This Week In Radio Tech (TWiRT): Recent Episodes
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“TWiRT” is your go to show if you want to get behind the scenes on what makes broadcasting possible. The show addresses common issues as well as explaining past experiences from a wide array of hosts who each come from a different background in radio technology. This show is a must for any tech geek or for anyone who is interested in what goes on behind the boards and wires.
This Week in Radio Tech – Episode 812 takes us to Round Rock, Texas, for the 2026 Texas Association of Broadcasters convention! With two full days of engineering sessions, new technology, and plenty of conversations on the expo floor, TAB once again brought together some of our favorite broadcast engineers and industry friends. We caught up with Michael Patton, Dustin Tatro, David Smedley, Chase Daniels, Fred Morton, and Dave Kerstin for their perspectives on radio engineering, technology, and the industry we all enjoy being part of. It’s a great collection of conversations with the people who keep broadcasting working—and moving forward. Join us for TWiRT 812, recorded at the Texas Association of Broadcasters convention in Round Rock!
On This Week in Radio Tech Marianne Seidler, Matt Levin, and Hans van Zutphen join us for “Advances in Audio Processing”—Episode 811. Marianne adds some class, history, and great processing advice to the conversation, while Matt and Hans explore the latest developments in StereoTool, including an optional approach that combines multiband A‑G‑C, compression, and limiting […]
Few studio monitors are as instantly recognizable—or as trusted—as those made by Genelec. On episode 810 of This Week in Radio Tech, our guest is Lars-Olof Janflod, Genelec’s Strategy Advisory Officer and a member of the company’s team since 1992. We trace Genelec’s story from its origins in Finland through the development of the distinctive, rugged monitor designs that have become familiar sights in studios and broadcast facilities worldwide. Lars-Olof explains the thinking behind Genelec’s unusual speaker designs and how the company has maintained its reputation for accuracy and reliability across three decades of technological change. We also explore today’s Smart Active Monitoring systems, which combine onboard DSP with automated calibration to optimize each loudspeaker for the room in which it is actually installed. It’s a fascinating conversation about loudspeaker engineering, acoustics, innovation, and the pursuit of truly trustworthy monitoring. Join us for TWiRT episode 810—listen or watch wherever you enjoy This Week in Radio Tech.
Our guest on This Week in Radio Tech episode 809 is Tim Berry, Chief Engineer at WUOT-FM, the public radio station at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. WUOT combines NPR news with classical and jazz music, much of it still played live from CDs and occasionally from the station’s enormous collection of LPs. Tim gives us a tour of the control room, performance area, technical center, and an extraordinary music library that also includes thousands of historic 78 RPM records. We’ll see one of Tennessee’s earliest Audio over IP installations, built around Axia Livewire technology and operating for about 15 years. Tim also maintains more than 20 analog and digital amateur radio repeater sites throughout East Tennessee. Join us for a fascinating look at preserving broadcasting’s rich history while planning the technical upgrades that will carry WUOT into the future.
On this episode, Brett Gibson joins Kirk Harnack and co-host Chris Tarr, for a practical conversation about what it takes to build and maintain a reliable broadcast operation today. Brett shares how Voice of the Master’s technical plant has evolved over the years, what systems and standards have made the biggest difference, and how deeply IT has become integrated into modern radio engineering.
This Week in Radio Tech, Episode 807, features William Harrison, Chief Engineer for WETA-FM in Washington, D.C. William got his start in public radio in the 1990s at WAMU-FM, where computer work quickly expanded into audio and electronics. Since then, he’s worked with PBS, NPR, The Metropolitan Washington Ear, and a number of FM and TV broadcasters. He also chairs SBE Chapter 37 in D.C., serves on the Virginia SECC, sits on the board of the Association of Public Radio Engineers, and occasionally writes for Radio World. In this episode, we talk about real-world FM engineering, including Capital Concerts fireworks show coordination, HD Radio timing and “ballgame” mode, receiver metadata behavior, liquid-cooled transmitters, HLS streaming for broadcast STL use, and dynamic range control in xHE-AAC. Join us for a practical, wide-ranging conversation about broadcast engineering, public radio operations, and the listener experience on This Week in Radio Tech.
This Week in Radio Tech is on location for episode 806 at the Auburn Marriott Opelika Resort & Spa in Opelika, Alabama, where the Alabama Broadcasters Association is celebrating its 80th anniversary with one of several regional receptions around the state.
Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT department concern—it is becoming a broadcast engineering issue, and possibly soon, a regulatory one as well. On episode 805 of This Week in Radio Tech, we’re joined by three experienced broadcast engineers from Georgia and South Carolina: John George, Charles Kinney, and Earl Welsh. We’re talking just ahead of the Georgia-Lina Broadcast Engineering Conference in Augusta, Georgia, and our topic is both timely and practical: the FCC’s proposed cybersecurity rules for broadcasters, especially as they relate to EAS equipment, studio-transmitter links, remote access, and other internet-facing systems that can affect what goes on the air. We’ll discuss what the FCC appears to be concerned about, why default passwords and exposed web interfaces are no longer just “bad practice,” and what station engineers can do now to improve security before a rulemaking turns into a compliance deadline. This is not a theoretical conversation — it is about real broadcast facilities, real equipment, and real operational risks. Join us for episode 805 of This Week in Radio Tech as we look at cybersecurity through the eyes of working broadcast engineers.
RDS may be one of the smallest signals your FM station transmits, but getting it right matters more than ever. On Episode 804 of This Week in Radio Tech, broadcast network engineer and podcast host, Tyler Woodward, explains the technical details behind RDS and its U.S. counterpart, RBDS. We discuss the data fields every FM engineer should understand, including PI codes, program type, alternate frequencies, and the way field repetition rates affect what listeners see on their radios. Tyler also explains why accurate PI codes are increasingly important for connected-car services such as RadioDNS and dts AutoStage—and points broadcasters to a useful online tool for verifying the correct PI code for their call letters. If you are responsible for an FM station, this is a must-listen—or must-watch—conversation.
This Week in Radio Tech is on the road for Episode 803 as we tour the new Radio One broadcast facility near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Radio One operates nine radio stations from this facility, with more than 20 studios supporting music, talk, news, and sports programming. It is also home to Network Indiana, which produces and distributes newscasts and long-form programs, along with radio broadcasts for several professional and college sports teams. Mike Hutchens takes us inside the new technical operations center, and Nick Lopez joins us to explain the planning and execution behind the studio build-out. We also visit one of the music-station studios to see how today’s studios can be built for efficiency and human workflow. Join us for a close-up look at how modern audio-over-IP technology, signal routing, metadata, system control, and monitoring all work together across the IP network. It is a practical tour of a large, busy broadcast operation designed for flexibility, reliability, and the demands of today’s radio industry.
Generative AI is showing up everywhere, but what does it really mean for broadcasters and broadcast engineers? On This Week in Radio Tech episode 802, John Pooley, CSTE, joins us to share his SBE presentation, “Human Centered Generative AI for Broadcasting,” and to take questions about the practical, ethical, and operational implications of using AI in our work. John’s message is clear: use AI well or risk being left behind—but use it carelessly and you can lose money, judgment, data security, and trust. We’ll talk about keeping humans in control, verifying AI-generated work, protecting sensitive station and customer data, and using AI as a coworker for research, troubleshooting, planning, and professional learning. Join us for a thoughtful, engineer-to-engineer conversation about where generative AI can help broadcasting—and where it absolutely still needs adult supervision.
This Week in Radio Tech Episode 801 takes us to Ely, Minnesota, where WELY AM and FM — long known as "End of the Road Radio" — is getting a new birth. Civic Media is now the licensee, and Chief Engineer Erick Burnstad walks us through the real-world work of rebuilding a small-town radio station with new studios, a new transmitter, and a new FM antenna system. WELY’s story includes deep local history, a period of silence, and now a renewed commitment to community radio in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters region. Erick shares what the project has taught him about planning, tower work, transmitter replacement, automation conversion, and keeping local service alive while the rebuild continues. It’s a great conversation about the kind of engineering that blends RF, logistics, patience, and genuine hometown purpose. Join us for TWiRT Episode 801 and hear how WELY is coming back to life.
For the 800th episode of This Week in Radio Tech, we’re joined by Adrian Berkovits of Adventure33 to take a deeper technical look at the Prism audio program distribution platform. Adrian explains how Prism can serve both as a one-to-many program delivery system for radio networks and as a reliable studio-to-transmitter link solution for individual broadcasters. The discussion covers redundancy strategies, transport concepts, endpoint deployment, and practical implementation considerations for broadcast engineers. Adrian also shares the development philosophy behind Prism and details many of the technical nuances engineers will want to understand before deploying a modern IP-based program distribution system. Join us for Episode 800 of TWiRT for an informative engineering-focused conversation about modern audio distribution for radio broadcasting.
Join us for a special on-location episode of This Week in Radio Tech, recorded at the historic Armstrong Tower in Alpine, New Jersey—the birthplace of wideband FM broadcasting. We’re joined by electronics designer and radio historian Steve Hemphill, along with Chuck Sackermann, whose company owns and oversees this iconic site. Together, we explore the groundbreaking legacy of Edwin H. Armstrong and the enduring impact of his tower and technology. Tim Braddock also joins us with comments about the famous Alford Antenna, in service for over 50 years on the Empire State Building.Don’t miss this fascinating journey through radio history, innovation, and preservation!
The spark, motivation, and process for invention is absolutely fascinating! This week we got lucky and found two gentlemen who epitomize the spirit of invention. They often do this by asking, “What is it that we’re really trying to do here?” Sometimes the answer results in new approaches to the problem or task. Mike “Catfish” Dosch and Cornelius Gould are working on some projects at Angry Audio. This provided a perfect opportunity to interview them together and discuss the inventor’s process.
On this episode of This Week in Radio Tech, we welcome a true legend of the newsroom—Bob Hardt. From his early days at WXYZ to anchoring at WABC and ultimately rising to the top at ABC Radio News in New York City, Bob shares a career shaped by storytelling, breaking news, and the evolving tools of the trade. Host Kirk Harnack dives into how technology changed the game—from cart machines to digital editors—and how those shifts made newsgathering faster, sharper, and more agile. If you’ve ever wondered how great radio news gets made, or how the newsroom adapted from analog chaos to digital speed, this conversation with Bob Hardt is one you won’t want to miss.
Seven hundred and fifty episodes of TWiRT! Wow! It’s my honor today to welcome two innovative broadcast engineers and businessmen - and business partners with Telos Alliance - Tyler Everitt and Grant Biebrick. We’re learning about the practical equipment and systems that their company, Pippin Technical Service (PTS) brings to Canadian broadcasters. Tyler and Grant reveal the innovative networked devices and systems that PTS has developed and installed at hundreds of facilities in Canada.
Oakwood University, located in Huntsville, Alabama, is renowned for its significant contributions to gospel and Christian music, particularly through its alumni who have achieved fame in these genres. Groups like Take 6 and soloists such as Brian McNight are alumni of Oakwood, along with many, many more. Oakwood is also home to WJOU-FM, and we all know that university-owned radio stations often go a couple decades between serious studio upgrades. WJOU is overdue for new equipment, and not just for the sake of newness. Indeed, the station’s leadership staff recognizes the need for more diverse music and talk programming, but one signal isn’t enough. So, WJOU-FM is remodeling and building new studios to accommodate four different formats, and finishing an HD Radio transmission system to accommodate them. Good leadership and big upgrades go hand-in-hand, so on this episode we’re meeting with Dawna Baker and Dammeon Malone from WJOU, and with broadcast system integrator, Josh Bohn and field engineer Mike Hutchens from MaxxKonnect. Together they’re give us a worthy overview of this major upgrade process from the perspectives of management, operations, and engineering.
The Story of the Broadcast Cart Machine is fascinating, especially to those of us who used them on-air, or installed and repaired them as engineers. Andy Rector, who was heavily involved in the business of broadcast cart machines, joins us for Part 2 of our exploration into this history. We’ll go through the 1970s and 1980s, as new broadcast cart machines were developed and deployed. We’ll follow this story arc right up to the late 1990s, when Andy says was really the end of that cart machine era.
Most of us in radio engineering have worked with broadcast cart machines. While it’s been a good 25 or 30 years since we’ve had them in our studios, we’ll never forget the pleasure - and occasional pain - of using them and maintaining them. But how did cart machines come to be? Were they always like the ones we grew up with in the 70s and 80s? Or did the development come with fits and starts? Andy Rector worked with broadcast carts nearly from the very beginning of their existence. He’s been interviewed many times and provided historical presentations to SBE groups, AES sections, and others. We’re delighted to have Andy Rector join us on this TWiRT episode to look at the early days of broadcast cart machines and the early technologies employed.
Young broadcast engineers are few and far between, but Cameron Lasley is making a big difference for broadcasters in Kentucky. Cam’s primary role is with wireless broadband technologies; he’s the owner of a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) in Kentucky. On a future TWiRT episode we’ll discover Cam’s broadcast engineering experiences, but on this show we’re finding out about the WiFi technologies that power IP radio links. These are links that broadcasters - as well as WISPs - use every day. We’ll gain understanding of link budgets and margins, as well as best practices for modulation schemes and frequency band selection for IP radio links. There’s a lot of great information for us broadcast engineers to absorb on this episode of TWiRT.
Today’s TWiRT webcast is a double-header - two guests on very different yet important topics. First up is Robbie Hulett, owner of Tower Maintenance Corp. Robbie shares his company’s work and achievements on social media, keeping broadcasters abreast of current trends in the tower maintenance field. Perhaps some of TMC’s work will prompt others to check on and maintain their vertical structures with the attention they deserve. And Bayard “Bud” Walters - a Nashville-based radio group owner - gives us his candid thoughts about the FCC’s “Delete, Delete, Delete” regulatory reform program. The NAB has filed lengthy comments and suggestions, and Bud, owner of Cromwell Broadcasting, has a few thoughts of his own to share. See if you agree or disagree!
Congratulations to Paul Shulins, co-owner of Over The Air RF Consulting. He is the recipient of the 2025 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award, which was presented at the NAB Show on April 8. Paul joins us on TWiRT, along with Chris Tarr, to talk about recognizing broadcast engineers and their contributions and recognition in the broadcast industry. We’ll also look at some moments and technical achievements in Paul’s career, plus discuss engineers’ role in the future of radio broadcasting.
The NAB Show 2025, held from April 5-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, showcased a wide array of cutting-edge technical exhibits focused on media, entertainment, and technology innovations. There’s no way that TWiRT could bring you a wide look at the whole show, but we did manage to interview ten broadcast industry insiders in just over an hour, and we present them to you on this episode! From England to Australia, from the Netherlands to Florida, and from Minnetonka to Los Angeles, we’re letting you in on the technical and industry conversations that exemplify our experiences at NAB. Special thanks to Broadcast Bionics for providing a set for TWiRT production, and the bandwidth to send you our show!
Public radio has an audience size of around 30 million weekly radio listeners with a broader reach exceeding 57 million when including digital platforms. Public Radio engineers play a critical role in building, upgrading, and maintaining the needed facilities and infrastructure. Broadcasters go to the NAB show in Las Vegas to see and hear what’s […]
TWiRT is on location at a Nashville radio station - Jazzy 88, WFSK-FM. Rick Durham is a provider of managed IT services in Middle Tennessee. He’s also the engineer for WFSK-FM. WFSK is preparing for their annual fundraising event, where they broadcast live from the parking lot and take drive through donations while interviewing numerous Nashville dignitaries and music artists. We also spend a few minutes with Sharon Kay, WFSK’s General Manager, and Xuam (X-Man) Lawson, WFSK’s Program Director. We discuss some engineering and how WFSK is keeping up with an Audio over IP audio plant. We also discuss the engineer’s role in keeping the jazz playing and the public affairs programming on the air, too.
Lee Melton is one of those semi-crazy radio guys that we know and love. And many of us wanted to BE that guy! Lee’s career started at KFI, Los Angeles, and he’s been at about 25 radio stations, even building a couple in Southeast Texas. Some have called him “The Kind of Radio Trade-Outs” while many others called him a friendly and fun voice on the radio. Lee’s radio recollections inspire plenty of banter with Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack. And Chris reveals his encounter with Paul McCartney! It's an hour of radio stories and fun, with a little engineering talk sprinkled in.
Sometimes we originate a TWiRT episode from a newly-built radio studio. Today, however, we’re visiting beautiful studios that are under construction. Bill Jackson works with K-Love, a nationwide Christian radio group. He’s in charge of the design and build-out of a couple dozen radio studios, podcast rooms, edit, and news booths. Bill is absolutely maximizing Audio over IP technology throughout. Let’s take a “cook’s tour” of a couple large studios, plus look at a data closet and the broadcast portion of the restricted-access data center.
The Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP) was created around 1989 to aid the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in making sure all broadcast operations are in compliance and to help stations understand the rules in a one-on-one setting. In the beginning, the ABIP inspectors were retired FCC engineers. As the program began to expand around the country, other engineers were recruited and trained by regional FCC inspectors. ABIP inspectors have long used a basic Self Inspection Checklist that became woefully out of date. Tom Ray, working with other committee members at the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) has rewritten and greatly expanded these checklists for AM, FM, and TV stations. ABIP inspections are an excellent tool for broadcasters to assure compliance with FCC Rules, and do so in a friendly, non-adversarial encounter.
The rise of AI-generated lyrics and music is giving engineers something to chuckle about. But could this “easy creativity” inspire other engineering solutions? Kirk drew a comparison with photographer Jeremy Cowart and his use of an LED wall to produce 60 different portraits in 60 seconds. Anthony Kuzub, an engineer at CBC in Canada, pointed out the AI that’s involved with lighting a new studio, matching accent lights to the video monitor feeds. Matt Aaron is programming a fully-AI streaming station that’s playing “Broadcast Engineers Gangster Rap”. Are these just passing curiosities? Or are they signals of technologies and techniques to come for broadcasting and content creation?
Most every piece of equipment we use, or software we depend on began with an idea and a dream - a dream to help ourselves and others do their jobs better, faster, easier. Or perhaps to provide a service, or improve an existing one. Paul Stewart started Summit Technology Group with this motivation in mind as well. Paul and his company provide software and services with new features, conveniences, and efficiencies. Exactly what many broadcast engineers are looking for. Chris Tarr and I are talking with Paul about the software and services he’s bringing to broadcasters.
The CCBE conference encompasses two days of professional broadcast engineering career development. This includes carefully-chosen paper presentations, an expo hall, and an awards dinner and ceremony honoring leaders in the broadcast engineering profession. We got to meet with and converse with leaders in the Central Canadian Broadcast Engineers group, plus Canadian engineers and leading equipment manufacturers.
Have you wondered what goes on at the Network Operations Center of a satellite distribution network? We sure have, and our good friend, Marcos O’Rourke, joins us to talk about it. Marcos is now the Engineering Manager at Linkup Communications. We’ve followed Linkup’s rising star in the satellite communications business and watched as this company has grown to serve a lot of the broadcast industry. Marcos gives a brief history of the NOC in Denver, Colorado, and shares pictures of their operations and IT center.
It’s Radio Convention season and we’re bringing some of the Alabama Broadcasters Convention to you. Live from the Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort, we’re meeting with engineers and radio equipment reps as this ABA Convention draws to a close. One of our highlights is visiting with Steven Westbrook from the Alabama Historical Radio Society. We also get cameo appearances from Bob Mayben, Jeff Welton, and Jim Armstrong. Join us for some fun conversation while we learn a few things about both new and old technologies and some personalities that shaped - and are now shaping - radio tech.
A Google search on “SCOTUS and Chevron Deference” returns a lot of breathless headlines, prefacing pearl-clutching stories of near-calamitous changes in the way Federal agencies can carry out their missions. Indeed, one dissenting Supreme Court justice wrote that this ruling, “will cause a massive shock to the legal system.” The ruling will eventually affect some broadcast Rules from the Federal Communications Commission, but communications attorney, David Oxenford, predicts less dramatic effects on broadcast Rules and station operations. To clarify the Chevron decision and it’s likely effects on broadcasters, we interviewed Oxenford for this episode. We also get commentary from Larry Fuss, President and CEO of several multi-station radio broadcasting companies, and co-host, Chris Tarr. Join us for an informative episode of TWiRT as we discuss broadcast Rules in light of the SCOTUS decision on Chevron Deference.
As we are all very aware, being a technical person or layman, the recent CrowdStrike outage caused disruptions on a myriad of computer systems worldwide, affecting multiple industry sectors and millions of people in some way, shape, or form. Approximately 8.5 million devices were affected, leading to outages in various sectors, including airlines, healthcare, and financial institutions. Some broadcasters were affected, but it seems most radio broadcasters were spared. Why is that? What crippled many very large industries had relatively little impact on radio station operations. Three experts join this TWiRT episode: Shaun Dolan, Kyle Walker, and David Smedley. Together we’ll uncover how Crowdstrike affected some broadcasters, and we’ll learn about some best practices for IT security.
Radio’s beloved John Bisset is back! Author of the “Workbench” column is Radio World magazine, John is bringing us the best ideas from engineers since his last appearance on TWiRT, over six months ago. John’s Workbench columns are found at this aggregation page at https://www.radioworld.com/tag/workbench. Plus, Chris Tarr just drove 2,800 miles to buy a LOT of broadcast equipment.
Larry Janus is no stranger to broadcast engineering, but his passion is excellent design of vacuum tube based audio circuits, and then controlling their functions using modern control electronics via WiFi. This passion leads to a clever integration of a tube-based mic pre-amp, fully remote controlled using a phone app over WiFi. This arrangement gives rise to some interesting and convenient possibilities for stage-placed mic pre-amps with remote control. Larry Janus joins us from his well-equipped home lab in Florida.
Low Power FM radio is intended to be a community service. It’s for giving the opportunity for diverse thoughts and voices to spread over a community. However, it’s perfectly OK to have some radio fun in the process! Andy Denoncour, Frank Licata, and Grady Moates each played key roles in getting a new station - WGGG-LP - signed-on and serving the village of Ossipee, New Hampshire. The host and guests all agree that there’s a thrilling excitement to turning the radio transmitter ON for the first time, hearing your audio programming, and taking a drive to check out the coverage!
U.S. Broadcasters are required to provide emergency alerts to their audiences, but many radio stations use IP-based signal distribution — something incompatible with old-style EAS boxes. What is needed is a simple way to interface the real-world over-the-air reception of EAS events, filter and process the messages, and — if necessary — incorporate the alerts into the modern audio-over-IP (AoIP) air chain. Doing this right involves some innovation, but once done well, there are several distinct benefits. Bill Robertson from Digital Alert Systems joins Kirk Harnack to explain how this award-winning implementation works, and why it makes EAS better and more effective.
Tim Berry is already thinking about this fall’s sports broadcasts on the Vol Network. With over 60 radio affiliates and many thousands of listeners depending on high quality, live play-by-play, it’s Tim’s responsibility to make sure these broadcasts get from the stadiums and arenas to the Vol Network headquarters and beyond. Effective planning is essential! And this planning discipline works for other broadcast engineering tasks, like transmitter replacements. Chris Tarr adds his own experience and expertise to our discussion.
Marc Haycook is a problem solver! He needed to add a VO studio to his home, but new construction or expansion isn’t allowed there. He needed a studio that could be moved around for access and maintenance, but not on wheels. He needed access to phones, Internet, electricity, but had to keep neighborhood and household noise out - completely out. And he even had to silence the A-10 Warthogs and other aircraft that fly over at inopportune times. The solution? Well, that’s what this episode - number 700 - of This Week in Radio Tech is all about. Voice-over artist, Marc Haycook, joins us for a fascinating look at his home-built, home studio, with the cleanest audio anywhere. Plus, we take out first phone call ever on TWiRT!
Before his new Nautel GV40 FM transmitter arrived, Mike knew there was a major problem to solve. Big transmitters. Small room. No space for the old transmitter to get out of its own way. Then Mike had an idea. Crazy idea? Many ideas are - at first. Let’s follow along with Mike Kernen, Market Chief Engineer at Crawford Broadcasting Detroit, and find out how he solved this vexing problem. Chris Tarr joins us with another instructive story on moving transmitters into impossible spaces.
Some of us grew up in radio and have spent our whole careers in the business. Others, like Chuck Helstein, started in radio, but has been in IT security and IT financial technology. Now, Chuck brings IT knowledge and discipline back to radio since purchasing KAZM AM/FM in Sedona, Arizona. Chuck joins us to talk about some novel ideas for making great, local radio while cutting expenses dramatically using clever IT services and technology.
Audio over IP (AoIP) has been used in broadcast facilities for about 20 years now. A few broadcast facilities have swapped one brand or standard of AoIP equipment for another during that period. Some broadcasters have swapped equipment twice! Whether the reasons for changing equipment are technical, political, old age, or support issues, we’d like to know about the challenges - or the easy aspects - of changing AoIP brands and standards. Matt Levin is a broadcast engineer in Ohio. His consulting and studio construction work take him to different facilities to make upgrades. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack discuss with Matt about using different AoIP systems, using console profiles effectively, and about FM audio processing running on PCs and servers.
Audio over IP (AoIP) has been used in broadcast facilities for about 20 years now. A few broadcast facilities have swapped one brand or standard of AoIP equipment for another during that period. Some broadcasters have swapped equipment twice! Whether the reasons for changing equipment are technical, political, old age, or support issues, we’d like to know about the challenges - or the easy aspects - of changing AoIP brands and standards. Matt Levin is a broadcast engineer in Ohio. His consulting and studio construction work take him to different facilities to make upgrades. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack discuss with Matt about using different AoIP systems, using console profiles effectively, and about FM audio processing running on PCs and servers.
Dan Case just retired from full-time broadcast engineering - and some key projects are fresh on his mind. Dan started his radio career in Erie, Pennsylvania, and quickly moved up with more responsibility and some engineering management. Dan believes in fixing audio problems right at their source and never trying to fix bad audio with more audio processing. And Dan’s passion is developing customer local solutions where they’re needed. From a custom telephone hybrid in the early 1970s, to building a solid, reliable AM station pattern controller. He coined the term “Revenue Insurance” as a way to validate and justify capex expenditures designed to keep revenue flowing in the midst of other failures or disasters. This is an informative interview with with both technical advice and business acumen shared for your benefit.
Boasting 17 signals in 4 radio markets - in New York and Pennsylvania - Radigan Media represents the kind of local radio that’s not only serving its local communities, but doing so with newer technologies. Dave Radigan wears many hats in his growing network of stations, including Chief Engineer. He’s implemented Audio over IP (linear Livewire) between studio and transmitter site, partly because he needed a bi-directional link with no audio compromises - and contact closures. And, Dave has recently opened the door to the “flexible studio”. Using AoIP audio routing tech he’s providing his staff with convenient options for live talk shows, voice-tracking, and production from the same studio, as needed. Let’s check out Dave’s reasoning about implementing the latest tech, when it makes sense to do so.
Many radio engineers love to visit other radio stations. We get ideas to perhaps implement in our own stations. Or sometimes we may get a sense of satisfaction thinking that we’ve done a superlative job in our own facilities - compared to others. Today we’re honored to visit the studios of 100.1 FM in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. OMG! What a drop-dead gorgeous studio! Rafael Recio is the Chief Engineer at 100.1 FM. He shows-off this beautiful and effective working studio, which is home to live shows in morning and afternoon drive every day. Rafael worked with the station’s Program Director, Harold, to design and build this world-class radio studio + control room.
Chris Tarr just finished a long-anticipated FM transmitter move. Big implications attended this move all the way across a metro area. The new site needed a directional FM antenna, and they decided that a new transmitter made more sense than moving the old one. Chris covers a lot of ground when contemplating any transmitter site move. Kirk Harnack touches on a few pointers for IP radio microwave links, including not trusting the existing infrastructure too much!
What’s happening at NAB 2024 in Las Vegas? No way can anyone bring you ALL of the highlights, but we’re bringing seven outstanding engineers and corporate leaders to you on this episode of TWiRT! Our broadcast studio is the Bionic Table at Broadcast Bionics in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Thanks to Broadcast Bionics for the bandwidth and studio space.
The Public Radio Engineering Conference (PREC) seems to get better and better each year. Attendees were frequently held in wrapped attention by captivating and informative presentations about audio and RF technologies and techniques. Our guests on TWiRT each took a few minutes away from the conference sessions to give us their impressions of the technologies being discussed and what’s ahead for Public Radio Engineers.
Search the web and you’ll find hundreds of articles videos - and thousands of opinions - on the best mics to use for radio and podcasting. One of our sponsors is Angry Audio, makers of two novel mic processors to improve and control the sound of two popular microphone families. Our longtime friend and colleague, Cornelius Gould, designed the audio processing algorithms behind these specific mic processors. “Corny” joins us to talk about this rather unique approach to mic processor design and implementation. Plus Tom Ray pops in to discuss microphone choices with Chris Tarr. Plenty of opinions and some solid advice!
