Welcome to the June 18th, 2025 issue of Radio World
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Technology
EAS in software
Most of the industry supports the idea, with a notable exception.
SDRplay thinks big Its networked receiver can be installed anywhere to listen everywhere.
Unbalance can be good
Most U.S. FM stations can now deploy asymmetric HD Radio operation after filing a simple form.
Your letters
We heard from you about EEO, AM resiliency and how to keep the human touch in engineering.
Managing Director, Content & Editor in Chief Paul J. McLane, paul.mclane@futurenet.com, 845-414-6105
Assistant Editor & SmartBrief Editor Elle Kehres, elle.kehres@futurenet.com
Content Producer Nick Langan, nicholas.langan@futurenet.com
Technical Advisors W.C. “Cris” Alexander, Thomas R. McGinley, Doug Irwin
Contributors: David Bialik, John Bisset, Edwin Bukont, James Careless, Ken Deutsch, Mark Durenberger, Charles Fitch, Donna Halper, Alan Jurison, Paul Kaminski, John Kean, Larry Langford, Mark Lapidus, Michael LeClair, Frank McCoy, Jim Peck, Mark Persons, Stephen M. Poole, James O’Neal, T. Carter Ross, John Schneider, Gregg Skall, Dan Slentz, Dennis Sloatman, Randy Stine, Tom Vernon, Jennifer Waits, Steve Walker, Chris Wygal
Production Manager Nicole Schilling
Senior Design Director Lisa McIntosh
Senior Art Editor Will Shum
ADVERTISING SALES
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Nick’s Signal Spot
Check out his latest column on the RW website
Paul McLane Editor in Chief
Did you know that 5,945 FM stations in the United States use directional antennas?
You know it if you’ve been reading “Nick’s Signal Spot,” a new feature by Radio World’s Nick Langan. It appears frequently in our daily Radio World SmartBrief newsletter, which you can receive free to your email box.
Nick explores various fun topics including RF signals, propagation, new equipment and related endeavors. His columns reflect his passion for all things radio as well as his sense of wry humor.
In a story headlined “The U.S. FM Landscape by the Numbers,” Nick used the RadioLand app (which he developed) to extract 21 interesting data points about FM radio from the FCC’s LMS database, the WTFDA North American FM station database and the HD Radio Directory. Among the numbers he dug up:
13,159
The approximate height above mean sea level, in feet, of 93.5 K228AG(FM) Leadville, Colo., the highest AMSL of any U.S. station or translator.
3,124
4,558
The number of active Class A FM stations, the most common, non-translator class.
1,496
The number of FM stations in California, the most of any state. FM
The number of FMs in the U.S. that run Religious Teaching programming, the most of any format. Country is second, with 2,521 stations, while Contemporary Christian is third.
The number of FM stations licensed to Educational Media Foundation, the most common U.S. operator.
The latitude of 99.7 KAAC(FM) in Utqiavik, Alaska, the nation’s farthest north FM station.
The number of U.S. stations on 88.1, the most of any FM frequency.
The number of FM stations in Delaware, fewest of any state.
The number of FM stations in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) where their transmitter ERP is greater than 100,000 watts; Nick provided a list of them.
In other recent posts, Nick reviewed the latest edition of the “World Radio TV Handbook,” he dug into the fascinating topic of tunnel radio, and he provided a unique visual look at MLB radio affiliates across the country.
You can find his past columns at www.radioworld.com/tag/nicks-signalspot. You’ll receive them automatically if you’re a subscriber to our free daily SmartBrief. Sign up at radioworld.com by clicking the Subscribe tab.
Writer
Randy J. Stine
The author profiled Common Frequency in the May 7 issue.
EAS in software — a better way forward?
For NAB the question is urgent, but one manufacturer says the FCC shouldn’t rush
The National Association of Broadcasters believes the FCC should allow softwarebased EAS and do it quickly. This spring the commission took comments from broadcasters and other alerting stakeholders.
The voluntary use of software alternatives would enhance EAS security and robustness, NAB believes. Encoding and decoding currently must be done by physical devices, based on rules written in 1995; NAB wants to see EAS “freed from this physical requirement and can instead, at a broadcaster’s discretion, reside elsewhere within a broadcaster’s plant, running on trusted and certified hardware platforms.”
NAB says the approach contemplates autonomous EAS functions at the edge of a broadcaster’s operation, as in other resilient and secure software systems in modern broadcast frameworks. A virtual implementation would be backwards-compatible to operation of EAS, and products brought to market would interoperate with legacy
equipment.
Broadcasters would not be required to transition; if they would like to continue using the legacy approach, they could do so.
Supporters cite the industry’s experience with software that encodes for Nielsen’s PPM rating watermarking system, which now can be built into other products rather than requiring its own dedicated box.
A dissenting voice has been Digital Alert Systems, the sole active manufacturer of EAS encoder/decoder hardware. It advocates a hybrid virtual system that would require a device but bring the emergency alert process into the interconnected AoIP ecosystem. DAS urged the FCC not to rush its decision. It also says that modern EAS devices are technically superior to proposed software substitutes.
Both plans are “high-level architecture initiatives” that would have a major impact on broadcasters and how they fulfill their EAS obligations, one observer said.
