Omnia on the Riviera

The Riviera Broadcast Group is the owner and operator of three radio stations in the Phoenix market. The company is a cutting-edge broadcast group, founded in January 2005 by Tim Pohlman, a former executive with CBS Radio and partner Chris Maguire, who serves as the company's chief financial officer.

I recently caught up with Chief Engineer Paul Schminke regarding his experience with the Omnia.9sg and how it has been invaluable to his facilities in this geographically challenged area.

Topics: broadcast audio processor

TWiRT 294 - GatesAir with Rich Redmond 

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.

Guest: Rich Redmond, Chief Products Officer - GatesAir

Hosts:  Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist and Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Links from the show:

White Paper: The Role of Network Packet Loss Modeling

Flexiva FLX liquid-cooled FM transmitter technolgy

User Report on Liquid Cooled FM Transmitter

Vintage Audio: MSI CP-803 Composite Processor

The first AGC and peak limiter amps for broadcast audio were designed to maintain a station's modulation within FCC limits. Starting in the mid-1960s, they evolved into tools to create a unique 'sound', and to win loudness wars. By 1980, it seemed that audio had been squeezed and squashed as much as possible, and listener fatigue was a common topic for articles and discussions. Then, the composite processor appeared on the scene, and new heights of loudness seemed possible for FM broadcasters. This installment of Found in the Attic contains a brief history of composite processors, and discusses the Modulation Sciences Inc. CP-803 in particular.

Nicklas Stromberg's Wide World of Sports

When it comes to broadcast engineering, Nicklas Stromberg is something of a jack of all trades. But that’s certainly not to say he’s a master of none. Whether it’s RF systems, audio systems, audio mixing for radio and TV, computer and network design, or technical support, with 25 years under his belt as a freelance broadcast engineer in Sweden, Nicklas can handle about any audio chain issue.

This may be why he's in high demand, having worked in a variety of settings and countries. While much of his work – primarily with audio for sports telecasts and frequently for Swedish broadcasters such as Mediatec Broadcast Sweden – keeps him in the Nordic lands, he's by no means been confined to Scandinavia.

The Case for AoIP Interoperability and the Rise of AES67

The global television broadcast community is poised at the brink of the next great revolution in technological advancement – audio and video over IP. The great leaps that we’ve witnessed over the last 50 years, from black and white to color, mono to stereo, analogue to digital, 4:3 to 16:9, SD to HD and from stereo to 5.1, have benefitted the viewer at home each step of the way, and has been embraced with the purchase of the latest TV or Home Cinema system. However, in the backrooms of TV stations, broadcast engineers around the world have toiled over system designs, white papers and equipment catalogues while manufacturers have raced to bring out the next best widget designed to do the job.

LED Tower Lighting with Rodney Zeigler

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.

Topics: LED

A Studio Full of Sweet Gear

As Station Manager at God’s Way Radio in Miami, an Internet radio station owned by Calvary Chapel of Miami, Joey Alcala is frequently involved in a host of projects at any one time. As a result, anything that makes his job a little easier is welcome. It’s for this reason that Joey is so happy with the setup of Telos Alliance gear in the God’s Way studios.

IP STLs: Troubleshooting Interference

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.

Topics: IP Technology

Vintage Audio: Radio Down on the Farm

This episode of Found in the Attic features a 1940 tabletop radio with a twist. This Philco model 40-90 is a farm radio. Although they were an important part of radio history, these radios are largely forgotten today.

When radio came on the scene in the 1920s, it was the first mass media. It brought Americans together as never before. Suddenly, geographic boundaries didn't matter. Once the sun went down, clear channel AM radio stations sent their signals coast to coast.

AES67 Breaks Out at ISE 2016

Typically, when you think of a trade show in Amsterdam, you probably think IBC. Certainly the late-summer show is an important convention, but one geared specifically to broadcasters. Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), on the other hand, is aimed at the larger international Audio Video industry, with an emphasis on A/V technologies for live performance settings and business applications – anything from boardroom videoconference systems to the latest speakers for live venues.