“From a new tower standing almost 910 feet above sea level and located in the population center of the greater Philadelphia area in a region clear of the obstacles encountered in mid-city sites …”

In a full-page ad in the Philadelphia Inquirer the morning of Oct. 4, 1949, TV Channel 6, then WFIL(TV), had begun transmitting from a tower at the corner of Umbria Avenue and Domino Lane in the city’s Roxborough section. 

The Inquirer cited a series of “extensive tests” to determine the population center of the area and the probable quality of reception. 

The 1949 tower is still used by two Class B FM stations in Philadelphia. It was the first tower of what would grow into a “farm” of broadcast towers. 

Today, Roxborough is home to approximately 16 Philadelphia FM stations and 21 TV stations, and it is unique.

Similar farms serving metropolitan areas like Minneapolis’ Shoreview, Dallas’ Cedar Hill and Los Angeles’ Mount Wilson might come to mind. But at Roxborough, 13 significant towers stand within approximately a half-mile span.

It’s not the highest spot in Philadelphia. Summit Street in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood takes that claim.

And it’s not where the city’s tall skyscrapers stand. Center City, as it’s known, is about seven miles to the southeast. Roxborough has a much more suburban feel. 

But if you look at a map of the Philadelphia designated market area, Center City Philadelphia is not quite the geographic center. If you factor in satellite eastern Pennsylvania markets like Allentown–Bethlehem and Reading, Roxborough is. 

“It just happened to fit as an ideal location,” engineer Mark Humphrey said. 

Timing, typically, was everything.

Northwest Philly

Humphrey does not consider himself Roxborough’s resident historian and he is quick to defer to the long pipeline of engineers who have come through the City of Brotherly Love. 

But the central New York native is an encyclopedia of knowledge for the farm. 

In 1984, Humphrey moved south to become chief engineer of Temple University’s 90.1 WRTI(FM) and he was thereafter connected to this part of Philadelphia. 

WRTI had its antenna mounted on the southeast side of the tower at 8200 Ridge Ave., about a mile to the northwest of the farm. The old 95.7 WFLN at its standalone Ridge Ave. tower, dating back also to October 1949, was technically the first FM station to call Roxborough home. 

I connected with Humphrey on an unusually cloudy day to get the lowdown on the site’s history.

I’d been to Roxborough many times — I interned at the former 106.1 WJJZ(FM), which had its studios co-located with then-Clear Channel’s 98.9 WUSL(FM) at 440 Domino Lane in Roxborough, up until 2006. But I’d never gone just to check out the towers.

Driving around the winding neighborhoods in the northwest corner of Philadelphia, it’s easy to forget you’re within the sixth-most populous U.S. city.

Some areas, including where American Tower had desired to place its “candelabra” tower around the turn of the century before residents defeated the plan, aren’t very developed at all.

“It’s like you took a left turn on Spring Lane and landed in Potter County a mile down the road,” Humphrey said, referring to the county in Pennsylvania’s rural northern tier known as “God’s country.”

The towers’ proximity has, of course, caused some amusing observations from Roxborough’s nearly 30,000 residents over the years. A WHYY feature in 2013 profiled a family on Harmon Road hearing music or voices originating from their basement pipes.

“Occasionally, they pick up what must sound like heavenly messengers — but is actually Christian programming that they receive through their rain spout,” Alan Jaffe wrote of the Brody family.

Despite these quirks, investigators, including Carl T. Jones Corp., have found no long-term health concerns.

Overall, Roxborough has a much more suburban feel than the rest of Philadelphia. In fact, the neighborhood proclaims itself as one of the “greenest sections of any city.”

But nearly everywhere you turn, the towers are impossible to miss.

“There wasn’t nearly as much development in this portion of Philadelphia in the 1950s and ’60s,” Humphrey said. 

“You would have had a lot more opposition now, and I don’t think towers would have gone up nearly as easily.”

Dating back more than 75 years 

Humphrey explained that an experimental station at Philco, the former major manufacturer of radio and TV equipment in northwest Philadelphia, W3XE, is where Philo Farnsworth did many of his experiments.

Two FM signals — 97.5 WPEN(FM) and 106.1 WUMR(FM) — transmit from Mermaid Lane, in the Wyndmoor section of Philadelphia, once the site of the city’s first TV station, the experimental W3XE.

“That was the beginning of KYW TV,” Humphrey said.

That station, which received a commercial license as WPTZ in July 1941, was the first station outside New York City and the third one in the U.S. overall. Westinghouse purchased WPTZ from Philco in 1953 for a then-record $8.5 million.

Meanwhile, TV Channel 6, WFIL(TV) and owned by Walter Annenberg’s Triangle Publications, which also included the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper, filed for a construction permit to move its transmitter location to Roxborough in 1948. Channel 6 had begun transmitting in 1947 from atop the Widener Building in Center City from a three-bay antenna on sister station WFIL(FM)’s tower.

Triangle’s license was granted for WFIL from Roxborough in 1949 and it began transmitting from a four-sided guyed tower on Umbria St., the original Roxborough tower.

The Oct. 5, 1949 edition of the Inquirer explained that the night prior, Channel 6 went live with a special program commemorating its move to a “super-turnstile” antenna that towered 909 feet above sea level. 

“The station acknowledged a flood of calls from TV set owners reporting better reception,” the Inquirer said of Channel 6’s new Roxborough signal. 

In 1954, the Philadelphia Bulletin’s TV Channel 10, WCAU(TV) and sister station 98.1 WCAU(FM) moved from the PSFS Building in Center City to Roxborough. 

WCAU celebrated the occasion that summer by handing Philadelphia city officials a large plastic sheet containing signatures of the mayors of 10 cities the station claimed were now within its coverage area from its new 1,000-foot tower, according to the Broadcasting Yearbook.

Three years later, seeking improved tower height, Channel 6 and Channel 3 (then WRCV) joined forces to put up an 1,100-foot tower on land that Annenberg owned. Channel 3 moved from Wyndmoor and Channel 6 moved to the higher structure. 

That 1957 tower still stands, too, and it’s the home of Channel 6’s broadcast antenna today.

102.1, then WFIL(FM), had begun broadcasting in 1947 the Widener Building in Center City, where its AM side, 560 AM, had been for a decade. It had originally begun operating in 1942 at 45.3 MHz with the callsign W53PH.

Also in 1957, 102.1 came over to Roxborough and began transmitting from the original Channel 6 tower. 

The next major tower to be erected is what’s known as the “Banks” tower, which went up at the farm in 1965, and it also stands high at 1,095 feet. TV Channel 17 signed on in 1960, according to a history of the site by Scott Fybush. It was purchased by the Philadelphia Broadcasting Company four years later, then owned by Aaron Katz and Leonard Stevens.

In 1965, it moved to the new tower at 329 Domino Lane.

According to Fybush, Stevens was related to William and Dolly Banks, owners of 1340 WHAT(AM) and, at the time, 96.5 WHAT(FM). 96.5 would end up on the tower for a time, and they would ultimately change its call letters to their initials, WWDB(FM).

Down on Domino 

I met Mark Humphrey, Travis Martin, the director of engineering at Radio One in Philadelphia, Jared Styles, the director of engineering at WXPN(FM) and Zach Maupin, assistant engineer at WXPN, at Tony Roni’s, a pizza shop right at the corner of Domino Lane and Ridge Avenue in Roxborough.

The Ivy Ridge Shopping Center isn’t directly “under the towers.” But less than a half mile up a hill, the six towers that are north of 1,000 feet in height are easily in view.

From where we ate lunch at the Ivy Ridge Shopping Center, just down the hill on Domino Lane is a building constructed for the one-time Philadelphia Bulletin newspaper, and it would be the home of 98.9 WPBS — Philadelphia Bulletin Station. It’s the same building that I spent a summer as an intern for WJJZ 20 years prior. 

The station studios would stay on Domino Lane through multiple format changes — as soft adult contemporary, changing its calls to WUSL(FM), for the “U.S. 1” moniker in the late 1970s, country music briefly in the 1980s, and then its present-day hip hop format from 1982 onward — until owner Clear Channel moved it to the other side of the Schuylkill River in Bala Cynwyd in 2006.

To facilitate the transition from analog to digital TV, WUSL relocated its antenna in 1998 to the original Channel 6 tower site, where its transmitter is now diplexed with sister iHeartMedia station WIOQ(FM).

100.3 FM, then and now

As Humphrey explains the history, there is a natural synergy between him and Martin, the past and present Radio One chief engineers.

Humphrey recalls how 100.3 was the first station in the market to run RDS fulltime. Allen Hartle, founder of The Radio Experience (later sold to Broadcast Electronics), had designed a roadside billboard display for KZOK in Seattle. “There were approximately 1,500 five-watt wedge-base lamps in the matrix,” Humphrey said.

Along Interstate 95 near Penn’s Landing in the late 1990s, “Y-100” had a billboard with the artwork of a Denon car radio display that was linked to RDS.

