duopoly status report field reports: roland dm -8 ......jan 02, 1995 · onoj jjjjjjjjjjjj fm aiaj...

-anuary/February 1995/$5,00INTERTEC Publication Imin the Edium:s ()I BROaDCaST

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Duopoly status report Field reports: Roland DM -8

Panasonic SV-4

PLus: Managing Tectinoloav Contract Engineering

The LegendContinues.

The Old Standard.Our M267 Mixer is more than the best selling mixer

of the last ten years. It's the most versatile, the mostdurable, and the best performing. You trust it in yourrack-you trust it on the road. And while productionenvironments have changed, your mixer remained thesame. Until now.

The New Standard.Our new M367 Portable Mixer gives you all the

reliability and durability of the M267, plus a list of newfeatures and improvements. We made it over 25 dBquieter with a low noise circuit - ideal for digital formats.We added two more mic line inputs, bringing the total tosix. We added peak LEDs. And we gave it 12 and 48 -voltphantom power for your condenser mics.

What we didn't change was its toughness. It's stillmade with a rugged all -metal chassis and manufactured inthe USA with legendary Shure durability.

The New Features.Without increasing the size, we were able to pack in

dozens of new features and improvements. The M367has all the features of the M267, plus:

Input peak LEDs Detachable power cord Two XLR outputs Easy -access side battery compartment Headphone monitor circuit Output peak/limiter LED Balanced, 2 -position mix bus Adjustable limiter threshold Battery/AC VU meter illumination Monitor input sensitivity selector Program/monitor input selectorWith the Shure M367 mixer, we've just raised the

standards. It's time you raised yours.

For The Shure Dealer Nearest You,Call I -800-25-SHURE.

THE SOUND OF THE PROFESSIONALS ...WORLDWIDE. SHURE'Circle (1) on Reply Card

Its mother was an accountant.Its father was a Maserati.

Harris DX Series AM transmitters aretruly a breed apart.

On the one hand, DX Seriestransmitters are a solid investment.In fact, their ability to quickly pay forthemselves has been proven in morethan 500 installations worldwide.Efficiency is the kev. Typical overallefficiency up to 86 percent dramaticallyreduces energy costs and practicallypays for the transmitter itself.

Solid state design - including Harris'

HARRISALLIED

patented Digital Amplitude Modulationtechnology - eliminates costly, unpre-dictable tubes, dramatically reducingthe cost of upkeep and virtuallyeliminating unscheduled off -air time.

On the other hand there is perfor-mance. High quality, FM -comparableaudio performance takes the Harris DXSeries right to the top of its class.And you can count on performancethat lasts. The MTBF rating for Harris RF

modules is 6 million hours.

In short, the DX Series offerseverything you want in a solid statetransmitter, in power ratings from 10 kWto 1000 kW (and beyond). Call us todayto rind out how to put the performanceand business sense of the DX Series towork for you.

U.S. and Canada: 217-222-8200or fax 217-224-1439

International: 217-222-8290or fax 217-224-2764

Circle 14) on Reply Card© 1994 Harris Corr

131P44444)

I I RF Engineering

20 Digital Storage

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

January 1995 Volume 2 Number 1

This month...

Digital storage 20By Chip MorganDecisions, decisions - the choice of a digital storage format has become the most vexing issuefacing radio broadcasters today.

Duopoly Status Report 26By Neal J. FriedmanHave duopolies really made a difference? A new FCC study says yes... and no.

Field Report: Roland DM -80 Workstation 34By Richard PaulA popular and radio -friendly digital audio workstation is ro icrccd

Field Report: Panasonic SV-4100 DAT Recorder 38By Flawn WilliamsThis new studio DAT deck offers some welcome features for radio production.

Departments...

EditorialBy Skip Pizzi, radio editorSome broad new horizons are opening for radio.

Managing technology 6By William FawcettBuying new technology doesn't have to be risky.

Contract engineering 10By Kirk HamackGetting off to a good start as a contractor requires careful planning

RF engineering 14By John Battison, P.EThe importance of antenna tuning for AM broadcasting has not diminished.

25% News 41Business/People 42

15% New Products 44,o, Classified 475% Ad Index 48

ONOJ JJJJJJJJJJJJ FM AIAJ J A92 BO 94

26 Duopoly Status Report

0%

ON THE COVER : (Right) The Barracuda, a high -capacity, high-speed hard diskdrive from Seagate, Scotts Valley, CA.

2 tit: RADIO, January/February 1995

Production Directors. Engineers. Even newsroom people swear

by the DSE. Which is probably why these stations with one DSE

soon wind up with two. Or even three. Learning is fast. Editing is

easier. Everybody is more productive. Because not only do your

station's multiple personalities get up to speed faster, they stay up

there. To see it in action yourself call 1-800-622-0022 for a demo.

The DSE 7000. The New Speed Of Sound.

The Only DigitalEditing System Created For

Multiple Personalities.

two. Or you'll never keep the peace ."John Buffaloe. .Chief Engineer

KSON, San Diego

" It's the only digital system in radio thatlets you edit by ear. What a concept ."

Ross Wilson. .Pmducticm DirectorK101. San Francisco

it, the USE can do it. Or undo it. "Bill Schultz...Production Director

103 .5 WYNY-FM, New York

" You install it, it runs, the productiondepartment is happy. Next problem."

Dan Mettler...Chief EngineerWNDE/WFRQ, Indianapolis

orban111 A Harman International Company

.ti .1' 'S Withthe DSE, time is on my side."

Barbara Sherri,. .Production DirectorKQQL FM, Minneapolis

" It gives our Air talent so much creative

ti om, they won't use anything else."Byron Swanson...Chief Engineer

KKRZ, Portland

For a demo in the Ctic.all Barns Allied Broadcast Center: 1.800.622.0022Or contact Orban. Phone 1. 510. 351.3500 Fax 1-510-351-0500

Circle (5) on Reply Card

Editorial:

Newhorizons

Skip Pizzi,radio editor

Comedian Steven Wright claims he's a "peripheral visionary" - he can see thefuture, "but only waaay off to the side." In fact, that's a skill radio broadcasters

could use right now, with so many changes coming from different directions at once.For instance, the dawning of this new year found the regulatory front awash withactivity in the areas of EBS, unattended station operation and satellite DAB. (See"News," p. 41.)

Expect more of the same as the year goes on. By spring, the ER and NRSC will have

concluded the laboratory phase of their DAB format tests, and moved on to fieldtrials. NAB '95 will likely include some mobile demonstrations of in -hand DABsystems. New datacasting networks may also be knock-

ing on stations' doors this year, as the FM subcarrier Respond via themarketplace heats up. BE Radio

Of course, there's plenty more: Established trends FAXback line atlike duopolies, LMAs and automation will continue to 913-967-1905 orgrow in 1995. Digital audio will step up its massive via e-mail toonslaught into radio production facilities. The cost

beradio©and availability of digital telco services will improve

dramatically as ISDN deployment moves into high intertec.com.gear. RBDS will gradually make its way into more U.S.

radio stations, cars and homes. And, 1995 may be theyear of the Internet for more stations, as many comeon-line with programming -related information or even

audio services. (Did you know that there are alreadymore than 100 U.S. radio stations with home pages onthe World Wide Web?)

Given this fast -paced and challenging context, whatlbetter -time to launch a radio -specific, technology- i

centered magazine? Welcome to the first stand-alone issue of BE Radio magazine,dedicated to help radio engineers and managers keep up with all the changes.

Many of you may have seen BE Radio during 1994 when it began its life as a bi-monthly supplement to Broadcast Engineering Those who did will notice manychanges in this issue as BE Radio steps out on its own. You'll find more in-depthcoverage, new columns and expanded features, along with a more attractive andreadable look.

Many readers whom we've spoken with feel there's a pressing need for a magazinededicated exclusively to serious radio technology. BE Radio is that magazine. Let usknow how you like our new look and content. Also, check out the "Preview" on p. 47for more details on upcoming issues. Note that the Internet stops at our door too!You can reach us on-line at the e-mail address below.

As radio broadcasters face their onrushing future, a clean windshield will beessential - plus side windows and mirrors, too. We'll keep the squeegees ready tosharpen your focus and widen your view.

4 BERADIO,January/February 1995

MAKE A CLEAN SWEEP WITH

Replace the clutter on your audio test benchwith the Portable One Plus from Audio Precision.With one instrument you can make 12 differentaudio measurements. All in a test set designedfrom the start with 2 channel level, crosstalkand phase measurement capability.

Use the unique AC Mains check function for monitoringpower line problems and the built-in wow & fluttermeter for measuring analog tape & disc.

The Portable One Plus sbuilt to Audio Precisionperformance and dura-bility standards... so youknow you'll get the samesuperior performance inthe field as on the ben:h.

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Circle (11) on Reply CardINTERNATIONAL DISTR Australia: IRT Electronics Ply Ltd_ Tel 2 414 3744 Austria: ELSINCO GmbH. Tel (11 815 04 00 Etelgium: TransEuropean Music NV. Tel 2 466 501) Brazil: INTERWAbE LTDA.. Tel (21) 3259221 Bulgaria: ELSINCO. h e. Slrelbishie.Tel (2) 58 61 31 Canada: GERRAUDIODistribution. Tel (416) 6962779 China. Hong Kong: A C E Co Ltd . Tel 424-0337 Croatia: AVC Audio Video Consulting. Tel (41) 624 622Czech Republic: ELSINCO Praha spot s r o Tel (2) 4 66 89 Denmark: npn Elektroetk aps. To. 86 57 15 11 Finland: Genelec OV. Tel: 77 13311 France: ETSMesureur. Tel (1) 45 83 66 4 Germany: RTW GmbH.Tet 221 709130 Greece: KEM Electronics Ltd.. Tel 016478514/5 Hungary: ELSINCO KFT.Tel (1) 269 18 50 India: HINDITRON Services PVT. Tel 22 836.4560 Israel: Lan -El Technologies. Ltd Tel. 3.6478770 Italy: Link Engineering s r I .

Tel 05211648723 Japan: TOY0 Corporation. Tel 3 (5E88) 6800 Korea: BAP International Co. Ltd . Tel 2 546-1457. B8P (Kum: Office), Tel 0546 53-7347,8Malaysia: Test Measurement 8 Engtneering Sdn 13hd Tel 3 734 1017 Netherlands: Heynen by.. Tel 08851-96300 New Zealand: Audio 8 Video Wholesalers.Tel. 7 847-3414 Norway: Lydconsull. Tel (471 66-986333 Roland: ELSINCO Polska sp z cHo . Tel. (221 39 69 79 Portugal: Acutron Electroacushca LDA.TeL 1 9414087 9420862 Singapore: THE Systems Pie Ltd.. Tel 742-7234 Slovakia: ELSINCO Bratislava spot Sr o . Tel (71784165 South Africa: SOUNDFUSIONBroadcast Tel 11477-1315 Spain Telco Electronics. S A.. TeL 1 531-7101 Sweden: Tat & Ton Elektronik AB. Tel. 31 80 36 20 Switzerland: Dr. W A Gunther AG,Tel 1 910 41 41 Taiwan: R 0.0 :ha We: Electric Trading Co.. Tat. 2-5612211 Thailand: Massvorld Company Lid . Tel 662-294-4930 United Kingdom: ThurlbyThandar Instruments. Ltd.. Tel (04401 412451

ManagingTechnoloo:

Buyingnew

technology

By William Fawcett

William Fawcett is president ofMountain Valley Broadcast Ser-vice, Harrisonburg, VA. He is alsodirector of engineering for theCenter for Public Broadcastingat James Madison University.He holds degrees in broadcastengineering technology andbusiness administration. Re-spond via theBE Radio FAXbackline at 913-967-1905 or via e-mail to [email protected].

As in engineering, management deci-sions are best made with quantitativeanalysis. This is especially true in pur-

chasing, where an overwhelming array of se-lections can cause the administrative gridlockthat some have called paralysis by analysis. Ifwe remain subjective, we are often vague anduncertain, while quantitatively we can pro-ceed with confidence.

Some preparation is mandatory: Get agood staff/management consensus on justwhat functions in the workplace are in need ofimprovement. Ask for compelling reasonswhy these areas are deficient. Some goodexamples are: Is money being wasted on lowproductivity? Is the station being put at acompetitive disadvantage?Are there untappedsources of revenue out there? Is staff moralebeing sapped? Is the on -air product suffer-ing? And so on.

The outcome of this study should provideyou with a reasonable list of needs,which should be prioritized andfashioned into a reasonable mas-ter plan, perhaps extending overseveral years.

Next, technical solutions shouldbe sought, in general terms, for thefirst problem that you will tackle.Consult subject -matter experts inthat area - either on staff or out-side - to determine who the keymanufacturers and developers arefor these technologies. Then youcan get down to the real work ofanalyzing the details of these play-ers' offerings.

An empirical approachBefore starting your analysis, first

obtain some basic information onthe equipment. A few phone callsto some friendly vendors will pro -side specifications (cut sheets) andpricing information. Thanks to thefax machine, what once took daysor weeks can now be done in hours.Take that information and deter-

mine which items are minimally qualified todo the work. Once you have narrowed thefield, you must make a purchasing decision.This is where things often stall, especially inthe realm of the subjective. To get throughthese doldrums, let the numbers do the talk-

ing. If you don't have a spreadsheet program,get one. It is nearly impossible to make anyof these kinds of decisions without one.

An initial exercise will determine the selec-tion criteria for your candidates. Here aresome sample categories: ease of operation,audio quality, compatibility, durability, ser-viceability, factory support, distance to fac-tory, use of off -the -shelf components, effi-ciency (transmitters) and physical size. Addyour own as appropriate. Be sure to includecriteria that may be unique to your specificapplication. Set up a spreadsheet listing theselected criteria as columns heads. The can-didates are then placed in rows. Rate eachcandidate on a scale of one to five in eachcategory. Then make a column that willaverage all scores, perhaps giving added weightto more critical criteria.

This simple process allows to you quantifywhat you probably already know subjec-tively. Just going through the exercise willhelp you decide which criteria are mostsignificant. Keep in mind that the best choicemay not be the product with the best score atthis point.

Cost analysisA second exercise considers the cost of the

equipment. It is best to compare on a cost -per -year basis. Such annualizing allows di-rect comparison between candidates withdiffering life expectancies or operating costs.Once again, its back to the spreadsheet -either a new one or an extension of the first.

On this spreadsheet, columns can includethe initial cost of the unit, freight charges,estimated repairs during the life of the unit,estimated parts expense, installation cost,power consumption (transmitters) and ex-pected length of useful life. Base the esti-mated parts and repairs costs on your ownexperience or the recommendations of otherexperienced users. Add up the cost columnsand divide by the life and you get the annu-alized cost. Again, each application will haveunique criteria. The life of the unit need notbe exact - just make some relative compari-sons. In general, you can use seven to 10years for most professional equipment, threeto five years for consumer products and 20years for towers. Make your own guesses, butbe consistent among the candidates so thatthe comparisons are valid.

POWER MAINT. ANNUALSTREET TUBE

PRICE COST CONSUMP. REPAIRS COST(10YR.) (10YR.) (10YR.)

Solid -State Name Brand $23,000 SO $8,760 $1,200 $3,296

Solid -State Off Brand $17,000 $0 $8,760 $2,400 $2,816

Tube Type - Economy $12,000 $3,350 $11,388 $3,600 $3,033

A sample analysis for purchase of a 1 kW FM transmitter. All three units are assumed to haveequal (10 -year) lifespans.

6 RADIO, January/February 1995

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Managing Technoloo:Buying new technoloo.

This exercise may reveal hidden costsof operation that can make a moreexpensive item the best buy. No attemptis made to address cash -flow games likebuy -now pay -later schemes - such rea-soning is shortsighted and can ultimatelylead to business failure. Tables 1 and 2present a few examples based on actual,recent purchasing decisions.

In Table 1, while the tube transmitterhas the lowest entry price, it shows ahigher annualized price because of itslower efficiency and need for periodictube replacements. At one time, solid-state transmitters were seen as less reli-able, but now this technology has ma-tured and that is no longer the case.

ell -executedstandard technology will

always beat poorlyexecuted newtechnology.

Table. 2 considers the commonlyasked question of whether to buy pro-fessional or consumer CD players for amanually operated on -air control room.Although the argument can be madethat the expensive unit has better speci-fications, I can't hear the difference.Perhaps the pro unit has a jog -wheel orsome other neat features, but these maynot be needed in your on -air applica-tions. If the consumer unit meets yourminimum criteria (from the initial exer-cise above), then you should select it,based on the results of the second exer-cise. If you need the additional featuresand can afford the pro model,you shouldgo with it. But remember, if you buy thepro model and technology advances asfast as it has in recent years, you mightsee future consumer units outpace theperformance and features of your ex-pensive pro model during its longerlifespan thatyou are locked into. (Today'sconsumer CD players certainly outper-form the pro units of a few years ago.)

Some assembly requiredThis brings up a broader, related is-

sue. In making annualized cost com-parisons, be sure to factor in the price ofusing cutting -edge technology. Includethe amount of extra time that may berequired to de -bug the system. Includeshipping the unit back to the manufac-turer three times. Include loss of use ofthe equipment while you are still tryingto get it to work. And don't forget that the

Table 2.

LIFE STREET(YRS.) PRICE

IHF/PRO ADD REM. REPAIRS ANNUALINTERFACE START (LIFETIME) COST

Top -of -the -LinePro Model 6 $1,700

Low -endConsumer Model 1 $140

SO SO $400 $350

$150* $20 fir $185

Purchasing CD players: consumer or professional? ('-11-1F/PRO Interface has 6 -yearlife, so It contributes $25 to annualized cost.)

equipment may become incompatiblewith the rest of your equipment if itturns out to be an intermediate step.which will effectively shorten its usefullife. In considering whether to includecutting -edge technology in the candi-date pool, consider the following rules.

Rule No. 1: Stay away from the ex-treme cutting -edge. Recent problemswith the Pentium processor (involvinghigh -precision math) have proven thistrue. Do you really want to beta -testproducts for the manufacturer at yourexpense? Cutting -edge technology maybe unreliable, unproven and uneconomi-cal. Beware of uncompetitive, "sole -source" technology.

