Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 819, Volume 16, #39 for April 30, 2025

DELETE, DELETE, DELETE, FILE, FILE, FILE
The deadline for reply comments on 25-133, known as the Delete, Delete, Delete inquiry, has received over 11,700 comments from the NAB, SBAs, consultants, and individuals. Staff will read them all, so we may not see action immediately. But, it is clear broadcasters have concerns and were willing to let the FCC know!

Last Thursday, we discussed some of the most important points, including EAS, LPFMs, 3rd Adjacent powers, and more. You can see the video here. Did you know we archive the Thursday videos? Take a look. Subscribe to the channel. And, yes, there is an index so you can check out the topics.

ABOUT THOSE FCC SERVERS
Virtually anyone who has tried to file something (especially the day of an NPT, for example) or search the FCC site has noticed that often the servers are overwhelmed and you just cannot complete what you need to do. The NAB has not only noticed, but in the Reply Comments for the DDD has asked the Commission to solve several problems (missing files or references to CDBS, for example), increase server capacity when needed, and assign employees to answer questions and resolve issues. This is a good effort and all should support it.

SOME FEES GOING UP
Inflation has led the FCC to increase some fees for various applications. Filed on April 23rd, they will be in effect May 23rd, so if you have a filing in the near future, getting it in now might save a few bucks.

The new FCC application fees order was published in the Federal Register today, so the new fees will take effect on May 23, 2025

GETTING THE RIGHT PRODUCT
Any time you are going to make a purchase of a transmitter, antenna, etc, it is not as simple as calling up the sales guy or sales gal and saying “get me a ….” There are a whole host of things that need to be understood before ordering, lest you spend a lot of money and not get what you really need. Our friend Jeff Welton pops in this week to talk about what you and any sales person need to consider, know, and plan, before making a buy.

The link request is at www.theBDR.net/TLG/

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

NOT AN UNKNOWN ISSUE
Over the past week we have learned of a couple of LPFMs in Florida that are so far over their authorized power, you know something just seemed really not right. For example, why did an LPFM have a transmitter with over a kilowatt of output power? Apparently, the answer is known in South Florida: some pirate operators arrange to put up a straw man LPFM and then just “hide” behind the license – at least until someone points out what is happening.

HOW TO USE THE COMPLAINT PORTAL
How can you do that? Suggestion from the FCC: avoid generalities, like “I think they are not legal.” Specific information is preferred. A discussion of the FCC Complaint Portal and submissions is here. The site even allows for anonymous entries, in case there might be worry about retaliation. The FCC Complaint Portal reaches the Regional Directors within minutes – and there is strong desire to respond to accurate reports of unauthorized operations.

A CHANGE WITH HIGH POWER TUBES
Over the years, many stations have found that rebuilt power tubes have been efficient ways to save money. However, as the industry moves to more and more solid-state transmitters, tube rebuilding has changed. Rebuildable spares are less available, and costs have increased. Recently one company, Econco, under its latest owner, seems to be de-emphasizing broadcast tubes. The company name is now Microwave Power Products (MPP), which should give an idea of their focus.

A WINNIPEG MEETUP
Our friends north of the Border – and they are still our friends despite the political spats – the WABE (Western Association of Broadcast Engineers) is holding free meeting in Winnipeg next week. From 6:30 – 9:00 on Monday, May 5th at the Canada Brewhouse on Kenaston Blvd in Winnipeg there will be a chance to meet, enjoy some light pub fare provided, and discuss matters of importance on both sides of the border.

This meeting will especially concentrate on some crucial elements of cyber security, such as Regulatory Alignment, Cybersecurity Oversight, Detection & Incident Response, Cloud Backup, and Training & Awareness.

By the way, WABE will be holding their Annual Convention in Calgary September 29 – October 1.

CMLS TO BE DELISTED
Cumulus Media is expected to be delisted from the Nasdaq market on Friday (May 2nd). (It currently is hovering around 22 cents a share.) If you have a spare $3.1 to 4.6 million, you could buy the whole company. Of course, there is considerable debt associated with the $3/4 Billion “Enterprise Value.”

COSTLY WORDS!
When a poster on X asked how much it cost ChatGPT in electrical costs when polite users say “please” and “thank you,” the owner, Sam Altman responded with: “tens of millions of dollars well spent.”

YOUTUBE HITS 20
It was 2005 when YouTube had its first upload. Billions of uploads later (thanks to iPhones, etc.), YouTube accounts for 12% of all TV viewing in the US.

Meanwhile, YouTube owner, Google (Alphabet) has been tagged by a federal court as running an illegal advertising monopoly. Appeals are under way.

ON SALE
Have you looked at Dana’s Daily Deals lately? Each day, Dana posts some great buys on anything from amplifiers and speakers to something tasty for your sugar cravings. You might find something you need at a great price.

