John Mullen originally shared this account with Carol Archer of Radio & Records, its smooth jazz editor. This excerpt was shared with Nick Langan as part of a book he is writing on the history of the smooth jazz radio format. 

John Mullen is the general manager of WRHU(FM), the radio station operated by Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. Before joining Hofstra, he spent several years with what was then Emmis Communications-owned WRKS(FM) and WQCD(FM) in New York City, as director of operations.

He recounted the events of that morning to Carol Archer of Radio & Records in October 2001.

At 8:40 a.m. on Sept. 11, Mullen was drinking coffee and talking with co-workers in Emmis’ lower Manhattan offices, less than a mile from the World Trade Center.

A colleague dashed in to say her sister had called with news that a plane hit one of the towers.

“I freaked,” Mullen said, “because we ran the syndicated Tom Joyner morning show on WRKS.”

He directed award-winning WRKS News Director Bob Slade to break in mid-song with a bulletin, while WQCD morning host Steve Harris announced that there was a fire in the World Trade Center, advising listeners to evacuate the building.

“Half of our staff left, running for their lives,” Mullen recalled. “There was a sea of people walking up Hudson St., like in a horror movie. By the time the Pentagon was hit, I figured it was World War III, and it was all over,” Mullen told Archer.

Mullen remembered that his wife, Julie, begged him to come home, but they lived approximately 50 miles away on Long Island. Mullen also felt staying in the city and overseeing the coverage the pair of Emmis stations offered felt right. “It was the most important thing I’ve ever done in radio,” he said.

WQCD and WRKS pulled regular music, promos and advertisements off the air. The stations ultimately ran the ABC Network News television feed, breaking in every five to ten minutes with local updates hosted by Slade.

“There was an immediate need for dry clothes,” Mullen said. “So we would run announcements saying bring boots, because there were active firemen trying to put out the fire who were getting soaking wet.”

Later that day, only a few personnel remained at Emmis’ headquarters: Mullen, Harris, Slade, WRKS Producer Billy Robinson, WQCD Program Director Charley Connolly, WQCD Midday Host Deborah Rath, and Emmis New York President and GM Judy Ellis.

Mullen knew people who died in the towers and was terrified that WRKS staff member David Ellis, whom he had sent to the scene, had been killed.

“Somehow, he ended up getting pushed into a drugstore,” Mullen recalled. “When he asked to use the phone, the woman said, ‘Give me 20 dollars.’ He handed her a twenty-dollar bill and used the phone just so he could tell us he was alive.”

At the time, “CD 101.9” frequently hosted lunchtime concerts at the World Trade Center. Mullen remembered a young woman with braids named Matilda who would always watch the shows from the backstage doors. For days following the attacks, her face kept flashing into his head.

Several days later, he saw her being interviewed on “The Montel Williams Show.”

“Matilda’s alive!” he cried in relief.

He described the scene as a war zone. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he told Archer. “But I believe in my heart that when those planes hit, people left the building because we told them to.”

Radio World welcomes letters to the editor on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Remembering 9/11: John Mullen appeared first on Radio World.

Alabama has announced the activation of a $1.2 million statewide notification system that is designed to more quickly alert the public in the event of natural disasters.

This is a new system in the state made possible through a grant from FEMA. Governor Kay Ivey made the announcement on Aug. 25.

Under the new notification system, Alabamians will be alerted to impending floods and other disasters through their cell and landline phones as well as through their local radio and TV stations.

Larry Wilkins, chairman of the Alabama State Emergency Communications Committee, told Radio World that alerts are generated through the Alabama Emergency Management Agency using Motorola’s Rave Alert system.

Rave then compiles and distributes the alerts via FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, which allows access to radio stations through their EAS encoders.

Wilkins explained that Alabama has a satellite system for backup distribution of state and local alerts. It relays all IPAWS tests and alerts.

To ensure the warnings successfully make it to the airwaves, Alabama operates a closed-loop monitoring network. The system receives return data from approximately 190 different EAS units across the state, which allows the SECC to confirm rebroadcast status.

“Redundancy is a key item in our EAS system,” Wilkins said.

The action follows the state’s announcement earlier this year that $1.2 million in funding had been set aside to launch the new emergency notification system this year.

Ivey called for the implementation of the new statewide notification system in the wake of the July 2025 Texas flood which claimed the lives of 25 children at Camp Mystic, including eight-year-old Sarah Marsh of Mountain Brook, Ala.

Alabama residents can opt in online or via text message by sending ALalert to 77295 for emergency alerts and notifications or by sending ALinfo to 77295 for general information and updates.

[Related: “Alabama Broadcasters Take to the Road”]

The post Alabama Activates Statewide Notification System appeared first on Radio World.

DataTech Digital, which operates the news/talk simulcast of WGMD(FM), licensed to Rehoboth Beach, Del., and WUSX(FM), licensed to Seaford, Del., argues that expanding to eight FM signals gives Draper too much local market control and hurts fair competition.

Draper Media is attempting a $2.5 million acquisition of five radio stations from Forever Media, which violates the FCC’s current local radio ownership limits in the Salisbury, Del. – Ocean City, Md., radio market, forcing Draper to request an official waiver. 