Baseline functionality
Under NAB’s plan, broadcasters could choose to use discrete hardware, multi-purpose hardware or EAS as a software module, most likely running in another device or process critical to a radio, television or cable system’s transmissions. NAB has stressed that software-based products would have to function seamlessly within the EAS system and that baseline functionality must not be affected.
“This infrastructure has proven to deliver much-improved operational readiness, flexibility and security to our broadcast elements, and it is clearly time to move EAS into this environment. ”
“In its simplest form this would be software running, perhaps in a virtual environment, on an appropriately provisioned and configured PC,” said Kelly Williams, VP of engineering and technical policy for NAB.
“As such, this software-implemented EAS functionality would likely reside in the same place in a station’s air chain as it does now. That, of course, will vary based on how each station is designed.”
He said NAB has identified security, reliability and certification as important issues. It believes that softwarebased EAS is as secure — if not more secure — than a hardware-based EAS implementation. Stations will need to use the same level of enterprise-based cybersecurity as they do now, for example firewalls, passwords and access control, to protect their EAS apparatus.
“Further we believe that software-based EAS can be inherently more reliable because, currently if an EAS device fails typically it needs to be shipped back to the manufacturer for repair, potentially leaving a station without an EAS device for some period of time,” he told Radio World.
“With software, if there is a failure it can typically be fixed remotely, or if there is a hardware failure, another instance of the EAS software could be spun up on another PC.”
Certification would likely work much as it does now. “The software provider will self-certify that the application meets Part 11 and other applicable parts of the FCC rules,” he said.
One area of focus will be conformance with the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. When IPAWS launched, FEMA created a process to test EAS equipment for connection to the system. According to Williams that process no longer exists.
“If FEMA wants to ensure that new EAS products meet those requirements, they will have to stand up a new conformance process.”
Virtualizing EAS may also put pressure on broadcast engineers to expand their IT and networking skills even further.
“But from an EAS operations perspective, nothing would functionally change,” Williams said. “The physical EAS box would simply be replaced by a PC running EAS software, so from the outside looking in, operationally, things would remain the same.”
Supporters also say that if EAS software is integrated into other existing vendor products, the burden of the architecture shifts to R&D experts rather than broadcast engineers in the field.
Numerous benefits
Other voices in the engineering community have been supportive of the proposal.
Steve Shultis, chief technology officer of New York Public Radio, has led EAS virtualization efforts in the NAB Radio Technology Committee (NABRTC). Its focus has been on benefits to public safety, though he says maintaining a homogenous, IP-based audio routing and control technical plant also would benefit broadcasters.
Software-based EAS, he said, would mean shorter recovery time in case of a failure thanks to automated, instantaneous fail-over of multiple instances of software configured for high availability and alerting staff.
The change also would allow “quicker system upgrades, modifications and updates through software rather than shipping hardware to the manufacturer for firmware/ hardware changes or electromechanical repairs.”
He said the mean time between security patches would be reduced, as would the time needed to respond to vulnerabilities and exposures. Broadcasters also would have more flexibility to adjust their systems to keep pace with business or programming modernization initiatives.
Shultis credits the contributions of the NABRTC Next-Generation Architecture Working Group for its efforts on this topic. He said that broadcasters, using “tried-and-true technology and standards from the IT industry,” have created a broadcast plant and associated platforms running on resilient audio-over-IP infrastructure utilizing virtualized elements of the air chain — “all with interoperability between software systems: from playout system, router, mixing and intercom platforms, to
metadata services and audio processing,” he said.
“This infrastructure has proven to deliver much-improved operational readiness, flexibility and security to our broadcast elements, and it is clearly time to move EAS into this environment.”
Reduce complexities
Moving to software-based EAS would not change the EAS daisy chain; stations would still monitor local broadcast sources. No computing decisions would be made in the cloud.
Engineering consultant Alan Jurison, active in the NAB Radio Technology Committee and closely involved with software-based EAS discussions, says broadcasters hope to work with existing alerting vendors for “trusted solutions” to improve EAS.
“The industry is not asking for a free shareware version of EAS. We are not asking to go to a website for a free 30-day download for an evaluation — I think some are worried about that. No one in the process is looking to undermine EAS. Priority number one is security, and then maintaining what we have, or hopefully improving EAS in this country,” he said.
Jurison believes that EAS software, if approved by the FCC, would likely be built into the radio broadcast ecosystem in audio processors, transmitters and the AoIP infrastructure of studios. Similar parallels are contemplated for television and cable ecosystems.
Jurison believes that in “short order, software EAS will leapfrog the current hardware in place and allow it to move forward with other improvements.”
For instance, “No one has anything against multilingual messaging for EAS, but there is just no way to do it with 1995 technology. If EAS were software-based, you could easily put it just ahead of the audio or video encoding process, whether it is a legacy broadcast chain or something more modern, like ATSC 3.0 or even an internet stream,” he said.
“It would be super easy to configure one of the 13 languages on a program stream if you had a software model.”
Jurison says software-defined EAS has existed for years, as in a CAP-compliant software product from DAS that runs on Linux.
Supporters of the proposal say this approach has proven to be reliable but that the broadcast industry is now asking the commission to approve running the EAS software/ process on more hardened, robust and redundant systems that exist in modern radio, television and cable ecosystems.