In the air studio was a PC running software Hartle had developed. Humphrey explained how he rigged its keyboard with an optocoupler across the Enter key. Each time a CD player started, the keyboard was pulsed to the next song title in the playlist copied onto a floppy disk; then, “Now Playing” data showed on RDS, as well as the Y-100 website.

Hartle deserved credit for the software, Humphrey said, but our table could not help but marvel at how ahead of its time this solution was.

Martin, the 100.3 engineer of today, led us out of Tony Roni’s to the first stop on our antenna farm tower. 

Stress-free management 

We headed to the broadcast site of KYW(TV) and Radio One’s WRNB.

Martin gave us a tour of WRNB’s equipment rack, including its water-cooled, GatesAir Flexiva analog and HD Radio transmitter, which Radio One installed in 2023.

His only concern at the moment was scheduled downtime at the KYW/WPVI tower to add a new antenna. WRNB would have to switch over to its Newtown Square auxiliary site for a day or two in the middle of the month.

“Will it be seamless?” I asked.

“Check with the site manager,” Martin deadpanned, looking at Humphrey.

Martin’s relatively stress-free management at Roxborough contrasts with the access issues at One Liberty Place, the home of sister station WPPZ(FM) in Center City.

A video of a YouTuber who climbed to the top of the building — and touched the active antenna spiral that Radio One’s WPPZ and WMMR use — can make simply getting up to equipment rooms a challenge.

“It went viral and we’re still paying for its security consequences,” Martin said.

Next, we moved to the Gross Tower transmitter building, the home to WXPN.

The tower went up in 1979 to broadcast WWSG(TV), owned by William S. Gross, on Channel 57.

As we entered, Humphrey explained that a portion formerly housed “wireless cable” equipment transmitting in the Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) band.  

Philadelphia was not fully wired for cable TV until sometime in the 1990s.  “Without cable TV, there was a market for pay television transmitted over the air,” he explained.

However, a special grid parabolic antenna was needed to receive the microwave transmission, the kind you still sometimes see on top of low houses, he said. Gross originated the service from the tower and had a transmit antenna installed.

“There’s been a lot of transition here,” Humphrey said of the Gross Tower.

He’s been part of it. After he became WRTI’s chief engineer, Gross offered Temple University antenna space at the 980-foot level of his TV tower. Humphrey helped orchestrate WRTI’s move.

Channel 57, now WPSG, no longer broadcasts from the site, as it moved to the tall Channel 3/Channel 6 tower.

For WXPN’s Styles and Maupin, meanwhile, they’re part of keeping the engine humming of a highly regarded operation in the Delaware Valley. It’s also heard on Class B1 outlets in Middletown, Pa., on 88.7 WXPH(FM) and Hackettstown, N.J., on 91.9 WXPJ(FM). 

Operated by the University of Pennsylvania, XPN runs an adult album alternative format. It moved to the Gross Tower in 2007 from the former Channel 48 tower. WXPN runs 2.6 kW ERP as a Class B FM station.

But its 1,198 ft. height above average terrain, using a 5-bay ERI antenna attached to WPSG’s analog pylon, is the second-highest HAAT of any of the Roxborough FMs, just behind fellow noncom WRTI.

“A huge improvement with half the power,” Styles said.

Its Harris Z8HD transmitter was installed in 2007. At the time of writing that Z8HD is slated to become an auxiliary — as Humphrey helped install a GatesAir FAX5 main transmitter for WXPN this June.

Many days and nights 

As many towers as there are in Roxborough, there is not one to each station.

That means engineers from competing organizations have to work together to ensure each other’s stations operate efficiently.

Ben Hill worked more than four decades as a broadcast engineer in Philadelphia, from the late 1970s until he retired as chief engineer at 94.1 WIP(FM) in 2022.

He knows the engineering scene, and by association, Roxborough, as well as anyone. 

Hill was also chief engineer of Roxborough tenants WIOQ from 1989–1999 and WDAS(FM) from 1999–2004, and worked for years at KYW(AM) and the former WSNI(FM) before that.

“I spent many days and many nights at that farm,” Hill recalled rather affectionately.

Filled with chain-link fences that separate dirt roads from the streets like Domino, Umbria and Paoli, just getting to the base of the towers could sometimes be treacherous. 

But with engineering being a tight-knit community to begin with, particularly in Philly, there was a sense of community.

“It got to the point where we each had our own transmitter-room door,” Hill said.

He also remembered the help from vendors. So many of Roxborough’s stations use ERI antennas, and Tom Silliman, the company’s president and CEO, would often come down for hands-on assistance.

If equipment needed to be swapped out or added, there was a common courtesy among the parties who frequented Roxborough.

“The companies didn’t get along, but we engineers got along fabulously,” Hill said.

Hill said that a particularly memorable moment for him at Roxborough was directing a successful deployment of a Shively antenna atop WIOQ’s tower — the Channel 6 original. The side-mounted antenna improved the station’s signal right down the Atlantic City Expressway, toward the Shore, Hill recalled.

But there were also some long days where even going home was no escape.

The intersection of Domino Lane and Umbria Avenue was the site of Philadelphia’s northwest trash  incinerator that opened in 1960. 

Families on social media recall going down to the incinerator site to toss in bags of waste.

Philadelphia’s Public Interest Law Center’s website wrote that there were numerous complaints from Roxborough and Manayunk residents about smoke, odors and ash.

Hill experienced this firsthand.

“I’d go out to my car and it would be covered in soot,” Hill said. 

If engineers were working outside, silica-like dust might cover their clothes after a few hours, depending on incinerator activity.

The site closed in 1989 following a consent decree with the city of Philadelphia.

More recently the city opened the Northwest Transfer Station, a modernized facility for solid waste and recycling.

Across the Delaware Valley

We’re not talking about thousands of feet of elevation anywhere close to the river valley that runs up and down the Delaware River, which separates Pennsylvania from New Jersey.

But the Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line, where the Piedmont and Atlantic coastal plain meet, falls smack-dab right through the city of Philadelphia.

The elevation of Center City Philadelphia is not much above sea level. Roxborough, to the west of the fall line, is approximately 250 ft. above sea level. 

That slight boost, plus its central location to Philly’s western suburbs and the Lehigh Valley, make it the logical location for broadcast stations to begin setting up shop.

As I rode home that July evening, a drive out the Schuylkill Expressway and over the Ben Franklin Bridge into South Jersey that I’ve made numerous times, I thought about the placement of the Philadelphia FMs. 

Much of the four southern New Jersey counties within the Nielsen radio market of Philadelphia are line-of-sight to the towers, even being 10 miles northwest of the river in Roxborough. 

For millions of listeners and viewers today, those signals from the farm are indeed at the perfect spot. 

Postscript

The original tower at Roxborough, dating from the time after TV Channel 6 moved from the Widener Building, is still used today by iHeartMedia’s 98.9 WUSL(FM) and 102.1 WIOQ(FM). WUSL and WIOQ share a combined, side-mounted antenna, a 6-bay Shively 6814-6D antenna, according to Mike Fitzpatrick’s NECRAT website.

Channel 6 itself broadcasts on the 1957 tower Annenberg had constructed, from a circularly-polarized Dielectric antenna. 

Their first digital antenna, which transmitted on UHF Channel 64, was mounted to the 2002 KYW-TV tower. But the channel was recovered by the FCC for resale in 2008, so WPVI moved back to Channel 6.

WPVI built a new transmitter facility at the base of the 1957 tower two years ago.

WPPX(TV) also broadcasts here, as well as a combined master auxiliary antenna for KYW(TV) and WPSG(TV). 

American Tower’s Paoli Ave. 1,090-foot-tall “Gross” tower is home to:

• 88.5 WXPN(FM) (using a 5-bay ERI antenna at the top)
• 92.5 WXTU(FM) (using a Katherin-Scala panel directional antenna)
• 95.7 WBEN(FM)
• 101.1 WBEB(FM)
• 102.9 WMGK(FM)
• TV: WPSJ(CD), WLPH(CD)
• Auxiliaries: 90.1 WRTI(FM), 97.5 WPEN(FM), WXTU, WTDY, WBEB, and WMGK

American Tower’s Candelabra, constructed in 2002 during the digital TV transition, is home to:

• 90.1 WRTI(FM)’s two-bay panel (top center)
• A five-station master FM panel for: 94.1 WIP(FM), 96.5 WTDY(FM), 98.1 WOGL(FM) and 103.9 WPHI(FM).
• Auxiliaries: WXTU (on the five-station master panel), and WOGL (three-bay).
• TV: WDPN(TV) Channel 2, WCAU(TV), WPHA(CD), WPHY(CD), WFPA(CD), W25FG(D), WDUM(LD), WELL(CD), WTVE(TV) and WWSI(TV).

