Industry News

I read with interest the debate over the KDKA centenary. I appreciate that many individuals and organizations were involved in the origins of what we now know as broadcasting. But I feel that a few important facts have been overlooked.

Radio depended up a number of technically sophisticated inventions. The vacuum tube was essential. The three leading industrial organizations with the research capability and certainly the patent portfolio to address the complicated and multifaceted process of radio communications were Western Electric, General Electric and Westinghouse.

Through World War I, each made significant progress in the art of electronics.

[Read: What, Exactly, Was First About KDKA?]

Western Electric was responsible mainly for land-based telephone equipment and their development of the high vacuum tube was essential for telephone repeater equipment.

General Electric provided the Fessenden alternator constructed by Ernst Alexanderson. Alexanderson proceeded to design larger RF alternators for point-to-point radio communications. Their sale of these machines to American Marconi for international communications led to the creation of the Radio Corporation of America in 1919.

Westinghouse was well known for providing the first successful alternating current generation and power distribution systems and through Westinghouse employee Nikola Tesla, provided the induction motor.

All three companies were engaged providing radio equipment under contract to the military during World War I. It was after the war and returning to civilian life the technology was to be put to use elsewhere.

Western Electric dabbled in radio but proceeded to provide public address systems and shortly technology for the first successful electronic audio recording technology. RCA meanwhile was exploring worldwide point-to-point communications. Westinghouse first attempted to enter this market but was thwarted by RCA’s monopolizing the market. So here was Westinghouse with a considerable degree of expertise and a large patent portfolio looking to apply it to a profitable business need.

Radio broadcasts in 1920 were intermittent, often highly publicized events for radio amateurs and experimenters. These broadcasts were often crudely done and I am not aware of any serious effort to sustain such efforts as there was no business plan.

The importance of Nov. 2, 1920, and KDKA was that it was the first time an industrial manufacturer with a business plan conceived of the entire process of creating regularly scheduled news and entertainment programming they could “broadcast” to the public, financed from the sale of consumer receivers, which were manufactured in large quantities by Westinghouse. Vice President of Westinghouse H.P. Davis saw that there was an interest in Westinghouse Chief Engineer Frank Conrad’s amateur broadcast activity, and Davis thought there was a business in it.

The question of how to adequately finance this business was a tricky one in radio’s earliest days. Westinghouse in 1921 joined the “Radio Group” that comprised General Electric, and shortly, Western Electric along with others. To finance broadcasting the sale of receivers and perhaps a tax or license was considered. When Western Electric New York station WEAF experimented in 1922 with “toll broadcasting” or allowing payment to WEAF in return for advertising over the airwaves, the revenue garnered by toll broadcasting allowed Western Electric to secure better talent and more listeners. That is another interesting story in itself and you can see where this is leading.

I would like to assert that Westinghouse therefore began the “business” of broadcasting on Nov. 2, 1920.

The author worked for PBS member station KAET and PBS/NPR stations WSIU/WUSI as chief engineer, and was director of engineering for the PBS member station NY Joint Master Control.

Comment on this or any story to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Westinghouse Began the “Business” of Broadcast appeared first on Radio World.

This is a good time of year to service air conditioning systems at your studios and transmitter sites.

Of particular interest is the condensate drain. Algae can form a tight plug, preventing proper drainage and causing the condensate pan to overflow and drain into your studio or transmitter.

Take five minutes to remove the cleanout cap, shown in Fig. 1, and using a bottle brush, make sure the drain tubing is clear in both directions.

A little Clorox brand or other disinfecting bleach in the trap will guard against algae formation.

Anti-algae tablets for the drain pan are available at big box stores or online. Search for SimpleAir Clean Flow HVAC Drain Line Treatment Tabs (less than $10).

Down at the car wash

Speaking of water, readers were 50/50 divided on whether our anecdote about running a transmitter through a car wash was a joke. (Editor in Chief Paul McLane emailed me asking if it was for real. My reply: “Absolutely. The best way to get years of grime out of a transmitter.”)

Edd Monskie, senior VP of engineering with Hall Communications, had a chuckle when he read the tip.

He recalls that when he moved to Lancaster, Pa., in 1977, he lived in a rented ranch house along a beautiful creek. After a deep snowfall followed by a day of heavy rain, that cute creek became a flooding torrent. The entire ranch house was flooded with mud and dirty flood waters, up to 48 inches deep.

Edd figured that everything he owned was ruined but he had no flood insurance, so with nothing to lose, he decided to take a garden hose and open every item one by one to wash the mud out. Kitchen appliances, radios, tube television and even a washer and dryer.

He says almost all of these continued to work once they were allowed to dry completely, even the old tube console. The TV worked for another two years. The washer and dryer were good for at least another five years. Furniture that came unglued continued to serve once he reglued it.

Edd marveled at what he was able to save with a good washing, lubrication if needed and a full drying.

K-Love/AIR1 Engineer Scott Todd remembers seeing Mike Dorrough of DAP Processor fame cleaning an old transmitter with a garden hose and sprayer at his cabin in northern Wisconsin some 30 years ago. Scott says all the heavy iron was out of it at the time to be replaced when everything was dry.

Bill Bowin is the chief engineer for North American Broadcasting Co. He too enjoyed the note about washing old transmitters at the car wash.

Many years ago, an engineering mentor told Bill about the time he had purchased a load of studio equipment that had been exposed to a station fire. While the equipment hadn’t been damaged by heat, it was covered in soot and a creosote-like substance that had dripped from the ceiling.

Bill’s colleague said he carefully removed transformers and meters from the gear, took the remains to a car wash lot and coated them liberally with Easy-Off brand oven cleaner. After waiting 15 minutes or so, he hosed off the grime. The equipment looked like new, and after it had dried and been reassembled, it actually worked.

Exciter fix

Bill adds that Dave Mathews is one of his assistants and is perhaps the best bench tech that he has worked with. You will remember Dave’s YouTube video about retuning a Moseley 6010/6020 STL. Bill says that STL is in use on WMNI(AM), where it replaced a Marti STL-8 dating to 1973.

Dave himself writes in to say that he has posted a new video about fixing a common problem with a Harris Digit CD FM Exciter. The fix involves a resistor in the PLL (Phase Locked loop) section that has changed value. The video also shows how Dave figured out the problem with common sense and basic equipment.

He has nearly a hundred videos posted over three years on www.youtube.com/AERVblog. As you peruse them, be sure to watch his video describing a repair of a broken thumb drive. It’s fascinating.

Dave provides a unique service to broadcast engineers, and we appreciate his sharing the link.

Keeping things neat

It probably goes without saying that most engineers abhor messy wiring.

Loxdo is marketing an inexpensive wire management system that uses 3M brand adhesive on small plastic forms for wires to snap into. In addition to keeping single runs of wire straight and neat, there’s a bracket that snaps onto the edge of a counter or table to secure a charging cord so it’s not always falling on the floor. This also eliminates the need to drill holes in furniture or countertops.

Their site has videos with ideas about how these can be used; visit www.loxdo.com and search for “finisher wire clamp.”

The 20-piece kit comes in white, clear and black plastic; at this writing it is on sale for $12.99, and less in quantity.

John Bisset has spent over 50 years in the broadcasting industry. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. He holds CPBE certification with the Society of Broadcast Engineers and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award.

Workbench submissions are encouraged, qualify for SBE Recertification, and can be emailed to johnpbisset@gmail.com.

The post Water Water Everywhere: Workbench appeared first on Radio World.

The author is managing director, Enterprise Radio Solutions, for Veritone. Radio World invites industry-oriented commentaries and responses. Send to Radio World.

The plight of modern radio advertising can be summed up by a quote that’s more than 100 years old.

“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half,” John Wanamaker, an early marketing pioneer and merchandising maven, once lamented.

Decades after Wanamaker’s merchandise empire became part of Macy’s, the struggle remains — advertisers are skeptical of the ROI of their radio spots. With no data-backed method of attributing leads or new traffic to a format like radio, advertisers have historically been unsure whether their investments are lost to the airwaves, while at the same time, almost every dollar spent and impression achieved on digital is measurable. Like Wanamaker, they’re stuck guessing how much budget is actually wasted.

[Read: ASR Is a Key Entry Point for AI]

But artificial intelligence technology is poised to redefine radio advertising ROI. By digitizing the airways and making content searchable, radio station advertising operations can finally give their clients the data they need to connect the dots on the ROI of their spend.

AI in Action on the Air

Rapid advances in speech-recognition and transcription have created opportunities for ad managers in the past. But a digital transcript does little to reveal value for advertisers on its own.

When we talk about AI in radio advertising, we’re looking at advanced applications that analyze and standardize transcript and programming data in near real-time — usually in the form of software or a cloud platform. Typically, these platforms also give ad managers a dashboard with a suite of tools to analyze placements — allowing them to break down ad attribution in new ways for existing clients and uncover opportunities to find new ones.

But the real power comes from directly attributing ad spend to website traffic. With AI enabled technology, advertisers can see when a radio spot or mention is driving people to their website — in real time. AI is the only reliably effective way to track and record both unscheduled live reads and organic mentions and report on their metrics. This level of depth can influence how advertising content is made and when it’s aired, and allow advertisers to test the effectiveness of these shifts in strategy.

AI Allows Ad Managers to Be More Savvy

AI isn’t a far flung concept in radio — many applications and use cases are already creating proactive and creative opportunities for radio advertising departments. Some examples of what’s possible include:

• Connecting to Client KPIs: Advertisers have their own internal business goals they’re trying to accomplish with a campaign, along with a set of metrics they use to measure success. AI applications can help prove the effectiveness of their placements toward these goals.

For example, AI along with website analytics can correlate traffic spikes to a client’s websites with the timing of an ad placement. Instead of the traditional estimated reach and value, it’s now possible to show how advertising spots and campaigns track with client goals.

• Powering Earned Media Measurement: From host reads and testimonials to contests and promotions, radio has long been known for its ability to deliver creative and valuable advertising integrations beyond just a spot buy. As advertisers ask for more added value in today’s current economic climate, up until recently, earned media couldn’t effectively be measured. AI can detect these earned media integrations and automatically apply them to the delivery goals of the campaign in terms of placement, frequency and impressions delivered. This allows the earned media to be part of the advertiser’s ROI calculation so radio gets the full credit it deserves.
• Enabling More Strategic Placements: Advertisers are increasingly sensitive to where and when their ads appear, and AI can help promote contextual targeting and enhance brand safety. With the advent of digital audio and podcasting, many advertisers are purchasing digital audio ads programmatically and targeting based on a combination of first and third-party audience data.

Increasingly, advertisers also want to be associated with topics and content that are complementary to their brands and business –– for instance, a fitness center that wants to target episodic content focused on health and wellness. AI can automatically determine the prevalence of topics and keywords discussed in each episode, allowing an advertiser’s ads to be associated –– or disassociated –– accordingly.

AI is reshaping the way we talk about radio advertising ROI, and the discussion isn’t dealing in hypotheticals. AI applications in radio are already firmly in place at many stations across the country — are you prepared to keep pace?

The post AI Is the Next Step in Redefining Radio Ad Sales ROI appeared first on Radio World.

iHeartMedia has announced plans to acquire Voxnest, a podcast and analytics organization. The acquisition will provide iHeart’s podcast infrastructure with new features including a new podcast analytics platform, enterprise publishing tools, programmatic integration and targeted ad serving for the growing podcast market.

As of press time, the terms of the acquisition have not yet been released.

[Read: Share of Listening to Podcasting Hits All-Time High]

With the boom in podcast consumption over the last few years, iHeartMedia said this acquisition will allow it to provide podcast advertisers with additional targetable inventory at scale. Through Voxnest’s programmatic platform, iHeart will be able to more successfully monetize content across iHeartMedia’s podcast inventory, the company said.