Cutting -edge technology is always ex-pensive: A scientific pocket calculatorthat cost $500 in 1975 now costs $50.New 486 computers sell for less thanthe IBM -XT (8088) that sits on my deskdoing transmitter logging duty.

Rule No. 2: If possible, let the tech-nology mature. Will today's cutting edgebe tomorrow's standard, or is it an inter-mediate step that will rapidly becomeobsolete? For example: diskette -baseddigital cart machines. Although certainlya step up from analog tape -loops, theystill require physically moving, stacking,sorting (and dropping). I suspect theywill be surpassed by hard -disk -basedsystems, which are falling in price.

Rule No. 3: Look for products thatuse consumer (mass-produced) tech-nology. Early CD decks cost 10 timeswhat a decent consumer CD player nowsells for. Some early versions of hard -disk audio storage devices were built onproprietary mainframes. Today, mostuse inexpensive PC mainframes, andtake advantage of the falling prices ofhigh -capacity drives due to consumerdemand. The same is true of broadcastautomation systems and many digitalaudio workstations. Significant economyof scale applies when development andtooling costs are spread over such alarge quantity of product.

The move from proprietary compo-nents to off -the -shelf components is asign that the technology has matured.Certain devices, such as transmitters,will never be mass-produced, but manytransmitters use off -the -shelf power sup-plies and RF modules from third -party

vendors. The use of common, non -eso-teric technology ensures that the equip-ment, parts and knowledge will be avail-able when repairs are needed.

Remember that well -executed stan-dard technology will always beat poorlyexecuted new technology. Evaluate prod-ucts for forward and backward compat-ibility. By staying one step behind thecutting edge, you gain great cost benefit,and you also can better assess a product'slikelihood of becoming the new standard

Deriving a single -figure ratingIf the front runner isn't obvious by this

time, a third exercise may prove helpfuLExclude candidates that don't meet theminimum score in the first exercise, andthen compute the ratio of criteria scoreto annualized cost (i.e., score divided bycost). Higher numbers are better.

Now you can place the candidates inrank order. Select the highest -scoringunit that is within your budget con-straints. This should assure you thatyou're getting the most for your money.

Maybe you're thinking that this sys-tem does not take into account otherfactors (like the salesman is my sister-in-law's cousin's ex-husband). Actually, anyfactor that enters into the equation canbe literally entered into the equation. Ifyou find yourself thinking, "Yeah, but...,"go back and modify your selected crite-ria or weighting factors. This is where aspreadsheet helps - you can fiddle withthe system and instantly see the results.

Not all purchases will require all threeof these steps. Sometimes, after the firstone or two steps, the answer will be clear.Your original gut feelings may be con-firmed, but keep an open mind, anddon't tweak the empirical analysis tomake it turn out the way you want it to.

It is ease to become overwhelmed bya vast array of equipment choices. Byquantifying the subjective, you makeuse of an important tool. Making deci-sions "by the numbers" gives credibilityto your selections, and gives you confi-dence that you are delivering good bot-tom -line performance. (It also gives yousomething to fall back on - and rebuildfrom - if unforeseen problems shouldsubsequently turn your decision into adisaster.) It's still a crapshoot, but thedice are loaded in your favor. iR

8 111.: RADIO. January/February 1995

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Contract Engineering:

Setting upshop

By Kirk Harnack

Kirk Harnack is president ofHarnack Engineering, a con-tract engineering firm in Mem-phis, TN. Respond via the BERadio FAXback line at 913-967-1905 or via e-mail toberadio©intertec.com.

Many broadcast engineers are consid-ering contract engineering as a timely

..... and appropriate career move. Thereare several reasons why:

More stations are automated, combinedor LMA'd.

Modem equipment is reliable and requiresless attention.

Equipment is changing in basic design,moving increasingly toward computers andsolid-state devices, with fewer moving parts.

Better facility design at many stations isreducing the frequency of maintenanceand repairs.

Engineers and station owners are recogniz-ing that, in many cases, a full-time staffengineer is no longer required.

If you are contemplating going into busi-ness as a full- or part-time contract engineer,

bear in mind the following impor-tant concepts:

A contract engineer will be inbusiness for himself or herself.This is a new concept to manyemployed engineers and entailsmore varied responsibilities thanbeing an employee.In addition to performing amyriad of technical engineeringtasks, a contract engineer is alsoa business manager, bookkeeper,accountant and bill collector.

Rather than being responsibleto one or two supervisors, a con-tract engineer is first responsibleto self and family, and then re-sponsible for 10, 20, 30 or moreclients.

The ability to be flexible in per-sonal scheduling, to learn newequipment and techniquesquickly, and to communicateclearly with clients and vendorsall become more important.

Prerequisites for operating a successfulcontract engineering business can be dividedinto three categories: technical, business andpersonal.

Technical prerequisitesTechnical requirements are what many pro-

spective contract engineers are most con-cerned about. However, it's probably the leastimportant of the three areas.

The basic tool tit is one of the most vital andimportant items needed to set up shop. Investin a good, hard case with rubber or leather toolpallets. The inexpensive toolkits from catalogliquidation outfits are usually not up to thetask. Plan on purchasing the tool case and thetools separately; this will allow you to obtainonly the tools you really need. Most contractengineers can get 95% of everything done withthe hand tools listed in Table 1.

A dual -trace oscilloscope is also recom-mended. A basic DC to 20MHz model will

suffice in most cases. A good contract engi-neer also will own or have ready access tosome audio test equipment. An automatedtone generator and distortion analyzer areideal, but usually not required. The leastexpensive way to obtain quality test signals isby using a portable CD player and a test CD.Test CDs are available from Denon andNAB.

One of the best long-term investments isan RF spectrum analyzer. Although less -expensive satellite and cable TV analyzersare available, they are not much use fordocumenting and correcting real -world RFproblems. Professional models, such as theTektronix 2710 or 2712, or similar modelsfrom Hewlett-Packard and IFR give suitableperformance. If you plan to do any AMtransmission system work, be sure the ana-lyzer is outfitted with a 300Hz-resolutionbandwidth filter. This is an option on mostspectrum analyzers. Memory, battery andprinter options are also worthwhile. Be sureto charge clients for necessary use of thespectrum analyzer.

It's also important to stock and carry agood selection of parts and supplies. Keep agood quantity of the items listed in Table 2on hand.

You will also want to carry a briefcasecontaining appointment/address/phonebook, invoice forms, and a file containingreference information. The latter includespages of printed material that you will needto refer to from time to time, such as certainFCC rule sections, wire and resistor colorcodes, common electronics formulas, IC andcomputer connector pinout standards andso forth. Having this information readily athand can save lots of time and frustration.

Business prerequisitesAs an employee of a radio station or

station group, most business functions areperformed for you by administrative staff.

Table 1

2 Phillips screwdrivers (#1 and #2)2 blade screwdrivers (mediumand large)Large and small diagonal cuttersLarge and small needle -nosepliers

1 "Greenie" and 1 "Reddie"screwdriver60W, temperature -controlledsoldering iron and standDigital or analog voltmeterWire stripper/crimperEnglish and metric Allenwrench setEnglish nutdriver set

Most of a contract engineer's work can beaccomplished with these tools.

10 BE RADIO, January/February 1995

p'

Ink understand whybroadcast engineers havea wait -and -see attitudeabout new products. Yourstation /and job) depend onrock -solidreliatility andperformance you cancount on.

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Contract Engineering:Setting up shop

When in business for yourself, thosefunctions are performed by you (or yourstaff). You'll need to obtain a businesslicense for your jurisdiction. In somelocales, you may be able to apply as anarchitectural, consulting or engineeringfirm rather than a contracting firm. Those"professional" firms often pay a lower orfixed annual rate for their business li-censes.

Decide whether to incorporate or op-erate a partnership or a sole proprietor-ship. Some states now offer a limitedliability corporation. This relatively newtype of corporation may be an idealstructure for many contract engineers.

Consult with an attorney and/or aCPA to determine what is best for you.Retain a CPA or qualified bookkeeper toassist you in setting up a bookkeepingsystem. This is an area you will want toset up properly from the beginning.Computer -based accounting systemslike QuickBooks forWindows from Intuitcan be helpful. These modem PC -basedaccounting programs assist the userthrough setting up income, expense,asset and liability accounts. Use profes-sional help to set up your accountingsystem, however, because it will save anew contract engineer many hours offrustration. Once your system is up andrunning, be sure to keep your account-ing up-to-date. Daily entry of invoicesand receipts is crucial to maintainingregular cash flow in your business.

Use your CPA or bookkeeper to filethe various tax and reporting forms withthe IRS, state and local tax agencies,and state employment offices. As asmall business, you will be required tofile virtually the same number of formsto the same number of agencies as anylarge business in your area. Naturally,this paperwork burden occupies a muchlarger percentage of business and staffhours at the small business, yet it mustbe completed in a timely manner. Manysmall businesses fail due to a lack ofcash flow and planning for payment oftax liabilities. Filing and paying tax liabili-ties late will cost you money when pen-alties and interest payments are as-sessed. Table 3 lists the forms you'llneed to file and the agencies to whichthey must be sent.

Pick a defmite location for operatingyour contract engineering business. It'spossible to operate a thriving businessfrom your home, but it's important tosegregate the business and personalspaces. A garage or other such spacecan be converted into a workshop andwarehouse. Having the office close tothe shop yet away from personal livingspaces is helpful. This will also help you

Table 2:

Shielded, twisted -pair audio cable (Belden 9451 or equivalent)RG-58 and RG-6 coax cableNylon cable ties in several sizesA selection of audio connectors, especially XLR, RCA, and 1/4 -inchphone plugsLots of spade lug and ring crimp connectorsA small selection of hardware including nuts, bolts, screws, anchorsand especially 10-32 rack screwsA selection of capacitors including electrolytic capsCommon semiconductors and ICs

Contract engineers should keep a good stock of these supplies on hand.

keep expensesstraight and taketax deductions forthe costs of main-taining an office inthe home. Be sureto check any localordinances per-taining to homeoffices, however.

Setting workrates is often diffi-cult. The mostcommon mistakeis charging toolittle. Before set-ting your rates,check with othertechnical service

Table 3:Internal Revenue Service:Annual Income Tax or Corporate TaxMonthly or quarterly 941 (withholding) tax returns

State Tax Commission:Income TaxSales TaxEmployment Security Tax

Local Tax Commission:Property TaxBusiness License Tax

Ignorance is no defense against taxcovers all the agencies and taxes that contract engineers arelikely to deal with.

businesses, such as 2 -way radio shops,copier repair firms and on -site com-puter repair companies. A contract en-gineer who knows what he or she isdoing and is efficient should charge atleast as much as these businesses. Afterbeing in business for a while, you willfind that what you make is a lot lessthan what you charge. So make sureyou charge enough.

Obtain proper liability and generalcoverage insurance. The SBE now offersits members general commercial liabil-ity insurance under a group plan forcontract engineers. (Contact Peggy Hallat SBE, 319-253-1640.) Complete, in-dividual coverage will cost from $1,500to $3,000 per year, so be sure to budgetfor this necessary expense. (SBE groupcoverage starts around $300/year.)Yourcoverage should also include your busi-ness vehicle(s) and a special rider forcarrying expensive equipment. This isoften called an inland marine rider.

Personal prerequisitesMaking the leap from staff engineer

to contract engineer is not for everyone.Having an understanding and support-ive spouse, family or significant other isimportant. When establishing a con-tract engineering business, it often seems

there is no end to emergencies, phonecalls and work at odd hours. Running abusiness on your own or with your fam-ily can produce a great deal of stress,anxiety and tension within yourself andthose close to you. Learning to copewith or avoid such problems is impor-tant to your success and deserves a gooddeal of your attention.

Be prepared to make mistakes andwork through them. Networking withother successful contract engineers isthe best way to anticipate and avoid theinevitable pitfalls that will arise.

SummaryContract engineering is a challenging

and rewarding business. Being self-em-ployed offers financial and personal timeadvantages that are difficult to find else-where. Such advantages and freedomsare accompanied by disadvantages andfrustrations. Contract engineering is notthe best choice for every engineer.

Whether you are already a contractengineer or are just opening up shop,strive for excellence at all times. Offeryour clients the best possible work youcan muster, while constantly seeking moreand better ways to accomplish their goals.

IS


Touchscreen Plays Music andSpots Instantly from Hard DrivePlay Anything at a TouchNothing else makes radio as fast oreasy as having all your songs, spots,sounders and sweepers start with yourfingertip --always on-line and readyto play from hard disk. And nothingelse is better for fast, exciting radiothan the new Scott Studio System!Here's how it works: Six buttons onthe left of the computer touchscreenplay what's on your program log. Yoursongs, spots, promos, PSAs and livecopy come in automatically from yourmusic and traffic computers. Youcan rearrange anything by touchingarrows (at mid -screen), or opening awindow with the entire day's log. Onthe right, 18 hot keys start un-scheduled jingles, sounders, comedyand sound effects on the spur ofthe moment. You get 26 sets of hotkeys for your jocks' different needs.

World's Fastest Requests!Touch the Music button at the topright of the main screen to see our"Wall of Carts" with 1,000 songs (ormore) on-line! They're displayed bytitle, artist, year, length, category, orany way you like. Touch the songyou want and Scott Studios' digitalaudio hard disk plays it instantly.In addition, all your comedy bits,spots, jingles, promos and PSAs havetheir own "Wall of Carts" so they startimmediately. Or, you can pick anyunscheduled song, spot, sweeper orpromo and put it anywhere you wantin today's log.

1, 2 or 3 TouchscreensTeams of personalities can addtouchscreens to share control. Jockschoose whether to handle sweepsthemselves or let the Scott Systemsequence automatically.

12:21:38ACan You Feel The Love Tonight

Elton John:15/3:57C HIT HM0105 10:14:47# 1 for 3 Weeks in July, 1994

But It's Alright

Huey Lewis & the News

:12/2:40 HIT HM2608 12:24:40

Win It Before You Can Buy ItQ The Sound at the Tones

:00,0:18C PRO T02214 10:21:14

McDonald's 2 for $2 Special JTThru Saturdays Only.

:00/1:00,C CM DA1 103 10:21:33

Bob's Bargain Ban BW

Q: At Westland 4( East Park.

:01/1:00,C COM D.M310 10:22:01

Uptempo Jingle

Q Kiss FM.:00,0:06C JIN DA1037 10:23:01

:14Auto

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UP

k4

FT 0

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Copyright 1994 by Scott Studios Corp.

MoreEvents

9

Options

0

Simple and Paper -freeWeather forecasts, live tags, promocopy, contest winners' lists andprogramming memos automaticallypop up on your Scott System'sscreen. As an option, we can alsowork wth your news wire to updateand display selected weather, newsand sports copy.

The Best Digital AudioWhen spots, promos, PSAs, songs, orany other digital audio events arerecorded, they're immediately play-able in all your Scott System airstudios. Nobody wastes time carryingcarts down the hall or redubbing spotsfor additional stations.Scott Studios will even pre -recordyour music library from CDs at noextra charge. You choose double- ortriple -overlap playback (or more) whilerecording.

Improve Your ProductionScott Systems pay for themselves inincreased efficiency on -the -air and inproduction. Our graphic waveformeditor quickly cleans up out -takes andworks wonders with big productions.

Disk Prices PlummetCompared to mere months ago, harddisk prices have dropped dramatically!Dave Scott and his team has moredigital audio and automation successand experience than anyone else inthe business! We also offer excellentleases. Call for details.

Scar Studiad13375 Stemmons, Suite 300

Dallas, Texas 75234 USA

(800) 330-3004


RF Engineering:

Antennatuning

By John Battison, P.E.

John Battison, BE Radio's con-sultant on antennas and radia-tion, owns John H. Battison andAssociates, a consulting engi-neeringcompanyin Loudonville,near Columbus, OH. Respondvia the BE Radio FAXback lineat 913-967-1905 or via e-mail [email protected].

The last link between a radio station andits audience is the antenna system.Despite this fact, it is surprising how

often this important link is ignored. Takinggood physical care of an AM antenna systemis considered as only a cosmetic issue bysome licensees, but it is definitely muchmore. Anything that affects the ability ofthose hundreds of feet of steel to radiate yoursignal with great efficiency affects your station'spocketbook - and eventually, your own.

RF tuning really consists of what might becalled fine tuning There is no single knoblabeled "RF tuning" that can be adjusted likea receiver's tuning dial for maximum signal.On the other hand, by making a number ofsmall adjustments and corrections to an op-erating antenna it is often possible to get a fewmore watts out of it.

The antenna -loading control on sometransmitters might be considered as a sort of

tuning control. It is certainly worth-while to verify that your antennaloading is correct, so that as muchas possible of your transmitter'spower is transferred into the"aether."

The height, or length, of your AMantenna is supposed to have a defi-nite relationship with your operat-ing frequency. Anything thatchanges this relationship has theability to reduce your service area,or signal strength (although in afew cases it can have the unex-pected result of improving it).

For a non -directional station, thelength is usually not a critical one,within reason. In any case, its elec-trical characteristics are still con-sidered when planning the opera-tion. But for a directional station, achange of a few degrees in theeffective length of a tower can havesignificant effect on coverage andoperation.

It is not often that someone cutsoff several feet from an antenna,

but occasionally someone adds several feetto an antenna - without meaning to. Considerbroken guy insulators. They may be brokenthrough age or by lightning, or even by sabo-tage from hunters or vandals. Hitting a towerlight or an insulator can be quite a challengeto such mischievous marksmen.

A sudden change in base operating currentmay indicate a shorting guy insulator, whichhas added new length to a tower. Increasedplate current required to maintain the samebase current could also be a telltale symptom.In either case, antenna tuning has changed.

A broken base insulator may not causeelectrical problems for a while, but eventuallyan RF path will develop across the crack andtuning will change.

New towersIf you are fortunate enough to have a new

tower going up, several interesting things canbe done. First, make sure that nothing else is

on the tower, and measure its impedance.Then connect your RF drive line. This shouldconsist of a large, 1- or 2 -turn loop of coppertubing, appropriate for the current antici-pated. The more turns, the higher the reac-tance of the line.

Remeasure the impedance, this time fromthe output of the ATU through the drive lineto the tower.