The Banks Tower, approximately 1,090 feet high and also owned by American Tower, is home to:

• 90.9 WHYY(FM) (2-bay panel)
• 104.5 WRFF(FM) (2-bay antenna)
• 105.3 WDAS(FM) (2-bay panel)
• TV: WHYY(TV), WPHL(TV), WMCN(TV) and WUVP(DT).
• Auxiliaries: WHYY, WIP, WBEN and WMGK.

KYW(TV)’s tower, which went up in 2002 is home to WPHI(FM). According to Mike Fitzpatrick’s NECRAT, at 1,270 feet, it’s the tallest tower in all of Pennsylvania.

• WPHI’s 7-faced ERI panel directional antenna (just below)
• TV: WPVI Channel 6’s panel (at the top), Channel 3, WPSG(TV) and WPPX(TV)

Only Fox’s WTXF(TV) maintains a standalone broadcast site, using an 1,120-foot tower.  

WRNB continues to maintain an auxiliary site at its former home in Newtown Square, Delaware County.

The only band we’ve not mentioned in this story is AM, but 1540 WNWR(AM) maintained a three-tower array on the 7300 block of Ridge Ave. up until 2017. Its Collins 20V-2 auxiliary transmitter is pictured here, which Humphrey said was offered to him for conversion to the 80-meter amateur radio band.

WNWR now operates from the WHAT(AM) tower site along Conshohocken Ave. in the Wynnefield Heights section of the city.

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The post In Philadelphia, Broadcasting Begins in Roxborough appeared first on Radio World.

Press Communications believes that its country-formatted 106.3 WKMK(FM) has many listeners in the New York City metropolitan area.

And after the company raised an objection to a move of a translator that it argued would cause interference within its protected signal contour, the Federal Communications Commission is taking its side.

In October 2024, Family Stations sought to operate its New York W292FV(FM) 106.3 FM translator in the Bronx after it lost its lease for a transmitter site in Westchester County. The FCC granted Family’s application.

But Press Communications argued that would cause interference to listeners of its same-channel Class A FM, licensed to Eatontown in Monmouth County.

Press and Family Stations exchanged objections and replies. Among its contentions, Press believed that, due to the translator’s license nearing expiration due to a year-long period of silence because of that loss of lease, Family Stations was using the deadline for action to spur the commission in making a decision on the grant, and thus, not giving Press the time it needed to gather listener interference complaints.

The FCC granted the petition and license objection from Press, accepted its showing of predicted interference to country-formatted WKMK(FM) in Eatontown, Monmouth County, rescinded the grant of a modified application and returned the translator’s license to pending status.

For Family Stations, the outcome may not be a huge detriment to its desire to be heard on a Manhattan-based FM signal. This month, it purchased 107.9 W300EI(FM) from Apple 107.1 Inc. for $425,000 to relay Family Radio from 1560 WFME(AM). The translator is located on the east side of lower Manhattan.

The religious network is also heard on Class A 106.3 WYMK(FM), licensed to Mount Kisco, N.Y., in Westchester County.

Particulars

In December 2023, Family submitted a silent special temporary authority request for the translator, reporting that it had been off the air since that October due to a loss of its transmitter site lease in New Rochelle, N.Y. It operated with two watts from a site just east of the campus of Iona University.

A year later, just before its license would potentially expire, Family filed a modification for a new site to the southwest within the New York City limits in the Bronx, just north of The Bronx Zoo.

Press objected, arguing that the modified facilities would cause interference within WKMK’s 45 dBu signal strength contour, which it said covers approximately 3.9 million people across the New York metropolitan area.

(Read the commission’s full decision.)

The company provided the names and locations of 15 WKMK listeners within the interference zone and said it was in the process of obtaining signed declarations from those listeners.

In response to the objection, Family modified its application by reducing the translator’s operating power in the Bronx from five watts to a half watt. That reduction, Family said, would eliminate interference to all but two of WKMK’s listener complainants.

But Press filed another objection, arguing the proposed facilities would still cause interference and that one watt of effective radiated power is the lowest authorized in the FCC’s rules. It also identified additional listeners subject to experiencing interference.

Press requested the application not be granted until it had reasonable time to supplement its original objection.

The Media Bureau granted the modification that October. Family then filed for a license application, which included program test authority. Press contended that Family put the FCC “in the position of having to act quickly” on its application to prevent the license from expiring.

Following an exchange of further objections and replies, Press argued in November 2024 that the central issue in the proceeding was that the FCC failed to provide Press with “any time” to put together an interference package pursuant to the commission’s rules, thus “effectively precluding Press” from participating in the proceeding.

Upon engineering review, the Media Bureau found that Press had satisfied its requirements for a reconsideration and established that interference was predicted to occur to WKMK at the time the petition was filed.

“We caution Family against future reliance on processing staff’s willingness to accommodate last-minute filings and emphasize that timely restoration of permanent facilities is the responsibility of the licensee and should be undertaken expeditiously,” the bureau wrote.

W292FV, as a result, will return to its previously licensed facilities from the New Rochelle site.

Because the translator did receive program test authority to operate from the Bronx site, however, it is not currently in danger of losing its license due to the period of silence, the Media Bureau said.

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The post FCC Grants Press Communications’ Objection to NYC FM Translator appeared first on Radio World.

How does an industry convention keep up?

That is the question the organizers of IBC 2026 believe they have answered. 

Held at the RAI Amsterdam from Sept. 11–14, the show is positioning itself as an anchor for an evolving global media landscape, drawing attendees from more than 170 countries despite broader macroeconomic pressures.

The event drew approximately 43,000 visitors last year, and so far, booking is largely in line with last year, IBC organizers said during a media briefing on June 17.

But the reasons for attending have fundamentally shifted, which the organizers acknowledged. 

Peer-to-peer

IBC 2026 remains anchored by three primary pillars, according to Jo Mayer, its head of marketing: shifting business models, transformative technology and people/purpose. 

But one of the primary ways organizers are addressing the desire for practicality is through the launch of the IBC Exchange and the Braindate Lounge.

It came out of sensing the need for structured peer-to-peer networking, Crimp and Mayer said, over traditional casual meetings. 

Attendees can form peer groups, consult with technical experts and discuss shared business challenges. 

Crimp hopes the conversations will build into long-term relationships.

“The power of IBC is the power to convene,” he said.

Igniting recruitment

Another focus this year organizers highlighted is the expansion of the Futuretech segment in Hall 14, which is 30% larger this year following an increase in session attendance. 

It includes Futuretech Ignite, an initiative run in partnership with the European Union-backed EIT Culture and Creativity. The zone connects approximately 50 startups and entrepreneurs with the wider ecosystem via a Startup Zone and the Ignite Stage.

The center of the Futuretech zone remains the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Program, Crimp said, which is now in its third year.

Running parallel to the engineering projects is the IBC Talent Program, now in its third year.

The four-day initiative focuses specifically on recruitment, workforce diversity and skills development. The program seeks to connect academic institutions, local universities and independent creators with broadcast network recruiters.

The European Broadcasting Union, the European Institute of Innovation & Technology and Women in Streaming Media partner with IBC to produce it.

The setting of Amsterdam, a multicultural city, Crimp highlighted, also offers ample opportunity.

Audio and transmission

The physical footprint of the show is expected to be spread across 14 halls, hosting approximately 1,200 exhibitors. 

Radio-related attendees will particularly want to prioritize Hall 8 at the RAI Amsterdam. It will host many familiar hardware, audio processing and AoIP exhibitors.

In total, for the 2026 show, practical AI integration, content trust and authenticity and workforce development will all be themes.

The speaker lineup features industry analysts and media executives like Claire Enders, CEO and founder of Enders Analysis, Eline van der Velden, founder and CEO of Particle6 and Marion Rathmann, group VP of content and programming networks at Warner Bros. Discovery. 

Sally Watts, IBC’s content manager, highlighted the session “Disrupt, Innovate, Create: How to Embrace AI,” which will include senior industry voices on how to maintain provenance, trust and security through use of the technology.

Running parallel to the sessions is the peer-reviewed technical papers program.

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The post In Amsterdam This September, IBC 2026 Centers on Conversation appeared first on Radio World.

Here are its descriptions of the inductees, including links to bio videos:

“Dave Magnum built Magnum Media with his family, including dozens of broadcast stations across Wisconsin.

“Kelly Radandt‘s broadcasting career reflects a rare blend of strategic leadership, compassion and unwavering dedication to people and community.

“Jeff Tyler‘s nearly 50-year broadcasting career is marked by versatility, vision and a lasting impact on local radio.

“Steve Wexler’s broadcasting journey began with a childhood passion for radio and evolved into a distinguished career spanning on-air performance, executive leadership, and industry mentorship.”

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame was created in 1989 and has 172 members. It is housed at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center and the WBA Hall of Fame website.

The association has also recognized four Local Broadcast Legends at its Summer Conference:

“Randy Allen is an on-air presence with deep knowledge of country music and unwavering professionalism, which has made him a trusted companion to listeners throughout the Green Bay, Appleton, and Oshkosh markets.

