Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 853, Volume 17, #20 for December 17, 2025

$86,400
An episode of “BBC Witness History” that aired on more than 500 U.S. noncom stations in 2023 contained Emergency Alert System tones in the absence of a real emergency, according to the FCC. A Consent Decree was issued, including a stiff “donation” to the Treasury.

END OF YEAR MATTERS
Among the things stations with lighted towers need to get done before the calendar turns to 2026 is the Quarterly Tower Light System Inspection, due before 12/31.

And, while it seems too soon after the government shutdown, it is time to get the quarterly Issues and Programs list ready so it can  filed early in January.

STL SECURITY, AND WIRELESS MIC SOLUTIONS
Chris Crump, the Sr. Director of Sales & Marketing for Comrex since 2004, is our guest this week. Chris will discuss solid IP security with Comrex’ products, and how the FieldLink solves congested frequency issues that can break wireless mic and IFB broadcasts.

Did you know? The first products produced by Comrex’ founder, John Chaney, were some of the television industry’s first wireless mic and IFB devices. They were used on Broadway, by the NFL and by television stations all over the United States. A lot has changed since then, but not the problems of frequency congestion. Chris, who has been at Comrex for 21 years, will discuss the issues that broadcasters, especially at sporting and live concert events, face when trying to do sideline or in-the-stands reporting in addition to covering some new solutions being offered by Comrex and other vendors.

We hope you will join us Thursday at 2 PM Eastern /  11 AM Pacific.  You will learn things. You will find the link request at www.theBDR.net/TLG/ along with a long list of programs and topics from the past four and a half years.
Join us on Thursday at 2 PM Eastern / 11 AM Pacific. The link request is on www.theBDR.net/TLG/

DID YOU KNOW?
There are now some 200 videos from our weekly zoom meetings, covering a lot of topics, at no charge. An index to those videos is also on www.theBDR.net/TLG/

May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

WAS MARCONI A SUCCESS OR FAILURE?
This past week was the anniversary of Guglielmo Marconi’s transmission and reception across the Atlantic. Or was it? Check out Don Kimberlin’s look at what may be another broadcast industry myth.

2025 WAS NOT A GOOD YEAR FOR TOWER RIGGERS
A 44-year-old tower rigger died and two others were injured in Atlantic City, NJ, earlier this month while dismantling a disused pylon and FM antenna. Reports are a gin pole failure was the proximate cause, bending under load. Sadly, there have been six such fatalities in 2025. (hat tip: Larry Tighe)

NAB SEEKS EXTENSION OF COMMENTS ON C-BAND
Support for a 30-day extension of time for public comments on the FCC’s proposal to auction off most of the upper C-Band was given by the National Association of Broadcasters, along with aviation groups saying more time is needed due to the effect on airplane altimiters

IHEART AND NETFLIX MAY CONTEST YOUTUBE
In a deal that is said to be close, iHeart and Netflix are looking to put as many as 20 podcasts on Nextflix – and not YouTube. (hat tip: Ken Fine)

FM REPRIEVE IN SWITZERLAND
Originally slated to end in 2026, the Swiss Parliament has now directed the government to continue licensing FM stations into 2027, with total deactivation of the band then delayed until 2031

DISNEY MOVING TO EMBRACE AI
A $1B investment in OpenAI sets Disney up as the first major studio to utilize OpenAI’s Sora video-generation platform. Over 200 Disney characters are part of the 3-year deal for user-generated short videos, some of which Disney+ may utilize. However, no likenesses or voices of live talent will be permitted – and restrictions are set as to content. Still, we may soon see what looks like real people, for example, in short videos and ads.

WORD OF MOUTH
Before “influencers” entered the language, it used to be said the best way to share information was by “word of mouth.” It still is. A lot of the BDR’s growth can be attributed to readers who tell their friends about us. Please do so, it helps us al

MTV TO SHUT DOWN THE VIDEO MACHINE
44 Years after “TV killed the radio star,” MTV is going to close down all the its music channels at the end of the year. With a large number of videos going to youtube, etc., it was determined to end the classic video music channels. The main MTV channel will continue, with a slate of reality shows and major events like the Video Music Awards.

WABE GETS NEW PRESIDENT
Canada’s Western Association of Broadcast Engineers has elected Cameron Thomson of Rogers Sports & Media as their new President. The new vice-president is Alex Loewen a technical manager at Golden West Broadcasting.

FOR SALE
A Jampro antenna and a Wheatstone console are the latest additions to the ForSale page. And, if you happen to have a Channel 4 transmitter capable of 2-4 kW, someone is seeking such. Those and other items are here for your perusal.

