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While you may be thinking of Carmen, there’s no mistaking the individual who has been appointed International Sales Manager for Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned transmitter manufacturer Dielectric.

The Maine-based Sinclair subsidiary has appointed Daniel Bizet to the role. He succeeds the now-retired John Macdonald and is based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Bizet reports to Dielectric VP/Sales Jay Martin, and will lead Dielectric’s sales efforts markets with a strong focus in Latin America. He previously spent more than 30 years working with Broadcast Electronics, most recently as its Latin America sales manager. He lived in Venezuela, and served as a dealer for BE for more than 20 years as president and owner of Professional Broadcast Supply, directing sales of broadcast equipment and radio station turnkey solutions across the now-troubled country. Bizet began his career as the technical manager at Circuito Union Radio in Caracas, where he was responsible for installation and maintenance for all network stations.

“I’m thrilled to join the Dielectric team,” Bizet said. “Dielectric is a very strong global brand that builds and delivers antennas and RF systems optimized for every TV and FM radio broadcast. Based on a proven reputation, close customer engagement, and excellent service, they are for me the key to success.”

Dielectric VP/GM Keith Pelletier said of Bizet, “He truly understands the broadcast industry, which means he can help our customers select the right hardware and software for their specific transmission requirements.”

PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional TV and Philips Digital Signage products, has a new VP of Commercial Displays. His chief task: to lead the global company’s North America business forward.

Taking the role is Vince Schuster, an AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist and Digital Signage Display Expert who is certified in Imaging Science Foundation-Commercial.

In Philips’ words, Schuster is a “notorious and highly respected figure” in the AV industry, with a career spanning more than 25 years. “Vince brings invaluable additional industry knowledge and experience to the PPDS team in North America, as well as the wider global company,” the company says.

He will be based in the Washington National Capital Region.

Schuster will report to PPDS General Manager Chris Colpaert, who calls him “a natural leader.”

North American focus areas include Pro TV, Digital Signage and LED products.

It has also formed a series of strategic partnerships with such hardware and software providers as Crestron, Advantech, Bosch, Intel, and i3 Technologies.

RBR+TVBR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Comrex is announcing a new cloud service called Gagl.

Gagl delivers conferenced audio from multiple contributors to Comrex hardware codecs in high quality and allows between one and five users to send and receive audio from computers and smartphones.

Participants can connect and send audio by clicking a link using any common web browser. Their audio is conferenced (if there’s more than one user), and delivered to a Comrex hardware codec such as ACCESS or BRIC-Link II. All participants can hear other
participants, and the codec can send audio back to them.

Gagl could be used as the hub for a round-robin reporting program or for a multi-host radio show to support multiple simultaneous connections at once. Because it offers low latency, it is appropriate for call-in talk radio.

Gagl could also be used to allow a single contributor to connect back to the studio from a computer or smartphone.

Designed with audio quality in mind, Gagl provides stable connections with limited bandwidth.

Gagl uses the Opus audio encoder, with a bit rate that delivers both voice and music in top
quality.

Gagl also delivers audio directly to a Comrex codec with all the stability enhancements,
pro-grade audio connections, and features that hardware codecs provide.

 

A company known for its radio imaging, voiceover, programming, podcasting and jingles business has added to its production leadership team.

Coming from YamanAir is a new West Coast Director of Commercial Production, while the company is also welcoming a Production Manager for Long Form Programming.

The former position is that of Darren Silva, who spent 22 years as a Network Production Manager for Radio Disney in Los Angeles who began his career as an overnight air personality in San Luis Obispo, Calif. In the late 1980s, he was “Dangerous Darren” at Heavy Metal rocker KNAC-FM 105.5 in Long Beach, Calif. Later, he worked at KEGL “97.1 The Eagle” in Dallas.

In addition to his Radio Disney role, Silva for the past 17 years has been an air talent associated with Sirius XM’s Hair Nation, Ozzy’s Boneyard and Classic Rewind channels.