“Dave Luczak is the voice Milwaukee woke up to, becoming one of the most trusted and enduring figures in local radio.

“Rod Perry is a lifelong broadcaster whose career has spanned more than 65 years, making him one of Wisconsin’s most enduring voices in radio.

“Susan Siman is a trusted voice in Wisconsin television journalism for nearly four decades, earning a reputation for extraordinary professionalism, integrity, and compassion.”

WBA said Local Broadcast Legends are individuals who “work behind the scenes and within their communities fulfilling the commitment broadcasters have made to serve their local communities.”

The post Wisconsin Broadcasters Name Four to State Hall of Fame appeared first on Radio World.

The Texas Broadcast Museum in Kilgore, Texas, has a spiffy new studio setup, the work of retired broadcast engineer Jerry Whitaker. 

Jerry gathered reconditioned equipment of late 1970s and early 1980s vintage and he assembled and installed it to provide a functional studio.

East Texas television station KLTV ran a feature about it recently. 

“What I have here is a working radio station, including the ability to put a signal on the air at very low power,” Whitaker told the reporter.

Thanks to the Texas Association of Broadcasters for providing the photos here. 

If you’ve been in this business for a while, you’ll probably recognize some old friends in these pix. How many products can you identify from these pix and the TV interview? Drop me an email to johnpbisset@gmail.com. 

Smith chart

Looking to brush up on your knowledge of Smith Charts? Sim Smith is a useful program. 

A Smith Chart “enables the computation of complicated equations related to transmission lines and circuits for matching,” according to the website Lightning Chart, which adds that the Smith Chart was named after inventor Phillip Smith, who developed it at Bell Telephone’s Radio Research Lab in the 1930s. Mizuhashi Tosaku, a contemporary, is credited with a similar innovation. 

Insect-proof your site 

Warmer weather is a good time get a jump on potential autumn insect trouble spots, says contract engineer George Spence. For instance, he suggests you spray under your building eaves to guard against nesting insects, as well as around AM antenna tuning units. 

Our Editor in Chief Paul McLane points out that common pesticides cause great damage to local bees, pollinators and other important components of your natural ecosystem, so before you proceed, do a little online searching and you’ll find useful information about lower-impact pesticides, alternative treatments and best practices. 

Also fill any small empty screw-holes or bolt-holes with silicon sealant. For larger holes that could permit vermin to get in, try a combination of copper wool and sealant. Remember, mice can squeeze through very small spaces, so don’t overlook crevices. 

In buildings or outdoor enclosures, scatter moth balls or rodent repellent pouches liberally. Such deterrents also work with snakes. 

Do you keep snacks handy at your site? Rodents have a keen sense of smell. Make sure your food is sealed in metal, heavy plastic or glass containers with screw-on tops. 

What else can an engineer do to limit problems with insects and rodents? Email me at johnpbisset@gmail.com.

And if you don’t already keep a space blanket, a spare set of clothing and some sealed bottles of water at each of your remote sites, stock up now, don’t wait for winter.

Crystals and the war

History buff and engineering consultant Frank Hertel writes that in 1941, America had no radio crystals, so engineers cut 30 million from Brazilian quartz mines. You can watch an interesting 40-minute video about this topic on YouTube. Search “America Had No Radio Crystals in 1941.”

Freeze spray

Thermal cameras and tools — like the FLIR One that we’ve mentioned before — can be a real boon for troubleshooting, but not everyone has the budget.

Matt Aaron, former technical director at Ramsey Solutions, suggests you try a can of freeze spray and spritz it on intermittent or questionable parts. A blast of cold can help you diagnose faulty or failing components quickly.

Keeping at it

After serving Cox Radio in Richmond, Va., for decades, Jon Bennett turned in his retirement papers a while back. So as he gets older, is he considering hanging up the ol’ soldering gun? Nope. 

While physical limitations prevent him from practicing his craft as a chief engineer or contract engineer, they don’t stop him from building and troubleshooting gear.

Many engineers set up shops in their basements and continue to tinker. Retired engineers also represent a base of institutional and legacy knowledge, so if you find yourself facing issues with older gear, check in with the retired members of your local SBE chapter.

And speaking of retirement …

After nearly 17 years with Telos Alliance, I have retired as of May 31. My customers are being placed in the capable hands of Jeff Williams, formerly of Yellowtek. I appreciate the leadership of Scott, Tom, Marty, Cam and Jim — great people leading a great company.

I plan on continuing to bring you the Workbench column, which remains one of Radio World’s most popular features thanks to you and your ideas and tips. Keep them coming, and remember that they qualify for SBE recertification credit. Email johnpbisset@gmail.com.

[Read Another Workbench by John Bisset]

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When trumpeter Hugh Masekela recorded the 1968 instrumental hit “Grazing in the Grass,” perhaps this is what he had in mind.

On a warm, windy Thursday afternoon in the New Jersey Meadowlands, the Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 15 held its annual summer barbecue.

The Meadowlands is one of the more radio-rich sites around, and the perfect place for such a gathering. Within view at 1010 WINS(AM)’s broadcast facilities in Lyndhurst just to our southeast were 1190 WLIB(AM)’s towers, using three during the day and four at night, and 710 WOR(AM)’s three-tower site. Also within sight is the FM broadcast tower for 94.7 WXBK(FM).

About three dozen members of the New York City engineering community and beyond gathered for a full tour of the facilities on Polito Avenue in Lyndhurst, N.J. Chapter chair Bud Williamson and vice chair Andy Gladding hosted the festivities.

The chapter honored Jeff Schick of Sprite Media, who was named SBE 15 Engineer of the Year.

Three Audacy New York City engineers — Joe Stack, Dennis Graiani and Mindy Hoffman — generously provided a tour of the transmitting facility for 1010 WINS(AM). The site houses the station’s primary transmitter, two auxiliary transmitters and a backup transmitter for sister station 102.7 WNEW(FM).

Stack led the group out into the Meadowlands to inspect each of the four towers. He explained how the station coordinates its daytime and nighttime patterns from the array, adjusting the power field ratios and timing phases between the towers to morph the signal shape after sunset.

WINS(AM) operates from a four-tower array that has stood since 1995. But visitors can easily see remnants of the original four towers just to the east, where they stood from 1943 until the mid-90s rebuild.

As Scott Fybush noted, then-owner Westinghouse began addressing WINS signal issues in 1995 due to same-channel protections for CFRB(AM) in Toronto. As part of that effort, Westinghouse bought KSYG in Little Rock — which also broadcast on 1010 — and took it off the air, as recounted in the M Street Journal.

The 1995 engineering overhaul allowed WINS and Toronto’s CFRB to direct more signal toward one another while maintaining required protections.

Of course, WINS added a simulcast on 92.3 FM in 2022, but the redundancy and care on display in Lyndhurst are evidence that the station’s AM presence isn’t going away anytime soon.

Stack noted that he is at the site at least once a week performing inspections.

The gathering blended the tried and true with the new, as several students, including from Gladding’s work at Hofstra University, were in attendance.

[Do you receive the Radio World SmartBrief newsletter each weekday morning? We invite you to sign up here.]

The post A Summer Afternoon at the Meadowlands appeared first on Radio World.

Beware the millennials and Gen Z’ers who believe everything runs on ones and zeros.

Of course, the core functions of Sage and DASDEC equipment are software-based. However, in order for the system to work, it requires monitoring of external analog audio sources from FM tuners, NOAA weather radio and satellite feeds — or soon to be dedicated internet “receivers.”

In many small stations, then, once emergency traffic is detected, the EAS alert needs to be inserted into analog program streams ahead of audio processors, STL transmitters or codecs, all on the way to the transmitter.

That’s a pretty blue box shown in the article, but who will design and connect the analog interface?

Small station groups may only have a local contract engineer who comes in only when needed to “put the fires out.”

The bigger groups?

Too many stations for their engineering staff to keep track of.

— Tom Taggart, Seven Ranges Radio, Parkersburg, W.Va.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Letter: Pump the Brakes on Software-Based EAS appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World: Rob how did this talk come about?

Rob Bertrand: I’ve spent 12 years or so focused on ratings watermarking as it pertains to spoken word. My work began with the primitive tools we had available not long after Arbitron released their new methodology in 2008 and continued to evolve as I noted patterns in failure alarms, audio distortion and ratings spikes and dips in the early days. 

It so fascinating to me that the audio chain had such a direct impact on our ratings. I loved partnering with folks around the industry to help improve this situation for my favorite radio format: all-news.

RW: What did you do to perfect encodability at WAMU? 

Bertrand: Essentially, I took all I learned about ratings watermarking for all-news and sports at CBS and I brought it to WAMU. It made a big difference in ratings performance — for a number of years, consistently besting the ratings powerhouse of WTOP. 