Sage Alerting last year stopped building new EAS hardware for broadcasters, citing supply chain constraints and legacy component obsolescence; it continues to provide support for devices in the field. Sage favors NAB’s petition and says if the FCC adopts the change, it would bring software-based EAS products to market.
“The reality is that the broadcast industry will continue to require its technical staff to accomplish more with fewer
resources,” Sage President Harold Price told Radio World.
“This trend is driving a need to reduce integration complexities, including wiring, the overall number of hardware boxes, analog/digital format conversions and protocol compatibility.”
Urging caution
However, Digital Alert Systems has raised concerns about the NAB proposal, and it asked the FCC to take a cautious and deliberative approach.
In filed comments, DAS wrote: “While the goal of modernizing alerting infrastructure is a valid and worthwhile objective, we are concerned that this petition fails to take into account a substantial array of unresolved regulatory, procedural, cybersecurity, operational and intellectual property questions.” It said its concerns are foundational, not just about implementation details.
“The separate physical EAS box would simply be replaced by EAS software running in another existing appliance or process, so from the outside looking in, operationally, things remain the same.
It would be “irresponsible to rush into a regulatory environment that lacks clear rules, exposes EAS participants to increased cyber risk and fails to address the operational burden on EAS participants.”
Chief among its concerns is cybersecurity. “There is currently no robust EAS cybersecurity standard tailored to EAS software platforms,” DAS wrote. It worries about denial-of-service attacks, spoofing and disinformation; it believes the FCC would need to partner with cybersecurity agencies to develop new compliance regimes involving encryption, authentication and incident reporting.
It also believes a software approach brings higher longterm costs for IT support, compliance and maintenance. Contrary to the arguments of supporters, DAS believes broadcasters would have to assume many EAS responsibilities now handled by hardware vendors.
It also raised concerns about “compromising the uniformity of EAS solution behavior,” of “creating
asymmetrical certification and oversight regimes for EAS solutions,” and of complicating the FCC’s ability to conduct site visits or hardware-based testing.
DAS said the NAB petition does not adequately propose an alternative certification regime or consider the ramifications of having separate regimes for hardware- and software-based systems.
And it acknowledged that the proposal stands to be harmful to its business.
“Vendors of physical EAS devices — who have invested heavily in testing, FCC certification, cybersecurity, hardware validation and ongoing compliance updates — would find themselves disadvantaged relative to software developers who could bypass these obligations entirely,” it wrote.
DAS said it wants to collaborate with NAB and other stakeholders to modernize the EAS framework thoughtfully.
“We believe that modern EAS devices are not only technically superior to proposed software substitutes, but also cost-effective, widely available and supported by decades of commission oversight.”
Emotional debate
In subsequent reply comments to the FCC, the discussion grew more strident and emotional. The NAB criticized DAS as the lone naysayer and dissenting voice in its petition.
DAS dismissed NAB’s comments in its reply and said
More Opinions
Read more comments and coverage about this issue at www. radioworld. com/tag/ emergencyalert-system
that NAB’s characterization of DAS as being the “lone, selfinterested objector was unfortunate.” The company said this distracts from legitimate technical and operational concerns.
“Rather than engaging with the specifics of Digital Alert Systems’ questions, it was disappointing to see ad hominem insinuations about market motivation and attempts to dismiss critical input as obstructionist. This approach undermines a productive, and evidence-based policy,” DAS told the FCC.
The Broadcast Warning Working Group (BWWG) sided with DAS and voiced concern in its comments about the risks of moving too quickly from the current EAS certification model without a replacement framework strategy that is well thought out and tested, based on a comprehensive software product certification process.
BWWG members Richard Rudman and Barry Mishkind said they support innovation and agree with NAB and SBE that EAS must evolve, but they said this is not the time for a “Ready-Aim-Fire” approach.
“We urge the commission to reject the NAB petition in its current form and to initiate a broader, more deliberate proceeding — one that includes input from state EAS committees, broadcasters of all sizes, cybersecurity experts and manufacturers — before considering changes to Part 11.”
Read more comments and coverage about this issue at www.radioworld.com/tag/emergency-alert-system
John Bisset
CPBE
The author is in his 34th year of writing Workbench. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award.
Send your tips Workbench submissions are encouraged and qualify for SBE recertification credit. Email johnpbisset@ gmail.com.
Here’s a handy power supply retrofit
A useful tip to replace a small modular power supply
Above Fig 1: This project begins with the purchase of two power supply bricks. The necessary interconnect wiring and connectors are also pictured.
Right
Fig 2: The interconnecting cable from the old power supply to the mother board must be lengthened.
The power supply is often the first component to fail in broadcast equipment, whether due to line surges, overheating or component aging.
A client of Frank Hertel had a console with an internal switch mode power supply that provides +15 and –15 VDC. The supply needed to be replaced but Frank wanted to minimize the downtime and sought a workaround.
This is a simple way to retrofit the internal supply. Fig. 1 shows the parts you’ll need. In this case the console was a DMX Mix, but this suggestion may help with any similar supply in consoles and indeed any equipment that needs a small modular power supply.
Laying power bricks on top of the chassis may not be the most elegant, but Frank’s retrofit would let you cope with
any future failures in a matter of minutes without the need to remove the chassis from the rack. Because the retrofit supplies sit on top of the chassis, they can be replaced easily.