According to Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia Inc., the combination of iHeart and Voxnest will ensure critical mass for the podcasting platform and accelerate its growth. “As we continue to invest in podcasting and lead the industry, we anticipate this acquisition will have an important impact on iHeart’s ability to more fully monetize its podcast inventory, and will also benefit the other podcast publishers that are part of the Voxnest network and the advertisers who are using it,” he said.

The acquisition of Voxnest’s technology is an important addition to the iHeart digital product ecosystem, Pittman said, which includes iHeart’s SmartAudio suite of broadcast radio advertising solutions, the iHeartRadio digital platform and the company’s position as a commercial podcast publisher.

According to iHeart, this acquisition will also allow the company to drive greater monetization for creators of podcast content — independent of wherever they currently publish their shows — by connecting Voxnest’s ad technology with multiple publishing platforms across the industry.

According to Voxnest, the advertising technology capabilities it brings to the table include dynamic ad insertion; content targeting to listeners based on demographics, territories, devices and interests; programmatic podcast buying across audio platforms; and a full podcast analytics platform.

The podcast marketplace has been fragmented, with supply and demand spread across multiple platforms, which creates scale challenges for marketers who want to buy podcasts, said Francesco Baschieri, CEO of Voxnest. Despite the significant growth of the podcast industry, podcast creators and networks have not had an effective way to fully monetize their content and brands, he said. “With this combination, for the first time there will be one podcast technology platform that can bring together all of the demand sources with the largest supplier of podcast inventory — creating the only podcast technology platform that consolidates all the podcast markets into one, making buying more efficient for buyers and sellers of podcast advertising, and creating a unique benefit for the 10,000-plus podcast publishers that are part of the Voxnest network today,” he said.

The acquisition is not the first time that iHeartMedia has worked with Voxnest: the media company owned a minority stake in Voxnest prior to this acquisition.

The post iHeartMedia to Acquire Podcast Company Voxnest appeared first on Radio World.

“The Path to Media Ownership and Sustainability,” an all-day virtual symposium on Nov. 6, is the FCC’s next program in its initiative “to empower disadvantaged communities and accelerate the entry of small businesses, including those owned by women and minorities” into the media and programming industries. In addition to financial speakers and station executives, the program will include Capitol Hill staff members who will outline policies to expand media ownership diversity.

The Nov. 6 symposium comes on the heels of Oct. 23’s “Tech Supplier Diversity Opportunity Showcase.” Both events are being organized by the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment (ACDDE).

For the “Access to Capital” program, which will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time, the focus will be on broadcaster financing and sustainable revenue. Media executives and lenders will describe current tactics to obtain financing for broadcast station transactions “in today’s challenging financial circumstances,” according to the FCC announcement of the program. In addition, experts will examine the history of the previous broadcast tax certificate policy and the potential for a new tax certificate policy to increase ownership diversity.

The symposium will include presentations from Nielsen Global Media, led by senior VP for Community Alliances Stacie deArmas and Senior VP for Product Leadership Bill Rose. Their panel will examine ratings measurements for multi-ethnic broadcast stations and will feature a discussion of how small and diverse broadcasters can attract increased advertising revenue.

Caroline Beasley, CEO of Beasley Media Group and chair of the ACDDE Access to Capital Working Group will open and close the day-long program. The lineup of speakers and panelists includes Jeffrey Smulyan, chairman/CEO of Emmis Communications; DuJuan McCoy, president/CEO of Circle City Broadcasting, LLC; Raúl Alarcón, president/CEO/chairman of Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc.; Russell M. Perry, CEO, Perry Broadcasting; James Winston, president of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters; Tomás Martinez, co-owner, Solmart Media; Adonis Hoffman, founder of The Advisory Counsel, LLC; Wiley Rein LLP partner Anna Gomez (representing the Hispanic National Bar Association); Wiley Rein LLP partner and former FCC Commissioner Henry Rivera; and Maurita Coley Flippin, president of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council and a member of the ACDDE Diversity in the Tech Sector Working Group.

In addition, Congressional staffers will offer updates on pending legislation intended to increase diverse media ownership.

