Tech Roundup

A new Parks Associates white paper released today sheds new light on the leading "internet of things" trends for consumers as the first half of 2016 — and the end of the fiscal year for many — arrives on Friday. Parks Associates identified 10 key trends impacting the market for consumer technology now and into the next year. Find out what they are here, and if radio's C-Suite can benefit.

For all of the chatter regarding dissatisfaction with MVPDs, the percentage of consumers who are "very satisfied" with their pay-TV service is still much higher than those who are fed up with cable.

The FCC's Media Bureau has set the comment date, and reply comment date, for individuals to share their thoughts with the Commission on a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles request for a waiver of FCC rules requiring the accessibility of user interfaces on covered digital apparatus.

The Custom Message Plus software offered as an option by emergency communications solutions company Monroe Electronics and its Digital Alert Systems subsidiary is no more. Not to fret: It's been reborn as part of a "major upgrade."

Need an outdoor TV offering 4K resolution for your entertainment and enjoyment this summer and throughout the year? You're in luck. Aurora, Ill.-based Peerless-AV has unveiled its latest line of all-season outdoor TVs with the UltraView UHD Outdoor TV.

When it came to a final decision on a new broadcast graphics package, Northwest Broadcasting's FOX affiliate serving New York's Southern Tier turned to FOR-A Corporation of America. In doing so, this TV station is the first to sign on with FOR-A for a package delivered through an Italian partner.

"Alexa, enable Impact Radio." With this one simple instruction, smart homes in Idaho's biggest market that have an Amazon Echo device can now easily listen to any of Impact Radio Group's Boise, Idaho stations.

Can a bilingual newscast, even digitally delivered, woo Latinos in the Alamo City? Univision sure thinks so, as it launches two local streaming-only weekday news programs at 11:30am in both San Antonio and in Chicago.

The newest SiriusXM dock and play radio – the Onyx EZR – is now available for subscribers of the nation's only satellite radio programmer. Here are all the details on what the new receiver offers.

Former Tandberg Television President Eric Cooney has been selected to serve as President/CEO of SAM — Snell Advanced Media, to be precise. The moves come following the resignation of CEO Tim Thorsteinson, who has stepped down as CEO after two years "for personal reasons which, in the near to medium term, limit his ability to travel," SAM said in a statement released Monday.

The Telos Alliance, the broadcast radio and TV technology firm that's the parent company of Telos, Omnia, Axia, 25-Seven, Linear Acoustic and Minnetonka products, has released what it calls a "major" software update for the Omnia.9sg stereo generator and final stage processor.

In official Reply Comments filed June 8 with the FCC, the NAB urged the Commission to provide broadcasters "with as much flexibility as possible in adopting rules to govern the voluntary deployment of" the ATSC 3.0 next-generation broadcast TV standard. In particular, they do not want the Commission to impose any heightened regulatory requirements on stations merely because they seek to migrate to the new standard.

As per the terms of a $150M strategic investment offer made on May 8 by KKR to Pandora, any end of a proposed injection of funds in the streaming audio company from KKR would involve a termination fee. A closer look at Sirius XM's investment in Pandora clearly shows that Sirius XM is eating the fee, and immediately matching KKR's offer ... and more.

Simple math makes for easy guidance affirmation. With a huge $480 million cash infusion from Sirius XM replacing a $150 million strategic investment offer from KKR made May 8, Pandora stands firm with its guidance for the current quarter and for the full year as offered during its Q1 2017 conference call.

In a Friday morning announcement, Pandora confirmed that it has secured an agreement from SiriusXM to make a $480 million investment in the company and announced the sale of its Ticketfly division to Eventbrite for $200 million — significantly less than what Pandora purchased it for less than two years ago.