRS audio X-Connector for computer and mobile phones.
• A total of 10 LAVALIER SWITCH KITS are offered based on the mic sensitivity rating and wireless compatibility:

High Sensitivity Mic Rating for Studio Broadcast
CO-8WLh-KIT-XLE-BL – 5-pin mini-XLR termination for Lectrosonics
CO-8WLh-KIT-XSK-BL – Lemo-style termination
CO-8WLh-KIT-XSE-BL – 3.5mm locking-ring termination for Sennheiser wireless
CO-8WLh-KIT-XSY-BL – 3.5mm locking-ring termination for Sony wireless
CO-8WLh-KIT-XSH-BL – 4-pin mini-XLR termination for Shure wireless

Low Sensitivity Mic Rating for Live Stage
CO-8WL-KIT-XLE-BL – 5-pin mini-XLR termination for Lectrosonics
CO-8WL-KIT-XSK-BL – Lemo-style termination
CO-8WL-KIT-XSE-BL – 3.5mm locking-ring termination for Sennheiser wireless
CO-8WL-KIT-XSY-BL – 3.5mm locking-ring termination for Sony wireless
CO-8WL-KIT-XSH-BL – 4-pin mini-XLR termination for Shure wireless

• Additional technical specifications and accessories are available at https://www.point-sourceaudio.com/lavalier_switch_kit/

To learn more about the LAVALIER SWITCH KIT collection and other Point Source Audio products, visit www.point-sourceaudio.com.

It’s that time of year again, and the IAB NewFronts are upon us already. Upfront presentations the week of May 17 already dotting the calendar.

Hispanic-targeted LATV is right in the thick of it, offering a platform self-described as “The Latino Voices Redefining Culture.”

Today’s LATV is quite different than what existed a decade ago. How does one define what LATV is today, and its primary value proposition? It’s a question Gisella Fu-Ripp answers, among others, in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

 

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Gisella Fu-Ripp, LATV” on Spreaker.