Additional information and registration is available from Jamila Bess Johnson, the Designated Federal Officer for the ACDDE: 1-202-418-2608; Jamila-Bess.Johnson@fcc.gov or at the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment web page.

The post FCC Continues Programs for Small/Diverse Broadcast Finance appeared first on Radio World.

StreamS has introduced its new IOdigi2X/IOdigi8X audio interfaces. Currently available, the AES digital I/O USB interfaces can provide a XMOS-based AES digital audio interface to Apple, Linux, MSFT and all mobile operating systems.

They are USB Audio Class 2-compliant devices that use native system drivers, eliminating proprietary driver installs. A free, custom Windows Driver with advanced features is available as well.

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

This is the easiest way to get pristine digital audio in and out of Windows, MacOS, iOS, iPad OS, Linux and Android computers, the company says.

StreamS IOdigi2X is a stereo synchronous device and can use either an internal or external clock. Sample rates from 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz are supported. It can be used for any audio record/play application, and for test applications. This includes AES FM MPX radio applications, digital audio workstations, streaming audio encoders, SIP applications and audio analyzers.

Meanwhile, the StreamS IOdigi8X is a multichannel asynchronous device allowing more flexibility with sample rate converters on all four inputs. It can be used as a four-stereo input and output device for stereo 2.0, or as a single multichannel input and output device for surround 5.1/7.1. Input sample rate converters allow it to interface to any digital audio source from 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz.

StreamS IOdigi2X/8X uses a XMOS xCORE audio engine, and is thought to be suitable for pro audio, broadcast, netcast and consumer applications.

Info: www.streamindex.com

The post StreamS Unveils IOdigi2X, IOdigi8X Audio Interfaces appeared first on Radio World.

While we live in uncertain times, one thing is certain; the students at college radio station MavRadio.FM KVNO 90.7 HD2, based at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, have shown they can learn, be innovative and adapt to the challenges presented by COVID-19. Radio World spoke with Jodeane Brownlee about the college radio station and its operations during COVID-19. Brownlee is the faculty advisor for MavRadio.FM KVNO 90.7 HD2, a lecturer, a faculty advisor of Women in Media and executive producer of “The Omaha News.”

Radio World: Please describe your media operations, including the physical plant. How many studios, and how are they equipped? Where is the transmission facility; how is it equipped?
Jodeane Brownlee: The radio station is on campus and is adjacent with two teaching labs and an area that houses the “whisper room.” This is a production area where students and faculty [produce] their voiceovers for radio, television and creative productions. The studio has four microphones to accommodate guest and live artists.

RW: Who makes the executive decisions for the station? What role do the students have in station operations?
Brownlee: At MavRadio.FM, we have a volunteer staff. Depending on the semester, and how many students are involved, we have a general manager, operations manager, production director, music director and sports director.

RW: Are students on campus now or learning and operating remotely?
Brownlee: Students are still on campus for their shows and specialty programs. We celebrated World College Radio Day with one live host at a time, but all the interviews were voiced tracked. This turned out to benefit the program as we simultaneously aired the interviews on our podcast, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

We also have two more live, specialty shows in October. Because we are limited to the number of students in a single room, our staff meetings have all been via Zoom. Sports have been another Achilles Heel. We’ve had none so far this semester, and our athletic department is in the early stages of planning basketball and hockey tournaments. It’s been challenging to plan, that’s for sure. In the meantime, we’ve worked with our state association to call high school playoffs and championship games.

The other issue I see is trying to cover all the sports this spring. From the sounds of it, we will make-up all fall sports as well as continue with spring sports. Honestly, I don’t know how we can do it all! But, we will. I have the best staff I know!

RW: Is the station currently on the air? What means and products (software or hardware) are being used?
Brownlee: MavRAdio.FM KVNO 90.7 HD2 has stayed on the air via RCS NexGen automation software.

RW: What impact has COVID-19 had on the station? Challenges due to social distancing?
Brownlee: The biggest challenge for our staff is the fact that we can’t have meetings on or off campus with more than 10 students. Typically, we spend several hours a week together working on production, music, sports and overall planning. The simple fact is it’s far more challenging to work as a team in this environment. However, the safety and well-being of our staff, faculty and students is our number one goal.

