Radio World International 505 - January 2019

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QUB radio

JANUARY 2019

INSIDE EUROPEAN RADIO SHOW • Will showcase new technologies, production, podcasts, music discovery and more — Page 3

FACILITY The hosts of QUB radio.

VRT

QUB Takes Internet Radio Mainstream in Quebec

•M NM inaugurates new, lightweight mobile studio — Page 4

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Backed by media powerhouse Quebecor, QUB radio combines streaming audio with French language talk radio

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a Quebec media company that already owns TV stations and newspapers, but is barred from launching radio stations due to Canadian broadcast law? Answer: You bypass the broadcast regulator’s restrictive rules by launching an internet radio/ podcasting service out of its legal reach,

and promote the daylights out of it on your TV/newspaper properties.

This is precisely what Quebecor did on Oct. 4, 2018, when it launched QUB radio.

“Instead of tuning to an AM or FM channel, QUB radio is a 100 percent digital platform for broadcasting audio content and podcast, available on the website www.qub.radio and the QUB radio [Android/iOS] app,” said Jean-Nicolas

Gagné, head of QUB radio. “QUB radio can also be found on the websites of the Journal de Montréal, Journal de Québec and TVA Nouvelles as well as on TVA Nouvelles and J5 apps. In addition, QUB radio is available on broadcast platforms such as TuneIn and others.”

“It goes without saying that one of the largest media groups in Quebec had to position itself by embarking in what we believe is the future,” he added.

THE CLOUT OF CONTROVERSY The fact that Quebecor has launched its own internet radio/podcasting service is, in itself, not unique. After all, “most (continued on page 6)

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www.twitter.com/radioworld_news www.facebook.com/RadioWorldMagazine CONTENT Managing Director, Content Paul J. McLane, paul.mclane@futurenet.com Content Director Marguerite Clark, marguerite.clark@futurenet.com Senior Content Producer — Technology Brett Moss, brett.moss@futurenet.com Content Manager Emily Reigart, emily.reigart@futurenet.com Technical Advisers Thomas R. McGinley, Doug Irwin Technical Editor, RWEE W.C. “Cris” Alexander Contributors: Africa: Gregory Lagat, Lameck Masina, John Masuku; Asia: Md. Azizul Alam Al-Amin, Martyn Green, Frederick Noronha, Mark Timpany; Australia: James Cridland; Europe: Andy Bantock, Kevin Branigan, Giuseppe Camonita, Nuno de Sousa, Charles Flores, Blazo Guzina, Lawrie Hallett, Will Jackson, Hans K. Kristjansson, Drew Leifheit, Raúl Llarull, Urmas Loit, Marc Maes, Davide Moro, Emmanuelle Pautler, Panos Polyzoidis, Bernd Trutenau, Andreas Tzanakos, Thomas Völkner; Latin America: Jorge J. Basilago, Carlos Eduardo Behrensdorf, Juan G. Buenaventura; Eduardo Curuchet, Arturo Valentino; New Zealand: Nick Gerritsen; North America: John Bisset, James Careless, Scott Fybush, Randy J. Stine Production Managers Caroline Freeland, Nicole Schilling Managing Design Director Nicole Cobban Senior Design Director Karen Lee

European Radio Show Expands its Audience Will serve as center stage for new technologies, production, podcasts, music discovery and more

BY MARGUERITE CLARK PARIS — The 2019 edition of Salon de la Radio/

European Radio Show will take place at the Grande Halle de Villette in Paris, Jan. 24–26.

Organizers say they expect this year’s radio and digital audio show to attract more than 7,000 visitors, 25 percent of which are international. On tap for attendees will be a technical exhibition featuring some 130 exhibi-

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tors, displaying their products and services over a 3,920 square-meter show floor; 130 sessions and workshops, featuring speakers from France and abroad; and a host of special events and dedicated areas within the venue.

Making an entry into the 2019 edition is “Podcast & Co.,” an area dedicated to audio-on-demand for podcasts, mobile journalism (mojo) and mobile video. This space, explains organizers, will allow for interaction and discussion between podcast operators and showcase the latest solutions to ease the daily work of content editors.

Also new will be “The Sales House” for advertising industry specialists to demonstrate radio’s appeal, providing exclusive master classes that target buyers, agencies and advertisers.

NEW FEATURES In addition, a 250-square-meter “Muzicenter Discover” lounge — in partnership with Yacast and Société Ricard Live Music, with sound provided by Yamaha — will permit program directors to discover new artists, and then meet with the record labels in the nearby Muzicenter Meetup area.

Finally, “Rebounce Audio — Podcast & Radio Hackathon” will focus on innovative production and formats to attract different audiences. Accessible 24 hours a day for teams to work on prototypes and mockups, the space will let participants test and propose inventive content and review different listening technologies (Alexa Skills, podcasts, 3D sound) in view of developing original uses for these tools.

Philippe Chapot (right) is pictured with Nicolas Curien a member of France’s Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel.

“We’re launching several additional areas this year, and with good reason.

On one hand, there is the podcast, which is quite a talking point and is generating great interest among professionals and buyers or advertisers. Then there are the advertisers selling these new media tools: voice assistants, podcasts, and national DAB+, which has started to appear,” said Philippe Chapot, European Radio Show director.

He added, “With a unique showcase and meeting space for music industry professionals, our goal is to create the opportunity to bring new voices to the attention of radio stations. It is important for us to support diversity and encourage

The show strives to support diversity and encourage the discovery of new talent. the discovery of the latest talent. These changes are a way of expanding the professional audiences that form an integral part of the radio sector and have a rightful place at the radio and digital audio show.”

This year Spain and Portugal are the 2019 guests of honor and representatives from some 20 Iberian radio stations will be present and taking part in a Paris VIP Latino Tour, which will take them to various companies and emblematic places for radio around the city. They will also attend a special concert as part of the “Semain du Son” event, a European Radio Show partner.

The European Radio show, the venue for the official launch of Connectonair.com (a new multimedia content delivery platform that will broadcast this year’s show) will also host Paris Radio Night on Thursday, Jan. 24 at Cabaret Sauvage nightclub, as well as the Grand Prix Radio and Digital Awards and Young Talent in Radio Awards.

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MNM Inaugurates New Mobile Radio Studio Lightweight, portable set-up provides a direct link to the VRT master control room

BY MARC MAES BRUSSELS — With some 30 live onsite broadcasts per

year, VRT’s hit station MNM is an intensive user of the organization’s outside on-air infrastructure. So much so that the Belgian Dutch-language public broadcaster set up a new on-air mobile facility, specifically designed to fit MNM’s mobile needs.

“In the past, we used either studio gear that was either too heavy or with limited technical options,” said Hans Rits, head of Radio Realization for MNM. “The new outside radio configuration had to be compact, lightweight and able to be operated by one person. We carefully went over the technical aspects bearing in minds these parameters.”

Hans Rits, head of radio realization for MNM, demonstrates the single-display presenter position.

The “banana”-shaped presenter’s desk is an on-air studio that fits in two flightcases.

Photos: VRT

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Peter van de Veire presents his “Grote Peter van de Veire Ochtendshow” (“The Big Peter van de Veire Morning Show”) live from New York City during a special international remote broadcast on Oct. 25.

Systems integrator Amptec built and integrated the mobile on-air unit, as part of its framework contract with the public broadcaster. “The presenter’s desk is a clone of the ‘banana’-shaped design in MNM’s main studio,” said Jasper Willems, Amptec’s broadcast project engineer. “We made it fit into two flight cases and it looks like a real on-air studio.”

Whereas in the past, the presenter used four displays, the new layout has just one central display and a laptop for the presenter. Like in MNM’s main on-air studio, the mobile set is using a DHD MX series modular console with a XC2 core and Dalet Plus playout software.