For sure, this included adding supplemental audio processing like the 25-Seven Voltair, but it involved efforts that extended well beyond adding a single piece of hardware.

I spent a great deal of time testing and modifying air chain designs and processing approaches for our spoken-word formats in New York. When I arrived at WAMU in 2016, that was still fresh in my mind. 

When I asked my new boss at WAMU, “Hey does public radio care about ratings?” he enthusiastically said “Yes!”

I spent time analyzing our performance using a box that I may have been the only one to buy: the “Voltair M,” a monitor-only version of the Voltair that was a precursor to the TVC-15 analyzer. 

It confirmed my suspicion that public radio content, with its wide-open dynamics and frequent periods of silence, watermarks very poorly.

Gaining that visibility into encoding performance via the Voltair-M and the TVC-15 was a game-changer in thinking about spoken-word watermarking performance.

We spent several years working through multiple iterations of improvement. Ultimately the “productized” technology caught up, and we wound up with the “gold standard” of using the insert point on an Omnia.11 processor, Voltair and TVC-15 to tame the Voltair and help the audio during passages where it needed help the most.

I am proud of the fact that we received so many unsolicited compliments on the audio quality of WAMU. A lot of folks have spent too much time focused on audible distortion induced by misusing the Voltair without taking the time to understand how it can be used responsibly. It really is possible to make a big ratings impact for spoken-word audio without making it sound harsh.

A big takeaway here is that the PPM system works. Spoken-word just needs a bit more help to ensure consistency. Attention to this issue really matters for this format, especially.

RW: You’re now a partner and CEO at Inrush. How does this work carry over?

Bertrand: I’m able to take all that I’ve learned over the course of my career and share it with so many people, regardless of whether they are commercial or public, large or small. 

I’ve been working at this so long. I built a “watermarking analysis lab” in my basement when I began to forge my path as a consultant. 

The biggest operators have internal resources and substantial leverage with Nielsen to ensure their ratings encoding operates at peak performance. For small operators and public operators, there isn’t anyone teaching about these issues. I’m able to play an educational role and deliver hands-on technical expertise. 

I work with exceptional people at Inrush who are smart about so many things. I’ve been glad to contribute this piece of unique technical expertise to our already strong repertoire.

RW: What does your experience say about how people are consuming public radio?

Bertrand: I started down this renewed PPM analysis path during COVID because I noticed an interesting trend. After the initial shock of the shutdown and everything, WAMU saw gradual audience loss over time. Other public stations were seeing far steeper audience losses than we were. For sure, the nature of the Washington, D.C., market is unique; but I suspected there was something more going on.

For a long time after finishing those encoding experiments and subsequent improvements, WAMU was No. 1 in Washington. This ranking was achievable because of the highly educated residents of the D.C. metro area and how one’s level of education generally correlates with a likelihood to listen to public radio. 

[Related: “TPR Adopts Inrush Shared Support Model”]

When I looked across the industry and saw other public stations suffering far greater losses after COVID — or consistently ranking outside the top 10 — I became curious. 

We know that radio audiences are shifting on the whole. But public radio listeners really, really love public radio. I found it hard to believe that all these die-hard fans had just started to fall away. It didn’t make sense.

At WAMU we had optimized our stream for PPM encoding in the same way we did for FM. So I knew that as people shifted to from listening to FM to the stream, they were still likely to be measured as strongly via PPM as they were for FM. This was despite the reality that listening to a stream at home would generally be at a lower audio level — i.e., harder for a PPM meter to “hear” than in the car.

So I wanted to know how stations that optimize watermarking on the stream vs. those who don’t were performing. There was a problem, though, in that I couldn’t find another station to compare to. So I had a data set of only one station until very recently; and that’s hardly enough to prove a theory.

RW: What else should we know?

Bertrand: I’m proud to say that we’ve helped another station achieve results similar to WAMU. They gained nearly a 50% cume increase within the first weeks following our processing work. 

They were a centerpiece of my talk at PREC. We will need to follow them over the course of time to watch the interplay between FM listening, streaming shifts and ratings impact. I’m hoping to build a bigger cohort for this long-term study as well.

My hope is that as more leaders across public media become aware of these success stories, they’ll call us for help.

This effort is as much an educational process as anything — trying to get engineers to look beyond the bad rap that PPM enhancement developed 10 years ago and understand how critical it is to help ensure their audiences are fully counted. In public media, especially, this has never mattered more.

As much energy as we are putting into our digital evolution, we still need the fuel of our linear broadcast and streaming audiences to propel us forward. Ensuring that we can continue to tell a strong sponsorship and fundraising story is critical to being able to secure the funding we need to survive in this pivotal moment.

This story is part of the free ebook “Optimize Your Air Chain.”

The post PPM Works, But Spoken-Word Radio Needs a Bit More Help appeared first on Radio World.

We continue our “Building Radio” venture by turning our attention to the programming and identity of WDOG(LP), the LPFM station I helped launch in New Philadelphia, Ohio.

First, a quick nod of appreciation: the “Big Dog” is WDOG(FM) in Allendale, S.C. My sincere thanks go out to Good Radio Broadcasting for allowing our “little dog” to use the call letters for our LPFM.

As we all know, branding, marketing and promotion are massive pieces of radio’s success puzzle. Unlike the old days of print media, we aren’t the only game in town, nor are we the only station hitting the local market. It takes exceptional branding and smart programming to stand out.

From a technical standpoint, you want to stand out by delivering a clean, high-quality audio signal. But most importantly, the ultimate differentiator is localism — offering something worth listening to that is genuinely relevant to the audience.

Prior to going on the air in July 2024, a significant amount of research went into finding a format and market position where we could broadcast to a large enough audience. We wanted to ensure we weren’t simply filling the void of “Amish metal polkas.”

To put it another way, programming voids always exist, but do those voids create a legitimate need for a broadcaster? Would sending MP3 players pre-loaded with a customized playlist out to all three listeners of that highly specialized genre justify the expense?

I say this tongue in cheek, but I have always maintained that we are in the broadcast business. Our goal is to capture the largest possible audience to justify the expense and the responsibility of holding an FCC license.

I have encountered tightly targeted narrowcasting formats that I simply couldn’t imagine more than 1% of the total listening audience wanting to hear 24/7. Specialized programming certainly has its place, but it serves the audience best when tucked strategically inside a broader format.

Tuscarawas County’s rock station

After determining that a rock format was wide open in our market — with outside signals failing to penetrate effectively or focus on our local towns — we needed to figure out exactly what kind of rock would work.

Drawing on my own experience at stations like 106.7 KAZY(FM) in Denver, “QFM 96” WLVQ(FM) in Columbus, WONE(FM) in Akron and the former alternative powerhouse WENZ(FM) “The End” in Cleveland, I began digging into what might click.

I leaned heavily on the lessons taught by excellent former program directors and friends in the business — leaders like Ward Holmes, Brian Taylor, Art Wonderlich (the famous “Tiny Tot of the Kilowatt”), Steve Kelly, JD Kunes and Dave Robbins. The core inspiration came from 1980s rock radio, specifically WONE’s unique take on the format.

But to make a station relevant today, I knew it couldn’t just be another tired classic rocker. The format had to go a bit wild and completely untraditional.

While we initially assumed our target demographic would lean heavily male and over 35, the reality turned out to be far more comprehensive. We included the staples — Led Zeppelin, The Cars, Pink Floyd, Crosby Stills & Nash, Supertramp, ELO, Metallica and Bruce Springsteen.

To add that critical “gee-whiz” factor, we sprinkled in unexpected “oh-wow” tracks from The Ramones, Talking Heads, Freshies, The Damned, Oingo Boingo and The Cramps. Finally, to maintain a fresh edge — and because there is an incredible amount of great new rock being made — we added acts like Twenty One Pilots, AJR, Nick Simmons & Evan Stanley, American Hi-Fi and Finger Eleven.

The resulting format is a true kluge of rock that gives listeners maximum variety without causing them to tune out. We now have older rockers asking, “Who is this AJR? They’re really interesting,” while simultaneously discovering 16-year-olds falling in love with everything from the Talking Heads to Zeppelin. It has been a fantastic, unexpected surprise.

Our branding underwent a similar evolution. We actually started out as “Bad Dog Radio.” After some on-air experimentation and testing, we realized it sounded a bit too much like “bad dog radio” — which felt pretty counter-productive. It also gave zero indication of what we actually played. A quick revision gave us “The Rock Dog.”

Because LPFMs operate as non-commercial, non-profit stations, our original mission was built around supporting other local non-profits.

After learning that some commercial stations in the area actually charged non-profits for promotional support, we drew a line in the sand: we will never charge to help another non-profit organization. And given our identity as The Rock Dog, it only felt natural that our deepest support went toward helping our local no-kill animal shelter.

Visuals

Next came the logo. We needed something fun — something far beyond standard call letters plastered next to a generic microphone or tower. Ideally, the logo would be cool enough that people would actually want to display the bumper sticker or buy the t-shirt.

