TWiRT 296 - This Show Title is Too Long, with Scott Fybush

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.

Guest: Scott Fybush

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

Voltair Still Gives You a Ratings Advantage

In early 2015, the Telos Alliance^® and 25-Seven^® introduced the Voltair^® Monitor and Processor. According to industry experts, the use of Voltair resulted in more accurate measurement of radio listenership. This disruptive technology enabled Radio to finally get credit for more of the listening it deserves.

Months later, after denying that it had any effect, Nielsen^® responded to Voltair by changing its encoders to include some of Voltair’s features. The company claimed that its so-called enhanced CBET (eCBET) could replace the need for Voltair.

We weren’t so sure.

TWiRT 295 - iDAS and oDAS with Chris Tobin

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.

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

Links from the show:

What are iDAS and oDAS?

DAS example projects from BSGI

Indiana University Campus Cellular Project

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.