RW: If the students are operating remotely, how are you making that happen? Can you give examples?
Brownlee: Last spring, our students lead a two-hour Earth Day special on Earth Day. We did this via Zoom and it was fairly impressive. We had two hosts, and 10 reporters. Those reporters put together voice packages with interviews, research and natural sound. Because we were in lockdown, all of us were relegated to our homes, which was the essence of what was happening to everyone. It was impactful and innovative. There was some post editing involved as the stories and some graphics had to be incorporated later, but it looked great on YouTube and the audio worked well for our podcast audience.

I mentioned World College Radio Day earlier, and we plan to use the same format for our Haunted Heartland broadcast Oct. 29. We’ll have two hosts, in studio, and a producer. The reporters will be on the scene, normally in small groups, for their live remote. This year, however, we will send reporters out alone and shorten the broadcast from three hours to two.

We also have a 24-hour marathon Oct. 28–29 for a fundraising event. The plan is three-hour shifts with a single jock. We’ll also utilize social media for this. In fact, social media has given us the power to stay relevant and in front of our audience.

We’ve also had a sports team cover our professional league soccer games (Union Omaha). They recently traveled to Wisconsin, from Nebraska, for the championships. Again, the important aspect is giving the students experiences in the face of the pandemic.

RW: Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?
Brownlee: College radio is more viable and relevant than ever. With social media platforms, the voices can compete with other influencers. It’s not “should” college radio be on social, it’s a “must.” Reporting must be local, vigorous and objective in a world of conglomerates, retweets and bias.

The post College Media Spotlight: University of Nebraska, Omaha appeared first on Radio World.

In this issue we learn how Jim Dalke and Stephen Lockwood are co-locating an AM station’s facilities with a cell tower. Hal Kneller describes the creation of a unique quasi-SFN using GatesAir Intraplex gear. And Buc Fitch helps you build an unbalanced-to-balanced converter.

Read it online here.

Prefer to do your reading offline? No problem! Simply click on the digital edition, go to the left corner and choose the download button to get a PDF version.

Project Journal

Co-locating an AM With a Cellular Tower

Jim Dalke, the owner of KARR, and Stephen Lockwood of Hatfield & Dawson obtained a construction permit to install a slant wire-fed cellular monopole.

From the Editor

Does Your Site Have Good Bones?

Cris Alexander has seen a few ugly things when conducting due diligence visits, such as transmitters with their side and back panels removed and interlocks jumpered out so that lethal voltages are exposed. How would your site shape up?

Also in this issue:

• Hybrid Synchronization in the Sunshine State
• Repack Impact: How Has It Affected Wireless Mics?
• Build an Unbalanced-to-Balanced Adaptor

The post Inside the October 21st Issue of Radio World Engineering Extra appeared first on Radio World.

From time to time, my travels take me to transmitter sites of radio stations that are not part of our company, because I have been asked to come in and do some antenna work or perform a due diligence inspection.

Some of these sites are designed, built and maintained well, a credit to those responsible.

Other times, sadly, what I find is anything but.

Many of these facilities are run down, overgrown and infested with insects and rodents. Some are downright hazardous to be in or even around.

The list of issues can be quite long, including weeds, brush or even trees grown up in the tower base areas; base fencing that, if it exists at all, is damaged or deteriorated; transmission lines falling off the ice bridge or supports; tower paint that has faded far out of tolerance and/or is flaking off; infestations of mice and other rodents in transmitter building and equipment; evidence of snakes, spiders and flying, stinging insects in residence … and on and on.

Sometimes, the equipment and facility wiring is in bad shape.

I see electric panels with the covers removed and wiring exposed, audio and remote control wiring is hanging loose with connections twisted together. I’ve seen transmitters with side and back panels removed and interlocks jumpered out so that lethal voltages are exposed. I’ve seen phasor cabinets with their doors removed and RF components exposed for anyone to touch.

