NAB and Saga Communications Speak Out on FCC NPRM

WLW Tower Dedicated as Historical Marker

Mason, OH - Sept 24, 2003 – The WLW radio tower in Mason, OH, has been marked as a historical sight. Built in 1927, the tower is known as the Blaw-Knox antenna.

Located 20 miles north of downtown Cincinnati, WLW played a role in the development of American broadcasting. On the air, the station was one of a handful of prominent programming sources not tied to the coasts and the big networks. During the 1920s and 1930s, WLW and founder Powel Crosley worked to advance the state of radio engineering, including several years as the only U.S. station ever to operate with 500kW of power and many years as one of the few U.S. stations to operate an international shortwave plant in addition to domestic AM broadcasting.

FCC Opens Reservation Window for NCE FM Allotments

Washington - Sept 30, 2003 - The FCC's Media Bureau will accept reservation showings until Nov. 21, 2003, for all vacant FM allotments, except those for which a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) was released on or after Aug. 7, 2000. In the Report and Order in Reexamination of the Comparative Standards for Noncommercial Educational Applicants, the Commission relaxed the standards for reserving an FM channel for noncommercial educational (NCE) use. Under these revised standards, a reservation proponent must demonstrate that it is technically precluded from using a reserved channel and would provide a first or second NCE radio service to at least 10 percent of the population within the 1mV/m contour of its proposed station. The Commission limited this reservation policy to future allocation proceedings. The staff has reserved several allotments under these rules.

In the NCE Second Report and Order, the Commission extended the revised reservation policy to existing, vacant FM allotments for which it initiated an allocation proceeding, as determined by the release of a NPRM, before the effective date of these standards, Aug. 7, 2000. There are about 500 such FM channels, including about 350 that were previously scheduled for auction.

BE’s HD Radio Seminar Successful

Quincy, IL – Oct 9, 2003 – Forty-five broadcasters attended the Broadcast Electronic’s HD Radio seminar in Philadelphia during the NAB Radio Show. Held on Oct. 1, the seminar detailed design criteria and implementation methods, including FM high-level combining, low-level combining and separate antenna systems.

Harman Pro North America Relocates

Northridge, CA - Oct 7, 2003 - Harman Pro North America (HPNA), the United States distributor for AMEK, BSS Audio and Soundcraft, has relocated all of its operations from Nashville, TN, to Northridge, CA.

Coincident with this relocation announcement, Harman Pro North America also said that it has now added a fourth Harman International company to its portfolio: Studer.

New contact information for Harman Pro North America and its brands is:
Harman Pro North America
8500 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91329
Tel: 818-920-3212
Fax: 818-920-3208

Pulizzi Obtains ISO 9001:2000 Certification

Santa Ana, CA - Oct 6, 2003 - The certification body of TUV Management Services has certified that Pulizzi Engineering has implemented a Quality Management System in accordance with ISA 9001:2000. This standard is a transition from the previous ISO 9001:1994. The new standard places emphasis on upper management involvement and customer involvement. The new system also provides a better vehicle for implementing customer-driven changes.

Pulizzi manufactures ac power distribution, ac power sequencing, redundant power and remote reboot power management systems.

CCA Parts and Schematics Now Available

BBC Technology Expands Consulting for NPR

London – Sept 12, 2003 - BBC Technology has expanded its strategic consulting project for the distribution division of NPR. The focus of the project is to create a new digital distribution system for NPR’s Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS) unit, responsible for network management of more than 400 interconnected U.S. public radio member stations. The PRSS’ new system is called the Content Depot and will facilitate the distribution of content from producers to interconnected stations by streamlining how these stations select, send, acquire and automate programming. BBC Technology has been selected to be a part of the team that will now be responsible for turning the extensive Content Depot research, plans, and models into a robust and flexible system for stations and producers.

The Content Depot will allow PRSS to increase its efficiencies by shifting the management of content back into the hands of radio producers and stations. Producers will be able to upload their own content to the Content Depot without having to mail hard media to PRSS. Stations will be able to manage their own content subscriptions via the Content Depot Web portal. Content Depot also automates much of the process between the intake of content and its distribution to stations.

Auralex Acoustics, Terrasonde Form Audio Training Organization

Indianapolis and Boulder, CO - Oct 1, 2003 - Auralex Acoustics and Terrasonde have announced a strategic alliance to form the Institute for Audio Excellence (IAE). The IAE is a professional training organization specializing in the delivery of educational programs for the prediction, measurement and treatment of acoustics and audio systems.

According to the partnering companies, there are several resources available for high-level technical training in systems and acoustics, but there remains a need for affordable "entry-level" education for many in the industry. The IAE was formed to meet this need by offering structured programs focused on practical techniques and methods that have immediate application, as opposed to other audio seminars that focus on theory and technical specifications.

The IAE workshops are eight-hour sessions that are tailored to meet the needs of a specific audience. They will be regionally based, eliminating the need for costly travel expenses. The classes will include:

BRS Renews .FM Partnership

Federated States of Micronesia and San Francisco, CA - Oct 2, 2003 - BRS Media's dotFM, the exclusive worldwide registry for Web addresses ending in .FM, and FSM Telecom, the telephone, wireless, Internet and cable service provider for the Federated States of Micronesia, have signed an agreement to continue the partnership to register and market the top-level domain .fm to the Internet and broadcast industry worldwide. BRS has offered the dotFM registry since 1998.

Patriot Announces Antenna Upgrade Offer

Albion, MI - Oct 6, 2003 - Patriot Antenna Systems has unveiled its plan to provide an upgrade path for its commercial-grade receive-only offset antennas to become transmit dishes at any time in the future. Users can purchase a tx/rx feed assembly and to upgrade the antenna in the field. The upgrade can be used on Ku, Ka or C-band systems.