Install all the additional items that will beused on the tower, including lighting equip-ment if used. Remeasure at the same loca-tion. Now you will have your base operatingimpedance. You may be surprised by thedifference between the bare tower and thetower that is finally loaded and connected.

If you are stuck with a short tower, you maybe able to improve (raise) your base operat-ing resistance slightly by using a larger loop,or even an extra turn or two. Ron Nott, of NottLimited, Farmington, NM, gave an interest-ing paper on base -loading AM towers at the1994 SBE Conference in Los Angeles. Inessence, he contends that AM towers couldbe base -loaded in much the same way thatamateur radio operators base -load theirmobile whip antennas. It might prove helpfulto stations with a radiation problem.

It goes without saying that the chief engi-neer should supervise closely the erection ofa new tower to ensure that all tower joints areclean and tightly secured. If possible, alljoints should have welded jumpers acrossthem. The neutral line should be properlygrounded to the tower and all possible sourcesof RF arcs should be eliminated.

Tower records of electrical measurementsshould be maintained in a secure place for laterreference. When the station goes on the air withthe new tower, make several spot field measure-ments downtown and in other areas of interestto the station. If possible, run a radial in thesedirections. If it is a non -directional station, thepattern should be more or less circular. Forthat reason it is a good idea to make radial spot

Anything that affectsthe ability to radiate yoursignal with great efficiency

affects your station'spocketbook.

measurements at the same suitable distanceall around the station. Then in later years, ifreception complaints come in (as they cer-tainly will), you will have backup data on "howit used to be." Although this type of simpleradiation pattern won't compare with one madeusing eight or more radials (such as in a realpattern proof -of -performance), it should at leastconfirm that the radiation is approximatelycircular.

Of course, if your operation is directional,

14 111.: RADIO, January/February 1995

When looking for a digital audio systemfor automation of satellite programing or live assist,there would appear to be many choices. But if

you're looking for a system which is flexible enoughto give you total control without sacrificing yoursanity, there is only one choice. The Phantom byRDS.

You will see the difference as soon asyou see the Phantom in action. The display providesyou with all of the information you need to see ina dean, concise manner, without the crowed lookthat you'll find in other systems. If you are familiarwith the most popular software on the PC, thenyou may already know how to use the Phantom.The Phantom's pull -down menus guide you th:oughall of the steps involved in setup and dailyoperation, from creating and scheduling docks tocreating and editing logs.

11-A_IVTC0114-Digital Audio Automation

The Phantom ends the confusion ofautomation by keeping everything organized. ThePhantom simplifies your daily operations bykeeping information such as input changes, voicechanges, and dock changes in their own individualschedules rather than in the log. You can leave thoseliners and other voice drops out of the log becausethe Phantom will do them for you. The Phantomallows you to date new schedules to begin weeks,months, or even years in advance. When yoursatellite network informs you that there wil. be avoice substitution on Thursday, two weeks fromtoday, you can prepare for it today.

The Phantom can retime spots to fi: themcleanly into a satellite break without insertingsilence, overlapping, or running late. The Phantom

can create reports to keep you informed on anumber of topics, from 3 list of expired spots toan analysis of potential mistakes in your log. ThePhantom also maintains a history of systemactivity.

The Phantom 1 -.as the features that otherswould want you to believe are theirs exclusively.The Phantom remains ampletely functional duringrecording, sensing relay closures and starting breaksas easily as it does when it is not recording. The

Phantom can fill incomplete breaks with spotsfrom a list you specify without ruining productseparation.

While ether systems tie your hands andlimit your flexibility by cnly offering 3 or 4 inputs,the Phantom gives you 6 stereo inputs, using itsAMX-84 solid state switcher, with the option ofincreasing the number o: inputs to 14 or more. If

your station is News/Talk, you know how importantthis can be.

The Phantom allows you to change thesampling rate, digital Format, and stereo/monosettings at will to rreet your needs for anindividual spot. The Phantom offers a numberof digital formats, in:luding the new DolbyAC -2 format, as an option.

Call us today to find out how your station can benefit from the advancedtechnology of the Phantom and tl:c experience of RDS.

1-800-521-5222 ir912.987-2501 FAX: 912-987-7595

P. 0. Box 980, Perry, GA 30169 I A

REGISTERDATASYSTEMS


RE I.:ugh Tring:Anicnim tutting

you will be required to perform patternmeasurements for the license applica-tion. In that case, future engineers willhave a great deal more information avail-able to them.

RF loadingUnder the heading of tuning, you

might also include methods of loadingto improve radiation resistance. It is wellknown that it's advantageous to operatewith an operating resistance around 5011or so. For one thing, it simplifies ATUdesign, but the main mason is that itprovides a good RF load for the pur-pose of radiation. The greater the ratioof I2R losses to 1211, the greater theefficiency of the antenna becomes. Ofcourse, if R, becomes too high, theproblems of matching tend to reduceany special gains.

Over the years, various engineers hawdeveloped some new antenna designs toimprove short tower performance and toreduce high angle radiation.The best knownmethod of improving efficiency is top load-

ing Until recently, this was typically doneby means of a top hat or a similar type ofloading at the top of the tower.

The folded unipoleMany years ago, consulting engineer

John Mullaney, P.E developed an an-tenna known as the Nord for the USNavy. It was basically a folded dipole,although he called it the folded unipoleTheoretically, it is efficient when usedwith short towers. It also offers reason-able operating resistance with manage-able reactance. In many cases, changingto a folded unipole might be likened toRF tuning because improvement issometimes possible. But for towers more

By making a numbercf small adjustments, itis often possible to get a

few more watts outof an antenna.

TOWER

12" HANGERS

TUNINGSTUB -

RADIATING4- ELEMENTS(DROP WIRES)

TOATU/XMTR

GROUNDSYSTEM

Figure 1. The folded unipole concept for AM transmission antennas.

than 90°in height, there is not muchadvantage, except that the tower isgrounded, which makes it easier to addother antennas to the tower(s).

Figure 1 shows the folded unipoleconcept. The actual radiator is groundedvia connection to the tower, so there isno base insulator. It is important thatthe tower is properly connected to theground system. Poor tower groundingcan cause all kinds of problems with afolded unipole. The top of the towerholds three or six metal arms about 12inches long, from which are hung theradiating elements. These skirt wires arebrazed to the ends of the hangers andbrought down to about five feet abovethe ground. Insulated turnbuckles (notshown in diagram) can be used to securethe bottom ends of the skirt wires, andanchor them to the ground. A loop ofwire connects the three drop wires to-gether at this same bottom point. Thisalso serves as the feed point for the RFdrive from the transmitter.

Stand-off insulators (also not shown)are required to keep the drop wire fromblowing and shorting to the tower, whichwould cause variable mistuning.

Begin tuning such an antenna bymeasuring the impedance without anytuning short in place. Occasionally, theimpedance may be just what you need,but generally it's necessary to move atuning stub up and down the tower untilthe desired impedance is achieved. (Iusually make the shorting connectionon just one leg until I find the imped-ance I'm looking for. I then add theother two legs and remeasure, makingadjustments as necessary.) It's essentialto clean all paint and dirt from the towerleg before making connections.

Tower records ofelectrical measurementsshould be maintained ina secure place for later

reference.

Every engineer has a personalmethod of adjustment. Some like tomove the tuning short about one -eighthof a wavelength down the tower beforemaking the first reading. If convertinga tall tower (over 90°) to a foldedunipole, it is generally best to start theskirt somewhere below the top of thetower. But this operation is rather com-plex, and will have to wait until a futurecolumn.

Happy tuning!

16 111.: RADIO, January/February 1995

Prepare Yourself for

11CCeiglic

Check out all the latest equipment Find new ideas to cut costs,

boost sales Compare notes with other

broadcasters, production andpost -production professionalsExplore your multimedia options

Learn about your digital future Uncover new marketing

opportunitiesAPRIL 9-13, 1995

LAS VEGAS

CONVENTION

CENTER

LAS VEGAS, NV

WelcomeInternationalDelegatesNAB '95 offers a spec:a. welcome forthe more than 15,000 internationalexecutives t.xpected to at:end. TheU.S. Departmeit of Commerce isw -irking th_.--ougli some 250 U.S.Embassies and Consu_a-es to helporganize delegations for NAB '95.

Contact the commercial officer atyour nearest U.S. Embassy for details.International delegates are providedwith a special international businesscenter that offerstranslationservices,import/exportcounseling andother helpdesigned tomaximize thevalue of NAB '95.

TRAM

Foreign BuyerProgram

Registration Is Easy... Call (301) 694-5243 or fax to (301) 694-5124.To learn more about the program or exhibits, call NAB. (202) 775-4971 or fax to (202) 429-5343, or contact yournearest U.S. Embassy, or call NAB's Fax -On -Demand at (301) 216-1847 from the touch-tone handset of your faxmachine and follow voice instructions. If you are interested in exhibiting, call Eric Udler at (202) 429-5336or fax him at (202) 429-5343.

By Chip Morgan

Decisions,decisions...

Digitalstorage

('over story

{Bottom Line: Digital audio's high quality and low maintenanceare welcome in today's radio environment, wheretechnical supporttime is increasingly at a premium. The technology's high capacityfor integrated control is also well -suited to consolidation and staffdownsizing trends. But the choice of a digital storage format hasbecome the most vexing issue facing radio broadcasters today.

storage -twowords that can strikefear in the hearts of

manager, air talent and engi-neer alike. Digital storage canmean machines replacing hu-mans, or it can mean an op-portunity to gradually becomean expert while the technol-ogy is developing. If manage-ment, talent and engineeringall embrace the new way of lifein broadcasting that digitalsystems allow - and concur-rent business trends dictate -they can use their hands andtheir minds to create powerfulnew programming elementsthat reach beyond their wild-est dreams of even just a fewyears ago.

The first step requires an-swering some big questions.Should you buy a studio cartmachine replacement, a pro-duction room digital worksta-tion, or a fully integrated net-work system that provides real-time audio and data transferbetween sales, production, traf-fic and the air studio? Can anentire radio station be run ona computer network where themain connection between

workstations is a piece of co-axial cable? How Will the newsbe produced? What aboutDAT, recordable CD or mag-neto -optical systems? Do theyhave a place in the radio sta-tion of tomorrow? And howwill you handle remotes orfield recording?

Confronting these questionsis enough to send any broad-caster back to bed. Yet theentire world seems to be leav-ing the analog domain andmoving toward digital. There'sreally no way to put off makingthese decisions anymore. Tohelp you get more comfort-able with these issues, this ar-ticle will explore the variousmethods of using digital tech-nology for audio storage at aradio station today. A littlelater, the issues involved inputting the whole puzzle to-gether will be explored. Butfirst, consider the options fordigital storage system compo-nents separately.

Production workstationsDigital audio workstations

(DAWs) are designed entirelyfor quick editing (and in some

cases, mixing) of complexmultitrack audio. You can re-place your multitrack (if youhave one) with a digital work-station and do non-destruc-tive editing down to the wave-form. In many races, the pro-duction studio mixing con-sole and audio processing gearmay also be partially or whollyreplaced by a DAW. Auto-mated mixing is often includedin the latter type of system, afeature rarely found on con-ventional production studiomixers.

Several units have becomecommon at recording studiosand in the production roomsof major market radio stations.Because digital audio storagetends to invade the radiostation's production room first,many existing systems alreadyhave their strong proponentsin the radio business. As youmight expect, there's a fairamount of contention amongusers and vendors of each sys-tem, based on everything fromthe platform used to the styleof operation.

Platform choices includeIBM PC -compatibles, Apple

Macintosh or a proprietary unit. Amongthe leading players, approximately 40%of DAW manufacturers use proprietaryplatforms, while 35% use Macintosh and25% use PCs. This does not reflect thepenetration of each platform type, how-ever. Because of the higher popularity ofsome systems, the Macintosh is the mostdominant DAW platform throughout theaudio industry. But among radio usersonly, the IBM-compatible systems enjoydisproportionately higher penetration,due to that platform's long-standing pre-dominance at stations.

.

MI111111!....___. -

=11111VL___

The Roland DM -800 is an example of theproprietary platform DAW. It usesInternal, laptop -type hard drives, or canbe Interfaced to external SCSI drives.

The major distinction between classesof workstations relates to what they can do.A hierarchy of three basic levels exists: 1)editing only, 2) editing and multitrackmixing and 3) editing, multitrack mixingand audio processing. Other key consider-ations include the availability of dedicatedhardware controllers (such as "hard" faderpanels in lieu of 'virtual," on -screen fad-ers), speed of operation, the ability tonetwork multiple workstations, and mostrecently, the ability to directly interfacewith computer -based on -air delivery sys-tems. (More on this later.) Another recenttrend is the cross -platform support that afew DAWs now offer, either by nativeconversion software or via the open mediaframework (OMF) interface.

DAWs allow much creative flexibilityand corrective activity. Beyond non-destructive (i.e "undo -able") cutting,pasting and copying, other special tech-niques allow blending, auto-crossfades,insertion of sound effects and looping.lime -compression and expansion arealso possible, allowing you to get that31.2 second spot to time out to exactly30 seconds, without shifting up thepitch like a simple varispeed adjust-ment would. A wide range of equaliza-tion, compression/limiting and reverb/echo/flanging or other special effectsare also available on some systems.These techniques are simple to per-form with digital equipment, but wouldtake impossible -to -find hours usinganalog equipment.

Do-lt-yourselfAudio on desktop computers is actu-

ally becoming rather commonplace, withthe popularity of multimedia at the con-sumer level, and the influx of worksta-tions at radio stations and recordingstudios. Low-cost equipment is avail-able to actually "roll your own," if you areinterested in a little experimentation.

For example, up until recently, thebest you could do with a low-cost PCsound card was 8 -bit audio with FMsynthesis technology. Now for about$500 you can get 2 -channel profes-sional -quality audio cards based on thesame chips used in the high -budgetunits, with analog and digital VO, and>85dB signal-to-noise ratio. You can getkits of components for approximately$5,000 that include digital signal pro-cessors and enough Mac or Windowssoftware to configure the system as asynthesizer, sampler or hard disk re-corder.

You can even get hardware and soft-ware components to set up networkableworkstations, noise -reduction systemsand audio -processing units. (Some ofthe latest desktop computers include"native" components that reduce oreliminate the need for additional, au-dio -specific hardware.) Add some largehard drives and interface to broadcastconsoles or hardware controllers, andyou've made your own digital studio.Just remember that you'll probably haveto take the calls at 2 a.m. if the thins;doesn't work.

On -air delivery systemsA dillerent kind of computer -based

audio system is designed to replace cartmachines, reel tape machines and some-times even CD players as the storage andplayback devices for on -air programming.Some systems even replace the on -airmixing console and routing switcher.

Many of these units start by emulatingcart machines, typically by using a visualrepresentation of a cart machine on a PCscreen. The manufacturers assume userswant something that looks and acts like acart machine, to minimize the intimida-tion factor of the new technology. IBM-PC -compatible platforms are quite domi-nant in this product sector - only acouple of systems use anything else.

The hierarchy of functions for thesesystems is as follows: 1) random acrpss,short -form storage on hard disk (i.e, purecart machine replacement); 2) automatedplayback of stored audio from hard disk3) automated playback from hard diskplus external machine control (for record/play interface to/from outboard DAT,CD, digital "cart" decks or other record-ers); 4) all of the above plus internalaudio mixing and routing features; and5) simultaneous control of multiple pro-gram streams, each with all of the abovefeatures. As you move up this functional-

ity ladder, more and more conventionalhardware can be replaced by the digitalsystem. (See the related article, "Periph-eral Digital Storage Systems," p. 24.)

Most automated systems can be oper-ated either manually, as lite-assist sys-tems, or in full waLkawav mode. Thisallows different users or dayparts to behandled as necessary, employing live on-air talent, board operators only or unat-tended operation.

A few systems act like on -air worksta-tions in that they replace the function of ananalog 2 -track tape deck in the on -aircontrol room. These systems can integratewith your on -air phone system to auto-matically record phone calls, edit them,sequence them, preview them and playthem back on command. The system alsocan be configured with an array of user -programmable buttons (real or virtual) toinstantly play back numerous short audiopieces at the click of a mouse key, or thetouch of a screen icon. This can be invalu-able for morning shows, news or fast-

The Orban DSE 7000 is an IBMPC -based DAW with adedicated control surface thatemulates a mixer and a tapetransport.

paced, highly produced shows needinginstant access to many cuts. The flexibilityof computer operation allows a differentset of cuts to be assigned to the buttons inseparate memory registers for each air -shift or program.

From a management standpoint, datacan be extracted to supply programmingand traffic with real-time information aboutwhat's happening on the air. For the firsttime, things like real-time song tracking,spot reconciliation and sales informationare available to managers anywhere via PCaccess to the air system. A PD could checkwhat was played or what is scheduled to beplayed without distracting air talent andpossibly affecting the show. Salespeoplecould access the system to see when theirclient's spot will really play without both-

22 BE RADIO. January/February 1995

ering the air talent.Remote broadcasts can be done easily

with the air talent controlling the play-back of the station audio via a PC at theremote. In fact, the screen and controlson the remote computer will look and actjust the same as the screen and controlsin the studio.

Fully integrated nelworksAn important new trend is the build-

ing of data bridges between DAWs andon -air delivery systems that connectthe platforms via an Ethernet or similarlocal area network (IAN) interface. Anumber of manufacturers have coop-eratively created transparent interfacesthat allow a finished spot to be sent asa digital file from a DAW to the spotlibrary of an interconnected on -air dulivery system. Although a smoother pro-cess than previous methods, this LAN -based transfer often requires a file con-version process, which can take as muchas the real-time length of the spot toaccomplish.

qui

The Phantom from Register Data Systemsis an example of an IBM PC -based digitalstorage and automation system.

To get beyond these difficulties, fullyintegrated networks are designed toreplace production and on -air record-ing/playback devices within a single setof fully interoperable, networked plat-forms that share common audio anddata file formats. At their best, thesesystems allow nearly complete replace-ment of existing studio audio equip-ment, and they can provide a level ofintegration for station operations thathas never before been possible.