Frank chose two separate, off-the-shelf 15 VDC power brick supplies. These are inexpensive and connect quickly to the original internal power supply cable, which you can adapt for this project. One power brick will supply +15 VDC, the second supplies –15 VDC.
The first step is to remove the original internal power supply, along with the supply jumper cable that connects to the motherboard pictured in Fig. 2; you can see how it connects from the power supply to the mother board. Make note of the polarities, colors and connections before removing.
Once the project is completed, the retrofit power supply cable will exit via the chassis cutout (where the original AC power cord connector of the original supply was located). Adding a rubber grommet prevents the edge of the chassis from abrading these wires.
The second step involves cutting the original power supply jumper cable in half, then extending each of the two halves of the colored wires to a length of 18 inches. This will give you enough cable to extend the cabling outside the chassis, for connection to the power supply bricks; see Fig. 3. Use the same color wires when you extend the wires, so there’s no confusion.
Top left Fig 3: The extended interconnecting cable assembly.
Top right Fig 4: Wiring up the 3.5 mm female power supply jacks that connect to each brick.
Right Fig 5: To power the bricks from a single AC cord, Frank fashioned this junction box.
Pay close attention to the wiring of the 3.5 mm female connectors (Fig. 4) as they will route the appropriate DC voltage to the mother board, when plugged into the AC bricks.
“This tip may help with any equipment that needs a small modular power supply.
The third step is optional. Frank could have plugged both supplies into individual AC outlets; instead he fashioned a junction box that ties the two supplies together. Construction of the junction box is straightforward, as pictured in Fig. 5; now only one AC power cable is needed. Upon completion, both power bricks and the AC splitter can be set upon the top of the chassis.
Have you replaced OEM supplies this way? Tell readers about your experience. Email your suggestion to me at johnpbisset@gmail.com
Summer of Products
Summer of WheatNet IP Gets Linux Audio Driver
Products
AAT Debuts End-to-End Service Plan
American Amplifier Technologies launched a new broadcast transmission service plan. The RF manufacturer said this is a program managed by AAT that is designed to eliminate downtime and reduce costs for radio stations.
Through a single service agreement, AAT will take end-toend responsibility for transmission system performance.
Matt Rigdon, AAT’s chief technology officer, said the plan represents a “smarter, more strategic approach” to managing transmission systems. He said it is backed by AAT and its affiliates Shively Labs and SWE Services.
Covered components in the agreement include antennas, coaxial lines, filters and combiners. AAT’s EmPower mobile app enables monitoring with real-time data analysis and alerts through push notifications.
AAT said it can dispatch SWE Services technicians for on-site repairs. Parts and temporary systems are also included in the agreement.
The plan is based on flat-rate monthly pricing. Factors such as antenna make and model, whether filters or combiners are involved and any additional monitored equipment all contribute to the cost of the service agreement, Rigdon said. The equipment itself remains the property of the customer.
Rigdon encourages interested broadcasters to contact AAT to discuss parameters of the transmission plan. Info: www.americanamptech.com
Wheatstone showed a new Linux audio driver for the WheatNet IP network at the NAB Show.
“The audio driver enables bidirectional audio streaming over the WheatNet IP network and is the latest addition based on Linux OS by Wheatstone,” the company stated.
“Linux is known for its stability as an open-source operating system without the hidden vulnerabilities often associated with Windows OS.” Wheatstone will continue to offer its Windows audio driver.
The company noted that its programmable LXE console and streaming appliances are also based on Linux OS. It quoted Director of Product Development Kelly Parker saying that a Linux driver provides another option for adding greater security and stability across a network.
The WheatNet IP Linux Audio Driver can be loaded onto any Linux or Windows device. “It eliminates the need for soundcards by emulating the soundcard through a standard network card.”
The driver supports up to 24 simultaneous audio streams in and out, depending on host capabilities, and 128 SLIO ports for network-based logic control functions without physical cabling.
The ALP280e and ALP280e-MIC are French manufacturer Digigram’s latest additions to a sound card line that launched in 2022.
The company said the cards are suited to complex audio capture workflows, offering routing and mixing of 16 inputs to 10 outputs when used with an FPGA-based zero-latency mixer.
They are low-profile PCIe sound cards capable of recording eight analog line-level or mic-level inputs, with onboard mixing and monitoring functionality. Each card includes two balanced outputs and eight GPIs and GPOs, and supports a maximum analog level of +24 dBu. For mic inputs, the analog gain is adjustable up to +56 dB.
The cards have an equivalent input noise of –124 dB and a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 115 dBA on inputs. They support sampling rates from 8 kHz to 192 kHz.
Based in the French Alps, Digigram has offices in France and Singapore. Info: www.digigram. com/products/ sound-cards
Summer of Products
Super Hi-Fi Offers Control in the Cloud
Control Room by Super Hi-Fi is a virtualized, cloud-based platform paired with a set of native applications for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. The company says it allows you to deliver live radio broadcasts from anywhere, to any station in your network.
Control Room turns studios and transmitters into nodes on a cloudbased network; broadcasters can scale operations, centralize talent across stations and reduce reliance on traditional on-prem infrastructure.