Meanwhile, the Production Manager for Long Form Programming role is now being held by Jake Urbanek. He joins Benztown from Apple Music in Los Angeles, where he was
Assistant Producer of The Zane Lowe Show. Prior to that, he was Audio Engineer for
over 8 years Mr. Smalls Recording Studio in Pittsburgh. He was also Sound
Engineer for the Washington Symphony Orchestra in Washington, Pa.

Global travel restrictions and time restraints in conducting Factory Acceptance Testing for new transmitters have been addressed by Nautel with a new online FAT program.

A FAT is a set of pre-defined tests that many customers must witness being completed in real-time as part of project specifications. “Many of our customers simply haven’t been able to travel to factory locations since late 2019 due to the pandemic,” said Charles Andrews, Nautel Test Supervisor, “and even in the absence of COVID many customers have cost or visa restrictions making it difficult to attend these tests in person.”

Andrews’ team leveraged the increasingly-versatile capabilities of online meeting platforms,
paired with virtual communications interfaces such as Teams or Team Viewer, to allow
customers to witness transmitter testing in real-time as part of their final acceptance process. The Nautel AUI and multiple pieces of measurement equipment are employed along with a suite of cameras, wireless microphones and personnel to conduct the tests. Customers are able to communicate with their transmitter(s) via the AUI and view performance measurements throughout the final testing process.

“We consider comprehensive communication with our customers critical to the manufacturing and testing process,” said Andrews. “Although we enjoy having our customers here in person, this new system brings a more affordable and immediate solution to them.”

A short video explaining the online FAT process is available via Nautel’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7v5MNA2Ncc .

Photo: Dave Rushen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Planning to shut down British AM (MW) radio should begin, while analog FM services should stay on air until at least 2030. These are some of the key recommendations in the just-released Digital Radio and Audio Review, which was commissioned by the U.K. government in February 2020.

Declining audience share is the reason for ending British AM. According to the Review: “AM — which according to estimates calculated for the Review now accounts for just 3% of all radio listening — has reached the point where the BBC, commercial radio and Ofcom need to prepare for the retirement of national services. However, traditional radio, including FM services, is valued by many listeners — particularly those who are older or vulnerable, drive older cars or live in areas with limited DAB or broadband coverage. On current trends, therefore, the Review’s conclusion is that FM will be needed until at least 2030.”

[Read: Swiss FM Shutdown Reverts to Original 2024 Date]

This being said, research conducted for the Review by the strategic advisory firm Mediatique estimates that analog radio “will account for just 12–14% of all radio listening by 2030.” As a result, the Review’s suggested reprieve for FM is time-limited: “the U.K. radio industry should begin preparing the ground for a possible switch-off of analog services at some point after 2030,” it said.

Strong, for Now
According to the Review, 89% of the U.K.’s population listens to radio every week, “a figure which has remained remarkably consistent in the last decade,” it said. These listeners have access to 333 analog (AM/FM) and 574 DAB stations, plus “over 300 analog community radio stations which collectively reach over 1 million listeners every week,” the Review reported. As well, a third of U.K. adults own smart speakers, with live radio accounting for 64% of audio they’re listening to.

The downside: Radio’s dominance in the U.K. market is expected to decline over time.

“While it is impossible to make entirely accurate projections too far into the future, the Review’s conclusion is that live radio will still account for over 50% of U.K. audio listening in the mid-2030s,” the document said. “Live radio dominates in-car listening, accounting for 82% of all in-car listening hours. However, the growing availability of connected audio services in cars (via phone mirroring or natively) represents an increasing challenge to the prominence of radio in the car as streaming services are presented alongside or even more prominently than radio services.”