Can you imagine installing 60 broadcast transmitters over the past 8 years? Robert Combs, Corporate Director of Engineering at Cumulus Media has been doing exactly that. Transmitters of all sizes and from several major manufacturers. The most recent transmitter replacement is at WZYP-FM in Huntsville, Alabama. Market Engineer, Dominic Mitchum, is taking care of much of the local work and logistics, alongside Robert’s work. The project also includes replacing the RF coaxial transfer switch, main coax, and even the main and backup FM antennas. Robert and Dominic give us a very informative video tour and discussion of this project on Capshaw Mountain. Plus, Chris Tarr relates his own recent transmitter installation experiences and has developed some advice on purchasing used transmitters.
Over 50 years ago, Mike Dorrough introduced the Discriminate Audio Processor - the DAP 310. Broadcasters that cared about audio quality started buying and installing DAP310s to improve the audio quality of their stations. Five decades later these old audio processors are still in demand - as are services to supply parts and repairs. Randy Swaffer and Mike Phillips are two DAP310 enthusiasts - and they know all about repairing and aligning these classic units. Jordan Tuck also joins us to talk about refurbishing other broadcast gear, including a Continental Electronics FM transmitter and an A-6000 audio console.
Most broadcasters either own towers or lease antenna space on them. But only the tallest towers are outfitted with elevators to bring workers and light tools up to desired working levels without spending half the day getting tired from climbing. Jim Tiner is CEO at Tower Elevators Systems. His company has built many towers - short, medium, and tall - and many of the tallest ones also have a custom-designed elevator system. This elevator technology is often applicable to other tall structures, such as bridge towers, smokestacks, and even the Statue of Liberty. Jim Tiner presents his company’s fascinating story and tells us about unique elevator designs.
Most of us in radio have heard Fresh Air, hosted by Terry Gross on National Public Radio. Joyce Lieberman was the first technical director behind this well-produced national interview program. But Joyce’s engineering and production career started several years earlier, getting a kick-start when some other engineers called in sick. At the onset of Joyce's radio work, she recorded Terry Gross and her guests when Fresh Air was a local Philadelphia three-hour program. Her attention to audio purity and detail prepared Joyce for other audio engineering achievements, including working with a team at WHYY and NPR to restore and digitally archive the episodes of Fresh Air, plus provide guidance to other archival efforts. Chris Tarr adds his expert insights as well to this interview with Joyce Lieberman.
Are you one of hundreds of broadcast engineers who have attended the Alabama Broadcasters Association (ABA) Engineering Academy? Larry Wilkins and Frank Giardina are completing the 2024 Radio Engineering Academy with attendees ranging from “new” broadcast engineers to some seasoned pros looking to update their knowledge. We’re live from the ABA Headquarters near Birmingham, AL, with Larry Wilkins, ABA President Sharon Tinsley, and a few of this year’s attendees.
Current technology education and career advancement are both available at the SBE Ennes Workshops, offered at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. The dates are April 12 & 13, just prior to the NAB Show Expo Halls opening. We’re talking with David Bialik and Fred Willard, who have assembled what appears to be the most useful and beneficial set of programs in two technology tracks. There’s an RF101 Bootcamp track. And the subject of this TWiRT show - the Media Over IP track. Watch the show and click on the link to SBE’s full description of these technology tracks. This is a very worthwhile 2-day workshop for any level of broadcast engineer!
Chris Tarr and Shane Toven are discussing a critical topic - especially for broadcast engineers. It’s our work/life balance with emphasis on “life”. How’s your mental health? No, really, how is it? Why is it key to “put on your oxygen mask before helping others”? Why is it OK, and even smart, to let things fail sometimes? Should engineers always strive to “be the hero”? And what’s your value - financially and otherwise? Finally, do you know that some engineers would rather fight than be helpful? Perhaps we’ve each done that, but let’s identify it and not make it a habit. Join us for this episode of TWiRT - it may be more important than any technical discussion.
People who know Alex Hartman realize that he tends to be way ahead of the pack. Alex is typically just beyond the cutting edge of technology implementation. That often makes his comments hard to understand. But when you get to know Alex and understand his ideas and concerns, they usually do make very good sense. He’s also good at “breaking things”, revealing weak points in design. Today we’re discussing people, skills, and the uncertain future of talent sourcing. Alex has some real concerns and ideas about this. In his position at Wisconsin Public Media, Alex is hands-on with basic audio tech, but also data centers and managing fleets of equipment, computing, and sometimes people.
The LPFM (Low Power FM station) filing window is almost here. Hundreds of organizations are expected to apply for new licenses to serve their local communities. LPFM is a curiosity to many, and a very serious undertaking to many others. Michelle Bradley is an LPFM expert, amateur radio operator, software developer, and a real advocate for FCC Rules and legislation designed to support community-level radio broadcasting. Our conversation is fascinating and informative! We’re delighted to have LPFM radio advocates like Michelle, whose technical knowledge informs her regulatory advocacy work.
How did YOU get started in broadcasting? We each have a story. Rob Grayson’s older brother, Walt, received an AM transmitter kit for Christmas in the 1960’s, and that got both Walt and Rob started on careers in radio and TV. Rob even took his 3rd Class FCC license test with Bob Pittman, who went on to be CEO at iHeart. So many twists, turns, and stories to tell, both from the engineering and the operations and programming sides of radio.
We often ask and worry about the next generation of broadcast engineers. Andy Gladding leverages his ties to Hofstra University in New York to encourage students to prepare for careers in broadcasting, including broadcast engineering. And he’s helped a number of Hofstra students move into broadcast careers. Chris Tarr, a popular SBE Mentor, and Andy discuss finding and encouraging our next broadcast IT and engineering professionals.
It’s been 10 years (wow!) since the FCC opened an official filing window for new LPFM radio stations. The FCC’s press release states: The Media Bureau (Bureau) announces a filing window for applications for low power FM (LPFM) new station construction permits. The filing window will open at 12:01 am EDT on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, and close at 6:00 pm EST on November 8, 2023. The window is available for LPFM proposals in the entire FM band (channels 201-300). Our guest is Dave Doherty, a broadcast engineering consultant who has assisted many applicants in getting their own radio stations. Dave joins us to describe not only the FCC’s application requirements and process, plus a channel search tool at the FCC’s web site, but also to show us the value of using mapping techniques to further identify LPFM placement opportunities.
Despite the hot weather, we know that summer will be fading into fall for us in the northern hemisphere. Josh Jones with Maxx Konnext Group joins us to talk about a production room he’s just finishing up. Chris Tarr is on the show, live from Magnum Media’s data center, and Kirk shares photos and thoughts on a new FM station that’s built with everything at the transmitter site, including the on-air phone system and the audio console. What are your thoughts on Kirk's "main studio" build?
Interoperability - what does that mean? After this 1-hour conversation with Robbie Green and Chris Tarr, I would say it means “controlling or checking on one device by using another device or system”. Scaled up intelligently, it implies having control and understanding of complex systems from a single location, or doing so automatically. So, rather than separately checking on an automation system, an audio processor, an audio router, a satellite receiver, a transmitter, or a security system, these individual systems can connect meaningfully to a central monitoring and control (M
FreePBX is an open source SIP PBX software application used in many thousands of businesses, including broadcast facilities. Tony Lewis is the entrepreneur behind this amazing software, and he joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to discuss the benefits and uses of VoIP telephony. Tony recently founded ClearlyIP.com, a provider of SIP telephony services and equipment, with expertise in high-volume inbound calling, needed by so many broadcasters.
Frank Martin is a thoughtful and insightful broadcast engineer with decades of radio and TV experience. And, he’s sharing some compelling ideas with us on this episode of TWiRT. Based in Los Angeles, California. Frank provides service, integration and support for TV, AM, or FM transmitters and studios. Today we’re discussing a new LPFM filing window (Nov 1 - 8, 2023), ATSC 3.0 television, “Franken FM” stations, C-QUAM AM stereo, and whether market size and career satisfaction are related. Plus, Frank has some final thoughts inspired by The 10 Principles of Burning Man.
The FAA compliance rules for your tower’s obstruction lighting continue to be updated as evidenced by a November 2020 FAA circular. Bear Poth, President
Dan McQuillin, Managing Director at Broadcast Bionics, joins us to explain the philosophy behind Virtual Rack, and further explain how backup and failover is implemented with similar ease.
Kirk Yano is a multiple Grammy-winning recording engineer with well over 30 Platinum and Gold records. He has won three Grammys including a Grammy for the last album that Miles Davis recorded. He has worked with Public Enemy, Mariah Carey, Miles Davis, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Placido Domingo and Phoebe Snow, and has toured as a musician with Snow, Savoy Brown, Scott Holt and Texas Scratch.
Kirk was the recording engineer for “Fight the Power’ by Public Enemy which Billboard magazine still lists as one of the most influential recordings. He was also the engineer on Mariah Carey’s Christmas Album and her Jewel Box album and he worked on History by Michael Jackson.
We'll hear about Kirk Yano's first visit to Nashville and his early association with Steve Church and Frank Foti. And even how Steve Church sometimes stayed at the "Yano Arms Hostel" (my name for it) in NYC in Steve's early phone hybrid days. Plus we'll hear about WMMS remotes that Kirk worked on with Frank in the late 1970's.
Finally, we'll understand part of the reason that music started to get really processed in the early 2000's, and how Kirk worked to mitigate the craziness in the music industry, or at least turn it into something musical and useful. Also, what about the production transition from multitrack tape and mixing consoles to digital DAW production?
When Chuck Kelly recommends a new technique or technology, it’s important to pay attention. TX-Control is a networked and cloud-based monitoring, alarm, analysis, and control system designed for broadcast equipment. In Europe TX-Control is monitoring over 1,500 transmitter sites, providing custom reports on trends, outages, automatic remediation, and more. It leverages SNMP, a monitoring and control protocol which is built-in to more and more broadcast equipment. Chuck is joined by Aimé Diattà to help us understand this technology and service that’s watching over critical broadcast infrastructure.
Charles Kinney and David Bialik are here to hash out the apparent demise of the AM Radio Band. As bad as some say? Worse? Or still quite viable and important? Have the FCC or the NAB been helpful, or harmful to AM Radio? Is there legislation that would help the AM Radio service? Are there technical improvements that haven’t been implemented yet? Both David and Charles have extensive experience in engineering for large AM stations, and they’re both avid listeners. Salient comments and some good ideas are just ahead, on TWiRT!
Audio-over-IP now a 20-year-old technology, and we’re witnessed many dozens of AoIP networked devices brought to the broadcast marketplace. Now, Pippin Technical Service, a Canadian broadcast equipment supplier and engineering firm, is adding AoIP network devices to its PTS Gear product line. Designed in-house, the PTS Gear lineup includes PTSBeacon, an warning light that gets its signaling directly from virtual GPIO signals on a packet network. PTSAurora is another device driven by the virtual GPIO signals found on Livewire networks. Both devices are PoE powered, meaning they work with just one Ethernet connection for signaling, control, power, and configuration. We broadcast engineers welcome this kind of innovation for making our studios easier to build and more functional for on-air talent.
A pleasant surprise today as our scheduled guest, Shane Toven, joins us from “Gilbert Lodge”, home of Mark Persons! We’re talking about the Emergency Alert System and how broadcasters might move forward with better techniques and technologies to get live-saving information to their listeners. Shane works with EMF (K-LOVE and Air1) while co-host, Chris Tarr, serves on the Wisconsin State EAS committee. Host, Kirk Harnack, expresses some annoyances with the current EAS system and Chris is the usual voice of reason.
Three radio station owners walk into a bar. They also happen to be owner-engineers of a terrific radio station on a tropical island. We’re talking about Hal Kneller, Joe Fiorini, and Kirk Harnack at Star 94.3, KHKU-FM, in Lihu’e, Hawai’i. We were all here for a broadcasters’ conference, plus some light maintenance at the Star 94.3 studios. While Hal has been a guest on TWiRT, this is Joe’s first appearance. What interesting engineering backgrounds from both of these guys! We talk about AM radios in automobiles, a question of 50 ohms, and some ideas on backing up everything.
We've ALL used broadcast automation/playout systems, but have you met the BRAINS behind their designs and software? Today we're meeting Alan Freeman, author of several Radio and TV automation systems including Digital DJ, AXS, EZ DJ Pro, Virtual Cart Machine, and Voice Tracking on Scott Studios automation systems. Plus, Alan helped design audio and relay cards for PCs, making integration possible between these PC-based audio systems and hardware of the day. From controlling satellite-delivered music formats, to mega-CD-changers, to music on hard driver, Alan has written software and user interfaces for them.
Many broadcast and audio engineers have terrific ideas. Indeed, there’s hardly a shortage of ideas. “Wouldn’t it be great if someone built this?” Or, “Why doesn’t anyone make that?” Then there are people who build things–usually with a good idea, but sometimes not. Mike Dosch’s passion and unique skill are identifying the best ideas for audio devices, then designing and building them with solid technology and knife-edge precision. His company, Angry Audio, embodies this ethic and activity, and we broadcast engineers get to use and enjoy the results. In this episode, Mike and Chris Tarr discuss audio processing designed around Cornelius Gould’s “Chameleon” algorithms. Then Mike shares some new ideas in mic processing and elegant analog audio mixing.
Like many of us broadcast engineers, Bob Burnham built an audio mixer and started broadcasting from his parents’ basement. Indeed, if it weren’t for basements, garages, and kitchen tables we’d likely still be in the technology Dark Ages! Bob’s engineering experience ranges from a 10-tower AM directional station, through a few other AM directionals, FM stations, on-air work, and building studios at a broadcasting school. Plus, Bob founded BRC Broadcast Services, which offers Old Time Radio shows for nostalgic enjoyment - even if you’ve never heard these great shows before.
TWiRT is live from NAB 2023! :You can join us virtually in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center for news, stories, and impressions of this year's biggest broadcast expo, the 100th anniversary of NAB shows! We're broadcasting from the show-floor studio of MaxxRadio from Josh Bohn's MaxxKonnect Group. A debt of gratitude to Josh Bohn, President/CEO of MaxxKonnect and to Isis M. Jones for her camera work; she's extraordinarily overqualified!Note: Apologies for the bad audio for the first 15 minutes or so of the show. It was my fault. I had one of the remote camera’s microphones also enabled and did not know it. We did some post-production cleanup and improved the audio quite a lot. Thanks to SunKast, our show producer, for a big assist.
The Public Radio Engineering Conference (PREC) is on! Two full days of technical sessions and reconnecting with broadcast engineers from Florida to Alaska. Tech presentations included sessions on Recovering from Hurricane Ian, Virtualizing most of Minnesota Public Radio, Understanding Loudness by Understanding LUFS, Using AI for FM Pattern Studies, and the benefits of captioning radio programming. We pulled a few presenters away and got their thoughts on broadcast engineering projects and challenges today.
Quite a few radio engineers first met Paul Jellison just outside his house on 21 acres, right next to a 747 foot Blaw-Knox diamond-shaped tower. Paul lived in the house on the WLW transmitter site for a dozen years, raised his children there, and proudly gave transmitter tours to many curious broadcasters. From 4-POTS-line remote broadcasts, to the first ISDN connections in Central Florida, to new STL and remote monitoring solutions, Paul loves to use innovative technology to make radio sound better and be more reliable.
Sometimes broadcast engineers get to build new transmitter sites or facilities. Usually, however, we’re tasked with rebuilding existing sites or improving them. Chris Tarr is a sought-after engineer thanks to his experience and hard-earned wisdom in best practices as well as clever solutions. On this episode of TWiRT, Chris shares this wisdom and the reasoning behind it from several transmitter site projects. Plus, Kirk presents Chris (and our audience) with three scenarios for new studios and FM/HD transmitter sites, and awaits Chris’s judgment!
Scared of or skeptical about ChatGPT driving voice-tracked AI voices in radio? You're not alone. RadioGPT can talk. It can research. It can take your calls. And it could be coming to your market. Let's get some answers, together. Daniel Anstandig, CEO, and Craig Bowman, SVP, at Futuri Media are sharing insights on the technologies involved, and their vision for now and the future of Artificial Intelligence in broadcasting. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack co-host this episode and play some examples of AI-generated radio content.
Andrea Cummis runs a television systems integration firm; and, she’s the current President of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. Recognizing the value of new, younger engineers to our profession, Andrea is working, finding new ways to attract younger, technically-minded individuals to join the SBE. Meanwhile, Jeff Schick, CTO at Sprite Media, is working at the local chapter level to partner with college-level students who are interested in technical professions in media. Both strategy and application are working to bring new engineers into the broadcasting and media creation fields. We’re meeting with Andrea and Jeff on a trip to New York City and an evening with broadcast engineers in US market #1.
RadioDNS, DTS AutoStage, HD Multiplex, Broadcast Positioning System, and ATSC 3.0 - all topics for industry expert, David Layer. David is uniquely qualified to inform broadcasters and engineers about technology advances. He’s at the intersection of manufacturers, technology, regulatory impacts, and industry advocacy. On this episode, Layer describes his experiences with DTS Autostage technology and how listeners can maintain a seamless listening experience using this tech in several new car models.
Chris Tarr and Scott Fybush both had busy days! Chris is working with a tower crew, installing a 2-bay FM antenna in Madison, Wisconsin, for WSJY. Meanwhile, Scott just returned from WLYK, Saint Vincent, New York, where this Class A FM station is under new ownership. Scott’s installing new EAS gear and revamping the transmitter site where the automation system is co-located. Plus more AM transmitter sites are becoming worth more for the land than for the signal, and the station brokerage business is not doing badly. Stay tuned for Scott’s comedic announcement at the end of the show!
Keira Connolly got started in radio engineering the same way many of us did - through building our own transmitters and broadcasting to the “neighborhood”. Keira’s radio “neighborhood” may have involved some impressive FM power output levels, but certainly involved consulting broadcast facilities in both Ireland and South Africa. And now that broadcast infrastructure is moving into IT hosted systems, including virtual machines and, soon, containerized software, Keira is working with those technologies, too.
Those who know Troy Pennington would say he’s a true gentleman. Engineering for a world-record-setting FM radio station in Birmingham, Alabama, certainly kept the pressure on. The #1 station had to sound great and be reliable - as did all the stations in his employer’s Birmingham cluster. Later, in Nashville, Troy helped build out several world-class studios for national music and talk shows, plus kept the local transmitters on-air. Oh, and his peers elected Troy to be President of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. You can bet that Troy has some tales to tell - and he does just that with Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack.
It’s inevitable; the next generation of broadcast engineers will need to have IT skills in addition to audio and RF knowledge. Noah Chilliah is certainly in that next generation, and he’s using the IT skills he’s developed to build content and broadcasting infrastructure. TWiRT co-host, Chris Tarr, worked with Noah a few years ago in a mentor/mentee relationship, passing on valuable radio-centric information and skills.
Russ Laferty is the kind of broadcast engineer that more stations need. He’s from the rough mountains and “hollers” of Eastern Kentucky - Auxier, Kentucky - to be precise. But he also travels Tennessee, Arkansas, West Virginia and beyond to get broadcasters back on the air, always working to improve their equipment reliability and effectiveness. Today we caught up with Russ at the new transmitter site of WDTL-FM, licensed to Indianola, MS. It’s a second-hand prefab building at the base of a 1,000’ tower near Skene, Mississippi. An ice storm was forcing Russ to run the new Nautel transmitter at a lower power level.
Jack Scott's résumé includes the following: Author, Brand Ambassador, Consultant, Technologist , Broadcast Engineer, Pilot, Broadcast Journalist, VO Talent, Serial Entrepreneur, Wacky Radio Guy - and he's on TWiRT! Jack started in radio at age 12 when he exclaimed to the station owner, “Hey, I’m not famous yet!” Jack went on to be a station engineer, and then built several radio and TV stations before getting into the burgeoning home
George Whittam - I call him “Engineer to the Stars” - is back on TWiRT! This time he’s brought photos of home studio design and construction. George talks about some challenges in the layout and building of these home Voice-Over (VO) studios. We also get George’s opinion on headphones and microphones, and a look at what makes the Apollo audio interfaces so sophisticated; it’s a lot more than I had imagined. Kirk Harnack interviews George Whittam on this episode of TWiRT!
Ready to learn some surprising facts about audio processing? David Reaves - known by many for the Ariane audio processor - is guest! We're talking, of course, about the famous Ariane audio processor, but also the CBS Audimax and Volumax. Did you know the Audimax had a "memory module" that was key to its “intelligent” audio leveling action? Pretty slick for early 1960's design!
Frank Foti is well known within the broadcasting industry for his digital audio processing innovations. Those of us who know Frank personally know that he is a huge fan of 5.1 audio recordings, and that he has often lamented the scarcity of available material. But unlike the rest of us, Frank actually has the skills to do something about it. He’s been developing DejaVu for several years and says it’s finally ready. Frank explains how his artistic upmixing technologies led him to Abbey Road studios in London, and how this tech is now easily available on several platforms.
Armed with another treasure trove of broadcast engineering tips, tricks, and advice, John Bisset is here for our year-end episode! Plus, John is having a little contest (or is it “challenge”?) for your best transmitter site tips. One early entry to John advises, “Don’t knock on the transmitter door because that’s how we call the alligator!”
Cornelius Gould began nearly 40 years ago considering audio processing and its effect on how we perceive music and voice. His “Chameleon” audio processing algorithms began with analog circuits, but are now fully emulated and perfected in Digital Signal Processing (DSP). What makes audio more pleasing to our ears and brains? What might a psychoacoustic expert say about the treatment of audio so we hear and appreciate it more enjoyably? Chris Tarr joins Kirk Harnack to discuss these topics and questions on today’s TWiRT.
Like many of us broadcast engineers, Sascha Ludwig builds and maintains somewhat traditional broadcast studios while implementing server-based virtualized solutions as well. Sascha is based in Germany where the talent appreciates traditional hardware user interfaces. But he’s implementing more of today’s technology for these content creators. As a software developer, he maintains and update the OnAirScreen software package appearing in radio control rooms everywhere. Chris Tarr joins us for a good discussion and comparison of some German engineering and how we’re doing broadcast engineering in the US.
Hearing dialog on some TV shows and many movies broadcast on TV is a problem. Why is dialog often hard to hear? Radio doesn’t have this problem. And TV typically didn’t until we went digital with DTV and 5.1 audio. Ken Tankel is Kirk’s go-to TV audio specialist. Ken worked for years in radio major market radio, so he understands audio processing. But, TV audio is markedly different, with different goals, targets, and formats. But we’d still like to understand the dialog! Ken walks us through some similarities and differences in TV and radio audio, and describes TV’s audio problems with some possible solutions.
Some technical advice is timeless. Other tech advice changes with the times. Such is the case with FM transmitter sites. Now more than ever we broadcast engineers need to apply the right safeguards and approaches at today’s FM transmitter sites. Situated under tall lightning “attractors” - otherwise known as “towers” - FM transmitter sites need a mix of time-tested design care and contemporary precautions. Hal Kneller is a 40 year veteran of transmitter sites, and his Florida home provides plenty of experience with lightning protection, whether the equipment is old or new.
Pierre Lonewolf’s career journey that led him to Kotzebue, Alaska in the early 1980s. You can’t get much farther away from major population bases than northern Alaska. Kotzebue, population 3,283, sits on a sand spit of Alaska’s Arctic west coast just across the Chukchi and Bering Seas and several hundred miles from the Russian eastern frontier. It’s a scenic but scarcely populated place that features abundant wildlife like caribou and moose and bear. Pierre Lonewolf, CSRE, CNT, manages engineering services at KOTZ(AM) and KINU(FM) plus a network of FM translators and low-power FMs serving tiny villages. [Excerpted from an article by Randy Stine.] Pierre joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack for a lively discussion of radio engineering in this remote Alaskan village.
“Aggressive Neglect” sounds like a great name for an Alt Rock band, but it’s actually one of Dennis Sloatman’s pet peeves. Petrified hamburger leftovers in the wiring chases is another. But he would rather construct new, reliable, yet simple broadcast systems than complain about poor work that preceded him. From continuing education to SNMP-monitored systems to small, medium and very large markets, Dennis Sloatman is the thoughtful engineer who plans the work and then works the plan. Let’s get wiser in our broadcast engineering skills by spending an hour with the top-shelf broadcaster.
The auto industry has been offering after-market parts and assemblies for decades. Now we’re seeing more after-market system replacements in the broadcast industry. Mike Patton, a well-known contract engineer, is offering replacement assemblies for some popular AM and FM transmitters. These specific transmitter models are typically well-designed for long life, but now suffer from parts made of “non-obtainium”. Mike solves this with newly-designed replacement assemblies made from parts available now. Join Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack as we listen and watch Mike describe how these replacement systems are keeping hundreds of otherwise perfectly good transmitters on-the-air today.
Radio, TV, and SBE - this man has seen some things and knows some secrets! Isaiah Chavez joins Kirk Harnack on TWiRT. You don't want to miss his "sticky chair" introduction to radio, or his baptism by fire into Broadcast IT. Then there's the SBE Recruitment Ninja award he's about to receive! (OK, we made that up.) Isaiah’s broadcasting career sounds like many others, but with his own unique twists.
I had a conference to attend - and speak at; Chris Tarr had a travel and transmitter story to tell. I had guests; Chris had frustrations. My boss supports me doing a weekly podcast; Chris’s boss supports his engineering initiatives. I drove from my home to this conference in Columbus; Chris drove from his home to get a transmitter in Colby. Bouncing back and forth between our respective “studios” we put on a pretty interesting and informative show this week. Chris and I hope you enjoy it!
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has once again updated lighting requirements for broadcast towers and other “hazards to aviation” via an Advisory Circular issued in November, 2020. Tower lighting manufacturers are responding with new, appropriate lighting kits and custom solutions, and LED lighting is playing a large role in these updates. David Shepeard is President of Drake Lighting, and an advocate for simplified LED lighting systems that are readily remotely monitored and even remotely controlled. David joins us along with Mark Walker and Ryan Harper to show us their modern and simplified lighting controllers and LED tower-mounted lights. Plus we find out about the infrared lighting requirements included with LED lighting systems.
How many radio remotes have you done from the “station van”? At the Wisconsin Broadcasters Clinic in Madison, WI, we’re broadcasting live from the Telos Alliance van. It was parked just outside the convention hall and seemed a perfect venue for a TWiRT episode. We get to hear from radio industry executives and top-notch broadcast engineers who are attending this terrific annual convention.
While Hurricane Ian was destroying bridges, homes, and infrastructure in Southwest Florida, broadcast engineers were keeping their stations on the air however they could. And in the aftermath they’re repairing flooded transmitter sites and restoring signals where some things went very wrong. Thoughtful planning kept several broadcasters on-the-air with critical weather and safety information. Hal Kneller and Kevin Trueblood were in the middle of the destruction as Hurricane Ian rampaged through. Hal and Kevin join Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack with photos and security camera footage of the destruction and aftermath.
We met Curtis Machek almost 300 TWiRT episodes and exactly six years ago! In 2016 he won awards for “Broadcast Logger”, a cloud-based audio recorder for radio stations. Since then he’s working with radio stations, auto dealers, and medical clinics to effectively engage their listeners, customers, and patients. Text Groove does this with opt-in text messaging that’s designed specifically to not annoy, but to engage the recipients, inviting them to listen, test drive, and stay healthy. We’re focusing on the radio stations’ use of this technology - how to misuse it, and of course, how to use it properly to build loyal audiences.
What does "The World's Tallest Remote Boy" know about radio remotes that WE don't know? Let's find out together! Charles Kinney with Cox Media Group, including the legendary WSB AM-FM in Atlanta, is our guest TODAY on TWiRT. We recount the way we handle remote audio and signalling for decades - before the Public Internet came along - and what techniques we’re using now to get audio from live, outside broadcasts back to our radio studios.
Most of us radio engineers have built custom computers. Nowadays, more engineers and broadcasters are outsourcing custom PC and Server construction to an expert like Van Clough. Van builds computer workstations and servers designed especially for broadcast infrastructure such as automation/playout systems. How much redundancy do you want? What factors go into choosing motherboards, RAM, data storage, cooling, and redundancy? Van will deliver the system you're looking for, designed to run for years. We'll find out with Integrity PROracks founder, Van Clough on today's TWiRT!
"In Minnesota we keep ourselves apart by one large Walleye." It's wisdom like this that keeps Mark Persons busy. Mentoring new engineers, authoring radio engineering articles, or winning awards for his service to broadcasters, Mark is always sharing some wise words. Today Mark also describes hunting down a source of broadband electrical noise that rendered the 75 meter amateur radio band unusable in his neighborhood, This tale leads to a discussion about the future of the AM broadcast band vis-a-vis the man-made noise levels we’re experiencing.
Fellow engineers, does the word "Programmatic" cause you to switch gears, pivot, and focus on something that seems more engineering-related? "Programmatic" has had that effect on me, for sure! Well I'm pulling my head out of the streaming "sand" and getting a lesson in Programmatic ad sales and how RADIO ENGINEERING makes the difference in Programmatic working well, or working poorly. Let's get this right together, as Jean-Luc Wasmer from Triton Digital explains to Kirk Harnack and Chris Tarr some key operational aspects of Programmatic ad insertion and the tech behind it.
