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- Why Kopitz Thinks FM Will Remain Leading Form of Radio
Dietmar Kopitz Dietmar Kopitz is CEO of the RDS Forum, based in Geneva, Switzerland. Radio World: What is the RDS Forum? Dietmar Kopitz: It is a non-for-profit industry association co-financed by its members. It maintains and further develops the worldwide RDS standard, which has been around for more than three decades now. In the United States, the RDS Forum cooperates with the NRSC and the NAB to achieve harmonization of the technical specifications for RDS, standardized by the IEC. RW: What are key recent advancements for radio technology globally? Kopitz: Digital radio technology is on the upswing, while analog is on a downswing. The reason may be that in comparison, digital is generally perceived as young and analog is old. But seen technically, analog FM radio remains a very attractive and mature technology, and with modern equipment it can be 100% digital. FM radio is most widely used worldwide, and the transmission side offers an enormous choice of modern and energy efficient equipment. For the next 10 years FM radio will remain the most widely used broadcasting technology. Comparisons between analog and digital radio often ignore some important facts: For FM radio reception, ICs use DSP, i.e. digital signal processing. This kind of digital demodulation delivers very high technical quality for audio and data, and it is very inexpensive. For optimal automotive FM reception, multiple antennas are often used, for example on car rooftop in combination with the rear window. The system chooses the antenna that delivers the best signal, processed digitally, and this can be an integral part of the IC chip being used. RW: We’ve seen Norway and Switzerland try to move away from FM broadcasting. Will this trend continue? Kopitz: These are two cases that attracted a lot of criticism. In Switzerland the FM switch-off has since been identified as a big mistake, where the public broadcaster had lost over a half million listeners. For FM radio, public radio will come back in Switzerland during 2027 and continue until at least 2034. Also, commercial and local FM radio will from 2027 expand again in Switzerland. RW: Why are hybrid delivery platforms important, and how are they changing the way broadcasters and listeners interact? Kopitz: The young generation is used to the interactivity available on the internet. They expect the same for radio. Hybrid delivery platforms respond to this well and are on an upswing. Click image to… [TheTopNews] Read More.35 mins ago - The Tallest Towers in Czechia Are Facing Demolition
The RKS Liblice 2 towers in 2006. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 The two 1,165-foot guyed masts located east of Prague near Liblice were built in 1976. They are also the tallest structures in the Czech Republic. But the owner of the towers, Czech Radiocommunications, or CRA, ended medium-wave broadcast operations from the RKS Liblice 2 site at the end of 2021. No broadcaster has originated there since last year. Now, CRA is looking for a buyer by the end of the year, or it will look to demolish the towers. According to a Forbes Cesko report, the regional mining authority, which oversees explosives licensing, initiated administrative proceedings for permission to blast the towers. But it added that demolition is a last resort if no buyer steps forward to operate the transmitters at the site. A CRA spokeswoman told Forbes the main reason for demolition is upcoming maintenance costs beginning next year, which would run about 40 million Czech crowns, or about $1.9 million USD. According to the Prague-based Expats.cz, the most pressing issue is the towers’ support system. “Experts have determined that the existing support cables have a lifespan only until the end of 2026, with replacement costs estimated at around CZK 120 million ($5.6 million USD),” Jason Pirodsky of Expats.cz wrote. Further expenses would include anti-corrosion protection, aviation warning lights and a major overhaul of the elevators inside the towers. Interested buyers have until the end of the year to express their interest, the spokeswoman said. The company estimated a new owner would need to invest at least 170 million crowns ($8 million USD) in urgent repairs and maintenance. The towers stand approximately 82 feet taller than the Eiffel Tower, according to Forbes. Medium-wave service from the site ended at the close of 2021 as part of a nationwide phaseout, as Radio World reported. A private broadcaster, Country Radio, broadcasted from the site until March 2025, according to Forbes. Local groups have opposed plans for their removal, arguing the structures are a recognizable regional landmark, Pirodsky reported. Civic association Spolek přátel obce Liblice suggested several potential uses, including opening the towers to tourists or repurposing them for emergency services or the military. Elevators reaching the top could make visitor access possible if necessary safety upgrades are completed. [Do you receive the Radio World SmartBrief newsletter each weekday morning? We invite you to sign up here.] The… [TheTopNews] Read More.57 mins ago - When It Comes to Silencing Stations, Tower Leases Loom Large
In this letter to the editor, John Caracciolo responds to Jerry Del Colliano’s guest commentary, “An Outbreak of License Forfeitures.” Radio World welcomes letters to the editor on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com. Jerry, I think this article connects two issues that really aren’t related. What it fails to point out is that many of the large groups now surrendering licenses helped create this problem years ago when they sold off their tower assets to companies like American Tower, SBA, Vertical Bridge and others. Those transactions generated significant one-time cash infusions and looked great on the balance sheet, but they also replaced owned infrastructure with long-term lease obligations. The tower companies then increased lease revenue, sold those assets at very high multiples, and the broadcasters were left paying rent that many marginal stations simply cannot support. When a station is carrying an excessive tower lease, surrendering the license often becomes a financial decision driven by real estate costs — not because the FCC ownership rules are too loose or because the station itself has no value. That has nothing to do with the need to “modernize” the ownership rules. Broadcasters today compete against streaming platforms, podcasts, social media, YouTube, connected TVs, satellite radio and countless digital entertainment choices. Yet we’re still operating under ownership restrictions that were written for a media landscape that no longer exists. Let’s debate ownership reform on its own merits. If we want local broadcasters to remain competitive and continue investing in local news, weather, emergency information and community programming, then the rules need to reflect today’s marketplace — not the one from 30 years ago. These are separate issues. One is the consequence of financial engineering and expensive infrastructure decisions. The other is the need to modernize broadcast regulation. We shouldn’t cloud one with the other. [Check Out More Letters at Radio World’s Reader’s Forum Section] The post When It Comes to Silencing Stations, Tower Leases Loom Large appeared first on Radio World. [TheTopNews] Read More.57 mins ago - JUST IN: Wife of Kansas City Chiefs Coach Eric Bieniemy Allegedly Shot by Their ...
