NAB Radio Update – Sep 25, 2007

Sep 25, 2007 9:00 AM

Index:

• Performance Tax to Digital Radio: Today’s Hottest Radio Issues
• Nautel Revolutionizes with NX Series
• AEQ Bravo
• Firstcom Music Libraries
• Davicom/Comlab Telecommunications Next Generation Mini-Mac
• Do You Know?
• APT Appoints Taylor as Application Support Engineer
• NAB Announces HD Radio Multicast Award Winners
• HD Programming: The New Frontier
• V-Soft Communications AM Conductivity v1.0
• Dielectric HDR Plus Series
• Armstrong Transmitter TRX-HD series
• Don’t miss these Wednesday sessions
• Thursday sessions you’ll want to attend
• Last chance Friday sessions
• Resources in Charlotte
• LEA International SL
• Jampro Antennas RCBC
• Logitek Mosaic
• Where to take a load off in Charlotte
• Broadcast Electronics FMI 50T
• Airshift Studio 2.0
• How Did You Do?
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  News from the ConventionPerformance Tax to Digital Radio: Today’s Hottest Radio Issues
  The following experts will weigh in on the affects of performance tax, digital radio, AM and FM translators, satellite radio and merger fever on Sept. 27 from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Charlotte Convention Center.
• Peggy Binzel, vice president, FD Dittus, Washington, DC
• Peter Doyle, chief, audio division, Media Bureau, FCC, Washington, DC
• John Garziglia, Esq., member, communications law, Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice, Washington, DC
• Kurt Hanson, publisher, RAIN, Chicago
• Suzanne Head, associate general counsel, National Association of Broadcasters, Washington, DC
• Frank Jazzo, Esz., co-managing member, Fletcher, Heald and Hildreth, PLC, Arlington, VA
• David Oxenford, partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Washington, DC
  Nautel Revolutionizes with NX Series
  Hackett’s Cove, NS – Nautel Ltd. has announced the release of its NX Series of high power, medium wave radio transmitters. Nautel NX transmitters have been designed with DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) and HD Radio digital transmission as integral features, making this line the first in the industry to assume digital transmission as standard for high power medium wave applications.Exhibitor ExtraAEQ Bravo
  Audio mixer
  Booth 227
  This console has been designed for small- and medium-sized radio stations. The Bravo features two program buses, four mic-line channels, eight dual stereo line inputs and a dual telephone channel with integrated telephone hybrids. Other features include cue bus with integrated loudspeakers and headphone outputs, and an amplified monitor output.Firstcom Music Libraries
  BWF music libraries
  Booth 600
  Firstcom Music has released its 15 libraries in the Broadcast Wave (BWF) file format. More than 2,000 CDs containing about 40,000 compositions are included in this update.Davicom/Comlab Telecommunications Next Generation Mini-Mac
  Upgrade to remote control system
  Booth 632
  This unit shares many features with its big brother, the MAC, but has a limited number of inputs/outputs (eight metering inputs, 16 status inputs, two audio inputs, eight physical relays and one reach-through serial port), and cannot be expanded. Version 5 of the firmware is Daylight Saving Time-ready for North America, offers bilingual voice and screen capability (supporting Unicode character sets), multiple alarm-call lists (for day/night workshifts, weekends or specific events) abd a user-defined log. Configuration and control of Mini-Mac and Mac units is ensured by the included Mac Comm software version 5, which allows customized view screens for each user and site.Do you know?Do You Know?
  Q1. Jerry Lee, president, WBEB FM Philadelphia, is the recipient of this year’s National Radio Award. He is the longest serving member of the Board of the NAB. How long has he served?
  A. 19 years
  B. 22 years
  C. 25 years
  D. 21 yearsQ2. The Charlotte Convention Center is hosting this year’s event. Which of these conventions has the center also held this year?
  A. National Square Dance Convention
  B. 2007 Peacemaker Conference
  C. Donald Trump Financial Conference
  D. National Money Show
  E. All of the aboveQ3. Glenn Beck is this year’s host of the NAB Marconi Awards reception, dinner and show. How old was Beck when he began his career in radio?
  A. 19
  B. 21
  C. 13
  D. 16Q4. Frank Luntz, keynote speaker and author of Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear, has been named which of the following?
