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I 0 Managing Technology

24 (Not So) Remotes

30 Unattended Operations

ON THE COVER: Nowhere are the cost,size and weight advantages of newtechnologies having greater impactthan on radio remote systems. Thismobile news studio is one of threesuch minivans used by KNX 1070Newsradio, Los Angeles. Inset Port-ability and ruggedness are essentialfor wartime coverage. (Photo by Pe-ter Breslow, NPR.)

July/August 1996 Volume 2 Number 4

This month...

(Not So) Remotes 24By Flawn WilliamsThe well -traveled engineer brings you up-to-date on today's remote systems; also, thespecial challenges of reporting from a war zone.

Unattended Operations 36By Chip MorganRobotic radio rules, as dewed bt our frequent contributor and leading -edge consultant:

Departments...

Editorial 4By Skip PizziRadio is fun to watch.

Contract Engineering 6By William FawcettMaintaining a multistation facility has its advantages.

Managing Technology 10By Bob Read/es time to update the newsroom.

RF Engineering 14By John BattisonDigital STLs pay many dividends.

FCC Update 20By Harry C. MartinNew action on dark stations, license renewals and fees.

EAS Update 22By Leonard CharlesThe rules are still being tweaked; here's the latest.

News 39

Business 40

Reader Feedback 41

New Products 42

Classified 47

Ad Index 48

2 131: RADIO, July/August 1996

OPTIMOD-FM 2 2 0 0 DIGITAL PROCESSOR

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a direct descendant of the best selling digital processor in the world. So you not only

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Editorial:

Watch ncradio

By Skio Pizzi,radio editor

he 19th century statesman Ono von Bismarck was the first to observe that "Laws arelike sausages. It's better not to see them being made."

Apparently this rule doesn't apply to radio. If current trends are any indication,there seems to be no shortage of interest in watching radio being made - on TV, the moviesand in real life. .

For example, among current TV series based on radio operations are NBC's 'Frasier" and"NewsRadio," two certified prime time hits. "Remember WENN" is a refreshingly new,original cable series on AMC set in radio's Golden Age. Produced by pop -star -turned-Broadway -composer Rupert Holmes, the show is receiving widespread critical acdaim. Andstill in syndication nearly 20 years after its premiere is "WKRP in Cincinnati," one of the mostpopular shows in TV history. (Of course, a radio -station setting is no guarantor of success,as proved by the rapid demise of last year's "The George Wendt Show.")

Meanwhile, movies have also had some success with the radio -station setting. A few yearsback, Eric Bogosian electrified audiences in "Talk Radio," and this year, "The Truth AboutCats and Dogs" enjoyed a long and fruitful run. Unlike the license taken by somepresentations, 'The Truth..." showed a pretty realistic major -market radio station talk -showoperation. (So truthful, in fact, that theJantsary/February 1995 issue of BE Radio appearedas a prop in the film!) A number of other successful movies have also been set in the GoldenAge, including the much lauded "My Favorite Year," in which an aging movie star (PeterO'Toole) discovers just how different the live radio broadcast is from the process of filmmaking.

Remember how radio was used as a central and unifying motif in George Lucas'breakthrough hit, "American Graffiti," with Wolfman Jack in a semi -autobiographical role?And serious radio -movie buffs may recall "FM," probably more memorable for its soundtrackalbum (with the Steely Dan tune of the same name) than for the film itself - although it didserve as the inspiration for the above -mentioned "WKRP" series.

Several major, recent theater works have made radio a key element of their setting or storyline, as well. Among these are the "Greater Tuna" series, "Buddy.. .The Buddy Holly Story"and "The 1940's Radio Hour," all of which have enjoyed successful runs around the UnitedStates and abroad.

Crossing the line from the other direction, live studio or theater audiences pack the houseto watch actual radio broadcasts of national comedy, music and variety shows, ranging fromthe "Grand Ole Opty" to "A Prairie Home Companion." In some cities, local radio broadcastsdraw similar crowds.

All of this proves that radio still captivates the American public, both in its product andits process. There is also something distinctly "American' about the heritage of radiobroadcasting and its various styles. Of course, part of radio's mystique lies in the invisibilityof its creation, but this makes the occasional opportunity to watch some radio -making allthe more captivating. Playing to today's passions, watching a live radio broadcast alsoinvolves some elements of interactivity and multimedia.

The easiest way for most stations to capitalize on this intrinsic interest is by doing radioremotes - and they're becoming easier to do all the time. (See this issue's cover story, p. 24.)Any time you take your program origination outside of the studio, you give your listeners achance to watch radio composition. It's OK to let them see the man behind the curtain oncein a whit if you're doing a good job, it won't detract from their respect for the great andpowerful Oz of the ether. So get out there and make some radio for your audience on location.Unlike legislation or breakfast meats, the exposure will do your station as much good as thesponsor or event you're covering.

IA/

DERESPONSEE -ma [email protected]

FAXback 913/967-1905

4 RI.: RADIO, July/August 1996

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Contract Engineering:

Maintainingmultistation

facilities

By William Fawcett

ears ago it was common practice for aradio station to have a full-time staffengineer - or perhaps even an engi-

neering department. Broadcast deregulationof the 1980s (and the concurrent increase inbroadcast equipment's reliability) brought anend to that. Engineers who could adapt tookon the role of "contract engineer." This busi-ness approach was further fueled by the es-tablishment of Docket 80-90 stations shortlythereafter. By the late 1980s, it was notunusual for a contract engineer to have adozen or more such stations on his or herroster.

But having a string of Class A FMs anddaytime AMs for clients has its drawbacks,most of them monetary. Many of these sta-tions hardly had enough money for goodmaintenance, much less capital expenditures.

Now consider the present day, where thetrend is toward consolidation and formation

of the "superduopoly," in manycases, this implies a multistationfacility.

Even before recent changes inthe law, stations were experiment-ing with consolidation throughLMAs and earlier levels of duopoly.Now the prospect exists for outrightownership of up to eight stations ina market by one firm. This providesthe potential (perhaps the require-ment) for multistation owners todirect increased funds into techni-cal capitalization and operations.

4k

William Fawcett is president ofMountain Valley Broadcast Ser-vice, Inc., a broadcast engi-neering firm in Harrisonburg, VA.

Will the circle beunbroken?

It is possible that this may signalthe return of the staff engineer. Thetechnical demands of a consoli-dated facility are great and mayrequire a full-time presence. If we'velearned anything from the last 20years, it is this: The engineer whoadapts is the engineer who survives.

Being a staff engineer (i.e., a sta-tion employee) may be advanta-

geous. Larger companies may be able to offervarious perks unavailable to the small busi-ness. On the other hand, the clever contractengineer who can structure his/her wort( withinthe IRS independent -contractor guidelines mayalso reap the benefits of consolidation.

Think of it this war less travel, more money.Contract engineering firms might take a cuefrom other industries and assign individualtechnicians responsibility for certain majoraccounts. Under that scenario one personhas working, day-to-day knowledge of thefacility, but other (perhaps more senior) per-sons are available for major projects or disas-ters. This is where the field service firm, asopposed to either a single contract engineeror staff engineer, has a marked advantage:when lightning strikes three transmitters andtwo studios at once, there is only so much asingle person can do.

A newly consolidated station group willtypically require a lot of immediate engineer-

ing work, and it may need much more shortlythereafter. The design work and capital im-provements involved will likely present plentyof challenges. Your client has probably paidmillions for this group of stations, so try notto think small.

Start with planning (where else?)Naturally, you should not proceed in a

haphazard way. The client also must beconvinced of the requirement for detailedplanning - and the need to pay for suchwork. This is no longer a stand-alone radiostation. The physical -facility infrastructure,audio distribution, studios and transmissionfacilities will all be stretched to their limitsand interdependent on one another likenever before. When five stations go down atonce, redundancy ceases to be a luxury.

Besides extensive planning, the level ofdocumentation must also be increased. Wir-ing tables, maintenance logs, even the loca-tion of buried cables all become criticalissues. Contractors might consider an invest-ment in a laptop computer if they don'talready have one.

The engineer who adaptsis the engineer who

survives.

Speaking of computers, have you noticedthe number of computers in some of theselarger multistation facilities? Besides theexpected office computers and LANs, thereare computers in studios, automation sys-tems, music playlist computers, traffic, bill-ing and perhaps remote machine/transmit-ter-site control. Because of the speciali71 dnature of many of these systems, the instal-lation, maintenance and repair often fallupon the broadcast engineer. Here again,adapting and surviving will be key compo-nents of the successful engineer.

An engineer's dreamConsider the example of one typical

superduopoly, which is faced with consoli-dating a three -tower AM army with anothernondirectional AM, plus two (possibly three)FMs - including auxiliary antennas. Thisimplies combiners, isocouplers, directionalproofs and lots of detuning. With several full -power backup transmitters, this could amountto a facility rivaling that of a major short-wavebroadcaster. Add to that the need for com-puter control and monitoring, sophisticatedelectrical distribution and generating sys-tems, dummy loads and antenna switching,HVAC systems and Halon fire -suppression.

Clearly, a "seat -of -the -pants" approach willjust not work here. This is a great challengefor the truly professional broadcast engineer.

6 BE RADIO, July/August 1996

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Skyport 2000I lere's another affected area to think

about: An increasing number of indi-vidual stations now receive signals frommultiple satellites. Adding more sta-tions and a minor regional network ortwo, and before you know it, you've gotsix or 10 dishes out on the lawn, eachfeeding multiple users. (Even if all thestations need to look at the same satel-lite, you can only split the signal to so

many receivers.) It is, therefore, worththinking about bigger and better dishesto feed those splits, and to buildpatchable redundancy into the system.Low -noise block converters (LNBs) com-plicate the situation even more. A pos-sible solution is the global use of low -noise amplifiers (LNAs) instead, placingblock converters downstream (inside)after the patch panel.

Another reason for upgrading thedishes has to do with increasing levels ofterrestrial interference, as well as a fullypopulated 2° spacing plan. Only a qual-ity dish will yield the desired signal -to -

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noise ratio. Digital satellite receivers arenot handling this problem as well asexpected; pops and clicks are more no-ticeable than soft analog failures.

Audio distributionGone forever are the days when you

could twist a few resistors together andsplit an audio feed to a few studios. Amultistation facility might involve five or10 studios, and may also include a highlevel of RF. This requires many distribu-tion amps (perhaps even routing switch-ers), miles of cable, and most important,planning and documentation.

Make sure your plans are flexible;anticipate satellite network changes ona regular basis. Look also at your RPUs,ISDN and telephone interfaces. It is notuncommon for the sales staff of amultistation facility to bundle a remotepackage, often with the same announcerdoing the remotes on one station afteranother. After all the stations have hada feed from the site, the cycle repeats.

For studio design, think generic. Auniform studio design is a real plus.Formats change and equipment breaks.A fully patchable facility can really takeoff the pressure. If you are not fullyautomated, at least put all your com-mercials on hard disk, and have yoursystem networked to all of the studios.Where studios must be of a specificdesign, have at least one other studiocapable of running that format.

That was then, this is nowThese are just some of the factors that

will be important in supporting amultistation facility. Consolidation isdriven by capital investment, and theincreased demands placed on a facilitywill drive that infusion of funds evenmore. It remains to be seen if this is justanother short-lived, upward trend in acyclical economic pattern, but it cer-tainly is preferable to the lean timesseen in the early 1990s.

For the capable contract engineer, itis important not to get hung up onlabels. Changing conditions may pre-cipitate a new business paradigm. Govith the flow; the prospect for high -quality employment opportunities withcommensurate pay is good.

When the FCC dropped the first-classlicense and eliminated the requirementliar most stations to have full-time engi-neers, the industry saw an influx of "jack -leg" engineers. The CB -radio installerwho handles a station or two on the sidemay soon be looking for supplementalwork flipping hamburgers. (Luckily, theminimum wage is going up.) Conversely,the professional broadcast engineershould strongly embrace this new eta.There is work, there is money, and with alittle talent plus some good business sense,it can be a positive time for you. Si

8 RI: RADIO, July/August 1996

It seems those things that develop

the ability to adapt are the ones time

treats most kindly. That's why the

TS612 will be around for a while. No

matter what size station you oper-

ate, or even how many stations

.

.a a .( tig .:.,--:- -.--.... - -

r...k.to 1.3..7..1.61,

1 i --.'...". .4. ....,,,,...,_-...-. ;..-.

ial. IM.U1.11011,,* 7.... 'so ibVskiwil :.--

you'd like to network, the TS612 has

the versatility to adapt to your

needs. Regardless if you're a group

owner, LMA, a large station or a sin-

gle broadcaster, this system is pre-

pared for any contingency. Need any-

where from 6 to 120 lines? No prob-

lem, just network multiple systems

together. Want crystal clear audio

for conferencing calls? That's what

the dual superhybrids are for. Have

a bunch of stations operating from

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Go on or off air at the same time,

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point is, if you're looking for a sys-

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Managing Technology:

Updatingthe

newsroom

By Bob Reed

Bob Reed is operations man-ager at KGNC-AM/FM, Ama-rillo, TX.

66 nother cart just jumped its cue!"AFor the third time in four days, thatcry, preceded and followed by a

series of expletives, came from the news an-nounce booth. It was time to replace our cartmachines - and probably the whole conceptof using carts for news operations, as well.

Three years previously, we had successfullyconverted our commercial delivery and trafficsystems from tape cartridge to digital, using afile server and multiple PCs on a local areanetwork (IAN). At that time, our four -personnews department, sports director and two -person agribusiness department inherited thecarts from the production and control rooms,to use in their news operations.

Our old reliable cart machines were intotheir third decade of use, and even the best ofequipment can't be expected to last forever.The triple -decker playback machines had al-ready undergone at least two rebuilds, so it was

certainly time to consider replace-ment. Oxide on the cartridge tapeswas becoming almost nonexistent.

Because of our positive experi-ence with digital storage of ourcommercials and the successfulintegration of our traffic and digi-tal audio system, we decided tocheck out the options available forour news operation. We had al-ready converted our wire collec-tion system to computer, using the1P Newsdesk. This allowed us tocollect AP News, our network data%sire and state newswire into a singlecomputer and print only what wewanted, using a single printer. Pre-Niously, we had three printers crank-ing out paper 24 -hours day - mostof it ending up in the trash.

Our first question was, "If com-mercial audio and traffic can beintegrated into a single system, howabout wire copy and audio?" As wesoon found out, several systems areavailable that can do this today. andthey cover a wide range

of capabilities among them.The best news was that we could

replace the cartridge system withdigital audio for little more thanthe cost of replacing the triple -deckers and cart recorders. Theadvantages were numerous: bet-ter quality and reliability, fewermechanical parts to wear out,increased flexibility and otherbenefits that we hadn't even con-sidered until we began investigat-ing the systems available.

Planning the transitionOf course, abject fear gripped

the news staff when word leakedout that the station was consid-ering "computerizing the news-room." Many announcers andnews people don't like change.They are accustomed to taking a

stack of news copy and carts into the an-nounce booth, with each in the order they areto be used in a newscast. So we needed adigital system that would mimic a cart sys-tem, but still provide the advantages of com-puterization.

This implied that we should look for asystem that would let the news reader orga-nize the order of the stories, but switch theorder on the fly as time constraints dictated.For example, what if a late -breaking storythrew off the planned newscast sequence orthe newscaster approached the end of anewscast intending to close with a 45 -sec-ond story, but only 30 seconds remained?

Central storage of text and audio was alsoconsidered critical. Our commercial systemstores the commercials locally at each of theterminals where they are used. That meanstransferring the audio from the productionroom to the control rooms, which takes time.A newscaster can't wait for transfer. If a storybreaks with audio, it has to get on the airimmediately. Therefore, central storage ofthe audio (i.e., stored on a file server andinstantly available to all terminals) is a must.

The flexibility to run any audio cut eitherin a predetermined sequence or on -demandat any time is also necessary. In addition, allaudio, wire copy and locally originated copymust be accessible from all editing termi-nals, as well as for use on the air at either oftwo stations that share the facility. This in-cludes news announce booths, the news-room, the agribusiness department officeand both stations' control rooms. Again,central storage on a file server with distribu-tion through a IAN is necessary.

Selection and implementationWhat we found was a system that could

collect as many wire services as we wantedinto a single computer terminal, with the wiretext accessible to all other terminals on theLAN. Audio could likewise be uploaded intoa single terminal on the LAN, with originalaudio. as well as any edited cuts available at

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A text -editing screen from the Windows -based NewsBosssystem from Broadcast Electronics, which integrates wirecopy or original scripts with audio clips stored on thecompany's AudioVAULT system.


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Managing Technology:Updating the newsroom

all other terminals. At any terminal areporter/newscaster could rewrite thecopy, embed audio cuts into the copyand put a story on the air. Like-wise, locally originated copy couldbe created on a word processorby the newswriter and instantlybe made available at the otherterminals.

Digital editing of the audio ispossible at all terminals, eventhough the raw audio is recordedinto the system at only one termi-nal. This applies to network au-dio feeds, telephone intervieu,and even announcer -recordedvoicer/actuality stories. It is alsofaster than dubbing to cart. Thenewsperson just points the mouseat the beginning and endingpoints of the audio segment,clicks the button, gives the audiocut a name or number and desig-nates it "ready for air play." No

access to weather bulletins, sports scoresand other information delivered by thewire services. No more rushing down thehallway after the alarm sounds, tearingoff the copy and rushing back to thecontrol mom. (Oh, don't forget to makea photocopy for the other station.)

their hands, and the ability to shufflepapers and rearrange the order of thestories "the way they've always done it."Yet after a short time, you'll find themholding the scripts in their hands, butreading the story directly from the com-puter terminal screen in the announce

booth. Soon, they'll not bother car-rying the copy into the news boothand you can turn off the printer.

One precautionary note: Whenyou make the decision to go digitalin the newsroom, don't make priceyour predominant criterion ofchoice. The pace of technologicalchange is so rapid that if you investin "just enough to get by," after ayear or two you'll find yourselffacing the need to upgrade thesoftware and your hardware maynot be able to handle it. Get asystem with enough memory, speedand hard -disk space to accommo-date future expansion. It might

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Central storage of wire copy also givescontrol room announcers immediate

A papedess system is the ultimategoal. This won't happen immediately,however, because news people tend toneed the comfort of holding a script in

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RF Engineering:

STL update

By John Battison, P.E.

Now that digital AM transmitters anddigital FM exciters are being installed,it seems inappropriate to feed them

with analog studio -to -transmitter links (STLs),especially when so much of the equipment atthe studio is also of the digital variety. But it'snot just for such technical congruity thatbroadcasters use digital STLs. They can pro-vide a literally transparent link between facili-ties, even those that are separated by signifi-cant distances.

Admittedly, if you have a first-class analogSTL system that is working properly and hasnot yet been amortized, it may be difficult topersuade management of the need to convertto an all -digital path to the transmitter -especially if the transmitter is also a new, fullyanalog unit. Nevertheless, if you are in themarket for a new STL, consider a digitalsystem, both for its performance today and itsreadiness for interface with future elements

of your increasingly digitized trans-mission chain.

John Battison, BE Radio's con-sultant on antennas and ra-diation, owns John H. Battisonand Associates, a consultingengineering company inLoudonville, OH.

Advantages ofdigital STLs

In practical terms, a digital STLprovides freedom from distortionand clipping problems that some-times plague an analog STL DigitalSTLs also will operate with a muchlower received signal than that re-quired for analog operation - as lowas 5ILV at the receiver terminals.The fact that the typical digital STLalso has a built-in 20dB fade mar-gin adds to its attractiveness. Thisfeature often makes it possible touse smaller dishes, thereby reduc-ing cost and tower loading.

Unlike analog SI'Ls, audio per -I ormance on digital STLs remainsidentical as received signal strengtharies throughout the usable range.

This eliminates the inconsistencyof the noise floor on many analogSTLs, caused by seasonal or othervariations along the path. And inthis age of consolidation, digital

STLs can even add to the capacity of a givenlink by allowing additional signals to beincluded in the bitstream.

Implementing digital STLsFirst, a general caveat on STLs: Given

today's proliferation of radio signals, it isessential to work with your local SBE fre-quency coordinator. If you don't know whothat is, call the SBE headquarters at 317-253-1640 and ask. When working with acoordinator, it is important to keep him orher informed in a timely manner. If youselect a frequency, and then end up notusing it, be sure to tell the frequency coordi-nator. Otherwise it will be listed as occupied,and other legitimate users may not haveaccess to a vacant channel.

The second item to watch carefully is achange in your area's topography. An ex-ample: Several years ago, one of Columbus'major FM stations suddenly lost its STL

signal in the middle of the afternoon. As itturned out, a new building was being erected,and unknown to the station's chief engineer,it was directly between the studio and thetransmitter. This kind of situation cannotalways be anticipated years in advance, butbefore installing a new system make a sur-vey to be sure that there are at least noexisting blockages. If you have to locatedowntown, it is a good idea to check out thebuildings along the line of fire to see if theyare soon to be expanded or torn down. Also,don't forget that Fresnel zone clearanceshould be checked where rural STL pathsare planned. Occasionally, knife-edge propa-gation can be used, although usually itscharacteristics seem to apply more to higher -frequency links than the typical 950MHzaural STL

Most of the major STL suppliers are nowoffering digital STLs. Increasingly, these sys-tems offer AES/EBU connectivity. This al-lows digital audio devices preceding andfollowing the STL in the chain to be intercon-nected without leaving the digital domain. Italso permits two channels of digital audio tobe serially conveyed over as much as 300feet of shielded, twisted -pair cable and inter-faced at the STL transmitter. No additionalsynchronization is required because the AFS/EBU signal is self -clocking. The AES/EWinput accepts the start of each 32 -bit blockof audio as a clock pulse and thereby main-tains synchronization inherently.

Spectral efficiencyAs usual in these days of increasing emas-

culation of broadcaster's frequency bands,STIs are feeling the spectrum pinch. Al-most daily, the FCC either generates itself,or publishes requests from RF users, for

At WWRC in Washington, DC, four T-1 circuits(top of center rack) are multiplexed onto abidirectional 18GHz path for an uncompresseddigital STL and a 20 -channel TSL. The latter isused to return satellite downlinks from the trans-mitter site's dish to the studio. Bidirectionaldata and telephone circuits also share thelinks. An analog 950MHz STL (bottom of centerrack) serves as backup, with analog telco pro-gram circuits used as a tertiary link. (Photo byKevin McNamara, courtesy of Intraplex.)


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RF Engineering:STL update

more slices off the broadcast auxiliary bands.Digital STLs offer a good way to cope with these attacks on

broadcasters' frequency domain. In some cases, a narrower -bandwidth channel than that required by the analog STL canbe used for the digital path, with better audio quality at thesame time. In other cases, a digital STL can allow two full -fidelity stereo audio feeds (or several lower -quality monofeeds for subcarrier services and the like) to be placed on thesame channel that previously supported only one analogstereo link.

Of course, what enables this efficiency in the crowded950MHz aural STL band is the use of data compression.Across the current crop of digital STLs, numerous algo-rithms are offered, including apt -x, Dolby AC -2 and ISO/MPEG Layer 2.

Not all of today's STLs use the narrow channels of the950MHz band, however, and other types of digital Sits areavailable for these purposes. These systems use T-1 linksfrom telco or microwave STLs in the 18GHz and 23GHzbands, which offer sufficient bandwidth to supportuncompressed stereo audio. In the case of T-1 circuits, atransmitter -to -studio link (TSL) return path is intrinsicallyincluded, providing increased cost-effectiveness.

At present, there is no such thing as a "digital composite"950MHz STL All these systems operate like discrete analogSTLs, requiring the FM baseband to be assembled at thetransmitter site. Yet with the AFS/EBU connectivity nowoffered on STLs, processors and exciters, there are manymore options for high -quality air -chain configurations thanexisted in the analog STL world. It is possible to deliver acomposite digital FM signal via T1 or 18/23GHz STLs,however. Consult with STL manufacturers and dealers fordetails. Some digital STL manufacturers also offer cleverbackup systems that allow quick, automatic switchover fromdigital primary to analog backup links.

The regulatory frontRemember that the Private Radio Bureau of the FCC took

over the processing of all STL applications on Oct. 1, 1992.This may seem like old news, but if you've not had anoccasion to file a Form 313 for some time, this change mayhave gone unnoticed. Applications that require a filing feeshould go to FCC, Mass Media Services, PO Box 358700,Pittsburgh, PA 15251-5700.

If you have questions, call Ms. K. Garland at the FCC'sGettysburg office: 717-337-1212 or 800-322-1117.Form313 has had several changes in recent years, and it isadvisable to get the latest edition before filing. The fee -payment forms and requirements also seem to change fromyear to year. It's a good idea to request a supply of new Forms313 and fee -paying instructions from the FCC. The latestnumber for ordering FCC Forms is 800-418-3676. (Deliv-ery of forms can take about three weeks or more.)

Like everything else, the STL is going digital. With thischange comes improved audio quality, increased reliability,uniform performance over time and greater spectral effi-ciency - not a bad bargain overall. of

Acknowledgment: The author wishes to thank GeoffreyMendenhall of Haffis Corporation for his assistance in preparingthis article.i For more information on digital STLs,

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FCC Update:

FCC actson silentstations

By Harry C. Martin

Harry C. Martin is an attorneywith Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth,P.L.C., Rosslyn, VA.

F4 ffective immediately, the FCC is enforc-ing a new rule that specifies that thelicense of a broadcast station that re-

mains silent for a consecutive 12 -month pe-riod will automatically expire. The tole imple-ments a section of the Telecom Act. Forstations silent prior to Feb. 8, 1996, their 12 -month expiration clock begins on the date theact was signed, Feb. 8. Therefore, the first set oflicenses will expire on Feb. 9, 1997.

Prior to the act, the commission had thediscretion to either grant a station the authorityto remain silent for a specified period or com-mence a Invocation proceeding. The FCC nolonger has the power to grant extensions toremain silent for more than 12 months. How-ever, it does retain the right to begin a revocationproceeding in cases where the automatic expi-ration provision is not applicable.

For example, a station could be off the airfor eight consecutive months, resume broad-

casting for one day, and go silent foranother five months without trig-gering the automatic expiration. But,the commission will still be able toinitiate the revocation process insuch a case. There have been nochanges in the requirement thatbroadcasters must notify the com-mission and request consent forshorter periods of silence.

The commission warns licenseesthat the existence of pending appli-cations by silent stations will notpostpone the automatic expirationdate. Thus, silent stations wishingto assign or modify their licensesshould allow ample time for suchapplications to be processed.

Applications for facilities neededto return a silent station to the airshould be accompanied with a trans-mittal letter with the label "Requestto expedite application of silentstation." An explanation also mustbe given why the action is necessaryto return the station to the air andthe date that the license will expireif it remains off the air.

New regulatory feeschedule proposed

The FCC has released its proposed feeschedule. (See Table 1.) Because Congressmandated the same total amount of revenuesto be collected as in 1995, most of theadjustments made to fee amounts were minor.

In general, the proposed fees have increasedby slightly more than 1%. The commission hadconsidered eliminating separate fees for con-struction permits (CPs) and auxiliary stations. Itconcluded, however, that it would be fairer toretain these separate fee categories. In the caseof CPs, eliminating the fee would require exist-ing stations to subsidize the start-up operationsof competitors in the market. With regard toancillaries, the substantial differences in num-bers of auxiliaries licensed to different stationswould likely result in stations in smaller marketspaying a greater proportional share of the totalcosts of auxiliary regulation.

Accordingly, the fee schedule continues tocategorize radio stations by station class.

FCC Implements two-steprenewal process

The Telecommunications Act is changingrenewal rules and procedures for radio sta-tions. The commission plans to adopt aneight -year license term for television, radio,FM and TV translator facilities, low -power TVstations and international broadcasting li-censes. The FCC proposes to continue toissue licenses for experimental broadcast sta-tions for a term of one year. The terms will runconcurrently by state. The new uniform li-cense terms should enable the commissionto operate more efficiently. The commissionsuggests that broadcast renewal applicationsgranted after the effective date of the new rules

FY 1995 FY 1996AM radioClass A $1,120 $1,125Class B 620 630Class C 250 255Class D 310 315Jnbuilt CP 125 125

":PA radioClasses C, C1, C2, B $1,120 $1,125Classes A, Bl, C3 745 755Unbuilt CP 620 625

Table 1. FCC fee structures proposed for FY 96,compared to those of FY 95.

be given an eight -year term. As for renewalsgranted prior to the effective date, the com-mission proposes to extend the seven-yeargrants to eight years.

In addition to the changes in the licenseterms, the act has eliminated comparativerenewal challenges by establishing a two-stepprocedure. The commission must first deter-mine whether to grant an application by ex-amining three criteria: 1) the station hasserved the public interest, convenience andnecessity, 2) there have been no serious viola-tions by the licensee of the act or the rules andregulations of the commission; and 3) therehave been no other violations by the licenseeof the act or the rules and regulations of thecommission which, taken together, wouldconstitute a pattern of abuse.

If a licensee does not meet all of thesecriteria, the commission can deny the appli-cation or renew the license on certain termsand conditions (e.g., the FCC may grant arenewal for a term of fewer than eight years).Only after the commission denies an applica-tion may it entertain competing applications.

The new rules are expected to be in place bythe end of the year. 61

DatelineCommercial stations in the following statesmust file their annual ownership reports orreport certifications by Oct. 1, 1996: Florida,Puerto Rico, Virginia, Iowa, Missouri, Alaska,Oregon, Hawaii and Washington. Stationsn Iowa and Missouri must file their license'enewal applications by Oct. 1, 1996.


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Backup STL: Using the silence detectors built into all Prima models inconjunction with up to eight (8) available isolated inputs, Prima can triggeruser definable events based on the status of your main STL system. Prima canautomatically take over when your primary aural STL fails.

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Somerefined

rules

By Leonard Charles

_eonard Charles is an engineerWISC-TV, Madison, WI, and

:hairman of the SBE EAS Corn--nittee

The clock ticks as the Jan. 1, 1997 EAS-implementation deadline nears. Feed-back from manufacturers indicates that

some broadcasters think this deadline will bepushed back once more. Another delay isunlikely, however.

Meanwhile, the FCC has decided that it willexpedite the addition of local event codes tothe EAS roles. Rather than follow its estab-lished procedure of waiting until local areassubmit additional code requests, the FCC,working with FEMA and the NWS, will deter-mine an all-inclusive list and then amend itinto the rules. The commission hopes to com-plete this process by this fall. Don't put off thepurchase of EAS equipment pending the re-lease of this list, however, because equipmentmanufacturers have assured the SBE EASCommittee that the new list can be added totheir devices once the rules are amended -even to equipment already delivered.

As a state or local area, you may suggestcustom codes or local emergency events to becovered in this list by contacting the FCC EASoffice at 202-418-1220. The chances of add-ing "official" codes after the rules are amendedwill be nearly impossible. The SBE suggests itslist of local codes, which is published in its EASPrimer:This list is being reviewed by the threeagencies for possible inclusion. You may findthat an event unique to your local area isalready covered in this list.