For example, a local station salesper-son can input a spot order using amodem -equipped notebook computer,calling it in from the client's location(even via cellular phone). The order isrelayed to traffic and production, thespots are produced on the productionworkstation, then copied into the airworkstation without being convertedback to analog. The traffic workstationschedules the commercial, and it isintegrated with the music log comingfrom the programming workstation.When it plays on the air, traffic andbilling are updated instantly and thesales manager and general managercan get up -to -the minute reports withavails, average unit rates and other im-

portant inventory management infor-mation.

Although this may sound like sci-ence fiction, it isn't - systems are avail-able to do this today. You can get a startersystem with basic software that can workwith a satellite network or local live for-mat. A basic system could include a harddisk recorder, integrated traffic and mu-sic scheduling and a non-destructivesound editor. Well -designed systems canbe upgraded so you can grow into all theother parts of a more full-blown system

In such an expanded system, a LANcan link the various workstations to fileservers using RAID arrays for storage of

many hours of stereo audio, and/or toCD jukeboxes. The traffic workstationprovides automatic planning and inter-active generation of broadcast logs. Theproduction workstation(s) handles direct -to -disk digital audio recording and edit-ing with optical disk, CD-ROM or tapearchiving. On -air workstations can per-form live and automatic mixing and play-back to air, plus recording of incomingfeeds for time shifting to later playbacktimes. News workstations add combinedtext and audio editing. Remote worksta-tions can also be added that use ISDN orSwitched -56 digital phone lines to broad-cast from outside locations anywhere

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digital telco pathways are available. Non-real -time feeds of digital audio files cancome in via modem on analog or digitalphone lines (or via Internet) for laterplayback to air.

Many integrated systems are usingstandard off -the -shelf IAN operatingsystems and hardware. Most can alsosupport one or more types of datareduction, often assignable on a cut-for -cut basis. Some systems are provid-ing AES/EBU inputs and outputs. Mostcan work either as stand-alone units or

in a networked environmentSome systems use one video moni-

tor for audio record/playback controland display and a second monitor forvisual cues, scripts, traffic, music logsand other data to be communicated toa live operator. The log that these sys-tems follow can contain music titles,commercial breaks, external commandsand text files. Many systems allowcrossfading between playback sources,but this requires twice the audio -from -disk capabilities (i.e., two stereo audioplayback cards). More advanced 'sys-tems allow mixing of additional input/outputs for wild tracks, jingles or forsimultaneous recording of one signalwhile playing back a different one. Ex-

ternal controllers, such as MIDI, net-works or contact closures can be linkedto functions in the software. Commandsto external controllers can be pro-grammed into the log and automati-cally triggered during a show.

Another developing component of thefully integrated facility is the digital store -and -forward system. This is a PC -baseddevice that receives and stores digitalaudio and data transmitted to the stationfrom a network headquarters or other off-premises facility. Transmissions can bedirect or file -based (i.e., in real time ornon -real time, respectively). The store -and -forward system holds them for only ashort time before they are aired. An im-portant feature of the store -and -forward

Peripheral digital storage systemsAlthough computer -based systems assume that hard diskwill be the primary, if not exclusive, audio storage format,other formats may coexist in the short- or even long-term. Forexample, CD jukeboxes are particularly attractive to stationswith large music libraries and infrequent rotations (such asclassical stations). In such cases, the recordable CD (CD -R)can offer some flexibility, allowing locally producedmaterials to also reside in the CD jukebox rather than onhard disk. CD -R can also be used to reduce the number ofCDs in the jukebox by consolidating selected cuts fromoriginal CDs that contain unwanted material. CD -Rs canalso be used to circulate locally produced or selectedmaterials among sister stations, or for archival recording.(The non -erasable, write -once nature of CD -R makes itparticularly appropriate for archiving.)

Other optical disk formats use magneto -optical (MO)technology, which allows erasure and reuse of the media,

along with highdensity androbustness on aremovablecarrier. In thisrespect, MOsystems maybe the mostcart -like (in apositive sense)

The Fostex RD -8 is a modular multitrackrecorder that uses S -VHS cassettes for eightdigital tracks of audio storage.

of the cart -replacementsystems.Among MOsystems

available for broadcast use are professional versions of theconsumer MiniDisc (MD) format (offering about 140MB ofstorage) and an audio application of the 3.5 -inch MO diskused in computer data storage applications (available in128MB and 230MB capacities). Removable magnetic disksystems can offer similar functionalities, albeit at somewhatlower storage densities in some cases. Available systems use3.5 -inch floppy diskettes (in either 1MB or 13MB varieties) andBernoulli (65MB, 105MB or 150MB removable hard disk)formats.

Some removable disk systems offer user -selectable datareduction to extend recording times (Bernoulli and 3.5 -inchMO), while others require it (3.5 -inch floppy and MD).Sampling rates can also be adjusted on most units to reducestorage requirements at the cost of reduced high -frequencyresponse. A good rule of thumb for converting data storagecapacity to audio running time is as follows: uncompressed,full CD -quality stereo digital audio (44.1 or 48kHz, 16 -bitlinear PCM) requires about 10MB of storage per minute ofaudio program. (Similar -quality monaural audio requires

By Skip Pizzi, radio editor

5MB/minute.) Typical perceptually coded data- reductionformats increase storage efficiency by a factor of about 5:1,squeezing stereo programs down to approximately 2MB/minute and mono to 1MB/minute.

Most of the removable disk systems offer external controlvia RS -232, -422 or -485, allowing them to be integrated intolarger, computer -controlled automation systems. Somemanufacturers also provide a multideck hardware controllerfor manual operation, and/or offer software (sometimes froma third party) for controlling their decks from a desktopcomputer dedicated to the task.

Two tape -based digital storage formats also play a role inthe current environment. DAT is a cost-effective format forlong -form time shifting, where little or no post -production isrequired - just simple record, rewind and playback later. Itcan also be a good f eld-acquisition format. Some editingcan be performed on DAT tapes, but the required hardwareis relatively expensive. Most users prefer to upload DATrecordings into a DAW when post -production is required,even if an eventual download back to DAT is required forthe program's ultimate on -air playback. Using AES/EBUdigital I/O for such transfers will minimize degradation, soDAT recorders that offer this capability are preferred. On amore basic level, DAT is beginning to replace the audiocassette as the preferred format for audition tapes, demorecordings and "spec" submissions, so no radio stationshould be without at least a basic model for these purposesof program exchange. Finally, DAT can also be used as anarchival medium (in either its standard audio format, or theData-DAT system used for computer backup), although theultimate longevity of the format is still under some debate.

The other potentially useful digital tape application forradio stations involves the so-called modular digital multi-track systems - those using S -VHS or Hi8 videocassettes for 8-

track digital recording. The modular term in the title reflectsthese systems' ability to be "stacked" and synchronized, sotwo interconnected decks can provide 16 -track recordings,three can provide 24 -tracks, and so on (up to 128 tracks).Here again, these systems can allow cost-effective fieldacquisition of multitrack recordings, for those stations thatare involved with music remotes, for example. These systemshave also been proposed for use in archiving or backing upmultitrack DAW audic files in their unmixed form.

A final storage format that might be of use to somebroadcasters is the stand-alone digital hard disk recorder,available in 2 -track and multitrack types. One such multi-track unit is modular in the sense that it can be loaded for 8.16 or 24 tracks. Unlike 'ape -based formats, hard disk systemscan provide random-access playback, but their storagemedia is non -removable so recording capacity limits areabsolutely fixed. 51

24 HE RADIO, January/February 1995

system is its alerting capacity. It can tellthe station's operator or automation sys-tem that a transmission has been re-ceived, and that a data file has beenupdated, or a new program is ready forair. The interface between the store -and -forward system and the rest of the inte-grated computer system at the station iscritical. Expect to see significant develop-ments in this area soon.

At the ultimate edge of sophistication, asingle platform can control multiple pro-gram streams, allowing a duopoly facilityto nm two or more stations from a singlecontrol room. Although most program-ming for the different streams will comefrom separate libraries, shared aerrs to acommon spot library (and other items,such as news headlines, weather and trafficreports) adds cost-effectiveness to a com-bined system.

Other features found on integratedsystems include automatic detection ofskipping CD tracks (followed by a quickcrossfade to the next event), automaticreporting to traffic when a spot is ready toair, detailed copyright information onlibrary tracks used in production, auto-matic timing on news scripts as they arewritten, and automatic currency conver-sion on financial reports.

The fully computerized radio stationhas been discussed since the first automa-tion systems were available, and it is finally.here. Turning on the coffee pot is not thehighlight of this system. Rather, it is aboutcomplete communication on a real-timebasis between all departments and instantdocumentation of what's happening onthe air. This plays into the strength ofradio's immediacy and makes it even stron-ger. Traffic, sales and bookkeeping getinstant automatic updated informationbased on what actually played, not whatwas scheduled or what the air talent saidwas played. Programming can make in-stant music or scheduling changes. Trafficcan make instant spot schedule changes.Sales can get real-time avails. Engineerscan check system status from home. Own-ers can dial in from vacation and checkprofits.

No fear digitalSome new digital technologies are

updates of traditional radio hardware,operating much like cart machines andconsoles, in either real or virtual modes.Other systems make more radical depar-tures, and the variety of such systemstoday is already astounding.

The forward -thinking designers andmanufacturers of such systems are sayingthat it's time to ring out the old and ringin the new. Serendipitously, this trendprovides an opportunity for broadcastersto rethink the way radio works. This pro-cess can uncover ways to streamline thefunctions of day-to-day operations. Ra-dio performers may not have to wornabout as many technical details or de-

velop as much physical and manual dex-terity as they do today. The "combo"operations that became popular in the'70s helped reduce overhead, but theyincreased the workload demands on theair talent. Future systems can use digitaltools to reduce the busywork of air talentand let their performances shine through.These same tools can also allow thebusiness side of the operation to maxi-mize its productivity and profitability.

Digital storage systems can be consid-ered as the first step toward full digitalbroadcasting. But regardless of DAB'sarrival, in the meantime, significant ben-efits of digital audio technology can beenjoyed by broadcasters today.

Chip Morgan owns Chip Morgan Broad-cast Engineering, a broadcast facility de-sign, construction and maintenance firmbased in Sacramento, CA. Respond viathe BE Radio FAXback line at 913-967-1905or via e-mail to [email protected].

See the related article on choosing digitalformats, 'Tough Choices,' on p. 37.

For more information ondigital storage products,

circle (100) on the BE RadioReply Card. See also

'Recording and PlaybackProducts," p. 58 of the 1995 BE

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BE RADIO, January/FebrCiary 1995 25

Feature:

Have duopoliesreally made a

difference?

By Neal J. Friedman

Duopoly statusreport

{Bottom Line: The radio industry's current consolidation trend isa powerful "payroll compression algorithm," but has it doneanything else besides put a lot of former staffers on the street? Anew IrC study says yes ... and no. Broadcast attorney (and formerbroadcaster) Neal Freidman explains.

In September 1992, the "°-FCC took a historic stepwhen it allowed an indi-

vidual or entity to have anattributable ownership inter-est in more than one AM orFM radio station in a givenmarket. Not since the earli-est days of radio had thissa me-service/same-marketmultiple ownership - the so-called broadcast duopoly -been allowed. 'One plus onewill equal three," cheeredsome owners and brokers. eNow, more than two yearslater, an analysis of the re-sults shows that duopolieshave been put into place inmost radio markets, althoughthey have not appreciablyaltered ownership concentra-tions, audiences or overallrevenues. More important,however, they appear to havehad some positive influenceon station profits.

While broadcasters werepreviously allowed to own anAM -FM combination in onemarket, they could not haveany other combination ofoverlapping signals in thatsame market. The newduopoly rules brought dra-matic changes: Two years af-ter the rule change, one in fiveradio stations was involved ineither a duopoly or a localmarketing agreement (LMA -more on these later). (See Fig-ure 1.)

The rule change allows vir-tually every owner to partici-pate, but there are some lim-its: In markets with fewer than

2500

/BOO

1500

1000

SOO

PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL STATIONS

I 1 J I t,itliti1 1

S ONDJ92

FM AMJ J AS ONOJ93

FM AMJ J AS94

25°.

20°.

15°.

10°.

5°.

0°

Figure 1. The number of stations involved in duopolies or localmarketing agreements (LMAs, often precursors to duopolies)continues to grow. (Source: FCC.)

15 stations, a licensee maynow own up to three stations,including as many as two inthe same service, as long asthe combination amounts tofewer than 50% of the totalnumber of stations in themarket. In markets with 15or more stations, a licenseemay own up to two AM sta-tions and two FM stations, aslong as the combined sta-tions do not account for morethan 25% of the market's ra-dio audience at the time ofthe acquisition.

An FCC study conductedduring the fall of 1994 foundthat most duopoly buyers(54.6%) picked up stand-alone FMs. AM -FM combi-nations accounted for 34%of the duopoly acquisitions,

while AM stand-alones onlyaccounted for 11.4% of thetotal. The FCC study alsofound that most of theduopoly deals were in me-dium markets (26-75) dur-ing the first 18 months afterthe rule change (September1992 - February 1994).During the middle and latterparts of 1994, however, therewas a surge of duopoly activ-ity both in large markets andin unrated markets. (See Fig-ure 2.) Overall, the FCC foundduopolies in 127 of the 146Arbitron markets in whichthere was sufficient data toanalyze.

Business impactsThe most significant mea-

sure of duopolies' effect might

'6 Itl..RADIO, January/February 1995

come from examining profitabilitychanges at involved stations. Analysis ofavailable revenue and audience dataindicates that duopolies have not beenespecially successful. The FCC com-pared audience and revenue shares be-tween 1992 and 1993 in 23 markets.The results, on average, were flat. (SeeTable 1.) Overall audience shares weredown 0.3% and revenues were off by1.1%.

Still, the FCC study found numbers insome individual markets that were im-pressive, although the commissionwarned that some caution should beexercised in evaluation of this data. InNew York, the FCC reported that fivestations involved in two separate duopolydeals have 15.1% of the audience and25.6% of the revenue. In Cincinnati,where four duopoly deals combined 12stations, those owners control 59.6% ofthe audience and 69.2% of the revenuein the market. In Denver, where therehave been five duopoly deals involving15 stations, the combinations now con-trol 57.3% of the audience and 71.2'4.of the revenue. (See Table 2.)

Analysis of revenueand audience data

indicates thatduopolies have not

been especiallysuccessful.

Even more dramatic numbers arefound in medium markets. For example.in Buffalo, NY, four entities control 14stations with 7 4.6% of the audience and92.7% of the revenue. In Greensboro,NC, four entities control 11 of the 30rated stations, accounting for 56.5% ofthe audience and an astonishing 93.8%of the revenue. In all, there are 16markets where all duopoly combina-tions control more than 50% of theaudience and 44 markets whereduopolies control more than 50% ofthe revenue.

Of course, these impressive numbersmay come from duopolies that wereformed of already successful stationsrather than any efficiencies directly at-tributable to the process of consolida-tion. But what the consolidation itselfmore certainly affects is the expenditureside of the ledger, reducing it to someextent for each of the stations teamed IAa duopoly due to economies of scale.Although the FCC's recent analysis did

Figure 2. Thepopularity ofduopolies hasvaried somewhatwithin differentsectors of theIndustry. Here, thenumber of duopolyagreements isdisplayed accord-ing to market size.(Source: FCC.)

NUMBER OF DUOPOLIES

200

150 -

100 -

50

0

10 2093 I 931

30 401 93 1 I 92

10 20 301 94 1 1 94 1 1 94 1

MARKET 1 - 50 MARKET 51 - 100 111111 MARKET 101 - 150

1= MARKET 151 - 200 EN MARKET 201 - 263 UNRATED MARKETS

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111 RADIO,January/February 1995.2 /

Duopoly Status Report

not empirically compare profitabilityyields, anecdotal evidence supports thecontention that substantial gains in thebottom line have been made by at leastsome duopoly stations.

In San Antonio, for example, wherefour companies control 11 stations,one broadcaster claims that duopolieshave had dramatic effects on profits inthe market. Before duopoly, this sourcetold the FCC, 40% of the market's sta-tions were making money. Now, heclaims, 80% are in the black. In Char-lotte, where five owners control 90% ofthe revenue, one operator contends thatduopolieshave transformed the marketfrom one of the country's worst into oneof its best performers.

The FCC study also made no attemptto gauge the effect of duopolies on thepublic, or how a duopoly affected sta-tions' abilities to meet their public inter-est obligations. It could be argued, how-ever, that profitable stations are morelikely to invest in news and public affairsprogramming, which has all but disap-peared from many radio stations' pro-gramming schedules.

The FCC data does not tell the wholestory and, as the commission concedes,may actually be misleading in some

Filing for duopolyDoing a duopoly deal involves more than crunching numbers and negotiatingterms. The FCC still must grant its consent and, from a legal standpoint, theduopoly deal is a bit more complicated than the ordinary transaction. Thecommission will require additional information on the application for assign-ment of the license (FCC Form 314) or transfer of control (FCC Form 315). Whenit adopted the new rules, the commission revised these forms to obtain informa-tion from the buyer about overlapping signals.

For processing purposes, the FCC staff considers the overlap of the principal -community contours - 5mV/m groundwave contour for AM, 3.16mV/m contourfor FM. This will require the services of cn engineer to prepare a study showingthe number of other radio signals that overlap the principal communitycontours of stations involved in the duopoly. Be sure to select an engineer whohas done this work before and is familiar with the showings the commissionrequires.

The FCC staff will return any applications with incomplete showings, resultingin delay of the required consent. A prcperly prepared engineering study willestablish the number of stations in the market and whether the stations pro-posed to be co -owned fall withinthe limits of the rule. If the studyshows fewer than 15 stations in themarket, and the combined entityproposes to own not more thanthree stations, with only two in thesame service, the purchaser hasmet the first requirement. Inextremely small markets, the studywill also demonstrate whether theacquired stations account for 50%or more of the stations in themarket.

A similar study will need to bedone for markets with 15 or morestations. Here the commission willallow a single entity to own as many

An engineeringstudy will establish

whether the proposedduopoly's stations fall

within the limits ofthe rule.

MARKET

Nassau -Suffolk, NY

ARBMKT.RANK

14

NO. OFRATEDSTAS.

41

NO. OFDUOPSTAS.

2

1994AUD.

SHARE

7.3

1992AUD.