Jake Bechtold was beginning his radio engineering career almost 10 years ago when he made his debut on TWiRT 159. Now Jake is the new Chief Engineer at Radio FM Media in Fargo, North Dakota, responsible for ten radio stations - from studios to transmitters - along with IT systems and IT security. Jake’s learned a lot about keeping these stations running and about improving their operational efficiency. Chris Tarr and Jake get to discuss several similarities and some differences in their approaches to engineering challenges.
Some days even “The Ninjaneer” gets a workout of his troubleshooting skills. August 7, 2022, began for Chris Tarr with several radio stations and FM translators off the air. Silent FM carriers. After a lightning storm and brief power outages, it appeared that power and transmitters were ON at two tower sites, but little else seemed to work, including any remote access. What fault or combination of faults could cause these particular symptoms? Especially with wireless and wired IP network gear that had been reliable for a long time? Chris was about to find out, but would he be prepared for what greeted him inside FM Site #1? Or FM Site #2?
The Texas Association of Broadcasters (TAB) is in full swing with strong attendance in Austin. The convention and trade show is August 3rd & 4th. By all accounts it looks that broadcast owners, managers, sales reps, programmers, and engineers are enthused their radio and TV business, but also about getting together face-to-face. The TAB actually met in-person last August (August, 2021) as well, with about 1,000 attendees. We met up with seven engineers and technology leaders here at the J. W. Marriott Hotel to get their take on our radio broadcasting industry and tech today.
A love and aptitude for broadcast engineering, combined with a passion for story-telling puts Marcos O’Rourke in a unique position. He’s single-handedly educating and entertaining our community of broadcast engineers and enthusiasts. O’Rourke’s YouTube channel, Socal Broadcast Engineer, has over two thousand subscribers and about 250 videos. While these numbers are modest in the YouTube creator community, they’re huge in our relatively small broadcast engineering base. Plus, O’Rourke’s efforts drew the attention of the Society of Broadcast Engineers this past year, which is honoring him as “Educator of the Year”. Marcos joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to look at a few fascinating videos and get a behind the scenes look at how he records and edits them.
John Bisset is back with radio engineering tips, techniques, and trinkets to make our lives better and our jobs more complete. Need to level a heavy transmitter or break into a locked car? John says the Air Wedge Alignment Tool is what you need. An IR camera can show you which FET is dead. And John believes that a polite and informative sign has kept a transmitter site break-in-free for thirty years.
Chuck Condron once wrote some popular call screening software for Telos (and other) phone systems. Seems a particular talk show host just had to have some custom software to do his job well, so Chuck learned to code and wrote it. After many years with Clear Channel and iHeart, Chuck is now the Chief Engineer for Starnes Media Group and the nationwide Todd Starnes Show. Plus, he’s now responsible for a "challenging" AM transmitter site - KWAM - in the Mississippi River flood plain near Memphis.
Kirk Harnack says he’s getting burned-out on virtual SBE meetings. After experiencing the enthusiasm of the NAB Show and the Public Radio Engineering Conference this past April, Kirk wanted to restart in-person meetings of the Nashville SBE chapter. Many chapter members agreed and fifteen SBE members showed up for lunch and dinner meetings at Kirk’s Nashville home. Carl Campbell, Chapter Chair for Nashville, is delighted with the turnout! Shane Toven, also an SBE Board of Directors member, adds his own thoughts and experiences about restarting chapter meetings. And Chris Tarr reminds us that we’re not out of the woods yet as COVID cases do continue, and not everyone needs to be meeting in person again. It’s great episode with plenty of opinions and ideas!
Most radio stations are streaming their live audio these days, and many of those are sending metadata for title, artist, album art, and short messages. But in our non-linear, fragmented entertainment world, many listeners want to your show at a different time; or just hear the highlights; or simply replay the artist interview they heard yesterday., Today’s audio curation and publishing tools and platforms are the next innovation that’s already here. Jon Stephenson noticed this fragmented marketplace and brought several technologies together under one umbrella called SoundStack. Chris Tarr and Jon, along with Kirk Harnack, explore and discuss these audio publishing tools and take a look into Audio as a Service.
One of TWiRT’s original co-hosts, Tom Ray carved out an hour to join us on this episode. As a broadcast engineering consultant, Tom truly sees the good, the bad, and the ugly at broadcast facilities. And, he’s usually hired to correct the problems he finds. From HD Radio, to EAS systems, to AM towers to FM transmission lines, Tom really does get hands-on with most every technology applicable to radio stations. We invited viewers of our live video stream to post their questions for Tom to answer. Plus Kirk Harnack supplied a few questions for Tom that engineers and station owners have been asking lately.
Does your radio station have a water well on the property, or do you pay for water from your water company? Do you have a septic system out back, or do you pay for sewer service? What about trash pickup; do you burn or bury your own trash as we did decades ago, or do you pay for a trash pickup service? What if your tower lights were offered as a guaranteed service, and you never had an unexpected tower light repair bill again? Chuck Kelly joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to explore this intriguing idea of “Tower Lights as a Service” on this episode of TWiRT.
When you look after nearly 50 transmitter sites you’re going to be upgrading them; it’l be a fairly constant part of your work. Chris Tarr’s recent work has been installing new AM and FM transmitters, and getting them connected to his company-wide remote control and monitoring system. Chris shares his wisdom about systems that really should be consistent from site to site, and which systems or equipment don’t need to be all the same. Oh, and we’ll find out what happened to that Broadcast Electronics FM 5B transmitter that we last saw on a forklift!
It's off-season for the NFL, but this is when broadcasting's remote engineers prep for the Fall season. Robert Carroll is the Game day Engineer
When leading broadcasters are “pushing the envelope”, Gary Kline is usually there to find out how and why. And wherever possible, Gary shares that business and technical knowledge with other engineers. We caught Gary just long enough between international broadcast conferences to tell us what’s going on with leading broadcasters in other parts of the world. He joins us from the Ryan Seacrest studios at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
It’s happening! WideOrbit is now demonstrating their radio automation, running in a Linux cloud computing instance, along with a virtual audio mixing console from Axia. Voice-tracking is easy to do, but going live is just as simple. Brad Young and Dub Irvin from WideOrbit are here with Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack, discussing and demonstrating this virtual infrastructure technology.
Doug Vernier, Consulting Engineer and founder of V-Soft, is talking to us about RF signal propagation and the incredible maps that reveal your coverage area in so many ways. We'll examine over a dozen real-world signal maps to compare FCC contours vs. Longley-Rice coverage. Plus Doug shows us the huge differences between your station’s “coverage area” with and without accounting for “interference areas”.
What a joy to see old friends and colleagues - and make a few new friends, too! The annual NAB Show had to take two years off due to the worldwide pandemic. And, due to the timing of the pandemic onset, it’s been three years since the last NAB Show in Las Vegas since 2019. Attendance was reported to be about half of 2019’s turnout, and the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) added a huge new section - the West Hall. Somehow, between customer meetings, SBE functions, and conference papers, we managed to corral thirteen guests on this episode of TWiRT! This is an hour well-spent, as you’ll meet some of the best and most clever people in broadcasting. Plus, Chris Tarr joins us from his home office in Mukwonago, Wisconsin.
It’s a conference full of smiling faces and hearty handshakes! The Public Radio Engineering Conference (PREC) is back for nearly 2 full days of technical sessions and reconnecting with broadcast engineering friends. Tech presentations included sessions on Audio over IP, RF network design for Single Frequency Networks, infrared inspections with aerial drones, maintaining FM & HD transmission systems, and using Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) for better IP-Audio over imperfect IP paths. We pulled a few attendees away from the action and got their thoughts on broadcast engineering projects and challenges today.
After building out many dozens of radio studios in the past few years, Dave Supplee has been upgrading older transmitters with new, solid state units. Transmitter replacements provide a rare opportunity to focus on the entire transmitter facility, including the building, foundation, walls, floor, electrical, and other fairly permanent fixtures. These foundational parts of a transmitter site often go without proper upkeep; “out of sight, out of mind.” But Dave says that replacing a transmitter affords just the right scenario for management to approve other much needed upgrades.
Les Kutasi is a business developer - and that’s a title he’s taken working at several broadcast equipment companies. When your customers are broadcast engineers you have to know your technology. Les understands broadcast antennas from yagis to log-periodics to multi-station TV master arrays and FM panel antennas. A popular speaker at SBE meetings, Les joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack for a humorous yet educational discussion on today’s antenna scene.
As many of us, Randy Gardner has done a little of everything in radio broadcasting. But also like many of us, he's happiest doing radio engineering - and especially "projects." Now Director of Engineering for JVC Broadcasting, Randy's got fascinating insights and some smart tips for us. Lots of eye candy engineering photos, too!
The telegram from the FCC is dated March 15, 1922, and reads, in part, “THE ATLANTA JOURNAL IS AUTHORIZED TO … BROADCAST … STATION MUST USE CALL LETTERS W S B REPEAT W S B AND EMPLOY COMMERCIAL SECOND CLASS RADIO OPERATOR LICENSED BY THIS DEPARTMENT.” One hundred years later broadcast engineers, friends, and colleagues gathered for a barbeque lunch at the WSB transmitter site in Tucker, Georgia - an Atlanta suburb. Kirk Harnack has the pleasure of introducing several of these engineers and station friends on this episode of TWiRT. Among our guests (listed below) is Charles Kinney, Director of Engineering for Cox Media Group, Atlanta.
Now responsible for about 50 radio transmitters plus radio studios across Wisconsin, Chris Tarr builds up more radio engineering experience in a few months than most of us do in a couple years! Recently he’s worked through an AM tower falling down and putting several new FM translators on-air. Chris also discusses his methods for feeding program audio to his translators, and keeping tabs on them by remote control.
Whatever you think you know about FM boosters and Single Frequency Networks (SFNs) is probably based in 1980's tech. And it's wrong. Bert Goldman and Rich Redmond are talking to us about technologies that enhance FM broadcast radio coverage using Boosters and Single Frequency Networks (SFN), “cellular” and broadcast topologies, and geo targeting of audio and data. The technology to virtually eliminate reception interference zones has just become available in the last few years. Indeed, a couple of USA FM broadcasters are now reaching over 1 million more potential listeners than they were using a single transmitter site.
Tim Braddock is the kind of engineer with that unique combination of "Let's do it right - but let's have a blast while doing it!" From small town radio to America’s number 1 market, Tim’s radio engineering adventures are laid out for us to enjoy, laugh at, and learn from.
Patrick van den Hoek lives in Amsterdam, yet he owns and engineers his 13 radio stations in Spain. What’s more, Patrick has implemented several clever engineering techniques to solve audio and listener experience problems on these stations. See if Patrick’s engineering “hacks” might be useful for you and your radio stations!
Everyone is being affected by "supply chain" delays and difficulties these days. Broadcast engineers are waiting longer for equipment delivery - sometimes a lot longer. What's behind these delays? Didn't they get that container ship unstuck from the Suez Canal a long time ago? Some delays are being mitigated by equipment redesign - others by costly air freight. Scott Stiefel at Telos Alliance is seriously plugged in to supply chain management and the issues of the past 2 years. Indeed, he's one of our industry's leading experts on working through and around these challenges.
If you could choose someone to gather and publish the information that broadcast engineers need day-to-day or once in a blue moon, you’d choose Barry Mishkind. A broadcast engineer in his own right, Barry founded OldRadio.com - The Broadcast Archive - to help himself and other engineers quickly find otherwise hard-to-get information on the broadcasting industry and broadcast equipment. A quick look at OldRadio.com’s FAQ page gives one an idea of the vast information in this online resource. And, The Broadcasters’ Desktop Resource is another invaluable treasure trove of current broadcast technical news, how-to articles, and other resources for broadcast engineers. Barry’s in-person Tuesday lunch at NAB, and his Virtual Lunch Gathering on Thursdays provide a terrific time of teaching, learning, and camaraderie for both radio and TV engineers.
Pack 300 pounds of luggage, parts, and tools - Check. Set FM transmitters to 30 watts TPO - Check. Set STL data rate to 8 kbps - Check. Take the day off if the weather is nice because no one else will be working - Check. Bring the caribou and beluga recipe books - Check. Such is the to-do list for Pierre Boucher, broadcast technician for some of the most northern radio stations in Canada. Working in far Northern Quebec and Nunavut, Pierre keeps these vital communications resources on-the-air for the Inuit people and others living in these northern extremes. Pierre joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack on this intriguing episode of TWiRT.
Jeff Welton is a sought-after speaker at broadcast engineering conferences. As a regional sales director at Nautel, he visits hundreds of radio transmitter sites, noting areas for improvement prior to installing a new transmitter - or for providing a better operating environment for an existing transmitter. We talk with Jeff about troubleshooting techniques for today’s solid state transmitters. What about air handling now as opposed to older tube transmitter air cooling? And how is efficiency and reliability better or different now? Chris Tarr adds updated advice from his own hands-on work with a variety of transmitters, including several brands of solid state units.
We’ve seen and heard news reports about pandemic lockdown measures taken in Australia. Recently some measures have eased up, so Aussie radio engineer, Stephen Wilkinson, joins us live from Sydney. Stephen is the Technical Ops Manager at Hope Media, and he consults a number of other radio stations on their engineering and technical operations. How are his stations doing under stay-at-home orders, and what technical solutions has he implemented? Chris Tarr looks after over 30 radio stations in Wisconsin and describes his solutions as well.
We’re delighted to officially welcome Chris Tarr to TWiRT as our new weekly co-host along with the show’s founder, Kirk Harnack. As Group Director of Engineering for Magnum Media, Chris brings a daily hands-on radio engineering perspective to the show. We’re giving Chris the floor for this episode so you can get to know him and the kinds of projects he’s working on at Magnum Media. Since Chris Tobin’s passing, Kirk Harnack has been hosting TWiRT solo for the past year. Kirk recently invited an engineer familiar to many of us, Chris Tarr, to rejoin TWiRT as a regular co-host. To our delight, Chris Tarr has accepted the invitation and will be on TWiRT regularly! Chris Tarr also joins us on this episode to fill us in on highlights of his engineering work in 2021.
Sam Woo owns a media content and consulting company, Primetime Radio. He collaborated with former TWiRT co-host, the late Chris Tobin, on technical improvements and logistics for producing the “Let’s Go Devils Podcast” as well as corporate events and more. Sam joins us to talk about his collaborations with Chris Tobin, and to show us the “Menlo” that Chris Tobin often used for his appearances on TWiRT. Since Chris Tobin’s passing, Kirk Harnack has been hosting TWiRT solo for the past year. Kirk recently invited an engineer familiar to many of us, Chris Tarr, to rejoin TWiRT as a regular co-host. To our delight, Chris Tarr has accepted the invitation and will be on TWiRT regularly! Chris Tarr also joins us on this episode to fill us in on highlights of his engineering work in 2021.
A few AM station owners have turned their licenses back into the FCC, giving up on their AM radio business. Many other AM station owners, however, are looking for ways to profit from their AM transmitter site property, or to reduce transmission site costs. Co-locating with land mobile and cellular towers using an inexpensive slant-wire feed for the AM station may be a solution for some AM station owners. There are other financial mitigations as well. Benjamin Dawson and Stephen Lockwood from Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers join us to discuss the possibilities.
Is the Mayor of Verona, NJ, doing the engineering work at the top stations in New York City? Or, is the CTO at those top-rated stations moonlighting as a New Jersey township mayor? Either way, you’re right. Alex Roman leads a staff of engineers and IT pros at WQHT-FM and WBLS-FM in New York City. He says that “radio IT” is the same as “regular IT”, and we all need to work with that notion. Alex reveals other insights and techniques for broadcast engineering, remote workers, and lots of outside broadcasts on this episode of TWiRT.
A real pioneer in deploying digital audio sources, infrastructure, and transmission in the UK - and even worldwide, Quentin Howard is our guest on this fascinating episode of TWiRT. Already a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Quentin was further honored as a Fellow of the Radio Academy in November, 2021. We’re discussing the first uses of Compact Disc digital audio in the UK, as well as the UK’s first use of audio processing on FM broadcasts in the 1980s. DAB rollout and the subsequent DAB ratification and rollout are also among our topics. We round the show out with what may be the perfect radio format for many TWiRT fans - Boom Radio!
Vacations are important - for our well-being, sanity, restfulness, and more. But Shane Toven just can’t stop thinking and talking about broadcast engineering and the technologies that attend it! From the enormous cruise ship, “Majestic Princess,” Shane joins us via SES satellite link using their O3b Networks technology. So, what do you talk about with a man on vacation? Food? Ports of call? Tracking tags? Tower sites? Staying connected to work? Satellite data transport technology? Yes!
Many broadcast engineers have implemented "structured wiring" within their facilities. Some, like TWiRT host, Kirk Harnack, haven’t really jumped into the best practices yet. Ed Bukont, owner of E2 Technical Services, both consults and integrates facilities. His vast experience with structured wiring in broadcast plants makes for solid information that we engineers need to know. And, he's got Kirk convinced to "do it right" on his next project.
Necessity may be the "mother of invention", but Gordon Carter never thought necessity alone was good enough. As Chief Engineer at classical station, WFMT in Chicago, Gordon's broadcast audio systems had to sound impeccably great, yet withstand the rigors of 24/7/365 broadcasting in America's 3rd largest radio market, Chicago. Let’s learn together from Gordon’s pursuit of audio excellence in FM broadcasting.
In our radio broadcasting world 100% modulation (or more?) has been the goal for decades. However, we now find ourselves entering a new paradigm where consistency and quality eclipse loudness as an audio level objective. What do units of audio loudness mean? If 0 dB isn’t the goal, then what is? -16 LKFS? John Kean is a leading expert on perceived audio loudness, plus he’s a prominent broadcast engineer. Let’s hear from John and understand what this world of audio loudness sounds like and find out why it’s changing.
Show notes:
- AES Technical Document AESTD1008.1.21-9 BS-1770: Algorithms to measure audio programme loudness and true-peak audio level Dolby: Guide to Loudness in Media More information on BS-1770 loudness measurement from Meterplugs.com ProTools: AES Update Loudness Recommendations For Audio Only Streaming
Guests
John Kean - Kean Consultants, LLC
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless ...
Common Alerting Protocol. Doesn't sound exciting, but what it's doing for people in many countries is sometimes life-saving. We might think of CAP as a new-ish way to receive emergency messages, such as Child Abduction Emergency notification. Or we may consider CAP as just another input source to our broadcast EAS systems. There’s a lot more to CAP than this, however. Interestingly, the USA and Canada are using CAP a bit differently. Rob Hopkins from OpenBroadcaster in Canada, and Vincent Maggard, a software developer, join Kirk Harnack to explore and explain what CAP really is and how it’s used.
Show notes:
- Emergency Alert Broadcast Automation from OpenBroadcaster Common Alerting Central on GitHub 2021 Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) Implementation Workshop Info
Guests
Rob Hopkins - Radio Enthusiast at OpenBroadcasterVincent Maggard - Chief Executive Officer at SEKYVP, LLC
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in
Many radio engineers are talking about “cloud” and “cloudified” broadcast infrastructure, and inroads are being made right now. One group of broadcast technologists and developers is now running over 100 radio stations in Germany, fully with cloud-based infrastructure. Radio.cloud is designed to supply a backbone of audio programming from data centers, with local customization for each market. Some of that customization is done with Artificial Intelligence, or “AI”. Christian Brenner, Jim Hammond, and Tony Lorino join us, each with a different perspective on Radio.cloud’s technology and capabilities.
Show notes:
- radio.cloud - Home Page* Throwback Nation Radio
Guests
Christian Brenner - Managing Director / CINO (Chief Innovation Officer)Tony Lorino - CEO at Throwback BrandsJim Hammond - CSO at Radio.cloud
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
"Shane has turned off the 'Fasten Seatbelt" sign; you are now free to move about the country." Probably the best way to become an expert in anything is to work your craft in different places. Shane Toven is Senior Broadcast Engineer at Educational Media Foundation K-LOVE & Air1 Media Networks. We can each learn from his recent engineering exploits!
Show notes:
- Snapmaker 3-in-1 3D Printer Radio DNS - Hybrid Radio - Broadcast+Internet Crown Broadcast RFBA Triple EAS Tuner* TinkerCAD - Free online 3d modeling
Guest
Shane Toven - Senior Broadcast Engineer at Educational Media Foundation
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
How did you get started in broadcast engineering? Through Amateur Radio? Building a Heathkit? Perhaps an electronics chapter in high school science? Let’s turn the page to today’s inspiration and learning opportunities. Sean McMahon is a Robotics Team Head Coach, while Bill Bennet is a "Recovering Broadcast Engineer". We're looking into STEM / STEAM programs where the next generation of media engineers will come from.
Show notes:
- First Inspires - A Global Robotics Community Preparing Young People for the Future
Guests
Sean McMahon - Robotics Team Head CoachBill Bennett - “Recovering Broadcast Engineer” & Robotics Mentor
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Jim Addie has had a career in broadcasting that spans 45 years. With engineering positions at notable stations like WFMT, WGN, and WJMK (CBS/Infinity), Jim and his top-shelf engineering colleagues designed and built some impressive custom equipment for critical broadcast audio. Jim Addie joins us on TWiRT to share some delightful and amazing radio engineering stories.
Show notes:
- AddieTech - Jim Addie’s Engineering & Consulting Services Room EQ Wizard - free audio analysis software FMX - FM stereo noise reduction Knight-Kit - web site for information on the classic electronic Knight Kits Jim’s spouse, Jo Addie, worked on the 1979 movie, “Somewhere In Time” with the late Christpher Reeve. This website is all about that movie.
Guest
Jim Addie - Radio & Audio Engineer / Consultant
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in
Most of us in radio wax nostalgic about how radio was early in our careers. Todd Edwards waxes poetic about the analog radio automation systems he worked with at the end of the 1970s and into the 1980s. Names like SMC, Scully, Ampex, Otari, ITC, and Drake-Chenault are peppered throughout our conversation and tour on this week's episode. Todd recalls his first bloody automation injury and describes using a station's automation system as his excuse to go on the air live.
Show notes:
- Online web station, TRIK FM Online web station, Frontier Country Online Otari ARS 1000 (information brochure) SMC Carousel (brochure) Drake-Chenault (information web site)* Auditronics 210 audio console (BGS catalog page)
Guest
Todd Edwards - Analog Enthusiast
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in
Some of the most useful and helpful broadcast equipment we’ve ever used is designed and built by a company named “Inovonics”. Founded by Jim Wood, the President and CEO now is Ben Barber. An experienced broadcast engineer himself, Ben joins us with terrific tales of his early days with Inovonics, and the backstories on several key pieces of gear that most of us engineers have used!
Show notes:
- Inovonics - Company History* Inovonics online live demo center
Guest
Ben Barber - President / CEO of Inovonics Inc.
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
George Whittam is one of the foremost engineers building home studios for radio, TV, and Hollywood voice-over talent. Many of his clients were doing some work in their home studios prior to the COVID pandemic. However, the lockdowns of the past 18 months - particularly in California - have made it absolutely necessary for the quality of home studios to rival that of commercial facilities. This is where George’s expertise has been proven time and time again. "Home Studio Perfection" is what we're discussing on today's "This Week in Radio Tech"!
Show notes:
- GeorgeThe.Tech - Voiceover and Podcasting Tech Support and Studio Design Voice Over Body Shop - The Best Shop Talk on Voice Over TriBooth - Portable Studio For Recording MICPORT PRO - Mic Preamp + USB Audio Interface Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Mic Preamp & USB Audio Interface Sennheiser MKH416 shotgun mic R0DE NTG5 shotgun mic* R0DECaster Pro integrated podcast production console
Guest
George Whittam - Founder at Georgethe.Tech audio consultancy
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at
It’s been well over 20 years since some radio stations began streaming their audio on the Internet. And these days, most stations do have a streaming presence. But, is that enough with so much competition? Is there more in terms of convenience and utility that we broadcasters can provide to our listeners? Ed Martinez, Robert Minnix, and David Bialik sure think so - and hundreds of radio stations agree. From automatic content archiving to instant rewind and even “access control” using tokenized streaming, we’re talking about the next generation of streaming features.
Show notes:
- Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) - an open source media transport protocol HLS - HTTP Live Streaming SGrecast - The Podcasting Platform for Broadcasters SGrewind - Lets your listeners rewind your stream SGPassKey - Conditional Access to streams and stored content
Guests
Eduardo Martinez - Director of Technology at StreamGuysRobert Minnix - Product Manager at StreamGuysDavid Bialik - Streaming Consultant to Broadcasters & Webcasters
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at
It’s likely impossible for a true “Master Class” in anything to be done in 1 hour. However, Matt Gholston does take us through some of the key concepts that Chief Engineers must heed. From AoIP ideas to managing tower crews, Matt emphasizes some of the most important skills for today’s broadcast engineer. From teaching school to consulting hundreds of broadcasters, Matt’s wealth of knowledge is easily shared on this episode!
Show notes:
Matt highly recommends these two products for metal restoration & maintenance:
- Evapo-Rust ZRC Galvilite® Galvanizing Repair Matt discussed a variety of essential outdoor coax management parts such as these: RF Parts Company - Coaxial Cable & Accessories Coax Grounding Kits from Talley* Tessco Tower Grounding Products
Guest
Matt Gholston, CSRE,CBTE,CBNT - Chief Engineer Townsquare Media - Lafayette
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
One of the most clever engineering technicians we’ve met is also a bar and hotel owner and tour boat operator. So why wouldn’t he operate some hip radio stations as well? Sean Kelly is here to update us on virtualizing the operation of several online radio stations. Sean is running HITz Digital, KISS Digital, and PALM Torbay - and doing so with little more than an off-lease Dell R710 server with both free and commercial software.
Show notes:
- HITz Digital: http://loverradio.stream:8000/hitz * KISS Digital: http://loveradio.stream:8002/kiss * PALM Torbay: http://loveradio.stream:8012/palmtorbay * Plus we carry a friends country station http://loveradio.stream:8010/theranch out of Mesa in AZ because of Geo-Lock
Guest
Sean Kelly - Freelance DJ & Radio Host/Tech
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Sydney, Australia, is on another pandemic lockdown, but this time broadcasters are better prepared. Stephen Wilkinson is Technical Operations Manager at Hope Media in Sydney, and is responsible not only for keeping this important community radio station on-the-air, but also for keeping the IT systems safe from cyber attacks. Stephen joins us to talk about Covid workflows, specific equipment and software, and several key points for reducing the risk of malware and ransomware at broadcast facilities. Plus we talk about “P.I.E. Racks” and DAB receivers in new automobiles.
Show notes:
- Essential Eight Maturity Model for IT Security Digital Radio in Australia - DAB+ information Stephen used an e-mail phishing test from Trend Micro
Guest
Stephen Wilkinson - Technical Operations Manager at Hope Media
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Does anyone find humor and joy in broadcast engineering like Jim Grum Graham does? I don't think so!! Through flood, heart attack, crazy contests, and fun radio remotes, Jim Graham's engineering experiences have reduced him to the man he is today! What’s more, we can learn some important engineering lessons from Jim’s mistakes - and from his triumphs! Enjoy an hour with Jim as he recounts some crushing defeats as well as the occasional victory in his illustrious radio career.
Show notes:
- Fun Radio WFOX Fun Radio on Facebook WANS is one of the stations where Jim worked
Guest
Jim Grum Graham - “Flunky” at Fun Radio
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Phil Larsen used to fly drones to pick up bad guys discussing their evil plans. Now he runs the QForce Airborne Division of QCommunications, listening to radio and TV stations while measuring transmitted signal patterns. Aerial signal measurement has been around since an engineer carried an RF field strength meter into a helicopter. But, today’s measurements using custom-built drones are far superior to earlier methods. Phil explains what goes into drone-based RF measurements to assure accuracy and integrity of the measurement results.
Show notes:
- QForce - Airborne Division of QCommunications Tower videos by Phil Larsen on YouTube Sample Report from Aerial Measurements (PDF)
Guest
Phil Larsen - Vice President of QForce - division of Qcommunications, LLC
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Some days you’re the windshield, and some days you’re the bug. And some days you experience some of each. Tom Ray’s recent experience with a 4-tower AM directional array new New York is a study in “surprise” and “relief” as he dealt with half of a tower collapsing. These AM towers are in suburban wetlands, surrounded by residences, a city park, and protected waterways. Tom describes how, with a little luck and some expert help, a tower catastrophe got resolved and further problems were solved as well.
Show notes:
- WWRL-AM - A New York area radio station with 6 decades of broadcasting history WWRL is featured on Scott Fybush’s Fybush.com web site The WWRL transmitter site on Google Maps* Tom mentioned Tony Fonseca, PE, who advised on repairs at WWRL
Guest
Tom Ray - President at Tom Ray Consulting
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And
From modifying off-the-shelf audio processors, to hand-building his own designs, to overseeing the most successful radio audio processing company in the world, Frank Foti has both predicted and created the future of audio enhancement. In this episode we’ll hear about Frank’s collaboration with great record producers and how that work has continued to inform the development of broadcast audio processors. Loudness targets, a peak unlimiter, and a density detector - all discussed right here.