Another clarification that surfaced at NAB 96involves the high -frequency (HF or shortwave)

broadcasters in the United States and its terri-tories. International broadcasters are men-tioned only once in the new rules, in paragraph11.54(b)(9). Many questions have been raisedby HF broadcasters and the FCC has respondedwith the following clarifications: HF broadcasters must install an FCC -certi-fied EAS decoder. They must monitor the two sources listed intheir state plan. They must maw broadcasting immediatelyupon receipt of a national EAS message con-taining the event code EAN, then wait for theEAT (termination) code to resume broadcast-ing. This can be done in the automatic mode. They are not required to have an EASencoder, because they do not need to activatethe EAS. They do not need to participate in theRequired Monthly Test (RMT) or the Re-quired Weekly Test (RWD. They should record the receipt of any teststo show that their equipment is working. They may share EAS equipment with co -owned and co -located stations, even if thosestations are not HF broadcasters.

The SBE EAS Committee will post new,updated or clarified EAS information as itbecomes mailable on the SBE web site atsbe.org. You may also E-mail the committeechair if \ III 11(1\ c questions. The address is

\-com or click on thechairman's name under the EAS heading onthe SBE web site.

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Cover story:

(Not so)Remotes

Radio remotes are sound-ing better costing less and

getting easier to do thanever before.

By Flawn Williams

New technologies are makingthe radio remote not so"remote" anymore. Theportability and reliability oftoday's audio equipment havecombined with the growingavailability of ISDN and othertransmission systems to makethe simple, high -quality andcost-effective remote a reality.

1ong gone is the distant sensationof Edward R Murrow's wartimereports from the rooftops of Lon-

don or the big band broadcasts fromhotel ballrooms or being able to tell bythe sound whether your team was play-ing home or away.

Today you're more likely to treat yourlisteners to a full -fidelity remote fromthe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inCleveland, a stereo sportscast from theSuper Bowl, a jazz brunch from aSingapore hotel or a riveting news reportfrom Bosnia. The quality is in your face,no matter how distant the source.

Backhaul basicsGetting live audio back to the station

so it can be a live broadcast is a large partof the challenge of radio remotes. For

Photo courtesy of Sennheiser ElectricCorporation.

local originations, if you've got the gearand the available frequency clearance,RF pickups can work welL Where accessto dial -up phone lines can be found,frequency extenders are still a usefulalternative. But the maturing of Inte-grated Services Digital Network (ISDN)service across the country and aroundthe world is making it the service ofchoice for moving audio in real-timefrom point to point.

At first, American rollout of ISDNlagged behind many other countries.Then, for a while, the terminal equip-ment was available but many regionscouldn't get the necessary lines installedby their local telcos.

As of mid -1996, ISDN has progressedto being an accepted working tooL Butwhen it comes to making audio connec-tions with ISDN, you'd still be wise totake the advice of a certain US. presidentfrom the 1980s: "Trust, but verify."

Adventures in ISDNFor starters, there are many different

options to select or reject when orderingan ISDN circuit. This is a predictable sideeffect of using a technology that is tryingto be so many things to so many people.Voice telephony, computer data, high -quality audio and videoconferencing arejust some of the tasks for which ISDN isused. But, for example, do you want yourbroadcast audio link interrupted by call -waiting beeps? Probably not. The manu-facturers of ISDN audio codecs can giveyou good advice on what flavor of ISDNservice their devices need. Work is alsounder way in the telco industry on codi-fying the service configurations requiredby different terminal equipment.

The dozens of different digital audioencoding algorithms available today canbe intimidating, as well. In a few shortyears, the original 7.5kHz mono G.722codecs have been joined by MPEG Layer


11 (in several variant forms), ISO/MPEGlayer III, apt -x, Dolby AC -2 and others,in mono and stereo implementationsand at various data rates. Stereo systemsare further split into two modes: thosethat encode each channel separately (dis-crete or dual -mono), and those that use

joint coding in which audio common toboth channels is encoded only once and"copied" to both channels at the receiveend. (Joint stereo can provide greatercoding efficiency than a discrete two -channel approach, although stereo sepa-ration can suffer slightly in some cases.)

Compounding this variety are two dif-ferent basic data rates. Although ISDN istheoretically built around 64kb/s chan-nels, some long distance service (LDS)providers pass only 56kb/s°fuser data. reserving the other8kb/s for network signaling.This problem is steadily be-coming less prevalent, but it'sstill worth confirming full64kb/s bandwidth with yourservice providers.

If you'll be purchasing orleasing the codec and termi-nal adapter equipment foryour studio and remote sites,the safe course is to pick asingle manufacturer and con-figuration for all of your ISDNgear. This will mean fewer vari-ables when making connec-tions and will give you a betterchance of getting problemssolved with a single phonecall. Many service bureaus alsoexist that can rent you the

of 16kb/s, used for call signaling - hencethe nomenclature 2B+D is also usedwhen describing ISDN-BRI. A 384 or256kb/s link (on three or two ISDN-BRIlines, respectively) can transmit remark-ably robust stereo. But even a 128kb/slink on a single ISDN-BRI line (whichstill involves IMUXing of two B -chan-nels) can sound pretty good for a single -hop stereo path using Layer III encoding.And respectable mono voice feeds canbe done on a single 64kb/s B-channeL(See "Using ISDN for Remotes," Septem-ber/October 1995.)

Perils of the two-way streetWill your remote broadcast be self-

contained from the remote site or will the

a headphone mix at the remote site thatcombines the backfeed signal with thelocal program mix.

Note that although the use of a higherbit rate usually implies less coding delay,ISDN connections that involve IMUXingof more than one B -channel may actuallycreate longer delays. This is because thereceiver uses additional buffering to ac-commodate the possibility of differentpaths being taken by the multiple B -channels. So in the quest for better fidel-ity, you actually may be elongating apath's throughput time.

These delays also interfere with thenatural timing of conversational inter-action between the studio and the re-mote. If your plans include interactivity

between your studio and the

KFJC, Los Altos. CA. Is a college FM station that does frequentremotes on a budget using ISDN lines for backhaul. (Photocourtesy of Mackie Designs.)

required hardware and helpyou set up ISDN circuits, either one-timeor long-term, local or long distance.

But if you're willing to delve into otheralgorithms to try connecting to existingISDN sites, a whole world of ad hocremote audio sources opens up. For aquick taste of what's out there, get a copyof the Audiobahn list (currently about300 listings) distributed by Jay Rose ofthe Digital Playroom. You can E-mail Jayat jcroseepop.tiac.net. The list noteswhich model of codec each site employs,so it's also helpful for contacting real usersto get their opinions of different gear.

As the market matures, vendors aretaking steps to improve their units' abil-ity to talk to other brands. Compatibilityis still far from automatic, though. Itrequires hands-on coordination for eachcall to a new location.

For those interested in feeding livestereo music from remote locations, in-verse multiplexing (IMUX) systems areavailable that can combine up to threebasic -rate interface (BRI) ISDN lines toobtain a data rate of up to 384kb/s. BRIis the standard flavor of LSDN serviceoffered to most nonPBX terminations. Itincludes two "B" or bearer channels of64kb/s each, plus a "D" or data channel

site interact with sources from homebase? ISDN makes interactive remotesmore cost-effective than ever before. Be-cause ISDN is a full -duplex technology,the backfeed from the station to theremote site is provided at the same fidel-ity as the feed from the site.

But the data processing involved in thecoding systems can introduce through-put delays that may approach a halfsecond for the full round trip. Differentalgorithms introduce different amountsof delay, with a substantial range of pos-sibilities currently available. In addition,an individual algorithm that offers a vari-ety of transmission data rates may intro-duce longer delays for its lower datarates. Of course, on long-distanceremotes, delay times are further extendedby longer terrestrial transmission paths,and any satellite links will add about aquarter of a second apiece.

Any delay over a few hundredths of asecond can make a full -mix backfeedfrom the studio unworkable for monitor-ing at the remote site, because the echowill confuse the remote talent Therefore,be prepared to implement "mix -minusin both directions," and make sure youhave a field mixer that will let you create

remote site, consider all thealternative coders and pathsavailable, making throughputdelay one of your primarycriteria of choice. Anotherway to lessen (although noteliminate) the delay prob-lem is to abandon the high -quality ISDN return path andinstead use a standard dial -up phone line for thebackfeed. The monitoringquality at the site won't be asgood, but the timing will bemore natural and an overallbetter program may result.

The POTS alternativeOne of the newest trans-

mission systems available isthe so-called POTS (PlainOld Telephone Service)

codec. These systems combine an audiocodec with a 28.8kb/s analog modemand connect via standard analog tele-phone (POTS) lines. Here again, differ-ent systems offer a range of throughputdelays, but some can have a low enoughdelay to allow conversation without per-ceived echoes, and possibly negate theneed for "mix -minus" assignments. Moreimportant, they can also save you the waitand the expense of getting an ISDN lineinstalled at the remote site.

POTS coders can provide reasonablygood voice -quality audio remotes over asingle analog dial -up phone circuit. Noiseand distortion are lower and frequencyresponse is wider and more natural thana direct analog feed into the same phoneline. On some units, if the phone linecannot support a full 28.8kb/s feed, alower fidelity connection will be pro -sided. For example, one such systemdelivers 7.7kHz audio bandwidth at28.8kb/s and 5.7kHz on a 19.2kb/spath - still better than analog use of theline, even with a frequency extender.

POTS codecs cost about as much astheir ISDN brethren, so there's not muchsavings to be squeezed out of the equip-ment budget. The currently available

BE RADIO, July/August 1996 25

(Not so) Remotes

systems are not compatible with oneanother (nor with other ISDN orSwitched -56 codecs), so you need twoof the same units - one for eachend of the POTS -line path. Theability to use a single existingphone line for broadcast -qualityaudio should greatly expand yourpossible remote sites, however.

Could you be even more por-table by combining one of thesecodecs with a cellular phone con-nection? Sony, we're not quitethere yet. Cellular phones withmodem ports typically don't sup-port data rates higher than 9.61cb/s,and the current crop of POTScodecs need twice that bandwidthto function even marginally.

Life on the noise floorFor connecting to remote sites

within several miles of your station(or via a fixed relay point), consider

recently established spectrum at 902-928MHz and 2,400-2,485MHz. Theycan provide clean capture of signals usingcarriers that barely pop up out of the noisefloor.

Various models support synchronousdata rates of 64, 128 or 256kb/s in the902-928MHz region (for use with the

uncompressed audio feeds). When usedwith a directional Yagi antenna and line -of -sight path, these units can be usedacross distances of 10 miles or more.Combined with appropriate digital audiocodecs operating at those data rates, youcould have a broadcast -quality audio linkwith no installation or usage charges.

Some systems feed wideband au-dio in only one direction (although

During Super Bowl week last January, MJI Broadcastingestablished an ad -hoc network of stations for sports -talkprograms fed directly from Phoenix via this ISDN codes/TA setup. (Photo courtesy of Comrex Corporation.)

another emerging technology:spread -spectrum wireless digital transmis-sion. These techniques are used by unli-censed, low -power wireless modems in

GB

same data -compression codecs em-ployed in ISDN transmission) or at higherdata rates in the 2,400MHz band (for

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the feed direction on the link canbe easily switched), while othersare inherently full -duplex (two-way).

Remote recordingOf course, not everything your

staff wants to put on the air from aremote site needs to be carriedlive. A substantial amount of newtechnology has been applied toequipment used in gathering andproducing audio in the field.

Among these are new portableaudio recording systems, includ-ing the DAT and NT -1 (or"Scoopman") tape formats, theMiniDisc format, the ADAT andDTRS formats of modular digitalmultitracks (MDMs) and a varietyof portable hard -disk recorders.

Among the latter you'll find a wide rangeof fixed, removable or PCMCIA drives.Some of these systems allow field editing,

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26 BE RADIO, July/August 1996Circle (46) on Action Card

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There is a better way!It's not easy trying to understand the conflicting claims madeby different manufacturers when you're buying a Digital AudioOn -Air & Production System, whether a single, multipurposeWorkstation or an integrated, multiple studio setup. At one endof the spectrum, you're faced with a wide variet:, of simple "CartMachine Replacements," and on the other, prockicts whosecomplexity confounds even the most seasoned broad-cast engineer.

The ENCO DAD486x Digital AudioDelivery System soaves the problem!DAD is simply the most powerful On -Air& Production system available, yet itsuncomplicated approach and inherent easeof operation makes immediate sense to anyuser.

Intuitive On -Screen displays that are imme-diately familiar to operators. OptionalTouchscreen makes operation quick and easy

Complete On -Air flexibility with various "WiwiMachines" for Live Assist, Automation, orSatellite Programmed operations. Interface toother equipment plus scheduling and billing pack-ages. Seamless segue and voiceover transitionssound "Live" in all modes. Script capabilities canbe included.

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(Not so) Remotes Extreme remote: Bosniaand a few even incorporate a codec andan ISDN terminal adapter for real-timeor file -based transmission hack to thestudio. New battery chemistries and out-board battery packs have also eased thehassles of keeping portable recorderspowered in the field.

A variation of the portable hard -diskrecorder is the laptop audio worksta-tion," which can be purchased as an off -the -shelf item or assembled by the userfrom commonly available, general-pur-pose computer hardware and software.

New MiniDisc field recorder featuresinclude a mono record option thatdoubles the recording time more thantwo hours per disc, plus some nifty high-speed playback options that make dub-bing, logging and locating particularmoments much easier. Remember, how-ever, that MiniDisc recorders are suscep-tible to disruption of their recording dueto jostling or vibration. A memory bufferhelps protect MiniDisc playback fromthese motion -induced problems, but inmost models, the recording process isnot similarly protected. If you do all yourfield recording without moving the re-corder, this should not be a worry.

Continued on page 35

By Leo del Aguila

From the moment I was assigned to set up the technical operation for NPR'scoverage of NATO's implementatior of the Dayton Peace Agreement in Bosniaand Herzegovina (BiH), I tried to prepare for every possible scenario our crew (threereporters, one producer and myself) would face while in the field. This includedsituations like traveling with U.S. troops on reconnaissance and establishment -of -perimeter missions, interviews with local citizens and officials, visits by high brassand dignitaries and impromptu press briefings. Added to this was the lack ofreliable communications and electrical service.

Beyond simple versatility, however, was the commitment to audio excellence byNPR's engineering and news departments. It paid hefty returns on this assignment,as the sonic quality of all the reports from BiH brought radio listeners to this militarytheater with vivid realism.

From past experiences in similar environments around the world, I knew that inorder to keep up with the fastpace of unfolding news andprogramming deadlines, ourfield recording, productionand communication equip-ment had to be compact,rugged and reliable. Most ofthis gear also had to be bat-tery -powered. User-friendlyoperation was a plus, in casenontechnical members ofthe crew were called uponto operate technical equip-ment. (Under extreme fieldconditions such as these, ju-risdictional and job -descrip-tion boundaries are some-times overlooked!)

Portable uplink feeding the Inmarsat AOR-E sat-ellite through a window in a Tuzla, BiH apartmentprovicing POTS or ISDN connectivity to the U.S.Codec and fax machine are on tables at rear.

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Traveling light?Checked baggage for this trip amounted to eight large

cases - including our flack jackets and cold -weather cloth-ing. We also brought aboard two "M" Satphones, one reporter'skit and two large carry-ons. Traveling with this much gearrequires a detailed inventory (for insurance and customs pur-poses) and lots of stamina, because you'll have to handle it allyourself every step of the way. While this minimizes the possibil-ity of losing anything in transit, we also knew there would be noskycaps at the curb in BiH.

Our first destination in BiH was the city of Tuzla. Getting theretook us from Washington, DC to Zurich, Switzerland to Zagreb,Croatia where I got UN credentials, and then to Split, a beau-tiful city on Croatia's Adriaticcoast - all in one 21 -hour jour-ney. In Split, we had to rest for aday due to a violent winter storm.We rented two four-wheel drivevehicles for the trek to Tuzla, andthen loaded one vehicle with thegear and the other one with gro-ceries and supplies. (We werewell aware of the lack of foodand basic staples in BiH.) The ad-ventures we encountered on thatroad trip would fill many pages.Suffice it to say that it includedthe experiences of several nor-mal lifetimes.Two days later, we were

greeted in Tuzla by a member ofour crew who had already se-cured a comfortable apartment.It had an enclosed porch withwindows facing the southwest-ern sky -a critical point, becauseto transmit our reports back to thesatellite located in that part of the

(or both), plus appropriate cables and headphones. Thenetwork also provides them with laptop computers on whichthey can log into the NPR mainframe computer via modem.

Because NPR reporters are accustomed to getting the storyon their own, an engineer's job in the field is complementary.By using more technically sophisticated equipment, and byacting as an "audio photographer" - capturing those uniquesounds, often nonverbal, that sonically portray times andplaces - the detail and impact of the reports can be dramati-cally enhanced.

A typical engineer's kit for this work includes a Sony TCD-D7or -D8 DAT recorder (usually modified with outboard batterypack that uses four D -cells), a Neumann KMR-81 short -shotgun

microphone, a Sonosax SX-M2 ste-reo mic/line amplifier, Sony MDR -7506 headphones, zeppelinwindscreen, shock -mount, pistolgrip and collapsible fishpole, plusa variety of cables and adapters,mic-mounting hardware, batter-ies, gaffers tape, pads, pens andlabels, plenty of blank tape andspares of practically everything.

The reliable and high -qualityKMR-81 and the SX-M2 are a nicecomplement to "consumer" por-table DAT recorders. The SX-M2has three gain settings, a low-cutfilter, balanced XLR inputs andunbalanced (3.5mm stereo mini -

NPR reporters Tom Gjelten and Martha Radcatz inTuzla, BiH, during a live interview with an NPR studiohost in Washington, DC.

the Satphone we broughtUnited States would use asky.

Field recordingMost of the time, NPR reporters work on their own and are

issued a kit which contains modified Sony TCM-5000s orMarantz PMD-421s (both audio cassette recorders), with eithera beyerdynamic M-58 or Audio-Technica AT -835 microphone

plug) line output. It provides up tofour hours of 48V phantom powerfrom two 9V batteries.

The Sony TCD-D7's recording ca-pabilities are vastly improved by

this combo. Because its line input is being used (instead of itsmic input, which consumes battery power faster) the outboardD -cell tray can power the D7 for up to 14 hours.

Field productionSome of the remote recording gear noted earlier performs

double duty during the production process. A second Sonyportable DAT recorder and a couple of Sony TC-D5 Pro IIcassette recorders are added, along with a Shure FP -31 mixer,

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