Growing up in Northeast Ohio, I had the ultimate example of a logo listeners would happily pay to wear: the beautifully designed WMMS Buzzard in Cleveland. That legendary bird was the direct inspiration for our Rock Dog character.

I tried a few AI image generators first, but the results lacked soul.

So, I turned to my daughter, Abby, who sketched out a fantastic baseline concept. I then passed her artwork to my friend Don Archiable — a talented architect and broadcast engineer — to refine and advance the design. Through a collaborative process, the final step was transforming the logo into a living, breathing cartoon character.

Our visual journey took us from “Bad Dog” to “The Rock Dog.” The upcoming images show that exact progression.

You will notice that the final three-dimensional cartoon version pays a fun tribute to its origins. Look closely and you will see the original “Bad Dog” design printed right onto The Rock Dog’s own t-shirt!

With the format and branding locked in, the next phase was establishing our on-air audio signature through our liners, sweepers and identifiers. Coming from the old school of rock radio, I was used to the traditional, booming male voice. Wanting to break the mold, I listened to numerous voice talents before deciding to go in a completely different direction: a youthful, female voice.

My 22-year-old daughter, Abby, who has done professional voice work over the years, became the definitive voice of the station. Her sassy, high-energy delivery became the central sound for all our station IDs, liners and musical bridges.

In our next segment, we will shift our focus from programming and branding over to the engineering side of the business.

How do you make a 100-watt LPFM sound like a major-market, Class C flamethrower while retaining the charm of a lovable hometown station? It was a thrilling challenge to create a big-market sound on a very small-market budget.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post This LPFM Fills a Rock Music Format Void appeared first on Radio World.

Organizers of the TAB Show are calling attention to the conference’s radio-relevant content this year.

The Texas Association of Broadcasters says radio will have a “huge footprint” at the show, which will be held in early August outside of Austin.

They’ve also announced that broadcasters in nearby states will be able to attend at the $165 TAB member rate; that applies to radio professionals in New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana. An exhibits-only option costs $70.

Technical sessions will cover AI applications in radio; RF sweeps of transmission lines and antennas; building a podcast studio; how to get the most out of SNMP; and the ongoing saga of the C-Band.

Speakers discussing programming, management and sales will include Jimmy Steal, Gordon Borrell, Jeff Schmidt, Phil Becker, Seth Resler, Juan Galdamez, Beth Mann, Tom McAuliffe and Chris Del Conte. (Speaker info is here.)

The closing night’s Awards Gala will include salutes to Ben Downs of Bryan Broadcasting with the TAB Lifetime Achievement Award; Hill Country Broadcasting’s Jan Fritz, the Pioneer Broadcaster of the Year; ATW Media Owner/Operator Paul Gleiser, the Radio Broadcaster of the Yea;  and San Antonio’s Cox Media Group, honored as Radio Station of the Year.

Attendance is expected to be around 1,200 people. The exhibitor list has around 80 companies so far.

“The educational content offerings are extensive— impossible for one person to take in — and focus on engineering, revenue growth, programming and leadership,” TAB said in a release.

Info: tabshow.org

[For more industry events, see the Radio World online calendar.]

The post TAB Show Highlights Radio Sessions and Booths appeared first on Radio World.

For one thing, the FCC is exasperated by cyberattacks on EAS equipment that “continue to occur with disturbing frequency.” So it is getting ready to issue several new requirements this week.

At its meeting this Thursday, the commission is expected to mandate that radio stations, TV stations and other Emergency Alert System participants install network firewalls on EAS equipment as well as other potential weak links like STLs that carry EAS content.

If this order is approved (as I fully expect), stations also will be required to change default passwords on their EAS systems, and to test and install security patches and upgrades from equipment manufacturers promptly.

Maybe you already follow all of these practices. But it’s clear that many stations do not.

In its draft, the FCC writes that for years it has been urging EAS participants to implement basic cybersecurity hygiene but that some have still not done so.

“Despite our repeated efforts urging EAS participants to take basic steps to secure their networks … successful attacks have continued into 2026.”

It notes that bad actors have gained control of radio station systems “by exploiting improperly secured, remotely accessible equipment in the broadcast signal processing system to transmit unauthorized audio that included EAS alert tones, an offensive song that included racial slurs and promotional content.”

The expected order will require that “default passwords for EAS equipment, studio transmitter link equipment and any remotely managed equipment that routes, processes or inserts content into the EAS participant’s programming stream be changed prior to any use to broadcast to the public.”

Passwords would have to have a minimum of 15 characters, not use dictionary words and not be reused elsewhere (though the plan would also allow stations to use certain alternative authentication measures as highlighted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology).

The order will require stations to implement firmware and software patching promptly, to reduce the risk that someone can exploit vulnerabilities to infiltrate broadcast and cable systems to insert false EAS tones or alerts.

And it will require stations and other EAS participants “to use a network firewall or comparable network segmentation practices to limit remote management access to authorized devices and authorized users, which will secure EAS and other vulnerable equipment on a private network inaccessible to the public internet.”

It said that REC Networks had identified 730 EAS participant servers through which the password screen for Sage Alerting Systems’ ENDEC EAS device was directly exposed. Many of them operated on the default port for HTTP web services, making it “easy and cheap” for bad actors to find EAS equipment.

Stations would need to ensure that their EAS equipment is secured behind a firewall or other segmentation mechanism, “such as a dedicated Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), demilitarized zone or physically isolated management network,” with access restricted to the internal systems and ports that are necessary for EAS operations.

EAS participants would have to either “deploy a hardware or software firewall with appropriate filters, reconfigure existing routers to block inbound public internet connectivity to EAS devices, or otherwise isolate EAS equipment from general-purpose business networks so that unauthorized external access is not possible.”

The FCC emphasized that these changes go beyond your EAS box. It said unprotected studio transmitter link equipment and remotely managed equipment that “routes, processes or inserts content into the EAS participant’s programming stream” also create opportunities to transmit false alerts or disrupt alerts.

Watch your daily Radio World SmartBrief for coverage of the expected FCC vote in late June. If you’re not already getting it, sign up now.

Separately the commission is exploring several other important changes to EAS and to Wireless Emergency Alerts. It’s doing so in a further notice of proposed rulemaking that it is expected to launch at the meeting in June.

One notable change would allow the implementation of EAS capabilities via software instead of hardware — though not in the cloud.

[Related: “Sage Alerting Presents Software-Based EAS to the FCC”]

“We believe that as the industry shifts toward IP-centric architectures, it is important that the commission consider whether there is an opportunity to modernize EAS processing better to support public safety and to improve operational efficiency for EAS participants,” the draft FNPRM states.

The National Association of Broadcasters has pressed the FCC to offer this option, and the idea has been a focus of much discussion among the broadcast alerting community. Now the FCC is taking the issue up officially, along with several other changes to EAS.

If the notice is approved, it will take public comment on a host of specific questions about how it all would work. We’ll be covering this in more detail soon.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Put a Lock on It appeared first on Radio World.

WeatherCenter.ai is a new service for radio stations from Joda Media.

It’s an AI-based weather platform that Joda describes as “entirely self-service and completely automated.”

Costing $249 per month per location, it delivers live, current forecasts based on National Weather Service data.

“Natural, on-brand scripts are generated automatically for every market,” Joda states.

“You can even tune the content of the forecasts to your particular region, like the threshold for mentioning wind, humidity and information.”

Segments come fully produced using AI voices and the station’s music beds and sponsor billboards. They’re delivered via Joda’s CDN, FTP or a desktop app.

The company website offers a demo using your own music bed.

Info: https://weathercenter.ai/

The post Joda Media Launches WeatherCenter.ai appeared first on Radio World.

Broadcast Radio has released Myriad Playout v6.9, which includes an integration with Promo Only.

Promo Only, or POOL, is a licensed provider of music subscription services. Broadcast Radio said this version of Myriad makes it quicker and easier for radio stations to search, import and manage new music.

“The standout feature in v6.9 is direct access to Promo Only music downloads from within the Myriad Import Wizard,” it said in the announcement.

“Stations subscribing to Promo Only can now browse, preview and download the latest clean music without leaving Myriad, creating a much faster workflow for adding new content to their libraries.”

Commercial Director Liam Burke said this should save stations several steps.

Other new features include smarter audio importing; automatic metadata population; simple search functions to identify tracks already downloaded elsewhere; and performance and reliability improvements.

Myriad Playout v6.9 is a free upgrade for current Myriad 5 and Myriad 6 customers.

Info: www.broadcastradio.com

The post Broadcast Radio Adds Promo Only Integration appeared first on Radio World.

Harris has been promoted to senior vice president of news and programming at Red Apple Media.

In a release, Red Apple Media Owner John Catsimatidis called Harris a “game-changing talent” who knows how to build winning content and lead high-performing teams.

Harris, an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, said he is honored by the opportunity to help expand the company’s national and international footprint.