The Review projected this decline in U.K. radio listenership based on the current audio source preferences of different U.K. age groups. “Among 15–24 year olds smartphones are the first choice, accounting for 38% of audio consumption, with DAB accounting for 22% and FM/AM radios just 11%,” it explained. “Among 25–34 year olds, smartphones account for 27% of audio consumption, against 26% for DAB radios and 19% for FM/AM. In contrast, among listeners aged 55 and over, DAB radios account for 41% of all audio consumption and FM/AM radios a further 31%, with smartphones accounting for only 5%.”

DAB Slows, Smart Speakers Surge
Since the launch of digital radio in 1995, more than 27 million DAB sets have been sold in the U.K., with two out of every three households claiming to have a DAB radio for in-home use, said the Review.  As well, “Around 40% of all radio listening, in-home and in-car, is now via a DAB device.”

Falling DAB receiver costs have helped to drive sales. “This trend is particularly apparent over the past 10 years, as the DAB module cost has reduced costs for manufacturers while module capabilities have improved — for example, in terms of signal attenuation and energy use,” the Review said.

The bad news: “In spite of the evident demand from listeners for the services delivered on DAB, recent years have seen a decline in radio device sales and a slowing of DAB take up,” said the Review. Worse yet, “Mediatique forecasts that the proportion of households that regularly use DAB will fall gradually year on year from 40% currently to 32% in 2035.”

“Estimates prepared by market research consultancy Futuresource Consulting show these trends from a different perspective,” the Review continued. “According to Futuresource projections, ownership of DAB radios has now plateaued and may start to decline as new sales fail to maintain the installed base, implying that some owners will not replace their device when it reaches the end of its working life. Futuresource’s five year forecast up to 2025 shows the annual market for DAB domestic radios will fall to 570,000 per annum.”

In contrast, the Digital Radio and Audio Review predicted a rosy future for smart speakers. “According to Mediatique’s forecast, smart speaker penetration will grow to 62% by 2035,” it said. “Futuresource has forecast that the market for smart speakers will be sustained, with shipments continuing at a rate of over 5 million units per year.”

In reporting these numbers, the Review acknowledged that this trend poses a potential threat to all U.K. radio broadcasters. “Traditional radio including DAB is being challenged by new forms of IP-based listening, including on connected audio devices,” it said.

The good news is that “there are steps which can be taken to address this,” said the Review. “There are, for example, significant benefits from strengthening the partnerships and cooperation between U.K. radio (and through partnerships with European radio broadcasters) with radio device manufacturers and with retailers (traditional and online) to promote the benefits of radio and the increased choice of services available.”

One thing is clear: Joint government/industry action is needed ensure the future of U.K. radio.

“Without a coordinated approach and support from U.K. radio,” the Review warned, “there is a risk that retail support — which has been critical to the success of DAB — may diminish, resulting in a slow but inevitable withdrawal of DAB radio devices from retail.”

 

The post U.K. Review: AM Should Go, FM Stay Until 2030 appeared first on Radio World.

Greg Fink joined Comscore in 2017. He exited as its Chief Financial Officer at the end of August 2021.

Now, the audience and advertising measurement company led by CEO Bill Livek has named Fink’s successor.

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Add another third quarter earnings call for a broadcast media company to an already crowded November 4 slate.

At 10am, company representatives from Urban One will share details of the multimedia operation’s three-month period ending September 30.

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With RAJAR ratings due Wednesday for the first time since the arrival of COVID-19 in Great Britain some 19 months ago, many across the U.K. are biting their nails and praying that listening levels haven’t fallen for the nation’s privately operated radio brands or those under the BBC’s control.

At the same time, they’re perusing new rules “needed to protect British radio output on smart speakers” — regulations that do not put a mandatory switch-off date in place for analog FM transmissions.

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There’s a good chance you are not familiar with the name Cliff Freeman. But, you should be. Why? He was a branding master. “Pizza, Pizza?” He’s responsible for it. “Where’s The Beef?” Yup, that, too.

Freeman passed away of pneumonia at the age of 80, and news of his passing started to trickle out in early October — first on a Sunday TODAY “A Life Well Lived” segment and on October 25 in the Tampa Bay Times, his hometown newspaper.