“Whether hosting a morning show from a showcase radio studio, running afternoon drive from a home office, broadcasting remotely from an event, or joining a live show from vacation, Control Room delivers unparalleled flexibility and studio-grade control in a modern, touch-first interface,” the company states.
The platform includes Super Hi-Fi’s MagicStitch AI, in which music transitions and audio elements are produced automatically.
“Control Room is centered around the concept of Collaborative Hosting, so talent can participate from almost any set of locations, and on almost any type of device, as though they’re all in the same room, with no additional hardware or complicated configurations required.”
MagicStitch Production AI produces segues automatically, without human intervention.
Aqua Offers C-3000 FM Transmitter
The C-3000 Aqua Broadcast Cobalt FM Transmitter is a 3 kW “compact powerhouse” that occupies three rack units and runs on a DDS modulator.
“A clear RGB screen with haptic feedback joystick control for fast setup, and a unique front-panel headphone jack lets you monitor both output and inputs,” the company says.
Features include a four-band processor with 21 factory presets, an RDS encoder with dynamic capabilities, remote audio monitoring via the web and redundant power. The power supplies are front-accessible and hot-swappable. Audio backup by USB and web stream are standard.
Cooling fans are designed for quick cleaning and replacement, with a convenient rear assembly.
Fans can be cleaned without taking the transmitter off the air.
Inputs and outputs include 2
x MPX In/Out, analog, AES/EBU, Digital MPX (AES192), ITU-R BS412.9 Limiter, Ethernet, USB, GPIO and GPS Sync with built-in SFN capabilities.
Options include 2wcom IP Decoder and Thimeo MicroMPX decoding. With support for up to 16 audio formats, the 2wcom decoder ensures integration into various transmission setups. MicroMPX allows you to transmit the entire FM signal over a simple Ethernet cable, streamlining studio-to-transmitter links.
An optional high-performance tuner is available to rebroadcast or to monitor a frequency.
Info: www.aquabroadcast.co.uk
Also, Control Room integrates with the Telos Alliance Axia ecosystem. “With a simple six-digit code typed into Control Room, your Axia Quasar or Altus console instantly and automatically connects to Super Hi-Fi’s cloud engine, and all audio is automatically routed from your studio directly to the radio station it is assigned to.”
This means any Axia console can be used as a virtual interface to any of your stations, no matter where they are located.
Info: www.superhifi.com/products/ control-room
Røde Introduces NTH-50
Røde announced the release of its first “on-ear” headphones, the NTH-50, which retail for $99.
The company said the lightweight headphones sport a contoured headband designed to minimize wearer fatigue.
The headphones contain a 40 mm driver, which Røde said has a resonant chamber that provides deep and balanced bass while maintaining midrange and treble clarity.
Their acoustic design, according to the company, offers accurate frequency response and low distortion, suitable for live performances and studio monitoring.
Røde also highlighted the headphones’ passive noise isolation at –21 dBA.
The NTH-50 comes with an approximately 5.5foot monitoring cable, storage pouch and a 3.5 mm to 1/4-inch adapter. Add an NTH-Mic to create a broadcast-quality headset.
You preach “live and local” … so do you practice it?
This industry slashes and burns every chance it gets. But the radio industry needs personalities today more than ever.
The big radio owners have condensed and homogenized radio so that all stations sound alike. Everywhere. Radio must go back and become part of the entertainment industry. Give listeners a reason to tune in and stick around, rather than just being a jukebox. If that’s all you want to be, the streaming services do it better without all the lousy commercials in the universe.
Writer
Most branding and imaging sound like ’80s radio, but it’s a joke. Do you think listeners believe lines like “We Play a Better Mix of Music”? Better than what, Pandora, Spotify? Please give me a break! Listeners don’t buy it, contributing to radio’s issue of trying to be all things to everyone. It’s more important to have a believable brand that resonates with its core audience. Better to have a tailored group of loyal listeners, meaning a live and local presence.
Here’s how:
1. Personalities are your product. Don’t treat them like trash!
2. Too much fragmentation adds to listener confusion. Stay focused.
Gary Begin Sound Advantage Media
3. There’s an overload of consumer information. Encourage open communication while strengthening relationships with listeners and advertisers.
4. Insist on the importance of talent development on all media levels.
5. Develop ways for air talent to use real-time communication with listeners using social media accounts.
6. Cross-promote radio and podcast success stories. This helps drive engagement while improving revenue and ratings.
7. Tailor to the needs of advertising clients by knowing your audience. Show up to a client with a spec spot. It shows you’ve done your homework and gives the advertiser a chance to hear what their spot will sound.
8. Regardless of how many listeners your station reaches, there’s great value in targeting listeners!
9. Sound like you’re having fun! Radio suffers from a homogenized and pasteurized sound. You’ll stand out in your market, regardless of format.
10. Listeners suffer from an incredibly low attention span. Have high school cheerleaders come to the station and record them shouting out your call letters. That’s branding that stands out!
AI-generated image via Shutterstock
FCC Now Accepts Asymmetric Digital FM Sidebands
Asymmetric FM HD Radio operation may now be initiated with a simple form notification, paving an easier path for U.S. stations to transmit with different digital sideband power levels. Previously, HD stations had to operate with equal IBOC sideband carriers unless they had experimental or special temporary authority.
