TWiRT 369 - AES & NAB 2017 from New York

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.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 368 - The Broadcasters Clinic in Madison

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.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 367 - AoIP Covers Boise with Jordan Bitz

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.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 366 - CyberSecurity for Broadcasters

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.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 365 - EAS In Times of Trouble - with Rob Dale

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.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 363 - Alexa, Tell the Studio I Hate That Song!

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.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 361 - Custom Multi-Casting with Marcos O'Rourke

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.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 360 - Moving My Samoan Stations 

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.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 359 - Help Us Help You

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.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 358 - Dangerous Towers with Tom Ray

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.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality