BBC News dedicated an extensive report to the scam perpetrated on hundreds of listeners of a Catholic radio station in Texas by a supposed financial ‘guru’ Source
In YouTube ads, he claimed to be a guru who had led more than a thousand clients to financial independence. But in reality, William Neil ‘Doc’ Gallagher was a fraudster, advertising his financial services from a Christian Protestant radio station in North Texas. With commercials promising returns of between 6 and 8%, he had convinced about two hundred pensioners, listeners of the Christian radio station, to entrust him with 32 million dollars, most of which he ‘burned’ in personal expenses. Financially, nothing new: Gallagher applied the classic ‘Ponzi scheme’, paying interest with money collected from new clients until the castle collapsed. The novelty lies in the fact that Gallagher exploited the notoriety and credibility of the Christian broadcasters (followed in the States by more than 20 million believers) to get rich. But in the end, justice presented him with his bill: the ‘money doctor’, now in his 80s, will have to serve three life sentences, in addition to the 25 years, he was sentenced to in 2020 by a Dallas court.
In the latest technical bulletin (December 2021), SRG SSR takes stock of the expansion of the DAB+ digital transmission network Source
Despite the fact that DAB+ signals already reach 99 % of the population in Switzerland, as required by the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), the public broadcaster has further expanded the digital network in Italian and French-speaking Switzerland. Between 2020 and 2021, ten new transmitters were activated and twelve others were optimized. Improvements were made in the cantons of Jura, in the northwest of the country, and Ticino, located almost entirely south of the Alps, where the network was further expanded at the beginning of 2021 with the activation of the installation in Cardada. In Switzerland, the digital signal is also broadcast in tunnels longer than 300 meters: the list of the 193 road tunnels covered by DAB+ signals can be consulted on broadcast.ch.
The image illustrating the article by Pilot (which describes itself as: an organization of innovators, educators and advocates dedicated to advancing broadcast technologies and cultivating new media opportunities) shows the screen of the electric Volkswagen ID.4 EV: it allows listening to FM and streaming – but not to AM Source
The abandonment of thermic engines is a mandatory goal to reduce CO2 emissions. The automotive industry is getting ready and among the aspects that are being discussed, there is also radio listening. On electric cars, HF interference is generated primarily by the frequency converter, a device that controls the amount of power delivered by the electric motor by turning the voltage on and off thousands of times per second. This generates signals that fall in the medium wave broadcast band: electrical noises (such as distortion and crackling) similar to those emitted by smartphones, TVs, computers, vacuum cleaners and hair dryers. In addition, static electricity, which creates crackles, increases with the power of the motors. So much so that some manufacturers, such as BMW, Mini, Tesla and Volkswagen have eliminated the AM band on their current cars. Others, like General Motors, are studying the problem, but the solution isn’t around the corner. Xperi Corporation, a leading digital radio company, whose HD Radio standard (a patent it owns) is used both in the FM and AM band, claims that its transmission system is not afraid of interference. And it presented test results at NAB Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology, the annual conference of American broadcasters. According to Pooja Nair, an engineer at Xperi Corporation, a fully digital AM signal resists interference much better than an analogue one.
Vincent Bolloré, patron of the Vivendi group, should retire in February 2022: it is assumed that accelerating the Opa on Lagardère tries to fix the company before leaving the helm to his children Source
The conquest of the French media group by the Breton financier Vincent Bolloré is approaching its final stages. The Opa (the takeover bid aimed at shareholders to invite them to sell their shares to the company that would like to take control), initially scheduled for December 15, 2022, has been brought forward to February 2022.Vivendi will take control of Radio Europe 1, the RMF and Virgin Radio networks and the publishing houses Hachette and Editis. The Antitrust Authority and the CSA (Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel) have yet to pronounce on the acquisition. They could impose the sale of certain assets in the book sector, particularly in France, because with the acquisition of the two big names in publishing and book distribution in France, Vivendi would have a dominant position. This and other aspects are discussed in the Italian monthly Prima Comunicazione, specialized in the world of publishing.
Among the Virgin Radio sites affected by the closure is Angers, the capital of Maine and Loire Source
The Lagardère group has unveiled a plan to redeploy 30 journalists and 4 presenters involved in closing 26 Virgin Radio and four RFM locations. Ownership attributes the need for the cuts to the music broadcasters’ declining audience due to competition from streaming platforms. But the CFDT union disputes this, attributing the crisis to the group’s management problems, as the other major generalist radio stations have not lost listeners. On the contrary, the stations that will be closed have sent €3.6 million in dividends to the Lagardère group in 2020.