Supporters feel this will allow stations greater flexibility to maximize HD Radio coverage areas, while the asymmetric nature offers protection for adjacent analog stations — 105.9 on the high side of 105.7, for example.
Jeff Detweiler, senior director of business development at Xperi, said the move affords broadcasters operational flexibility and resource efficiency, which can promote quicker deployments of HD Radio, as well as regulatory clarity, which helps stations understand their power limits and ensures compliance with the commission’s regulations.
Above
“We understand that the FCC may adjust the rules further in the future, depending on the impact of digital radio operations on other users,” Detweiler told Radio World.
Stations need to use Form 2100, Schedule 335-FM, to tell the FCC they intend to use different levels on their IBOC sidebands.
The authorization applies to FMs running HD Radio between 88.1 and 106.9 MHz. Due to aviation industry concerns, stations above 107 MHz are excluded from the FCC authorization for the time being. Broadcasters on those five channels must seek experimental authorization to use asymmetric power.
Xperi studied more than 10,000 FM stations in the U.S. and concluded that 3,496 could increase one sideband to –10 dBc. Another 532 could increase one sideband’s power to between –14 and –10 dBc.
— Nick Langan
An HD Radio hybrid signal includes analog and digital signal components, as shown in an image from NAB PILOT. Three IBOC signals are spaced 400 kHz apart; the one at 98.1 MHz is second-adjacent to each of the other two. Each signal has an analog component and two digital sidebands; here they are symmetrical.
Writer Mark Lapidus is a veteran multi-platform media and marketing executive.
Turn up the revenue
How smart stations cash in beyond airwaves
Radio station executives tend to be of two minds when it comes to alternative revenue streams. Some feel that it’s common sense to capture these “non-traditional” dollars as long as it doesn’t damage the brand, while others remain concerned that the effort takes away from the core business of selling on-air commercials. The pendulum has now swung again toward expanding beyond broadcast revenue. The challenge is to do so with a small, often undercompensated sales staff.
Digital Sales: According to the IAB, digital ad revenue in 2024 surpassed $258 billion, a 14.9% increase over the previous year. Many radio stations are selling geo-targeted video ads that run on social media and websites; however, some account executives are struggling to make the leap into digital ad sales. Some think it shouldn’t even be in their job description, while others say it’s too much work for too little return, but this can change. And it needs to be clear to new hires that digital media is a key part of their salary and job performance review.
Proper training and financial incentives will instill or restore confidence and enthusiasm. For example, account executives new to selling digital packages should be armed with spec spots specific to the advertiser they’re approaching. New AI-based tools now on the market make
creation of spec spots easy. One positive reaction from a client will forever change their attitude.
Streaming: If your live stream doesn’t have a title sponsor, get to work. Also, consider selling the spots in the stream separately from your broadcast ads. Why should your on-air advertisers receive this reach for free? Listen to how noncommercial WXPN in Philadelphia effectively monetizes their stream with pre-roll and insertions.
Branded Products: I recommend this only for stations who truly know listeners are passionate about your station
“It needs to be clear to new hires that digital media is a key part of their salary and job performance review. ”
and your personalities. T-shirts, hats and bags will sell consistently, but those numbers will be small unless you have massive events where you can truly monetize. The key is minimal investment in time and resources. Find a company that prints on demand so you have little up-front cost and a revenue share deal. There are several vendors to choose from. Use your website, social media channels and videos to advertise your products.
Concerts, Live Podcasts, Events & Seminars: Whether in huge or small venues, concerts typically rely on finding someone else to take the investment risk, while your role is promotion and selling sponsorships. For small venues, consider a “series,” where a discounted ticket gets listeners in for one price to all the shows. At first I was skeptical, but it’s abundantly clear that people will pay to watch a podcast or a live broadcast at a nice venue. Watching NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” is not a cheap date night.
For sustainable revenue beyond spot sales to become successful, management must come to terms with the idea of expanding compensation. Great salespeople don’t cost stations money. The more money the sales executive makes, the more the station makes. If you want to ensure your non-traditional projects succeed, pay a higher commission on those sales than you do for broadcast
Above
People will pay to watch a podcast or live broadcast at a nice venue. Witness the success of the touring version of “Wait
commercials. This incentive will drive action.
The question isn’t whether radio can generate alternative revenue; it’s whether management will create the conditions in which sales teams are motivated to pursue it. The stations that get this right will transform challenge into opportunity.
Comment on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet. with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field
Wait Don’t Tell Me.” Bill Kurtis and Peter Sagal are shown on the road.
The active nRSP-ST, connected to a laptop. The SDR hardware is roughly 8 x 4 x 2 inches and weighs under two pounds.
Writer
James Careless
The author profiled the program
“International Radio
Listening” in the April 9 issue.
SDRplay thinks big with the nRSP-ST
This networked receiver can be installed anywhere to listen everywhere
Hobbyists who listen for distant signals often face a dilemma. The best places to hear distant “DX” signals are in remote and rural areas that are free of electrical interference. Unfortunately, many of us live in urban areas where there is lots of noise. If you reside in an apartment, for example, there is no place to string large antennas.
