AES Call for Papers Deadlines Approach

CBI Annual Convention Sets Attendance Record

FCC Continues to Support Odd-length Federal Political Spots

Washington - Nov 14, 2003 - The FCC denied an NAB petition to reinstate a previous ruling (in effect from 1994 until 1999) that stations are not required to sell odd-length time (for example five-minute ads) to federal candidates. The FCC held that broadcasters' obligation to provide reasonable access to a legally qualified federal candidate precluded any blanket ban on non-standard length time. Stations still may evaluate requests for time on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration: (1) how much time was previously sold to the candidate; (2) disruption to station's regular programming; (3) likelihood of equal opportunity requests by opposing candidates; and (4) the timing of the request.

FCC Makes Additional Unlicensed Spectrum Available

Washington, DC - Nov 13, 2003 - The FCC has made available an additional 255MHz of spectrum in the 5.470 to 5.725GHz band for unlicensed devices.

In the Report and Order approved on Nov. 12, the Commission made the spectrum available for use by unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) devices, including radio local area networks (RLANs), operating under Part 15 of the FCC’s rules. This increases the spectrum available for use by unlicensed devices in the 5GHz region of the spectrum by nearly 80 percent and is a significant increase in the spectrum available for unlicensed devices across the overall radio spectrum. The FCC expects that this action will also harmonize the spectrum available for these U-NII devices throughout the world, enabling manufacturers to reduce product development costs by allowing the same products to be used in many parts of the world.

The new spectrum is part of an effort to enable continued growth and innovation in wireless broadband services, including services offered by wireless Internet service providers (WISPs). WISPs use unlicensed devices to provide a broadband alternative for rural and underserved areas. Although they are a relatively nascent industry, their deployment rates have been increasing rapidly.

In addition to making additional spectrum available for U-NII devices, the Commission also adopted several allocation changes consistent with the results of the 2003 World Radio Conference and an agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). These changes will ensure that critical Federal Government operations are protected from harmful interference. In addition to the allocation changes, to provide federal users with additional protection from harmful interference, the order requires that U?NII devices operating in the 5.250 to 5.350GHz and the 5.470 to 5.725GHz bands use dynamic frequency selection (DFS), a listen-before-talk mechanism and transmit power control (TPC).

Report and Order FCC 03-287, ET Docket No. 03–122.

DRM Intros Participation Option

Ibiquity Unveils Data Services Interface

Arbitron Updates Census Data

WNNK to Install Interleaved HD Radio Antenna

Raymond, ME - Nov 20, 2003 - Dielectric Communications is working with Cumulus on the installation of the Dielectric's first interleaved analog/IBOC FM antenna. WNNK Engineering Manager Dave Supplee suggested the Harrisburg, PA, market to Cumulus because of the mountainous terrain and multipath issues. Gary Kline, corporate director of engineering agreed because the location should provide an opportunity to evaluate IBOC in a severe multipath location.

Dielectric’s development of the interleaved antenna design has created an improvement in isolation between the antenna elements. As a result of the increased isolation, the electrical performance of the antenna is stable, effectively eliminating elevation and azimuthal pattern deviation between the analog and digital signals.

Combined with the use of circulator technology in the RF system, Dielectric expects this design to meet or improve on the 36dB isolation specification for IBOC. Both scale model and full-size tests of the interleaving scheme have shown no change in the antenna patterns by adding the IBOC bays to an existing analog antenna.

WNNK recently took delivery of the two-bay, full-wave-spaced Dielectric DCR-M side-mounted antenna. This antenna will radiate the Class B FM’s analog signal. This month, the interleaved two-bay IBOC antenna and IBOC transmitter will be installed.

OMT Acquires Assets of Musicmusicmusic

Winnipeg, MB - Nov 19, 2003 - Through a wholly-owned subsidiary, OMT has purchased the assets of the former Musicmusicmusic, a Toronto-based multimedia content provider previously traded on the Neuer Markt of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol MU5. The acquisition provides OMT with one of the world's largest media databases containing over 365,000 high quality digital audio tracks and several thousand digital DVD movie and video game trailers. The SQL content management database and a secure Internet-based content delivery system, also acquired as part of the transaction, provides the infrastructure to immediately deliver subscription-based multi-media services to existing clients and new customers.

These new media services include a commercial music service, branded Internet streaming radio service, digital audio updates services for radio stations and a retail CD, DVD and video game previewing service. OMT plans to distribute these new services jointly through select business partners across North America.

OMT manufactures the Mediatouch line of radio automation software.

Coding Technologies, Beijing E-World form Joint Venture

Stockholm, Sweden - Nov 18, 2003 - Coding Technologies, the creator of SBR codec enhancement, and Beijing E-World Technology, the creator of the Chinese Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD) format, have establised a joint venture, Beijing Media Works, to create and license a new audio codec. This new SBR-enhanced codec, EAC 2.0, is already specified in the EVD format and will also be targeted for use in other Chinese applications.

Beijing Media Works is based in Beijing, with additional engineering facilities in Nuremberg, Germany. This selection of office locations will allow for close business and engineering collaboration between the joint venture and both parent companies.

SBR-enhanced EAC will be licensed exclusively in Greater China by the joint venture and in the rest of the world by Coding Technologies.