Broadcast media owes a debt of gratitude to Freeman.

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It’s a city of roughly 26,000 residents that bills itself as a “first choice for families” and a “great choice for opportunity.” This municipality, which is part of a DMA that includes Bismarck and Minot, N.D., is four hours to the west of Fargo and five hours to the south of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Here, a 100kw Hot Adult Contemporary FM is being sold. It’s a “totally amped” transaction, thanks to the station’s seller.

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As the Media Rating Council sees it, its accreditation is “the primary mechanism for transparency and accountability in advertising and media measurement.”

But, what exactly is “accreditation,” and how does the process work? A webinar scheduled for Wednesday aims to explain all.

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Every day we hear of another ransomware attack or data breach, and it seems that the cyber adversaries are taking over companies, catching them off-guard and ill-prepared.

Cyber security expert Steve Morgan, founder of Cybersecurity Ventures and Editor-in-Chief at Cybercrime Magazine, has some great advice on how to prevent a potentially crippling incident from thwarting day-to-day operations at your radio and/or television stations.

He’ll be sharing his thoughts exclusively at Forecast 2022 on November 16 in New York — a “no press” event you need to be at.

 

 

At Forecast 2022, Morgan sits down with WABC Radio’s Juliet Huddy for what is shaping up to be a provocative interview that will cover — in non-technobabble — how the cyber adversaries are doing it, why people and companies are in the dark when it comes to cybercrime, and what they can and should do to protect their organizations.

STEVE MORGAN and JULIET HUDDY ONLY AT FORECAST 2022, presented by RBR+TVBR and Radio Ink

 

“The value of a business depends largely on how well it guards its data, the strength of its cybersecurity, and its level of cyber resilience,” Morgan says.

Seating is limited. Register today for Forecast 2022and take advantage of early bird pricing. Registration include admittance into the Broadcast Leadership Reception honoring the 2021 Top Radio and Television Leaders. Always a great networking event, this may be a one-of-a-kind opportunity this year!

On October 20, RBR+TVBR reported that Gray Television is amending and restating its senior credit facility while concurrently seeking an additional incremental term loan valued at $1.5 billion.

The broadcast TV station owner plans to use the funds to help pay for its merger with Meredith Local Media.  On Monday, Gray had more to say regarding how it will handle the final bill for those Meredith television properties, with its formal announcement of a new senior note offering.

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What are the top advertisers using spot radio to connect with AM and FM radio listeners?

For the week ending October 24, some intriguing brands are on the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Report. One new entrant is a Procter & Gamble Co. brand not necessarily known for its audio creative.

That would be Swiffer, the all-in-one mop and floor cleanser that P&G has made a common kitchen and household tool. In a new campaign, Swiffer spots enjoyed 33,311 spot plays at the radio stations tracked by Media Monitors.

Among paid advertisers using spot radio, Indeed is the big No. 1.

For auto insurers, Jake from State Farm is there — and no other auto insurance brands can be found this week.

Rounding out the Spot Ten is top QSR McDonald’s.

 

As different organizations work to implement the latest federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the tower organization NATE is requesting that its members have the right to publicly comment on the issue.

On Oct. 20 NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association sent a letter to Pres. Joe Biden requesting the organization be able to make comments on the vaccine rule implementation being proposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

[Read: NATE Sets Membership Record]

The move comes after Pres. Biden signed an executive order in September requiring employers with more than 100 employees to either mandate their employees be vaccinated or conduct weekly testing of unvaccinated employees. The president also ordered that all federal contractors working on federal property be vaccinated (with no testing option).

But NATE expressed concern that the temporary emergency standard that OSHA is expected to follow as a result of the federal mandate does not allow for public comment. The organization said that 85% of NATE members believe that some staff would resign if they are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and a full 30% indicated they would lose more than half of their workers.