The Lewes, Del.-based DataTech Digital argued that Draper would own a competitive advantage based on numbers alone. It also pointed to an increase in the market’s revenue-share concentration.

Draper Media is attempting to acquire WAFL(FM), WCHK(FM) and WNCL(AM), all licensed to Milford, Del., WAVD(FM), licensed to Ocean Pines, Md., WXDE(FM), licensed to Lewes.

DataTech argued that Draper – under the current rules – is only allowed to own seven stations total in the Salisbury–Ocean City metro with no more than four stations within the AM or FM service.

In addition, with its four FM stations it currently operates, Draper already has an audience share of 21.7% audience share in the metro, according to DataTech’s filing. It said that iHeartMedia has the top audience share at approximately 43%.

The same imbalance holds true for revenue share in the market, according to DataTech. It contended that Draper’s estimated revenue share would rise from 21.6% to 32.9% if the FCC grants the waiver.

In its petition to deny, DataTech also questioned Draper’s pledge that listeners can expect to hear more local news on its stations following the acquisition. Draper also promised to keep in place the programming formats of the Forever Media stations it hopes to acquire.

“Importantly, (Draper) does not submit the specific staffing levels, hours of local news, preserved formats, separate advertising operations or measurable investments,” DataTech said.

Draper then responded in an opposition to DataTech’s request to deny, arguing that both radio listeners and advertisers benefit when local owners like itself reinvest in the market, realize the benefits of scaled operations and therefore improve local service.

“Strong competitors make for better radio, and the transaction will allow Draper to compete more effectively with iHeartMedia, the market’s largest and strongest competitor,” Draper told the FCC.

Moreover, Draper said other competitors will not “suffer” from increased competition, unless those competitors decide not to meet competitive challenges.

“DataTech has very successfully run its two stations with 18 competitors in the market – it operates the eighth-ranked station in the market and is the third-leading station group in terms of revenues – and DataTech provides no argument as to why the transaction will somehow make DataTech less successful against 17 competitors,” Draper wrote.

Draper already has more stations than DataTech, it explained, and it argued that hasn’t stopped DataTech from achieving competitive success in the marketplace.

As for DataTech casting doubt on Draper’s stated intention to improve the local service provided by the additional stations, Draper said it has not submitted (and is not required to submit) detailed plans for operating the stations. However, it expects to “increase the amount of hyper-local content on the stations.”

Drapers concluded its response: “Ultimately, DataTech fails to raise any substantial or material issue suggesting that grant of the applications will harm the public interest.”

[Related: “More Radio Groups Seek Market Waivers to Exceed Strict Ownership Caps”]

The post Delmarva Broadcaster Asks FCC to Reject Waiver Request to Exceed Cap appeared first on Radio World.

We knew these would go up, as we reported earlier this year, but now the amounts have been finalized, though at less of a hike than the 5% or so originally proposed.

By our calculation using the totals in the FCC order, the commercial radio industry will pay about $28.7 million in annual fees this year.

Here are the new rates, with the percentage increase as calculated by Radio World. The story continues below the chart.

An FM radio construction permit fee will be $1,025. An AM CP will be $585. An FM translator or booster is $255.

Fees will be due by the end of September. Exempt are governmental and nonprofit entities, amateur radio operators, and noncommercial radio and TV stations.

The FCC will assess and collect about $416.1 million for fiscal 2026 across all of the industries it regulates.

Details

For those interested in the mechanics and the lobbying that takes place each year around this issue:

The FCC increased the number of full-time equivalents, or FTEs, allocated directly to its core licensing bureaus. It did not subtract two FTEs from the Media Bureau’s direct allocation but it reallocated one additional FTE from the Office of General Counsel as direct to the Media Bureau.

It again said no to various proposals to “depart from our well-established assessment methodology to lessen fees for regulatees in certain industry sectors” or to implement new fee categories.

For instance, the commission again rejected arguments from the National Association of Broadcasters that it should expand its methodology to include positions that work primarily on matters that pertain to non-fee payors.

The NAB has long argued that non-regulated media benefit from certain work done by the FCC, the cost of which is borne by regulated media including broadcasters.

The commission rejected appeals from the NAB and state broadcast associations for more “granularity” in the FTE methodology, as well as a request from the state associations to adopt a fee category for equipment certification labs.

The commission sounded annoyed in fending off these and other proposals, writing: “Although we recognize the incentives for some commenters to continue to seek to expand the pool of entities subject to the commission’s regulatory fee process, repeatedly offering the same suggestions, without more factual or legal support for doing so, does not improve the commission’s regulatory fee process or satisfy the commission’s obligation to collect its full appropriation as dictated by section 9 of the Act.”

As far as the so-called indirect FTEs go, it wrote: “The work of FTEs in the Office of Engineering and Technology, the Enforcement Bureau and the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau benefits the agency as a whole and the American public, and not one particular group of regulatory fee payors.”