SHARE

8.7

DIFF. INAUD.

SHARE

-1.4

1993REV.

SHARE

38.0

1992REV.

SHARE

37.6

DIFF. INREV.

SHARE

0.4Cleveland 23 25 6 28.4 30.0 -1.6 37.7 36.8 0.9Portland. OR 26 27 6 20.6 20.6 0,0 29.4 28.0 1.4Milwaukee 28 27 6 20.6 20.6 0.0 29.4 28.0 1.4Norfolk, VA 33 28 11 36.7 40.08 -4.1 55.7 63.9 -8.2Indianapolis 37 26 11 69.7 73.5 -3.8 88.2 91.2 -3.0New Orleans 39 24 9 46.1 41.9 4.2 40.1 43.4 -3.3Dayton, OH 48 27 5 27.8 21.8 6.0 42.2 38.2 4.0Oklahoma City 51 20 6 40.4 50.2 -9.8 57.2 60.3 -3.1Austin, TX 55 25 8 41.4 38.4 3.0 49.9 49.4 0.5Albany -Schenectady. NY 57 27 7 24.8 25.5 -0.7 32.8 34.0 -1.2Las Vegas 58 23 7 17.9 21.8 -3.9 29.8 29.3 0.5Allentown -Bethlehem, PA 64 45 3 31.0 24.6 6.4 37.1 34.9 2.2Akron, OH 68 29 3 18.8 14.5 4.3 51.5 49.6 1.9Omaha, NE 72 18 3 19.9 15.2 4.7 17.3 16.7 0.6El Paso,TX 77 22 3 25.1 23.8 1.3 30.1 36.5 -6.4Salinas -Monterey, CA 79 32 2 9.3 13.4 -4.1 15.3 21.5 -6.2Wichita, KS 88 19 10 58.5 57.3 1.2 69.8 70.0 -0.2Columbia, SC 91 17 7 37.9 31.2 6.7 52.9 51.8 1.1New Haven, CT 92 31 3 14.9 18.1 -3.2 45.9 51.4 -5.5Flint. MI 110 25 3 18.0 20.6 -2.6 41.2 40.0 1.0Erie, PA 149 12 4 25.3 33.8 -8.5 34.5 37.5 -3.0Kalamazoo. MI 169 18 6 38.6 38.4 0.2 65.5 65.9 -0.4AVERAGE (23MKTS) 25.6 5.7 29.6 29.9 -0.3 43.2 44.3 -1.1

Table 1. The FCC identified 23 markets where ratings and revenue data were available for stations before and after duopolieswere established. Note that the overall trends are flat.

28 t E RADIO,January/Febructry 1995

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respects. The duopoly rule was changedas the radio industry was emergingfrom a steep decline in revenues. Thus,comparisons between 1992 and 1994revenues could overstate trends thatthe observer might attribute to duopolyactivities. Moreover, as noted above,revenues and ratings may not translatedirectly to stations' bottom lines.

Personnel impactsOne ill, lirect measure of potential

profitabill t) can be gleaned from sta-tions' employment figures. Althoughthere has been a general downwardtrend in radio industry employment asa result of automation and reduction oflocal news staffs, duopolies have en-abled some stations to pursue this trendeven further by eliminating duplicategeneral managers, sales managers, pro-gram directors and technical staff. Sup-port functions, such as traffic and ac-counting have been combined, as havethe physical location of the formerlyseparate stations. All of this has re-sulted in significant savings. Savvy own-ers figured out how they could reducefixed operating costs well before theyentered into these deals. The FCC esti-mates that as many as 2,500 jobs may

have been lost in the 500 stations in-volved in duopolies so far.

There is no industry consensus as tothe best way to operate combined sta-tions. For every owner or manager whobelieves that one sales staff can effec-tively sell two or more stations, there isanother who will argue that the only wayto keep salespeople sharp is to havethem competing against each other onthe street, while at the same time re-minding them that they all are on thesame team.

Radio managers also are divided onthe question of how much to combine

staffs in other areas. Clear Channel Com-munications, which runs duopolies inseven markets, maintains separate op-erations in some cases and combinedfacilities in others.

Overall impactsAlthough the ultimate impact that

duopolies will have on the industry is notyet clear, some in the industry believe ithas already brought a degree of stabilityto ratings, revenues and cash flow, ac-cording to the FCC report. Duopolies,not unlike other group ownerships, tendto perform consistently, as the humps

as two AMs plus two FMS in the marke-, but a further showing is required. Thecombined stations cannot account for more than 25% of the current audienceshare. This will require the use of ratings data. Of course, you must be asubscriber to a ratings service in order to use such data. If you are not, ratingsservices will perform a special duopolv study. A special study may also berequired if the stations are not part of -he same designated radio market. Theestablished ratings services are, by now, familiar with the FCC's requirements inthese filings.

An important thing to remember about the ratings data is that the 25%audience limit applies only at the time of the acquisition. If, after consumma-tion, the combined stations become more successful and their audience shareexceeds 25%, the commission will not require divestiture, and it will generallypermit the stations to be sold as a group, even if their audience share has risenabove 25% in the interim. But, the commission has ordered its Mass MediaBureau to prepare annual reports on s-ation ownership, and to recommendany changes that it deems necessary -o avoid any excess concentrations ofaudience. The commission also said it would review extreme cases, such aswhere the combined audience level of a single duopoly reaches 40% or more,and reserves the right to refuse to grant consent to the sale of such a property.So far, that has not happened.

MARKET

AR BMKT.RANK

NO. OFRATEDSTAS.

NO. OFDUOPDEALS

NO. OFDUOPSTAS.

1994AUD.

SHARE

1993REV.

SHARENew York 1 43 2 5 15.1 25.6Los Angeles 2 46 4 9 21.2 29.9Chicago 3 41 5 14 31.7 40.1San Francisco 4 50 5 15 30.7 38.4Detroit 6 32 3 8 29.1 33.5Dallas -Ft. Worth 7 31 4 11 29.3 24.8Washington 8 36 4 12 33.3 48.0Boston 9 33 5 14 53.2 78.6Houston 10 33 3 8 25.0 32.1Miami -Ft. Lauderdale 11 37 7 19 51.2 65.7Atlanta 12 22 2 6 30.2 31.2Seattle 13 30 4 12 47.8 55.2Nassau -Suffolk 14 41 1 2 7.3 38.0San Diego 15 39 2 6 18.2 21.9Minneapolis -St. Paul 17 21 3 7 25.5 24.6St. Louis 18 26 5 14 46.3 46.6Baltimore 19 36 2 6 19.4 25.4Pittsburgh 20 30 3 7 24.8 26.0Phoenix 21 27 2 7 20.2 22.1Tampa -St. Petersburg 22 26 3 10 34.3 39.0Cleveland 23 25 2 6 28.4 37.7Denver 24 27 5 15 57.3 71.2Cincinnati 25 31 4 12 59.6 69.2AVERAGE 33.2 3.5 9.8 32.1 40.2

Table 2. Duopoly scorecard for the top 25 U.S. radio markets. (Source: FCC.)

30 liERADIO, January/February 1995

from one station's ups and downs aresmoothed by corresponding fluctuationsin other stations' performances.

At least one radio chain, EZ Communi-cations, with duopolies in six of the sevenmarkets in which it operates, is willing tocredit the new rules with an increase inprofits. EZ, a publicly traded corporation,is reporting an astounding 50% increasein net income this year and a 65% in-crease in cash flow. EZ's founder, ArthurKellar, told the Washington Post thatduopolies have cut his stations' costs andhave driven up advertising rates by forc-ing weaker stations out of the market.

LMAs can lead to duopoNesAn LMA allows a station to "subcon-

tract" specific business functions (such assales, programming or spot production)to another station in its market, so long asthe licensee retains ultimate control overits personnel, programming and finances.Often, such an arrangement may be theprelude to a duopoly. While the commis-sion is processing an application for thetransfer of one station's license to an-other station owner, operations of thetwo stations may be combined in muchthe same manner as they would be afterclosing of the sale. The activities nowpermitted under an LMA were formerlyprohibited as a violation of the

commission's rules against prematuretransfer of controL

The FCC considers the elements ofcontrol to include the aforementionedpersonnel, programming and finance ar-eas. When arranging an LMA, a separate,carefully drawn agreement between buyerand seller should fully set forth the rightsand obligations of each and make it clearthat each licensee will retain the essentialelements of control over its own stationunless and until the commission grantsits consent for transfer of control (i.e.,outright sale of the station), and thetransaction has been consummated.

LMAs often give the buyer a head starton a duopoly deal. But a word of caution- the commission and your competitorswill be watching closely to ensure that thearrangement does not cross the fine linefrom a permissible LMA to an illegal"premature and unauthorized transfer ofcontrol." If there are changes in call signs,formats or personnel, the acquiring partyshould be careful to document that thesechanges were done after consultationwith and following the approval of theselling licensee.

Radio industry analysts generally agreethat it is too soon to give duopolies a finalgrade. Many hope that consolidation willbring investment bankers back to radio,yet it's still difficult to obtain financing for

smaller deals. Soon, some of the stationsinvolved in early duopolies will comeback on the market as combinations, andthat will provide a test of the cash flowmultiples they will command. As oneanalyst, Bishop Cheen of Kagan Associ-ates, said in comments to the commis-sion, "God bless duopoly and double-digit revenue growth."

The dawn of a new year finds broad-casters in an upbeat mood - except forthose whose positions have been re-cently eliminated. Although they aren'tthe sole cause in either case, duopoliesseem to be responsible for a lot ofsmiles (and a few frowns) in today'sbroadcast industry. 111

Neal J. Friedman is an attorney withthe communications law firm of Pepper& Corazzini, L.L.P., in Washington, DC.Respond via the BE Radio FAXback lineat 913-967-1905 or via e -mall [email protected].

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BE RADIO. January/February 1995 33

Field Report:

RolandDM -80

By Richard Paul

Performanceat a glance 4- or 8 -track digital audio

workstation in cost-effective package

Proprietary platformemphasizes simple,familiar operation

Includes 8 -track mixerwith equalization oneach track

Automated mixing andsequencing capabilitiesavailable

Small footprint maximizesspace efficiency

Comprehensive I/Oallows flexible applica-tion and expansion

Optional Macintoshinterface adds en-hanced visual display

Richard Paul is special projectsproducer at WAMU-FM, Wash-ington, DC. Respond via theBE Radio FAXback line at 913-967-1905 or via e-mail [email protected].

When the chief engineer announcedthat our station was switching todigital editing, chills went up my

spine. Our radio station was moving to newfacilities, and when we got there, our editingsuites would be equipped not with audioboards and reel-to-reel machines, but exclu-sively with Roland DM -80 digital audio work-stations.

This was a traumatic revelation to some-one who had spent 17 years editing withtape and razor blades, but I have sincebecome a convert - no, a proselytizer - fordigital editing, thanks to a successful transi-tion via the DM -80. The systemalmost com-pletely the stepsyou go throughwhen editing theold-fashionedway, but it per-forms these tasksin greatly im-proved fashion.

Familiarity isthe key to its user -friendliness.When it's time tofind your editpoint, you rockthe audio backand forth over the(virtual) "play-back head," mark the spot, "cut" it, and"splice" it together - all imitating the analogtape editing process.

This made the learning curve for operat-ing the DM -80 extremely short. (I learnedthe system in an hour, and a few months laterI taught the general manager in 20 minutes).Also, it guarantees that station staff - all ofthem, not just the "techies" - will use themachine.

i m ics

System hardwareA complete DM -80 unit consists of a con-

trol panel, a mixing board (with faders thatcontrol eight tracks, and a simple parametricequalizer on each channel). It also features amultitrack CPU/disk recorder and one ortwo outboard SCSI drives (optional), each upto 4GB capacity (about 12 hours of CD -quality 4 -track audio).

The DM -80 can stand alone or be usedwith a conventional mixing board. In thelatter case, the audio goes through additionaldigital -to -analog and analog -to -digitalversion steps, but thistypically causes no sig-nificant loss of quality.

The control panel hasa small LCD screen (5"x 1.5"). Below it is a rowof five function keys anda set of standard taperecorder transport but-tons (play, record, stop,etc.). On the left of thepanel is another row ofkeys for marking edit

con -

points. On the right is a jog wheel and anumeric keypad.

In understanding how to use the DM -80, ithelps to think about editing with it just as youwould think about editing tape. Therefore,the following descriptions will use commontape -editing terms.

Graphic displayOn the screen )ou see not sound waves but

a depiction of a piece of tape (a waveformgraphic is also an option, though it is one thatno one at this station has ever needed). Thepiece of tape sits on any one of four trackstin can mork on at a given time.

Below thepiece of tape are11 functions,such as delete,copy, move, etc.that are man-ipulated by softkeys under thescreen. There isa vertical cursorline down themiddle of thescreen (the nowline) that servesas a visualequivalent of theplayback head.

Loading soundAudio can be dubbed onto the DM -80

from any source, digital or analog. You loadin the material by simply hitting the play andrecord buttons on the DM -80.

As the audio loads into the DM -80'smemory, it is depicted on the LCD screen asa strip of tape made up of a series of brokenlines. The broken lines becomes solid onceyou have completed the upload and savedyour take to the memory.

Making an editc audio is loaded into the system, you

can begin editing it. To make an edit, get asclose as possible to the desired point bylistening to the audio in play mode. Whenyou get close, you can switch to a scrubbingmode by holding down the play and previewkeys together. This creates a loop that playsover and over while you scrub with the jogwheel to find the exact edit point desired.

When you have selected your edit point,you hit the split button, which splits the "tape"

in two at that spot. Youcan then cut to or fromthis edit point in a non-destructive manner.

This means that ifyoumake a bad edit, there isno more combingthrough the scraps inthe trash looking for an''s -inch piece of tape.The original take is re-tained on disk, and alledits are "undo -able."

Ilearned the systemin an hour, and a fewmonths later I taughtthe general manager

in 20 minutes.


AdvantagesAlthough this system mimics analog

tape editing in practically every respect,it offers advantages that you could neverdream of in tape editing.

The random access nature of harddisk recording allows the DM -80 toeasily jump from place to place in a

Athough thissystem mimics analogtape editing, it offers

advantages that a tapeeditor could never

dream of.

program. For example, assume you arecutting up a talk show. Five minutesinto the program the guest makes apregnant pause that will be perfect touse as "room tone" in editing. Forty-five

minutes deeper into the show you couldreally use that pregnant pause to helpyou make an edit. If you were editingwith tape you would have to roll back tothe pause, cut it out (or dub it onto asecond source if you needed to keep theoriginal pause in the program), roll backto the place you wanted to use it, andthen cut it in.

With the DM -80, as you are rollingpast the point where you hear the preg-nant pause you mark it with one of the40 available marker buttons (e.g., Marker#1). Forty-five minutes into the show, asyou hear the spot where you need someroom tone, you mark it (Marker #2). Toget back to the original pause, hit Marker#1. You are instantly transported backto the exact spot. I lit the "copy" buttonto duplicate the pause, then hit Marker#2. The pause is instantly placed in thespot where you need it and you havesaved yourself 10 to15 minutes overtape editing.

Mixing and timingPerhaps the two most valuable fea-

tures of the DM -80 for a producer arethe system's ability to mix and to easily"hit a post." For those unfamiliar withthe term. "hitting a post" refers to the

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timing of a voice-over mix so that aspecific event in the bed -track occurswhen the voice track ends. The classicexample is a DJ talking over the instru-mental introduction to a song, and stop-ping just as the vocals of the song begin.

As anyone who does productionknows, putting complex projects together

A look ender the hood of the RolandDM -80's CPU (rear view). All audio, MIDIand SCSI I/O connectors for the systemappecr on the CPU's rear panel.

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HE RADIO, January/February 1995 35

Field Report:Roland D\

with multiple 2 -track tape decks re-quires marking in -cues, back -timing, andsubmixing for hours. All of that work has

now been eliminated.For example, hitting a

post is remarkably simpleon the DM -80. In the typi-cal voice-over/music situa-tion, you first dub both au-dio cuts onto the DM -80,placing them one after theother on the same track.Then select the spot in themusic where you want thevoice to end, and mark itwith Marker #1. Next, moveto the voice cut, and markthe end of it with Marker#2. Finally, using the movefunction,you move the voiceclown to another track ofthe DM -80, and by hittingMarker #1, you sync it upthe two markers so that thetracks are now aligned intime exactly as you wantthem.

Mixing the properlyplaced tracks is also quitesimple. As mentionedabove, the unit comes witha dedicated mixing board.The DM -80 allows you topre-program audio cuts inan automatic sequence andcrossfade them as needed,but at WAMU, all mixes areclone manually, using theDM -80's mixer. This hard-ware is another element ofthe DM -80's quick learningcurve. Our news and pro-duction people were able tosit down and go to workalmost immediately aftertaking the unit out of thebox, because they had theoption of mixing in a man-ner that was almost identi-cal to what they were usedto.

As many as four separateaudio tracks can be linedup visually at one time, oneabove the other on the dis-play screen. Levels can beadjusted manually via themixing board as each pieceof tape rolls over the nowline. It is helpful to have thisvisual component added tothe mixing process. You cansee when the next piece ofsound is coming up andmove the fader exactly whenyou need to.

The system also has aCompu-Mix mode that en-ables you to save a mix inmemory. While in this

Installing and interfacingthe DM -80By Bruce Youngblood

The Roland DM -80 comes in two recordingformats: 4 -track and 8 -track. The 8 -track versioncan be used as a simple 8 -track hard diskrecorder, or with the addition of a Macintoshcomputer and software, an 8 -track waveformeditor. Without the Mac interface, it is difficult toperform 8 -track operations because you can'tsee all eight tracks on the DM -80's LCD displayonly tracks 1-4 or 5-8 are visible.

Although the DM -80 is considered a proprietaryplatform, it is Macintosh -friendly. The 4 -trackversion includes one 100MB hard drive, which canrecord 18 track -minutes of (mono) audio at44.1kHz sampling. The 8 -track comes with two100MB drives. We have added enough extern();SCSI drives (Micropolis 770MB units) to record upto 125 track minutes at 48kHz sampling.