Photo: Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM

“Like many other industries involved in the skilled trades, NATE members have struggled to recruit skilled workers,” the organization said in its letter to the White House. “The possibility of losing a significant number of tower technicians is a serious concern for NATE members, and the potential of losing workers could come at a time when America is investing billions of dollars in broadband projects.”

“Simply put,” the letter said, “NATE members fear that if we do not implement federal vaccination goals in a responsible manner, then they could lose a significant number of workers who are vital to building and deploying broadband services to rural, unserved, and underserved communities.”

[Read: COVID Doesn’t Care About Trade Shows]

Instead, a public comment period would allow for OSHA staff to hear directly from NATE members so they could get a clearer understanding of how a vaccine mandate could impact workers.

“We urge President Biden and OSHA to open a public comment period so the administration can hear directly from NATE’s small business members and gain a better understanding of how vaccine mandates would impact their workforce and the country’s ambitious 5G and broadband deployment goals,” it said.

 

The post NATE Calls for Public Comment Period on Proposed Federal Vaccine Mandate appeared first on Radio World.

The National Association of Broadcasters is making a big push to end Big Tech’s free ride when it comes to paying FCC spectrum regulatory fees, it said.

In response to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking asking if the FCC should adopt new regulatory fee categories to collect fees from unlicensed spectrum users, NAB seeks changes to the FCC regulatory fee structure so that fees more fairly and lawfully reflect the work performed by the commission and the benefits received by various industries, the association said.

[Read: Broadcasters Get a Win on Regulatory Fees]

“The commission’s current approach is unlawful and unconstitutional because, among other things, it forces broadcasters and others to subsidize commission activities with substantially benefit other regulatory fee payors and other entities that currently contribute nothing to the commission’s funding,” NAB wrote in its most recent comment.

In fact, NAB previously has claimed the FCC is using a “pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey approach to assessing fees.” The FCC expects to collect $374 million this year from all the industries it regulates, including broadcasters, cable and phone companies, internet providers and satellite operators.

The FCC’s fee schedule collects the total amount appropriated in a given year and is guided by statutory requirements that the “fees reflect the full-time equivalent number of employees within the bureaus and offices of the commission, adjusted to take into account factors that are reasonably related to the benefits provided to the payor of the fee by the commission’s activities.”

Getty Images – Rubberball, Mike Kemp

NAB claims the FCC routinely violates that statutory requirement. “NAB focuses on current FCC methodology based solely on the number of direct full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) in the four core bureaus of the commission, which results in a fee schedule that reflects on the work performed, and the benefits provided, by a mere quarter of the commission’s operations,” NAB commented.

The broadcast industry group urges the commission take several steps to bring its fee structure into compliance with its statutory mandates, including reassessing its proportional allocations of indirect commission costs to determine whether such allocations align with the actual amount of work performed by noncore bureaus and offices on behalf of regulatory fee payors.

“Secondly, the FCC should perform the analysis necessary to add a fee category for broadband service providers or exempt broadcasters from paying for any broadband costs,” the NAB wrote in comments.

And NAB insists the FCC can no longer turn a blind eye to the fact that Big Tech — companies such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Amazon — take up significant commission resources under the banner of unlicensed spectrum, yet pay no associate regulatory fees as a result.

[Read: CTA Loathes Idea of FCC Collecting Fees From Unlicensed Spectrum Users]

“For example, over the last few years Big Tech helped lead a massive and expensive push to use 6 GHz spectrum for their benefit (and to the detriment of many licensed operators, including broadcasters). Big Tech companies drained significant commission resources, and yet remarkably, broadcasters and others footed the bill,” NAB commented.

NAB says it believes the FCC already has the authority to require unlicensed spectrum users to pay for commission activities that benefit their businesses.

