Barry Mishkind

The Broadcasters' Desktop Resource

... edited by Barry Mishkind - the Eclectic Engineer

This Week’s Newsletter

Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 843, Volume 17, #10 for October 8, 2025

YES, WE HAVE NO LMS
With the government shutdown, over 4/5 of the FCC staff are furloughed (over a thousand) and, for broadcasters, LMS and OPIF are not running, along with other services deemed non-essential. Need an STA? You should be able to get it. Want to file an application? You will need to wait until the day after the government reopens.

AVOIDING UNWANTED WINTER GUESTS
No, we are not talking about family visits coming up. We mean those critters you find at your transmitter (or even studio) site. It does not take much room for some of those critters to wriggle in, seeking warmth for the winter. This is a good time to check, lest your visitors start chomping on wires, etc, seeking food (Please do not tell us you left that snack behind!). Jeff Welton has the suggestions, take a look and see how secure your site is.

FIBER FOR BROADCAST
Years ago, everything was copper wire – in the studio and in the world. But, steadily, over the years, Fiber Optics have taken over. Just try to get a copper phone line these days.

This week we are going to enjoy a discussion on basic fiber optic termination, inspection, and cleaning, including the different types of cables, connectors, and media converters – and how we can take advantage of fiber optics in broadcasting. Our guest presenter is
Benjamin Nemser of Nemal Electronics, someone who brings 45 years of experience in cable design, manufacture, and installation with him to answer our questions. Oh yes, and he can instruct you on flying business jets!

Join the discussion at our usual time: Thursday at 2PM / 11AM Pacific. We will definitely learn things!


As usual, we meet at 2 PM Eastern (11 AM Pacific) on Thursday. Link requests are easily found at www.theBDR.net/TLG/ Our videos are also shown on the youtube.com/thebdrnet channel.

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


ATSC 3 WHEN?
This is a big question. While the FCC has set up a vote during the October Open Meeting – if there is one (!) – regarding the transition to ATSC 3 the large and loud chorus saying do not sunset ATSC 1 as yet has also been heard. There are advocates for several approaches. The discussion at the Open Meeting will likely tell us a lot of where things really are.

NEW MEXICO STEPS UP FOR NON-COMS
With CPB funding going away, another state has stepped in to assist. The State of New Mexico has budgeted nearly $6 million to tide public broadcasters through the 2026 fiscal year.

BPS GETS A BOOST, TOO
There should soon be a field test of the BPS (the Broadcast Positioning System), facilitated by an NAB award of $744,000 to use NextGen TV (ATSC 3) broadcasts to offer resilient alternatives to the GPS system, should some/all satellites be put off-line in the future. Having such a backup seems important given how much business, etc, is driven by the satellite GPS transmissions – not to mention mapping programs and driver directions. The goal of the BPS is to ensure critically needed data is always available.

IN THE SENATE HOTSEAT
No matter how you view Brendan Carr’s first year thus far as Chairman of the FCC, it will be interesting to see how his upcoming Senate testimony will play out. It is expected in November.

UP IN THE AIR
Recently, to spotlight priorities like streamlining permitting, improving pole attachment rules, and strengthening training and safety standards, the NATE, SBA Communications, and Banner Enterprise LLC hosted a tower climbing experience. The idea was to giving Hill staff and agency leaders a chance to climb a live telecom tower and see firsthand the work of tower technicians.

ASSETS IN THE GROUND
AM stations often have a huge investment in the ground system, an investment under increasing danger from vandals. With copper prices going up well over $5/pound, the attraction to thieves grows. Replacement is more than just copper, it costs a bunch to lay in a ground system and repair damage done. This is a call to audit your security for your transmission sites.

FOR SALE
A lightly used Nautel V10 in great condition leads our new listings. And someone is looking for Dynamax MXL10 Console modules and blank panels. Check out these and other “finds” on the ForSale Page, here.
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

Some recent articles of interest:

                    More newsy items here…

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

                     
                     MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS

                    We start with a Challenge: Nautel is offering a rugged tablet, $500 gift card, and more. If you are running MDCL on your AM station – or looking to cut AM power costs – join the challenge. Submit your actual or potential savings by October 30th to win one of several prizes. You can find the Challenge Rules at: https://www.nautel.com/mdcl-energy-savings-challenge/

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                    BE has a new Western Region Sales Lead in the US and Canada – Dustin Vance.

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                    Sennheiser has announced it will move its Americas Regional Hub to Nashville, TN by mid-2026.

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                    Harman International now acquired Sound United (including Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, Definitive Technology, Polk Audio, HEOS, Class, and Boston Acoustics).

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                    SoundStack has joined the companies now using HTTP Live Streaming, or HLS, for podcasting, noting: “Unlike typical podcast delivery, which downloads content as one, large mp3 file, HLS breaks up a podcast into several small-media chunks, typically 2-10 seconds in length. This makes episode delivery faster and more seamless, reducing buffering and stuttering, allowing publishers to create a better overall experience for audiences.”

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

                     

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

                              • One year ago (10/11/24) a hot air balloon hit the KKOB tower in Albuquerque, causing it to fail.
                              • 9 years ago (10/6/16) Prince’s Paisley Park was opened to the public.
                              • 21 years ago (10/8/04) Ray Charles went Platinum, six months after his death with “Genius Loves Company.“
                              • 45 years ago (10/11/80) Queen was #1 with “Another One Bites the Dust” for second of three weeks.
                              • 50 years ago (10/11/75) George Carlin came down from the balcony to inaugurate Saturday Night Live.
                              • 56 years ago (10/10/69) Sesame Street went on the air.
                              • 69 years ago (10/6/56) A House Subcommittee convened to investigate rigged TV quiz shows.
                              • 104 years ago (10/5/1921) the first World Series play-by-play (NY Giants/Yankees) was broadcast by WJZ. (The previous year  the scores from the World Series were broadcast by – 8MK/WWJ, Detroit.)

                              … and 280 years ago (10/11/1745) Dean Ewald Jurgen von Kleist inventis the Leyden Jar (the first capacitor).

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

                              • 3 years ago (10/5/22) New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run of the season, breaking Roger Maris’ 1961 American League record.
                              • 35 years ago (6/13/90) the demolition of the Berlin Wall was official.
                              • 36 years ago (11/9/89) the Berlin Wall started coming down and Germany was reunited after 41 years. 
                              • 45 years ago (10/10/80) Midway released the video game Pac-Man to arcades in North America.
                              • 78 years ago (10/5/47 Harry Truman delivered the first-ever presidential speech on TV.
                              • 89 years ago (10/9/36) Hoover Dam begans transmitting electricity to Los Angeles.
                              • 99 years ago (10/6/1926) Babe Ruth set a World Series record by hitting three home runs in one game.
                              • 116 years ago (10/7/1919) – World’s oldest airline still operating, KLM, was founded.
                              • 137 years ago (10/9/1888) The Washington Monument was opened to the public.

                              … and 154 years ago (10/8/1871) flames sparked in the Chicago barn of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary, reportedly igniting a two-day blaze that killed 200 – 300 people, destroyed 17,450 buildings, left 100,000 homeless and caused tremendous damage. Legend has it that a cow did it – but it was a bad period for Chicago, with 20 fires the week before this one, alone.


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

                               


                              MIDWEEK BONUS

                              No reboot!
                              What do you think is the longest a computer has run without rebooting? Six months? Six years? 16 years? Check it out.

                              Can you guess the song from the intro? Here are some of the most well-known guitar intros from rock. Have fun! May be worth sharing with your PD.

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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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