“The DJ has the option to prepare his or her program on a laptop using Dalet via VRT’s dedicated VPN tunnel and export it into the system,” Rits said. “At present we use a local playout system, but we have plans to set up a remote playout engine in the future.” Two Shure Beta 87 microphones, Sennheiser HME headsets, a TC Electronic M 2000 effects processor and an Empirical Labs Distressor processor complete the configuration.

“As for the connectivity, we have replaced the VDSL lines from the past by a Peplink Pepwave MAX HD4

4G LTE routing system — it holds multiple SIM cards from different providers and automatically selects the best connection,” explained Rits. “Another novelty is that the mobile studio’s signal is routed via a Prodys Quantum codec and goes directly on air via the VRT’s radio master control room instead of through the main studio.”

The basic setup consists of four flightcases that can either be used in combination with the station’s radio trailer or as an individual on-air setup. A self-op presenter, engineer and a social media editor operate MNM’s mobile studio. “MNM is a 360-degree brand and in addition to our FM and DAB+ on-air signal, we want to fully integrate social media content in our programs,” Rits added.

Rino Ver Eecke, MNM station manager, underlined the importance of the station’s outside broadcasts.

“Connecting with the audience, meeting our listeners and making radio is key for us. The implementation of creative and innovative technology is one of our priorities,” he said.

“MNM is a hit radio station targeting 12 to 44-year-

MNM morning drive co-host Julie Van den Steen with presenter Peter van de Veire.

olds — listeners who are open to new technology. In addition to visual content, we are experimenting with an AETA ScoopFone 4G, allowing remote presentation from virtually any place worldwide, and LiveU, combining a backpack with SIM cards and a GoPro camera, transmitting live image streaming to our MNM smartphone app.”

The new mobile on-air unit was inaugurated in September to cover an MNM contest, where 10 MNM listeners won a five-day trip to New York for a special morning drive show broadcast aired from the “Big Apple.” On Oct 24–28, Peter van de Veire hosted his morning show from New York with the help of a “light” version of the MNM mobile studio, which served as a “remote-control” studio MNM’s on air facility in Brussels.

January 2019

◗NEWSWATCH

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Tieline’s Charlie Gawley, right, with the BWPSI Team

RADIODAYS EUROPE 2019 TO TAKE PLACE IN LAUSANNE Radiodays Europe 2019 will celebrate its 10th birthday in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 31–April 2.

Held at the SwissTech Convention Center STCC, located on the EPFL campus, the annual event will bring together some 1,600 attendees for two-and-a-half days of conferences and a technical exhibition.

As of press time confirmed speakers included Sibyle Veil, chief executive officer, Radio France; Noel Curran, director general, EBU, Switzerland; Brenda Salinas, Google, U.S.; Ben Chapman, head of digital for BBC Radio and Music, U.K.; Mustafa Isik, cofounder and CEO of media technology start-up Kerngedanke, Germany; and Thomas Kabke-Sommer, managing director, Crossplan Deutschland, Germany.

Running simultaneous to the conference sessions will be a technical exhibition featuring companies showcasing their products and services for the radio industry.

AUVITRAN NAMES DIGIGRAM AS ASIA APAC DISTRIBUTOR Digigram Asia Pte Ltd is now the exclusive authorized distributor for the APAC region of all AuviTran interface products, Under the agreement, which took effect Nov. 1, Digigram Asia Pte Ltd will distribute the entire AuviTran product portfolio, which includes the BOB range of breakout boxes, ToolBox range of modular interfaces and the AV-Wall range of wall-mounted Dante interfaces. Digigram will also provide professional services to AuviTran customers.

“Working with Digigram Asia was an obvious decision for us, not only because of the numerous synergies our companies share, but also to increase our proximity to customers in the region. It will allow us to have a single point of communication for the entire area and we will benefit from the long-term experience and network of the Digigram Asia team to increase our market shares in the region,” said Maud Ansade, head of international sales for AuviTran.

“Our common past of technological partnership combined with strong human connections, make this partnership a perfect fit to widen our APAC market activity, said Nancy Diaz Curiel, regional manager APAC for Digigram.

Maud Ansade, head of international sales for Auvitran (left), is pictured with Nancy Diaz Curiel, regional manager APAC for Digigram.

TIELINE PARTNERS WITH BROADCAST WORLD PHILIPPINES Tieline has named Broadcast World Philippines System Inc. as its latest distribution partner. Based in Makati City, BWPSI boasts more than 35 years of experience in offering representation and installation services to the country.

“Tieline is delighted to partner with a strong and proactive distributor that has delivered exceptional service in the Philippines broadcast market for many years,” said Charlie Gawley, VP Sales APAC/EMEA. “Desy and the team at BWPSI have wide-ranging experience of the local broadcast market and their customeroriented philosophy fits perfectly into Tieline’s expansion into Asia.”

BWPSI also represents broadcast manufacturers such as Wheatstone, ERI, Nautel, Orban, Ross Video and Sonifex.

“We at Broadcast World Philippines are delighted to be an official partner of Tieline and we look forward to many projects together delivering high-quality and reliable audio codecs to the broadcasters in the Philippines,” said Manuela Eudes B. Kelly, president and CEO at BWPSI.

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QUB (continued from page 1)

major media [outlets] have traditional radio stations, and open a digital version later,” said Gagné. In contrast, Quebecor “started directly with a digital platform.”

What does make QUB radio unique is the station’s programming strategy, which is to target mainstream Frenchlanguage listeners who love the brash, rude rants of Quebec talk radio hosts. By offering popular on-air talents such as Mario Dumont, Benoit Dutrizac, Richard Martineau and Sophie Durocher to QUB radio’s potential listeners, Quebecor is hoping to get them to tune in via computer and smartphone (including via Wi-Fi in the car); and to tune away from their regular AM/FM stations.

“Quebecor has put together a powerful stable of controversial talk radio hosts on a platform the CRTC [Canadian Radiotelevision and Telecommunications Commission] has no authority over,” said Steve Kowch, Canadian media consultant and president of kowchmedia in Toronto. “Some have been fired in the past for their opinions while others like popular politicians are making a return to radio via internet on QUB. On the web, there are few rules if any to get in the way of ‘free speech’ no matter how controversial, rude, politically incorrect and yes, even racist or hate speech their comments might be.” In response to this comment, Gagné replied “QUB radio does not tolerate racist and hate speech.”

The fact that QUB radio cannot be censored by the CRTC gives this channel an edge over its AM/FM competitors; especially in Quebec, where fans of French-language talk radio are no fonder of government regulation than American talk radio fans south of the CanadianU.S. border. By allowing its hosts to say what they want, QUB radio can harness a reputation for fearlessness; much like U.S. “shock jock” Howard Stern who was forced off Canadian radio stations by regulators years ago.

THE POWER OF PROMOTION Tapping into the French-speaking “Québécois” love of iconoclastic talk radio is a good way for Quebecor to make waves in the province’s radio market. But motivating them to tune in via the web and smartphones is something else — which is where Quebecor’s strong

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stable of TV stations, newspapers, and related websites come into the picture.

By promoting QUB radio relentlessly on the company’s established media platforms, Quebecor will have no problem making Québécois aware of this readily-available alternative to AM/FM radio.

existing print advertisers to buy spots on the new digital radio station,” he added.

“Quebecor has deep pockets and QUB will be a vanity project for owner/CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau; a former leader of Quebec’s separatist Parti Quebecois.”

Steve Kowch is president of kowchmedia.

“It is our business model to circulate content on our various platforms to give them as much visibility as possible,” said Gagné, “For the launch of QUB radio, we came out with a strong media and PR campaign, which gave us an incredible visibility. Besides, our radio hosts are well known, their tweets and Facebook publications brings a lot of traffic to QUB radio.”

