Conditional Access systems for building security have always seemed like a “per building” or “per campus” proposition. But with today’s ubiquitous Internet access, and somewhat autonomous operation, conditional access systems can be deployed in remote locations. They can provide not only conditional access security, but also inform site owners of who is opening doors and gates, and exactly when they’re doing it. It’s convenience for those requiring access, and verification for those who need to monitor such access. Ty Magnum has assembled the right ‘best of breed” security systems and is installing these systems at transmitter sites and broadcast studio facilities. Chris Tarr joins us to apply his perspective on rolling out this technology and the equipment that makes it work.

We radio engineers who aspire to be fondly remembered in our careers should take a few notes from Ed Glab. Ed engineered the studios and the remote broadcasters for WLS, Chicago, for over 40 years. His career and his positive ingenuity are fondly remembered by the DJs and radio hosts who worked with him. On this episode of TWiRT, we get to talk with Ed and hear his perspective and stories about engineering at “Music Radio - WLS”.

Listen fast, because George Whittam reveals a LOT of gold nuggets of useful audio capture and production information in this episode of TWiRT. Just look at the long list of Show Notes below! George is the engineer to the Voice Over stars, and the rest of the voice talent world, too. We engineers can learn a lot from George’s tireless efforts to help voice talent get the most from their equipment and studios, and modify or build new spaces when needed. Check out George’s advice, then follow him on other podcasts and his website to dig into solid audio engineering advice.

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.

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 has been a 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. Her attention to audio purity and detail prepared Joyce for other audio engineering achievements, including working with the Library of Congress to restore and digitally archive all the old 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.

Tom Morris always provides a fresh perspective on broadcast engineering. He’s fascinated by well-designed systems, yet finds the humor in poorly-designed ones. Tom finds nostalgia in equipment and broadcast products that most of us have forgotten. And his unconventional outlook often results in insights and solutions to complex problems. He’s the guy you want handy to solve long-standing issues when no one else has taken the time to investigate the root causes. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack welcome Tom Morris on this episode of TWiRT, and Chris also offers up a vexing set of symptoms at an FM station that took several days to fully repair.

The ABA Engineering Academy is offering the first round of broadcast engineering classes for 2024. The radio engineering class is scheduled for February 26th – March 1st. Larry Wilkins and Frank Giardina are the two main teachers and both join us on this episode of TWiRT! Larry and Frank give us sneak previews of some of the technical teaching topics and demonstrations to add meaning and context. Engineers - new and experienced alike - attend this Engineering Academy in Birmingham, Alabama. It’s especially useful to IT technicians getting into the world of audio and radio broadcasting.

Can a team of engineers resolve thousands of engineering trouble tickets each month, and do it efficiently and keep with good engineering practice? iHeartMedia is doing it and Mike Sprysenski is leading that team. From an office in Orlando, Mike Spry and a team of radio engineers and IT professionals resolve engineering issues at nearly 900 radio stations, keeping those stations on-the-air. Many issues are even handled preemptively, before they affect what the public is hearing over the air or online. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack discuss this approach with Mike on this episode of TWiRT.

The benefits of thoughtful and careful broadcast engineering cannot be overstated. Indeed, Jim Offerdahl, thought carefully about our offer to be on TWiRT for over 10 years! And, with some encouragement from Angry Audio’s Mike Dosch, we’re delighted that Jim is finally sitting in the TWiRT Guest Chair! We’re talking with Jim about his particular style of serving radio stations effectively and reliably. He’s sharing some tips and favorite equipment for monitoring and troubleshooting today’s transmission systems, plus letting us in on his part-time mayoral career in Fosston, Minnesota. Stay tuned until the end of the show when Jim is making an announcement about expanding Radio Gearheads!

What use is a low-wattage, AM radio station in a town of 2,000 residents? Indeed, the whole county population is just over 12,200. Is AM radio viable there? With 500 watts daytime and 18 watts at night what can a new owner do to revive such a station? Beth Mann, President/CEO of Edge Media Group, wanted to bring WEKT back to a rightful stature in this small, Western Kentucky town. Beth grew up in Elkton, across from the original WEKT studio and transmitter. Now she, along with her “digital- and future-oriented” staff. On this episode of TWiRT, she along with Josh Claussen and Bill Booth describe the technical operation, but more importantly the community involvement that’s driving Elkton’s embrace of WEKT, resulting in advertising and renewed revenue.