SDRplay’s new nRSP-ST softwaredefined radio, which retails for $499, is a clever prosumer solution to this problem. It combines an SDRplay RSPdx-R2 general coverage radio receiver with a Raspberry Pi computer, contained in a low-profile black metal case. The unit is designed to accept up
to three antenna inputs.
The game changer is its built-in web-server, which allows it to connect to the internet or LAN via Ethernet or WiFi. Afterward, you’re able to access it via a URL in a web browser. It’s compatible with nearly any browser and can be used on Android or iOS devices.
Like the RSPdx-R2 on which it is based, the nRSP-ST covers from 1 kHz to 2 GHz and supports up to 10 MHz of spectrum sampling in one session. The unit can also be controlled with SDRplay’s free software control program, SDRConnect, either over your home LAN or conventionally with a direct USB cable. But it is the remote connectivity that makes the nRSP-ST incredibly useful from a radio geek’s standpoint.
For purposes of this article, I installed the nRSP-ST in the second-floor “radio room” at my home in Ottawa, Canada;
you may recall a photo of the room in my 2024 article about the basics of SDR. With the unit connected to my home network, I am able to scan for DX signals from the convenience of my first-floor home office.
A real need
SDRplay, a U.K.-based manufacturer, was thinking big when they designed the nRSP-ST.
“A lot of people — particularly with the demographic of our customers — are getting older and less mobile,” said Jon Hudson, co-founder of SDRplay.
“They are downsizing by moving to smaller premises like apartments or HOAs where they can’t really get antennas erected.” Hudson noted these are typically noisy environments that hamper reception of distant radio stations, which are often weak in signal strength.
“Add in the fact that there is a growing hobbyist interest in networking radio receivers and operating them from a distance, and all the factors came together to motivate us to create the nRSP-ST,” Hudson said.
This is very much a “set it and forget it” type of technology to install. Once its drivers are downloaded and
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the nRSP-ST is connected to a network, it runs trouble-free. This includes recovering after power blackouts.
Tying into SDRPlay’s intended use case, it is entirely possible for an nRSP-ST owner to install this unit at a remote, electrically-quiet location they have access to — a rural home, a friend’s house in the country or even a remote research station — and connect to it from their home computer in the city. Users can also share access to their nRSP-ST with other people in the world over the web. There are limitations to consider. Like any radio, the nRSP-ST must be connected to an external antenna.
Fortunately, the SDR has ports for up to three, which the remote user can switch between on their computer using a mouse.
For control and audio with low latency, the nRSP-ST will need access to broadband internet service. These days, that should not be much of a problem.
In action
One of the attractions of SDRs is the ability to record large amounts of data to IQ files. The nRSP-ST offers that capability to record and play back IQ files remotely, provided there is enough storage on the device where it is connected. It also affords the ability to record IQ and audio files to a NAS network device, if available. As I mentioned, it can record up to 10 MHz of spectrum in a session, though some users have reported it receiving better using just 2 MHz of spectrum.
In my SDR explainer article last year I detailed what it’s like to use a receiver directly connected to a computer. Essentially, controlling an SDR on a home computer is like operating any webbased click-and-point program.
Above
Inside the Ottawa DX shack of James Careless. An MLA-30 loop antenna that is deployed indoors on the pole to the right connects to the nRSP SDR’s first antenna port. A separate run to an attic longwire attaches to the nRSP’s second antenna port.
When accessing a networked nRSP-ST over the web, the only difference is you will need to enter in its IP address and port, by default port 9001, in your web browser. To facilitate control over the internet, you’ll need to give access to the port to the outside world in your home router.
While I listen to signals with an SDR, I often use the World Radio TV Handbook app, which I’ve previously reviewed for Radio World, to determine where the stations I am receiving in Ottawa are located. I will also listen to a station’s online stream to compare it against what I’m hearing over the air. The combination of the nRSP-ST, online streams and the WRTH app make identifying international shortwave radio broadcasts a pleasure.
As you’ll observe in the photos, the ability to toggle between my MLA-30+ 100 kHz–30 MHz loop antenna, which is Antenna A on the SDR, and the 100-foot longwire I installed in my attic two decades ago when my house was being built, Antenna B, is a great feature.
Depending on propagation conditions in the ionosphere and electrical noise, I can select the antenna that makes the most sense for hearing the signal I desire. In this case, I was tuned to Jeff White’s WRMI Radio Miami International transmitting from Okeechobee, Fla., on 15700 kHz at 12 p.m. ET.
The MLA-30+ has higher gain than my homebuilt longwire but it comes at a cost. A higher noise floor can drown out weaker signals that my less sensitive longwire can manage to receive. As a result, I now have far more
“It is the remote connectivity that makes the nRSP-ST incredibly useful from a radio geek’s standpoint.
flexibility for ferreting weak signals, which I can commonly receive from Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. Higher gain isn’t always better gain. That’s something I did not know until I was able to switch between antennas in real time.
Given my experience testing SDRplay’s nRSP-ST, I can say this is a radio worth owning, even if you don’t intend to set it up remotely in the far north of Canada. In fact, if I could only own one general coverage radio receiver, and I own quite a few of them, the nRSP-ST would be my choice.
So where can you buy this radio? SDRplay sells the nRSPST directly through its website and it is available through several retailers. Don’t be surprised, however, if you have to wait a while to get yours. “We’re only an eight-person company,” Hudson told Radio World, “and there’s a lot of people wanting to buy the nRSP-ST.”