Roland provides a list of recommended drivesfor such expansion purposes. Look for drives withthe fastest access time and the best warranties.We had a few problems interfacing the drives tothe DM -80 (which were due to the cablessupplied with the SCSI drives), and through this

A complete digital production suite basedon a Roland DM -80 can be set up quicklyon a tabletop.

experience found out just how knowledgeableand supportive the Roland technical staff is.

Another advantage of the DM -80 is its remark-able space -efficiency. Each DM -80 installation atWAMU takes up less than half of the space thatwould have been required for conventionalfacilities of equal capability. Our typical DM -80room adds a DAT deck, a cassette deck (fordubbing field -acquired tapes) a stereo monitoramp and a pair of small speakers to the workstation.

The DM -80 continues to develop, as well. Thelatest software version updated just aboutanything we could think of for our broadcastapplications, including a built-in waveform editor(handy for music editing). Another recent upgradeallows up to four DM -80s to be ganged togetherthrough a Macintosh interface for 32 -trackrandom access recording and production. 81

Bruce Youngblood is operations manager at WAMU-FM,Washington, DC. Respond via the BE Radio FAXback lineat 913-967-1905 or via e-mail to beradio4intertec.com.

mode, you can switch the screen to showyou a virtual depiction of the mixingboard. As you play back a section ofaudio that you've already mixed, youcan see the faders move up and down onthe LCD screen exactly as you had movedthem manually. You can now edit themix by changing individual fader movesor update a section of the whole mix.

The resolution of Compu-Mix is theonly aspect of the DM -80 that has causedany problem for us. It has been frustrat-ing when, on occasion, a precisecrossfade will not be saved in exactly theway it was done manually. But whenbalanced against the overall time savedby editing with this system, this smalldifficulty is certainly tolerable.

As a test, I recently went back and puttogether on the DM -80 a complicated,multilayered montage feature that I hadoriginally produced on tape two yearsearlier. Back then the project had takenseveral hours. This time I was finished inabout 45 minutes.

A hit among the staffToday, WAMU has five DM -80s in

operation, and they are all being usedon a daily basis by engineers, produc-tion staff, news staff and a number offreelance reporters. We also plan toteach our talk show producers and ex-ecutive staff how to perform basic edit-ing and mixing functions.

Just as it's said that humans probablyonly use 10% of their brains, there aremany other capabilities on the DM -80(MIDI control, synchronization, etc.) thatwe have not yet called upon. But for thestaff at WAMU, the Roland DM -80 hasprovided a smooth transition into thedigital age.

Editor's note: Field Reports are an exclusiveBE Radio feature for radio broadcasters.Each report is prepared by well -qualifiedstaff at a radio station, production facilityor consulting company.

These reports are performed by the indus-try, for the industry. Manufacturer's sup-port is limited to providing loan equip-ment and to aiding the author if requested.

It is the responsibility of BE Radio to publishthe results of any device tested, positive ornegative. No report should be consideredan endorsement or disapproval by BERadio magazine.

iFor more information on theRoland DM -80,

circle (101) on Reply Card.


Tough choicesBy Skip Pizzi, radio editor

Making the decision on a new audio recordingformat is one of the most challenging issues abroadcaster faces today. It's something that eachstation has to do on its own, based on its specificneeds - everyone knows that no two radiostations do the same thing the same way. Thegood news is, there are so many choices: Eachstation should be able to create just what it needs.The bad news is, there are so many choices: theprocess of examining all the possibilities andmaking a decision can take on nightmarishproportions.

As with any large task, it's best to first split it intoits separate parts. Digital audio storage is avail-able in three major technologies (each with itsown set of pros and cons): magnetic disk, opticaldisk and magnetic tape. There are also threemajor application concepts for digital systems atthe radio station (each with its own requirements):production workstations, on -air delivery systemsand field -acquisition equipment.

Combining these technologies and applicationsproduces the long list of product types on themarket today. Many of these systems might find awelcome place within the confines of a radiostation's applications. Magnetic tape remains intwo areas: DAT and the so-called modularmultitrack recorders. Optical disk appears in CDand recordable CD systems, as well as in some ofthe removable media, digital "cart -machine"systems. Magnetic disk is perhaps the mostintriguing of the lot, used in digital audio worksta-tions and on -air delivery (or "digital automation")systems. Soon it may also appear in portable form,as well.

Each of these systems offers a variety ofstrengths and weaknesses when applied to thetypical broadcast operations of long -formstorage. short -form storage, time -shifting ofprograms, field recording, editing, studio produc-tion and automated playback.

Hovering over any decision process is thebiggest question of all, however. How will a systemfit into the fully integrated network - the "holygrail" that techno-gurus claim will run the radiostation of tomorrow? Evaluating audio perfor-mance, reliability and user friendliness of thesesystems is relatively easy because broadcastersare quite familiar with these issues. But consideringa prospective digital storage system's capacity forfuture integration is difficult, because it's anunfamiliar concept to today's broadcasters, andmany important parameters remain unknown.What will the system be integrated into? Howlarge and comprehensive will this "station on ascreen" actually become? Will the integratedsystem concept really be like a holy grail, andremain largely mythical, or will it actually come tofull fruition? Will the first wave of digital replace-ment equipment soon have to be itself replacedby a more fully integrated system?

With proper planning. and a little luck, broad-casters can choose digital storage systems thatwork well in relative isolation today, but that canalso be fully integrated later, if necessary."Integratability" is not something that can be easilyretrofitted to a system, however, so it must beconsidered right along with all the other issues thatyou evaluate in today's new equipment purchases. of

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BE RADIO, January/February 1995 37

FicId lieport:

PanasonicSV-4100

By Flown Williams

Performanceat a glance Instant -start DAT play-

back In a mid -priceddeck

RAM buffer allows editingwith 30ms precision

Flexible autolocatefeatures

Versatile internal orexternal sync referencing

Comprehensive analogand digital I/Oconnections

Wired or wireless remote -control capabilities

Data -error display fordetecting tape problems

Numerous other featuresuseful for radioapplications

Flown Williams Is bureau engi-neer for National Public Radio'sChicago bureau. Respond viathe BE Radio FAXback line at913-967-1905, or via e-mail [email protected].

Anyone who has used DAT for produc-tion has soon discovered the difficul-ties of precise cuing and editing. To get

clean -starting sound bites, for example, youoften have to transfer the audio to cart oropen -reel tape, or into a disk -based editor.

Some newer DAT recorders have offeredmarked improvements in cuing and editing,although typically with a steep price tag. Butthe new Panasonic SV-4100 offers fairly pre-cise cuing and instant start, as well as a hostof other features, for the lowest list price yet.

Quick start: cue and goManufacturers realized early on that there

wasn't a prac-tical way to getquick re-sponse andprecise play-back cuingfrom the DATformat. Sothey turned toa hybrid tape/RAM solution.The SV-4100,for instance,has enoughRAM to holdabout five sec-onds of stereoaudio.

When youactivate themachine'sQuick Startmode, it loadsfive seconds ofdata from tapeinto RAM.Then you cansearch backand forththrough threeseconds of thatsound in theRAM to selectthe start pointyou want touse. The re-maining twoseconds ofRAM audio isneeded forQuick Startplayback if you happen to choose a start pointthat is late in the 3 -second window (becausethe tape still has to have time to start up andbe synchronized with the RAM playback).

As you use the jog/shuttle wheel to searcharound in RAM, the audio outputs play adiscernible version of the slow-motion sound.Level meters also display and hold the ampli-tude of the audio as you search through it.Thus the transition point from quiet ambi-ence to the start of a word can be foundvisually as well as aurally. This quickly be-comes an easy cuing environment, althoughthe sound is not as indicative as rocking the

The SV-4100includes newcapabilitiesthat makeDAT more

production-

friendly.

reels of an open -reel deck.When you hit play in the Quick Start

mode, playback starts instantly from RAM,with the tape taking over within two secondswhen it gets up to speed.

Although the instant start and consistencyof the start point are intensely gratifying toexperienced DAT users (who have foughtwith other machines that take from 0.5 to1.5 seconds to go into play), the cuingresolution is still not quite exact. This isbecause Panasonic's Quick Start system onlyallows editing to DAT frame accuracy, not tothe individual sample.

The DAT format uses 33.3 frames persecond. Thismeans thateach DAT-frame of au-dio lastsabout 30ms.That doesn'tsound like along time, butwhen you'retrying to trimambientsound fromthe top of asound clip, orfind the exactstart of asong, movinga start pointeven oneframe can betoo much.

If you'vesplice -editedon open reeltape, you canrelate to this30ms asroughlyequivalent toa quarter -inchlength ofopen -reeltape recordedat 7.5ips, or ahalf -inch on a15ips tape. Ifyou'velearned tomake yourwax pencil

marks with an accuracy better than a quarter-inch, you're still doing better than the SV-4100. And if you're going to the trouble totransfer your material into a disk -based edi-tor, you can edit with a precision that is ordersof magnitude greater than a DAT frame,typically '/4th of a millisecond.

For scat -of -the -pants production, however,RAM -based DAT cuing is still far cleanerthan regular DAT, cassettes or carts. It's alsonon-destructive and repeatable. It can beeasily "nudged" to try different start points -all processes that are possible but not nearlyso convenient on open -reel tape. The Quick


Start mode of the SV-4100 also in-cludes some other new capabilities thatmake DAT more production -friendly.

Location, location and locationThe lirst delight is an autolot ator %%itli

five memory points, which will searchand cue to the exact DAT frame you'veselected. Four of these locate points canbe set and remembered as long as thatDAT tape remains in themachine. The fifth is aLocate Last feature thatremembers your last se-lected cue point, even ifyou forgot to set it inone of the other locatememories.

You set the currentposition (after trimminga cue point to frameaccuracy) by holdingone of the locate but-tons down for at least1.5 seconds. The locatefunctions only workwhen the machine is inQuick Start mode.

If you've got an inter-view recorded on a DATtape, and you want tolift as many as five seg-ments from it for a re-port, you can set locateregisters for the startpoints of each segment. Then you cando a real-time mix, playing the interviewclips back direct from DAT. As each cutends, you simply cue to the next locatepoint, and the deck waits for your nextplay command. One caveat: beware oftrying this in a combo production roomwith your mic open, because the high-speed tape shuttling of the DAT tape asit searches to the next location is clearlyaudible.

For more permanent marking of cuepoints you can use the DAT format'sstandard Start ID and PNO (programnumber) markers. RAM -based playbackmakes placing and searching to thesemarkers far more dependable than on anon -RAM -equipped deck, however.Write a start ID or PNO after you'vetrimmed the start point in RAM, and theSV-4100 can cue back to that pointlater with single -frame accuracy. Justmake sure that the Quick Start mode isactivated - otherwise the accuracy of theSV-4100 is no better than standardDAT decks.

cart -replacement system, or for theatersound effects.

But the average broadcast cart usermay get befuddled by the SV-4100,because getting the deck into single playmode is not a self-evident matter. Itrequires simultaneously pushing threebuttons on the front panel to get tosystem display mode, and then cyclingthe display past the digital input/out-

put parameters and theerror count display.None of this is markedon the machine, so youneed to have the manualclose at hand or becomeconversant with the ab-breviated words on thedisplay.

For such applications,single play mode is bestused on machines thatare dedicated to singleplay mode in on -air stu-dios or automation sys-tems. Once set intosingle play, the SV-4100will stay in that mode(even through power in-terruptions) until some-one wades into the sys-tem display mode andresets it.

Don't count on asingle SV-4100 to cue

and play a bunch of cuts in rapid succes-sion, however. The deckdoes a fine job of high-speed searching, butonce it gets where it'sgoing you'll have to waitanother nine or 10 sec-onds for it to load au-dio into RAM (at realtime) and declare itselfready for its next QuickStart playback.

Also, the DAT formatstill has some troubledistinguishing start IDsor PNOs spaced lessthan a minute apart.Quick Start doesn'tsolve that quirk, so shortaudio cuts still need tobe spaced apart on DATtapes.

autolocatorwith fivememory

points willsearch andcue to theexact DAT

frame you'veselected.

Another contender for cartreplacement?

\\ II placed in single play mode, thedeck will automatically go from play topause when a start ID or skip ID isencountered. This, in conjunction withthe Quick Start features, is a practicalway to use the SV-4100 as a broadcast

startup will not be instantaneous on anon -Quick Start DAT machine. For thesame reason, it's also important to putthe start ID or PNO more than 1.5seconds before audio starts when as-sembling such tapes.)

With two SV-4100s and an 8 -pinDIN parallel cable, you can do frame -accurate assemble editing without anexternal edit controller. All controls nec-essary for RAM edit -rehearsal and editexecution are built in to the deck. Butunlike fancier (and pricier) DAT editingsystems, there's no user -definablecrossfade - just the digital equivalent ofa butt splice.

The 8 -pin parallel jack doubles as aport for traditional contact -closure re-mote controls or external computercontrol. For simple hookup of start andpause remotes there's a tip -ring -sleevejack to connect two momentary switches.The SV-4100 also comes with a wirelessinfrared controller, which duplicates allthe on -machine controls and provides a10-kcy number pad for entering PNOor absolute time numbers.

An optional parallel remote control-ler (Panasonic RC -410) has just be-come available for the SV-4100. It al-lows remote control of start, stop andcuing functions, including loading ofthe RAM buffer for instant start. It alsoprovides a numeric keypad and 2 -digitLED display for cuing to PNOs. Single-DAT-frame advance and other RAM -

editing features of theSV-4100 are also pos-sible from the remote.(The RC -410 can beused with Panasonic SV-3700 and SV-3900DAT recorders, as well.)

Placing andsearching IDmarkers is far

moredependable

than on anon -RAM -equipped

deck.

Advanced editingand remote control

Audio insert editing can be done witha single SV-4100 (subcode data is leftundisturbed). You can also "insert si-lence: to spot -erase right up to thedesired start point of a cut. With thistechnique, you can prepare tapes andposition PNO markers so that audiocuts have clean starts, right where youwant them, for playback on any otherDAT deck (Of course, the playback

Getting closer tothe all -digital age

s\-4 1 00 hassome other capabilitiesthat mark it as a newgeneration of digitalmachine. It can synchro-nize its internal clock toexternal video or to an-other source of wordclock. This makes itmore able thanPanasonic's earlierdecks to handle audio -for -video work, or to be

a useful building block of an all -digitalstudio. As supplied, this machine doesn'tchase -lock to an external source, it sim-ply synchronizes its clock to that of theexternal sync source.

In another welcome update, start IDand PNO subcode markers can nowbe transferred via either the AES/EBUor the IEC 958 (consumer) digitalaudio format. Older models managedthis transfer in the IEC mode only.


Field Report:Panasonic S1'-4100

Hardware -wise, the SV-4100's I/O isquite versatile - it can send and re-ceive digital signals on balanced XLFt,unbalanced RCA coaxial, or opticalconnectors.

The digital transmission format canbe displayed and selected from the frontpanel by pushing buttons, a giant stepup from the earlierPanasonic decks' rearpanel DIP switch selec-tors. But again, the dis-play nomenclature is soabbreviated that you'dbest have a manual or acrib sheet handy beforeventuring in. (Themanual for the 4100does have a useful one -page primer of com-mands, suitable forcopying and keepingwith the machine.)

The RAM buffer forthe Quick Start featurealso offers a benefit fordigital interconnection:Even after the tape"catches up" with theinstant -start buffer play-back in play mode, the data being readoff tape continues to be buffered throughthe RAM. This should result in less jitteron the deck's digital output.

Staying connected with analogThe XL14 analog audio output levels

of the SV-4100 can be switched be-tween +4dBm and -10dBu on the rearpanel. But with some front -panel but-ton -pushing you can lower the deck'sanalog output as much as 14dB, insteps of about '/60th of a dB. With thiscombination of hardware and software,a range of -24 to +4 is available, whichshould match the needs of almost anystudio. The digital audio outputs are notaffected by this attenuation control.

On the analog input side, the volume-and -balance -control arrangement ofearlier Panasonic decks has been re-placed by two separate input level con-trols. This may be easier for lining up themachine to a console, but stereo fadeoutsare much more difficult to do at theDAT deck this way.

A window Into the dataAnother helpful feature that can be

accessed by pushing multiple front- panelbuttons is the error display. This is thesame system used on Panasonic's previ-ous studio and portable decks, and it's agreat diagnostic tool. On the SV-4100,you can look at a combined error rate forthe A and B heads, or look at each headseparately. Mostly you'll see readings of0 to 50 per time period, and anythingbelow 250 or so is easily handled by the

DAT format's error cor-rection and conceal-ment algorithms. A read-ing of 4992 tells youthat one head is com-pletely blocked or oth-erwise not responding.

Using this error dis-play I could confirm thewisdom of Panasonic'srecommendation not touse for audio recordingthe 120 -meter DATtapes being sold for thenew DDS -2 computerdata backup systems. Acouple of years ago I'dchecked the 90 -meterDDS -1 computer tapesusing Panasonic record-ers, and the low errordisplays had convinced

me that DDS -90's of-fered fewer errors thanthe audio DATs I'd beenusing. (In the DAT for-mat, a meter of tapeyields about two minutesof recording, so a 60 -meter DDS tape can holdtwo hours of audio; a 90 -meter tape holds threehours, etc.) But theDDS -2 120-metertapes'error counts are notice-ably higher than othertapes on the SV-4100.Panasonic cautions thatafter a lot of high-speedsearching and cuing thethinner tapes' perfor-mance will degrade morethan regular DAT stock

Now what's this button do,again?

The numerous capabilities of the SV-4100 must have challenged the creativ-

Expect tospend

some timereading the

manual as youget up to

speed on theSV-4100...

ity of the designers at Panasonic. Howcan you do so many things with just thebutton space available on a 3 -rack -unitfaceplate? The solution was to have themachine operate in several differentmodes, with buttons having differentfunctions in the different modes.

Some of this is clearly indicated onthe face of the deck But other multi-function buttons are not so clearly la-beled. Not only isn't there room formore buttons, there's no room for anymore labeling, either. This problem iscertainly not unique to the 4100, but itaffects the learning curve for users.

Expect to spend some time readingthe manual as you get up to speed on theSV-4100, and be cautious about put-ting it into surroundings where "onebutton, one function" equipment is thenorm.