“Quebecor has newspapers across Quebec that will promote QUB to build an audience,” agreed Kowch. “Quebecor owns the Journal de Montreal. It is a tabloid much like the Toronto Sun, New York Post and British tabloids which push the limit. The Journal de Montreal ranks number one because of its no holds barred journalism, controversial columnists and sports coverage.”

“Quebecor also has an impressive sales force that will be tapped to sell advertising on QUB and offer deals to

A VIABLE CHALLENGER IN QUEBEC RADIO? According to QUB radio’s JeanNicolas Gagné, his online station is a viable competitive alternative to Quebec’s AM/FM radio stations. “Ninety two percent of Quebec’s population has an internet connection at home.” he said. “So we are very confident that our model will be adopted by the masses. We also felt it was time for Quebecor to offer digital online radio because consumer habits clearly show us that consumers are ready for it.”

Toronto media consultant David Bray, president of Bray & Partners Communications, isn’t so sure. While terrestrial radio is somewhat outdated from a technological perspective, it remains extremely popular overall, consistently delivering in excess of a 92 percent reach rate,” said Bray. “The vast majority of radio tuning goes to terrestrial radio as opposed to online only.”

“I understand that Quebecor is launching their new service online due to a variety of regulatory concerns keeping them out of terrestrial radio: This certainly makes sense,” he added. “I have no doubt that their new online station will have some excellent content and will offer an exciting alternative to listeners. But keep in mind that listening on your phone, except where there is Wi-Fi, is not free.”

Steve Kowch doesn’t see the potential expense of listening to QUB radio on smartphones as a deal-breaker for listeners. But he does see risks associated with this project, which are similar to those faced by conventional radio broadcasters.

In particular, “QUB will live or die with its online product. Listeners, not regulators, will control its destiny,” he

Courtesy David Bray

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Courtesy Steve Kowch

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David Bray is president of Bray & Partners Communications.

said. Meanwhile, “Advertisers can be skittish and if potential clients complain too much, they might pull their spots on a particular show. But in French Quebec, there is a lot more tolerance by the audience for shock jocks than in English Canada.”

How much impact QUB radio will have on Quebec’s AM/FM radio market remains to be seen. Also unknown is how much time Quebecor will give QUB to become profitable through ad sales, before pulling the plug. (As a successful media company, Quebecor likely knows the financial risks it is running with QUB, down to the penny.)

What Gagné will say is that QUB radio has “reached more then 100,000 downloads of the QUB radio app in less then a month, which is huge for our market!” Time will tell if these downloads and online tuning will translate into enough listeners and ad sales to make QUB commercially viable over the long-term.

James Careless reports on the industry for Radio World from Ottawa, Ontario.

◗MARKETPLACE New Stereo Tool 9 Features: Thimeo Audio Technology says its Stereo Tool 9 features a new processing core for enhanced performance, especially at low latencies with a built-in microphone processor. According to Thimeo, the complete processing latency, including microphone processing, can be as low as 5.5 ms.

In addition, says the firm, the entire dynamics engine has been rewritten and improved; the AGC, Auto EQ and compressors have been redesigned to sound more natural and bigger than ever before. “They move fast when they have to, but standstill when they can, which gives a very non-fatiguing sound,” explains the company. “And the new bass clipper gives a richer and warmer bass.”

Thimeo adds that the built-in RDS encoder offers features that are typically only found in high-end standalone units, such as support for TMC (traffic information for navigation systems) and EON. Finally, Stereo Tool 9 has a built-in MicroMPX encoder, which encodes the full MPX signal, including pilot and RDS, at a bitrate of 320 kbps, which the company claims offers “perfect peak control and no MPEG-like artifacts, as well as automatic synchronization of multiple transmitters.”

Info: www.stereotool.com

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January 2019

Belgian French language radio stations hit the green DAB+ button on Nov. 15.

Pictured from left to right are Erwin Lapraille (Bel RTL & Radio Contact); Natacha Delvalée (Sud Radio); Jean-Paul Philippot (RTBF); Marc Vossen (Nostalgie & NRJ); Jean-Claude Marcourt (Media Minister Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles); Grégory Pirotte (Maximum); Philippe Deraymaeker (DH Radio); Michèle Lempereur (DH Radio); Grégory Finn (Fun Radio); Philippe Delusinne (RTL Belgium); and Maria Eva Jauregui (Antipode).

DAB+ Moves Forward in Belgium “DAB+ is a means to an end, allowing us to serve our audience with a broader musical choice,” says Medialaan

BY MARC MAES BRUSSELS — Belgium has seen a num-

ber of digital radio developments in recent weeks.

On Nov. 5, Flemish regulatory body for media, Vlaamse Regulator voor de Media, organized its annual DAB+ symposium.

During the event, which attracted some 120 attendees, a panel of specialists discussed the evolution of the digital radio standard and its status in broadcast and automotive sectors, as well as market penetration.

In his closing speech, Flemish Media Minister Sven Gatz announced that the switch date from FM to DAB+ would be determined when 50 percent of the audience is listening to digital radio.

“This includes DAB+, streaming and digital TV audio,” Gatz specified. “The government will then set a date for the definitive digital switchover for the national broadcasters.”

Nov. 12 saw the first “Week van de Digitale Radio” (“Digital Radio Week”) in Flanders. A joint initiative coordinated by Digital Radio Vlaanderen (Digital Radio Flanders), bringing together public broadcaster VRT, private radio

broadcasters Medialaan (Qmusic, Joe) as well as Mediahuis (Nostalgie, NRJ), network provider Norkring, the Flemish Government, DAB+ radio stations, manufacturers, retailers and the automotive sector.

“The campaign ran in collaboration with Flemish DAB+ stations [Family Radio, Roxx, Top Radio, VBRO, VBRO Evergreen and Radio Maria], and placed emphasis on DAB+,

On Nov. 15, the French-speaking south of Belgium, officially kicked off DAB+. audio quality and the number of radio stations,” said Daan De Scheemaeker of Digital Radio Vlaanderen.

DAB+ has grown organically in Flanders, with 25 stations now. Domi-

nique Lievijns, chief sales and marketing officer with network operator Norkring, announced that 12 more stations would be launched on national multiplex before next summer.

In addition, Digital Radio Vlaanderen also revealed the results of an audience (2,000 people aged 12+) survey, carried out by ratings agency Ipsos. Twenty one percent of the audience listens to digital radio in Flanders, of which a modest 3 percent via DAB+ (streaming: 12 percent, digital TV: 6 percent). Nationwide, some 540,000 DAB+ receivers were sold for domestic or automotive use.

“The Week van de Digitale Radio promoted DAB+ on a wide range of media, TV, print, focusing on the power

of radio — a medium celebrating its 100 years and looking ahead with DAB+,” explained An Caers, radio director at Medialaan.

“For us, DAB+, is a means to an end, allowing us to serve the audience with a broader musical choice, like with our recently launched Joe 70s and Joe 80s channels on DAB+.”

Meanwhile, in the French-speaking south of Belgium, Vice-President and Media Minister of the Walloon Government, Jean-Claude Marcourt invited both public and commercial radio stations to officially kick off DAB+ on Nov.15.

In Brussels and Wallonia, this launch of two DAB+ networks (four provincial multiplexes) for a nine-month trial period will bring DAB+ broadcasts to all of the RTBF’s radio channels, including seven channels for VivaCité in addition to commercial stations Antipode, Bel RTL, DH Radio, FUN Radio, Nostalgie, Maximum FM, Must FM, NRJ, Radio Contact and Sud Radio.

“After having tested a first series of transmitters, DAB+ coverage will rapidly expand in the months to come, with new radio stations becoming available next year,” said Nicolas Bresou, project manager DAB+ at maRadio.be, the platform for the public and private radio sector in Wallonia. “Contrary to Flanders, where Norkring manages DAB+ transmissions, RTBF puts in place the transmitter network here,” he said.