Show notes:
- A History Of Audio Processing Part 6: In Their Own Words – Learning From The Pioneers - an article by Jim Somich and Barry Mishkind Cover Story : Omnia – From Frank Foti to Team Omnia in 27 Years - an article by Howard Mullinack HOW TO GIVE YOUR STATION AN AMAZING ON-AIR SOUND - by Thomas Giger
Guest
Frank Foti - Founder of Omnia Audio and Chairman of the Board at Telos Alliance
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
The satellite C-Band repack is upon us. Indeed, some 5G carriers are already operating just below the satellite C-Band and have caused interference. More such interference is on the way and broadcast engineers need to act now. Mark Johnson with LinkUp Communications joins us to outline the C-Band repack timeline and share photos from recent filter installations.
Show notes:
- “The C-Band Repack” “Essential Info to Choose the Right C-Band Filter” “What’s Next if you Chose the Lump Sum Option”
Guest
Mark Johnson - President at Linkup Communications Corp.
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Tony Dimsdale loves RF. And he loves the plumbing it takes to transport high-power RF energy from one place to another without “spilling” any! Working with GatesAir during the TV repack put Tony in the middle of the action, moving FM station antennas, installing RF combining and switching systems, and learning the nuances and “gotchas” of the art of RF plumbing. He shares his knowledge and experience with us on this episode of TWiRT.
Show notes:
- Tony’s Radio Transmitter Site Photos Tony’s TV Transmitter Site Photos Tony’s Studio Photos* Examples of fixed flanges for brazing - from Spinner
Guest
Tony Dimsdale - Owner at Dimsdale Technologies - Market Chief Engineer at Audacy, Greenville & Spartanburg, SC
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Four years ago Philipp Schmid at Nautel introduced HD Radio technology allowing up to 15 digital program feeds on one FM channel. They called it “Multiplex FM”. Now the idea and technology have expanded to include the DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) transmission system. What’s more, Nautel and Telos Alliance have demonstrated a cloud-based system for processing multiple HD channels along with the analog FM program, with reliable Internet delivery to transmitter sites. Philip and Alex fill us in on this technology on TWiRT!
Show notes:
- Cloud-based FM air chain - Radio World All-Digital HD Radio - Field Tests at KKLZ (PDF slide deck) Explanation of DRM at Wikipedia
Guests
Philipp Schmind - Chief Technology Officer at NautelAlex Hartman - Support & Research Engineer at Nautel
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
With urban sprawl, property values escalating, and AM stations having a more difficult time financially, sometimes it makes sense to combine one or more AM transmitters at a common transmitter site. Certain technical criteria must be met for this to happen, and combining AM directional stations can be challenging. Mike Patton has helped several AM stations move onto “common ground” and teaches about the key technical aspects to consider when combining transmitters.
Show notes:
- Diplexing AM transmitters - by John Battison [Radio World] AM Stations Have New Options - Cris Alexander [Radio World] Diplexed Directional AM stations - Paul Thurst, Engineering Radio
Guest
Mike Patton - Owner, Michael Patton & Associates
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Too many FM antennas on one tower? They’re (maybe) creating intermod products? No room or structure for more tenants? It may be past time to consolidate all the FM signals onto a master FM antenna. WAMU-FM and WTOP-FM in Washington, DC, did exactly this - and worked with other FM tenants on the same tower to create such a combined, master FM antenna system. Rob Bertrand, CTO, and Andy Gunn, DoE, tell the story and give us a tour of the combiner room at American University.
Show notes:
- WAMU-FM on Wikipedia WTOP-FM on Wikipedia WAMU’s Master FM Antenna Assembled and Erected for Final Tuning and Test* New Master Antenna System Serves D.C.
Guests
Rob Bertrand - Chief Technology Officer at WAMU 88.5Andy Gunn - Director of Engineering at WAMU 88.5
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Heads-up, broadcast engineers! Docker is coming your way. What's Docker? It's a brand name that's part of "containerized software" - and broadcast equipment is already moving there. Your audio consoles, talkshow system, and IP intercom can all run on PC or servers - on-site or in a data center. This is happening now! Cam Eicher with Telos Alliance gives a great tutorial on Docker containerized software and more on this episode of TWIRT.
Show notes:
- What’s a “Bare-Metal Server”? Let’s define “Cloud Computing” Let’s be clear on what a “Virtual Machine” is. Hypervisors - Type 1 and Type 2 Software container engines run on Linux Let’s get on the same page about Docker. OS-Level Virtualization Fun to say, but what is Kubernetes? What is Quay.io?
Guest
Cam Eicher - Executive Director of Worldwide Sales at Telos Alliance
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Why is Rob Ashard managing 19 mix-minus feeds while taping a British TV show? When COVID keeps the audience out of the studio, Rob and his colleagues must go to them - in their homes and flats. Rob Ashard is the lead audio mixer for The Graham Norton Show and Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. Audience interaction is critical, and these shows have found a way to make it happen. We’ll also discuss bringing a 60 year old portable tape deck back to life, plus learn about DE-RIG mixing kits.
Show notes:
- The Graham Norton Show Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway Rob was mixing on a Studer Vista X console Rob’s lavalier to USB mic is this or similar Rob discussed not “crossing the line” in camera placement* Another video update from Rob on the EMI RE321 tape deck (on Facebook)
Guest
Rob Ashard - Sound Supervisor at Ashard Audio Ltd
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio,
A broadcast company’s Director of Engineering faces more challenges from different directions than ever before. With telcos abandoning legacy services, fires threatening remote transmitter sites, AM tower sites having to move out, and thieves stealing copper or other valuables, the DoE job is full of daily dilemmas and crises. Cris Alexander, DoE at Crawford Broadcasting, deals with these problems and more, and depends on a team of local engineers as well. We get to spend an hour with Cris to hear about today’s challenges and some solutions.
Show notes:
- The Local Oscillator - current and back issues - A GREAT resource for all of us! Tip of the Week: Paessler PRTG - network monitoring software See Todd Dixon’s writeup on Paessler PRTG monitoring software in the April, 2021, edition of The Local Oscillator - starting on page 7
Guest
Cris Alexander - Director of Engineering at Crawford Broadcasting
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Bustin’ concrete, CIDR notation, Rat Magic, unlimited (almost) photo storage, more mouse eviction tactics, and the best site maintenance practices. Whew! It’s all covered and uncovered on this TWiRT episode with the beloved John Bisset, author of “Workbench”.
Show notes:
- Dexpan Non-Explosive Demolition Agent for Concrete Removal Concrete Bustin’ Demo Video Aha! “CIDR” stands for Classless Inter Domain Routing. Here’s a CIDR calculator John talked about Middle Atlantic Rack Shelves as a possible substitute for Server Rack Rails John likes ½” galvanized steel “hardware cloth” to protect larger openings from critters
Guests
John Bisset - Director, Western US Sales at Telos Alliance and Author of the “Workbench” column in Radio World magazine.
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And
EAS - The Emergency Alert System: Is it sometimes a pain for broadcasters? Or is it a life-saving emergency messaging system? Adrienne Abbott is Chair of the Nevada EAS. She brings a balanced and reasonable perspective to EAS operations and functionality. Plus, she’s helping to enhance the localism of EAS alerts in Clark County, Nevada, where Las Vegas and suburbs sprawl across the high desert.
The FM Radio Data System has been around for 45 years, but internationally finalized in 2000. Despite being a worldwide standard, radio manufacturers and broadcasters have implemented the standard in different ways, resulting in rather inconsistent information displays for consumers. One leading company fixing this problem is Quu. Joe Marshall is the Technical Success Manager for Quu, and focused on helping FM broadcasters get consistent and compelling data and graphical displays on every FM and HD radio on the road.
Show notes:
NAB Study and Best Practices:NAB Auto Initiative (this page links to these two PDFs):NAB_DigitalDash_BestPractices_0319.pdfNAB_DigitalDash_RecommendedBestPractices_0419.pdf
Guest
Joe Marshall - Technical Success Manager at Quu, Inc.
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnack
Follow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for T...
Dan McQuillin is known for making complex broadcast operations much simpler, often by “disappearing the complexity”. We’re looking at the Digital/Bionic Table and the overarching themes in the way technology is deployed that Table leverages... Software, Browser based interfaces, BYOD and Virtualisation, and the impact that leaning in to these changes can have on the way spaces are designed and content is created and consumed.
Show notes:
This first look at the Bionic Table is so new, there’s just no information on the web about it. Watch this episode of TWiRT and you’ll be as up-to-date as anyone. When Bionic Table is publicly released, you’ll be able to read about it here… https://www.bionics.co.uk/
Guests
Dan McQuillin - Managing Director at Broadcast Bionics, Ltd.
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Most broadcast engineers know of David Layer. He’s the VP for Advanced Engineering at the NAB. We know David because he has frequently given presentations about radio technology at broadcast trade shows. The hope of a reduction or end to the COVID pandemic has broadcasters enthused about meeting again in Las Vegas - this time in October, 2021 - for an NAB Conference and Expo, including the NAB Radio Show. David Layer joins us to discuss the rebuilding of the radio lab equipment and ongoing testing for both AM and FM hybrid or all-digital broadcasting, as well as plans for the NAB Show this fall.
Show notes:
- NAB Show, 2021 - Education & Exhibits - October 9-13, 2021 in Las Vegas, NV, USA David mentioned NAB Amplify, a digital showcase of first-ever product reveals NAB 2020 - The Year in Review - Broadcasters serving us during a pandemic
Guests
David Layer - Vice President, Advanced Engineering at National Association of Broadcasters
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
When changing audio routing in a broadcast facility, we often need to change other routes as well. Control signals, metadata, monitoring points, and more. Dan Bays began designing routers for recording studios, connecting different brands of equipment on the fly. Now he develops systems that route Audio over IP and associated GPIO and other control data. And, sophisticated salvos and monitoring are combined with Logic Flows to create reliable, automated systems with redundancy, all to keep the right audio on-the-air 24/7.
Show notes:
- Dan’s original company, Software Authority Pathfinder Core PRO - Appliance and Virtual Machine Dan authored “Guide Your Audio Home with Pathfinder”* Dan has been helping broadcasters route audio for a long time - Radio World, 2008
Guests
Dan Bays - Project Manager for Pathfinder at Telos Alliance
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Of all the professions, those involved with radio broadcasting may rank highest in percentage of “jokesters”. We certainly have a 100% jokester guest panel on this episode of TWiRT! From engineers, to station managers, to on-air talent (and most have done 2 or 3 of these 3 things) our guests each have a very high “JQ” - Jokester Quotient. Enjoy with me these stories of April Fools jokes and pranks.
Show notes:
- Bill Jackson noted a position open at KLOVE & Air1 in Rocklin, CA List of April Fools' Day jokes - Wikipedia Seven April Fools' Day Pranks That Went Wrong - Newsweek April Fool's Day Radio Hoaxes - Hoaxes.org Pull a fast one with these 8 April Fools’ Day pranks - Audacy.com* April Fool’s Day pranks on radio stations - RadioToday
Guests
Chuck Kelly - Vice President Market Development at Broadcast Electronics / Elenos GroupBill Jackson - Regional Broadcast Studio Engineer at Educational Media FoundationCam Cornelius - Emmy Winning SAG-E National VoiceOver & Imaging DudeRobert Combs - Director Of Engineering - Corporate at CUMULUS MEDIACornelius Gould - Owner & Managing Director of Legato Communications LLCJim Graham - Owner at JJH Broadcast & “Flunky at WFOX”Dave Supplee - Northeast Regional Engineer - Cumulus BroadcastingChriss Scherer - Member Communications Director at Society of Broadcast Engineers
Host
Jake Alderman is Program Director for Virtual Solutions at Telos Alliance. Sound intriguing? I think so! We see broadcast infrastructure moving more and more into a virtualized space - either on-premises or perhaps in the cloud, and Jake is just the guy to clarify some concepts about virtualization. From Virtual Machines (VMs) to Software Containers to hypervisors, Jake and his colleagues are pushing the envelope on broadcast operations.
Show notes:
- Cloud Academy - Docker vs. Virtual Machines: Differences You Should Know Portainer.io - Open Source Container Management GUI Docker vs. Virtual Machines: What are the Differences? The Broadcast Bridge - Vendors Now Well Versed In The Language of IT Jake and Kirk referred to the Axia iQs virtual audio console* And the Telos VXs virtual VoIP system for radio
Guest
Jake Alderman - Program Manager of Virtual Solutions at Telos Alliance
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in
Maybe you've seen Jordan Tuck's handiwork on Facebook; he refurbishes the radio gear we loved from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Most of this cherished audio gear is older than he is! How'd he get so good at bringing consoles, tape decks, audio processors, etc. back to life? Jordan credits Mike Patton and others for showing him the way to broadcast equipment resuscitation, and he’s on this episode of TWiRT to tell us about it.
Show notes:
- Micheal Patton & Associates Jordan likes to source LEDs from SuperBrightLEDs.com PR&E brochure about the AMX audio console (PDF)* Jordan talked about repairing the Texar Audio Prism - here’s an article by its inventor.
Guest
Jordan Tuck - Broadcast Equipment Refurbishing Specialist at Mike Patton & Associates
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Andy Low began his broadcasting career with IT experience. His only exposure to audio or RF engineering had been through his father’s amateur radio equipment. But when the opportunity arose for Andy to assume an overall engineering position, he dove right in, learning what he needed to keep his stations on-the-air and making improvements. Andy’s experience with taking over in an “engineering vacuum” taught him the value of documenting everything, and he shares what he learned with us.
Show notes:
- Midwest Communications WKZO - Everything Kalamazoo Battle Creek, MI How to Get Started with Google Forms We discussed the utility of Google Shared Drives (G-Suite users)
Guest
Andy Low - Chief Engineer at Midwest Communications, West Michigan
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
WRHU at Hofstra University on Long Island has been chosen by the Academy of Radio Arts and Sciences of America to receive the 2021 World Radio Day Award. Andy Gladding, Chief Engineer at WRHU-FM, has led a cadre of Hofstra University students in planning, coordinating, and executing an impressive day-long broadcast for World Radio Day. So, impressive they even received a UNESCO award!
Show notes:
- WRHU to Go Worldwide on February 12–14 (Radio World article) WRHU Radio Hofstra University Receives World Radio Day Award 2021 World Radio Day is Saturday, Feb. 13 (Radio Survivor)
Guests
Andy Gladding, MsED – Chief Engineer at Salem Media Group & Chief Engineer at WRHU-FMDerek Futterman - Multimedia Marketing Manager at WRHU-FMRachel Luscher - Personnel Director at WRHU-FMEdward Mabeza - Program Director, Music at Radio Hofstra University, WRHU-FMCrystal Bermudez - Cultural Content Director at WRHU-FMShayna Sengstock - Technical Engineer at WRHU-FM
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And
There’s no way to know if 2021 will be less tumultuous than 2020, but last year was a turning point for many, if not most broadcasters. George Zahn, a Cincinnati-area broadcaster and audio enthusiast for over 40 years, notes a “dumbing down” of audio quality in broadcast, while some broadcast competitors are getting better. He joins us with solid advice and a warning or two about keeping great audio in broadcasting.
Guest
George Zahn - Station Director at WMKV-FM, Maple Knoll Communities
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
When you meet someone who is positively expert at something, you want to ask questions, pick their brain, learn what they know. Jim Kuzman literally wrote the manual for the infamous Omnia 9 audio processor. He knows audio processing inside and out, and especially the processing functions found in the Omnia 9. What does “Undo” do? How should I use a multiband spatial enhancer? How many multibands of processing should I choose? And why are you clipping my bass notes separately? Jim reveals answers to these questions and more!
Show notes:
- Omnia 9 audio processor Technical articles authored by Jim Kuzman Radio World “Cool Stuff Award” for Leif Claesson’s “Undo” technology
Guest
Jim Kuzman - Content Strategist - Telos Alliance
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Excuse me, can I watch? We're visiting the new studios of K-Love and AIR1 in Franklin, Tennessee, where Bill Jackson is nearly finished with two brand new, world-class radio studios. They’ve just finished hanging some large video monitors, and the acoustic treatment goes up next. Shane talks about K-Love’s remote transmitter sites while Bill describes some of the clever studio construction techniques they’ve put in place.
Show notes:
- Educational Media Foundation K-LOVE AIR1* The new studios will be used for several shows, including Skip & Amy on K-LOVE.
Guests
Shane Toven - Senior Broadcast Engineer at EMF K-LOVE & Air1 Media NetworksBill Jackson - Regional Broadcast Studio Engineer at EMF K-LOVE & Air1 Media Networks
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Where do Cadillacs and radio engineers intersect? At the corner of Tom and Lawler, that's where! If you don't know Tom Lawler, you will after this episode of TWiRT. Tom is a Customer Support Engineer at RCS, and does on-air shifts at a couple radio stations. He’s also an accomplished engineer with experience in studio and transmitter maintenance. We’re discussing audio source material, his favorite mic, and two great war stories.
Show notes:
- Tom’s tip about Posi-Lock connectors is work noting. Kirk likes them, too! Tom likes Valley People mic processing. Tom Vernon wrote a story about this for Telos Alliance. Tom discussed the Digigram UAX220-MIC USB interface. In one Cadillac Tom installed a Kenwood KDC Media Tuner And, Tom is a big fan of Cadillac Broughams and Fleetwood Broughams.
Guest
Tom Lawler - Customer Support Engineer at RCS
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
Would you stay on-the-air if your studio caught fire? What about your transmitter site? Dean K. Wilson is a fire protection expert with a broadcasting background. Indeed, he got started in radio at the age of 12. During his career Dean has provided a variety of fire protection engineering, security engineering, loss prevention, and business process consulting services, as well as development and delivery of training programs and seminars for the National Fire Protection Association and Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
Show notes:
- National Fire Protection Association Flash Point of Volatile Fuels Article about Fire Protection Engineering Halon 1301, aka Bromotrifluoromethane Broadcast Solutions International - Information on Fire Suppression Systems for Broadcasters
Guest
Dean K. Wilson - President and Chief Consulting Engineer at Dean K. Wilson Associates
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
You thought ATSC 3.0 (NexGenTV) was all about 4k video and immersive audio, right? That’s what I thought until I heard about Sinclair Broadcast Group and their approaches to enhancing all things media. From Single Frequency ATSC 3 Networks to carriage of dozens of radio stations’ content, Mark Aitken, SVP for Advanced Technology at Sinclair enlightens us on the big plans ahead for ATSC 3.0. Marty Sacks, EVP for Sales, Support, and Marketing at Telos Alliance joins us as well.
Show notes:
- ONE Media – Television’s “Next Generation” Sinclair Launches First ATSC 3.0 Radio Service In Seattle - Radio Insight article Monetizing ATSC 3.0 - a webinar and white paper series from ATSC3Advocate.com Saankhya Labs - wireless chipset & solutions provider ATSC 3.0 Next Gen Overview video* FCC Modifies DTS Rules for ATSC 3.0 Flexibility - TVTechnology article
Guest
Mark Aitken - SVP of Advanced Technology at Sinclair Broadcast Group
Hosts
Marty Sacks - Executive Vice President of Sales, Support and Marketing at The Telos AllianceKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store,
Jason Ornellas is this year’s recipient of Radio World’s Excellence in Engineering Award. One reason for his selection is Jason’s leadership in executing a complex, major market studio build. From design, technology selection, equipment installation, and final commissioning, Jason Ornellas and his team of engineers built one of the most beautiful and effective radio facilities you’ll ever see. Let’s meet Jason and have a look at these gorgeous radio studios!
Show notes:
- Jason Ornellas Makes His Mark - Radio World V Three Studios helped to architect the new Bonneville Bay Area facility They Built New Studios During COVID - Radio World Jason mentioned ION Forge speaker stands The Bonneville Bay Area studios are equipped with KRK ROKIT G4 speakers
Guest
Jason Ornellas - Regional Director of Engineering at Bonneville International
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Podcasters and broadcasters - Got a problem with your audio? Does your audio not measure up to the "pro" podcasts? Chris Curran is here for a whole hour with up-to-date advice and suggestions for clean, clear audio - always at the right volume. From your recording “space” to mic selection, to mic technique, to compression and post-processing - Chris brings the advice of a recording and podcasting pro.
Show notes:
- We discussed the new Shure MV7 podcast microphone We mentioned the ubiquitous Shure SM7B dynamic vocal mic Kirk mentioned his Sennheiser MKH 416 shotgun mic Also Kirk’s favorite dynamic mic, the Heil PR40 We also discussed a couple of R0DE mics Kirk likes his dbx 286s mic pre-amp and channel strip Chris recommends iZotope RX 8 software for automated audio cleanup Chris also likes the Reaper Digital Audio Workstation software We mentioned Auphonic for online file processing to “master” your podcasts* And Descript looks very interesting for automatic speech to text and audio/video editing based on dialog
Guest
Chris Curran - Founder of Podcast Engineering School and host of The Podcast Engineering Show
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters.
Are you “done with 2020”? Many of us certainly are. Seems 2020 has been the year of disaster, failure, and disappointment. Hardship for many. We met so many challenges this year with lockdowns, layoffs, scrambling to work from home, and some good friends and colleagues passing away. Tom Ray is our guest, and somewhat of an expert on equipment failures; he sees a lot of them! Despite Tom’s sometimes curmudgeonly disposition, he’s actually an optimistic and positive engineer. On this episode we’re looking at equipment failures that seemed especially rampant this past year, and we look at the bright side of getting these failures repaired and working again.
Show notes:
- Funeral arrangements for Chris Tobin at Perazzo Funeral Home* Photo album from this episode
Guest
Tom Ray - TWiRT contributor and President at Tom Ray Consulting
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Most of our TWiRT family and friends know by now that our co-host, Chris Tobin, passed away last Saturday, December 19, 2020. He was 59 years old. We will do a special TWiRT episode in tribute to Chris within a few days. For now, we’re carrying on with today’s TWiRT episode, as I'm quite sure Chris would have wanted. Rest in Peace in God’s arms, Chris.
Over a month ago we decided to do a Christmas Eve edition of This Week in Radio Tech. John Bisset, agreed to be on the show with us to recall some Christmas engineering memories, chat about Christmas gifts, and think about what’s ahead for radio engineers. Plus, we read and answer some comments from engineers as part of a Christmas Eve giveaway.
Show notes:
- We gave away three of these ONN Surf 7” Android tablets John mentioned Mouse Magic, the rodent repellent with a minty aroma We think 2021 will bring more virtualization, such as the Axia iQs
Guest
John Bisset - Director, Western US Sales, Telos Alliance & Author of Workbench at Radio World
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Andy Gladding got started in radio engineering at Hofstra University on Long Island, NY. Now he’s Chief at the Salem radio stations in New York City. Andy applies plenty of expertise, an eagerness to learn more, and a great sense of humor to the challenges of engineering in US market #1. Plus we learn about taking care of nationally-distributed talk shows and Andy’s wish to provide a clear path to students interested in broadcast engineering.
Show notes:
- Hofstra University WRHU-FM at Hofstra University AM 970 - The Answer - Salem Radio’s 50kW New York City station The Joe Piscopo Show on AM 970 The Mike Gallagher Show WMCA - AM 570 New York SBE Chapter 15
Guest
Andy Gladding - Chief Engineer at Salem Media Group
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
TWiRT co-host, Kirk Harnack, is part-owner of KHKU-FM in Lihu’e, Hawai’i. It’s been 2 ½ years since the station, called “Star94.3”, went on the air under the new name, so some improvements and repairs have been needed. The key projects were: Installing an IP-radio link from studio to the transmitter on Mt. Kahili; installing a backup transmitter and antenna; and, wiring remote AC power switching for the main and backup transmitters and other gear at the transmitter. Kirk shares photos and video of the dramatic trips to Mt. Kahili and helicopter “rescue” necessitated by worsening weather.
Show notes:
- KHKU-FM - Star 94.3 FM HIker video of the Kahili Ridge Trail in bad weather - similar to conditions for us Digital Loggers Web Power Switch - Remote IP-controlled AC outlet bank Ubiquiti PowerBeam 5AC ISO Gen2 IP-Radio Link Kirk needs help getting these MikroTik Metal 9HPn ISM-band IP radios to work
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
A Single Frequency Network (SFN) can help a broadcaster achieve coverage over a much wider area than with a single transmitter - and, provide continuous, hands-free coverage for listeners as they move about the trade area. FM on-channel boosters are another form of SFN. Hal Kneller has designed and implemented numerous SFNs to give broadcasters better coverage for their listeners, and joins us to describe a recent “hybrid” SFN in Southwest Florida.
Show notes:
- “Hybrid Synchronization in the Sunshine State” - article by Hal Kneller Single Frequency Network introduction at Wikipedia SynchroCast Presentation by Ted Lantz of GatesAir* Single Frequency Networks for HD Radio by Philipp Schmid of Nautel
Guest
Hal Kneller - Broadcast Technology Consultant
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Mike Modney grew up in a broadcasting family with an engineer dad and a news director mom. Now, Mike is making his own way as a successful engineer and audio processing expert. Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Mike oversees facilities and engineers in both Edmonton and Calgary. His stations have found techniques to successfully work around COVID-19 concerns, and keep both staff and audience interaction at a maximum. Plus Mike talks about his AoIP facility and how µMPX technology provides much cleaner STL feeds.
Show notes:
- WABE - Western Association of Broadcast Engineers Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) Mentor Program Jim Pattison Broadcast Group 102.3 NOW! Radio Pippin Technical (Candian broadcast equipment supplier and integrator)
Guest
MIke Modney - Chief Engineer at Jim Pattison Broadcast Group, Alberta Metro Markets
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at
Any radio engineer would consider it a privilege to visit the iconic WSB-AM transmitter site in Atlanta, Georgia. Today we get info on the WSB site not only from DoE, Charles Kinney, but also from Vic Jester, who helped design the current transmitter building in the early 1980s. Vic also takes us into the WSB 50 kilowatt Antenna Tuning Unit - a small building unto its own next to the 650’ WSB tower. Plus, Charlie Wooten with and update and thoughts on recovery from Hurricane Michael that hit the Florida Panhandle two years ago.
Show notes:
- WSB at the Atlanta History Center WSB radio info on Wikipedia WSB radio history - photo show from the 1920s* WSB transmitter site - prior to shopping center development
Guests
Charles Kinney - Director of Engineering at Cox Media Group AtlantaVic Jester - Chief Engineer at Radio One, AtlantaCharlie Wooten - regional Director of Engineering & IT at iHeartMedia, Panama City, Florida
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And
The C-band repack – and subsequent relocation of all C-band users in the Mid-band frequency to 4.0-4.2 Mhz – means broadcasters with C-band satellite antennas need to act now. You may plan to self-install the filter needed to protect your satellite reception from new 5G signals. But, are you sure a filter is all that is needed? And, do you feel comfortable that your documentation will be adequate to share with the FCC when ATT or Verizon begin to interfere with your program reception? Mark Johnson with Linkup Communications describes the problem that broadcasters face, and explains the options available, whether you’re “opt-in” or “opt-out” of an FCC program.
Show notes:
- Linkup Communications - Satellite services from uplink to downlink Radio World article by Mark Johnson, “Lump Sum Option May Not Be Best for All” SO YOU CHOSE THE C-BAND LUMP SUM OPTION; HERE’S WHAT’S NEXT* Fierce Wireless article - Amid heated debate, FCC votes 3-2 to free up 280 MHz of C-band for 5G
Guest
Mark Johnson - President at Linkup Communications Corp.
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at
The FCC has a filing window for new Non-commercial/educational (NCE) FM stations in 2021. Indeed, it’s been over ten years since the FCC accepted applications for new, full-power NCE construction permits. The window, expected to be in “early 2021,” will allow non-profit organizations, schools, and native tribes to apply for Construction Permits in the NCE band - 88.1–91.9 MHz on the FM dial. FCC Consulting Engineer, Dave Doherty, joins us to discuss this topic and more.
Show notes:
- Skywaves Consulting - provides technical services and strategic consulting for radio station owners, investors, and brokers. FCCInfo.com - a database looking web site from Cavell & Mertz Google Earth .kml file page for FCC licensed facilities* Quick radio facility lookup at Radio-Locator.com
Guest
Dave Doherty - Principal at Skywaves Consulting, LLC
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
There’s no shortage of radio automation playout systems on the market. Some are steeped in a strong tradition of reliable service. Dave Brierley-Jones is CEO of PlayoutONE, a relatively new playout system that offers web-based voice tracking. We’ll get a tour of PlayoutONE’s design and the browser-based WebVT system that helps home-based talent get on-the-air conveniently.
Show notes:
- PlayoutONE WebVT A collection of instructional videos about running PlayoutONE Dave likes LastPass for securely simplifying web credentials
Guest
Dave Brierley-Jones - CEO at PlayoutONE
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
The “Next Best Thing Media Tour” is rolling onward, having visited two dozen markets to date, and with a long list to go before concluding around Thanksgiving. It’s a traveling outdoor equipment expo intended to help engineers and others see equipment or talk to vendors in person, in this year without an NAB Show. Cities just visited include Nashville, Dayton, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis, with Dallas, Houston, Miami and Atlanta coming up. The organizers include Greg Dahl of Second Opinion Communication, Dave Kerstin of Broadcasters General Store and Jeff Williams of Yellowtec.
