Radio+Television Business Report

Since October 19, the musicFIRST Coalition-backed American Music Fairness Act has gained the support of nine House of Representatives Members.

It suggests the lobbying efforts of Florida Democrat Ted Deutch and former Congressman Joe Crowley have turned an important corner on Capitol Hill.

The NAB reminds us that those seeking to impose new royalty fees on broadcast radio stations have much more work to do.

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“The last year has placed the media industry at a crossroads, and it’s clear that the chosen path ahead is the road less traveled,” remarks Bill Livek, Executive VP and CEO of Comscore. “The marketplace is no longer willing to settle for a measurement source that relies on small panels to drive decision-making for a multi-billion-dollar industry. Rather, the appeal of the future is a transparent path built on a stable, reliable methodology and a foundation of proven technology, which captures the shift change of modern viewership consumption.”

With that, Livek has made it clear that Comscore has “pioneered” the modern technology powering the future of media measurement. And, the company executive trumpets that view in what he calls “an open letter to the industry.”

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Radio and television executives have had few opportunities to share their perspectives, projections, and visions for the broadcast industry in-person for the last 18 months.

That’s one primary reason why Forecast 2022 is the C-Suite Event of the Year — with attendance from radio and TV’s top leaders confirmed.

Will you be among them?

With a full-day of panel discussions and keynote addresses, there’s nothing like Forecast 2022. And, with a “no outside press allowed” promise, getting all of the details from Forecast 2022 simply means you have to be there.

Who will be there?

HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO BE PART OF THE EXPERIENCE. REGISTER NOW BEFORE THE PRICE INCREASES $200 ON NOVEMBER 1! Debra OConnell — President, Networks, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, The Walt Disney Company Bill Wilson — CEO, Townsquare Media

 

FEATURING

 

… and others to be announced shortly!

 

Forecast brings together the best and brightest talent in broadcasting and advertising to forecast the coming year, and to discuss the trends and momentums that will affect ratings and revenue. From Washington to Wall Street, Forecast focuses on what’s ahead in the broadcast community’s future and how to prepare for its opportunities and challenges.

Don’t hesitate: Join today’s industry leaders and be part of the discussions and debates about what’s ahead for radio in 2022 and beyond.

 

Register now for Forecast 2022. Act now and save $200! Complete agenda HERE.

NEW YORK — Ad-supported streaming local television news service Haystack News has helped bring The E.W. Scripps Co.-owned Newsy expanded reach on the platform the digital multicast network originally used to connect with consumers — an “OTT” app.

Live streaming of Newsy on Haystack News commenced Wednesday (10/27). It further widens Newsy’s reach, which grew substantially with its addition to over-the-air broadcast signals on October 4.

Branded as an “opinion-free national news network,” Scripps has 14 news bureaus across the U.S. dedicated to Newsy, which provides 17 hours of daily news in a manner not to dissimilar to the PBS News Hour and without talk shows offering news stories and roundtable observation with a political slant — a feature emblematic of the U.S.’s three heritage cable news networks.

Newsy dates to 2008, when it sold news and content as a third-party provider. In January 2014, Scripps bought the operation for $35 million, and launched a OTT-only news channel around the brand. In September 2017, to grow Newsy’s audience, Scripps replaced Retirement Living Television (RLTV) with the formerly digital-exclusive network. This cleared Newsy on cable television systems. That ended on June 30 as a direct result of Scripps’ merger with ION Networks, and the decision to transition Newsy to a digital multicast channel.

— Editing by Adam R Jacobson

Bonneville International announced several significant executive promotions as part of a strategic focus on growth.

“With this structure in place, we are well-positioned to support our existing business and develop in many new areas of opportunity,” said Bonneville President Darrell Brown.

Scott Sutherland has been promoted from his role as Market Manager for Phoenix to EVP/Regional Media Operations to directly oversee the Denver, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Seattle markets, with the Market Managers reporting directly to him.

Tanya Vea has been promoted from her role as Market Manager for Salt Lake City to EVP/Content and Media Operations to lead content and digital strategy for the company. Vea will also continue to lead TV and radio operations for the Salt Lake market, where Bonneville is headquartered.

Jason Englund has been promoted to the role of EVP/General Counsel, succeeding Mike Dowdle. Englund had previously led the HR function for the company, along with acting as Associate General Counsel.

Former General Counsel Dowdle will work with Brown to lead Bonneville’s strategic initiatives as the new EVP of Business Affairs and Strategy.

Matthew Sadowski has accepted the role of SVP of Business Intelligence and Analytics. He will lead and build analytics and business intelligence functions.

Kent Nate, Bonneville’s EVP/CFO, will continue to lead finance functions.

The U.S. Black population has a complex and powerful legacy that continues to shape countries and cultures around the world. Yet, when it comes to representation in media, the complexity that creates the richness of their experience is often lost, and when present, undervalued.

That’s a key takeaway from a newly released report on the power of the African American Community from Nielsen.