Catching up with the RW mailbag
A sampling of reader letters from the past six months
It’s time to sunset
EEO
I applaud Gregg Skall’s cogent and insightful overview of the commission’s current deregulatory proceeding (“What’s Up With the FCC’s “Delete, Delete, Delete” Initiative?,” http://radioworld.com, keyword Skall).
I agree with his assessment that the commission’s EEO rules may go under the scalpel. They should.
Regulation of broadcasters’ employment practices rests on the notion that diversity in programming is in the public interest and therefore warrants commission oversight. This precept is grounded in a congressional finding enshrined more than 30 years ago in the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992. It is now hopelessly outdated.
To contend today that the citizenry lacks diversity in programming denies reality, as the commission resoundingly confirmed in its 2024 Communications Marketplace Report released in December 2024.
There is no reason any longer to continue the charade that the commission’s EEO scheme will promote diversity in programming — a vague goal backed by nothing more than a fond hope. Indeed, the commission has never made a finding that programming lacks diversity (nor has it ever established a link between hiring practices and programming decisions). It is time to sunset EEO.
John Wells King Law Office of John Wells King, PLLC Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
Please, let’s keep the human touch
I was impressed by the article by Mark Persons, “Your Site Still Needs the Human Touch” (http://radioworld.com, search “human touch”).
How to submit Radio World welcomes comment on all relevant topics. Email radioworld@ futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.
In my mind, no matter how good AI and computercontrolled devices are, there will be no replacements for human intervention on things like Mark stated. The ironic part is that companies in the coming years are predicted to spend billions of dollars to try to eliminate many human positions. I believe they will make a full circle to realize they need humans to do these jobs anyway.
John Loven Swanville, Minn.
I second that emotion
Thanks for the “human touch” article by Mark Persons. When I was at NBC TV in New York, much of the equipment in a brand-new, large and very expensive multi-track audio editing suite was damaged by excessive heat over a weekend. When the wall-mounted sensor for the computercontrolled climate system was opened up, there were no wires going anywhere.
Terry Skelton Bucks County, Pa.
Don’t forget traffic
I would love to see more information and/or articles about the traffic departments that support commercial and public broadcasting stations.
There is a huge gap in the broadcasting industry where this department is overlooked. There isn’t any type of training, support or conventions that offer anything to traffic staff, other than companies pushing traffic software on you to buy.
Traffic has a wide net that spreads out across various departments. It would be wonderful to see something said about the people who are the puzzle-masters for the many stations out there.
I read an article in Radio World back in the 1990s but haven’t seen anything else about how important a traffic department is to an organization. Ever since the passing of Larry Keene, the founder of the Traffic Director’s Guild of America, there is no one out there to advocate and support us anymore.
Rhonda Austin Radio Traffic/Operations Manager WXXI Public Media Rochester, N.Y.
Negotiate airplay
Earlier this year NAB leader Curtis LeGeyt told Radio World in regard to the Local Radio Freedom Act that he is “willing to be at the table for a holistic solution that would enable broadcasters to better innovate in a more economical fashion …”
Presumably he means there could be some compromise between musicians who demand royalties and stations that believe they shouldn’t have to pay them.
I suggested a solution to this issue more than 15 years ago; Radio World and even the Wall Street Journal published my letter.
“I was disappointed that the ham reception was not held at the NAB Show this year. That was always a highlight of the convention for me. ”
My solution has a number of benefits:
1. Both sides should be able to agree on it, perhaps easily.
2. It could even become a profit center for some radio stations.
3. It would, ironically, solve the “payola” problem alluded to by Sen. Marsha Blackburn in a sidebar to your LeGeyt interview.
4. And it would relieve the FCC of an issue in which the government needn’t and probably shouldn’t be involved and make it a private matter.
The idea involves changing the idea of “music” to the idea of “songs.” Remove “law,” “freedom” and “fairness” from the process and turn it into a negotiation between private parties. Every song could have its price — positive or negative — set by the performer for airplay. Every station could decide to play the song or not based on its value to the station.
My recent post about it can be found at priups.com, and there’s a link there to my 2009 version as well.
I have no dog in this fight; at most I’m happy to take credit for solving what has seemed to be an insoluble problem. If you feel it worthwhile, maybe you could bring it to the attention of Chairman Carr, Curtis LeGeyt and even Sen. Blackburn.
PS: I was disappointed that the ham reception was not held at the NAB Show this year. That was always a highlight of the convention for me.
AM’s resiliency is unmatched
Ford’s reported potential workaround for the EV AM radio issue “Ford Patent Aims to Keep AM Radio Alive in Electric Vehicles” (http://radioworld.com, keyword Ford) is clever but in no way addresses the issue.
The effort to require AM receivers in all vehicles has almost nothing to do with content and everything to do with delivery. AM broadcasting, from transmitters to actual radio receivers, has both a reach and a resiliency unmatched by cellular, satellite or line-of-sight radio. When AM would be most essential, Ford’s streaming delivery would be ineffective or useless. Vehicle-induced interference can be minimized and shielded, and better-quality AM receivers can and should be installed. Perhaps public radio should be required to move substantially to the AM band to encourage better participation.