Spectral Band Replication (SBR) is a unique bandwidth-extension technique that enables audio codecs to deliver the same quality at half the bit-rate. In practice, SBR is wrapped around a core perceptual audio codec to enhance its efficiency in a backward- and forward-compatible way. Based on the principle that the high and low frequencies of an audio signal are highly correlated, SBR-coupled codecs use the core to only encode the low frequencies and use the SBR to encode the high frequencies with low overhead.

Enhanced Audio Codec (EAC) is an enhanced audio codec developed and owned by Beijing E-World that uses a unique perceptual model to compress the audio signal by using the redundancy as well as the relevancy. The EAC codec supports mono, stereo and 5.1 surround-sound modes for encoding and decoding. EAC is part of the EVD system specification.

Rohn Enters Into Agreement for Sale of Assets

Frankfort, IN - Nov 14, 2003 - Rohn Industries and its subsidiaries, after having filed Chapter 11, have entered into an asset purchase agreement with SPX. The Asset Purchase Agreement provides for the sale of certain assets of the Rohn to SPX for the amount of $5.45 million.

Through its broadcast and communication systems and services division, SPX provides analog and digital TV and FM systems, high-frequency and medium-frequency antennas, transmission lines, towers and radio frequency filter systems for the broadcast market. SPX also is a major site developer for the PCS/cellular industry. Its brands include Dielectric, Central Tower, TCI, Flash Technology, Brookstone Telecommunications and Flexline.

Microsoft's SPOT Watches Delayed

Las Vegas - Nov 17, 2003 - The IDG New Service reports that watches equipped with Microsoft's Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT) won't be available until early next year, missing the holiday shopping season target. The concept was unveiled at Comdex in 2002 with manufacturing partnerships with Fossil, Suunto and Citizen Watch announced in January 2003 at the Consumer Electronics Show.

SPOT will be highlighted by Microsoft at CES in 2004, but Microsoft will not reveal if the convention will see the technology launch.

SPOT watches and the MSN Direct service, the service that feeds the watches, will be available in the U.S. and Canada initially. The watches receive their data via FM subcarriers in the top 100 U.S. metropolitan areas and the largest Canadian cities.

Microsoft and watchmakers Fossil and Suunto Oy of Finland only recently started a large test, too late to make the December gift-giving season. For the watches to be widely available around the holidays, they would have to be shipping to retailers in September, says Roger Gulrajani, director of SPOT at Microsoft.

UK Digital Radio Manufacturers Choose TI

Dallas - Nov 13, 2003 - Texas Instruments introduced Eureka-147 DAB receiver modules in March 2003. Since then, several digital radio brands in the UK have decided to use this chipset. Six of the nine brands using DAB modules include Acoustic Solutions Limited, Cambridge Audio, Hitachi, Intempo, Morphy Richards and Roberts Radio Limited. Gyrosignal, Samsung Electro-Mechanics and TBK Electronics are the leading module makers that are using TI's chipset along with software from Radioscape.

Sony and BMG to Form Joint Music Group

New York - Nov 6, 2003 - The international media and entertainment companies Bertelsmann AG (BMG) and Sony have signed a non-binding letter of intent to form a jointly owned recorded music company to be called Sony BMG. The company will be 50 percent owned by Bertelsmann and 50 percent owned by Sony.

The joint venture of BMG and Sony Music Entertainment will combine their recorded music businesses. The new company would not include the companies' music publishing, physical distribution and manufacturing businesses.

Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BMG, will serve as chairman of the board of the new joint venture. The board of directors of the new company will be made up of an equal number of representatives from Sony and Bertelsmann. Andrew Lack, chief executive officer of Sony Music Entertainment, will be chief executive officer. The newly formed joint venture will include senior executives from both music groups.

Consummation of the transaction remains subject to a number of conditions, including approvals of the regulatory authorities in the US and the European Union.

Andrew Appoints Byrnes as VP and GM

Orland Park, IL - Nov 11, 2003 - Joan M. Byrnes has joined Andrew in the newly created role of vice president, satellite communications. In this position, she will be responsible for managing Andrew's global satellite communications lines of business. Byrnes was the former chief operating officer at Loral Skynet, a division of Loral Space and Communications, where she had responsibility for marketing, sales, business operations and profitability for Loral Skynet's product lines.

Prior to the acquisition of AT&T Skynet Satellite Services by Loral Space and Communications, Byrnes held a number of senior positions within AT&T, including roles in strategic planning and business development, product management, business network sales and network operations.

Byrnes serves on the board of directors of the Society for Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), a non-profit satellite association dedicated to providing a forum for increasing awareness and professionalism in the satellite industry, and is its current chairman. She is also on the advisory board for SATCON, a conference board focusing exclusively on applications of satellite technology for existing and emerging growth segments.

Byrnes holds a BA degree in English from Montclair State University and an MBA from Rutgers University. She has also completed various executive programs, including the Executive Program on Management Development from the Business School at Berkeley, University of California, and the Executive Sales Program at Kellogg.

White Joins S.C.M.S.

AES Launches Job Posting Board

Terrasonde Launches New Website

Stardraw.com Launches New Website

Eimac Releases Tube Reference Book

Audio Science Releases Linux ALSA Driver