“The upgrade to digital radio is historical for us,” said Media Minister Marcourt. “In doing so we enter the top league of European nations in offering a free and high-quality service to the public. We have cleared financial resources for the transmission-infrastructure of public and private stations. In addition, a new budget will support independent stations in their mutation to DAB+.”

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Radio — Old Medium, New Approach Virtualization brings flexibility and agility to an old friend

◗COMMENTARY

BY BENJAMIN LARDINOIT

The author is co-founder of On-Hertz.

If you were at the annual IBC show in Amsterdam recently, you’d have heard the word “engagement” more than once. In a world in which consumers have almost unlimited choice about the content they consume, and where and when they consume it, how do you create loyalty? How do you make your content “sticky” so that those consumers keep coming back for more?

Offering tailored content for an audience is one way. Increasing interaction is another. Being relevant and topical is yet another. Creating a sense of community, of belonging, is a fourth.

In the face of these challenges, and in an environment where on-demand TV and social networks are well established, a new medium is arising. It’s one that’s more widely available than 4G. It excels at being “live” — but can also be on-demand. It works for every type of consumer. It enables those who use it to explore topics of interest in greater depth — or to discover new areas of interest. It connects people, engendering a sense of community, a sense of belonging — and it does that with no risk to anyone’s personal data.

It sounds like everything you could ever want, right? But you’ve already got it and as you’ve probably guessed it’s called radio. Radio has long played a central part in our lives — and it can continue to do so if it plays to its strengths of immediacy, of responsiveness, of relevance, of its ability to create conversation and to share opinions

and experiences. If it delivers on those, it can create a depth of engagement and loyalty that other media formats can only dream of.

MOBILITY To do so, though, mobility is key. Imagine, as a producer, being given the choice of covering a music festival from the studio — or from the event itself. It is, as they say, a no-brainer. Or it would be if logistics and cost didn’t get in the way. Setting up a radio studio in a muddy field, coordinating the logistics and resources necessary is arduous, challenging and costly.

Too often, those considerations deter radio broadcasters from “getting out there” and creating that sense of excitement, spontaneity, intimacy and, yes — fun — that is only possible On-Hertz founders Renaud Schoonbroodt (left) and from being on location, close to Benjamin Lardinoit the action.

Of course radio has covered music And here’s another thing. You’d like festivals for many years. Big events like to think that technology has made our that are worth spending time, money and lives simpler. In radio, however, it really effort on — and research proves that hasn’t. It’s allowed us to do more, but it they generate an audience response that hasn’t made broadcasting a radio show makes it wholly worthwhile. But what any easier. It’s as if the Apple revoluif it was possible to cover much smaller tion never happened – a revolution that events, and cover them more frequently meant that anyone could use, and get without the time, money and effort? value from, any device because it was Or what if you thought it might be so simple to master. fun to broadcast a show from a hot air Which is a shame because, at its balloon — in full sight of your audiheart, radio couldn’t be simpler. It’s peoence? Or from the top of a mountain? ple talking into microphones, playing Or at a local village fair? Or even from songs and interacting with each other. home? What if your imagination could It is, I believe, now time to bring radio run wild, unrestricted by considerations production workflows to the same level of logistics, upheaval and expense? we demand from all our other devices.

From where might you broadcast then?

Why? Simply, because in radio, as in all

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other forms of media, content is king — and every minute and cent we spend on something that isn’t content is time and money wasted. A radio presenter’s value doesn’t lie in his or her ability to watch dials, twiddle knobs, move faders. It lies in being able to deliver content in a way that’s entertaining and engaging.

SIMPLE Then, there’s the issue of getting the most value from scarce and valuable resources. You’ve set up that outside broadcast from that music festival – so is it the best possible idea to chain your technical team to the remote studio when their work is, to all intents and purposes, done? Of course it’s not.

All of the above is leading us to the concept of virtualized radio, which has at its heart the goals of simplifying workflows and reducing cost while at the same time enabling an unprecedented mobility that can allow radio to do what it has always done best — and must continue to do if it is to continue to thrive.

Unsurprisingly, the concept is capturing significant interest.

Where today, an outside broadcast means making a choice between undertaking a major logistical exercise on the one hand, or accepting a reduced level of functionality and capability on the other — virtualized radio means that you can, in effect, have it all: Minimal logistical effort with maximum quality of output.

But it’s because of its impact on the bottom line that virtualized radio is really getting attention — because it can increase revenues while decreasing cost. Taking the show on the road gets it closer to its listeners. It makes content more relevant to their interests.

Those two characteristics mean boosted audience reach and engagement and make the show much more attractive to advertisers.

In a virtualized radio world, broadcasters can produce shows more easily because less effort is required, thus more shows become a reality. The threshold that makes a show viable becomes significantly lower.

In addition, virtualized radio is inherently much less expensive to own and operate than today’s more cumbersome approach. That means more money to invest in content. Trucks don’t have to roll or crews deployed, not to mention reduced replacement and maintenance cost as well as no need for studio space.

It’s no surprise therefore that virtualized radio is something that many broadcasters are actively evaluating.

The new approach of virtualized radio offers vast potential to an old but reliable medium.

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January 2019

Who’s Got the Biggest, Meanest AM Flamethrower?

however, the power will be held at 50,000 watts as required by the Federal Radio Commission.

More broadcasters than you might realize are helping keep the ionosphere warm (and the power companies happy)

Actually, the Radio News article seemed to place more emphasis on the specially designed 200 kW tube engineered by Westinghouse to power the new transmitter:

The transmitter site of Argentina’s LR6 “superpower” operation. The station is also known as Radio Mitre.

The structures for both the transmitter and backup generator are prefab “containers.” The small yellow structure appears to be a guard shack.

One of the most important innovations is the new tube with a capacity of 200 kilowatts. This tube is not merely an enlarged edition of a smaller tube, but is thoroughly engineered as a tube of larger size and of a distinctly novel design.

This tube was known as the AW-220, and was not “vaporware,” as it remained in the tube industry’s registry for some time. It weighted in at 60 pounds, was 72-inches tall and had an eight-inch diameter. According to the article, two were used in the KDKA “big rig.”

Radio Mitre

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BY JAMES E. O’NEAL

I recently reported on a power upgrade at TWR’s Bonaire AM facility that brought that station close to the half-megawatt level (440 kW), allowing the station to make the claim that it is the most powerful medium-wave (MW) operation in the Western Hemisphere.

After the dust settled, I thought it might be interesting to poke around a bit in the data available to see if they have a close (or even not-so-close) contender for second place for this title.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND With only a few exceptions, U.S. stations have been capped at 50 kW since this power level was authorized by the Federal Radio Commission in the late 1920s. Powel Crosley Jr.’s WLW 500,000 kW 1930s “experimental” operation is one very well-known

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example, as it received a lot of publicity during the five years or so during it operated before being powered down. However, there was another much less well-known superpower operation during that period (it actually beat WLW to the punch by putting 400,000 Watts on the air about three years before Crosley was ready to belt out his hundreds of kilowatts).

I’m referring the Pittsburgh’s KDKA, which made the cover story of the April 1931 Radio News magazine.

The article itself was titled: “KDKA: Radio’s New 500 Horsepower Voice.”

(Why the writer took the “horsepower” approach to power isn’t really known. Perhaps 500 horses might seem slightly more impressive than 400 kilowatts. But if you do the math, one horsepower is equivalent to about 745 watts, so 500 hp would amount to some 373 kW instead of the 400 the article claimed.)

Also, it’s not clear why the station took on the construction of a 400 kW rig without some assurance they could operate at that level. Perhaps it was a “proof of concept” that turned out to be not that successful, or possibly the economic realities of the Great Depression killed the project before it got past the experimental stage.

Here’s an excerpt from that account:

The April 1931 issue of Radio News heralded the arrival of the first U.S. superpower broadcaster.