And the FCC declined to change its “de minimis” threshold. The law allows it to exempt a party from paying regulatory fees where it thinks the cost of collecting a fee would exceed the amount collected, and NAB had asked the FCC to increase the threshold from $1,000 to $1,200, without success.

The fee order goes into considerable detail about the reasoning for the above actions. You can read the order here.

The post Radio’s FCC Fees Go Up and Are Due Next Month appeared first on Radio World.

iM Media Labs announced a tech partnership this month with MassiveMusic to provide music infrastructure for curated channels on its “vehicle-native” iM Media Hub platform.

The platform brings content from multiple providers together with curated channels into a system that includes radio, streaming, podcasts, news, sports, audiobooks and video.

iM’s pitch to carmakers is that it is “designed to integrate with vehicle systems and adapt to each automaker’s brand, interface and business model, giving drivers broad media choice without reducing the experience to disconnected apps or a mirrored phone UI.”

Earlier this year iM and AT&T announced a collaboration combining iM Media Hub with AT&T connectivity for automakers. More recently, iM announced a partnership with Stingray to integrate TuneIn, adding 100,000 radio stations, live sports, news, music and podcasts to the Media Hub.

This month’s agreement with MassiveMusic adds API-based music delivery, metadata and reporting capabilities to support iM’s curated programming.

The announcement was made by Jim Cady, founder and CEO of iM Media Labs, and James Priestley, SVP of global sales, licensing and technology for MassiveMusic, which is part of Songtradr.

The post iM Media Uses MassiveMusic to Help Build Its Vehicle Platform appeared first on Radio World.

It provides a snapshot of new or pending products and services for radio broadcasters as well as colleagues in pro audio, AV and related businesses.

This doubles as a summary of products from the spring NAB Show and the September IBC Show.

It also is intended to be helpful at a time when many broadcasters plan their cap-ex and op-ex for 2027.

Read it here.

The post 2026 Fall Product & Solutions Planner appeared first on Radio World.

Connoisseur Media announced Friday that it has entered into an agreement to sell four of its stations serving southeastern Minnesota to Greg Jensen’s Hometown Broadcasting of Austin and Albert Lea.

The deal is subject to FCC approval and is expected to close early this fall, according to a release.

The four stations are as follows:

• KAUS(AM) 1480, a 1 kW news/talk station licensed to Austin.
• KAUS(FM) 99.9, a 100 kW country station licensed to Austin.
• KCPI(FM) 94.9, a 5 kW adult contemporary station licensed to Albert Lea.
• KATE(AM) 1450, a 1 KW news/talk and oldies station licensed to Albert Lea.

Connoisseur acquired the four stations from Alpha Media in its 2025 deal.

CEO Jeff Warshaw said in the release that the company concluded that the four stations could no longer make a meaningful difference with the specific “focus and approach” Connoisseur brings to radio.

“When we reach that conclusion, we look for strong local operators who can take the stations forward and continue serving the communities,” Warshaw said.

Jensen had been in discussions with Connoisseur and expressed a desire to return to radio, Warshaw said. Hometown Broadcasting is based within the counties served by the four stations, according to the release.

Jensen’s group previously owned 96.1 KQPR(FM) in Albert Lea before it sold the station to D&Z Radio in 2018. He also previously owned 97.5 KNXR(FM) in Rochester.

Kalil & Co. Inc. served as the broker for the transaction, while Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP represented Connoisseur Media as legal counsel.

[Related: “Warshaw Defies the Radio Naysayers”]

The post Connoisseur to Sell Four Southeast Minnesota Stations appeared first on Radio World.

In a press release it quoted Managing Director Marc Herrmann saying that convention headlines often are dominated by the transition from “dedicated hardware to generic-platform software and from studio-centric to cloud-linked production, as well as the adoption of new signal formats, file formats and transmission standards.”

But, Hermann said, “The grassroots reality is the opposite: 24/7 operation, shrinking budgets and 15-year investment cycles.”

He said DHD’s new offering is “optimized to support the evolution in production workflows exemplified by the EBU’s Dynamic Media Facility initiative.”

DHD said the design and development approach centers on modular audio production consoles networked to modular processing cores. “Modules can be added to match new or expanded workflow, consoles can be configured to support new tasks, and cores can be exchanged to deliver higher signal processing capacity.”

IBC Booth: 8.B46

Info: https://dhd.audio

The post DHD Plans Mixing Console Release appeared first on Radio World.

In the updated guidance that we break down below, the Media Bureau clarified the principal community contour for determining diversity of ownership points. Applicants who are the proposed assignee or transferee of the station in question for which the NCE translator wishes to relay may also apply in the filing window. 

Finally, translators that aim to rebroadcast NCE or LPFM stations in a time-share agreement may also file in the November window.

The noncommercial FM translator filing window opens on Nov. 4 at 12:01 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. on Nov. 17. Form 2100, Schedule 349 for filing an FM translator construction permit is now available for data entry in the FCC’s license and management system.

According to the commission, estimated time for completing the form is between 60 and 90 minutes, so plan accordingly. The Media Bureau offers guidance on how to use the form.

Point system

In the event mutually exclusive applications proceed to a point system evaluation, the FCC awards a maximum of seven merit points based on four criteria.