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

 

Some recent articles of interest:

• Radio In The Good Old Days – Ron Schacht
• A Look at the NAB’s 2025 Spring Show
• The Orban 8000 at 50 years – Barry Mishkind
• Join the Lunch Gathering – Thursday 2 PM Eastern
• Enforcement Watch – Not paying and not responding leads the FCC to issue a “D” to Texas station.
• Troubleshooting 101 – What to Do While Waiting for the Engineer – Barry Mishkind
• Measuring RF Power – Getting It Right – Bob Tarsio
• Registered Plug? No, It’s A Jack – Rolf Taylor
• Ham Radio: Emergency News Service – Mike Langner
• Dana’s Daily Deals

More newsy items here

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

 
MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS

A Finnish company, Jutel, makers of the RadioMan automation system, now offers an app to integrate interviews easily into programs. Lamppu was named a winner in the Radio category for the way a user can remotely connect and control the automation with just one button, and restoring “normal” operation when done.

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Wheatstone makes handling several program streams easy with the Wheatstream Duo, which includes audio processing optimized for streaming, HTML 5 interface, and provisioning for two channels, four outputs each for a total of eight streams. This Linux appliance is compatible with standard CDN and streaming platforms and can adapt metadata input from most playback systems for one simple workflow from automation to content delivery. Learn more.

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Digigram has released two new sound cards, ALP280e and ALP280e-MIC, low profile PCIe sound cards optimized for the recording of 8 analog line-level or mic-level audio inputs with zero latency, monitoring and onboard mixing capabilities.

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AudioScience now has a v5 Windows Driver with updates for expanded hardware support, including now fully-supporting ASI575x Dante PCIe sound cards, as well as enhanced security compliance.

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

 


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

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

• 1 year ago (4/29/24) Taylor Swift claimed a record Top 14 Spots on Billboard Hot 100. Swift also charted 32 of the top 100 spots- a record for a female artist.
• 22 years ago (4/28/03) Apple launched the iTunes store.
• 32 years ago (4/30/93) the World Wide Web consisted on one page: http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html
• 39 years ago (5/3/86) Robert Palmer jumped to #1 with a team of look-alike models and “Addicted To Love.”
• 44 years ago (4/27/81) Ringo Starr married Barbara Bach.
• 46 years ago (4/24/79) Ray Charles sings “Georgia On My Mind” at a ceremony to make it Georgia’s official State Song.
• 46 years ago (4/28/79) Blondie hit #1 with “Heart of Glass.“
• 47 years ago (4/28/78) The movie “FM” debuted in theaters – theme by Steely Dan.
• 47 years ago (4/25/78) Martin Scorsese’s documentary “The Last Waltz” about The Band’s last concert opened in theaters.
• 54 years ago (5/3/1971) All Things Considered debuted.
• 60 years ago (5/1/65) Herman’s Hermits hit #1 with “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter.“
• 60 years ago (4/27/65) The Real Don Steele and Boss Radio first boomed out of LA station KHJ – it was the start of an era.
• 64 years ago (4/24/61) Bob Dylan’s professional debut: Playing harmonica on Harry Belafonte’s “Midnight Special.”
• 67 years ago (5/2/58) popular disc jockey Alan Freed hosted a rock concert at the Boston Arena (a hockey rink) that did not go well. (The city did not host another rock concert until 1964.)
• 91 years ago (5/2/1934) W8X0 (WLW) officially became the first – and only – US “super power station” with 500 kW, daytime. President Roosevelt activated the transmitter.

… and 103 years ago (4/28/1922) these stations were first licensed by the Department of Commerce (the actual First Day of Broadcast was not always the same as the license date for the early stations.):
        04/28/1922   WOI-640    Ames, IA       
        04/29/1922   WTVN-610   Columbus, OH          
         04/29/1922   WFUZ-1240  Wilkes-Barre, PA   

And here are some non-broadcast memories:

• 16 years ago (4/27/09) GM announced plans to phase out Pontiac models.
• 33 years ago (4/29/92) riots flared in LA after a video of four policemen beating Rodney Davis. His words?*
• 52 years ago (4/30/73) the US withdrew from Vietnam.
• 80 years ago (4/29/45) the Dachau concentration camp was liberated by U.S. troops. 
• 80 years ago (4/30/45) while holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally surrendered.
• 94 years ago  (5/1/1931) the Empire State Building in NYC was dedicated.
• 99 year ago (5/1/1926) Ford factory workers got a 40-hour work week.
• 166 years ago (4/25/1859) Ground was broken for Suez Canal.
• 223 years ago (5/3/1802) Washington, DC became a city. Or something else. At least it was a municipal Charter.
• 225 years ago (4/24/1800) the Library of Congress was established.

… if you really want to get technical, according to the German mathematician Kepler it was 7001 years ago this week when the universe was created (4/27/4977 BCE). More recently, estimates of 14 to 16 Billion years have become more accepted (… and which also seems to be the actual age of something in the back of the refrigerator at many stations!).

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

 


* Rodney King famously said: “Can’t we all just get along?”

MIDWEEK BONUS

A mission was launched to grow food in space labs. Why?  Right now, the bill can reach up to 20,000 Euros per day!

How accurate is your studio clock? With this one, you would not have to reset your clock for a very long time.

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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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Now … some extra stuff .. some important … some just interesting.

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