Rolf Taylor describes himself as a Lover of Audio, Tinkerer, Broadcast Engineer, Support Engineer and Product Manager, Telco Guru, and Researcher and Writer. As Rolf’s longtime friend, Kirk Harnack can attest to each of those appellations. Rolf joins us on this “Festivus” episode of TWiRT, though we spend most of our time on making product usage and support better, and just a few minutes on the “airing of grievances”.

As Chris Tarr points out, Paul B. Walker, Jr. is probably the most enthusiastic supporter of local radio service and programming. Paul is the Program Director at KSKO-FM in McGrath, Alaska, but he wears almost every hat required for running a full-service FM Public Radio station. Many TWiRT fans know of Paul through the Facebook group he started, “I Take Pictures of Transmitter Sites.” Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack talk with Paul about the challenges of broadcasting in rural Alaska, including antenna icing, Internet service, STL connections to outlying villages’ FM transmitters, and even the occasional “moose fade”.

Any time spent with Charlie Wooten is time well spent! Engineering with iHeartMedia in the Florida Panhandle, Charlie keeps his Facebook friends apprised of bigger projects and occasional off-air emergencies. We also know that he loves “roughing it” at a 13,000 acre deer camp with longtime friends and fellow hunters. From a vexing audio crosstalk problem, to multiple station monitoring, to mentally resetting around a campfire, Charlie shares his thoughts on a great work-life balance.

Once each year we discuss air conditioning and airflow at transmitter sites - and we do so in preparation for hot summer weather. But what about temperature control and monitoring during the cold winter months? What issues arise when it’s cold outside but the transmitter is still making plenty of heat? There are many variations in scenarios, but Joe Fleming advises that monitoring the temperature at key locations is important to keeping tabs on your HVAC system and your transmitter’s health.

Have you ever been to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada? No? Not many have, even though it’s a thriving city with excellent radio stations and a lively downtown social, shopping, and dining scene. Saskatoon is also the home of Pippin Technical Service, a leading broadcast equipment dealer and project services firm for all of Canada. Pippin Technical, now “PTS”, is an early adopter of IT and broadcast technologies, including Audio over IP via Livewire and AES67. PTS boasts highly capable on-staff engineers, technicians, and programming developers. In this TWiRT episode we get a tour of this premier equipment and services provider, plus we talk with Tyler Everitt, PTS’s President, as well as Evan Semenoff, developer of the new PTS Aurora GPIO interface. We also take a quick trip - a live shot - out to a new studio under construction at Pattison Media in Kelowna, BC, Canada.

It’s only natural that we pause and consider the things - and people - we’re thankful for during the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Wow! What a list! It turns out we’re thankful for many more things than we can talk about in a 1-hour podcast! This week’s show features a slate of awesome broadcast engineers who remind the rest of us that we *do* have a lot to be thankful for. Enjoy this episode of TWiRT, and we know you’ll think of a few more things yourself!

Max Pandini is known throughout Southern Europe for his audio processing acumen, radio brand consulting, and compelling audio programming. Host, Kirk Harnack, actually didn’t realize it until today, but Max is now a colleague, working at Telos Alliance! Max maintains his consultancy for some of the tops radio brands like Radio Kiss Kiss (Italy), Klassik Radio (Germany), and DIXI Media (Moldova). We caught up with Max on a consulting trip in Verona, Italy from where he’s sharing his passion for compelling audio processing, visual radio and branding, and takes us inside a couple of beautiful broadcast facilities.

It’s said that sometimes it’s the plumber who has the worst home plumbing in town; ditto for the electrician with “temporary” fixes and home wiring done hastily, and in an un-workmanlike manner. Both professionals may not do it right the first time, knowing they can do it right any time. Which never comes. We broadcast engineers can fall into the same trap. We know where the twisted wires are that are holding the transmitter on-the-air, and we’re careful not to bump them as we do other work. Or we have an overflowing trash can at the transmitter site, which subconsciously deters us from cleaning up new trash as there’s nowhere to put it. Or we know just how to wiggle a power supply connector, or a tower light monitor, or other “percussive maintenance” tricks that no one else knows about. Radio’s most beloved conference speaker, Jeff Welton, and his colleague, Jeff Wilson, join us from Nova Scotia, Canada, with a full hour of smart ideas, clever hacks, and common sense about making your engineering life easier, and doing a better job of it.