The Media Bureau clarified that for determining the two available “diversity of ownership” points, the principal community contour for full-service commercial FM, NCE FM and LPFM stations is the 70 dBu contour. The bureau acknowledged it erroneously listed the contour as 60 dBu its June public notice announcing the filing window, which was pointed out by REC Networks.

The problem with using 60 dBu contour for LPFM stations, in particular, is that, to qualify for a translator in the first place, an LPFM must have overlap with the 60 dBu contour of its parent LPFM station to be permissible. That’s not longer an issue after the Thursday public notice.

“REC welcomes these clarifications and appreciates the work of the Media Bureau staff on working on the issues and clarifying the diversity point rule as it was originally intended back in 2000,” Michi Bradley wrote on REC’s Substack.

As a result, to qualify for the two diversity points, an NCE translator applicant must certify that the 60 dBu contour of its proposed translator does not overlap with the 70 dBu contour principal community contour of any full-service or LPFM station, or the 60 dBu contour of any non-fill-in translator in which it holds an attributable interest. That restriction also includes overlap with the 5 m/V contour of any attributable AM station.

Additionally, to qualify for three points as an “established local applicant,” an entity must have been continuously local and established in the community for at least two years prior to filing.

Because the FM translator service carries no formal community of license coverage requirement, the bureau addressed requests to define local eligibility. It clarified Thursday that an applicant must propose to provide at least a 60 dBu signal to some portion of its proposed community of license to qualify for localism points.

Existing applicants and timeshares

FCC rules require each applicant in the upcoming window to be the licensee or permittee of the existing NCE FM, noncommercial AM or LPFM station the translator intends to rebroadcast.

The Media Bureau clarified Thursday that a proposed assignee or transferee of a primary station may also file for a translator, provided the underlying assignment or transfer application is already on file with the FCC when the translator application is submitted. The applicant must also request a rule waiver. Translator filings submitted under these conditions will count toward the proposed assignee’s total application limit.

Finally, NCE or LPFM stations operating under time-sharing agreements may file applications in the upcoming window. Translators authorized under these filings may only operate during the specific time slot granted to the primary station under the agreement.

Time-sharing permittees or licensees can agree to time-share a proposed FM translator station, provided they file separate applications, the Media Bureau said.

(Read the FCC’s public notice on the reserved band FM translator station window.)

The post FCC Issues Clarifications for NCE FM Translator Filing Window appeared first on Radio World.

The agreement is with multimedia rightsholder Playfly Sports.

“Skyview Networks will provide audio distribution, production and its AdView Inventory Management and Live Read Management software for the Aggies, while the Roadrunners join as a new client for AdView Inventory Management,” according to the announcement.

“San Jose State’s Spartans, meanwhile, are adding production services to round out their existing audio solutions lineup.”

According to Skyview the agreement gives the athletic departments of those schools more control over how their broadcasts are delivered.

Texas A&M will run their program through Skyview Networks’ technology stack of distribution, production and AdView platforms. Certain stations in the Texas A&M network will receive their broadcast via Skyview’s new Cirocast cloud-native distribution platform.

“By adding AdView Inventory Management software to its broadcast process, UTSA will have greater visibility and control over their inventory. For San Jose State, the addition of production services builds on a partnership already in place, giving the athletic department another layer of support as it continues to grow its audio presence.”

The announcement was made by Christy Hedgpeth, president of Playfly Sports Properties, and Andrew Kalb, chief operating officer of Skyview Networks.

[Related: Skyview Makes Organizational Changes Under Jones]

The post Skyview Networks, Playfly Sports Expand Relationship appeared first on Radio World.

The inductees include Ted Woodward, longtime voice on Wichita’s KNSS(AM/FM), as well as the late Curtis Duncan, who was a well-known community radio voice in northwest Kansas. Both will be honored at the KAB Hall of Fame dinner on Oct. 18 at the Wichita Marriott.

Ted Woodward

A Wichita native, Woodward spent five years as a sportswriter at The Wichita Eagle before joining KNSS(AM) in 1995, where he handled sportscasts, newscasts and entertainment reporting.

Woodward co-hosted “Steve and Ted in the Morning” alongside fellow KAB Hall of Famer Steve McIntosh for 28 years. The pair earned a Marconi Award for Outstanding Talent in 2017.

He is also known for his “Ted, the Sports Head” persona, which continues on KNSS after 30 years. In addition to his studio work, Woodward serves as the public-address announcer for Wichita State University men’s basketball and has spent 37 years as the PA voice for WSU baseball.

Curtis Duncan

Duncan is being inducted posthumously following his death in 2024 at age 69. His career spanned six decades and was marked by a commitment to community journalism.

According to his KAB biography, Duncan’s passion for broadcasting began at age 9 when he joined KOFO reporters covering a local county fair. That experience launched a career across radio and television stations in Kansas, Missouri, Maryland, Mississippi and Nebraska before he settled in northwest Kansas in the mid-1990s.

Duncan served as a morning host at KXXX(AM) in Colby before joining KLOE(AM)/KKCI(FM) in Goodland. As host of KLOE’s “Good Neighbor Hour,” he shared local stories, interviews, weather, school activities and community updates with listeners.