Show notes:
- See the remaining schedule and RSVP here…* The Next Best Thing Facebook Page
Guests
Greg Dahl - Second Opinion CommunicationsPaul Stewart - Summit Technology GroupJeff Wiliams - YellowTecShane Finch - ENCOEd Bukont - E2 Technical ServicesDave Kerstin - Customer Service at Broadcasters General StoreJason Cooper - Radian CorporationChris Crump - Comrex
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community,
Being Director of Engineering for a large radio broadcaster is challenging enough these days. Doing that while fighting forest fires is downright heroic! Mike Everhart is Director of Engineering at Alpha Media AND he fights wildfires. We’ll see the incredible damage done to a steel-walled transmitter building and its contents, plus the clever replacement shelter to get back on-air just 3 days later. Finally, David Bialik joins us with highlights of the on-demand sessions available in the Broadcast track of this year’s AES Show.
Show notes:
- Chaparral burns particularly hot in the Western wildfires. KUIC-FM is the focus of our discussion of a burned transmitter site; a real hometown station Here’s the KUIC transmitter site on Google Maps Mike Everhart is a Volunteer Lieutenant at the Molalla Fire Protection District Alpha Media* AES2020 Show - listing of sessions and events by track. Broadcast and Online Delivery is the section referenced by David Bialik.
Guests
Mike Everhart - Corporate Director of Engineering at Alpha Media & Volunteer Lieutenant at Walalla Fire DistrictDavid Bialik - Consultant to the streaming and broadcast communities
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, a social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
In fifty-six years the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) has awarded only ten John H. Battison Awards for Lifetime Achievement. This tenth and most recent one was just bestowed upon Mark Persons, CPBE, CBNT, AMD. Since Mark got started in radio and had an engineering curiosity from an early age, we wanted to know about his early experiences that have informed his career as a broadcast engineer. Mark takes us through his early years and military duty, and describes how he “never had a Plan B”. Also, AES Past President, John Krivit, tells us about the 7 Audio Wonders of the World Tech Tour.
Show notes:
- From the SBE: Society of Broadcast Engineers Presents John H. Battison Award for Lifetime Achievement to Mark Persons Radio World article: Mark Persons Receives SBE Lifetime Achievement Award Mark Persons’ Tech Tips - A huge collection of tips learned from a lifetime of engineering Thirty years of broadcast engineering articles by Mark Persons Chris Tobin’s Tip: NanoVNA-F Portable Handheld Vector Network Analyzer* Kirk’s Tip: Telos Alliance Support page for generating SDP files for AES67 stream subscriptions
Guest
Mark Persons - M. W. Persons & Associates
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter...
Preparing for winter is a time-honored ritual in most temperate climates. Most of the USA - indeed most of the world’s population - falls in temperate zones, and that means winter weather is likely or possible. The “business end” of broadcast equipment is often exposed to winter weather. Paul Montoya, Director of Engineering at Wyoming Public Media, oversees operations and maintenance at transmitter sites that are difficult to access and exposed to harsh conditions while being considered “critical infrastructure”. Paul joins us to discuss preparing for winter’s harshness to stay on-the-air - and to stay safe.
Show notes:
- Wyoming Public Radio Wyoming Public Radio Coverage Map Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) explainer video from Matt Risinger* When in Laramie, Wyoming, we recommend you stay at Vista de la Luna B&B
Guest
Paul Montoya - Director of Engineering @ Wyoming Public Media
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
To most radio broadcast engineers, FM transmitting antennas are both slightly mysterious and rather fascinating. There are several fundamental designs plus differences in materials, testing, placement, and operational maintenance. Bill Harland from Electronics Research, Inc. (ERI) provides a wealth of information and photos to point out key concepts with FM antennas. This episode is packed with information that every radio engineer should know!
Show notes:
- Antenna Planning Tools Antenna System White Papers ERI “Rototiller” Antenna - Name controversy? * TWiRT coverage of the Engineer's Seminar & Tribute to the FM Master Antenna* Video about ERI from the Economic Development Coalition of SW Indiana
Guest
Bill Harland - Vice President of Marketing at Electronics Research, Inc.
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars.
Automated live video production is now arguable as good as human-directed switching - at least for “visual radio”. Stan Walbert, President of Multicam Systems, has created an AI (artificial intelligence) video switching engine that emulates the best decisions of human video technical directors. Stan and Mary Ann Seidler are here with real-world examples of AI-controlled vision switching, along with advice for radio broadcasters wanting to add visual radio or improve their current systems.
Show notes:
- Multicam Systems for Radio Full-length, real-world Multicam Studio demo in diverse venues Backdrop: Virtual Production Using AR
Guests
Stan Walbert - President at Multicam SystemsMary Ann Seidler - Owner at First Light Broadcast, LLC
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
What good is a backup power generator if you can’t depend on it, 100 percent? None, really. After analyzing dozens of generators and what makes them not run, John Bisset offers poignant tips and advice to ensure that your backup generator runs when you need it.
Show notes:
- The Mice vs. the Generator Radio World articles by John Bisset Klein Tools Non-Contact Voltage Tester Semi-Rigid USB Endoscope for under $11 from Amazon 4 inch magnetic parts dish from Harbor Freight
Guest
John Bisset - Director, Western US Sales at Telos Alliance and Author of the “Workbench” column in Radio World magazine.
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcast...
Not many radio engineers handle a phone system for 500 employees, but Marcos O’Rourke does! Five years in the planning and execution, and now KWave Radio, plus the church campus they’re part of, are saving close to $10k per month in phone service costs. Plus, their Santiago Peak transmitter site is getting a rebuild - with a very efficient setup.
Show notes:
- Santiago Peak - LIVE WEBCAM Shure MV88 professional stereo mic for iPhone KWave Network Status Page from Statuspage.io
Guest
Marcos O’Rourke - Chief Engineer, KWave Radio, Santa Ana, California
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
We knew it was coming - and now it's here…. Top-shelf audio processing and FM stereo coding in "the cloud" - either private cloud or "public" cloud. There are big possibilities here, and Mary Ann Seidler joins us to tell all. Plus, Chris Tobin rounds out the show with advice that’s especially timely.
Show notes:
- kmfm UK Goes Virtual with High-Density Virtual Audio Processing How Software Audio Processing Makes Planning for Transmission Changes More Flexible Nautel Webinar: Radio Air-Chain Innovation Webinar #2: Problem Solved
Guest
Mary Ann Seidler - Broadcast & Streaming Audio Processing Consultant
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
If you’ve ever thought, “There should be a group that promotes learning electronics and audio to teens and college students,” well, there is! It’s Audio Builders Workshop (ABW), a working group of the Boston AES Section. Chris Kincaid is lecturer at the Purdue School of Engineering & Technology and Program Manager with ABW. While many ABW events focus on simple electronic kits, more seasoned engineers have access to truly professional projects. Large diaphragm condenser mics, ribbon mics, 500-series format mic preamps, and studio audio levelers are DIY projects available through ABW’s partner companies.
Show notes:
- Audio Builders Workshop ABW - a working group of the Boston AES ABW Metronome kit from CrowdSupply - as seen on TWiRT and built by Michael Harnack Bumblebee DIY ribbon mic kits DIYRE CP5 Colour Mic Preamp Kit DIYRE OLA5 Opto Compressor Kit MicParts DIY Microphone kits AES Show - Fall 2020 Chris Kincaid mentioned Max8 aural and visual creation software
Guest
Chris Kincaid - Program Manager at Audio Builders Workshop
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
Broadcasting from home - working alone - informing and entertaining - keeping virtual company with our listeners; we’re doing the best we can during these continued lockdowns and social distancing. Industry events keep getting canceled or postponed, and we’re substituting in-person meeting with virtual ones and with webinars. Is it working? Are some things actually a bit better this way? Kirk and Chris explore these notions. Plus we’re talking with Greg Dahl. He’s bringing “The Next Best Thing” to 40 cities across the USA over the next 4 months in a socially distanced mobile equipment show.
Show notes:
- Chris mentioned Busby Berkeley a couple times. Here’s the camera shot he’s talking about. Society of Broadcast Engineers 2020 National Meeting Goes Virtual RJ Russell Is SBE’s Engineer of the Year Read updates on Greg Dahl’s Next Best Thing tour on this Facebook page. … and on this LinkedIn page.
Guest
Greg Dahl - Broadcast Engineer at Second Opinion Communications, Inc.
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos.
Engineering in various disciplines is a big part of Corny Gould’s career path. From major market broadcast engineer, to audio processing algorithm developer, to podcast content creator, Corny Gould applies techniques from each specialty to improve the others. Today we’re looking at gathering accurate sensor data from a model rocket that may be moving close to Mach 1, and reliably transmitting this data to a ground station.
Show notes:
- 9 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Transmitter - a Nautel eBook Corny’s advanced rocketry podcast, “The Rocketry Show” The Model Rocket Show - a podcast for those newer to rocketry Tripoli Rocketry Association The National Association of Rocketry BPS.SPACE - Thrust Vectoring at Model Scale We discussed the Kalman Filter concept
Guest
Cornelius Gould - Audio Algorithm Developer and Rocketry Engineer
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Join Jeff Welton and guests for Nautel’s Transmission Talk Tuesdays - Register HERE.And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Paul Shulins is President of Shulins’ Solutions, a radio and tv broadcast consulting firm based in Andover Massachusetts, specializing in remote control solutions, studio design and construction, antenna protection systems and ratings metrics.
Show notes:
- IEEE BTS Looks at Future of Monitoring - Paul Shulins, presenter DAC System’s RF Hawkeye components DJI Matice 300 UAS RTK - Real-time Kinematic - technology to improve position accuracy Infrared Thermography Certification
Guest
Paul Shulins - President at Shulins’ Solutions
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And
What’s a former DJ and Promotions Director doing building radio studios? Well, he’s lovin’ it! Bill Jackson is now the Principal Studio Engineer for Educational Media Foundation K-LOVE & Air1 Media Networks. He’s expanding the number of studios and replacing the consoles at EMF’s Franklin, Tenn, studio complex. We’re talking about how AoIP has made possible a revolution in studio interoperability and nationwide connectivity.
Show notes:
- Educational Media Foundation (EMF Broadcasting) - Info on Wikipedia Positive and Encouraging - K-LOVE Air1 - Worship Now Axia Livewire+AES67 AoIP networking from Telos Alliance Axia Quasar AoIP Livewire+AES67 audio console
Guest
Bill Jackson - Principal Broadcast Studio Engineer at EMF K-LOVE & Air1 Media Networks
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars.
Imagine the pressure of making sure every game-day broadcast for the Tennessee Vols gets on-the-air and sounds great. That’s what Tim Berry does in his “spare” time! Tim is the Chief Engineer at WUOT-FM at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He also maintains numerous Amateur Radio repeaters in East Tennessee. Tim joins us to talk about close calls and “audio feed negotiation” as well as connection reciprocity.
Show notes:
- What is the Vol Network? Tim Berry - WN4GBI and East Tennessee Amateur Repeaters Lindsey Nelson - First play-by-play announcer for the Vol Network* John Ward - the Voice of the Vols
Guest
Tim Berry - Chief Engineer at WUOT-FM and Chief Engineer at the Vol Network
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Thank you for helping us get to 500 TWiRT episodes! Chris Tobin says he’s up for 500 more! This week, Tom Ray joins us to review some past topics and see how they’ve changed in the past 10 years. Chris Tobin checks in from high above Manhattan. Plus, we predict the future for some of today’s technologies.
Guest
Tom Ray - TWiRT contributor and President at Tom Ray Consulting
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Many of us got our morning and afternoon hosts operating from their homes pretty quickly back in March. We had just a few days - or even just a weekend - to get our on-air talent connected from their kitchen tables or bedrooms, along with news and traffic reporters. Bryan Jones, Engineering Support Specialist at the Telos Alliance, helped dozens of broadcasters get operational from their homes. Now, we’re discussing longer-term home and remote broadcast operations. What are the best practices and key concerns from an IT perspective? What pitfalls should we avoid while improving these remote operations for long-term service? Plus, Chris Tobin describes his station’s unique remote operations setup.
Show notes
- Best remote desktop software of 2020: Paid and free choices for businesses Kirk’s favorite remote access service: DWService.net 4 VPN Types and When to Use Them* Chris’s favorite: DJB Radio playout software
Guest
Bryan Jones - Engineering Support at The Telos Alliance
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Na...
The global COVID-19 is truly global. North America’s oldest city - and tied with New York for the largest - is Mexico City. Cuauhtemoc (“Cuau”) Pereda is the Managing Director at @FM (www.arroba.fm), a network of almost 50 stations throughout Mexico, and oversees a network of talent, operations, and engineering professionals. Cuau joins us to discuss how they’re doing social distancing, while working with both union and non-union employees. It’s a lively look into big-market radio in another country.
Show notes
- @FM Radio Network Radio Resultados vMix Live Production and Video Streaming Software (also used by the GFQ Network) OBS Studio Video Production and Streaming Software Axia Radius AoIP Livewire+ AES67 audio console
Guest
Cuauhtémoc Pereda - Managing Director of @FM, Mexico City
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Many people use their cell phones and other devices to record conversations. The audio can turn out, well, almost useless. Most people try to clean up the audio, and in the process remove the audio they need to hear. Tim Dolbear is an audio engineer, specializing in mixing, audio restoration, and forensic audio analysis. He joins us to discuss these topics, as well as give advice on “how to listen” to audio.
Show notes
- “Listen Hear” - article by Tim Dolbear (PDF) Izotope RX 7 audio repair software Audio Repair Examples - Before and After Audio Pareidolia - Why We Hear Voices in Random Noise Audio Pareidolia is a real thing* Parametric EQ vs FFT Filter - Adobe Audition Tutorial (video)
Guest
Tim Dolbear - Chief Audio Engineer, Eclectica Studios, Nasvhille, Tenn
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community,
Beth Mann started collecting radios early in her career - and never stopped. As President/CEO of Edge Media Group in Cadiz, Kentucky, Beth directed the construction and operation of the DJ Everett III Radio Room - a showcase for almost 300 radios dating from 1919 to present day. We’re on location at WKDZ-WHVO-WPKY touring this radio museum, plus seeing a replica broadcast control room from the 1960s.
Show notes
- Detailed story of the DJ Everett III Radio Room* Grand opening of the DJ Everett III Radio Room
Guest
Beth A. Mann - President/CEO Edge Media Group
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) typically need towers for their backhaul radios and access points. Broadcasters need Internet access at their transmitter sites. It’s like a mariage made in heaven! On this episode of TWiRT, Kent Winrich, CTO of Open Broadband, a North Carolina-based WISP, describes the technical aspects of a WISP network, and the frequency bands used for network deployment.
Show Notes:
- Open Broadband of North Carolina Google Network Planner Chris’s favorite coffee mug - 12 oz Scout* RF Elements - Videos explaining WISP concepts and implementations
Guest
Kent Winrich - Chief Technology Officer at Open Broadband, Chair of WISPA, North Carolina
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts
Sports broadcasting usually involves following and describing a moving target. On the auto and truck racing circuits, that target is moving about 200 MPH. Doug Watson directed and built broadcast facilities, and developed reliable techniques, for radio coverage of NASCAR races. He shares what works and what didn’t for making sure the weekly race broadcasts were exciting, accurate, and delivered to nearly 500 radio affiliates.
Show notes
- Motor Racing Network Mini Optical Fiber Power Tester LinkUp Communications - Advice for Broadcasters on 5G Filters
Guest
Doug Watson - Senior Sales Engineer at Linkup Communications Corporation
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts
Audio is important to both Radio and TV, but there are key differences in audio production techniques. Rob Ashard is a Sound Supervisor (“A1” in the USA) for several top TV shows produced in England. Plus his weekly on-air shift at Radio Caroline keeps his heart in radio. This week, Rob shows us some of the large audio “desks” he uses for TV audio production, and describes a technique for low-latency “talkback” setup to remote talent.
Show notes
- Television Centre’s TV Studios Game Creek Video Trucks Radio Caroline
Guest
Rob Ashard - Sound Supervisor at Ashard Audio Ltd.
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts
Data center based server platforms are known for their resilience and reliability, and radio broadcasters are taking notice. Cloud-based systems are also generally accessible from anywhere there’s an Internet connection, including radio talent that’s “sheltering in place”. Bill Bennett with ENCO Systems joins us to highlight the various kinds of disasters that will stop broadcasters from being on-air, and introduces web-accessible radio infrastructure that keeps operating, even when the studio is down.
Show links:
- ENCO Cloud- and Web-based operations Disaster Recovery Solution - DAD-DR NAB’s “10 Steps to Disaster Preparation and Recovery”
Guests
Bill Bennett - Media Solutions Manager, ENCO Systems
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts
BBC Radio’s Virtual Local Radio project is done and proven. Talent, management, engineering, and listeners are delighted with the results. Now Dan McQuillin is designing the next generation of minimalist studios that still do everything needed and desired for radio content creation. Beyond “Cushions and Daylight”, Camera One, Bionic Table, and Bionic Picnic - all introduced and explained on this edition of TWiRT.
Show links:
- BBC completes groundbreaking ViLoR local radio project All-IP Virtualised Radio Network Case Study by Geoff Woolf, ViLoR Project Director, BBC Camera One radio visualization* If you play Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch, use these TWiRT-exclusive gift codes from Dan:Bionics Cap: MO-GM80-D90C-P5YCBionics T-Shirt: MO-473R-K91B-21RD
Guests
Dan McQuillin - Managing Director at Broadcast Bionics
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts
Would you have been flying home from Las Vegas, Nevada, about now, from NAB 2020? This week we’re bringing you three terrific broadcast professionals with a look at more of what we didn’t see at NAB. Michael “Catfish” Dosch with Angry Audio - a quickly growing manufacturer is here, along with Jeff Adams - a video webcaster and radio broadcaster. Plus Chuck Kelly pours on the education with news of new technologies and techniques from BE/Elenos.
Show links:
- The Nautel Users Group (NUG) meeting will be a virtual one. Register here and get SBE credit. Angry Audio’s Bluetooth Gadget and Talkshow Gadget RadioPix - visual radio system from Broadcast Pix* BE/Elenos and a look at their technology
Guests
Robbie Green - Director of Technical Operations at Entercom Communications
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. TWiRT location broadcast connections are made possible by MaxxKonnect Wireless.
Many of us would have been flying to Las Vegas, Nevada, about now for NAB 2020. We would have been assembling expo booths, delivering technical papers and presentations, and learning about the technologies and equipment that engineers will be using in the coming years. But with NAB 2020 cancelled due to the coronavirus, we’re bringing some highlights of what would have been at NAB to you. Marty Sacks of Telos Alliance, Josh Bohn of Bohn Broadcast, and Jeff Welton of Nautel are here to highlight what’s new, and what you would have learned from them at NAB.
Show links:
- Telos Alliance Home Broadcasting Series - Interviews with engineers making home studios work TelosHelp - Real life how-to articles in the Telos Alliance Support Knowledge Base Axia’s Automix helps remote broadcasters mix remotely Grady Moates describes using the Omnia MPX Node at WUMB-FM, Boston Josh Bohn reports that prioritized 4G data is now rolling out in Canada, too, with MaxxKonnect Nautel is beta-testing its Flash-free Advanced User Interface (AUI) The Nautel Users Group (NUG) meeting will be a virtual one. Register here.
Guest
Marty Sacks - Vice President of Sales, Support and Marketing at The Telos AllianceJosh Bohn - President/Chief Engineer at Bohn Broadcast ServicesJeff Welton - Nautel Central U.S. Sales Manager,fixer of problems, provider of solutions
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, &
Cabin Fever notwithstanding, thousands of broadcasters - from engineers to sales reps to on-air talent - are working from home. And the list of capabilities and opportunities grows almost daily. Alex Oana shows us how to compare high-quality microphones from our easy chairs, while Goos Mante runs his radio show on RTV Zaanstreek entirely from his home in Wormer, Netherlands. And Chris Tobin tells how WBGO-FM got over 9,000 music selections digitized for broadcast in just a few days.
Show links:
- Audio Test Kitchen DJB Radio broadcast automation RTV Zaanstreek, Netherlands and on Facebook* US Health Weather Map
Guest
Alex Oana - Audio Test KitchenGoos Mante - Show Host on Zaan Radio 107.1
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Who hasn’t used one of Henry Engineering’s “blue boxes” to solve an audio or control problem around the radio station? A related company, Sine Control Technology, makes power surge suppressors that are used by the US Department of Defense. Hank Landsberg, owner of Henry Engineering, explains the technology that makes his “PowerClamp” TVSS technology different and more effective at protecting sensitive electronic equipment. We also look at a clever device that makes AC UPS operation more reliable, and the mic & headphone controller that newly home-bound broadcasters are using.
Show links:
- PowerClamp TVSS Surge Suppressors SportsPod - Mic/Headphone Controller & Intercom Hank mentioned Victor Kiam, the guy who bought the Remington shaver company. Here’s the UK version of the ad that made him a household name.
Guest
Hank Landsberg - Owner, Henry Engineering
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
General purpose computers have been replacing purpose-built equipment in almost every industry, including radio broadcasting. But, some functions - such as VHF and UHF modulators - have still required precision, purpose-built circuitry. Now come the “RF Supercomputer” - a marriage of hardware and software that can produce any kind of modulation at most any broadcast frequency. And there’s even more to the story. Chuck Kelly from BE/Elenos Group joins us for a lesson in highly sophisticated software defined transmission.
Show links:
- SDRplay* Samson Q2U USB Mic
Guest
Chuck Kelly - Vice President Market Development at Broadcast Electronics / Elenos Group
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
“Social Distancing” to slow the spread of Coronavirus is changing the way broadcasters are operating. Over the past week or two, broadcast engineers have been charged with setting up the remote studios and broadcast systems allowing on-air talent and other operations workers to do their jobs from home. Plus, they’ve configured studio and “rack room” systems to be run by few or even no people in the main studio building. Some of radio broadcasting’s most active and progressing engineers join Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack for this roundtable discussion, You’re sure to pick up on ideas and inspiration for your own broadcast facility!
Roundtable Guests
Bill Bennett - Media Solutions Manager, ENCO SystemsGary Kline - Broadcast/Podcast Engineering & IT ConsultantGeary Morrill - Regional Director of Engineering at Alpha Media USAJim Armstrong - Director, Eastern US Sales at the Telos AllianceMike Sprysenski - Regional Director of Engineering at iHeartMediaBryan Waters - Chief Engineer at Cumulus Media, AtlantaRobbie Green - Director of Technical Operations at Entercom, HoustonTom McGinley - Chief Engineer at KUFM FM/TV and Engineering Manager at Townsquare Media, Missoula, MT
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
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TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High S...
AES67 - the worldwide Audio over IP interoperability standard - exists because “Silos aren’t good enough!” Kevin Gross, Founder of AVA Networks and Chair of the AES X192 task group joins us to tell the story of how AES67 came to be, and a behind-the-scenes look at its development. We also discuss how AES67 plays into the SMPTE ST 2110-30 standard for networked audio-for-video. Plus, a great tip of the week!
Show links:
- Audio Engineering Society Honored with Technology & Engineering Emmy Award AIMS paper: “AES67 / SMPTE ST 2110 COMMONALITIES AND CONSTRAINTS” VLC Media Player - ver 3.x supports playing AES67 streams
Guest
Kevin Gross - Media Networking Professional - AVA Networks
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gismos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by Calrec and the Calrec Type R console system for radio - the building blocks for your station. TWiRT location broadcast connections are made possible by MaxxKonnect Wireless.
Radio has traditionally been all about the audio. Radio engineers do their best, working with the budgets and knowledge they have, to design and build studios that help create the best audio presentation. Now more radio broadcasters are putting video cameras in their studios - visual radio. Some are streaming live while others grab the best clips from their in-studio shows. Robbie Green with Entercom in Houston joins Chris Tobin to talk about equipment and techniques to produce good-looking visual radio with minimal effort.
Show links:
- vMix video production software Axia Pathfinder Core PRO Ubiquiti G3 IP cameras
Guest
Robbie Green - Director of Technical Operations at Entercom Communications
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gismos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by Calrec and the Calrec Type R console system for radio - the building blocks for your station. TWiRT location broadcast connections are made possible by MaxxKonnect Wireless.
With more combined AM, FM, and TV transmitter sites, safe, effective, and secure monitoring and control of those sites has never been more important. When several transmitters are fed into a combiner, then to a master antenna, great damage is possible if something goes wrong. That’s where detailed analysis, careful installation, and custom scripting with sanity checks all come into play. Josh Bohn, along with Josh Jones and other associates are providing such monitoring and control systems to FM and TV broadcasters, and they’re sharing some of their experiences with us. Plus Josh Jones talks about repairing older equipment with parts made of non-obtainium.
Show links:
- WAGO Rail / Chassis Mount Terminal Blocks Burk Technology - SNMP-enabling remote controls TechEx Streaming Calculator* FCCInfo.com
Guest
Josh Bohn - President & CEO, Bohn Broadcast ServicesJosh Jones - Chief Technician, Bohn Broadcast Services
Hosts
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gismos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by Calrec and the Calrec Type R console system for radio - the building blocks for your station. TWiRT location broadcast connections are made possible by MaxxKonnect Wireless.
Community Radio - what is it? And how's it doing? Surprisingly well! Ernesto Aguilar is the Program Director at the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. He’s bullish on Community Radio - often run by volunteers - addressing the specific local and regional issues, arts, and concerns of people in a station’s coverage area. Chris Tobin joins in with specific advice on studio design that addresses the particular workflow you’ll find at many Community Broadcasters.
Show links:
- WXPR - “We Live Up Here” podcast National Federation of Community Broadcasters NFCB - Community Broadcasters Podcasting Guide (sign in or request) WTIP - “Boundary Waters” podcast WEVL-FM, Memphis, TN
Guest
Ernesto Aguilar - Program Director, National Federation of Community Broadcasters
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gismos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by Calrec and the Calrec Type R console system for radio - the building blocks for your station. TWiRT location broadcast connections are made possible by MaxxKonnect Wireless.
What would you do if a dozen of your engineering colleagues from other markets showed up and installed all new studio and rack room equipment, leaving you to figure it out? Ed Noyes, a Regional DoE for Cumulus, quickly befriended Pathfinder and discovered real-time monitoring and control of his new AoIP system. Ed joins us to share the wonder and utility of watching over and controlling an active, multi-studio broadcast center with Pathfinder.
Show links:
- Pathfinder Software Family Overview WRBS Pushes Pathfinder to the Limit - from Radio World ‘Reliable, Redundant, System-Wide Routing Control’ Is Here - from Radio Business Report* Axia Livewire and VMWare ESXi - report by Anthony Eden at MediaRealm
Guest
Ed Noyes, South Central Regional Director of Engineering at Cumulus Media
Hosts
Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook
Sponsored by
TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gismos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by Calrec and the Calrec Type R console system for radio - the building blocks for your station. TWiRT location broadcast connections are made possible by MaxxKonnect Wireless.
We bring German broadcast engineering to you in “Schwank aus dem Radioleben” or “Tales of My Radio Life”. Longtime friend and colleague, Peter Passian compares German and U.S. radio studios from the 1980s while AoIP expert, Ludwig Kugler joins to discuss today’s radio studios in Bavaria. And Mary Ann Seidler recalls a harrowing experience, installing an FM audio processor in Mumbai, India, in a tall building that was still under construction!
Are you responsible for an AM Directional Antenna? Want to know about adjustment and troubleshooting? Award-winning broadcast engineer, Mark Persons, has built AM Directional systems from scratch and has seen a thing or two. Mark shares some thoughts on effective desk design and what those Minnesotans do for sporting fun when it gets really cold!
Ed Bukont knows a few things because he’s seen a few things. Designing and building broadcast studios never grows old for Ed, because no two studios are ever exactly the same. Ed asks, “What are you trying to do here?” - a question that’s far more important than “What do you want?” Ed shares some of the successful strategies he’s learned in dealing with individuals and with large bureaucracies while integrating useful technology into audio studios.
Opinions, opinions! And Aaron Read has some good ones! Aaron is the IT & Engineering Director at Rhode Island Public Radio, and joins us for a lively discussion of HD Radio transmission power and asymmetry and getting your station on smart speakers when a worldwide audience creates ambiguity.
Seems there’s almost nothing we can’t accomplish over Internet Protocol (IP) these days - at least in terms of information, control, and media. Broadcasters and event producers are benefitting by moving their Intercom systems to IP - a technology we’re calling “IoIP” for “Intercom over IP”. Martin Dyster has over 30 years working with “comms” systems in television, radio, theatre, and sporting events. He’s here to educate us about legacy intercom technology, and explain how “matrix-free” IoIP works.
Theodore Hook said, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” If it seems that technology and innovation are impacting our lives at an ever increasing pace, you’re right. Broadcasters, perhaps more than any other industry, must move with technological changes - even if that means defining them. Our guest has been and certainly is now at the forefront of broadcasting technology. Sam Matheny is CTO and Executive Vice President at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Sam shares his insights for broadcasters as we move into all-digital broadcasting, ATSC 3.0, and artificial intelligence.
Why build an average studio when you can design and build something amazing for the same price? Gary Kline has designed and built dozens of radio studios, from small markets to the very largest. Chris Tobin has done the same. Together, Gary and Chris talk about involving every stakeholder in the finished studio, making sure that revenue generation has a place at the design table.