Speaking of the manual, it suggestsusing a head -cleaning cassette as part ofperiodic maintenance, just as previousPanasonic DAT manuals have recom-mended. Yet the company's service de-partment continues to advise againstusing the head -cleaning cassettes in rou-tine maintenance, suggesting that theybe used only in emergencies. "Doing thetight thing" for this and other Panasonictransports involves taking the top of thecase off and cleaning the head drum andtape path by hand. Your recordings will

thank you for the extraeffort.

Note also that there'sno need to wony withthe SV-4100 (orwith anyof Panasonic's studioDAT decks) about leav-ing the tape cued and inthe pause mode. Thesedecks relax the tensionon the tape just enoughin pause mode so thatthere's a cushion of airbetween the tape and therotating head drum. Un-like other DATdecks thatwill drop out of pauseafter a few minutes, thePanasonics don't "timeout" of the pause modefor 12 hours.

All in all, the SV-4100 is an excellentevolutionary product. It builds on thesolid base of the popular SV-3700 andoffers many features of an ideal, "ma-ture" DAT recorder. At its price point,it's bound to convince a lot of users thatDAT-based production is more practi-cal than ever. in

...and becautious

about puttingit where

"one button,one function"equipment is

the norm.

Editor's note: Field Reports are an exclusive BE Radio feature for radio broadcasters.Each report is prepared by well -qualified staff at a radio station, production facility orconsulting company.These reports are performed by the industry and for the industry. Manufacturer's supportis limited to providing loan equipment, and to aiding the author if requested.It is the responsibility of BE Radio to publish the results of any device tested, positive ornegative. No report should be considered an endorsement or disapproval by BE Radiomagazine.

For more information on thePanasonic SV-4100 DAT recorder,

circle (102) on Reply Card.


Movement on satellite DABIn a Report and On ler (R&O) adopted

Jan. 12, 1995, the FCC officially estab-lished 2,310-2,360MHz as the US. satel-lite digital radio band. This action, antici-pated for some time, follows up on theWARC-92 proceedings, in which the U.S.opted out of the 'world standard" L -band(1,452-1,492MHz) allocation for Broad-cast Satellite Service (Sound), choosing thisS -band allocation instead. The R&O nowmakes the allocation official, referring to thenew service as Satellite DARS (Digital Au-dio Radio Service).

The commission called the move "thefirst step toward providing the Americanpublic with new multichannel, multilbmratdigital radio services," citing its potential forincreased choices of over -the -air program -Ming and service to currently unserved orunderserved areas and groups.

The band will be used strictly for satellite -originated broadcasts, although terrestrialrepeaters (gap -fillers) within this band maybe allowed in urban zones where line -of -sight to satellites is obstructed by tall build-ings.

The R&O considers only the generalallocation, however, and includes no rolesfor the service, nor any authorizations ofspectnnn to the service's four current pro-ponents (American Mobile Satellite Corpo-ration, CD Radio, Digital Satellite Broad-casting Corporation and Primosphere Um-ited Partnership) or any others. Furtheraction on satellite DABS is expected soon,however, with several commissioners re-portedly pushing hard to put satellite DABSon a fast track

Included in this action is the transfer ofjurisdiction over satellite DARS from theFCCs Mass Media bureau to its Interna-tional bureau, where other similar satelliteservices are handled. This change impliesthat the service may not be held subject tothe same regulatory standards applied totoday's broadcasters under Mass Media'sjurisdiction.

Satellite DABS proponents generally wel-comed the news, anticipating the FCC'sfurther action. In a representative com-ment, CD Radio called the action an "enor-mous step forward toward the inaugurationof a third radio band in the US."

The commission also reiterated supportin the proceeding for in -band terrestrialDAB, which it feels will help promote thefuture viability of local broadcasting. Whenexperimental studies report that such tech-nologies are feasible, the FCC stated that itwill act "expeditiously" to implement them.

For further information, contact LynnRemly at 202-653-8108 or Ray laForgeat 202-653-8117 at the FCC Office ofEngineering and Technology.

Timex announces wristwatchreceiver project using subcaniers

Tunes( Corporation will join Data Broad-casting Corporation (DBC) in developing a

wristwatch data receiver. Like the systemcurrently being deployed by rival watch-maker Seiko, the Tunex/DBC receiver willdisplay news, sports and financial data trans-mittal over FM subcaniers.

Under the terms of a joint agreementbetween the companies, DBC will managethe data transmission, and provide asubcanier receiver module and antennasystem of its design to Timex, who willmanufacture and distribute the watch. DBCalready operates a network of FM datasubcarriers across the US. and Canada, andwill likely expand the system in conjunctionwith this project. The service is set to beginin 1996. The companies also will explorethe possibility of jointly developing otherwireless consumer products.

For further infirm -ration, contact SusieWatson of Timex at 203-573-5764 orJulie Craig of DBC at 415-571-1800.

RU -R amounces DAB formatrecommendations

As expected. the Intemational Telecom-munications Union's Radiocommunicationsector formerly the CCIR) has rec-ommended the Eureka 147 system as apreferred format for temstrial and satelliteDAR Eureka 147, which has been de-signed to operate on transmission firquen-des ranging between 30MHz and 3GHz,has already been selected for use by manycountries, and a few have begun activedevelopment of Eureka 147 DAB systems.

But the ITU-R actions stopped short ofdeclaring Eureka 147 as a world DABstandard. It recommended that countrieson less of a fast track for satellite DAB alsoconsider a system jointly developed by theVoice of America and the Jet Propulsionlaboratory, and left the (lc x w open le w otherfuture satellite DAB systems, provided theyconformed with certain minimum minim-ments (as listed in rru-R Recommenda-tion 789). For terrestrial DAB, a footnote tothe recommendation acklal that other sys-tems arc still under development (such asin -band DAB formats), and that these mightbe considered for future 1TU-R action, ifthey met some stated criteria (listed in rru-R Recommendation 774). Whether in -band systems can meet all of these require-ments remains the subject of some debate.

In an apparent attempt to limit the in-creasing divergence among internationalDAB systems, the ITU-R's recommenda-tions also contained some general languageencouraging countries to "...make efforts tobring about as much as possible, harmoni-zation with other system standards alreadydeveloped or (linen tly underdevelopment"

Both the Eureka 147 and VOA/JPLsystems are still under examination for US.DAB use by the E1A and NRSC, along withseveral in -band DAB systems. This processis expected to lead to recommendations fora stan(lanl US DAB format by late 1995 orearly 1996.

The full text of these actions is provided

News

in Recommendation nv-R BO 1130 (sat-ellite DAB) and Recommendation II1J-RBS 1114 (terrestrial DAB).

Atterrnarket auto sound systemsales soar

Consumer purchases of aftermarket caraudio systems increased at record paceduring 1994, growing at double digit ratesduring the first half of the year. According tofigures from the Electronic Industries Asso-ciation, overall aftemarket car audio sys-tems' sales through June of 1994 tallied a21% growth OUT the same period in 1993.A significant portion of the products sold inthis category include AM/FM receivers.

Industry analysts credit the increase pri-marily to growing public interest in mobileelectronics and high-fidelity audio repto-duction in vehicles.

For further information, contact CynthiaUpson or Jonathan Thompson at 703-907-7500.

Recent FCC actions to keepbroadcasters busy

'n le new scar promises to be a hectic oneon the regulatory front, thanks to a flurry ofrecent FCC activity. In a Report & Order(R&O) issued in December 1994, the newEmergency Alert System (FAS) was un-veilal. It will begin to take effect July 1,1995,when the current EBS alert signal willbe shortened to eight seconds. This willrequire minor modifications to existing EBSencoders and dec(xlers. On July 1, 1996,the new EAS service will begin, which willinvolve installation of new hardware andinstitution of new operational procedures.As broadcasters review the R&O, they arediscovering its true impact upon them. (Thenext issue of RE Radio will include a fulldescription and analysis of FAS.)

The commission also issued a Notice ofProposed Rulemaking (NPR) on MMDocket 94-130, which considers the issueof unattended operation of broadcast sta-tions. Citing improved reliability and stabil-ity of broadcast equipment and the wideavailability of automation and remote -con-trol systems, the FCC feels that it may beappropriate to waive the requirement for alicensed, on -duty operator at broadcast sta-tions. This action may have significant im-pact on radio station facilities and person-nel Final action may be taken later this year.

For further information on FAS, contactHelena JIitchell or Frank Lucia of the FCCField Opwed dons bureau at 202-418-1220.For further information on unattended op-eration, contactJames McNally or GordonGodfrey of the FCC Mass Mafia bureau at202-418-2190.

111.1 RADIO, January/February 1995.41

Business/People:BUSINESS

Telos, Cleveland, has unveiled theZephyrNet, an ISDN-based point-to-multipoint audio distribution system. TheZephyrNet is a terrestrial method for trans-mitting high -quality audio to a large andreadily expanded number of locations usingexisting ISDN PRI service.

NVision has appointed Studio SupplyCompany, Nashville; The Video ProductionSystems Company, Miami; and WashingtonProfessional Systems, Wheaton, MD, as do-mestic sales representatives. Studio SupplyCompany will provide sales representationin Tennessee. The Video Production Com-pany will provide sales representation inFlorida, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean.Washington Professional Systems will pro-vide sales representation in the greater Wash-ington DC area.

Neotek, Chicago, has sold broadcast con-soles to Swedish Radio at Gavle Radio, MTVSweden, Sormland, Uppsala, Stock, Blekinge,Gotland, Norrkopping, and Koncert Hall.

Graff Electronic Machines, England, hasbeen commissioned by the BBC World Ser-vice to develop a system to incorporate intoits *Read the News" ex-hibit.

Russ Berger DesignGroup has moved to 4006Beltline, Suite 160, Dal-las, TX 75244; phone214-661-5222; fax 214-934-3935.

Electronic IndustriesAssociation/ConsumerElectronics Group (EIA/CEG) reports that it hasestablished the Digital Au-dio Radio (DAR) Con-sumer Electronics Manu-facturers Caucus to repre-sent manufacturers' viewson DAB. Representativesfrom most major audiomanufacturers interestedin DAB attended a meet-ing and tour of the NASALewis Research Center onSept. 12, 1994. EIA/CEGhas developed a workingcharter for the caucus, in-cluding subcommittees tolook at marketing and tech-nical aspects of DAB.

The National Aeronau-tics and Space Adminis-tration (NASA) and CDRadio have announced a

Space Act Agreement. Under the agree-ment, joint tests will be conducted using theTracking and Data Relay Satellite System(TDRSS) in connection with the establish-ment of Direct Broadcast Satellite Radio(DBS-R). The current testing and develop-ment of DBS-R is being actively supportedby NASA Headquarters' Office of SpaceAccess and Technology and Office of SpaceCommunications with project responsibil-ity at NASA's Lewis Research Center inCleveland. (See BE Radio, Nov. 1994).

Seiko Corporation and Seiko Epson Cor-poration have announced plans to deploy ahigh-speed global wireless network usingFM radio signals to distribute information.The information will be distributed to de-vices such as wristwatches and car stereos.

Differential Corrections Inc. has been is-sued a countrywide operations license fromthe UK Radio Authority. The license tobroadcast over the Classic FM radio net-work provides broadcasting capability forboth differential GPS and real-time trafficservices throughout most of the United King-dom.

Worldspace Corporation, Washington,DC, held its first users' meeting for the new

Moving?Take us with you.

Just peel off the subscription mailinglabel and attach it to the addresschange card located at the front of thisissue. Please allow 6-8 weeks to proc-ess your address change.


Tapeless Technology in Radio Applications- the Users Point of View

SYPHA has published the results of an extensive survey into the use oftapeless technology for cart replacement, station automation and production.

Over 500 radio stations in the United States and United Kingdom took part anc

the issues examined include:

Awareness and opinion of systems and technology Reasons for system selection and purchase Expectations of system performance Operational and technical support Applications and features required Investment decisions and future plans Sources of information and advice

Broadcast Engineering magazine, AMS Neve. Basys, Broadcast Electronics,Computer Concepts, Harris Allied, Korg, RCS, Sony and Studer Digitecprovided the sponsorship necessary to conduct the survey. However, themethod and results were independently managed by SYPHA.

SYPHA specializes inproviding consultancy and

research services on the useof random access

technologies for audio andpicture recording, editing

and replay. Otherpublications available from

SYPHA include: The Nonlinear Buyers

Guide - a buyers guide torandom access video

systems covering nonlinearand mixed mode editors,

digitizing cards andsoftware, video disks,

video servers and RAMstores;

The Tapeless Directory -a buyers guide to digital

audio workstationscovering production, post

production, cartreplacement and station

automation systems.

BE Radio readers are entitled to a reduced price of $325 (reg. $380). To order your copy of Tapeless Technology in Radio

Applications - the Users Point of View, enclose this ad with your order and mail to:

SYPHA, 216A Gipsy Road, London, SE27 9RB, UKor telephone +44 181 761 1042, fax +44 181 244 8758

Global Radio Broadcasting System. Themeeting was held in Washington, DC,and nearly 100 attendees from 20countries participated. Radio broad-casters that have signed channel reser-vation agreements include Voice ofAmerica, Radio Netherlands, KenyaBroadcasting Corporation, andMultiRadio of France.

Roland, Los Angeles, has reportedthat radio station KLOS, Los Angeles,is using the Roland SN-550 digitalnoise eliminator in the production of acompilation CD featuring highlightsfrom its popular morning show.

Fostex Research and Development,Hanover, NH, and The Synclavier Com-pany, Lebanon, NH, have announcedthe formation of a strategic productdevelopment alliance. The SynclavierCompany will integrate its S/Link batchfile of conversion software and EditViewgraphic user interface software with theFostex family of Foundation 2000 digi-tal audio workstations.

TFT, Santa Clara, CA, can supplybroadcasters with the equipmentneeded to comply with the new Emer-gency Alert System (EAS). The TFT

EAS 911 decoder and 912 encoderfully comply with the new emergencyalerting requirements set forth by theFCC. The new EAS requirements donot support a specific system but dodescribe technical characteristics.

Scientific-Atlanta, Norcross, GA, hasbegun shipping the Encore DSR-3610digital audio transmission system re-ceiver. The Encore DSR-3610 usesSEDAT audio compression technol-ogy to compress digital audio signals.

The Harman Pro Group, has an-nounced the formation of a new divi-sion, the Studer Lexicon Digital Sys-tems Group. The new division will beresponsible for developing, marketingand distributing of Studer Editech andLexicon digital audio workstation prod-ucts.

PEOPLE

Bret Brewer has joined the domesticbroadcast sales team at ContinentalElectronics, Dallas, 1% Brewer will bebased in Dallas and his territory willcover Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Loui-siana, New Mexico and Colorado.

Hajime Yamachuchi has been electedpresident ofTEAC America, Montebello,CA.

Sean Bowers has joined the field salesforce at 360 Systems, Westlake Village,CA. Bowers will be based in Denver andcan be reached by calling 303-932-1134.

Nicholas Rose has been appointed asdirector of audio engineering at Even-tide, Little Ferry, NJ.

James D. Godfrey and Ronnie Pohlerhave been named to positions with MartiElectronics, Cleburne, TX. Godfrey hasbeen named director of sales and mar-keting. Pohler is sales manager.

Joe Blacker of Audio Associates hasjoined the sales team at Sabine,Gainesville, FL Blacker will representSabine professional audio products inVirginia, Maryland and Delaware.

Ken Simons of Excellence Marketinghas joined the sales team at Sabine,Gainesville, FL Simons will representSabine pro audio products in NorthDakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.


Neu Products

5V audio power ampNational Semiconductor Corporation

LM4860and LM4861:deliver a mini-mum 500mW(LM4861) or1W (LM4860)of continuousaverage powerinto an 8W loadwith less than1% total har-monic distor-tion plus noise(THD+N) froma 5V power supply; devices are specified for 5V opera-tion but can operate as low as 2.7V with little degrada-tion in performance; shutdown mode reduces supplycurrent consumption to less than linA (typ.), eliminat-ing the need for an external FET; LM4860 has head-phone sensing, which provides status flag and amplifiermuting when headphones are plugged into the system;in 1,000 unit quantities, the ML4861 is available in an8 -pin SOIC for $1.89 and the LM4861 in a 16 -pinSOIC for $1.99.


MultitrackworkstationRoland)1* DM -800: performs all digital audio operations fromrecording to editing to track bouncing to final mix down;the 8 -track recorder and 12 -channel mixing system ishoused in a 26x11 -inch package and weighs just over 12pounds; offers non-destructive recording/editing, op-tional ADAT communication bus, video display output,optional RS -422 interface, 300 virtual tracks, full dy-namic automation, MIDI integration and time compres-sion; employs a 16 -bit linear recording data format withselectable sampling rates of 4R-. 44.1- and 32kHz.


Broadcast production DAWStuder Editech

Dyaxis downsized model of Dyaxis II, without thesynchronization and expansion capabilities; theVirtualMix feature allows a large number of tracks to beoutput simultaneously, eliminating the playback restric-tions imposed by disk bandwidth or dense edits; featuresa built-in automated digital mixer, which provides levelcontrol, panning, 5 -band parametric EQ and metering;functional blocks include an ADB trackball, externalmachine control, time code control, edit functions, fadecontrol and transport control; precision edit wheel sup-plies scrub and shuttle control and can be used forprecision trimming of edits and fades.

Circle (150) on Repty Card

DAT recorderTASCAM)0. DA -P 1: por-table DAT offersfull -featuredpower of studiomodel; features atwo -head designand two direct -drive motors;maintains qualityand capabilityfrom the studio using XLR-type mic/line inputs, completewith phantom power; designed to accept a broad range ofsignal levels from -60dBm to +4dBm; also offers unbalancedRCA connectors for S/PDF digital I/O for direct digitaltransfers; features A/D and D/A converters, SCMS-free re-cording and support for nniltiple sample rates - 48-, 44.1 -and 32kHz.


Time code DAT recorderFostex Corporation of America>0 D-25: features built-in SMPTE/EBU time codegenerator/reader, an on -board chase/lock synchro-nizer with offset, an RS -422 port and interface withdigital audio workstations; 16MB buffer allows forautomatic storage and access to audio for instantstart and insert edits; also features a 4-head/4-motor rugged transport for off -tape confidencemonitoring, punch-in/out recording and variablespeed operation.