We have already discussed the crisis at the Lagardère Group here and here.
Desertification risk
Closing the network’s regional offices also reduces news coverage in certain territories, particularly rural areas, which are already under stress due to the crisis: since 2009, the number of journalists has fallen by 10% Source
In the communiqué issued by the union, the workers are acknowledged for their dedication to working as presenters in the morning, especially in “isolated editorial offices“, with net salaries of less than 1,900 euros per month. And fearing the danger of information desertification in certain areas, particularly rural ones, the CSA (Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel) is asked to monitor the merger in progress within the group and compliance with agreements. Indeed, operators are obliged to open local offices in order to broadcast local advertising. ”Certainly, shareholders dream of radio stations without journalists or presenters, but the media will die that way.”
Happy 1st of December! Let’s bring the Christmas time on.
For this years anticipation to Christmas the RadioReporter community has created a special surprise for you! We have collected our favourite radio stations and put them in an online Advent Calendar for you.
We proudly present the RadioReporter Advent Calendar. Stay curious and explore a new radio station every day until Christmas. We hope you enjoy our special selection and share it with your loved ones.
The advent time is a Christian tradition and spans over the period before Christmas. It covers the four Sundays before the Christmas Eve (24th December), starting with the Sunday closest to 30th November, the feast day of Saint Andrew the Apostle.
In the late 1800s the tradition of counting down the days til Christmas started in form of lighting candles or marking the days with chalk. “The first printed Advent calendar originated in Germany in the early 20th century with Gerhard Lang. When Gerhard was a little boy his mother made him a calendar with 24 small candies attached to cardboard, one for each day before Christmas.” (Source)
DAB has finally become very popular among broadcasters and listeners, the number of radio programs (“services”) available is continuously increasing, and so is the coverage. New cars will have to be equipped with DAB-enabled infotainment systems, and consumer radios are now available in all sizes and price ranges.
With the growing number of programs and broadcast packages (“multiplexes” or “ensembles”) available, it is not always easy to keep track of “who is on air, where, and how”. Where should one look for comprehensive, up-to-date (technical) information about services, transmitters and station details?
The website of WorldDAB, the official lobby organisation for DAB, provides only generic information in their „Country information“ section. On the internet, there is a variety of lists and overviews on national level, with various levels of reliability and technical content.
DABLIST.org brings all available sources together, and blends them with data obtained from real monitoring. Data from hundreds of receivers and monitoring systems is compiled, reviewed and amended with additional information by a team of dedicated editors. The result: An up-to-date, comprehensive directory of Digital Audio Broadcast.
The App …
… has been designed as a web app. Therefore, it does not require installation or download. Just navigate to app.dablist.organd create an icon on your desktop, on your home screen – on any current device running iOS, Android or Windows.
The start screen provides numbers of multiplexes, services and countries covered. Data is updated continuously, and the timestamp of the last update is also shown. The start screen lists all countries covered by DAB in alphabetical order.
When clicking any country link, the App will check the users current geo-location to know in which country he is located. For the current country, he will then have immediate access to the list of multiplexes, both in channel (“block”) order and in multiplex name (“ensemble label”) order.
To access data in other countries, the user must log in with his FMLIST account. FMLIST is the global database of radio stations and powers many web sites and solutions. If he does not have an account at FMLIST, he can register directly from the app – making sure to follow the indications of the two-step registration process. He may want to save the credentials for later use.
From the multiplex list, one can then enter into the multiplex details: These consist of a list of services with all essential data fields and details. The station logo is displayed for reference, and a rich list of URLs is provided, allowing quick access to websites, social media and streaming URLs for each service.
The services list is followed by a transmitter list which includes all known transmitters with technical details. When clicking on the transmitter site name (“location”), it will be displayed on a map.
More features are planned and will be added to the DABLIST app in due course, so stay tuned!
The DABLIST app is free for private, non-commercial use, and for broadcasters. Commercial users can obtain a license for 120 EUR/year per user (net excl. VAT). For questions, comments, suggestions, updates and commercial licensing, please contact glorenz@fmlist.org.
Switzerland is one of the most pioneering countries in the abandonment of Hertzian waves: in 2004, it switched off the Sottens shortwave transmitter (with 500 kW) and transferred the programs to the web. In 2010 it was the turn of the medium waves (the last to be switched off, the Sottens system) and in 2019 it was the turn of digital terrestrial television (which is still received via cable). Too bad, however, that the switch-off was done ignoring the agreements made with some private operators who were authorised to retransmit the DVB-T signal. So much so that some transmitters have now been switched on again. Christian Brülhart’s article analyses the situation. But digitalisation is continuing at a fast pace: the Swiss government has brought forward the abandonment of FM to the summer of 2022: analogue channels will be replaced by DAB digital channels.
ARTICLE (Auf Deutsch)
Das terrestrische Fernsehen wurde von der SRG in der Schweiz abgedreht, Private bringen es jetzt zurück
Ab dem Herbst 2014 wurden in der Schweiz überraschend die Sendeleistungen der DVB-T Sender massiv um den Faktor 10-15 reduziert, gestaffelt nach Regionen. Manche Auguren sahen das als Vorzeichen einer kompletten DVB-T Abschaltung, die fünf Jahre später folgen sollte. Im Herbst 2015 erklärte das Bakom, dass es das UHF-Band mittel- bis längerfristig komplett dem Mobilfunk übereignen wolle. Somit war klar, dass das Aus für das terrestrische Fernsehen kommen wird, nur wann, war damals noch unklar.
Fernsehen wird in der Schweiz vor allem über Kabelnetze und über Internet, Dienste wie Swisscom-TV mit hunderten Programmen und zeitunabhängigem Fernsehen dank einem 7 Tage-Zeitfenster, in denen man Programme nach der Erstausstrahlung schauen kann, findet viele Nutzer, die auch ein gutes Festnetz-Internet haben. Das terrestrische Netz strahlte über DVB-T fünf SRG-Programme landesweit aus; im Wallis und in Graubünden gab es indes private Netze, die dutzende Programme – teils verschlüsselt – über DVB-T ausgestrahlt haben, quasi Kabelnetze über die Luft. Valaiscom stellte den Betrieb, als das 800er Band dem Fernsehen weggenommen wurde («Digitale Dividende») und dem Mobilfunk zugeschanzt wurde, den Betrieb ein. Tele Rätia in Graubünden stellte den Betrieb Ende 2018 ein, als das Bakom auch noch das 700er Band für die Mobilfunk einkassierte.
Die SRG bekam Ende August 2018 eine neue Konzession vom Bakom, diese besagt, dass die SRG das terrestrische Fernsehen bis Ende 2019 aufgeben muss. Die SRG hat sich dann entschieden, DVB-T im Sommer 2019 abzuschalten; im Dezember 2018 wurde angekündigt, dass das terrestrische Fernsehen zum 3. Juni 2019 abgeschaltet werde. Die Informationskampagne war gut, aber das Aus von DVB-T hat doch ein paar zehntausend Haushalten den TV-Empfang weggenommen. Am 3.6.19 wurden die Programme über DVB-T eingestellt, danach wurden noch Hinweisbilder über die Sender ausgestrahlt, am 7.7.19 wurden die DVB-T Sender abgeschaltet.
Sendemast auf dem Hohen Kasten Quelle: Christian Brülhart
Bereits im Juli 2019 hörte ich davon, dass am Hohen Kasten DVB-T reaktiviert werden könnte. Kabel-TV Lampert aus dem Vorarlberg bemühte sich darum, dass terrestrische Fernsehen auf diesem Ostschweizer Gipfel reaktivieren zu können, um das Schweizer Fernsehen weiterhin in ihr Kabelnetz einspeisen zu dürfen. Sie bekamen dann wirklich die Lizenz vom Bakom, DVB-T vom Hohen Kasten auf Kanal 34 ausstrahlen zu können. Geplant war ursprünglich, das noch vor dem Jahreswechsel 19/20 zu ermöglichen. Wetterunbill, die Revision der Bahn und die Corona-Pandemie verzögerten das um ein halbes Jahr, aber am 8.7.20 wurde der Hohe Kasten reaktiviert und strahlt seitdem wieder SRF1 und SRF2 aus. Der Hohe Kasten sendet den Kanal 34 mit einer ziemlich scharfen Richtstrahlung gen Nordwesten.
In der Romandie hat der private Sender Léman bleu ähnliches initiiert, seit dem Juni 2020 senden La Dôle-Barrilette und der Salève ebenfalls auf Kanal 34 die Programme der RTS wieder terrestrisch aus, dies in DVB-T2.
Wir sind froh, dass das terrestrische Fernsehen so zumindest regional zurückkehrte, denn das ist die einzige Möglichkeit, ohne Satellitenausrüstung und ohne Provider Fernsehen empfangen zu können.
From the first broadcast happening on Radio Zagreb back in 1926, until today, when a total of 155 radio stations operate in Croatia – radio has not lost its popularity. Radio survived the challenges of the modern age and is a very popular medium in Croatia. According to statistics more than half of Croatian citizens follow the radio waves every day!
15. svibnja 2021.godine navršit će se točno devedeset i pet godina otkako se glas Božene Begović premijerno začuo u hrvatskom eteru i time označio početak gotovo stogodišnje povijesti radija u Hrvatskoj.
Iako se ovaj prijenos smatra početkom hrvatske radijske povijesti, njeni su temelji postavljeni nešto ranije, 1918. godine osnutkom radiotelegrafske postaje Radio Grič.
Radio-Grič, prva radiotelegrafska postaja u Hrvatskoj. Postavljena je u studenome 1918. na zagrebačkom Gornjem gradu (sastojala se od uređaja skinutih s austrougarske krstarice Novara) te je služila Hrvatskomu narodnom vijeću za veze s najvažnijim europskim gradovima; bila je jedan od glavnih izvora informacija iz inozemstva, koje su svakodnevno objavljivane i u posebnom biltenu. U tom je smislu Radio-Grič bio preteča Radiostanice Zagreb, prve radiodifuzijske postaje u Hrvatskoj, koja je počela emitirati 1926. Citat: Radio-Grič. Hrvatska enciklopedija, mrežno izdanje
Pet godina nakon osnutka Radio Griča, grupa entuzijasta na čelu s Dr. Ivom Sternom, osniva Radio klub Zagreb iz čijih će se prostorija na Markovom trgu 9, 1926. godine začuti sad već legendarna.
Halo, Halo, ovdje radio Zagreb!
Nakon najavne rečenice kojoj je prethodilo izvođenje himne, slušateljima se obratio Dr. Ivo Stern kao prvi ravnatelj Radio Zagreba. Program je nastavljen čitanjem službenog biltena , a prva emitirana glazba bila je ona Beethovena, Haydna, Chopina, Rameaua i Saint-Saensa.
Iste godine, nedugo nakon prvog emitiranja, Radio Zagreb je na konferenciji u Lausannei, postao punopravni član ITU-a (International Telecommunications Union).
Osim prijenosa uživo, većinu radijskog programa tadašnjeg vremena sačinjavale su glazba i radio drama – nova forma, koju je u Europi popularizirao BBC. Slijedeći trendove, Radio Zagreb već 4. prosinca 1926. objavljuje natječaj za izvorni radiodramski tekst, te kao jedna od prvih postaja u Europi javno poziva slušatelje na sudjelovanje u stvaranju originalnih rukopisa.
Prva hrvatska radiodrama, pod nazivom Vatra, autora i redatelja Ive Šrepela izvedena je 7. travnja 1927. Izvođenje je izazvalo toliko uzbuđenje kod slušatelja da su neki, prema informacijama navedenim u dnevnom tisku, izišli na balkone misleći da je na Griču buknuo požar.
S obzirom da je glazba od samih početka zauzimala najveći dio programa, Radio Zagrebu 1946. osniva big band Plesni orkestar Radio Zagreba(danas Jazz orkestarHrvatske radiotelevizije ), koji kontinuirano djeluje više od 60 godina, sve do danas.
Skoro dvadeset godina Radio Zagreb nastavlja djelovati kao jedini radijski medij na našim prostorima, sve do 1942. kad je osnovan Radio Dubrovnik, ujedno i prva lokalna postaja u Hrvatskoj.
Kao i većina tadašnjih radio stanica u Europi, radio Zagreb bio je u privatnom vlasništvu sve do početka 1940. kad je nacionaliziran i za vrijeme NDH djeluje kao Hrvatski krugoval. Po završetku Drugog svjetskog rata, postaje nacionalna postaja koja nezavisno djeluje u sastavu JRT (Jugoslovenske radio- televizije), a nakon 1990. u sklopu Hrvatske radio televizije.