John Lyons was a not only a fixture, but a force, in the New York City RF scene. His tireless work - especially after 9/11 - has gotten and kept radio and TV broadcasters on-the-air with excellent engineering, optimized coverage, and reliable operation. With John's recent passing, today's TWiRT features Chris Tobin and Tom Ray - both of whom worked with John extensively. We'll also enjoy John's presentation about Building the Advanced RF Transmission System at One World Trade Center.
Audio over IP technology and standards are well-settled and widely understood among broadcast engineers. Control & Monitoring over IP is more unsettled, with competing - and incompatible - standards. Anthony Kuzub, Sr. Systems Designer at CBC/Radio-Canada, introduces AES70, NMOS, MQTT, MIDI over IP, and even a proposal for Emoji Description Protocol (EDP?). Plus a useful hack of Google Chrome browser to record WebRTC audio.
WWFD in Frederick, Maryland, is the only all-digital AM station in the USA. Switching to HD Radio’s MA3 mode, there’s no longer an analog AM carrier; the signal is only digital, and any AM-band HD radio can decode it. Dave Kolesar is the energetic engineer who has driven this switch to an all-digital AM transmission. He and Mike Raide with Xperi join us from the WWFD transmitter site - and bring us a “first ever” surprise at the end of our show!
Wisconsin Public Radio was just going to replace a few audio consoles - until they met with one bad surprise after another! Britny Williams is DoO and DoE at WPR’s main studios in Madison, WI. She’s overseeing and coordinating several teams as WPR’s upgrade project developed into soup to nuts replacement - all while keeping all programming going. Britny joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack on this episode.
The Midwest Technology & Multimedia Broadcast Conference (MBMTC) just wrapped up in Columbus, Ohio. For the first time, this year’s conference consolidated engineering sessions from Kentucky and Indiana broadcast associations, making for a well-attended event with 14 total engineering sessions packed into one day. John Takach joins us on the “curvy couch” along with Josh Bohn and Matt Levin, plus Chris Tobin from New York City.
We’re on-site at WPOZ in Orlando, Florida, where we found a prototype of the famous Texar Audio Prism. Audio processing expert, Brian Kerkan, joins us to show off some old analog audio processors, including the CBS Audimax and Volumax. Then we turn to one of 16 Texar prototypes. We finish with a discussion of interfacing AES192 FM multiplex info a switcher and IP-STL system.
Every two weeks, John Bisset brings practical engineering advice in his “Workbench” column in Radio World magazine and Radio World online. This week, John brings us the best and most timely of his tips and techniques for effective broadcast engineering. While taking in John’s advice, be thinking of time- and trouble-saving practices that you use in your own engineering work. Submit your ideas to johnpbisset@gmail.com, and you could see yours in print and online.
And by “hacking” we mean “using to the best effect, even in non-traditional ways.” Chris Tobin has engineered hundreds of live broadcasts, outside of traditional studios. As 4G LTE mobile data services have matured, Chris and other engineers are working to guarantee reliable wireless data by understanding the options. Full signal bars doesn’t mean ideal bandwidth; and knowing where the best LTE access points are can result in more reliable service.
After a whole day of broadcast engineering learning, we’re live from Day 1 of the Broadcasters Clinic in Madison, Wisconsin. Engineers from 29 states are traveling to be here for radio and TV engineering sessions. Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack talk with Mark Persons, Chuck Kelly, Bill Gould, Linda Baun, Michelle Vetterkind, Cathy Orosz, David Layer, John Poray, and Wayne Pecena.
Ready to discover the intelligence behind some new, high-quality audio product designs? Michael Goodman, Founder and CEO of CEntrance, designed audio products at Shure, and consults with audio manufacturers around the world. Now his company is taking it passion for transparent audio and rugged designs to make compact pro audio devices for broadcasters and podcasters.
For almost 40 years broadcast engineers have been using those blue boxes from Henry Engineering. One engineer says, “Henry Engineering boxes solve acute problems at a reasonable price.” Hank "Henry" Landsberg joins us on TWiRT.! His stories will bring a smile to your face and understanding of the inspirations for those useful "Henry" boxes.
The NAB Radio Show started with Tech Tuesday, a day-long event for radio engineers. We’re wrapping up the exhibit hall with special guests Brittany Hilton, Paul Kriegler, Daniel Hyatt, Tommy the Hacker, Dave Kolesar, Russ Mundshenck, Greg Dahl, John Lackness, Jeff Williams, and Chris Tobin in New York!
Grady Moates is a “hands-on” broadcast engineer. Known widely for his audio processing expertise, Grady’s attention has more recently been on proving the performance of a novel antenna design. The High Efficiency Broadband Antenna (HEBA) - after years of additional research and real-world testing and proving - is now FCC approved. Grady explains how a HEBA help AM stations, especially those with real-estate opportunities.
Some people in Radio wear a few hats; that’s been part of the business since its beginnings almost 100 years ago. Meet one radio guy who’s on the air in Rochester, NY, publishes a beautiful tower calendar annually, runs an informational subscription website, interviews broadcaster engineers and talent, brokers broadcast properties between buyers and sellers, produces his own broadcasting podcast, and keeps up with FCC Rules to help us navigate the regulatory landscape? Oh, and he’s following his wife’s footsteps as a stand-up comic! It could only be Scott Fybush!
Most of us enjoy air-conditioned casinos or convention halls, or perhaps sunny swimming pools and golf courses. But the like of broadcast engineer, Tracy Teagarden, is often starkly different. As the Chief Engineer for Entercom in Las Vegas, Tracy recently found himself working in dangerous heat for several hours, with only the supplies he brought. On the other side of town he’s been building a mutli-station AM & FM transmitter site with high-reliability built right in; perhaps good enough for a zombie apocalypse!
Remember the Texar Audio Prism? Did you know that Glen Clark had some partners in the development and rollout of the Prism? Jim Hoge worked with Glen on the Texar Audio Prism. Jim also founded WPOZ-FM, often the #1 station in Orlando. Brian Kerkan is another talented engineer, also known for excellent audio processing and and professional approach. Brian and Jim join us on TWiRT to talk about breakthroughs in older technology, and today’s new operating paradigms as we move toward sensible virtualization.
Driving to meet Jeff Heins at MyBridge Radio Network, I couldn’t believe it; the building at the studio address had no STL tower, but another building just ½ block farther had a big STL tower, full of antennas. Despite feeding seven full-power FM transmitters and ten FM translators, MyBridge Radio uses no traditional STL microwave links. Every audio link, whether contribution, distribution, or in-house mixing and routing, is entire in the AoIP domain. (The other building with the traditional STL tower is "Broadcast House" - a multi-station commercial radio cluster.) Jeff Heins joins us along with Mark Voris, Chief Engineer at Spirit Catholic Radio.
Traveling to mountaintop transmitter sites allows for some "road thinking". Shane Toven is analyzing listeners' habits and loyalties, and joins us with thoughts and advice about OTA transmission and streaming to smart speakers. Plus, Chris and Shane discuss the engineer’s role in broadcasters’ efforts to make their content easily findable on digital platforms. And, what can go wrong at transmitter sites that may only get one engineering visit each year.
From Scott Shannon and Z100, New York, to the most critical recording and audio in popular music, Frank Foti is relentless in pursuit of clean audio that stands above the crowd. Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack welcome Frank in discussing the audio processing that helped Z100 go from “worst to first” and has lifted thousands of radio stations to commanding positions on the radio dial.
Can fine studio mics, designed decades ago, be improved? John Peluso says, “Yes!!” John owns Peluso Microphone Lab. He and his family build world-class microphones, designed to equal or better the performance of classic recording studio mics. They’ve also developed new mic designs for special purposes. John Peluso and Chris Newitt join us on TWiRT!
Bill Suffa has been a part of some top-shelf engineering consulting firms, and served as a business consultant to several household names in broadcasting. Now Bill is consulting in a variety of business sectors. At the same time he’s encouraging engineers of different disciplines to go into their own businesses. It’s an interesting perspective from this Professional Engineer with an MBA.
Some radio engineers were shocked this week when told they couldn’t buy StudioHub® adapters any more. Many - if not most - new radio studios depend on adapting RJ-45 jacks to XLR, ¼” TRS, or even RCA connectors. Will engineers everywhere need to take up soldering once again? Mike Dosch’s Angry Audio company is poised to prevent such a catastrophe.
Audio over IP is commonplace now, but fifteen years ago it was barely known in broadcasting. Jorge Garza is the Director of Technology at Univision Radio in McAllen, Texas. In 2004 Jorge took a look at Axia’s Livewire AoIP and said, “That’s what we’re going to do.” Now, 15 years later, Jorge is glad he made the first step into AoIP, and most of Univision’s other radio stations have done the same.
Radio broadcasters in so-called “PPM Markets” are faced with managing two signals for each station. One is the audio program that listeners hear; the other is the watermark signal heard by Personal People Meters (PPM)™. Broadcasters concerned with counting their listeners (all of them in a PPM market) must treat their watermark signal with similar care to their on-air audio. In this episode, Dr. Barry Blesser explains the science of audio watermarking. Then Paul Kriegler describes the Best Practices for making sure your watermark signal is consistently detected in the field.
Some broadcast engineers stumble into the profession. Mark Persons’ engineering career seemed like destiny from an early age. While Mark was recently awarded the SBE Engineer of the Year, his early childhood set him on this path. From climbing to the ceiling at 4 years old, to teaching electronics in the Army, to repairing helicopter avionics in Viet Nam, to building a stellar reputation for quality radio engineering work and custom products, Mark Persons’ advice is worth hearing and using.
From budget cuts to aging equipment, along with fresh ideas and the latest technology - Rich Parker is keeping the member stations of Coast Alaska on-the-air and serving their communities. Rich updates us on some of his recent technical challenges, as well as stories on troubleshooting under time and money pressure in America’s 49th state.
The spectre of ransomware encrypting all the computer files we need to run our broadcast operations is truly scary – heart-stoppingly scary. Ransomware - as well as other malware - keeps morphing to get around our blocking and mitigation techniques. But there are basic, important things every broadcaster can do to seriously reduce the risk of losing everything to ransomware. Stephen Kurtz has a broadcast engineering background and is now an IT consultant. He shares current advice and tips to help you avoid the most common IT security mistakes.
Thinking about all the skills and responsibilities that broadcast engineers have, it seems we’re akin to General Contractors. We have to know something about a lot of things. Disciplines from basic structural load calculations to audio circuit optimization to complex digital modulation schemes. Those and a thousand other topics are critical to the well-rounded and effective broadcast engineer. Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack discuss how diverse skills relate to our recent experiences.
As a young lad, Mike Erickson was curious why songs sounded “different” on the radio than on his home record player. When a radio station owner gave Mike a retired audio processor he never looked back; he’s been customizing audio processing at for AM, FM, HD, and Streaming ever since. Mike joins us from the Wheatstone processing lab to talk about legacy processing techniques and today’s latest, too.
How did we broadcast engineers learn our craft? What experiences, resources, and people helped become broadcast engineering professionals? Geary Morrill got started with the likes of Steve Church, Vern Post, and Dave Gorman. Now Geary joins us with ideas and solid advice for finding and encouraging the next generation of audio, video, RF, and IT engineers.
Connecting remote talent to the studio has come a long way since dial-up phone lines, frequency extenders, and even since ISDN codecs. One method is Cleanfeed, an online service that uses WebRTC in the browser. Marc Bakos is co-founder of Cleanfeed.net and joins us to explain the tech and its uses for broadcasters and podcasters.
What does a station owner do when there are live broadcasts to be done, but no one is available to run the board at the studio? Steve Rubin, CEO of Rubin Broadcasting, runs his stations from his kitchen at home. He screens phone calls, runs live football broadcasts and sales remotes, and even puts himself live on-air when needed. What’s his secret? We’ll find out!
Hebdon Bridge in West Yorkshire, England, is considered by many to be the birthplace of the industrial revolution. It’s also home to Calrec Audio, makers of audio mixing consoles for TV and radio. Henry Goodman is Product Development Director at Calrec, and joins us to discuss to move to SMPTE 2110-30 and AES67 networked audio.
If you went to NAB 2019 in Las Vegas, there’s no way you got to see everything you wanted to see. And if you didn’t get to NAB, you missed a lot. Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack explored some compelling technology and products on the show floor. Check the out!
Broadcast infrastructure virtualization: Twelve syllables that represent a dizzying variety of implementations. Sean Kelly, founder of Seagull.fm in Exeter, Torbay, and South Devon England, is enabling local presenters and other contributors to be on-air, live from their homes and small studios. Building a virtualized backend infrastructure has been a key element to the reliability and usability of Sean’s broadcast workflow. Sean reveals both rationale and technical details on this episode of TWiRT.
Ken Heron is a radio guy. We know this because he has a VU meters, a tower, and the call letters of every station he’s ever worked at tattooed on his left arm. His right arm tattoos include a transmitter schematic diagram! But Ken is also here to talk about drones and putting them to good use - for fun, art, and a new perspective.
More than a few radio stations have been “done in” by not being able to recover after a disaster. A cluster of Florida radio stations never returned to air after Hurricane Michael. While some disasters can result in a total loss, Chris Tobin and Joe Talbot bring advice for recovering from two of the most common outages affecting broadcasters. They’ve both worked through numerous disasters and their planning made the difference in a quick recovery.
Nashville, Tennessee, is known not only Country music, but for the early studios that recorded Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Brenda Lee, the Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan. Some of the first recording engineers worked full-time at WSM and other radio stations. Our guest, Mike Porter, shows us the microphones used in recording some of the most familiar and popular songs in history, and takes us on a tour of Columbia Studio A and Studio B - the Quonset Hut - on Nashville’s Music Square.
When PC-based music playout systems became popular in the mid-1990’s, it was small and medium market radio stations that were quick to adopt. Now, almost 25 years later, more broadcasters are finding value and reliability in virtualizing their broadcast infrastructure. From business admin to sales to audio operations, virtualizing dozens of PC onto a a couple of servers (with full redundancy) is making sense. Kevin Buente, Chief Engineer for WHIZ Media Group in Zanesville, Ohio, joins us to talk about virtualizing AM, FM, and TV operations in a small market.
One may reasonably argue that broadcast equipment is more reliable and stable now than ever before. One reason is the broad use of general purpose computing platforms and the same networking infrastructure as the huge IT industry uses. Peter Femal optimizes these ubiquitous technologies for reliable broadcast service. We discuss Audio over IP redundancies, as well as more traditional backup systems. And, as Peter says, “It’s not a backup if you don’t trust it.”
We know that digital broadcast equipment handling real-time media needs a common time reference. PTP - Precision Time Protocol - is used in many time-sensitive industries, and it’s perfect for broadcast gear, too. Greg Shay, CTO at the Telos Alliance, joins us, along with Shaun Dolan to discuss both the science behind and the practical application of PTP Clock standards and devices.
Paradise? How about hurricane winds over 200 mph, salt air, ice, and snow? And throw in a 100-mile Studio-Transmitter Link. It’s all in a normal week’s work for Don Mussell. Don is a consulting engineer in Hawai’i. He brings common sense and a serious outlook to the challenging radio broadcasting scenarios found in this tropical island paradise.
WebRTC is the technology suite powering Google Hangouts and many other communication and conferencing services and apps. Tom Hartnett, Technical Director at Comrex, joins us to explain what WebRTC is and how it’s enabling a new generation of remote audio connection equipment and services.
“Pop-Up Studio” is a new name for a time-tested radio practice. Or is it? What makes a pop-up studio different from an old fashioned radio remote broadcast? Chris Tobin talks about the tech and the financial motivation for pop-up studios, and Gary Kline joins us live from Paris, France, to explain what he’s seeing among European broadcasters.
Perhaps the best time to ask an expert for advice is when he or she is full of it! Gary Liebisch, recently retired from a position at Nautel Ltd., has a lifetime of experience, knowledge, and insight into broadcast infrastructure - especially transmission systems. Gary teaches both by using humor and by serious instruction. We get both from Gary in this fast-paced show as he joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack with “Wisdom and Tales from the Trenches.”
Broadcast infrastructure is adopting another protocol - this one makes possible the seamless integration of Video and Audio over IP within the AES67 and other standards, such as SMPTE2110. There’s a lot that’s new here, so we’ve brought in Ken Tankel, Senior Product Specialist with the Telos Alliance TV Solutions Group. Ken’s been teaching this technology for several years, and making it work flawlessly at numerous broadcast facilities.
Earlier this year, Gary Krantz wrote at RadioInk.com, “Lee Harris is an air talent on one of the country’s biggest stations, but his experience across other segments of the radio business have inspired a company and products that may just reshape the industry’s future.” Lee joins us on TWiRT to talk about three innovative products for radio broadcasters.
Who knows what experiences and technologies will greet today’s younger broadcast engineers? James Copeland has a fresh university degree, and is creatively engineering at KSDB-FM at Kansas State University. Brought up on Amateur Radio, James is making his engineering future unfold while cherishing older broadcast technologies.
Walter Sabo knows talk radio. He’s been consulting some of the most successful talk shows and talk networks for decades. Now Walter joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack for an enlightening conversation about what’s wrong with today’s talk radio, and how engineers can play a key role in bringing listeners, success, and ratings to great radio programming.
Making money from Internet streaming has a key prerequisite: Getting the tech right! These days, broadcasters’ streaming audio can encompass a lot more that just encoding the Program feed. With proper metadata signalling a broadcaster can insert targeted ads - just what advertisers are looking for. Sam Sousa is the Senior Solutions Consultant at Triton Digital and joins us to explain what makes this targeting possible.
Many broadcast engineers received training at the Cleveland Institute of Electronics - and many people still do - but the radio engineers we know mostly learned by reading and by doing. Jeff Welton has been part of engineers’ specialized education for years now. He shares insights on learning and specifics about keeping broadcast transmitters happy.
What does an award-winning broadcast engineer do with a hurricane? Whatever it takes. Charlie Wooten is Director of Engineering and IT at iHeartMedia in Panama City, Florida. He plans ahead to keep iHeart’s AM and FM transmitters and studios on-air. But, a hurricane is difficult to plan for. Charlie joins us with photos and stories from Hurricane Michael’s devastation to broadcast facilities and infrastructure in Florida.
You can always make something better than it was before - and that’s what Mike Dosch is doing with “Gadgets” and “Gizmos” from Angry Audio. By re-thinking the analog audio and logic devices we’ve known for years, he’s developed new, useful gadgets that perform better than any older ones. And, new gadgets can bring broadcast-style functionality to pro-sumer audio mixers. Plus we talk about Audio over IP and where that’s headed.
Wherever you travel there’s probably a radio station nearby. Mark Humphrey took some vacation time to travel out west, stopping on the way to visit a radio museum and radio and TV stations. Plus we talk about how FM translators are providing what’s essentially “Primary” service to one rural Pennsylvania valley.
The Giz Wiz, Dick DeBartolo, joins us for TWiRT, on location in New York City! We check out some audio gadgets, talk about the AES and NAB conventions, and play a few rounds of Match Game. Andrew Zarian joins us, too!
What are today’s trends in FM audio processing? Is it cleaner? Less smashed? More thoughtful? Paul Kriegler, former Program Director and now Omnia’s factory rep for the US, joins us for an update on FM and streaming audio processing. Plus we delve into AES192, and how it can make a positive difference for FM signals.
Chris Tobin reviews some of the best broadcast engineering info from the Central Canada Broadcast Engineers conference (CCBE). Plus, winners from the SBE 2018 Annual Membership Meeting, and RF spectrum repacking - lots of transmitter site work to make way for about 50 MHz of new mobile carrier spectrum.
Anthony Kuzub is a solid proponent of AES67 for Audio over IP. As IP Audio Product Manager at Ward-Beck Systems, he’s helping bring networked audio products to market, and showing engineers how to use them to make better audio in broadcast facilities. Anthony joins Chris Tobin at the Central Canada Broadcast Engineers Conference this week.
Perhaps the best-known pirate radio station anywhere - Radio Caroline - is legendary! For many years the Ross Revenge, an Icelandic fishing trawler, has been home to Radio Caroline’s studios and transmitters, and the transmitting mast, too. Rob Ashard and Nick Jackson join us live from the Ross Revenge, anchored off the English Coast on this episode of TWiRT.
Software Defined Radio (SDR) has been available for a decade or more now - even at the consumer level. Now, building on MPXTool FM signal analysis software by Leif Claesson, Alex Hartman has combined the latest affordable SDR hardware with a new MPXTool and made an amazing remote-access FM signal monitor. It can even capture and archive the entire FM band in a given radio market.
Safety training and certification is vital for tower workers these days. We’re discussing the RF Exposure to Humans factors that figure into overall tower worker safety. Joining us is Stacey Moore with LBA Group. We’re looking at Personal RF Exposure Monitors, physiological impacts of RF exposure, safety procedures at multi-tenant sites, and talking about exposure to the general public. Chris Tobin is here, too, for his perspective on these issues and topics.
The Audio Engineering Society brings together a huge variety of people from every corner. There are nearly as many job descriptions as there are thousands of members. Diversity is palpable and AES member, Jill Courtney, is looking to clear remaining roadblocks for women and minorities thinking about careers in Audio and other STEM fields. Plus, David Bialik is here to update us on the array of AES sessions - so many in the Broadcast and Online Delivery track alone.
Outnumbered and out-financed, broadcasters face a real threat to reliable TV & Radio satellite reception.The C-Band satellite spectrum that Radio and TV broadcasters depend on looks mighty good to some of the biggest companies in the world - mobile data carriers. Mark Johnson, Founder of LiNKUP Communications has the latest and positive steps to head this off.
The largest radio transmitters were liquid-cooled about seven decades ago. Forced-air cooling has ruled transmitter sites since then. Now, liquid cooling is making a comeback—and for some very good reasons. Don Backus with Rohde & Schwarz is here to show and tell us why.
For over 4 decades Solid State Logic has been a respected and trusted audio console maker, implementing leading technology to make audio production better. Now with Audio over IP connectivity and the introduction of “console-less consoles”, SSL is taking their latest tech on tour across North America. Steve Zaretsky and Dan Griffin allowed us into their mobile demo truck to talk about AoIP technology and the latest use-cases for network-based mixing consoles.
Broadcast remote control systems are keeping up with new protocols, new equipment to monitor, and new monitoring workflows. IP is a big part of that, but legacy gear is part of the remote control mix, too. Paul Shulins, VP/CTO at Burk Technology joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to talk about new Monitoring & Control options. Plus, Paul shows off his remote-controlled telescope with amazing composite photos of nebulae.
What’s the difference between Canadian radio and US radio? Canadian music content? Better-built studios? More cooperation among competitors? Tyler Everitt is one of the new owners of Pippin Technical Service in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. They design, build, and service radio stations from the Yukon to the Maritimes using the best of today’s technology.
Radio station owners may come and go, but top engineering talent often stays the course. Brad Hart is DoE at the Bonneville cluster of radio stations in Denver. He’s maintained attractive, effective studios and reliable transmitter sites that cover Denver and beyond. John Bisset joins us as well to talk about reliable engineering in the Mile High City.
Thousands of radio stations are streaming online, but what’s next? What can broadcasters do to make sure their Internet streams are available and compelling? And, what’s needed from a technical perspective to allow those streams to make money from digital ad placement? Rockie Thomas and Sean Lozensky have 20 years of streaming and digital ad experience, and they’re sharing this advice and knowledge with us on TWiRT.
Shane Toven joins us from a mountaintop transmitter site in Wyoming - nearly 9,000 feet above sea level! Caring for about 30 transmitter sites across 3 states, Shane has plenty to share with us about high-altitude broadcast engineering and maintenance. Chris Tobin is here as well with comparisons to his big city experience and practices.
More proposed regulations for EAS and WEA procedures… Podcasting is becoming even more prominent as the largest US radio broadcaster demonstrates by recent hiring… The World Broadcasting Union wants protection for C-band satellite antennas… And there’s a free, 2-day seminar for new and returning ABIP inspectors. Oh, and 35 engineers are getting new FM transmitters!
Chris Wygal is here for this milestone 400th episode of TWiRT! Chris relates a couple of War Stories, including using what you have to get the job done - even if it’s a machete. Chris Tobin reveals how to get antennas placed at the top of trees. And we all discuss the shortage of broadcast engineers and how to make a career move gracefully.
Catching up with Chuck Kelly is always a treat! Chuck’s insights into AM and FM radio - both analog and digital - help the rest of us see what’s important and what will be important in the coming months and years. We’re talking about HDRadio, DAB, DAB+, and DRM, as well as when it might be right to turn off analog radio services. Plus, Chuck extols the benefits of the new FT8 digital mode for Amateur Radio operators.
When you visit a couple dozen radio stations around the world in a month, you get to see what the most forward-thinking broadcasters are up to. Gary Kline is sharing this valuable experience and information with Chris and Kirk, as we look to see what’s next for radio broadcasters and engineers.
"Remote Broadcast Setups and Strategies for the Young Broadcast Engineer" - that's an article authored by Chris Ark. He specializes in planning and executing successful live broadcasts from a variety of venues. Chris shares his advice, tips, and tricks to help us avoid problems and assure high quality audio and execution at live outside broadcasts.
The Most Interesting Ham in Broadcast Engineering, Charlie Wooten, is our guest. He’s just back from the Dayton Hamvention with a report on Contesting, thoughts on DXing, and broadcast transmitter site wisdom - especially for the hot summer months ahead.
Josh Bohn heads up a growing broadcast contract engineering firm. Many stations need better, reliable, IP-connect remote control for transmitter sites and other remote systems. Plus, with remote broadcasts depending on wireless IP connections, Josh has worked out a system that practically guarantees broadcast-quality IP connections from almost anywhere.
What mistakes can you make when building or expanding your Audio over IP network? Barry Thomas has installed and maintained several different AoIP networks and knows more than one way to mess it up. The good news he’s sharing with us the right ways to ensure reliability and great performance from today’s broadcast infrastructure systems. Chris Tobin has his own experiences, too, and shares his insights.
Radio Program Directors, Music Directors, on-air Talent, and more are convening in Hollywood at the World Wide Radio Summit. Speakers and panels are sharing new research and honing legacy ideas over three days. Scott Shannon, Joel Denver, Mike McVay, Steve Goldstein, Fred Jacobs, Darren Davis, and Ben Cooper are among the gifted presenters. This conference offers a chance for Radio Programmers to meet with equipment manufacturers and software suite companies. We’re talking with several manufacturers about their latest ideas to help make radio content easier to create while sounder better than ever.
Whether the medium is radio, TV, studio recording, live sound, or amateur radio, nearly all audio is captured with a microphone. But which mic is appropriate for any given sound capture situation? Michelle Levitt of Heil Sound is here to highlight different mic technologies, and explain some characteristics to observe when choosing right mic for the job.
Hawai’i’s newest FM station has 40 owners, and isn’t on the air yet. The call sign is KHKU-FM and we’re in Lihu’e on the island of Kaua’i building the studio now. We’re talking with co-owners Joey Cummings, Larry Fuss, Mark Jensen, and Fletcher Ford as we put together the studio and rack room.
Live from NAB 2018! Some of the hot topics at NAB this year: A microphone war story with Michelle Levitt, Frank Foti with the Chairman’s view, Will Mashione on efficient Local radio, Alex Hartman talking about the future of touchscreens, and a wireless broadband alternative with John Bohn.
The Association of Public Radio Engineers hold their conference each year, just before the big NAB Show in Las Vegas. It’s called the Public Radio Engineering Conference (PREC). The PREC is a terrific opportunity for engineers to learn the latest tech, brush up on fundamentals, and get some hands-on experience during the Night Owl session.
Low-budget and community broadcasters are using free, open-source software to run many aspects of their broadcast operations. Take a listen to CJUC-FM, for example. Using local PCs or cloud-based operations, community stations can air quality programming, with either local or remote hosts. They can also fulfill both the letter and spirit of emergency broadcast requirements. Audio and video streaming are important aspects as well. Rob Hopkins, founder of Open Broadcaster, joins Chris and Kirk to talk about the possibilities and and what Yukon broadcasters are doing right now with this technology.
More of us radio engineers are being called upon to provide adequate lighting for new venues. Many stations are building live performance studios. Others are putting cameras in the control rooms. Whether it’s for a live audience or a video camera, talent needs good lighting to be seen - in a good light. Brett Gilbert with iHeartMedia in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been lighting up stages since high school. He shares a couple decades of hands-on knowledge with Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack.
Ahoy, matey! Thar be pesky pirates in New York, Boston, and Philly! Nick Straka is a contract and consulting engineer in the New York City area. He builds and maintains licensed FM transmitter sites, plus he tracks down the pirate broadcasters who interfere with them.
You’d think the National Religious Broadcasters convention would be lacking engineers in attendance. Well, I thought that - and I was wrong. They’re here! Lots of ‘em! We’re live from the expo hall at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, meeting and talking with broadcast engineers and engineering reps.
Between accommodating the Television Repack and Norway’s Public analog FM stations going dark, what’s a poor FM transmitter to do? Radio Magazine’s Editor, Doug Irwin, talks about these topics along with changing workflows with on-demand radio programming and streaming media.