And NAB says it is not singling out “small appliance and other home good equipment manufacturers” whose devices make use of unlicensed spectrum, which is a concern shared by the Consumer Technology Association. In fact, the broadcast industry group believes there are ways to avoid capturing small entities in the fee category. “However, it makes little sense to delay imposing regulatory fees on Big Tech companies that actively participate in commission proceedings, benefit economically from the commission’s activities (often at the expense of other regulates), and actively compete with broadcasters and other regulatory fee payors for advertising revenue,” NAB wrote the FCC.

Reply comments on the NPRM (MD Docket No. 21-190) are due Nov. 5.

 

The post NAB: “FCC Fee Methodology Requires Reform to Conform to the Law” appeared first on Radio World.

If one of your radio or television stations is a member of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB), here’s a chance for your sales team to benefit from getting a piece of the action in a multimillion-dollar ad campaign signed off by one of the biggest champions of multicultural marketing today: Marc Pritchard.

How has revenue recovered from the onset of a pandemic that saw generally steep declines and where some categories continue to experience slower than hoped for rebounds? What’s in store for 2022 matters more than ever, especially after Snap Inc.’s dismal Q3 2021 results suggests supply chain problems could lead to lower advertiser activity at radio and TV in Q4. A Forecast 2022 panel of experts is poised to propel a provocative discussion about who is going to “show us the money” in the year to come … or not.

FOR FULL DETAILS AND TO REGISTER FOR FORECAST 2022, NOVEMBER 16 IN NEW YORK, CLICK HERE!

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Beyerdynamic’s Pro X Series (l-r): DT 700 Pro X and DT 900 Pro X headphones, and M 70 Pro X and M 90 Pro X microphones.

Beyerdynamic is eyeing emerging content creators with the introduction of its new Pro X line, comprised of both its DT 700 Pro X and DT 900 Pro X headphones, and its M 70 Pro X dynamic and M 90 Pro X true condenser microphones. Designed with live streaming and recording in mind, the series can be used flexibly in all situations.

The closed-back DT 700 Pro X can be used for production in a studio as well as on-the-go on a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Taking things a step further is the open-back DT 900 Pro X — a pair of circumaural studio headphones intended for use in professional monitoring, mixing and mastering.

Each model makes use of the new Stellar.45 driver, based around a strong neodymium magnet and a lightweight voice coil made of copper-plated high-tech wire. Used in conjunction with a newly developed three-layer speaker cone with integrated attenuating layer, the Pro X headphones have an efficient driver system with a 48-ohm impedance.

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

Both models come with two mini-XLR cables, which can be changed and replaced with other connection options. Contact points with the wearer are intended to be soft, with smooth gray velour ear pads and soft memory foam in the headband to allow several hours of wearing. The headband itself sports spring steel bracket construction.

The M 70 Pro X is intended for broadcasting, podcasting and streaming, while the M 90 Pro X is better suited for recording vocals and instruments. In addition to providing low-noise signal at all volumes, the mics each have an elastic system suspension as well as a stable microphone spider to reduce unwanted sounds like footsteps, hand grips or keyboard noise. A pop filter ensures that breathing noises and harsh plosive sounds are softened.

The M 70 Pro X has been optimized specifically for speech, and to almost completely block out surrounding noise in acoustically challenging environments, the company says. Meanwhile, the M 90 Pro X is an XLR microphone for recording; offering a balanced signal-to-noise ratio, it is intended for vocals, instruments and voice-overs. The new product series features a minimalist black design consisting of premium and interchangeable parts such as capsule, circuit board or connector.

The DT 700 Pro X and DT 900 Pro X are now available at a recommended retail price of $299, and the two microphones M 70 Pro X and M 90 Pro X are available from a recommended retail price of $299 and $349.

Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

Info: north-america.beyerdynamic.com

 

The post Beyerdynamic Pro X Series Debuts appeared first on Radio World.

For those with moderate to severe eczema, there’s a pharmaceutical product that’s gotten a lot of exposure thanks to a spot television campaign.

Total up those spots, and this brand tops them all in the latest Spot Ten TV report from Media Monitors.

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