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The pricing of Gray Television‘s previously announced private offering of $1.3 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.375% senior notes due 2031 by Gray Escrow II Inc., a special purpose wholly owned subsidiary of Gray, has been affirmed.

This represents an increase of $175 million over the amount previously announced but is shy of the $1.5 billion Gray could have gone up to in the bond market.

The Notes were priced at 100% of par.

The offering of the Notes is expected to close on November 9, subject to customary closing conditions, at which time the proceeds of the offering will be funded into an escrow account.

The Notes are being offered to finance, together with cash on hand and anticipated borrowings under Gray’s senior credit facility, Gray’s pending acquisition of Meredith Corp.’s local media group, immediately after all spin-off deals are completed.

Closing is now expected to occur in December.

Finally. After months of questioning from across Washington, D.C., the White House on Tuesday formally nominated Jessica Rosenworcel to serve as the first woman to officially serve as Chair of the FCC. At the same time, President Biden selected Gigi Sohn to serve as a Democratic Commissioner.

While Sohn’s nomination will certainly trigger Republican opposition, Democrats in the District of Columbia were pleased to learn of Sohn’s selection.

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Since September 2020, he’s been a Senior Advisor at the Mozilla Foundation, the entity that brought internet users the Firefox web browser.

His past experience includes roles as Director of Digital Economy for the U.S. Department of Commerce, and from 2005-2012 was an Americas Director of Public Policy for Google.

If Congress says yes, he’ll become the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), where FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington last worked.

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Among the more colorful entrepreneurs in broadcast media is Frank Copsidas, an individual well-known across New England who is now leading the recently launched LPTV Broadcasters Association. 

Copsidas has bought and sold many LPTVs. Now, he’s spinning a property licensed to a town of less than 2,000 in the Deep South. The buyer? Gray Television.

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Is a bumpy road ahead for broadcasters across the rest of the Biden Administration, now that Jessica Rosenworcel is set to officially become Chairwoman of the FCC and Gigi Sohn, a “net neutrality” champion, is the White House’s nominee to become the fifth Commissioner?

There’s already chatter Inside the Beltway about what could come for the Rosenworcel Commission — or, perhaps, what won’t come. Ahead of his exclusive Forecast 2022 appearance, BIA Advisory Services Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Dr. Mark Fratrik shares his views on whether or not “regulatory burdens” seen under the Wheeler Commission could come back. Deregulation? Don’t count on it, he says in this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Dr. Mark Fratrik, BIA” on Spreaker.

 

Don’t Wait! Early Bird Registration remains available! Reserve your seat today.

BALTIMORE — Sinclair Broadcast Group has awarded scholarships to seven university students as a part of its annual Diversity Scholarship program.

Having provided more than $100,000 in tuition assistance during the last six years, the scholarship program aims to invest in the future of the broadcast industry.

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There’s a new Market Manager overseeing a 50kw Class A AM in Chicago, a station that was once the legendary WCFL.

At the same time, the station’s current owner, Good Karma Brands, has selected a Market Manager to lead its Madison, Wisc., operations.

Now leading WMVP “ESPN 1000” in Chicago, starting Nov. 1, is Keith Williams. As Market Manager, Williams will be responsible for overseeing the station’s sales, marketing and content strategy and execution.

Williams is a 22-year veteran of the company and has spent time managing ESPN Cleveland and ESPN Madison, as well as the company’s Mid-Atlantic digital markets.

Speaking of Madison, that’s where Tom Olson will become Market Manager on Nov. 1, replacing Williams. Olson has held a variety of roles throughout his career at Good Karma Brands, including managing the company’s business development team, and most recently as the Director of Sales & Marketing at ESPN Madison.

Olson began his career with Good Karma Brands in 2011 as an intern.

Remember that infamous Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup coffee mug former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai frequently used? Investors and analysts who actively watch broadcast media companies better get two ready for Thursday, November 4.

A sixth licensee of broadcast stations has scheduled their third-quarter 2021 earnings release on this date, with the results distributed following the day’s Closing Bell.

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According to The New York Times, the White House is moving forward with making acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel the agency’s official Chair — making her the first woman to formally hold the seat.

The newspaper also hears from an unnamed source that the Biden Administration is indeed bringing Gigi Sohn back to the FCC, not as Rosenworcel’s successor but as a progressive Commissioner who has been the subject of rumors for months.

While Rosenworcel’s confirmation as FCC Chair is widely expected to come easily, a Congressional battle over Sohn’s nomination could come with precious weeks remaining in this legislative year — keeping a 2-2 deadlock in place. Then, there’s the unthinkable — a 2-1 Republican majority with a Democrat in the White House as Congress blocks both nominations, leading to the end of Rosenworcel’s term and her exit from the Commission.

With so many broadcast media proposals at the Commission, what should radio and TV station C-Suite leaders keep their eyes on? A Forecast 2022 session picks up where our October 12 InFOCUS Podcast left off, with noted Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth co-Managing Partner Frank Montero moderating a panel set to include Colorado Broadcasters Association President/CEO Justin Sasso, Kagan Senior Research Analyst for Broadcast Media Justin Nielson, PMCM TV and Press Communication LLC CEO Bob Mc Allan, and BIA Advisory Services SVP and Chief Economist Dr. Mark Fratrik.

The coming leadership solidification at the FCC is a topic every broadcast management and ownership leader needs to keep on top of. Being at Forecast 2022 offers the best opportunity to stay abreast of what’s ahead in Washington, from Rosenworcel’s desk to Capitol Hill.

Forecast 2022 Early Bird Registration is still available! Don’t hesitate — secure your seat now.

 

 

 

Listen to “Frank Montero, Fletcher Heald & Hildreth” on Spreaker.

Roku has enabled publishers to measure channel content on Roku devices with Nielsen Digital Content Ratings (DCR).

The ratings, Nielsen and Roku note, provide access to deduplicated reach and demographic insights for channels on Roku devices to identify which programs most effectively reach key audiences.

This increase in coverage helps content owners and advertisers navigate the expanding world of TV streaming and is “a major milestone on the path to Nielsen ONE, Nielsen’s transformative, cross-media solution that will enable advertisers and publishers to transact using a single metric across linear and digital television.”

Nielsen will enable publishers to measure content across Roku’s 55.1 million active accounts (as of Q2 2021).

Nielsen Digital Content Ratings (DCR) provides audience measurement of digital content consumption, including streaming video, static web pages and mobile apps, across computer, mobile and TV streaming devices.

DCR is a census-based, panel-calibrated solution that provides syndicated, granular reach and volumetric reporting to provide advertisers and publishers.

“This strengthens the close collaboration between Roku and Nielsen,” said Lougman Parampath, VP of Product Management at Roku. “DCR’s syndicated, independent measurement provides market transparency and immediate value to our publishers around understanding audiences in their channels. This bolsters our commitment to delivering for our customers and underscores our focus to continue to be an innovator in the evolving TV streaming measurement landscape.”

Nielsen GM of Digital and Advanced TV Commercial Strategy Ameneh Atai added, “TV streaming is the wave of the future for digital video consumption, and Roku is a major player in CTV penetration,” said . “With the addition of Roku, DCR will have the capability to measure the majority of CTV platforms devices as well as provide channel partners with an understanding of their overall reach across CTV devices. Armed with these insights, media buyers and sellers can make critical decisions around ad strategies and publishers can create informed programming and content distribution strategies.”

Nielsen and Roku forged a strategic alliance earlier this year.

Furthermore, Roku acquired Nielsen’s Advanced Video Advertising (AVA) business, which includes Nielsen’s video automatic content recognition (ACR) and dynamic ad insertion (DAI) technologies.

The acquisition furthers Roku’s launch of an end-to-end DAI product for TV programmers.

“Nielsen and Roku will continue to integrate complementary Nielsen ad and content measurement products into the Roku platform and further advance Nielsen ONE, the company’s cross-media measurement solution,” the companies state.

A television station owned by the parent company of the MeTV Network and The CW Network affiliate in the nation’s third-largest market recently signed off on the acquisition of several camcorders to improve the quality — and flexibility — of its broadcast operations.

The equipment is now in place at the Weigel Broadcasting stations serving a market to the north of Chicago, where it owns the CBS affiliate.

As such, several GY-HC900 and GY-HC550 CONNECTED CAM camcorders have been purchased from JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation.

They’ll be put to use at “CBS58” in Milwaukee, WDJT-TV; “The M” WMLW-TV; MeTV Network O&O WBME-CD; and “Telemundo Wisconsin,” WYTU-LD.

“We have been using JVC for over a decade in the field and have been very happy,” says Steve Percefull, Weigel’s chief engineer for its Milwaukee operations. “We have the GY-HM650 ProHD Mobile News Camera and GY-HM790 ProHD Solid State Media Camcorder, as well as GY-HM850 and GY-HM890 ProHD Shoulder Camcorders in our inventory. We have tried other manufacturers’ cameras over the years, but have to use adapters to use SD cards, which became problematic. This time around, when I was buying cameras, I wanted something easy and user-friendly.”

The GY-HC900 has a full-frame and a two-thirds lens.

Aaron Frye, WDJT’s director of photography, was among the first to use the cameras at Weigel Broadcasting.

“I primarily use our new JVCGY-HC900 for field anchoring and to shoot news stories,” he says. “The GY-HC900 has a nice depth of field and the colors really pop; it’s a great upgrade from our previous cameras.”

Additionally, the station purchased the GY-HC550s to replace aging cameras in the Multimedia Journalist (MMJ) kits, which are used by photographers for multi-camera shoots.

Percefull has been impressed with the ruggedness of both the GY-HC900 and GY-HC550.

While Weigel uses the JVC CONNECTED CAM camcorders for traditional live stand-ups, the GY-HC900 and GY-HC550 both offer a wide range of live streaming capabilities. Included among these is direct streaming to Facebook Live and YouTube Live.

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.