He was previously honored with the KAB’s Sonny Slater Award in 2019 for outstanding service to his station and community.

Carolyn Long

Long joined KCTV(TV) in Kansas City in 1996 after beginning her television news career in Ohio. She spent 29 years as an anchor and reporter at the station before retiring last year.

Earlier in her career, she also worked at CNN’s Washington, D.C., bureau.

Melissa Brunner

Brunner has been a familiar face to northeast Kansas viewers since 1996, when she joined WIBW(TV) in Topeka.

She was named news director at WIBW in 2023, while continuing her role as an on-air anchor and reporter.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

The post Kansas Association of Broadcasters Unveils 2026 HOF Class appeared first on Radio World.

In an age when virtually any radio broadcast can be “remote,” the very definition of a studio is changing — if there’s a studio at all.

This is one in a series about how stations are creating and managing their audio from anywhere, thanks to virtualization, cloud, IP and other technologies. This article is from the free ebook “Audio Production (From Anywhere).”

At Beasley Media Group’s music stations, on-air and production staffs increasingly work in distributed environments.

“They could be working from home,” said Director of Corporate Engineering Lamar Smith. “They can be working from a hotel room or working from a client’s location doing a remote broadcast. We have opened a realm that allows us to be able to work and easily generate content, recorded or live, from anywhere in the world and put it on the air.”

In one or two markets, Beasley even runs the cluster by feeding cloud-based content to the transmitter with no studio involved at all. 

This migration is being executed with tools like WideOrbit’s Cloud automation system. But Smith said the company is “constantly looking for more opportunities” for putting operations into a cloud scenario — reducing reliance on hardware, data centers and studios and technical operation infrastructure. And this is also playing out in the back office. 

“We are moving a lot of things — our DNS servers, our VPN servers, the servers that handle our business operation — to the cloud as well, running in AWS or Microsoft Azure, so we don’t have to maintain or buy hardware on a regular basis,” Smith said.

“Azure gives us a virtual drive,” said Al Schermeister, Beasley’s director of automation support.

“Somebody using music scheduling software with a connection to the Azure drive can drop the file there. It’s then processed by WideOrbit Cloud, which is in the AWS realm. The two are talking to each other, and we have no servers or computers at that location. Just drop it into a virtual drive, it gets sucked into the cloud and boom, you have your playlist for the next several days.”

A company VPN is not required, either. And Beasley can create user profiles and credentials that provide customized levels of access. 

“A person can use their own computer if necessary; we don’t have to give them a company laptop and VPN access to our network,” Schermeister said.

“The cloud-based structure allows them to get to the link and interact with the radio client to do a show. This makes it a lot easier for instance if VPN goes out. As long as you have a good internet connection, you can access all this very simply.”

Lamar Smith said the transition does, however, require a bit of a shift in mindset for the users.

“Because they don’t have pieces of hardware in front of them anymore, they think they don’t have the ability to do things exactly the same way. But we’re actually giving them more tools, and they’re finding that it is easier and more efficient in the long run.”

The new environment helps Beasley manage cybersecurity concerns.

“We’re always concerned about security. Anybody who’s not is crazy,” Smith said.

“But we feel that we are a lot more secure than we ever were. The user’s computer becomes less of a concern because the mechanisms to send audio are so controlled compared to putting their laptop on our network and having access to everything there.”

The new approach also facilitates cloud voice tracking. Talent can pre-cut a show from anywhere. “This has really been a helpful tool,” Schermeister said.

And radio spots or other audio content can be created in Beasley’s “production pods” by creators working anywhere. They can place those completed files into virtual drives for access by the WideOrbit system. 

This migration is most advanced at Beasley’s music stations, rather than its news and sports facilities.

“We are still doing sports with codecs in the traditional method, as we’ve done for the past 10 or 15 years, especially at sports stations in bigger markets that have more complexity,” Smith said.

“But we are excited about some of the opportunities this has opened up for us. We have a few stations that do local high school football, and we are looking forward to the ability to use our cloud product to be able to go to a football game anywhere, getting an internet connection from there — or taking our internet connection with us, with a Starlink dish — and being able to do a football game live, with full control over the radio station right from the football field,” he said.

“No ISDN or codecs. And you don’t need a board operator back in the studio anymore, it’s all taking place right there at the sporting events.”

One pleasant outcome of all this, Smith said, is that stations seem to be doing more live events again now that they can go without requiring a Marti, codecs or ISDN lines.

“We’re starting to go back to doing things live again. I think this is a huge improvement for the industry, and from the perspective of being ‘the information source for a community’ in an emergency, it opens the possibility for us to be able to grab a computer, go to the emergency center and do live content quickly and easily. There’s nothing difficult about it,” he said.

“The ability to be live more often, or when we need to be live, is exciting.”

[Check Out More of Radio World’s Ebooks Here]

The post Beasley Stages Live Events With Confidence appeared first on Radio World.

A new mobile app is launching this fall that aligns college football and men’s basketball radio broadcasts with live national or regional television broadcasts.