Paul Spinelli/AP The wife of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was shot in the couple’s home Sunday night. Their son has been charged for the shooting. According to a report from ESPN, the shooting took place in their Virginia home. Mia Bieniemy, 57, was rushed to a local hospital in stable condition. Police later arrested and charged 27-year-old Elijah Zion Bieniemy with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and discharge of a firearm inside of a dwelling. The ESPN report continued: Elijah Bieniemy is being held without bond at a detention center in Loudoun County, according to police. Eric Bieniemy left Chiefs’ training camp and was not in attendance for Monday’s practice. He was with the Chiefs on Sunday in St. Joseph, Missouri, at the campus of Missouri Western State for their second practice of training camp. In a statement obtained by ESPN, the Chiefs confirmed they were “aware of the incident involving Eric Bieniemy’s family.” The team did not comment further. This is a developing story and will be updated.The post JUST IN: Wife of Kansas City Chiefs Coach Eric Bieniemy Allegedly Shot by Their Son first appeared on Mediaite. [TheTopNews] Read More.1 hour ago - A-T Offers a Plug-in for Elgato Stream Deck
A promotional graphic from Audio-Technica A note for fans of the Elgato Stream Deck ecosystem: Audio-Technica is now offering a plug-in designed to provide control of certain Audio-Technica USB microphones from Elgato Stream Deck devices. “Developed for streamers, content creators, podcasters, gamers and audio production professionals, the application delivers fast access to essential microphone functions through customizable Stream Deck keys, dials and foot pedals,” A-T said in the announcement. The 20 Series Control Application is compatible with its AT2020USB-X, AT2020USB-XP and AT2040USB microphones. It allows users to mute and unmute microphones, adjust mic input levels, and, for AT2020USB-XP users, control Automatic Gain Control and Noise Reduction functions from the Stream Deck interface. The plug-in integrates with the Elgato Stream Deck ecosystem through drag-and-drop configuration. Users can assign controls to keys, dials or foot pedals and customize layouts to match individual workflows. Among its functions is instant mute/unmute control, allowing users to silence or reactivate their microphone with one press. The Virtual Fader function enables precise microphone input adjustment from the Stream Deck interface. Users can configure the control to set fixed mic levels or increase and decrease levels incrementally using keys or rotary dials. The Audio-Technica 20 Series Control Application is available through the Elgato Marketplace. The post A-T Offers a Plug-in for Elgato Stream Deck appeared first on Radio World. [TheTopNews] Read More.1 hour ago - Ex-NYC Mayor Throws Down in Heated Spat With Fox News Anchors Over Calling Netan...
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) got into a heated exchange right at the start of a Monday morning interview on Fox News when he branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “literally a war criminal.” De Blasio was defending comments made by current NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), who last week had to walk back his vow to arrest Netanyahu when he comes to The Big Apple, when he made the accusation. “I think [Mamdani] drew attention to the fact that Netanyahu is literally a war criminal,” de Blasio said. “This guy’s policies led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian children, and that defines a war crime to me and so many people around the world.” His claim set off both America Newsroom co-anchors. “Are you the defining factor?” Dana Perino asked. “Like, are you the authority for what is a war criminal?” “Look, the international criminal court should mean something,” de Blasio said, referring to the ICC issuing a warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest due to alleged war crimes. Perino reminded de Blasio the U.S. is not part of the ICC. The liberal ex-politician chuckled and reiterated, “it still should mean something.” “To who?” Perino shot back. De Blasio, “Look, what do you call a leader who authorizes this kind of killing?” Perino, “Was he responding to something that happened to the Israeli people on October 7th?” She went on, asking, “Does Hamas put innocent people in harm’s way?” De Blasio admitted it was a “horrible” terror attack, but Israel’s response was unjustified. He also admitted Hamas puts Gazans in danger, but asked Perino, “You think if Hamas does something wrong, it means Netanyahu and Israel can do something worse?” Perino told him Hamas was at fault for both starting the war and putting innocent Gazans in harm’s way. The former mayor went on, saying “two wrongs don’t make a right” and Netanyahu was unpopular in his own country. Co-Host Bill Hemmer then jumped in after watching the Perino-de Blasio fireworks for a moment. “So you came on our show today to call Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal?” “I didn’t come here to call him that, you asked me a question,” de Blasio said. Hemmer then told him he wasn’t buying the war criminal claim. “If he were guilty of genocide, people in Gaza would be wiped out. They’re not, they’re… [TheTopNews] Read More.2 hours ago
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