  A. One of 50 of America’s most promising leaders aged 40 and under by Time Magazine
  B. Hottest Pollster by the Boston Globe
  C. One of four Top Research Minds by Business Week
  D. Crystal Ball award for most accurate pundit in 1992 by the Washington Post
  E. All of the aboveIndustryAPT Appoints Taylor as Application Support Engineer
  Boston – APT has appointed Rolf Taylor to be the company’s application support engineer for North America. Taylor spent the last 12 years with Telos where he worked in a variety of roles including customer support engineer, customer support manager, technical writer and product manager.Eye on IBOCNAB Announces HD Radio Multicast Award Winners
  Washington – The NAB announced the two winners of the NAB HD Radio Multicast Award. “The Studio C Channel” from KBCO-FM Denver and “Riff2” from WRIF-FM Detroit are the first stations to receive the award. The awards will be presented during the keynote address on Sept. 27 at The NAB Radio Show.The HD-2 programming for WRIF-FM Detroit (owned by Greater Media) and KBCO-FM Denver (owned by Clear Channel) can be heard on the stations’ respective websites.
  The Studio C Channel
  Riff2The NAB HD Radio Multicast Award was established to recognize stations utilizing HD Radio through innovative or groundbreaking programming on a multicast channel. Stations were asked to submit information including programming, on-air personalities, promotions and branding elements, as well as anything else that established the multicast channel with a separate identity from the main station. The winners were selected by a special task force, whose decision resulted in a tie for top honors.HD Programming: The New Frontier
  A session on HD multicasting will be held Thursday afternoon from 3 to 4:15 p.m. Michael Albl, Charlie Cook, Don Kelly, Cynthia Morgan and Andy Mussaw will discuss this new technology.Products from the FloorV-Soft Communications AM Conductivity v1.0
  AM conductivity software
  Booth 605
  Version 1.0 of Conductivity for AM radio will automatically identify the correct ground conductivity curves to be used based on the field strength measurements it is provided along a specific radial. Breaks in the conductivity will be plotted on the radial’s graph. The program can handle up to five data sets per each radial allowing comparatives; for example, for an omni-directional measurement to a directional measurement. Once given the measurements, Conductivity can construct the actual pattern the station is radiating. Conductivity is a standalone program, or it can be used in tandem with V-Soft Communications’ AM-Pro, which will accept direct file input of the ground conductivity break files.Dielectric HDR Plus Series
  Antenna arrays
  Booth 117
  The HDR Plus Series of antenna arrays from Dielectric allow broadcasters to balance cost, efficiency, tower space, and coverage concerns by interleaving a digital antenna within an analog antenna’s aperture. With the HDR Plus Series, broadcasters can simultaneously transmit both analog and digital signals, with very high isolation between the two inputs. Operating costs are substantially reduced by as much as 10 percent due to the system’s efficiency. The two interleaved antennas also provide redundancy since both arrays are capable of supporting either the digital or analog signal.Armstrong Transmitter TRX-HD series
  Analog, digital translator
  Booth 513
  Designed to transition a translator station from analog-only broadcasting to digital, the TRX-HD receives an FM station’s entire signal payload over the air, including its HD Radio digital component. The signal content is transferred to the TRX-HD transmit side for retransmission on the translator frequency. The TRX-HD10 provides 10W in the hybrid digital mode, the TRX-HD50 provides 50W hybrid digital, and the TRX-HD100 is a 100W hybrid digital translator. Higher hybrid power levels are achieved by adding an Armstrong solid-state amplifier.Session HighlightsDon’t miss these Wednesday sessions
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Career Fair
• 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. NRSC Meeting
• 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. The Infinite Dial
• 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. Podcasting: Downloading Content, Upload Dollars
• 5 to 8 p.m. Opening Reception on Exhibit Floor/Exhibit Halls Open
  Thursday sessions you’ll want to attend
• 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. FCC Breakfast
• 9 to 10:30 a.m. State of the Industry and Keynote Address
• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Exhibit Halls Open
• 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. Technology: What’s Next
• 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. RF Safety Course Part 1
• 2 to 5 p.m. RF Safety Course Part 2
• 3 to 4:15 p.m. We’ve Got it Covered: Radio’s Hottest Legal Issues Discussed
  Last chance Friday sessions
• 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. AM/FM Transmitter Workshop and Breakfast
• 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. HD Radio: RIFF2’s Road to Success
• 12 to 1:30 p.m. Radio Luncheon: National Radio Award Presentation and Speaker
  More Convention NewsResources in Charlotte