May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

Some recent articles of interest:

• Aqua Cobalt – Designed to Work – Ted Nahil
• The Most Heralded Radio Failure – Don Kimberlin
• Join the Lunch Gathering – Thursday 2 PM Eastern
• Enforcement Watch – EAS tones on public radio stations: $86,400
• The Quiet After the WABE: A Reflection – Tessa Potter
• Inside the EmPower: Intelligent Control – Matt Rigdon
• Resisting the Spam Flood – Mike Langner
• Critter Control – Jeff Welton
• Dana’s Daily Deals

More newsy items here…

May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 
MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS

Just a note about year-end needs: Most manufacturers will be running thin during the last two weeks of the month.  Every company that was enquired about support said they had folks available over the holiday period, but sometimes wait times for response could be longer than usual. What that means is we need to be understanding if response is a bit slower than normal. With a bit of patience, all will be well.

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Last week we noted the several hacks that have happened at some stations, where bad guys managed to take over the program audio with garbage and fake EAS tones. The FCC issued a Public Notice reminding stations to pay attention to their program chains and ensure login and passwords were not defaults, susceptible to being hacked. Not everyone got the message and another station was reportedly hit by the same hacker(s). Barix, the maker of a number of the codecs involved, also issued a statement to as many users as possible to be aware.

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The new Axia StudioCore is now shipping. StudioCore can help provide some very nice upgrades in the studio without needing to replace the AoIP console. Broadcast Depot is currently featuring the StudioCore.

May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

Do You Remember? This week in history:
Broadcast related items:

• 5 years ago (12/18/20) Paul McCartney released McCartney III, on which he wrote all the songs and played all the instruments.
• 28 years ago (12/19/97) Titanic opened in theaters, the soundtrack, including, “My Heart Will Go On” sold 15 million copies.
• 36 years ago (12/17/89) The Simpsons debuted. It is now in its 36th season.
• 48 years ago (12/17/77) Elvis Costello is banned from Saturday Night Live for switching songs.
• 51 years ago (12/15/74) the members of Aerosmith watched “Young Frankenstein“ and it led to them to name their hit song. *
• 57 years ago (12/14/68) Motown artists held the top three spots on the Hot 100.**
• 64 years ago (12/18/61) “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” with a chorus in poorly translated Zulu, tops the Hot 100 for The Tokens.
• 81 years ago (12/15/44) Band leader Glenn Miller disappeared over the English Channel. 

… and 124 years ago (12/14/1902) the cable ship Silvertown began laying the first Transpacific telegraph cable from San Francisco, destined for Honolulu, Hawaii; public messages began transmitting less than a month later.

And here are some “regular news history” type items:

• 27 years ago (12/19/98) Bill Clinton was impeached. 
• 51 years ago (12/19/74) the Altair 8800 Personal Computer was released.
• 53 years ago (12/14/72) Eugene Cernan left as the last person to walk on the moon.
• 113 years ago (12/18/1912) the fraudulent “Piltdown Man” fossil was “discovered.”
• 114 years ago (12/14/1911) Norwegian Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole.

… and 122 years ago (12/17/1903) the Wright brothers made their first successful airplane flight.

May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

* The scene where Igor (Marty Feldman) tells Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) to “walk this way,” really caught their attention and, returning to the studio, the group use that for the title of the track on which they were working.

** These three songs held (with a minor change) for three weeks:
        1) “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye,
        2) “Love Child” by The Supremes, and
        3) “For Once In My Life” by Stevie Wonder

Oops! **** Last week’s newsletter dropped the answer to “which US President was the first to use radio?” The answer was: Calvin Coolidge.

MIDWEEK BONUS

Are you not really enjoying this year? If you had the option, would you prefer to live in the past or the future? The answer from the Pew Research might surprise you.

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PLEASE INVITE A FRIEND
We sure hope you are finding the BDR and the Newsletter to be of value to you. If so, there are two things that you can do to ensure the BDR keeps pulsing along:
        1. Invite a colleague or a friend to sign up for the Newsletter. Since it is only one-time-a-week, you will not be accused of flooding their in-boxes!
        2. Anytime you deal with one of our sponsors, letting them know the BDR is important to you will make them happy – and ready to keep on supporting the BDR.

TELL US WHAT’S WHAT
There are so many areas into which we would like to expand, but it is feedback from you that helps us decided where to go first. Are you interested in a certain piece of gear or technology? Let us know. Even better, would you be willing to do a user report and share your experience?

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We sure do appreciate you spending time with our Newsletter. And even more so when you recommend us to your colleagues and friends.

barry

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Yes … you might have seen it before, but we should do this: some extra stuff .. some important … some just interesting.

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