He was hired in May to help bolster the debut of the Worldwide News Network, which launched the day after the CBS News Radio shutdown.

Inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2024, Harris is best known for his 30-year run as the morning anchor at 1010 WINS(AM) in New York.

Beyond his work in New York, Harris has advised broadcasters across Europe and Asia, helped launch Moscow’s Kommersant FM, lectured across China and served as the New York Bureau Chief for NewsNation.

In the 1990s, he also authored several Radio World articles.

[Do you receive the Radio World SmartBrief newsletter each weekday morning? We invite you to sign up here.]

The post Red Apple Media Promotes Lee Harris appeared first on Radio World.

“Voitrai V3 introduces expanded automation compatibility, including support for DJB Radio and DJB Zone, enhanced natural-language scripting, instant voice cloning capabilities and an all-in-one production workflow that eliminates the need for separate AI subscriptions and services,” the company said, noting that it is celebrating three years since launch.

The Professional plan starts at $199 per month and includes 10 hours of monthly production capacity, which Voitrai says is sufficient for the voice tracking and content needs of most stations. The platform integrates with automation systems now including RCS Zetta, DJB Radio, DJB Zone, Music Master, StationPlaylist and Play It Live.

Founder Bill Clanton said the tool can help local stations that need to produce more content across multiple platforms.

“Radio people aren’t looking for robots to run their stations,” he said in a press release. “They’re looking for ways to spend less time on repetitive production tasks and more time creating great programming. That’s what Voitrai was built to do.”

Info: https://voitrai.com

[Read the new Radio World ebook “Optimize Your Air Chain”]

The post Voitrai Releases V3 of Its AI Service for Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Broadcast radio’s place in the connected dashboard is no longer guaranteed. Keeping that place will require unified industry standards and relentless education of automakers.

That was the message delivered during WorldDAB Automotive 2026’s closing session on June 11 in Frankfurt, Germany.

The one-day event was hosted by WorldDAB, which promotes the DAB/DAB+ digital radio standard.

Radio today competes against streaming apps for in-vehicle real estate. In this competitive context, “Radio can’t be taken for granted,” warned Gregor Pötzsch of CARIAD, VW Group and chair of the WorldDAB Automotive Working Committee.

If access to broadcasting is buried beneath multiple touchscreen menus, frustrated drivers will switch to easier-to-access audio sources.

“If you can’t find it, you can’t use it,” he said.

To address this problem, WorldDAB’s user experience guidelines provide automakers and broadcasters with clear, research-backed design rules for delivering the best possible in-car digital radio interfaces.

“The purpose of the UX guidelines is to channel all of the experience and all of the knowledge that we’ve got in this organization and from hundreds of broadcasters into a piece of education for car manufacturers,” said Nick Piggott, RadioDNS vice president and vice president of WorldDAB.

These rules work in tandem with Radio Ready, a broadcaster-driven advocacy initiative campaigning globally to secure dashboard prominence, which Piggott likened to the “chefs” of the operation.

“You need to give the developers, you need to give the product managers more detailed instructions of what specifically do you need to do, and that’s the purpose of the guidelines documents,” he said.

To keep pace with evolving technical demands, the WorldDAB Automotive Working Committee recently upgraded its rules from static documents into a dynamic, paginated website.

“It makes it much easier for us to expand it because when we started with user guidelines, we were very, very heavily focused on physical layer presentation,” said Piggott.

Meanwhile, as voice control becomes a standard dashboard feature, broadcasters must supply precise metadata to car manufacturers and voice assistant platforms to ensure their stations remain discoverable.

“If a broadcaster wants their radio station to be reliably found by a driver making a voice request for it, they’ve got to provide all of the information to make that a successful identification,” Piggott added.

Additionally, complex or confusing station labels can lead to severe driver distraction, making intuitive search options a critical safety necessity.

“You don’t want to scroll through 100 [DAB] stations … the selectability and the variety is very good, but you can’t have your eyes for 10 minutes on the screen,” said Pötzsch.

When technical display errors do arise between over-the-air signals and complex automotive media setups, the committee runs investigative workshops to isolate missteps.

“We’re trying to find out what went wrong,” Piggott said, adding that the group focuses on solutions rather than assigning blame.

Ultimately, protecting radio’s place in the dashboard requires cooperation and unity across public networks, commercial stations, chipset makers and global automakers.

“It’s about bringing together the technical expertise, broadcaster needs, automotive reality with one goal, improving the radio experience for the driver,” concluded Jacqueline Bierhorst, president of WorldDAB.

[Related: “WorldDAB Celebrates Receiver Growth”]

The post WorldDAB Tackles Dashboard Confusion appeared first on Radio World.

Public radio engineering departments are operating in a new reality since federal funding for the sector dried up in 2025. 

The loss of money means tighter cap-ex budgets and fewer technology projects, according to multiple sources.

Engineering and technology departments are also seeing lower staffing levels in some cases, though widespread cuts haven’t been evident. Local fundraising has made up for some of the loss after the Corporation for Public Broadcasting closed, though not all.

CPB provided grants to many public stations, though generally not specifically for public radio engineering.

In this new era, public radio engineering budgets are coming under more scrutiny. 

One engineer in a major market told Radio World that his department has being asked whether “there is any money left over from projects that can be clawed back for other purposes.”

The cuts have left public engineers seeking to “strike a balance between operational efficiencies and being deliberate on how they allocate resources,” one source said. 

Attendance at this spring’s Public Radio Engineering Conference in Las Vegas was “solid and up slightly,” according to the Association of Public Radio Engineers, when virtual attendance was counted in. 

Yet Scott Hanley, president of APRE, said there were indications that the funding cuts are hitting hard.

“We heard from a number of stations, vendors and networks that did not send engineering and tech talent to PREC or the NAB Show this year. Many stations and universities, which a lot of stations are licensed to, have drastically cut their travel budgets.”

He said more PREC attendees chose the half-priced virtual option — of 109 registrations, more than 30 participated remotely.

Vermont Public Radio lost about $2 million in federal funding as a result of the federal cuts, though Joe Tymecki, its SVP of engineering & technology, says the loss has been mitigated by successful statewide fundraising campaigns. 

Despite more local support, Vermont Public has cut staff positions and left others unfilled, including one in the technology department, Tymecki said.

“We have pulled back on things to concentrate on delivering the important stuff like being reliable and staying on the air. We are the state relay for EAS, which we take very seriously. It’s about making sure we maintain our systems,” he said. “I’d say we are in maintenance mode right now.”

Despite the federal rescission, Tymecki says his cap-ex funding “was level from last year to this year.” 

This spring Vermont Public Media has been focused on adding a video product to a daily talk show, which will allow it to take content and turn around the video for posting to its digital platforms, including Instagram, Facebook and websites. 

Tymecki said the loss of CPB has also created a vacuum of leadership on technical issues within public media.

“CPB made it possible for the rollout of HD Radio in a lot of markets where it wouldn’t have otherwise. They put a lot of money behind it and made it affordable for public broadcasters,” he noted.

“CPB provided a strategic and philosophical direction for public radio. That leadership on breakout technology has been lost now.”

The organization was also a good sounding board for questions about various technologies and governance, he said. 

Stacey Decker, general manager and CEO of Nebraska Public Media (NPM), said it hasn’t eliminated engineering positions as a result of federal cuts, but its priority is to remain nimble while continuing to support people and services that are core to its mission.

He said NPM continues to invest in key areas. 

“On the radio side, that includes expanding our service to Omaha in June 2026, with the launch of a new signal on 101.9 FM. We are also making targeted investments in equipment and workflows to strengthen the reliability and long-term sustainability of our radio service,” he said.

As of this spring NPM has not scaled back any major radio buildout initiatives, Decker said. 

However, as one prominent DOE for a public radio group put it, stations are looking to “stretch every dime, and making careful calculations about what can be cut, and where. We are now seeing a reduction in maintenance of HVAC, generator and UPS systems, not to mention transmitters and even towers. Pushing out anything in hopes that there might be money for it later isn’t really a long-term strategy.”

This observer said that having a broadcast signal off the air for an extended time — once unthinkable — now may be acceptable in certain circumstances, given the upswing in digital consumption. 

“Work that would only be scheduled at night normally is now being scheduled for the middle of the day, impacting drive time, because it is less expensive,” this source told Radio World.

Another public engineer in the field, who also requested not to be named, told Radio World the loss of CPB funding has hit small, rural public media broadcasters hardest. This person cited the rise of contract engineering groups and said these “can be a salvation for a small station with little to no engineering or technology department left in the building.” 

Meanwhile, several broadcast equipment suppliers told us they are seeing a “more cautious approach” to spending by public broadcasters.

Media projects have slowed a bit, said Jeff Soderberg, enterprise solutions engineer with StreamGuys, which specializes in live and on-demand streaming tools for broadcasters.