Homestream is a subscription-based app available in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Duke, Auburn and Georgia Tech are the first schools to have enrolled, according to a release. Fans at those schools can use the app to align live audio commentary with college football broadcasts starting Sept. 5 with their opening week games.

Those school’s men’s college basketball games will also be available on Homestream beginning with the start of the season in November, the release said.

To use the service, a fan points their smartphone screen at the television tuned to the game in progress. The app recognizes the point in the game action and syncs the school’s network radio audio to the video feed.

Homestream secured rights for the three programs through agreements with each university’s respective multimedia rights partner: Learfield for Duke Athletics, Playfly Sports for Auburn Athletics and Legends for Georgia Tech.

A subscription to use the service costs $79.99 for a full season or approximately $3-6 per game, depending on the sport. Full basketball and football season packages are priced at $129.99.

The company said that it successfully tested the technology with fans during the last college basketball season.

[Do you receive the Radio World SmartBrief newsletter each weekday morning? We invite you to sign up here.]

The post Homestream App Syncs College Sports Game Audio With TV appeared first on Radio World.

After we first reported this policy change last October, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission implemented the change Monday. As a result, beginning Sept. 1, the vast majority of radio station licenses in Canada will automatically renew with indefinite terms once their current expiration dates pass.

The CRTC said that the shift reduces the regulatory and administrative burden on broadcasters, freeing up the time, effort and costs associated with undergoing full or administrative license renewals.

Under the new policy, licenses set to expire between Aug. 31, 2026, and Aug. 31, 2031, will transition to indefinite status immediately upon the expiration of their current terms.

CBC/Radio-Canada stations and temporary developmental radio stations are excluded from this policy and will remain on fixed-term cycles, the CRTC said.

The CRTC also clarified that indefinite licensing will not restrict its ability to review condition amendments or alter licensee obligations in future proceedings.

Canadian broadcasters and industry groups mostly supported the change, according to the CRTC. The commission received opposition from two individuals along with two consumer advocacy groups: the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications and the Consumers Council of Canada.

The forum argued that indefinite terms are premature ahead of expected policy changes stemming from the Online Streaming Act.

Individual commenters raised concerns that the policy could diminish public participation, reduce station accountability and potentially increase administrative burdens on the CRTC if stricter compliance monitoring becomes necessary.

One commenter also suggested that the Stingray Group should remain on fixed-term licenses due to their national carriage agreements.

Prior to the decision, Canadian radio licenses carried a maximum term of seven years regardless of station type. The commission said it previously processed roughly 300 license renewals annually.

[Do you receive the Radio World SmartBrief newsletter each weekday morning? We invite you to sign up here.]

The post CRTC Grants Indefinite Licenses for Canadian Radio Stations appeared first on Radio World.

As I’ve been researching candidates for Radio World’s new series about young engineers, I was looking over an article on the same topic that we ran 20 years ago. (Read that article here.)

One of the people we featured then was Aaron Ishmael. I checked in with him to get an update on his career. 

Radio World: In 2006 we wrote about the 23-year-old chief engineer of KPQ(AM/FM). Where is Aaron Ishmael today and what is his role in radio?

Aaron Ishmael: I’m in Knoxville, Tenn., and I am the co-owner of 14 radio stations located across the country in Knoxville as well as Albany, N.Y., Burlington, Vt., Wilmington, Del., Fort Collins, Colo., and Rapid City, S.D. 

I co-own Loud Media and A & J Radio with my wife Jessica; I also own Mid Century Radio with business partner Karl Lieber and am the sole owner of Loud Media NJ. A list of stations is at loudmedia.com.

I also am the lead developer for Mr. Master, a company that provides software solutions to the radio industry.

RW: How did you get from that job to this place in your career?

Ishmael: Well, that’s a bit of a long answer so I’ll try to keep it concise. I followed my radio engineering career to Cumulus in Macon, Ga., for a year and then pursued an opportunity to build out new FM construction permits in the state of Wyoming for Northeast Broadcasting. 

During that time I built 10 brand-new radio stations over a five-year span. Following this I became the chief engineer of ESPN-owned WEPN(AM) in New York City, where I was able to build a brand-new studio facility on West End Avenue. 

Shortly after, I was promoted to director of radio technology for ESPN and moved to the headquarters in Bristol, Conn., until 2016 when I acquired my first radio station in Knoxville and moved into full-time station ownership.

RW: Common wisdom has it that few young people are interested in careers in radio and specifically in radio tech. What’s your experience?

Ishmael: I think over the years it’s gotten even more challenging to find young people who are interested in radio. The technology space in general has gotten so large and there are so many things that those with a technical mindset can thrive in that I think radio gets overlooked. 

I appreciate the efforts of organizations like the SBE in mentoring and trying to get younger people involved. 

RW: What aspects of your technical background help you in your work today?

Ishmael: I would say all of it! Every single problem I’ve ever solved was a learning exercise for the next problem. Being the owner of several radio stations means that I have to do engineering work daily and I love it.

RW: What’s next for you in your career, where would you like it to take you?

