Radio Futurologist, James Cridland

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.

xNodes for AoIP: What You Don’t Know Could Thrill You

Yes, I get a little bit overexcited when I start talking about xNodes, Axia Audio's 3^rd-generation networked audio interfaces. I’ve been accused of over caffeinating (which might be true) but really, if you knew what I know about xNodes, you’d be excited too.

C’mon, let’s go for a peek behind the curtain…

Audio over IP Interoperability

The AES67 standard published in September is the first audio engineering standard to address interoperability. But why is it important? And what does it say?

AES67 is important because for years, the industry wanted a standard to address interoperability, and now, it has one. The emphasis on interoperability is important as it’s been a longstanding concern of audio engineering professionals as new technologies continue to develop.

It’s High-Octane Audio for Motor Racing Network

As the “Voice of NASCAR,” the Motor Racing Network (MRN) is the principal radio broadcasting operation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. They’ve got more than a few victory laps in their record books: Since MRN’s first broadcast – the 1970 Daytona 500 – they’ve aired hundreds, if not thousands of races. And not just the premiere events of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - but the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races as well.

Doug Watson is the Chief Engineer for MRN, and he and his crew make the technical end of the broadcasts happen. Up until last year, MRN used two large trailers and one smaller trailer with analog equipment, but Doug decided it was time to modernize the operations.

Vintage Audio: LPB Carrier Current AM Transmitter

An often-overlooked facet of AM broadcasting is carrier current radio. Typically carrier current is implemented by feeding the RF signal into the AC power distribution system of building allowing for broadcasting over limited areas. Hence, its widespread use among student-run college radio stations.

This month's trip to the attic turned up a dusty but functional LPB RC-6A carrier current transmitter, along with its coupler and test gear.

Set up Axia GPIO connections for AC and DC

Laura Gutknecht, Technical Director at WSUM Radio at the University of Wisconsin, recently submitted a tip on setting up GPIO connections to work with AC and DC in a way that isolates the GPIO gear from harm

Radio War Stories from Sochi

In the midst of the endless media blitz covering the 2014 Winter Olympics, Westwood One’s VP-Engineering, Mitch Glider, joined us in real time 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.

Catching the “Spirit” of Audio over IP

It takes brass to plunge headlong into an unfamiliar technology.

Chris Cottingham, CE at CRISTA Broadcasting’s KFMK-FM in Austin, Texas, has that sort of spirit. Which is why he took on the task of updating his station’s studios from analog to IP Audio without having laid hands on networked studio gear before.

There's a Problem - Go Back to Sleep: New Radio Engineering Tech

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.

Brett Gilbert, Performance Studios

Decades ago, all radio stations had “performance studios.” Local musicians and actors would perform for some or all of the broadcast day. Today, only 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.