Single Frequency Networks, or SFNs: European FM broadcasters have been using them for decades. Now, US and other broadcasters around the world are extending coverage and filling in coverage holes using synchronized FM transmitters. Hal Kneller consults SFN projects and discussed the technology and techniques.
What might the radio studios of tomorrow look like? What equipment is in them? What equipment is not in them? Could the studio’s future really be “cushions and daylight” as one radio futurist has said? We’re live at the Cleveland headquarters of the Telos Alliance, talking with colleagues about where our studio technologies are headed.
Tom Ray says his superpower is the ability to attract stupidity. But, being a clever engineer he deals with it swifty and moves on. Tom joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack for this episode on stupidity - how to identify it, how to deal with it, and what we can learn from it.
Broadcast engineering is a rather small, niche career. How do we keep up with rapidly-changing technology and best practices? The answer is SBE Webinars. New SBE President, Jim Leifer, is here to fill us in on SBE MemberPlus, where SBE members can gain real expertise in their field.
Adopting new technologies in any profession can be stressful. John Schilberg is here to talk about adopting new tech with the right attitude - so it’s more fun than stress. In the process we’ll flash back to Miami Vice and Star Trek in stereo! Chris Tobin joins us on This Week in Radio Tech.
In HD Radio’s earlier days, a fixed architecture offered fixed time alignment between FM analog and its HD1 signal. Today’s HD transmission systems are far more flexible, but time alignment can vary resulting in a confusing listener experience. Alan Jurison with iHeart Radio is an expert on this topic. He joins us to talk about making sure FM/HD listeners get the best experience possible.
We keep running upon the subject of Virtual Radio, or Virtualizing Radio. Chris Tobin and I imagine both good consequences and unfortunate ones as broadcasters implement more virtualization strategies. Sure, saving money could be a motivator for virtualizing, but Chris asks, “How will you improve your broadcast product with the money saved?” Kirk points out the increased flexibility of virtual tech allows more localism with less effort.
With social media platforms catering to video, “Visual Radio” is more than just industry buzz. On the heels of a Washington, DC, symposium on the subject, Chris Tobin shows us the technical setup for a low-budget, yet effective video webcast from WBGO-FM in Newark, NJ. We look at the cameras, connections, interfaces, and software used to create a video version of a traditionally radio-only event.
Many skills required for broadcast engineering are directly applicable to podcast engineering and production. Chris Curran teaches broadcast and podcast engineering skills, including mixing, fixing, loudness, and using plugins.
Everyone starts somewhere, and Jim Armstrong started right near the top - in Boston radio! We’re talking early days of on-air traffic reporting, some technical perspectives from those days, and about Jim’s big switch to broadcast equipment sales; lessons here all of us engineers can learn from.
Radio industry experts are talking with each other, sharing ideas about “visual” radio. We’re asking a lot of questions, too. What are we trying to accomplish with video added to radio? Can we engage our audiences better and longer? What strategies seem to be working? Chris and Kirk attended the Visual Radio Symposium this week, and Al Reynolds of WAMU was there, too.
“We’re on the verge of a Voice Activated Internet,” says Tom Vernon. Tom’s recent front page Radio World article, “Can Smart Speakers Bring Radio Home?” points to new radio listeners using smart speakers. We may also find voice-activated tasks around broadcast stations, facilitated by Amazon Echo or Google Home devices.
There are myriad perspectives from which to view One World Trade Center’s rebuilding after the tragedies of 9/11. From the broadcast perspective, 2017 marks a notable milestone – the resumption of television transmission from atop One WTC. The latest transmitter and antenna technology is now deployed at One WTC, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at a symbolic 1,776 feet in height; it has resumed broadcast operations as one of the world’s elite broadcast centers. John Lyons, Director of Broadcast Communications at The Durst Organization, leads a presentation focusing on this new, premiere, RF transmission facility.
The Broadcasting Club is a popular Facebook Group where engineers and others in Radio and TV post photos, videos, stories, and other info of interest to broadcasters. The group’s Admin is Daniel Hyatt, an engineer in Denver. Dan threw a party for local engineers and those of us attending the SBE Annual Meeting there. Dan’s home was also the stage for this week’s TWiRT episode with a bevy of engineers telling us their own War Stories!
The AES and NAB fall shows combine to provide several days of seminars, special events, and equipment demonstrations in New York. Chris and Kirk interview technology leaders and find out what’s hot now and in the future. Special thanks to David Bialik and Andrew Zarian helping make TWiRT possible this week.
Possibly the best regional conference for Radio and TV engineers, the WBA Broadcasters Clinic is our venue in Madison, Wisconsin. John Chelliah, Steve Lampen, Chris Tarr, and Mark Persons make-up an all-star cast for this episode of TWiRT. We’re talking 12 GHz coax, AoIP, and console-less consoles, live from Madison.
Jordan Bitz walked into an existing AoIP radio station and had to learn it - fast! Now he’s extended his AoIP network to a transmitter site 30 miles across the valley. Plus, he’s using streaming audio for distribution and backup systems.
Also on this episode, David Bialik previews an amazing Broadcast and Streaming track at the AES Convention in New York.
Chris Tobin is speaking at the Central Canadian Broadcast Engineering conference (CCBE) in King City, Ontario, Canada. He joins the show from the relaxing Kingbridge Conference Center. We’re discussing CyberSecurity for Broadcasters - what we learned from a recent expert panel discussion in Columbus, Ohio. And a first look at troubles with the National EAS Test.
The Emergency Alert System - EAS - suffers a love-hate relationship with most broadcast stations. Radio folks may love the fact that EAS handles the burden of alerting the public to life and safety threats. But sometimes the program interruptions are just too much, and the audio quality is often just terrible. Rob Dale is the Regional Planner at the Ingham County, Michigan, Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management. He’s also a broadcaster and meteorologist. Rob joins us to discuss the state of EAS, training, and where we might be headed.
Stereo Tool is a popular PC-based audio processor for FM, DAB, and web streaming. Radio Engineer, Matt Levin, tells us about installing and using Stereo Tool. Plus, Hans van Zutphen, the author of Stereo Tool, describes how Omnia audio processors benefit from Stereo Tools users’ feedback.
What’s Interactive Radio? It’s when listeners have real-time input to the on-air talent. And what could be a more natural interaction than the human voice? Dan McQuillin at Broadcast Bionics introduces interactive radio using Amazon Echo or Google Home. His company’s code and service, added to Alexa Skills, brings instant listen feedback and sentiment to any radio show.
From budget equipment for LPFMs and translators, to super-reliable transmitters and streaming video systems, Tony Gervasi advises broadcasters about the best technology and equipment for their situation. Tony’s an expert at implementing the right tech for the right job and market size.
We’re live from KWAVE Radio in Santa Ana, California. KWAVE runs similar, yet thoroughly customized programming in 3 different markets - San Diego, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. The various interconnections use several different forms of Studio-Transmitter Links. Marcos O’Rourke joins us to talk about the challenges and solutions. Plus, Chris and Kirk talk about the recent total solar eclipse.
After 18 years in Pago Plaza, Kirk’s Samoan radio stations are moving - to a better studio and office location. This means reconfiguring three STL paths and adding an IP Radio link to the mix. Plenty of photos and video of rebuilding studios and a rack room on a tropical island.
Do you dread contacting Tech Support? Or do you look forward to getting the help you need quickly? There are ways to get the most from Tech Support at almost any company. Jamey Miller, Jake Alderman, and Bryan Jones are Support Engineers. They join Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack for some real-life advice on getting what you need to solve your radio tech problem.
Tom Ray visits a lot of radio stations. He’s a full-time broadcast engineering consultant, and an inspector for New York State’s Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program. One troubling trend that Tom sees is the deterioration of broadcast towers. Tom joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to warn us and bring us some good advice.
The pressure is on for Matt Aaron. He’s the Chief Engineer for the Dave Ramsey Show, heard by over 8 million people each week! What’s required to keep perfect audio flowing and the talent happy? Matt talks about that, plus the time that high-power RF melted parts of his car.
Are drones more than “big boy toys” for broadcast engineers? Well - YES! Sam Wallington is VP of Engineering for Educational Media Foundation. He’s using drone video and photography to locate trouble spots and prep for tower repairs, saving return trips.
Let’s examine a couple topics and explore “how we do them”. Chris Tobin discusses mics, pre-amps, and techniques for recording live music at WBGO-FM. Then we see how PC platforms have moved into the equipment space that was only purpose-built equipment. And just how far is that concept going?
The first microphones were invented as far back as the 1870’s, but that’s before there were any tube amplifiers! We’ve come a long way, though most mic inventions occurred 70 to 90 years ago. John Holt is an expert on vintage microphones and gives us a fascinating look and lesson.
Small Unmanned Aerial Systems or “drones” are quickly getting popular with broadcast engineers and consultants. A bird’s eye view can help us better visualize our antenna systems, plus there’s real value in catching visible problems before sending a tower crew to troubleshoot. Chris and Kirk show video examples of aerial tower shots, plus Chris describes bringing Internet access to a Boy Scout camp in New York State.
Streaming audio is bringing a whole new lexicon - geo-targeting, geo-fencing, interstitials, pre-rolls, adaptive bit-rates, video, and virtualization. Matt Kellogg - a guy with a solid radio background - joins us from StreamGuys to sort it all out.
Virtual Machines and Virtualization in general are becoming popular techniques in the IT world. Now, broadcasters are adopting virtualization for their automation systems. How does this work, and what are the pros and cons? Dub Irvin from WideOrbit joins us to explain.
SAS is well-known for high-reliability audio routing systems. SAS Co-founder, Al Salci, is here to talk about their early technology breakthroughs, as well as their audio mixing console designs. Plus, Al shares his thoughts on AES67, Livewire, and Dante.
The FCC is proposing to eliminate the Main Studio Rule. Sounds good to many, but what are the consequences? And FM translators are in the news again, with a window opening this summer for AM stations to apply. Larry Fuss is with us to explain what this means. And - as is often the case - you won’t believe where Chris Tobin is!
How does a top-shelf voice-over artist work on the road? He makes a “MacGyver studio”! Joe Cipriano joins us to talk mics, pre-amps, processing, and how voice-over work gets done today. Chris Tobin is here, too, from a hot transmitter room!
Canadians may be polite, but most don’t want you hacking their Internet-connected stuff. Jeff Welton from Nautel offers advice for IT security at the transmitter site, plus describes hand-on a 400 kW AM transmitter, and what tools to keep handy nowadays for solid-state transmitter maintenance.
It’s the last day of NAB 2017! Before it’s over, Chris Tobin and I are bringing you some of the best radio broadcast tech at the show. Simon Jackson with flow batteries at transmitter sites in Fiji, Telos Alliance CEO Frank Foti is here, Mark Persons is here, and so is Fritz Golman.
Behind the scenes, we’re on location at the Las Vegas Convention Center during setup for the NAB Show. Chris Tobin takes us on a tour of booths being set up, while Joe Talbot and Juan Punyed talk about why we get together every year in the desert.
Kennet Andhersån grew up in Sweden, and worked in Swedish radio stations. Now he’s building and consulting stations in Thailand, plus developing software for broadcasters. Get a new perspective on radio engineering as Kennet joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack for This Week in Radio Tech.
John Bisset is here! He’s the guy who writes the “Workbench” column in Radio World. Always quick with great ideas for radio engineers, John joins us to talk about moving your satellite dish, preparing for the worst when that doesn’t work, and more tips from the master of the workbench!
A penny saved really is a penny earned! Ask Jim Gray who runs Optimized Media Group. Jim and his team do normal broadcast engineering; they also help stations by demonstrating Return on Investment with newer technologies, and sometimes with older equipment. Jim joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack on TWiRT.
How many of us broadcast engineers learned by on-the-job training? Have you had a mentor or did you learn by doing it yourself? Chris Wygal is the engineer and ops manager for a network of stations in Virginia and shares with us his tricks for on-location sports production and broadcast studios.
Move 4 radio studios across town. You’ve got two weeks. Go! Oh, and scrounge some equipment to make the STL systems work with an old T-1 circuit. And, find some time to replace seven FM transmitters with new, solid-state units and full HD Radio. That’s the world of engineer, Robbie Green. Robbie joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack on This Week in Radio Tech.
More hackers, more breaches, more ways for broadcast engineers to have a really bad day! Chris Tobin relates what can happen and the steps you need to take to patch your IT security holes. Plus, Les Kutasi joins us with news from Kathrein and the world of broadband antennas.
Cassette tapes. 8-Track. Digital Cassettes. FM-QUAD. AM Stereo. Reel-to-reel. Audio standards come and go, but Multiplex FM Stereo lives on and is nearly 60 years old! Richard Burden extensively tested our FM Stereo system when it was just a proposal. Dick joins me to chat about that and more on TWiRT!
How many times have you bought headphones or earbuds, only to be disappointed with their audio quality? Or maybe you were pleasantly surprised! Sean Olive is the Acoustic Research Fellow at HARMAN International. He’s doing headphone qualitative measurements that mean something, both for consumers and for manufacturers, toward better audio from our wearables.
Perhaps you’ve heard of AES67 for IP-Audio. It allows cross-connection of different, competing AoIP standards like Ravenna, Dante, and Livewire+. But until you actually try connecting audio devices together, AES67 is just a standard on paper. IP-Audio expert, Patrick Killianey from Yamaha Pro Audio is here to explain real-world AES67 from our recent technology demo.
There are hundreds of microphones on the market - a huge selection. What does Bob Heil know about mics that others have missed? Why do Heil mics sound great - on Ham Radio and in high-end studios? And what is Bob’s secret piece of test equipment for mic development? Bob Heil joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack on this episode of TWiRT!
Radio engineers began making the switch to Audio over IP infrastructure around 2005. Now with thousands of radio stations using this technology, TV stations are looking at Video over IP as their core infrastructure. Video requires a lot more bandwidth, and there are a few more technical challenges being solved right now. Erling Hedkvist from Lawo joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to talk about it.
One of the best ways a thoughtful engineer can improve a broadcast facility is to make workflows, well, flow. What design choices are slowing down your talents’ daily work? What can an engineer do to help talent be more self-sufficient? Chris Tobin reveals some interesting scenarios where the engineer made a big difference in on-air operations.
How do you keep equipment operating when the temperature changes by 150 degrees? John Antonuk keeps 4 radio stations running year-round in Fairbanks, Alaska. And that’s pretty impressive when you consider the harsh - and varying - conditions. John joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack on This Week in Radio Tech.
Microwave radio links have been around for a while, and now with so many IP Radios on the market, how does a broadcast engineer choose what’s right? Jeff Holdenrid with DoubleRadius has been installing and configuring these systems for over 15 years. He gives us the lowdown on the inexpensive, unlicensed systems up to fully licensed links for broadcast.
It’s a “War Stories” episode with special guest, Tom Ray. Tom is a soldier in the broadcast engineering trenches every day. He joins Chris Tobin and me with tower snakes, mothball mice, and clever engineering tips for mobile, street-level remote broadcasts.
That hunk of brass, copper, and stainless steel up on the tower is a lot more important than we often consider. The FM transmitting antenna launches a station’s signal to the audience. It can have a huge effect on the station’s listenability. Dana Puopolo joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack for anecdotes and specific advice about tuning FM transmitting antennas.
Gentleman engineer, Mark Persons, talks about mentoring engineering students from 150 miles away. Custom EAS Relay panels. Plus 4 dB steps in some car radios volume controls is crazy! And car-buying advice you don’t want to miss. Plus Chris Tobin reports in from the Government Video Expo and Drone Show.
FM audio processing grew and developed right along with the Rock ‘n Roll radio format. Denny Sanders played a key role in Rock Radio from Boston’s MIT to Cleveland’s Buzzard. Denny’s our guest along with Chris Tobin on This Week in Radio Tech.
Well, that’s one of many subjects that Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack are discussing on this episode. Others include Burli newsroom software, Harris VistaMax, Shure SM7, Telos iPort PLUS parallel audio distribution, and Krone block patch cables. And, will President Trump replace FCC Chairman Wheeler?
When you start from a solid engineering foundation, it’s much easier to pass the baton to your replacement. John Heimerl retired from Engineering at WHRO in Norfolk, and the new engineer, Ray Lenz, has been building on John’s AoIP foundation. We’re talking with both John and Ray, plus Chris Tobin on TWiRT.
The best computer networks and IT infrastructure are too often brought down by … badly-installed connectors. What a shame! Steve Lampen is with us to show how Belden has a solution. It’s called REVConnect and I think engineers and IT pros should be rejoicing! Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack welcome Steve Lampen on this episode of TWiRT.
We’re live in Columbus, Ohio, for the 2016 SBE National Membership Meeting. SBE President, Jerry Massey, joins us as well as SBE Certification Chairman, Ralph Hogan. Plus Past-President, Vinny Lopez, fills us in on the event’s live webcast. Chris Tobin co-hosts with Kirk Harnack.
Alex Linger and Chris Moran are two radio engineers using the latest technology to help broadcasters create news, sports, and entertainment. What sets them apart is how they share what they do with the rest of us. Alex and Chris have a new podcast and they produce how-to videos about broadcast studio and transmitter systems.
Glamour shots were hot in the 1980’s and 90’s. But Scott and Lisa Fybush have been making towers famous in photos for fifteen years. Scott Fybush joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack. We’re talking not only glam towers, but also reflections on the NAB Radio Show in Nashville, and Chris is pushing microwaves out of the kitchen!
Yet another “cloud” service? Yep, and it’s something that radio stations will find useful every day. Curtis Machek, CEO of Cloudcast Software is here, along with Chris Tobin and me. We’re also talking about AES67 and the practical side of making IP-Audio connections using this new standard.
Michael Gay’s title is Vice President of Engineering at Cumulus Media, but he’s really an expert planner. His most recent studio project saw construction of 22 radio studios in Chicago, and with insightful planning they were building new studios at an amazing pace, with everything documented and organized. Chris Tobin is here, too, with his perspective and an update from the CCBE conference.
The Annual International Broadcasting Convention - IBC 2016 - is underway in Amsterdam. Stephen Wilkinson, a radio engineer from Sydney, Australia, is here to share his thoughts on DAB+, conference sessions at IBC, building AoIP studios, and his own experiences with IP-radio Studio-Transmitter links.
Ted Randall knows both sides of a radio mic. He’s a longtime broadcast engineer and host of the QSO Radio Show. Holly Misslin quietly keeps PCs, servers, and networks humming along. And David Bialik is coordinating another all-star program track at the next AES convention in Los Angeles. Chris Tobin and I are talking with all these broadcasters on today’s This Week in Radio Tech.
Engineers seek out tools and products to get the job well done while saving money. It’s important to be frugal when you can, so you’ll have the resources for when you can’t. Chris Tobin, Andrew Zarian, and Kirk Harnack look at some low-cost solutions for radio engineers.
Connectors! They come in many shapes and sizes, and usually have specific purposes. Sometimes the same type of connector is used for very different things. Just because it fits doesn’t mean it’ll work. Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack talk about the most common connectors for audio, power, RF, and data on This Week in Radio Tech.
Stealthy antennas from those tricky mobile carriers... Can you count on mobile data bandwidth now - or in the future? Sun transit fade - on a terrestrial microwave path? A better Ethernet switch will solve that and more. And some TV stations are sharing the same frequency! Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack talk radio engineering on TWiRT!
New tower lighting standards from the FAA mean FCC licensed broadcast stations need pay attention. Richard Hickey with Hilights, Inc. says that some of the rule changes could mean lower compliance costs for broadcasters - but others could cost more. Great advice on tower lighting with Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack, on This Week in Radio Tech.
What conditions bring radio transmitters to an early demise? What items does a professional transmitter restoration job include? And what technologies are worth maintaining versus those no longer appropriate for daily use? Michael Patton helps radio station owners face these and other questions about keeping their stations on the air and viable.
G-Force is the latest audio processing development from Cornelius Gould. While this tech and the audio results are nothing short of amazing, we’re asking Corny about the road he travelled to get here. What’s the path between humble beginnings and the pinnacle of audio processing technology?
On this week’s War Stories episode, Rich Parker shows us a backhoe fade in Ketchikan, translators on Prince of Whales Island, and he hikes the Blueberry Trail to meet a helicopter on Pederson Hill. Chris Tobin is here along with Rich Parker on TWiRT.
When broadcasters swapped their cart machines and turntables for PC-based digital playout systems, we now call that “virtualization.” Michael Dosch with Lawo joins Chris Tobin and me to describe how virtualization is the future of content creation and broadcast workflow.
Several somewhat incompatible Audio over IP standards are popular in the marketplace. There’s Dante, Livewire, Ravenna, and AES67, among a few others. Which AoIP standard is best for a given audio application? Ketil Morstøl of Soundware Norway compared the most popular AoIP systems, both on paper and by installing each. He joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack on This Week in Radio Tech.
Having designed and installed remote control systems and automated testing on both sides of the US, Doug Irwin is uniquely qualified to talk about the benefits and some pitfalls. As the Technical Editor at Radio Magazine, he’s also seeing changes in broadcast engineers’ skills and work emphases. Doug joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack on This Week in Radio Tech.
Charlie Wooten - ham call NF4A - is our go-to guy for what’s happening in an Amatuer Radio. Charlie joins Chris Tobin with highlights from the Dayton Hamvention including a new member of the D-Star family. It’s broadcast engineering with a side of ham!
What if you could transmit fifteen radio program channels from one FM transmitter, and receive them on existing FM-HD radios? Philipp Schmid, Research Engineer at Nautel, has been demonstrating exactly that. How does it work, and why might a broadcaster want to do this? Philipp joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to explain.
Chris Tobin joins us with a full hour live, remote broadcast from a park in Newark, New Jersey, and he’s not using his telco carrier’s data! It’s just another way that Chris is demonstrating that broadcast engineers can get it done for remote WiFi. Chris reveals his methods and secrets on this episode of TWiRT!
What’s an engineer to do when the old transmitter you’re getting rid of won’t fit through the building door? You could cut it apart with a Sawz-All, or you could break out a wall and make a bigger door. Well, Chris Tarr used both strategies during two recent transmitter upgrades. The Ninjaneer joins Chris Tobin and me for a TWiRT reunion episode.
Virtual Machines have been used in computer data centers and corporate IT systems since the late 1990’s, with popularity skyrocketing in the past 5 to 8 years. Today’s VM technology is allowing broadcasters to run several automation and production systems on virtual computers - on hardware that’s fully redundant. Dave Turner from ENCO joins us to tell us how this all works.
IP Audio security is a hot topic. IP Audio reliability is a strong concern as well. Keyur Parikh from GatesAir is working with a team of IP media experts to mitigate impairments to IP transport, and tells us about technical defenses against IP Audio hacking.
The annual NAB Show attracts broadcasters from around the globe. We experience new technologies, shop for equipment, meet old friends, and make new acquaintances. It’s the perfect setting for This Week in Radio Tech, as well! Chris Tobin and I had a blast meeting some great engineers, company reps, and station owners on this episode of TWiRT.
At the end of Day 1 of the Public Radio Engineering Conference, Chris and Kirk get a chance to talk radio engineering - poolside. We’re dishing on some radio news stories, like Broadcast Electronics getting a new owner, and he’s an engineer! The NAB Radio Show will be held in Austin, Texas, next year, and the full NAB show starts Monday!
OTT and IPTV are fairly new terms from the Television or Video industries. But more radio stations, podcasts, shows, and show clips are being delivered by the same or similar technologies. Former radio engineer turned TV network guru, Sherrod Munday, joins Chris Tobin and me to talk about audience habits and what infrastructure looks like to make audiences happy in 2016.
What’s inside a modern TV satellite truck? What audio and video capabilities are likely inside? Who makes sure that satellite antenna on the roof is aimed correctly? And what kind of engineer would configure and operate one of these beasts? Robert Pace, a well-known audio, video, and satellite technician in Nashville joins us in the TV sat truck for which he’s responsible.
The FCC's "AM Revitalization" proceeding continues to grind its way through the system, and there's a lot at stake right now for AM stations of all classes. Numerous broadcasters and consultants are filing comments; and so is Scott Fybush. Scott joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to discuss some strong opinions about improving the AM radio band.
Could antennas be lurking all around you? Chris Tobin says it’s happening more than you might imagine. From office buildings to hospitals, and stadiums to convention centers, Distributed Antenna Systems are popping up in walls, ceilings, and on light poles everywhere. Engineering these systems requires precision planning and field testing.
GatesAir traces its origins to 1922 when the Gates Radio Company was founded by Parker Gates. Rich Redmond, Chief Products Officer at GatesAir, joins Chris Tobin and me for updates on IP-Audio, HD Radio transmitter upgrades, and efficient liquid-cooled FM transmitter technology.
LED light bulbs are finally getting useful and popular for home and business lighting. But LED lighting has been available for broadcast and cellular towers for over 15 years. Early models didn’t last long. Rodney Zeigler with Nebraska Rural Radio Association joins us with his LED lighting experience spanning a decade, with good news on this efficient technology.
Just down from a New York skyscraper rooftop, Chris Tobin talks us through troubleshooting RF interference to to some legacy 5.8 GHz radios. And Kirk Harnack shows off a new airFiber IP radio, fresh from configuration and ready for the tower.
We compare two different brands of Audio over IP mixing and routing systems and find - they’re pretty similar in terms of network planning and wiring. Stephen Poole of Crawford Broadcasting joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack, looking at Wheatnet and Livewire+. Plus we’re discussing options for secure remote access.
Egor Tyagunov has been around high-tech all his life. Much of his childhood was spent living near Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Now in Riga, Latvia - another technology center - Egor works with radio and TV broadcasters in Eastern Europe, Russia, and other CIS countries, demonstrating best audio engineering practices on behalf of The Telos Alliance.
Radio production and distribution in its newest forms is the world of Sheri Barclay. She’s a producer and test engineer at Zeno Radio. Her latest project there, Zeno Live, connects hosts and listeners like never before. Plus Sheri reveals the struggles building her own Internet station that has a “storefront” location.
The Giz Wiz, Dick Debartolo, admits he’s no engineer. But he does have an eye - and ear - for fascinating devices and products. Some are useful - others, not so much. MAD magazine’s maddest writer joins Chris Tobin and me, Kirk Harnack, to ooh, ahh, and snicker at the some gizmos he found at CES.
Mission: Acquire and send real-time HD video and audio from a remote venue you’ve never seen before, then format and distribute it to every popular computing platform known to man. It has to work right the first time. There are no do-overs. Mission Specialist: Colleen Kelly Henry.
John Stephens with netcaster theroots.fm talks about music webcasters closing down due to the huge hike in music licensing costs. And Dave Anderson joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack on the additional audio grunge produced by Nielsen’s new Enhance CBET PPM Encoder. Are we driving away the audience we wish to measure?
If it sounds sketchy, distorted, or muffled, they won’t listen. Podcasting studio guru, Mike Phillips, divulges his secrets for capturing clean, clear audio. Mics, pre-amps, consoles - what he recommends and how to use them. This is a must-watch for podcasters and any audio content creators!
Who’s the engineer on your Christmas list? Perhaps it’s you! From network and audio analysis tools to weather stations, cameras, and stocking stuffers, Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack check out some gift ideas for us engineers to put on our wish lists.
We’ve covered Adaptive Multi-Rate Audio Streaming extensively. But new streaming methods bring other advantages, too. Ioan Rus, Lead Developer for Telos Alliance streaming products, explains how new features in today’s streaming encoders really improve the listener’s experience.
Great achievements deserve recognition. Fifty years ago in New York City, two FM stations began transmitting from the new Alford Master FM Antenna on the Empire State Building. It was nearly an engineering miracle. Since then many improvements have been realized, including a new, main Master FM Antenna. This TWiRT episode covers a seminar and tribute from broadcast engineers and consultants contributing to the success of FM broadcasting in New York City over the decades. Your hosts are David Bialik and Scott Fybush.
In our quest for better Internet audio streaming we’re looking closer at Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming - or Apple HLS. Greg Ogonowski joins me, Kirk Harnack, to take a deep dive into how Apple HLS adaptive streaming works at the encoder end, server, and for the end user.
Online video - like Netflix and YouTube - have used adaptive bitrate streaming for a few years now. The same tech is becoming available to audio streamers like radio stations and other online audio broadcasters. Tim Pozar, Streaming Director for Fandor.com joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to teach us about adaptive streaming technology.
This is it! The live broadcast - a block away from the Empire State Building where we have a terrific view of the light show. We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Master FM Antenna operation; the first of its kind allowing a dozen FM transmitters to use the same transmitting antenna. Tom Silliman, David Layer, David Bialik, and Scott and Lisa Fybush join Chris Tobin and me.
The 139th convention of the Audio Engineering Society begins next week in New York City. Plus, we’ll commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Master FM Antenna on the Empire State Building! Big party. Guest speakers. Presentations. And it’s all about furthering the state of the art in audio gathering and reproduction. David Bialik and Scott Fybush join Chris Tobin and me.