Prema zadnjim istraživanjima, radio svakodnevno sluša 55,5 posto hrvatskih građana, a na tjednoj bazi njih 91,2 posto. I tjedna i dnevna slušanost je u zadnje četiri godine u blagom porastu. U prosjeku hrvatski slušatelj uz radio dnevno provede 78,6 minuta. Žene nešto više od muškaraca, 83,4 naspram 67,5 minuta. Citat
Scena nezavisnih radio stanica svoju ekspanziju doživljava šezdesetih godina, a nakon 1997. u Hrvatskoj s radom počinju i privatne nacionalne radijske postaje. Iste godine u pogon je stavljena prva zemaljska satelitska postaja na Prisavlju, putem koje se između ostalog , počeo emitirati Prvi program Hrvatskog radija u Europi i na Bliskom istoku.
Iako glazba i dalje zauzima najveći dio programa, informativni program, većinom prilagođen lokalnom slušateljstvu razlog je velike popularnosti radijskih postaja. Danas u hrvatskom eteru djeluje ukupno 155 radijskih postaja, a radio je i dalje, unatoč inovacijama jedan od najslušanijih i najutjecajnijih medija u Hrvatskoj.
The logo of the Independent Broadcasters Association, a new association for American radio stations: 2.700 have already joined and the target number is 3.000 Source
IBA (Independent Broadcasters Association) is about to be set up in the United States. The aim is to increase the impact of thousands of member radio stations when communicating with record companies, selling airtime for advertisements (from the radio and social network to smart speakers like Alexa) and negotiating savings on services (from accountancy to putting programmes on air). We put three questions to Ron Stone, the promoter of the initiative.
Ron Stone, President and CEO of Adams Radio Group, is about to launch IBA that already has 2.700 member radio stations Source
RR:IBA not only offers its members the sale of commercials that will be broadcast on 3.000 radio stations, on as many apps and Facebook pages, but also to reduce the fees for music rights by negotiating royalties as a group of broadcasters. What difficulties did you encounter when explaining your proposal? Wasn’t getting 3.000 “heads” to agree a problem? Or has the prospect of earnings (and savings) made prospective members more willing to listen? RS: The goal is to represent the stations that become members as an unwired network, offering this network to clients that have a national presence. In addition, we will create a digital platform for all the members to participate in that will allow for the first time, a true digital sale opportunity by radio on a national scale to compete for digital spending.
RR:Could this model also work in other countries? Associations usually do lobbying or offer services, but none of them have thought of taking such an active role. RS: I really cannot answer this as I am not familiar with broadcasting in other countries. We will not be a lobbying group. We will leave that to the NAB, unless we find that there is a particular issue that we are being harmed by and not fairly represented.
RR:In order to sell advertising for 3.000 radio stations, are you going to create an independent advertising agency or rely on existing structures? RS: With an unwired network, it becomes fairly easy. It is an all or none sale. Clients cannot cherry pick stations.
The objectives of the Independent Broadcasters Association
This is not only an association, but an organisation offering services. This could start a trend that may be followed in other countries in order to achieve economies of scale, which are essential after the collapse in advertising due to the Coronavirus crisis Here is the form to request information Source
Excerpt of the program of the association, from Radio IBA
The concept is to serve independent radio stations in ways we are NOT being served by existing organizations and provide independent operators with ways to drive revenue and achieve cost benefits from scale that cannot be achieved alone.
Below reflects my thoughts on what the organization would focus on right away and during the first two years.
Group employee benefits Better coverage and lower prices, and potentially add additional benefits for our employees.
Revenue generation An unwired network & digital platform supported by a national sales team to monetize for us.
Digital services group This would enable continuity across independent stations giving us the opportunity to accomplish double digit digital revenue through Web, Mobile, Alexa, & Streaming
Shared resources A system that allows sharing of that talent in non-competitive situations and reduces our dependence on national syndication that requires cash, barter and sometimes both.
Proprietary systems and services Under the umbrella of a member owned association, we can create proprietary systems that we control and eliminate some of the costly monthly per station fees for traffic, accounting, CRM, Yield Management, even automation and music scheduling.
This will of course take time, like eating an elephant, one bite at a time. But as independents, we are 7,000 stations strong, and multiply what each of us pay for any one service, it becomes crystal clear that through a membership owned organization, we would have the wherewithal to accomplish this, and the revenue growth and savings would be astronomical.
