In the early days of FM and TV, the antenna was usually hung from the AM tower. Eventually, stations wanted taller antennas to improve reception and in Minneapolis (and neighboring Saint Paul) the answer was growing tower farms. But, as Steve Brown relates, getting there took some time and effort. The story of […]

The title “First” sparks lively debates in many areas of life. Sometimes they are driven by bets; sometimes by lawyers seeking money; and sometimes by historians who are just trying to “get the story right.” The results can be interesting – and surprising. Doing Internet research can be fun, but it can also […]

Today, setting up for a remote is usually pretty easy. With the integrated remote origination units available, talent can drive out, plug in, and be on the air virtually instantly. But it was not always so. In the “Good Old Days,” setting up a remote broadcast might require weeks of preparation and a […]

We often use terms and phrases, and wonder just where they came from. In this article, Donna Halper explains a term that essentially has come and gone, except as a footnote in history – a colorful one at that. As with much of the world, broadcasters have always spoken a sort of different […]

Historical plaques are found in many places to record important places and persons in the history of the country. In Yonkers, NJ, an effort is underway to set a plaque reminding people of the inventions of Edwin Armstrong. The head of the effort is a Yonkers man, Steve Klose. It all started with […]

Disc jockeys often used the phrase “stacks of wax” to describe their library. The term relates back to when wax was truly the recording media. A recent recording session hosted by the Audio Engineering Society showed not just that it could still be done, but gave a unique opportunity to experience the results. […]

As we bring Tom Yingst’s series to a conclusion, he helps explain how it was that digital audio and transmission technologies, often coming from Quincy, IL, really became the mainstream. The reduction of system noise and increased transmission efficiencies have made major changes in how broadcast facilities are built and […]

We have been tracing some of the history that involved Quincy, Illinois as the broadcast industry moved from analog to digital transmitters. Here, in Part 3, Tom Yingst brings us fully into the digital age with the DX series of transmitters – and more. As 1988 began, I turned down a teaching position […]

Quincy, Illinois long has been home to Gates Radio (now Harris Broadcast) and Broadcast Electronics, among other companies. Tom Yingst was there as the industry made the move from analog to digital, and shares the story with us. It was in the 1970s that the transition to digital technology really took hold. And […]

Few cities in the US have had as close a connection to the broadcast industry as Quincy, Illinois. Home to Gates Radio (now Harris Broadcast) and Broadcast Electronics, among other companies, Quincy has seen the industry move from early analog receivers to the digital systems of the last twenty years. Tom Yingst participated […]