How does this happen?

STATE OF DECLINE

Sometimes the answer is obvious. The station is in a state of decline, barely hanging on in a small community with little business and competition coming from several other directions. In those cases, there’s often no money to spend on maintenance, and the situation becomes one of self-perpetuating decline.

Other times it’s not so much a matter of money as of resources. A solo engineer, employee or contract, is stretched between many facilities, oftentimes scattered over a large geographical area, competing for attention and each receiving very little.

And sadly, at times it is what I would characterize as indifference. A person charged with the care and feeding of the site or station just doesn’t care and does the bare minimum to get by. The station is on the air, and nobody sees the transmitter site but the engineer; so no one is the wiser that there are big problems there resulting from neglect or worse.

Fortunately, these situations are by far the rare exception, but they do exist.

In a lot of cases like those I’ve described, the bones of what used to be are still visible.

At one time, it was a very nice, well-engineered facility that was undoubtedly well maintained, the pride and joy of the engineer given charge of it.

And unless there are structural or other issues that go beyond cosmetics, there often is hope for such a run-down and neglected facility. It may never shine as in its glory days, but it can be a safe, functional, well-maintained, reliable transmitter site.

STATE OF HEALTH

There’s a psychological element to such a situation that goes well beyond the physical condition of the site.

[Read more articles from award-winning engineer Cris Alexander.]

The worse shape a facility is in, the harder it is for even the most dedicated engineer to gin up any level of concern. It looks hopeless, so in his or her eyes, it really is. At some point, the roof will fall in and nature will reclaim the place, leaving little or no trace that it was ever there… or so it seems.

But clean the place up, plug the holes, remove the critters and their leavings, and that same engineer starts to feel better about the place, becoming hopeful. Maybe he or she even begins to take pride in it.

In years past, an FCC agent in charge of a western field office was the self-described “master of the ten-minute inspection.” He was a great guy, super to work with and always helpful and courteous.

If he walked into a transmitter site and found it clean and well-maintained, he wouldn’t look very hard for minutia or hidden violations. It was his view that if the company and engineer in charge cared enough to keep the place clean and maintained, it would very likely be in compliance with the rules.

He was right. While I can’t speak for current district Enforcement Bureau people, who might not admit to it anyway, I suspect they would agree.

So there may be another benefit to sprucing up a run-down site.

I mentioned the self-perpetuating nature of neglect. It also works in the other direction, although it requires some input of energy. If a facility is in good shape, most engineers will want to keep it in good shape or even improve it. We like to feel good about the facilities we maintain; and like it or not, those facilities do reflect on us.

The point is that if you have in your area of responsibility a site that is in some state of neglect or deterioration, you can very likely reverse it, without spending a lot of money. That reversal will pay big dividends, both in your own attitude, in the longevity and reliability of the facility and even in the sound and performance of the transmitter signal.

Start with a “to do” list developed by taking an objective walk-through of the site. What are the problems and issues?

Take the list and prioritize it logically. For example, if there is a rodent or insect infestation, first figure out where/how they are getting in and deal with that before you start to work cleaning up the rodent or insect mess or you’ll have to do it twice.

A good trick is to go to the site at night, and turn on the lights inside the building, tuning house or ATU. Then go outside and shut the door, with all outside lights off.

Wherever you see light escaping, even a pinhole, is a potential entry point for critters and bugs. Of course there may be entry points beneath, perhaps at a conduit or telco cable entry penetration where the light trick won’t help you, but those should be readily identifiable.

Plug the holes, then suit up (Tyvek suit, gloves, mask and eye protection) and start cleaning. Remove the bigger stuff by hand, then use the shop vac, then go to (safe) solvent cleaners/disinfectants and paper towels.

The work may take some elbow grease, but when you’re done, you’ll be amazed how much better the site looks and feels!

After that, focus on prevention. I’ve found mothballs help keep the critters away (they help keep me away, too, but it’s a small price to pay). Clear vegetation from the building or ATU cabinet, and put out an insecticide barrier, replenishing it regularly. An herbicide can also be applied to keep vegetation from growing back up close to the structure and providing critters a close-by habitat.