“KDKA Builds for Tomorrow” — Anticipating the continuing and increasing rapid growth of broadcast service, KDKA has recently built a new 400,000-watt transmitter at Saxonburg, Pa. The new station has been operating experimentally between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. For normal operations,

While WLW’s superpower operation turned out to be more of a reality than KDKA’s, a stroke of the pen in 1939 relegated the Mason, Ohio, big rig to collecting dust and taking up floor space.

THROWING BIG FLAMES IN THE 21ST CENTURY That was then. This is now. So who’s got the >50 kW action now (aside from TWR’s Bonaire facility)?

Surprisingly, there is one U.S. AM station that has the necessary paperwork and equipment to operate at 100 kW fulltime. However, it’s not listed in the FCC’s AM database. I’m referring to the VOA’s “Radio Martí” in Marathon, Fla. which operates on 1080 kHz. The VOA station (it sports no call sign) appears to be the only operation in its class in the U.S. and Canada, but it if you cross the border into Mexico, you’ll find “muchas estaciones de radio” that emit lots more than a puny 50,000 “vatios.”

BIG RIGS SOUTH OF THE BORDER Some of these stations are obviously the remnants of the deep-voiced 1930s “border blasters.” (I refer especially to the present-day station bearing a slight variation of the notorious Dr. Brinkley’s original Mexican call sign, XER, now XERF.) Just as established by Brinkley, XERF is still located right across the Rio Grande from Del Rio, Texas in Ciudad Acuña. According to the FCC’s database, it’s licensed to operate at 250,000 Watts. During the 1930s, Brinkley’s XER/XERA was described in radio publications at various times as operating at 75, 250, 300 and 500 kW.) (continued on page 14)

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FLAMETHROWER (continued from page 12)

There’s another Mexican border blaster with which this author is well acquainted.

This is XEG, operating on 1050 kHz and with a full-time power of 150 kW according to current FCC information. During the 1950s and ’60s when I was doing my growing up in southwest Arkansas, I suspect it may have operated with more power than this. I recall on many occasions as I tried to listen to the latest top 40 hits from New Orleans’ 1060 kHz WNOE (now WLNO) operating with a nighttime power of 5 kW, XEG’s powerful sidebands totally obliterating WNOE. Looking at other high powers in Mexico, the FCC shows another with parity to XERF’s 250 kW — Mexico City’s XEW operating on 900 kHz. SOME CONTRADICTORY INFORMATION Digging further into high-power stations south of the border, things get a bit interesting and potentially dicey. Before proceeding further, a description off my research is in order.

I first went to the FCC’s database and did a pull of AM stations, and then picked out the >50 kW stations from the thousands listed. This was a bit of a challenge as the database is not set up for this sort of data mining, so I could have missed a few. My second source of information was the 2018 edition of The World Radio TV Handbook or “WRTH,” again, a source not lending itself to quick searches of “ultra flamethrowers.” In comparing the data retrieved, I did spot variances (in several cases extreme) between the FCC and the WRTH. As an example, the WRTH shows XERF at 100 kW instead of the FCC’s 250 kW figure.

A possible explanation is that commission’s info is either out of date, or wattage numbers shown are for “licensed,” as opposed to “actual” power. Not having the resources to investigate each superpower one-by-one, I’m assuming it’s the latter, with the WRTH info being indicative of the real number of watts exiting the various transmitter output ports. However, if anyone has better information, please come forward, as the power levels for a couple of stations could dethrone Bonaire’s claim to highest power in this hemisphere. In the listings that follow, where there is a difference, I’m showing the FCC number followed by the WRTH figure in parenthesis.

This 1930s QSL card indicates that Dr. Brinkley’s XERA was equaling Cincinnati’s WLW in terms of RF output.

According to this 1940 QSL card, Mexico’s XEAW was bettering the most powerful U.S. stations on the air at that time by 50 kW.

Here’s a rundown of other Mexican superpowers located: XEROK - Ciudad Juárez – 800 kHz – 150 kW D/N (50 kW) XEWA - San Luis Potosi – 540 kHz – 150 kW D/N XEQ - Mexico City – 940 kHz – 150/50 kW (50 kW) XEX - Mexico City – 730 kHz – 100 kW D/N XEB - Mexico City – 1220 kHz – 100 kW D/N XETQ - Orizaba – 850 kHz – 100/50 kW (absent in WRTH) XEEP - Mexico City – 1060 kHz – 100/20 kW XETRA - Tijuana – 690 kHz – 77/50 kW (absent in WRTH;

likely now XEWW below) XEWW - Rosarito Beach – 690 kHz – 77/50 kW (78/50 kW) GOING BEYOND MEXICO Cuba has a number of AM “superstations,” at least on the FCC’s ledger. (Most, if not all, appear to have been created during the Cold War and were used for either propaganda purposes or possibly interfering with U.S. stations.)

Here’s the FCC’s Cuban list: CMBV - Wajay – 550 kHz – 500 kW CMCA - San Antonio de las Vegas – 590 kHz – 150 kW CMKA - San Germán – 600 kHz – 150 kW CMKB - Cacocum – 900 kHz – 200/50 kW CMBX - Wajay – 1010 kHz – 500 kW However, the WRTH doesn’t support any of this information, showing only three “superpowers”: CMBA - Chambas – 710 kHz – 200 kW CMBC - Chambas – 890 kHz – 200 kW CMBA - Martí – 1180 kHz – 200 kW

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(According to WRTH data, the CMBA call sign is duplicated numerous times.)

Venezuela lays claim to several superpowers. Here’s the rundown for that country:

Valentin Trainotti

January 2019

YVKE - Caracas – 550 kHz – 100 kW D/N (50 kW) YVLX - Villa de Cura – 570 kHz – 100/50 kW (100 kW D/N) YVLL - Caracas – 670 kHz – 100/50 kW (100 kW D/N) YVKY - Caracas – 710 kHz – 100/50 kW (50/20 kW) YVQE - Palomar – 720 kHz – 100 kW (absent in WRTH) YVKS - Caracas – 750 kHz – 100/50 kW (100 kW D/N) YVTB - Maracaibo – 800 kHz – 100/50 kW (absent in WRTH) YVKG - Caracas – 950 kHz – 100/50 kW (absent in WRTH) Chile also boasts a couple of big ones: CB-106 - Santiago – 1060 kHz – 100 kW CB-114 - Santiago – 1140 kHz – 100 kW Colombia is supposedly home to some superpowers, but the FCC and WRTH again are at odds: HJND - Bogotá – 570 kHz – 100 kW HJCR - Medellin – 590 kHz – 100/50 kW (50 kW) HJBU - Zambrano – 680 kHz – 100/50 kW (not in WRTH) HJCX - Cali – 700 kHz – 120/50 kW (30 kW) HJBW - Bucaramanga – 800 kHz – 100 kW (FCC records say 10 kW) HJCY - Bogotá – 810 kHz – 250 kW (60 kW) HJHN - Magangué – 960 kHz – 120/50 kW (10 kW) HJES - Cali – 980 kHz – 100 kW (FCC says 10 kW) HJDB - Medellín – 990 kHz – 150/50 kW (WTRH says 50 kW and gives call as HJCH) (continued on page 16)

A partial view of LS4’s 200 kW tuning system components in Argentina.