Ishmael: Great question, and I don’t know that there’s a simple answer. I have a deep love for the radio industry and I want to continue doing things to help radio not only survive but thrive and grow, whether it’s making software solutions that help operators do more or building up my own stations to be the best they can be. 

RW: Any advice for young people reading this article?

Ishmael: If you have a knack for the technical side of things or if you’re a problem solver, radio engineering can be extremely rewarding … and there are great opportunities for bright, talented, young people in our industry. We always need a fresh set of eyes to keep radio alive and relevant!

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The post Aaron Ishmael Is Engineer-Turned-Station Owner appeared first on Radio World.

Orban has issued a V.2 release for its Optimod Trio audio processor.

Trio is a DSP audio processor for FM, AM and digital media uses, introduced in 2024. It includes analog connections, dual AES3 interfaces, analog composite and digital MPX signals, and AoIP for Dante or Ravenna. Switching processing modes takes only a few seconds, making the Trio a flexible backup device.

“The V.2 release offers improvements in sound quality, operational functions and performance features,” Orban said in a press release.

The software is available as a free download at www.orban.com and is pre-installed on new units.

“Key updates include two new processing structures, expanded standalone functionality as an FM stereo encoder, and the new Digital Media (DM) mode which delivers optimal audio quality for digital radio, digital television, and Netcast audio processing.”

Its FM stereo encoder is a new, additional processing structure integrated into the FM signal path, which Orban says enables seamless cross-fading between modes. “This simplifies switching between pre-processed network feeds (which require only overshoot limiting) and local programming (which requires full audio processing).”

Also the Optimod Trio FM now supports APTmpX  encoding, enabling transmission of high-quality, complex composite/MPX signals over high- or low-bandwidth IP connections, such as the internet or DSL.

The new DM mode brings Orban processing structures (five-band or two-band) and integrated loudness control, which the company says ensures audio quality for digital radio, digital television and internet broadcast. The Trio DM mode can also be deployed in SMPTE-2110 environments for DTV applications in stereo or dual-mono mode (for bilingual broadcasts) by splitting the media into independent “essence streams.”

Info: www.orban.com/overview-optimod-trio-audio-processor

The post Orban Releases V.2 of Optimod Trio Software appeared first on Radio World.

Morgan owns WLKS-FM in West Liberty, WRLV-FM in Salyersville, WCBJ(FM) in Campton, and WMOR-FM in Morehead. It wants to sell them to Ridgeline Communications Inc.

But the FCC Media Bureau has found that the stations’ license renewals in 2020 were not filed until a month late. The next year, it said, Morgan County Industries failed to obtain special temporary authority for these stations to be off the air for more than 30 days, and it didn’t obtain special temporary authority for one of them to operate at reduced power for an extended period.

Further, issues/programs lists were missing from the online public files or not uploaded on time. Also, a local programming and marketing agreement related to three of the stations was missing from the OPIFs; and certain certifications in the renewal applications were incorrect.

The company has agreed to a three-year compliance plan with the FCC that will be binding on the new ownership.

The FCC said Morgan County Industries has since uploaded the majority of the missing lists, uploaded its local programming and marketing agreement with Hindman Broadcasting Corp. for three of the stations, and amended the renewal applications.

The commission said it plans to grant the renewal applications and the assignment application.

The FCC also had received an informal objection to the renewal of one of these licenses, but the commission found no rule violations that warranted denying license renewal.

The Media Bureau did add that had these licenses not been pending ownership change, the violations could have warranted a shorter-term renewal. “Accordingly, any grant of the renewal applications will be conditioned upon consummation of the proposed assignment to assignee.”

The post Compliance Plan Clears Way for Four-Station Sale appeared first on Radio World.

This is one in a series about optimizing your airchain. The author is director of content for Telos Alliance.

There is a widespread sentiment within the broadcast community that radio, as an industry and as a medium, is becoming increasingly irrelevant to today’s audience. “Radio” in the traditional sense — an RF signal emanating from a transmitter and received by a tuner — has more competition than ever, and there is no denying that listening habits have shifted markedly in recent years.

But radio isn’t dying: It is changing and evolving, much like it has for the past 100 years.

AM gave way to FM, which is now being challenged by streaming audio. Rack-mounted solid-state transmitters now deliver the same power as much larger tube rigs of the past, and with much greater efficiency and reliability.

Optimizing your airchain to meet the needs of what radio is today reveals a mix of practices that are as relevant now as they were many years ago, and some that are uniquely reflective of the current media landscape.

One example of something that has not changed is the importance of high-quality source audio.

It mattered in the days of vinyl and tape, and it matters just as much now — arguably more so — in the era of digital audio files.

Music libraries consisting of low-bitrate MP2s and MP3s to save once-precious hard drive space still exist, but have no place in a radio station today. This content’s audio quality is already compromised before being pre-emphasized and clipped in the analog FM signal, or subjected to multiple rounds of lossy transcoding in HD, DAB and streaming paths.

Speaking of source audio, the importance of normalizing levels when importing songs and commercials cannot be overstated.

This can easily be accomplished using automated workflows supported by playout systems, either by making a static gain change or changing metadata values.

Normalization not only ensures consistent loudness across the entire library, but it makes things easier on operators and talent running the board. It also means that downstream processing can be relaxed as levels are already well-controlled at the input.

That’s a win for the audience, who get better-sounding audio and are more likely to stick around for the next song.

Something that has changed significantly in recent years is the in-car listening experience.

Radios no longer look like radios; they’re integrated into touch-sensitive vehicle-wide infotainment systems. With technologies like DTS AutoStage, manufacturers are able to deliver a more consistent experience across platforms.

That’s a boon for the driver and passengers, but it also means expectations are higher for traditional radio. Streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music deliver excellent-sounding audio, and listeners are expecting the same from their local stations.

There is also some behind-the-scenes magic going on that should be considered when making decisions about audio processing, loudness and modulation.

In an effort to avoid annoying listeners with source-to-source loudness shifts, many systems endeavor to match the loudness of a newly selected source to that of the one prior. This can negate attempts to build perceived loudness with aggressive processing; if the radio is going to attenuate loudness, there is little reason to compromise quality by crushing the audio.

Consider this a gift, as it lets you set your processing to be consistent and punchy while retaining the impression of dynamics. Loudness-wise, aim to be in the middle of the field among your in-market competition.

On the RF side, traditional receivers have largely been replaced by software-defined receivers. While both perform a similar decoding function, they do so in ways that impact decisions about modulation and audio processing in unexpected ways. SDRs do not tolerate over-modulation well and will cause audible distortion on modulation in excess of 110%.

Finally, AM and FM listenership may be on the decline, but the streaming audience is growing, so it is imperative to treat your station’s streaming audio with the same level of care and attention as your terrestrial signal.

This is especially important when it comes to processing. Blowing the dust off a shelved wideband AGC isn’t going to cut it, and feeding the output of your FM processor to your streaming encoder is a big no-no.

At the very least, you can use the HD output of your on-air processor for your stream, but ideally, it would have its own purpose-built processor optimized for coded audio and low bit rates. Many Omnia processors include independent streaming processing and encoding for each audio path, or were designed from the ground up specifically for streaming.

There is no magic bullet for optimizing your airchain. The “secret sauce,” if there is one, is made up of an unwavering commitment to quality, the application of some common-sense audio basics, an understanding of how emerging technology affects your approach to audio and recognizing that radio faces some stiff competition from other players on the digital dashboard.

Comment on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.

The post Optimization Starts With Common Sense appeared first on Radio World.

A crop-duster aircraft crashed into the primary broadcast tower for an AM radio station in Klamath Falls, Ore., last week.

Basin Mediactive’s KLAD(AM) 960 is licensed to Klamath Falls and transmits from one tower in a four-tower array along the Lost River, about five miles southeast of Altamont. It runs 5 kW during the day and 26 watts at night from the site.

The station runs a sports-talk format and is also heard on a 104.3 FM translator.

Four towers stand at the site, though the station only uses one to broadcast both day and night. According to Basin Mediactive General Manager Rob Siems, the plane struck KLAD’s primary daytime structure, designated as Tower #3 in the array.

The station is in the process of coming back on the air using one other towers at the site, Siems told us.

According to Basin Mediactive’s mybasin.com, Klamath County Sheriff’s Office deputies and fire personnel were dispatched to the area of Hill Road and Crystal Springs Road following the report of an aircraft crash.

A single-engine, fixed-wing crop-duster aircraft, piloted by Gus Macy, was conducting an agricultural pesticide application flight when the aircraft struck the Basin Mediactive tower, mybasin.com reported.

The aircraft subsequently crashed to the ground and caught fire. A nearby witness pulled Macy away from the wreckage before emergency responders arrived. Macy sustained major injuries and was transported to Sky Lakes Medical Center for treatment.

The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation, mybasin.com reported.

The four-tower site has stood since 1981. KLAD itself was first licensed on 900 AM in 1955, according to its FCC history card.

The Klamath Falls-based Basin Mediactive also owns KAGO(AM/FM), KFXX(FM), KHIC(FM) and KLAD(FM).

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The post Oregon AM Radio Station Recovers After Tower Suffers Crop-Duster Strike appeared first on Radio World.

The company highlights the AiO family for cost-effectiveness, software integration and compact modular design.

Hot-swappable fans and power supply modules are combined with tool-free, quick-release RF amplifier modules to enable fast service.

The AiO Series 5 kW integrates capabilities within the transmitter including a five-band audio processor, UECP RDS encoder, Icecast web streaming and APT IP Decoder.

“The platform is designed to evolve with future µMPX integration, enabling a complete MPX-over-IP transport chain regardless of the compression technology used, including µMPX, APTmpX or linear MPX,” the company said, adding that this software integration simplifies the broadcast chain, reduces the need for external equipment and helps lower costs.

It carries a 10-year warranty. First deliveries are scheduled for late 2026. Also new is a 3 kW model.

Info: www.worldcastsystems.com

The post WorldCast Takes Ecreso FM AiO Series to 5 kW appeared first on Radio World.