Cellular towers are everywhere and they’re still building more. But trouble occurs when they’re too close to existing AM tower sites. That’s where Lawrence Behr of LBA Group comes in - helping cell carriers and AM towers live together peacefully, and sometimes even co-habitate.
During the 2015 NAB Radio Show in Atlanta, Charles Kinney opened the doors to the iconic WSB (AM) transmitter site and threw a party! Nearly 80 engineers and friends showed up to see the current site and learn about the history of AM transmissions from here.
Two decades of hands-on radio engineering prepared Gary Liebisch for important roles in radio transmitter design and management at Harris Broadcast. Now he’s educating and finding technical solutions for customers at Nautel. Gary talks with Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack about 4th generation HD Radio gear, plus tight IT integration into today’s lower-maintenance transmitters.
Daniel Hyatt is finding ways to leverage his radio engineering experience. From his Director of Engineering position in Denver, Daniel is running a large DJ business, Sound and Light company, does global sourcing, and is even manufacturing custom LEDs for niche projects. What can we learn from Daniel’s entrepreneurialism?
Digital signage technology is showing up everywhere - from swanky elevators to shopping malls to restaurants. Now, some radio stations are using this tech to inform station visitors, on-air talent, and station staff. As engineers we’ll be called upon to implement such systems. Jeff Schick joins Chris Tobin and me to explain what to look for in digital signage.
A lot of us saw this coming - Low Power FM stations are seeking more flexibility in operations and some protection for their licenses. Two petitions are before the FCC, asking for power increases, the right to sell commercials, and even to buy and sell LPFM licenses. Kevin Fodor, Program Director for Gray Fox Broadcasting, talks with Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack about the proposed changes for LPFM.
Tom Churchill believes that radio’s future must include localism, customization, and that connection of familiarity with listeners. Lower budgets and smaller on-air staffs can reduce localism, but Tom offers ideas and services that maintain localism around the clock. Chris Tobin joins Kirk Harnack talking with Tom Churchill of Virtual Voice Technologies.
On this “War Stories” edition of TWiRT, we draw upon Chris Tobin’s years of experience in the radio engineering trenches. From power outages to gelled diesel fuel to police inquiries and “shelter in place”, Chris has been there and done that - and lived to tell about it.
The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) is the only organization devoted to the advancement of all levels and types of broadcast engineering. And for two consecutive terms, the SBE’s members have elected Joe Snelson as president of their organization. Joe joins us to discuss the terrific educational and career advancement opportunities from SBE, as well as some regulatory issues from the SBE’s perspective.
When it comes to testing your generator, don’t do what Kirk did; do what Chris says and does - test the entire generator system. Chris Tobin runs through a verbal checklist of steps to take now to prep for fall and winter weather. Plus SBE Ennes Workshops and a preview of automated site testing.
Can you go camping in your RV and still get over 100 Megabit Internet? Bryan Jones can, and he joins us to show us how. Plus studio pics from hit107 and TripleM in Adelaide, Australia. And Chris Tobin reveals exactly what’s in his “Go Kit”.
Recording techniques and tools are still evolving - and some truly exciting Immersive Surround tech is emerging right now. Recording engineer, Alex Kosiorek, joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack with lessons in modern recording technique, why 96kHz sampling is important, and what jobs are demanding skilled audio engineers.
Live from Sydney, Australia, we’re meeting with broadcast engineers and manufacturers at SMPTE 2015. From audio production tools to a look inside a new, solid state FM transmitter, we’re taking you inside this popular show. Stephen Wilkinson from Hope 103.2 joins Kirk Harnack on This Week in Radio Tech.
More radio stations and larger podcasters are building and using performance studios. Mixing live audio is once again a needed skill. Indeed, it’s critical for the performers’ monitors, in-studio audience, and for the live broadcast itself. Larry Wilkins is retired from a broadcast engineering career and now teaching the fundamentals and the fine points of live audio mixing.
The Radio Data System - RDS - has been on-air in the US since the mid 1980’s. Good for what it does - identifying FM stations and providing call letters and basic program information. What if we could double or triple the data rate, allowing more text, graphics and even supporting return data via IP or SMS? iHeart Media Senior Operations Engineer, Alan Jurison, joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to find out about RDS2.
More radio engineers are installing IP radios as Studio-Transmitter Links - or STLs. Even in - and perhaps especially in - rural areas like Altus, Oklahoma, where the terrain is flat and unlicensed WiFi bands are relatively uncluttered. Braden Pickett joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack, talking about IP radio equipment selection and configuration.
TV stations are doing it. TV networks are doing it. Big corporations and SMBs are doing it. So why aren’t radio stations doing it? We’re talking about IP connections with remote offices, moving vehicles, concerts and sports venues, and just about anywhere you’d want to broadcast from - and do it reliably with bonded wireless data connections. Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack explore the affordable tech that makes this possible.
When does a microphone cable act like an AM radio antenna? Who keeps switching the power off? And did someone really shoot a bullet at this rigid transmission line? Dave Anderson joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack for this War Stories episode.
He keeps finding methods and gadgets from “outside” typical broadcast engineering circles, then figures out how to solve a broadcasting problem with them. It’s Alex Hartman, the Curious Engineer from St. Cloud, Minnesota. Alex joins Chris Tobin and me to discuss how engineering curiosity leads us to better and cheaper connectivity, remote broadcasts, and better radio.
When is a disruptive technology something to embrace? And when is it just a passing fad? Easy to answer in hindsight, but how can broadcast engineers determine which new technologies to recommend and invest in? Bill Putney joins Chris Tobin and me, Kirk Harnack, for insight into disruptive technologies for radio broadcasters.
How do you push meaningful metadata to 34 FM and HD transmitter sites across a large state radio network? Gathering data input from statewide news bureaus, web sites, and live programs? Then add in EAS data for each coverage area? Steve Johnston joins us to talk about how Wisconsin Public Radio is doing all this and more.
Audio watermarking for audience measurement (Arbitron/Nielsen PPM®) is in the broadcast industry news. Third party research is offering more detailed measurement of watermarking’s effectiveness on differing audio content. Further, this research is demonstrating that improvements in reliable watermarking detection are possible. We hear from MIT PhD, Dr. Barry Blesser, along with Geoff Steadman, President of 25-Seven Systems.
Imagine you’re the engineer for a radio station that you really enjoy listen to. Imagine that station has a terrific reputation, with the respect of listeners, businesses, and local officials.. Now add a million listeners worldwide on the Internet. Finally, realize that this radio station is in an idyllic vacation paradise with tropical beaches and a low-key lifestyle. We’re talking about Oyster Radio and Chief Engineer Bill Eaton - in Apalachicola, Florida.
We’re live from Central Hall - the Broadcast Electronics booth - at NAB 2015! A Who’s Who cast of radio celebrities joins us including Scott Fybush, Joost Bloemen, Greg Shay, Frank Foti, Jim Backus, Joe Talbot, and Jim Roberts. And don’t miss the final 8 minutes! You won’t get fooled again!
Where will the next broadcast engineers come from? Hofstra University in New York seems a good source. Marc Silverman is a student and he’s the Student Director of Engineering at WRHU-FM. Marc joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to talk about learning about broadcast engineering by example and by doing it.
New ways to talk with listeners - and share their video calls; IP-audio codecs keep getting smaller and better; same goes for FM transmitters with a new rack-mount 10 kilowatt model; the FCC proposes office closings for a modest savings, but will they be at NAB? Drones are hot for broadcasters and the FAA. Plus we look at who’s getting some big honors in Las Vegas next month. Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack look forward to NAB in a couple weeks.
Many households are in rural areas not served by cable Internet or DSL. Radio engineer, Patrick Parks wanted better Internet service to his country abode well outside the Dallas metroplex. His efforts led to building a Wireless Internet Service Provider called SmartBurst. Pat joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to us how it all works.
Helicopters, high-speed boat ferries, and bridges to nowhere; they’re all part of Rich Parker’s radio engineering travel routine at Coast Alaska. Headquartered in Juneau, Alaska, Rich maintains transmitters in Sitka, Wrangell, Petersburg, and Ketchikan, and after being there for one year he already has some war stories to tell.
Broadcast Engineering these days seems more virtual at times than hands-on. But Tom Morris, Engineer at WDNA-FM, prefers a hands-on approach. Indeed, material science - choosing the right materials for the application - is a favorite subject.
What would you think of an audio processor designed by someone with little prior knowledge of audio processing? The very popular software audio processor, StereoTool, is designed and updated by Hans van Zutphen. Hans tells us how StereoTool got started, what portions of it are now in other major audio processors, and how radio enthusiasts are building their own audio processors for AM, FM, and Internet streaming.
Norway’s National Communications Authority has calculated, and measured the coverage of DAB+ networks across Norway, and found that they now surpass the existing FM coverage there. Given that the shut-down conditions are met, Norway is ready to shut down the FM band. And, Chris Tobin and I discuss online Public Files and the dangers of ice on towers.
What’s your most important engineering tool? An oscilloscope? Volt-ohm meter? Infrared thermometer? Diagnostic software? John Bisset says your most important tool is one you probably already own! Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack are talking with the Workbench Wizard, John Bisset on TWiRT.
Lots of questions about the FCC’s Net Neutrality rules under Title II, like “when is the Public Internet actually private?” Plus, Chris Tobin lays a foundation for the value of maintenance, and Kevin Kidd joins us to help stop copper thieves.
On This Week in Radio Tech, Ted Alexander joins Chris Tobin and me, Kirk Harnack. Ted got started in radio way too early - like as a baby! He’s hosted popular shows on-air, plus engineered some pretty big iron. And you may have talked with Ted when calling for Tech Support from Telos! See if Ted tells a Support story about you!
Andy Laird’s resume includes a BA in Physics and a career of reaching positions of higher responsibility in television and radio engineering. What’s not on his resume are things like sailing the Drake Passage, getting shipwrecked on a small island, and being a champion weight lifter. Chris Tarr and Chris Tobin join me talking with Andy Laird on TWiRT.
Net Neutrality proposes that all Internet packets are treated equally - no buying a so-called “fast lane” where delivery is virtually guaranteed. Broadcasters and other real-time data users depend on the MPLS protocol and pay extra for packet reliability - but is that really over the “Public Internet”. We’re talking about it with Bob Holowenko on TWiRT.
Every year AM stations in the US must measure their transmission for spectral purity. Many AM stations say they can’t afford this. Mark Persons presents a few ideas on NRSC measurements. Plus he and Chris Tobin discuss sleuthing some really difficult interference problems.
2014 witnessed some major stories, changes, and advancements in broadcast technology. Who better to talk about their implications than Radio magazine editor, Shane Toven? Shane joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack talking about FCC enforcement, Rule changes, LPFM, EAS, new tech from green transmitters to IP-audio, and what we might expect from 2015.
Radio World named Wayne Pecena as the recipient of its 2014 Excellence in Engineering Award. Would you like to know why? Many engineers think of Wayne as their virtual mentor, and an authoritative source for learning new broadcast engineering skills, especially in computer networking. Chris Tobin and I talk with Wayne about educating engineers.
How has the move to digital audio changed audio routing and workflow at TV stations? Gibson Prichard should know. He’s the Chief Engineer for Journal Broadcasting’s WTVF-TV - News Channel 5 - the CBS affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee. Self-educated in broadcast engineering, Gibson started at a local FM station and has worked through digital and HD upgrades at two television stations.
New radio studios are always a cause for excitement. The Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago is home to the Paul & Angel Harvey Studio, and the newly-rebuilt Art Laboe Control Room. We’re talking with Bruce DuMont, President and Founder of the Museum of Broadcast Communications, plus audio producers, Colin Ashmead and Chris Cwiak, along with Greg Dahl, who installed the new equipment.
Continuing our discussion about working on broadcast antennas way up high, John Hettish, joins us, describing some of his amazing tower work videos. We’ll get the right story on his 10-bay ERI antenna rebuild, plus check out removal of some 900 pound microwave dishes. And what about the wasps and vultures gathering at the top of a broadcast tower?
Fixing broadcast gear is difficult enough at ground level. What’s it like to troubleshoot, diagnose, and repair broadcast systems 300, 600, or 1200 feet above ground? Chris Tobin advises about what can go wrong and some common remedies, and we analyze an antenna repair by tower pro, John Hettish, while he’s 925 feet above ground.
We’ve called Tracy Teagarden, “the most interesting engineer in Las Vegas.” He’s no stranger to dong things right, even in terrible weather, and hard-to-access transmitter sites. Tracy joins Chris Tobin and me to talk about two AM directional stations on the same property, along with some FM backup transmitters, difficult AC power on Mt. Potosi, and his own work with new VoIP systems.
A Nashville DJ, complaining about an inconvenient EAS Test, unwittingly activates more EAS alerts across radio stations and cable systems. Video streaming technology has a few radio stations becoming video providers. And “ransomware” has taken several radio stations hostage lately, destroying music and commercial libraries. How should engineers act to prevent their stations from getting hijacked? Chris Tobin and Chris Tarr join us for a fast-paced episode of TWiRT!
Is free, open-source software a viable option for running your radio station? Fred Gleason, co-founder of Paravel Systems says it’s worth consideration. His Rivendell radio automation software is open-source, widely deployed, fully professional - and free to use. Paravel’s financial model is to charge for pre-configured hardware and for support, but both are optional. Fred talks to us about Rivendell open-source radio automation and call screening software.
I’ve often said, “This here digital’s the coming thing.” We all know it’s here now, and here to stay. Perhaps we’d be well-served to understand some techniques for transmitting digital information over radio frequencies (RF). Ward Silver, N0AX, is teacher, a contributing editor to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and author of the book, “Ham Radio for Dummies” as well as many others. We’re getting a lesson from Ward on Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) as well as I & Q signals. Symbol constellations, predictive coding - we’re diving right in.
Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack have been broadcast engineers for, well, a few decades. This week we were both encouraged by our conversations with Eric Adler, who is quickly learning the profession in his role as a Broadcast Engineer at WSKG Public Broadcasting. Eric is also the Chapter Chair for SBE Chapter #1 in Binghamton, New York. We’re all sharing stories, tricks, and tips on this episode of TWiRT.
Anyone listening to late night talk radio has probably heard of the C. Crane Company and their high-quality consumer radios. As engineers we tend to worry about the studio and transmission end of radio broadcasting. Bob Crane, founder of C. Crane, took a different approach to broadcast quality. He and his engineers work on the receiving end, and it’s making a positive difference. Bob joins Chris Tobin and me to let us in on the magic behind great radio reception.
Is there any hope for the AM radio band? A few major-market AM stations still enjoy success, but AM radio is suffering most everywhere else. Professional Engineer, Ted Schober, says there are solutions to help AM stations, including smaller antennas and a transition to digital transmission. Is it already too late to save AM, or are there real solutions here that will give consumers and broadcasters new options?
Some engineers get their careers started in smaller markets, then move up to a major market. David Antoine was born and raised in US market number 1 - New York City - so that’s where he started! David’s story is both interesting and inspiring, so we’re bringing him to you on this episode of TWiRT.
Meet Bob Page, the studio manager with two studios and no transmitter. With a revolving door for the on-air talent. And for whom every single broadcast shift is a “remote.” Bob manages the Radio Broadcast Center at Universal Studios, Florida. He and Jason Mercurio manage, train, facilitate, troubleshoot, connect, and do whatever else is needed to get from 2 to 5 broadcasts on the air each day from these spectacular studios.We experienced some tech difficulties during the broadcast. Naturally, the high-speed Internet link checked out perfectly before the broadcast. But, it went dead and we had to use a backup Internet connection. Quality wasn’t so good, but Bob Page’s interview, along with Chris Tobin’s comments, are worth watching or listening to.
What does it mean for radio - particularly AM radio - when Radio Disney announces the shutdown and sale of 23 of its 24 AM stations? Scott Fybush is our guest. He and Chris Tobin add perspective to this week’s headlines about Disney’s announced exit from most radio ownership. We also get a tour of an RCA-BTA-50F transmitter just before dismantling. The good news is, it’s going to a museum!Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack talk with Rob on this episode of TWiRT.
What’s an engineer to do when the talent loves technology as much as he does? Roll with it and have fun! Rob Chickering is the VP of Operations and Engineering for Yea Networks - the house that Kidd Kraddick built. Rob joins us to show off his fantastic radio studios in Dallas, and talk about how engineers can be just as creative as major-league talent.Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack talk with Rob on this episode of TWiRT.
John Stephens describes himself as a Serial Entrepreneur. After 35 years working in all forms of the media John finally got around to his lifelong dream of building and operating a radio station. John's station is an "Internet Pure-play" meaning on-line only, no transmitter required. "Our Musical Roots" has listeners in 30 different countries around the world. John calls his format "Progressive Rock for Vintage Rockers"
For most of us engineers, our jobs would be easier if our colleagues understood a bit more about broadcast engineering. Skip Pizzi has finished updating the fourth edition of “A Broadcast Engineering Tutorial for Non-Engineers”. He joins us for a fascinating look at this updated book, and how both engineers and non-engineers benefit from broadening their engineering horizons.
What’s it like to maintain broadcast stations in Alaska’s rough geography? Richard Parker joins Chris Tobin to talk about adjusting to life in Alaska after 17 years in Vermont. As Director of Engineering for CoastAlaska, Richard says he stands on the shoulders of some great Public Radio Engineers. Ever wonder what it takes to ship equipment or emergency spare parts to your station in Alaska? Rich explains what not to do and how to avoid the 1000 mile several day detour your package will take. Plus Rich explains how the new AoIP and other IP technologies at his stations keeps the station staff happy while he is several hours away at other studios and transmitters.
Bob Newberry at Clear Channel in Birmingham, Alabama, oversees engineering at 11 radio stations plus 4 HD signals. Pushing the technology envelope means using new IP-radio technologies along with IP telephone systems - and both areas give Bob more options, better quality audio, and some money savings, too. Joe Talbot from Telos joins me talking with Bob about learning SIP technology while putting it to good use.
Nearly 100 years ago radio stations were so new the owners didn’t know who was listening or where. Without the Internet or even many telephones gathering listener reports was spotty. Then the EKKO company hit on a stroke of genius: Radio EKKO Stamps and collector’s books to fill with them. Radio historian and electronics professor, Philip Mulivor, joins us to reveal the fascinating story of early radio listening, and keeping track of stations with EKKO stamps.
Nationwide daily drive time radio shows, plus a huge weekly countdown show are all emanating from a remodeled studio building in Nashville. It’s the Cumulus NASH studios, home to American Country Countdown, America’s Morning Show, and Nash Nights. Plus these state-of-the-art studios are built for multimedia production including video streaming and live concerts. Cumulus Nashville IT Director and Engineer, Zach Harper, gives a tour to the Nashville SBE chapter, and we brought our video camera along!
Touchscreen technology is mainstream - from iPads to cash registers. They’ve been an add-on or secondary console controller in radio studios for a couple years now. At the Spring NAB in Las Vegas, console maker Lawo introduced a new radio console designed specifically for touchscreen - even multi-touch - control. Mike Dosch, Director of Virtual Radio Projects at Lawo, joins us to describe the technology and where this tech could go in the future.
Easy-to-understand and meaningful audio loudness measurement has proven elusive over the history of recorded and transmitted audio. John Kean, Senior Technologist at NPR Labs, has been researching the problem and finding solutions. John joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack for an update on this aspect of audio recording and transmission.
Vinny Lopez takes us on a dive into the waters of PC-based television production. Radio stations and syndicated radio shows are getting in producing TV along with their radio content. Vinny, Chris Tarr, and Andrew Zarian join me for a look at what’s possible. Plus Chris and Vinny discuss remote-controlled production equipment and SBE educational opportunities.
Do you know your D-SLAM from your DOCSIS? ISP and Network Engineer, Bob Holowenko, explains some little-known but common-sense ways to get the best Internet and WAN service from your ISP choices. Plus Telephony Guru, Joe Talbot, joins us discussing how to get reliable VoIP service across your Internet connection. And IP Solutionist, Chris Tobin, tells how he got a big Internet mess solved - sort of - in his New York office building. It’s practical Internet connection help and guidance on this week’s TWiRT.
From old-school studio wiring and transmitter installation, to new IP-Audio routing and back haul, Robert Combs has seen and heard it all. As a Regional Director of Engineering for Cumulus, Combs is one of a few “go-to” guys when a world-class studio is going together, or a new technology is being tested in the field. We’re talking with Robert about engineering management of a region of radio stations, and how newer IP-Audio technology streamlines today’s radio studio demands.
Since 1992 SNMP has been used to manage IT devices over IP networks, now engineers can manage networked broadcast equipment, too. Charlie Toner is an SNMP expert. He explains how good use of SNMP affords control of your broadcast devices, codecs, transmitters, and automation systems. Plus, we get clues on how to create a robust network environment of managed broadcast devices with SNMP.
Quadcopters? We just can’t stop talking about them! So, there’s that. And Joe Talbot joins us from the high desert in Nevada. With more and more broadcasters moving away from POTS and ISDN tech, SIP/VoIP is bringing better-sounding phone calls into hundreds of radio and TV stations. How do you get SIP into your facility? Joe Talbot explains.
Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack bring some of the best of NAB 2014 live from the NAB Central Exhibit Hall. One after another, engineers and company execs answer questions and share with us what’s hot at this year’s NAB.
Doug Rowe is an engineer at Minnesota Public Radio. His title is one that we’ll see more often: Media Production Systems Manager. As radio stations, groups, and networks depend on digital media distribution, more engineers like Doug are needed; not only to keep everything working, but to develop the infrastructure for the workflows needed by talent and content creators. Doug talks with Chris Tarr and me, helping us understand the new responsibilities involved at a highly-connected, digitally-delivered network operation.
Rich Rarey’s name is synonymous with audio engineering at NPR, and has been for over 30 years. Now, Rich is the Director of NPR Labs, the USA’s only not-for-profit broadcast technology research and development center. Rich joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack with broadcast engineering tales from the past, and fascinating looks at an award-winning NPR Labs project in progress now.
Kirk has a transmitter problem related to operation during antenna icing conditions. Between Chris Tobin’s help and ideas from the TWiRT chat room, I think we’ve got a solution! Plus, Chris Tobin explains how transmitter muting and safety lockouts are USED in multi-transmitter master antenna sites.
Dave Supplee is the market engineer for the Cumulus radio stations in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He’s also a key go-to guy when new studios need to be built or refurbished. From studio design to wiring techniques, Dave shares his years of studio-building wisdom, plus transmitter site advice on this episode.
hack n. an inelegant but effective solution to a problem
Often there’s more than one way to solve an engineering problem. There is usually the normal approach, and then there are one or more “hacks”. Some hacks are elegant and others - not so much. In this episode, Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack discuss radio engineering hacks - unusual yet effective ways to fix and use broadcast equipment.
Who better to predict radio’s future than a radio futurologist? James Cridland advises radio’s leaders across the world - on radio's multiplatform future, the effect of smartphones on radio listening, and radio's place in social media. He writes about what happens when radio and new platforms collide - for Media UK and other websites and magazines. And works with the brightest brains to ensure radio remains relevant. On this episode, James describes RadioDNS, which he says is one of the key technologies for radio remaining relevant and useful to a mass audience.
On the eve of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Westwood One’s VP-Engineering, Mitch Glider, joins us live from Sochi, Russia. Mitch and his colleagues have assembled a long-form studio plus several reporters’ workstations. Now the hard prep work pays off and engineering vigilance begins as hours and hours of Olympic radio coverage is fed back to New York for affiliate distribution. Mitch takes us through the studio build and the technologies employed to bring live commentary and reports from across the Olympic venues and ship the final products back home.
As engineers incorporate new technology into their broadcast facilities, we’re figuring out better approaches to old - and new - problems. Chris Tarr offers up a boatload of tips, tricks, and tools that make his life easier at both studio and transmitter sites. Chris Tobin chimes in, and Kirk Harnack describes how one TV station in Oklahoma is handling tornado “play-by-play” coverage.
Decades ago, all radio stations had “performance studios”. Local musicians and actors would perform for some or all of the broadcast day. Today, a few radio stations have performance studios and even audience seating areas. Brett Gilbert, Director of Engineering at Clear Channel in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Chris Tarr, DoE for 88Nine in Milwaukee, share thoughts and stories about these spaces. Plus, Brett introduces us radio engineers to stage lighting with a quick discussion of the technologies involved.
Thoughts and recommendations on Ethernet routers, and Kirk introduces the authoritative book about the history of Phone Phreaking, “Exploding the Phone”. Kirk and Andrew Zarian introduce the wide-open subject of putting listener-callers on-air, both on broadcast radio and on podcasts. It’s a great introduction to a future episode where we’ll give a thorough “how-to” on interviewing guest and taking callers by phone.
Tom Ray reports in and gives us a tour of the WJMJ-FM transmitter site near Burlington, Connecticut. Then Chris Tarr and Kevin Trueblood discuss radio engineering for a statewide Public Radio network, focusing on metadata strategy from multiple sources to multiple distribution outlets.
Exactly what is radio these days? What will happen to AM radio? How is LPFM affecting traditional radio broadcasting? Our guest, Rob de Santos, is a columnist for Popular Communications magazine, writing the popular monthly column, “Trends in Technology”.
Chris Tobin shows us the FM combiner room at 4 Times Square - a main transmitter site for some and a backup site for other New York City broadcasters. Plus, Scott Fybush is here with transmitter and tower stories, a radio discussion board, and his 2014 Tower Site Calendar.
Processing and stream encoding guru, Greg Ogonowski, says “Stop using MP3 and encode with a modern codec. Save money and sound better, too.” So, what’s wrong with our beloved MP3? And what should Internet streamers be using? And what about the Opus codec?
George Whittam is the engineer behind many of the Voice Over Artists you hear on TV, radio, and movies. Always brimming with great advice on microphones, studio acoustics, and audio transport.
Engineering repair and maintenance: Is it a “pay me now or pay me later” equation? Or is there more to it than that? Are more and more stations just ignoring ongoing, preventive maintenance in favor of just declaring an emergency when they go off-air, or sound really bad? Chris Tarr has an opinion or two on that, and Chris Tobin does, too.
What kind of engineer travels to Africa and plants antennas on a beach in Mozambique? Or brings the sheriff to a competitor’s transmitter site to shut it off during a hurricane? Clear Channel’s Engineer of the Year from Panama City, Florida - Charlie Wooten - joins us for an hour of bravery, challenges, and engineering victory on this War Stories episode.
Remember POTS line frequency extenders? Then in the 1990’s we did remotes with POTS codecs and ISDN codecs. Now IP is transporting remote audio back to the studio, and for more radio stations, live video is a key part of their digital strategy. Chris Crump with Comrex is bringing us up to date on video remotes and shows off the Comrex Liveshot.
Climbing broadcast towers and strategizing future audio delivery methods - all in a week's work for Shane Toven, Director of Engineering at Wyoming Public Media. Shane joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to discuss keeping the Public Radio RF transmitting across Wyoming's landscape. We also discuss the DASH conference held in Detroit this week - bringing autos and radio together in the connected car.
Network troubles? It could be your RJ-45 connectors. Kirk and Chris attach three RJ-45 connectors to a CAT5e cable and test it. We also show you how not to do it. Plus, Andrew Zarian reports on his IP-audio console at GFQ after one year and hundreds of shows.
The Prometheus Radio Project builds participatory radio as a tool for social justice organizing and a voice for community expression. Sanjay Jolly and Will Floyd join us on TWiRT this week. They work to demystify media policy and technology. Sanjay is Policy Director while Will is very much a Technical Guru.
Most radio engineers look after 1 to 8 program channels; Mitch Glider oversees 67 of them! As VP-Engineering for Westwood One in New York City, Mitch directs the technical operations for Westwood One in the CBS Broadcast Center. Plus, Mitch is preparing a roomful of radio mixing and transmission gear for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. It has to work when it gets there in January, 2014, and there's no Radio Shack nearby. Chris Tobin and Tom Ray - both experienced radio network engineers - join me to talk with Mitch Glider on this episode.
What does an engineer do when Bill O'Reilly starts arguing politics you, or Dan Rather hands you a screwdriver? Or when WOR's John Gambling won't rest easy until you arrive on-scene? It's part of a day's work for big city and network radio engineers. Tom Ray and Chris Tobin regale us with hilarity and insight about working with high-strung stars and ordinary folks with household names.
The Audio Engineering Society just published AES67, a framework to standardize low-latency IP-Audio and provide for interoperability. What will this new standard mean for users of Axia Livewire, Wheatnet-IP, Dante, Ravenna, and others? Greg Shay, Chief Science Officer with The Telos Alliance, describes how the different IP-Audio standards came to be, and how AES67 (formerly X192) will mean more good choices for IP-Audio network users.
Westwood One reprise, syndication bullies, "do you wanna move back?", and the best tips and tricks. Plus, we suggest that the school board meeting should compete with the sound of paint drying. It's a potpourri show that turned out really well!
Can great planning and preparedness reduce the trauma of a live radio studio move? Chris Tarr just moved Radio Milwaukee's studios to a newly renovated building. Then, just when you thought everything was under control, a small disaster struck!
Tom Ray and Chris Tobin join me to talk about the excitement and perils of studio moves.