Every time I check in with Josh Bohn, founder of MaxxKonnect Group, he’s busy on an engineering project, or on his way to or from a project. And he’s not alone. Seems that most broadcast engineers are absolutely slammed these days with upgrade projects, regular maintenance, and the usual off-air emergencies. Today Josh is in Indianapolis meeting with several other radio engineers, including Matt Levin. Wondering what kind of work is keeping engineers busy this year, I asked Josh to join us - and he did, along with three other engineers. Let’s see what’s keeping engineers so busy, and how are thoughtful engineers advising station owners to invest in equipment upgrades to avoid unscheduled off-air time.

When Hofstra University’s School of Communication hosted an SBE Ennes Workshop, coordinator, Andy Gladding, added an extra event to this educational event - a Live Mix recording session in the School’s recording studio! This addition was a special treat for students, area broadcast engineers, and even for Workshop presenters. The talented local band, “IRIEspect”, set up and played in the performance studio, while students and sound techs set up mics and configured the recording console for a recording session. We learned important points about mixing for live sound and for recording, and the performance was later replayed on WRHU-FM, the award-winning Hofstra University station. Chris Tarr, who mixes live sound weekly, joins Kirk to interview Andy and Steven on this extra-fun episode of TWiRT!

When the Archdiocese of Hartford needed to replace an audio mixing console, Tom Ray was ready. Due to parts shortages for older audio consoles, Tom chose a new console that uses Livewire Audio over IP audio in and out connections, plus networking to the rest of the facility’s studios. The result of using AoIP technology? A super-quick replacement and configuration of the new console! In the episode, radio engineer and consultant, Tom Ray, takes us on a tour of WJMJ and the Office of Radio and TV of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, and discusses the quick work afforded by AoIP audio networking. Plus, you won’t want to miss the “ABIP Horror Story” at the end of this episode.

With broadcast engineers from 24 states - some from Alaska - there’s no better place for expanding knowledge while seeing old friends and meeting new ones that the WBA Broadcasters Clinic! What a blast to broadcast live from the SBE booth in the expo hall, and we trapped a number of guests to talk about new tech and best practices at this year’s Clinic. Plus, we get to see how the grand prize winner is picked in a Poker-like game with lots of participants! Who won? Watch and see!

On Wednesday, October 4, 2023, broadcasters and wireless carriers participated in another National Program Test of the EAS and WEA systems, alerting the public in a variety of ways. Initial reports are that this nationwide test was rather successful! Past tests have been plagued with audio problems for broadcasters, but this test primarily utilized the CAP Server system, delivering clean audio to most broadcasters for retransmission. Chris Tarr serves on Wisconsin’s State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC) and brings useful insight into this recent test. Plus we’re talking about fiber-delivered Internet service and its much wider availability. Plus, thinking creatively about siting FM translators or STL hop locations by looking for lesser-used towers or those not currently associated with broadcast functions.

When Jeff McGinley’s radio stations in Portland, Oregon, joined the ranks of the “homeless” last year, he had just a few weeks to create virtual radio infrastructures so the on-air talent could keep working, doing live shows. Even after moving into new “hands-on” studios, the Portland group is still using virtualized radio consoles for both regular and special broadcasts. Now Jeff is building another virtual studio for a country music star’s restaurant in Gatlinburg. Meanwhile, Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack have built out virtual broadcast infrastructures benefitting their companies’ stations as well. Come along as we describe and even demonstrate some of this virtualized tech that’s making broadcasting easier than ever.

How do you provide electric power to your FM translators when, 1) It’s really expensive, 2) Commercial power isn’t reliable, 3) The public depends on your service working? KCAW-FM is installing both solar- and wind-generated electrical systems at their translator sites, serving tiny towns and villages in the archipelago of Southeast Alaska. Becky Meiers with KCAW, and Pete Tridish, a longtime consultant to low-power, community, and startup broadcast radio stations both join Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to explain the motivations for and approaches to renewable power sources for these FM translators.

For thirty-two years John Bisset has uncovered and shared some of the best ideas in broadcast engineering techniques, useful supplies, and best practices. Every few months John joins us on TWiRT to share the best tip and tricks. Today we’re with John in-person in the new “Wolf” control room of WIWF-FM in Charleston, South Carolina. Cumulus Regional DoE, Justin “JT” Tucker is here, too, for a quick tour and story about this new studio, built on Audio over IP technology from Axia.

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!