A lot of sites, both AM and FM, have good bones. Even if they have fallen into neglect, they can often be restored to a condition that an engineer can be proud of, despite the equipment being decades old. In most cases, the result is well worth the effort.

Cris Alexander, CPBE, AMD, DRB, is tech editor of RW Engineering Extra. He is the director of engineering for Crawford Broadcasting.

The post Does Your Site Have Good Bones? appeared first on Radio World.

All those cryptic buzzes and beeps your engineer has been hearing over the years may be coming from a mysterious source.

Maybe it’s the “Phantom Power.”

That’s the amusing scenario being proposed by an audio play called “Phantom Power: A Brief History of the Ghost in Our Machines,” which will be performed live online on Oct. 29 during the AES Fall 2020 Show. Group-produced by the HEAR Now Festival, Soundbooth Theater and SueMedia Productions, this original audio play was created to celebrate Radio@100, the 100th anniversary of commercial radio broadcasting in the U.S.

[Read: AES Show to Look at Podcast Studios]

The backstory: Exactly 100 years ago — on Nov. 2, 1920 — an audio engineer was trying to get the very first commercial broadcast on air. Somehow, his work ended up pulling him into the machine itself and he found himself trapped forever in the radio waves. This engineer, nicknamed Phantom Power, spends the next 100 years fighting off the ghosts that live in the machines — and all those cryptic buzzes and beeps — and trying to get free.

When the play’s story begins, it’s the year 2020. It’s Halloween. And strange things are beginning to happen at the fictional radio station WDMB.

The ghostly hero, Phantom Power, begins to make his presence known at WDMB. A few days shy of the 100th anniversary of commercial radio broadcasting, the ghosts that live in the machines — that only Phantom Power can defeat — begin to appear. The morning show team at WDMB, who have since March 2020 been quarantining together at the studios while continuing to broadcast, begin to reminisce. They ruminate about broadcast history and previous technology, and in doing so acknowledge all the accomplishments that have come before them — of the engineers, DJs and producers that have curated and cared for radio over the last 100 years.

The idea for this production came about when producer Sue Zizza of SueMedia Productions was asked by AES Broadcast Chair David Bialik to create a special event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of commercial radio. Zizza has been producing special educational and performance events for the AES Broadcast Track, which has been a staple at the AES annual convention, since 1997.

After an email exchange with Ralph Scott, the public relations chair for the HEAR Now Festival, the team brought in audio playwright Butch D’Ambrosio to create a play that looks back on commercial radio’s rich history. This is familiar territory for D’Ambrosio” At last year’s AES show, D’Ambrosio wrote “An Intimate Evening with Tesla and Twain,” an audio performance about Nicola Tesla and Mark Twain.

This year’s production differs from other live audio productions in part because it creates the impression that the audience is together in the same room, Zizza said. “Working with Soundbooth Theater has made this production feel as if we are together in the theater or studio,” she said. “This past June, when HEAR Now went virtual and took the festival completely online, we found that Soundbooth had been experimenting with live performance and had found ways to minimize latency issues that can defeat many ‘zoom performance’ events.”

The production features cast members Jeff Hays, founder of Soundbooth Theater, as well as actors Gary Francis Furlong, Annie Ellicott and Laurie Catherine Winkel. Soundbooth’s Ahmed Mahmoud will be engineering the live performance using a variety of software including StreamYard and Steam Deck. David Shinn of SueMedia Productions is the event’s technical director, who will ensure the performance’s web stream will be accessible to AES attendees. HEAR Now intern Rory Stevenson has created the prerecorded sound effects.

By honoring radio’s past, Zizza said, today’s radio professionals can be a better shepherd in the future.

“We should appreciate those who came before, their inventions, and the time they invested to give us the ability to reach each other over the airwaves,” she said. “If we continue to honor the past, we will get to create the future and the next 100 years of broadcasting, wherever that leads.”

Those interested in listening in to “Phantom Power” can register for the AES event here.

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