Digital reverband effectsprocessorLexicon

PCM-80: fea-tures digital andbalanced analoginterfaces, high-performance 18 -bit conversion and a 24 -bit internal digital bus; digital andanalog inputs can be mixed together, features a new dual-DSPhardware platform, which includes the Lexichip II proprietaryVLSI chip, which supports the Motorola 56002 chip; aproprietary digital audio and control bus links the two chipsand is controlled by another custom Lexicon chip.


On -air audio consoleAudioartsEngineering)0. R-60: features standard six -source line selector, mod-ule extenders, gold contact switches, Penny & Giles faders,Sifam meters, true modular construction, 16 -bit digitalaudio performance and the Simple Phone module; open -bus architecture allows for accessory and input modules tobe placed almost anywhere in the console; available in 8, 12and 18 input module sizes with all models having twoadditional input and/or accessory blank positions.


44 1W RADIO, January/February 1995

Codecs for remotebroadcastsIntraplex> Series 4400: switchedaudio codccs include si-multaneously operatingISO/MPEG II encoderand decoder, G.722 en-coder and decoder, ISDNterminal adapter, BOND-ING compatible inversemultiplexer, and a user

interface that promotes call setup on a single stroke; "remote softwareupgrade" allows feature enhancements and changes to be sent to thecodec remotely; incorporates Philip, Ile( monies Musicore digitalsignal processor for ISO/MPEG LIN( I II encoding.

Ord. (157) on Reply Card

External gain cellunitMackie Designs

OTFO-34: designedfor use with Mackie's8Bus series of mixers;housed in a two-rackspace chassis; incor-porates 34 VCA gain cells,providing automation forup to 32 input channels and the consoles L/R master outputs; gaincells are patched into the console's channel insert points via TRSjacks on the rear panel; separate balanced send and return jacks in anormal patch -bay arrangement are provided for each channel on thefront panel; all internal control functions are executed using standardMIDI command protocols.

mein (158) on Reply Card

Hard disk sampler360 Systems

DR550: professional digital audio re-corder that acts like a sampler, providingimmediate access to 500 individual audiocuts of any length; recordings are made withDolby AC -2 data compression and stored ona two-hour internal hard drive; cuts arcmapped to 50 panel -mounted buttons (hot -keys) for ready access in 10 user -definedgroups; unit is self-contained and features abright two-line VF display, AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital I/O, analog +4dBu I/O and aprinter drive; larger hard disk sizes of fourand eight hours are optional.


ISO/MPEG digital audio codecMPR Teltech Ltd and Philips AdvancedDevelopment Centre

LIIBlue single -package unit includes abuilt-in ISDN terminal adapter (s), four -chan-nel H.221 multiplexer, G.722, G.711, allISO/MPEG Layer II sampling rates, remotecontrol capability and more.


New Products

Digital audio workstationAkai Digital> DD1500: multitrack MO/hard-disk re-corder/editor; dedicated system; comprises fourmain units -DD1500m (main audio processor),DD1500a (A/D and D/A converters), DD1500x(disk -drive unit capable of housing up to two MOdrives or an MO drive and hard disk) and DL1500(system controller); DD1500m offers 32 chan-nels of audio processing; dedicated transportkeys access play. stop, rewind, fast forward andrecord, and the jog wheel allows "reel rocking"across all tracks simultaneously; features customvideo LSI for color graphics, extensive synchroni-zation, flexible audio connections, removablerecording medium and upgradeable software forfuture expansion.


Digital optimizerdB Technologies

dB3000: multifunction digital audio proces-sor; provides sample -rate down conversion from44,100 to 22,050 samples per second, bit re-duction from 17 to 24 bits to 16 -bit format,optimized digital transfers, jitter removal, cali-bration, troubleshooting and multimedia devel-opers tools; also features dither and noise-shap-ing curves designed for multimedia, real-timeaudition mode for immediate evaluation anddynamic QuickFit processing for increased dy-namic range in 8 -bit format.


ISO/MPEG Layer II codec systemCOMREX)0- DX230: offers full bandwidth (15kHz or more) stereo audio to be senton a single basic rate ISDN phone line; implements G.722 algorithm forcommunication with other G.722 coders; may be user configured via aneasy -to -use, push-button, front -panel interface for a variety of output datarates, sampling rates and for stereo, joint stereo, dual mono or monooperation; current mode, data rate and sampling rate may be displayed ona backlit LCD, located on the front panel; features AES/EBU port forsending pre -digitized audio and offers the asynchronous transfer ofancillary data at a rate of 300- to 9600b/s, which allows for e-mailmessaging or other communication to a PC over the same ISDN line.


STICK-ONsmWhen Quality, Performance and Value Count

in Broadcast Utility Products,Take a Closer Look at the Innovators, Look to RDL'

R D L Radio Design LabsSPECIALISTS IN PRACTICAL PRECISION ENGINEERING

(805) 684-5415 or (800) 281-2683



New Products

Internal boardAdvanced Digital Systems)1, Radio Rock -It RDS: allows computer toreceive FM -stereo signals; displays radio textinformation of the PC screen, including nameand artist of the music playing, traffic announce-ments, news and weather updates; derives itscapabilities from the Radio Broadcast Data sys-tem (RBDS), a subcarrier FM frequency thattransmits data; offers SRS surround sound, a five -

band graphic equalizer and an onscreen digitalpaging system for subscribers.


Omnidirectional microphoneElectra -Voice

RE5ON/D: features EV's patented neody-mium (N/DYM) magnet structure, which resultsin an evenly contoured pickup pattern with ex-tended frequency response and increased sensi-tivity; also features an Acoustalloy diaphragm,which permits smooth response over a largefrequency band and protects the element againstthe abuse of high humidity, extreme tempera-ture, corrosive effects of salt air and severe me-chanical shock DynaDamp shock mount offersgreater isolation and ruggedness, and the trans-ducer is fitted with a high -mass internal case,which is shock -mounted in the external case ofthe microphone.


Digital audio workstationsSonic Solutions)0 UltraSonic Processor: provides up to 16channels of digital 1/0, up to 32 tracks of diskplayback and 32 filter sections; solves the com-mon problem of how to put enough I/O andaudio processing power into a standard audioworkstation; a full 24 -channel system with eightaux sends can be configured with only .two cards,leaving one slot available in the Power Macintoshfor a video card or other plug-in hardware.

Sonic Power Station, Sonic Radio Station,Power Station Plus: new entry-level systemsbased on the SSP-3 DSP card, previously theworkhorse of the entire Sonic System line; SonicPower provides two channels of digital I/O,playback up to eight channels from a single harddisk, and background loading to the hard disk;Sonic Radio features Time Twist and 48- to44.1kHz sample rate conversion; Power StationPlus offers four channels of digital I/O, playbackof 12 channels from a disk, background unload-ing and loading from the hard disk

Orel* (170) on Reply Card

Multipair digitalaudio cablesGEPCO InternationalA* Model 552402 andModel 552408: de-signed for use in digitalaudio and time code ap-plications; maintain110W AES/EBU timecode requirements, con-form to NEC Article 800and are UL Listed Type CM; cables use two solid polyethylene rodsto contribute to the mechanical and electrical stability of the cable;also features 24 -gauge tinned copper conductors, individually shieldedand jacketed pairs and an alphanumeric surface print for easy repairidentification.


Audio processor and softwareCutting Edge Technologies

Unity AM: complete, multiband AM processor designed to enableAM stations to tailor their broadcast sound to exacting standards notpreviously possible.10. Unity remote software: for Unity 2000i and Unity AM broadcastprocessors; allows station personnel to control their processing fromtheir offices, homes or cars, enabling them to evaluate the sound oftheir station in real world listening environments and make adjust-ments as needed; operates on an IBM-compatible computer runningDOS and supporting VGA graphics; ideal for state -run and privatenetworks that broadcast identical programming from multiple sites.


PCMCIA interfaceand translatorAudio Precision> PCM-DOS: interfacecard for System One au-dio test, fits in standardPCMCIA card slots pro-vided on most notebookand sub -notebook com-puters, eliminating theneed for an ISA bus slot onthe host computer or a*docking station"; availablein mid -February 1995 as a stand-alone or interface upgrade whenordered with a new System One.10. GAT -1: GPIB-to-APIB translator allows users to operate theirSystem One either via their existing interface or from and IEEE -488GPIB controller, operates independently of the audio analyzer, thusspecialized industrial systems for DC measurements or switchingalone may be configured.


Digital audiorecorderSony Electronics)11- PCM-800: uses the DTRS digital multitrack standard; designedfor audio -for -video post -production applications; offers professionalsound quality, excellent reliability, standard professional audio inter-facing capability and full capability with other DTRS format digitalmultitrack recorders; features AES/EBU digital and XLR analog I/Oand incorporates all basic audio' functions, including precise autopunch in/out using advanced digital crossfade technology andexternal synchronization capability with SMPTE/EBU time code;format records eight discrete channels of 16 -bit PCM audio at 48 or44.1kHz sampling rates.



Pro iot

COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE...

Cover Story: Talk RadioIt's hot and increasingly high-tech. Learn

about the latest in telephone interfacing,audio processing, facility' design and com-puter applications for talk radio in thiscomprehensive feature. This is a must -read for any station doing news and talkprogramming.

NAB '95 PreviewBe a step ahead of the crowds in Las

Vegas with BE Radio's exclusive pre -showcoverage. You'll find everything you needto know about NAB '95's radio technol-ogy in one convenient package, coveringboth the conference sessions and theexhibit floor. Be sure to make it part ofyour convention planning.

Special Report: A First Look atE AS

Plans for the new Emergency AlertingSystem, successor to FRS, have recentlybeen revealed by the FCC. This in-depth

report will present an analysis of what thechanges will mean for radio stations overthe next few years.

Managing Technology:Consultant Kirk Hamack tells manag-

ers everything they need to know aboutfiling for minor changes with the FCC.

Contract Engineering:Engineers won't want to miss this pre-

sentation of how to handle contracts andother legal matters, from fellow engineer(and lawyer) Mike Starling,

RF Engineering:John Battison considers the engineer's

rite of spring maintenance.

Plus BE Radio's usual slate ofindustry news, business and newproduct information - allheaded your way in the March/April issue.

...And in the coming months:Look for in-depth coverage of automa-

tion systems, radio production equip -

ClassifiedAdvertisingII A T E S

Advertising rates in BE Radio Classified Sec-tion are $45 "per column inch. per insertion Thereis a one inch minimum

Ads may also be purchased By -The -Word for$1 75 per word. per insertion Initials and abbre-v ations count as full words. Minimum charge is$30 per insertion

ContactRenee Hambleton

at(913) 967-173 2

or fax(9 1 3) 967-1 735to advertise in

BE Radio Classifieds.

SERVICES

JOHN H. BATTISON P.E.CONSULTING BROADCAST ENGINEER,FCC APPLICATIONS AM, FM, TV, LPTVAntenna Design, Proofs, Fieldwork

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DIELECTRICGsa 'nit of General Signal Corporation

P.O. Box 949Tower Hill Road JAY S. MARTINRaymond, Maine 04071 Manager. FM Systems800-341-9678FAX: 207-655-7120

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liery'r situ' you get when you advertisein BE Radio... exposure to :2.500 radio professionals who can bus

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Call Renee Hambleton at 913-967-1732 orfax your ad to 913-967-1735.

ment, datacasting technolok; the radioair chain, digital audio coding and anupdate on progress toward digital radiobroadcasting. You'll also see our annualindustry salary survey, numerous FieldReports reviewing hot new products, andcoverage of major trade shows - includ-ing BE Radio's exclusive "Pick Flits ofNAB," the top 10 radio products at NAB'95.

Meanwhile, our columnists will con-sider these topics throughout 1995:

Managing Technology: Hiring a con-tract engineer, EPA rules on RF radiation,owner maintenance, and computer ap-plications for radio station management

Contact Engineering Billing and col-lection, insurance and indemnification,finding new clients, and handling mul-tiple clients.

RF Engineering Tower inspections,antenna and tower grounding, antennameasurements, and station proofs -of -performance.

It you have a topic you'd like to see ad-dressed, let us know. Respond via the BE

Radio FAXback line at 913-967-1905 or viae-mail to [email protected].

FOR SALE

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Whe.her It's an article,ad, or an interesting column, take advantage ofthis unique opportunity to promote yourbusinessand products throughreprints - available fromthis magazine. Reprintsare great promotionalpieces and makeexec/lent marketingtools ... all ata minimal cost.

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ota


AD INDEX SALES OFFICES

Page NumberReaderService Number

AdvertiserHotline

Audio Precision 5 11 800-231-7350Belar Electronics Laboratory 37 9 610-687-5550Continental Electronics IBC 2 214-381-7161Dalet Digital Media Systems 29 21 140-380-139Dalet Digital Media Systems 27 20 140-380-139Dalet Digital Media Systems 25 19 140-380-139Dalet Digital Media Systems 23 18 140-380-139Fostex Corp. of America 7 12 800-7-FOSTEXHarris Allied

1 4 217-222-8200Henry Engineering 37 8 818-355-3656Lightwave Systems, Inc. 33 15 214-741-5142Mackie Designs 11 17 800-258-6883NAB/Multimedia World 19 202-429-5350Orban, Div of AKG Acoustics 3 5 510-351-3500Prophet Systems, Inc. 35 16 308-284-3517Radio Design Labs 45 10 805-684-5415Register Data Systems 15 14 800-521-5222Roland Corp US 9 6 213-685-5141Scott Studios Corp 13 13 800-330-3004Shure Brothers, Inc IFC 1 800-25-SHUREWheatstone Corporation BC 3 315-452-5000

EDITORIALBrad Dick, Editor

Radio EditorSteve Epstein, Technical EditorDawn Hightower, Senior Associate EditorDeanna Rood, Associate EditorTom Cook, Senior Managing EditorCarl Bentz, Directory EditorARTKim Bracken. An Director. Special Prr4ects

BUSINESSRaymond E. Maloney, PresidentCameron Bishop, Group Vice PresidentDennis Triola, PublisherTom Brick, Marketing DirectorStephanie Hanaway,GroupDirector,Sperial ProjectsKathryn Buckley, Promotions ManagerSandra Tomczak, Promotions CoordinatorDec Unger, Director Advertising SenicesNancy Hupp, Advertising Production ManagerAnnette Hulsey, Classified Advertising CoorrlinatorPat Eisenman, Senior Ad Production CoordinatorSusan Jones, Advertising CoordinatorChris Coughlin, list Rental Sales RepresentativeDoug Coonrod, Corporate An DirectorBarbara Kummer, Circulation DirectorEunice Longanecker, Circulation ManagerCustomer Service: 913-967-1711 or 800-441-0294

TECHNICAL CONSULTANTSJerry Whitaker, Contributing EditorRichard Dean. European CorrespondentEric Neil Angevine, Broadcast AcousticsJohn H. Battison,Antennas/RadiationDennis Ciapura, Radio TechnologyDane E. Erickson, P.F-, Systems Design

John Kean, Subcarrier TechnologyDonald L Markley, Transmission FacilitiesHarry C. Martin, LegalCurtis Chan, Audio/%ideo Technology

initk44) TM

MEMBER ORGANIZATIONSSustaining Members of:

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Member, American Business Press MPMember, BPA International VBPABROADCAST ENGINEERING is edited for cor-porate management, engineers/technicians andother station management personnel at commercialand educational radio and TV stations, teleproduc-tion studios, recording studios, CATA and CC1Vfacilities and government agencies. Qualified per-sons include consulting engineers and dealer/dis-tributors of broadcast equipment.

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Authorization to photocopy items for internal orpersonal use, or the internal or personal use ofspecific clients, is granted by Intertec Publishing.provided that the base fee of US. $2.00 per copy,plus U.S. $00.00 per page is paid directly to Copy-right Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Dan-vers, MA 01923. The fee code for users of theTransactional Reporting Service is ISSN 0361-°942/1995 $2.00+00.00. For those organiza-tions that have been granted a photocopy license byCCC, a separate system of payment has been ar-ranged. Prior to photocopying items for educationalclassroom use, please contact C('C at 508-750-8400. Organizations or individuals with large quan-tity photocopy or reprint requirements should con-tact Chris Lotesto, 312-435-2357.

CORRESPONDENCEEditorial and Advertising: 9800 Metcalf, OverlandPark, KS 66212-2215. Telephone:913-341-1300;Editorial Fitz:913-967-1905 Advt.Fgc 913-067.1904.C 1995 by Intertec PublishingAll rights reserved.

NEW YORK, NEW YORKGordon & AssociateJosh Gordon210 President StreetBrooklyn, NY 11231Telephone: (718) 802.0488FAX (718) 522.4751

Joanne Melton888 7th Avenue, 38th FloorNew York, NY 10106Telephone: (212) 332.0628FAX (212) 332.0663

CHICAGO, ILLINOISVytas Urbonas55 East Jackson, Suite 1100Chicago, IL 60604Telephone: (312) 435.2361FAX (312) 922.1408

AGOURA HILLS, CALIFORNIADuane Hefner5236 Colodny Ave., Suite 108Agoura Hills, CA 91301Telephone: (818) 707.6476FAX (818) 707.2313

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIAMC2 Magazine CommunicationsMarketing Corp.

Jason PerlmanTelephone: (310) 458.9987FAX (310) 393.2381OXFORD, ENGLANDRichard WoolleyIntertec Publishing Corp.Unit 3, Farm Business CentreClifton Road, Deddington,Oxford OX15 4TP EnglandTelephone: +44 (0) 1869 338794FAX +44 (0) 1869 338040Telex: 837469 BES G

TOKYO, JAPANMashy YoshikawaOrient Echo, Inc.1101 Grand MaisonShimomiyabi-Cho 2-18Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162, JapanTelephone: (3) 3235-5961FAX (3) 3235-5852Telex J-33376 MYORIENT

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGOVERLAND PARK, KANSASRenee HambletonP.O. Box 12901Overland Park, KS 66282Telephone: (913) 967.1732FAX (913) 967.1735

LIST RENTAL SERVICESREPRESENTATIVEChris Coughlin9800 MetcalfOverland Park, KS 66212-2215Telephone: (913) 967-1928Fax (913) 967-1872

OINTERTL=CPUBLISHING


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