  It’s inevitable that we will never remember everything we need when we travel. If you get to Charlotte and realize you’ve forgotten something essential, fear not, for we have compiled a list of stores — many within walking distance of the convention center — to fulfill all your needs. Just click on one of the following links: radiomagonline.com/media/2007/0907/CharlotteResources2007.htmradiomagonline.com/media/2007/0907/CharlotteResources2007.pdfMore ProductsLEA International SL
  Inline surge protector
  Booth 200
  LEA’s SL is a high performance, inline surge protector ideal for safeguarding UPS and critical loads from damaging transients. The SL is available in single-phase 120V and 240V configurations and is rated for system exposure per IEEE C62.41 Category A.Jampro Antennas RCBC
  FM bandpass filters
  Booth 409
  The Jampro RCBC-FM RF System series of combine bandpass filters utilize capacitive-loaded copper center conductors inside four-inch aluminum cavities to ensure low passband loss. The filters are designed to provide optimum performance for low (1000W) to medium/high (up to 35,000W) power transmitter systems in a modular configuration. Filters with two, three, four or five sections are designed, assembled, tested and shipped from stock to meet the required rejection specifications. Wide passband bandwidth is maintained for all designed to ensure no signal degradation. EIA connectors are standard and unflanged available upon request. The series is used for input power levels from 1kw up to 35kw with heat sinks. Almost any value of rejection bandwidth can be provided by proper selection of the number of sections and coupling iris dimensions. Passband insertion loss is minimized by the use of 8 to 24″ high-Q aluminum cavities. Temperature stability is maintained through the use of invar tuning rods on copper center conductors.Logitek Mosaic
  Upgrade
  Booth 611
  The Mosaic has been upgraded with a pop-up fader display with associated EQ and dynamics information that will place selected information on a user’s VGA screen. It also has Vsnapshot, a scene capture and recall feature, provides a pop-up graphical user interface that will run on a user’s VGA screen. Fifty scene captures are available per control surface, with data saved in user-editable text files. For live radio applications such as location broadcasting or multi-microphone talk show applications, automatic mixing/ducking capability has been added to Logitek consoles. This ramp-up/ramp-down feature allows for smooth transitions between live microphones, reducing background noise and improving intelligibility. Logitek cites Sirius Satellite Radio’s use of this feature for airing Nascar events, where a driver’s radio feed will smoothly duck other race audio while the driver speaks, then will smoothly ramp the race audio back up when the driver stops speaking.Out and About in CharlotteWhere to take a load off in Charlotte
  After a long day of talking transmitters and microphones, you’ll want to unwind and we’ve found a list of places within half a mile for you to do just that.
• Brick and Barrel 200 S. Tryon, 704-370-2808.
• Grand Central Deli and Spirits 101 N. Tryon, 704-348-7032.
• Graduate Food and Pub 123 W. Trade St., 704-358-3024.
• Buckhead Saloon 201 E. 5th St., 704-370-0687.
• City Tavern 214 N. Tryon, 704-334-6688.
• Ri-Ra Irish Pub 208 N. Tryon, 704-333-5554.
• Stool Pigeons Restaurant 214 N. Church St., 704-358-3788.
• Presto Bar and Grill 445 W. Trade St., 704-334-7088.
  Product PeeksBroadcast Electronics FMI 50T
  Digital transmitter
  Booth 417
  The transmitter offers 50kW FM+HD Radio output with better than 55 percent overall efficiency. It includes the FXI FM+HD Radio exciter and ESP correction technology throughout the RF chain. The transmitter features patented, folded half-wave cavity for better performance and efficiency. It provides low-level combined power levels of 28kW or less.Airshift Studio 2.0
  Play-out and production software
  Booth 105
  Airshift Studio 2.0 builds on the first version, which is a complete radio production tool covering all main tasks related to radio production. It also allows for production tasks like audio editing, text writing and RSS and podcast publishing in the studio. Version 1.0 runs on Windows, Linux and Mac OSX, and plays MPEG1L2, MP3, OGG, WMA and linear audio formats. The upgrade to this software now features an advanced playlist manager, and serves both cartstack and playlist approach to program production. It also features a new music clock and scheduling feature, and a significant expansion on the range of keyboards and console interfacing possibilities. Airshift Radio 2.0 integrates with the industry standard Ericsson IPX brokerage system.Did you know?How Did You Do?
  A1. B. Jerry Lee has served the Board of the NAB for 22 years as of June 2007.A2. E. The Charlotte Convention Center has hosted all the listed events.A3. C. Philadelphia-based radio and television host Beck’s career began after he won a radio station contest at 13.A4. E. All of the above. Luntz is one of the most honored communication professionals in America today.To receive these articles weekly in your e-mail, subscribe to the NAB Radio Update e-newsletter from Radio magazine. Click here to subscribe.