“We’re seeing a conservative approach in public radio engineering spend. It hasn’t stopped, but stations are trying to manage budgets wisely and make each dollar go further.

“That said, most stations have recognized that digital distribution and digital revenue are important to their long-term sustainability. For that reason, we’re seeing caution more than a downturn,” Soderberg told Radio World in an email.

He said the reaction by public media broadcasters to the new reality varies.

“The smallest rural stations seem to be struggling the most, since they received larger portions of revenue from the CPB. Larger stations were receiving a smaller portion of revenue from the CPB and often had a stronger donor-base to make up the gap for now,” he said.

For the most part, Soderberg said there appears to be a consensus among broadcasters that digital is a key part of their future.

“They’re expecting to innovate, find new ways to collaborate with other stations, and new ways to generate revenue.”

Rob Bertrand is CEO of Inrush Broadcast Services and a former public radio engineer. He said the funding pressures faced by pubmedia have created opportunities for his company, which provides consulting, installation and maintenance services. 

“There are organizations who are well-poised to pivot in this moment and change the way they operate or potentially not backfill full-time roles that face vacancy due to retirement or general attrition. In some cases this opens the opportunity to execute a project using external resources like Inrush,” Bertrand said.

In addition, public broadcasters are collaborating with other public media organizations in new ways, he said, or “at least they are trying to stabilize their legacy radio operations so they can pay more attention to future-growth areas such as digital expansion.” 

He said at least some public media organizations are taking a business-as-usual approach.

“Their on-air fundraising pitches have changed, but in some cases they continue to delay the inevitable need to start operating in a new way. Change is hard for everyone, and there’s a full spectrum of reaction to meeting this moment,” Bertrand said in an email.

[Read more about the future of public radio.]

The post Public Radio Engineering Feels the Cuts appeared first on Radio World.

Amidst continued uncertainty for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, its president and CEO Stephen Capus, has announced his resignation, effective Sept. 15.

Capus has led RFE/RL since January 2024.

In many respects, it seems remarkable that the private corporation is funded by Congress through a grant from United States Agency for Global Media is still around.

Last year, as we reported, a judge ordered the USAGM to disburse RFE/RL’s congressionally appropriated funds for FY 2025, after the organization filed a lawsuit challenging an administration directive to freeze its funding.

Approximately $650 million of funding for the USAGM was signed by President Trump in February for FY 2026, which ends on Sept. 30. But according to Reporters Without Borders, RFE/RL’s FY 2026 budget was cut roughly 25% from previous years.

In a release, Capus said that it was an honor of a lifetime to serve in the role, and he expressed his gratitude to the organization’s journalists for commitment, professionalism and steadfastness under immense pressure.

“At a time when America’s adversaries spend billions trying to control the information space, I welcome the intent of both Congress and the Executive Branch to support an organization that has fought successfully on the information battlefield for 75 years,” Capus said.

As part of a transition, RFE/RL’s board of directors has named Lisa Curtis as Capus’ successor.

Curtis most recently served as a senior fellow and director of the Indo-Pacific security program at the Center for a New American Security.

With 35 years of experience on U.S. policy toward the Indo-Pacific Region, Curtis served for more than 20 years in the U.S. government, including at the CIA, the Department of State, Congress, and the National Security Council, where she was deputy assistant to the president and NSC senior director for South and Central Asia during the first administration under President Trump.

Curtis served as a member of the RFE/RL board of directors from September 2022 and as its chair from July 2024.

She resigned from the RFE/RL board on June 6, the release said.

Stephen Rademaker, a board member since July 2025, succeeds Curtis as its chairperson. 

RFE/RL said its programs — digital, television and radio — reach a weekly audience of approximately 44 million people in 18 countries and 24 languages.

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The post RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus to Resign appeared first on Radio World.

Aaron makes a great point. Redundancy is still the foundation of keeping a radio station on the air. Backup systems, failovers and solid design are things every engineer depends on. No argument there.

Where I see things a bit differently is in how newer tools can fit into that picture. The goal is not to replace traditional systems or engineering judgment. It is to support them.

Most of the systems we use today react after something has already gone wrong. What they do not do well is help us spot patterns before a failure happens. In a setup with multiple transmitters, IP links, and remote sites, those early warning signs are often buried in logs and alarms.

That is where smarter monitoring tools can help in a practical way. Things like recurring link issues, gradual signal problems or repeated faults under certain conditions can sometimes be easier to catch earlier when you have something helping you make sense of large amounts of data quickly.

On the cost side, I understand the concern. But the value is not just in preventing downtime. It can also come from saving time during troubleshooting and reducing repeated problems.

Also, we are at a point where this technology is still growing and finding its place. Much like how computers and the internet became part of every tool and device we use today, AI is heading in the same direction. It is not a question of if, but when. Every new era of technology starts with skepticism, and this one is no different.

This is not about choosing between new tools and redundancy. Redundancy keeps us on the air. Better tools can help us avoid getting close to failure in the first place.

At the end of the day, it is just another tool. One that needs to be used carefully and only where it actually makes sense.

The post AI Is Still Finding Its Place appeared first on Radio World.

The ball appears to be rolling at the Federal Communications Commission to allow radio stations to implement emergency alerting capabilities via software instead of hardware.

Representative of Sage Alerting Systems met with members of the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau earlier this month to discuss potential “live” in situ testing of Emergency Alert System software by Sage, according to a filing from the manufacturer that included details of the meeting.

The FCC is taking a closer look at changes to EAS and Wireless Emergency Alerts, and has released a draft of a further notice of proposed rulemaking that, if adopted, would allow the use of EAS software by broadcasters if they choose.

It’s a development the National Association of Broadcasters and some radio broadcasters have been pressing for.

The FCC will consider the notice at its meeting on June 25.   

The plan is still in the discussion stage, according to according to the Sage filing. The meeting included elements that would be important to include in a potential test plan, including duration, number of participants, data collection, measuring contention for resources on shared compute platforms, cyber security and engineering support.

“The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau emphasized the importance of maintaining a redundant non-test relay path in a given area’s EAS legacy relay design, and to that end, using only test areas where an approved FCC state plan is in effect,” Sage said in the filing.

The June meeting between Sage and the commission was a follow-up to a “possible next steps” discussion during a software EAS demonstration Sage participated in at the FCC’s headquarters in May.

In an interview this week, Radio World asked Sage President Harold Price for more details on what testing EAS software might involve and the implications of emergency alerting software for broadcasters.

RW: What was the purpose of the meeting at the FCC?

Harold Price: EAS broadcast from a device that is not Part 11 certified is not currently permitted. We started discussions on ways to do on-air software EAS tests before the FCC’s proposed rule making draft was circulated. Our intent was to show that software EAS was compatible with existing EAS systems in the field and could coexist with legacy devices.

While the draft shows the FCC is interested in discussing software EAS, Sage and others in the broadcast industry want to move forward with on-air testing. It will take several months to move from a draft to an actual report and order, and many questions will be asked and answered during that process. Practical experience will help bring the NAB’s 2025 petition to fruition.

RW: Is Sage free to start doing “live in situ” testing yet?

Price: We aren’t free to transmit EAS from a non-Part 11 device over the air. It is not yet clear which of several possible paths to live testing is the most appropriate here, that’s what we hope to learn from continuing discussions with the FCC. Monitoring and logging of EAS is permitted, however.

RW: What specific elements need to be part of a test plan?

Price: This is under discussion. Cybersecurity and interoperability with the existing system will be part of the discussion.

RW: The FCC seems to be taking pains to say it is open to putting EAS in software but not in the cloud. What are the implications of that philosophy?

Price: EAS has several roles, including support for locally issued warnings in the legacy audio format, and support for FEMA’s primary entry point system with relay of the National Emergency Message — what was once called EAN, or Emergency Activation Notification.

This infers the ability to receive in-market over-the-air alerts. There have been, and will be, outages in off-premises cloud services. Moving completely into the cloud can reduce the overall redundancy of EAS.

Sage firmly believes in maximizing redundant data paths in EAS. Note that there is a risk of conflating “the cloud” with “things that are connected via IP” and “LAN” vs “WAN.”

This will undoubtedly be part of the comment process for the notice of proposed rulemaking.

RW: Is this process specific to Sage? Is it intended specifically to help the company test its own approach, or are you talking here about a broader industry effort that would involve other stakeholders and potentially other suppliers?

Price: The discussion we’ve started with the FCC is specific to Sage; we don’t presume to speak for the industry. We are working with other companies to do this testing.

Orban Labs spoke out in favor of a live testing plan at the NAB show in Las Vegas this past April.

There may be a common test plan down the road. However, the actual protocols and procedures described in Part 11 define the EAS standard and will continue to do so; these are already well known.

The test plan currently under discussion is to give the FCC assurance that “software EAS” can be tested live without putting the day-to-day operation of the existing EAS ecosystem at risk.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Sage Alerting Presents Software-Based EAS to the FCC appeared first on Radio World.