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FLAMETHROWER (continued from page 15)

Ecuador is a real “puzzler,” with the FCC showing nine >50 kW operations, but the WRTH showing no stations in that country with more than 50 kW and omits a couple of the FCC-listed stations altogether. For the record, here’s what the FCC shows: HCMJ1 - Quito – 610 kHz – 100/50 kW HCXY1 - Quito – 640 kHz – 100/50 kW HCJB1 - Quito – 690 kHz – 100/25 kW HCQR1 - Quito – 760 kHz – 100/25 kW HCPN1 - Quito – 1600 kHz – 100 kW HCLG2 - Guayaquil – 660 kHz – 100/10 kW HCRS2 - Guayaquil – 710 kHz – 100/50 kW HCDE2 - Guayaquil – 940 kHz – 100/50 kW HCAH2 - Guayaquil – 960 kHz – 100/50 kW Paraguay sports two stations in the greater-than-50 kW class: ZP-1 - Asunción – 920 kHz – 100 kW ZP-9 - Asunción – 970 kHz – 80 kW (FCC says only 5/1 kW) Argentina also makes the FCC’s list with at least two “biggies”: LRA7 - Córdoba – 750 kHz – 100 kW LRA1 - Buenos Aires – 870 kHz – 100 kW LS11 - Buenos Aires – 1270 kHz – 100 kW (WRTH only; not shown in FCC records)

Inside the transmitter building at Argentina’s 200 kW LS4 (“Radio Continental”) operation.

I was able to get some first-hand information about Argentina’s superstations from a friend living there, Valentin Trainotti. According to his information, there are more than a dozen >50 kW stations in that country, with five running at 200 kW: LR5 (910 kHz), LR6 (790 kHz), LRL202 (710 kHz), LS4 (590 kHz) and LV3 (700 kHz).

Even though the FCC database indicates five >50 kilowatters in Uruguay, the WRTH is again not in agreement: CX6 - Montevideo – 650 kHz – 200 kW (25 kW) CX12 - Montevideo – 770 kHz – 125 kW (100 kW) CX14 - Montevideo – 810 kHz – 100 kW (50/25 kW) CX16 - Montevideo – 850 kHz – 100 kW (50 kW) CX26 - Montevideo – 1050 kHz – 100 kW (50 kW) However, both of these information sources are disputed by my Uruguayan friend, Rafael Sotelo, who worked at the television facility owned by CX16. He says their big AM rig (at least between 1991 and 2010) was a 50 kW Continental. Also, he’s not aware of anyone running more than 50 kW in Uruguay today, concluding that “the business of the AM radio is not what it used to be.”

The island of Montserrat is another anomaly, with the FCC showing two very high-power operations (neither having a call sign): No call sign – 740 kHz – 300 kW No call sign – 930 kHz – 500 kW But the WRTH shows no AM broadcasting there.

There’s another anomaly with St. Kitts/Nevis. According to the FCC, there are two >50 kW ops there: No call sign - Conaree – 820 kHz – 100 kW No call sign - Conaree – 1260 kHz – 100/50 kW (The WRTH reports only a solitary AM — an 860 kHz station running 10 kW.) LOTS AND LOTS OF AM WATTS DOWN IN BRAZIL I’ve been saving Brazil for last for special reason. There’s an old song with the line “They’ve got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil.” And while that’s true, it seems

Brazil also rules the roost for kilowatts of AM radio. There are many, many medium wavers down there running at all sorts of power levels. These superpowers stand out from the crowd: ZYK-275 - P orto Alegre – 600 kHz – 100 kW (the WRTH gives the call as ZYK278) ZYK-276 - Porto Alegre – 720 KHz – 100 kW ZYI-770 - Recife – 720 kHz – 100 kW ZYA-446 - Salvador – 740 kHz – 100 kW ZYH-705 - B rasília – 800 kHz – 50 kW day/600 kW night (not a typo) (WRTH, however, says 10/1 kW) ZYJ-457 - Rio de Janeiro – 800 kHz – 100 kW ZYK-687 - São Paulo – 840 kHz – 100/50 kW ZYJ-459 - Rio de Janeiro – 860 kHz – 100 kW ZYL-275 - Belo Horizonte – 880 kHz – 100 kW ZYJ-453 - Rio de Janeiro – 940 kHz – 100 kW ZYH-707 - B rasília – 980 kHz – 50/600 kHz (not a typo either; but WRTH says 50/300 kW) ZYJ-460 - Rio de Janeiro – 990 kHz – 100/10 kW (WRTH call it ZYJ-461) ZYK-522 - São Paulo – 1000 kHz – 200 kW ZYJ-467 - Rio de Janeiro – 1030 kHz - 100/5 kW (FCC says it’s 50/5 kW) ZYK-537 - São Paulo – 1040 kHz – 200/100 kW ZYK-694 - São Paulo – 1100 kHz – 150 kW (WRTH says it’s 50/50 kW) ZYJ-461 - R io de Janeiro – 1130 kHz – 100/50 kW (WRTH gives the call as ZYJ-460) ZYJ-458 - Rio de Janeiro – 1220 kHz – 150 kW ZYK-688 - São Paulo – 1260 kHz – 100/50 kW (100/40 kW) ZYJ-455 - Rio de Janeiro – 1280 kHz – 100 kW ZYK-766 - São Paulo – 1370 kHz – 100/20 kW (not in FCC database) So, there you have it — a compilation of all (I hope) of the really heavy-hitter AM players in this hemisphere. And with the possible exception of Brazil’s ZYH-705 and ZYH-707 (I’m going to go with the World Radio TV Handbook’s version of the facts), it looks as if the new 440 kW voice of Bonaire (call sign PJB) is still king of the kilowatts on this side of the planet!

James O’Neal is a longtime contributor to Radio World and former technology editor of our sister publication TV Technology. In October, he will be elevated by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers to its membership grade of Fellow.

Comment on this or any story. Write to rwi@futurenet.com.

Valentin Trainotti

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BUYER’S GUIDE

Antennas, Power Protection & Transmission Support

RADIOWORLD

January 2019

WSCI Radiates Far and Wide With Dielectric DCR-M allowed for pattern customization, HD Radio and is ready for repack

◗USERREPORT

BY MICHAEL GILL Manager of Transmission Operations South Carolina Public Radio COLUMBIA, South C arolina — South Carolina Public Radio is a statewide NPR broadcaster with eight FM transmitters and live streams delivering news/ talk and news/music formats. In association with the state’s educational TV agency, South Carolina ETV, the organization covers the entire state (and parts of North Carolina and Georgia as well) terrestrially with local and national content.

SCETV is in the midst of a busy repack schedule for its 10 TV stations, many of which will receive new equipment. As our FM and TV stations are collocated at various tower sites, we have worked closely with our key transmission vendors — Dielectric for antenna systems, GatesAir for transmitters — to avoid disruption to our FM broadcasts.

We are also adding new FM systems where needed, and have taken care to plan new installations well in advance. This was the case with WSCI(FM), our 20 kW Charleston-based flagship station that recently installed a new Dielectric DCR-M 10-bay antenna. Since installing the antenna, we have also turned on HD1 and HD2 feeds supported through the same system — the first South Carolina Public Radio station to launch HD Radio channels.

The DCR-M replaced a Dielectric antenna installed in 1989 following the devastation of Hurricane Hugo. Having served us well for nearly 30 years, it was time to upgrade to a new system with HD signal quality. It made sense to make a change during the relatively quiet period before our actual repack installation work commenced.

There were also interference concerns due to an adjacent signal, which required some custom design attributes. Dielectric included a special “notch” in the antenna to prevent signal radiation into the adjacent signal’s area. The 10-bay design, in addition to providing the desired antenna gain we sought, also simplified position-

ing of the protective notch to eliminate southeast radiation.

WSCI’s coverage pattern is similar to (but not quite) an omnidirectional azimuth configuration, with some unique characteristics that affected antenna design. With a center of radiation at 1371 feet, the side-mounted antenna is a circularly polarized, center-fed antenna with flexible, custom design options. That flexibility proved critical to the antenna design based on the tower position and

coverage goals. Ultimately, the pattern is omnidirectional except for the southeastern quadrant of the region.

The station’s tower is located north of Charleston, and the antenna faces south toward the city. The area to the north is covered by sister station WHMC of Conway/Myrtle Beach. The goal was to reach the coastline without transmitting into the ocean, keeping our signal on land as much as possible. We also aimed to minimize shading issues based on the tower position.

OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE The installation was trouble-free, building and hanging the bays from the top down. A transition was added from the antenna to existing transmission line, with no modifications required to the line or filters. Inside the transmitter building, we replaced a motorized switch with a manual patch panel. This would simplify how we later modified transmission line and ran dummy loads for our HD Radio signals. The antenna itself was HD Radioready, with no design adjustments needed.

Following installation, Dielectric sent an engineer to sweep the antenna.

Antenna performance has been outstanding. Among other performance attributes, this confirmed the low VSWR rating we anticipated to minimize reflected power.

Coverage has overall been optimized; whereas our previous antenna delivered a solid 50-mile range measured near end of life, our new DCR-M has increased our range to 75 miles.

As we have come to expect with Dielectric, the engineering quality of the antenna is top shelf. There are no shortcuts, from the construction of the materials to the quality of manufacture.

It should be noted that the welds on the antenna and transmission like joints are absolutely beautiful. A radome was added to protect the antenna from birds

and weather-related deterioration, but remained light enough to keep our overall wind load acceptable.

Dielectric continues to be our exclusive antenna partner for TV and FM, due to the confidence we have in the performance and long-term return on investment of the antennas. At press time, we are beginning to take delivery of permanent and standby UHF and VHF repack antennas for our 10 TV stations, most of which will happen during Phase 5 of the 10-phase repack initiative.

Mark Jahnke, vice president of engineering and technology for SCETV, contributed to this article.

For information, contact Kim Savage at Dielectric in the United States at +1-207-655-8258 or visit www.dielectric.com.

January 2019

◗TECHUPDATES

BUYER’S GUIDE

Antennas, Power Protection & Transmission Support

AMPEGON ANNOUNCES NEW SHORTWAVE ANTENNA LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany — Ampegon has developed the CT 1/1/0.25 low-power antenna for use in shortwave broadcasting.

The new CT 1/1/0.25 offers a simplified yet optimized approach, says Ampegon. The low-power CT 1/1 antenna is fitted with Ampegon components and, according to the firm, offers a rugged design, optimized performance, availability of WARC frequency bands, omnidirectional radiation pattern, DRM compatibility, 50 ohm coaxial antenna input, static grounding and minimal maintenance.

The company explains that one of its goals was to be able to create a design able to provide a 50 ohm coaxial input at the base of the antenna, adding that a proprietary balancing loop is used to avoid the use of coils and capacitors and maintain maximum possible operational efficiency and range.

With the VSWR ≤ 1.5 in the operational frequency band (Z0 = 50 ohms) and a gain of 8 dBi, the system can handle wind speeds of 160 kph. In addition, the antenna system, with its folded dipole layout, needs no welding on-site and features fiberglass-reinforced guy ropes for minimum interference with antenna radiation.

For information, contact Ampegon in Germany at +49-621-63595-0 or visit www.ampegon.com.

KINTRONIC OFFERS FM DUMMY LOADS AND NEW MOTORIZED COAXIAL SWITCHES BRISTOL, Tennessee — Dummy loads are used to facilitate the off-air full power testing of an FM transmitter in the event that the main transmitter or auxiliary transmitter fails and needs to be taken off the air for repair, servicing and eventual restoration to on air status.

Kintronic Labs offers a line of convection/forced air-cooled FM dummy loads having an input impedance of 50 + j0 ohms in the DC-110 MHz band.

Available for indoor or outdoor use in weatherproof designs and rated for transmitter input powers of 5 kW; 7.5 kW; 10 kW; 25 kW; 50 kW or 75 kW. Each Kintronic dummy load can handle Peak Envelope Power (PEP) of up to twice the average power rating for FM + HD and HD Radio.

FM dummy loads for pulse applications require custom design involving peak voltage and current, and peak energy levels.

In addition to FM dummy loads Kintronic is also introducing a motorized coaxial switch designed for FM and TV applications. They can be used as double-pole/double-throw (DPDT) (i.e. main transmitter to antenna and aux transmitter to dummy load) or just as single-pole/double-throw (SPDT). Several switches can be interconnected to allow complex switching configurations.

FM input powers of 500 W; 2 kW; 5 kW; 10 kW; 40 kW or 85 kW. Switch over time is 3 seconds. The coaxial switches can be operated manually in case of power outage. Isolation between inputs is >60 dB. For information, contact Kintronic Labs in the United States at +1-423-878-3141 or visit www.kintronic.com.

radioworld.com | RADIOWORLD

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◗TECHUPDATE DB ELETTRONICA OFFERS RANGE OF FM ANTENNAS PADOVA, Italy — DB Elettronica Telecomunicazioni’s line of FM Antennas include dipoles, panels, yagi and logarithmic units for directional and omnidirectional patterns with vertical, horizontal or circular polarization.

The company provides complete antenna systems (power dividers, coupling cables, mounting brackets) and can design and calculate the coverage area of a system, using satellite mapbased software.

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January 2019

Antennas, Power Protection & Transmission Support

ALDENA EXPANDS HIGH-POWER ANTENNA RANGE MILAN — Aldena’s range of FM antennas now includes three specific solutions for high-power applications (up to 12 kW per each antenna).

The ACF218 is a broadband FM double-crossed aluminum dipole antenna featuring omnidirectional patterns with preferred direction. The ASE 01022x0 is a broadband FM dipole antenna in welded aluminum or stainless steel, also with omnidirectional patterns with preferred direction, while the ASR0318 is a broadband-FM three-element yagi.

As for the firm’s Band III DAB antennas, Aldena has added to its range of ADC wideband VHF Band III range with the new ADC0x04110. Particularly suited for DAB+ applications, the lightweight ADC omnidirectional series of antennas feature a gain of up to 6.5 dB and vertical polarization.

For information, contact Aldena Telecomunicazioni in Italy at +399039-0461 or visit www.aldena.it.

SINE CONTROL SURGE SUPPRESSOR SUITABLE FOR TRANSMITTER SITES

Specifically, the firm’s P1 vertical polarization dipole FM antenna series is composed of a balun feed vertical dipole and is made of stainless steel (PX1 models) or aluminum alloy (P1 models).

While the P1 antenna’s radiation pattern is omnidirectional, it is possible to stack antennas to obtain a customized patterns, increase gain and power capacity, according to user requirements. Custom patterns, electrical beam tilt and null fill designs are available upon request.

According to the company, the easy-to-install, broadband unit is suitable for single-channel or broadband operations with multichannel combiners. Furthermore, it says, the input connector and internal balun are protected against rain and icing by a special, sealed housing, while the entire antenna is grounded to protect against lightning strikes.

For information, contact DB Elettronica in Italy at +39-049-8700588 or visit www.dbbroadcast.com.

GVSeries 3.5 kW – 88 kW Digital/Analog FM

nautel.com/GV

Smaller Footprint

GV30

SEAL BEACH, California — Sine Control Technology Inc. is now shipping the new Series 5 PowerClamp power line surge suppressor.

The Series 5 PowerClamp is a new surge protective device (SPD, also called a TVSS) that the company says is ideal for use at transmitter sites that have moderate exposure to lightning.

According to the company the Series 5 will prevent short-term power line spikes and surges damaging the transmitter. The Series 5 SPD is rated at 80,000 surge-amps per phase, and will attenuate most spikes and surges to within about 10 volts of the normal sine wave peak voltage.

Solid-state transmitters that use switcher power supplies are highly vulnerable to damage caused by power line spikes. The Series 5 PowerClamp will protect the transmitter, improve its reliability, and the reduce maintenance costs by preventing power supply damage.

The Series 5 PowerClamp uses a hybrid of multiple technologies to achieve its exceptionally low clamping level. This low clamping level remains constant even after years of use and thousands of “hits.” The unit’s Sine Wave Tracking automatically compensates for gradual dips or rises in input voltage, so the clamping margin remains consistent at all times. All PowerClamp units are fused and require no maintenance.

The Series 5 SPD is installed in parallel with the power feed to the transmitter. This eliminates the need for loadmatching, and guarantees the transmitter will remain on the air even if an overload causes the SPD fuse to open.

Series 5 PowerClamp units are available for single-phase and three-phase WYE power at any voltage up to 480 volts.

For sites with high lightning exposure, Sine Control also offers the Series 8 and Series 10 SPD devices. All PowerClamp units include a five-year prorated warranty.

For information, contact Sine Control/Henry Engineering in the United States at +1-562-493-3589 or visit https://henryeng.com/powerclamp/.

ERI OFFERS LOW- AND MEDIUM-POWER AXIOM FM ANTENNAS CHANDLER, Indiana — ERI has expanded the Axiom product family with low- and medium-power broadband side-mounted models.

The LPA (see picture) and MPA Series Axiom master FM antennas are rated for a combined input power of 25 kW (15 kW for four-bay configuration) and 39 kW (25 kW for four-bay configuration) respectively.

These side-mounted FM antenna configurations based on ERI’s proprietary and field proven Rototiller FM antenna element. ERI offers 4-, 8-, 12- and 16-bay versions of the LPA and MPA Series Axiom master FM antennas. These Axiom models provide high input power handling capability and can provide service as main or auxiliary multistation FM antenna for systems that are limited to a bandwidth requirement of up to 18 MHz of the FM band (88 MHz to 108 MHz), according to the company.

The antenna can be designed with a single RF input or can be configured with two separate inputs, one feeding the upper half of the array and the other feeding the lower half of the array to provide higher power handling capability and emergency operating modes. FM channel combining systems are also available from ERI. For information contact ERI in the United States at +1-812-925-6000 or visit www.eriinc.com.

January 2019

radioworld.com | RADIOWORLD

◗NEWSWATCH SUE GILKS JOINS COMREX AS DIRECTOR FOR ASIAPACIFIC REGION Comrex has announced the appointment of Sue Gilks as the company’s director, Asia-Pacific.

In her new role, Comrex says Gilks will work with distributors in the region to support existing Comrex customers and further develop the markets.

Gilks has held a number of key industry positions over the last 30 years. These include serving as a senior manager for firms such as DTC (formerly Cobham Security and Surveillance division), Tandberg TV (formerly NDS and now known as MediaKind, formerly Ericsson Media Solutions), Motorola and Sony.

Comrex adds that Gilks has “successfully positioned a number of the companies as the market leader in Asia-Pacific using her in depth expertise and extensive knowledge of partners and end users.”

She will attend BES Expo on Jan. 17–19, representing Comrex with Technomedia Solutions in Stall 60.

PODCAST DAY 2019 REGISTRATION OPEN Registration is now open for the Radiodays Europe Podcast Day 2019.

The third annual event takes place King’s Place in central London on June 13.

Bringing together speakers from around the globe, the one-day conference will cover topics includ-

ing content, podcast monetization, creating a new podcasts and future forecasts.

This is the first time the event will be held in London (the previous two editions took place in Copenhagen), and according to organizers, the English capital is an important center for the podcast market, offering a mature scene with independent podcasters and traditional broadcasters producing innovative work.

To register, go to https://tinyurl. com/podcastday2019.

eBooks: Tools for Strategic Technology Decision-Making

DRM ENTERPRISE AWARD OPEN FOR ENTRIES FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA The Digital Radio Mondiale consortium is now accepting entries from Southeast Asia for the DRM Enterprise Award 2018.

To qualify for the honor two credible endorsers, willing to attest to the nominee’s outstanding work in promoting or implementing DRM technology, can nominate an individual or organization.

An independent board of specialists, comprising organizations from the region as well as DRM representatives will then select the winner, who will receive a cash prize.

Previous victors include the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp.; Dr. Roelf Petersen on behalf of Radio Pulpit and Broadcom International; Thembeka Khaka of Thembeka Khaka and Associates; and Johannes von Weyssenhoff.

To submit an entry, contact projectoffice@drm.org.

Radio World’s growing library of eBooks can assist you in maximizing your investment in an array of platforms and tools: licensed transmission, online streaming, mobile apps, multicasting, translators, podcasts, RDS, metadata and much more. The eBooks are a huge hit with readers. They help engineers, GMs, operations managers and other top radio executives — radio’s new breed of digital, cross-platform decision-makers — understand this new world and thrive in it.

Visit radioworld.com/ebooks

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RADIOWORLD |

@radioworld_news

RadioWorldMagazine

January 2019

◗MARKETPLACE ScreenBuilder Upgrade: Wheatstone says that virtualizing resources instead of limiting them to fixed hardware makes sense for a whole host of station duties. But what if radio stations could develop their own unique virtual studio that could not only take into account all types of user interfaces, but also, for example, be able to assign the correct bus by scanning the channels on a console for a certain codec?

Wheatstone’s ScreenBuilder 2.0 is a virtual development platform that includes scripting tools and GUI for developing virtual news editing desks, producer workstations, control panels and other virtual interfaces and workflows for the WheatNetIP networked studio. ScreenBuilder was introduced in 2014, but new from Wheatstone is a major software release for the virtual development platform that includes, among other features, new scripting for capturing RSS news, sports and weather feeds.

ScreenBuilder’s development toolset includes

faders, buttons, timers and other widgets that can be assigned scripting values for triggering events or for monitoring and controlling elements in the network. These can tie into LIOs anywhere in the network for controlling devices and their settings, and salvos can be created based on the status of tallies or a cross point connection, for example.

ScreenBuilder scripting ranges from basic commands for adjusting levels and turning on or off mics, to more complex routines such as determining the source connected to a fader and then displaying the name of that source on the screen.

As a virtual development platform unique to WheatNet-IP audio network, ScreenBuilder uses WheatNet-IP elements, routing and intelligence to automate workflows and to create windows into any function along the network for any number of purposes, from transmitter control to signal monitoring.

Info: www.wheatstone.com

BROADCAST EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE

RADIOWORLD

January 2019

Rebuilt Power Tubes 1/2 the cost of New! ol spañ E a l ab Se H

ECONCO

Se H abla Espa ñol

Tel: 800-532-6626 Web: www.econco.com Intl +1-530-662-7553 Fax: +1-530-666-7760 ADVERTISER INDEX

ADVERTISING CONTACTS EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: RAFFAELLA CALABRESE +39-320-891-1938 Fax: +39-02-700-436-999 raffaella.calabrese@futurenet.com

This listing is provided for the convenience of our readers.

Radio World assumes no liability for inaccuracy.

page

advertiser

website/url

9

Axia - The Telos Alliance

www.axiaaudio.com

17

Comrex Corporation

www.comrex.com

5

DAC System

www.dacsystem.ch

19

Deva Broadcast Ltd

www.devabroadcast.com

1

Elenos, S.R.L.

www.elenos.com

23

Inovonics Broadcast

www.inovonicsbroadcast.com

15

Kintronic Labs Inc.

www.kintronic.com

6, 12, 20

Nautel

www.nautel.com

14 NeoGroupe www.neogroupe.com NORTH AMERICA: CARMEL KING +1-703-852-4602 Fax: +1-703-852-4583 carmel.king@futurenet.com

SEND MATERIALS TO: NICOLE SCHILLING nicole.schilling@futurenet.com

PETE SEMBLER +1-212-378-0400 x324 Fax: +1-650-238-0263 peter.sembler@futurenet.com VYTAS URBONAS +1-212-378-0400 x533 Fax: +1-630-786-3385 vytas.urbonas@futurenet.com

24 Orban

www.orban.com

1

Screen Future Srl

www.screen.it

7

Tieline Technology

www.tieline.com

2, 11, 13

Wheatstone

www.wheatstone.com

9000