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 840, Volume 17, #7 for September 17, 2025

EEO DEADLINE EXTENDED
Those stations that have been asked by the FCC to file their EEO reports were given a slight reprieve on the filing date.

DEADLINE FOR PAYING REGULATORY FEES
We are repeating this because the FCC requires payment of the Year 2025 Regulatory Fees by September 25, 2025 – and payment of these fees must be done using the CORES Payment System. As with last year there are many errors in the CORES Payment System so it would be wise to check the accuracy of the pre-filled data. And remember, CORES often experiences glitches and outages and is often inaccessible for hours at a time. If your station needs to pay (not non-coms), it should get going – do not wait until the last days.

ZONECASTING
The FCC recently allowed stations to overate boosters with local insertions, effectively making the booster programming more locally directed. There are new a couple of installations on line, and this week Bert Goldman from GeoBroadcast will talk about what it is all about, and how it is implemented.

You will find this one interesting, as use of boosters can be even more justified than before.

This is one your manager may wish to see!

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!


EEO DEADLINE EXTENDED
Those stations that have been asked by the FCC to file their EEO reports were given a slight reprieve on the filing date.

THE 2022 QUADRENNIAL OWNERSHIP REVIEW STARTS
Having finally finished the 2018 review, the FCC has begun work on the 2022 review. Among the predicted changes: a relaxing of the current radio subcaps.

ARE YOU GOING TO USE THE MEP?
A new EAS code was placed into use on September 8th in many areas. It depends upon your state and local emergency committies if MEP has been put into use. If so, you may want to check your EAS receiver – especially if a Sage – to ensure the MEP is included. It is a voluntary code in terms of broadcast (there are only three alerts required to be retransmitted: NEM, RWT, and NPT), but the information can be critical to your listeners. The Texas Association of Broadcasters did a nice update on this.

NWR ISSUE CLEARED
An update apparently caused from problems with NWS transmissions last week. Reports are any issues were corrected.

CODEC SECURITY
We often note that with all the gear that is placed directly on the Internet – and the constant attempts by hackers to break in – it is important to keep an eye on security. Far too often, devices are easily identifiable via Shodan, a website that tracks devices that “answer” to contact efforts. Sadly, literally hundreds of broadcast devices, including those used as STLs are still identifiable to hackers. This past week there were several reports of hackers breaking into an STL feed and putting obscene information on air. The FCC is aware and reminds stations of the need to maintain secure control over the program chain. 

EVEN DEAD AIR REQUIRES AN ID
The FCC has issued an NOV to WMVX, Salem NH, for operating at least two hours with no programming and no station ID.

ANOTHER CONSOLIDATOR GROWS
Aiming to continue growth – now in 47 markets – Connoisseur now has a total of 216 stations, having acquired Alpha Media’s stations.

SO DOES AI ELECTRICAL CONSUMPTION
Apparently, the last Google search you made used something like 0.3 Watt-hours of power. An AI chatbot may use 3 Watt-hours, ten times as much. And, reports are in publications from all over that data centers are at – no pun – the center of electrical rate increases. What is the point? If you are planning a new transmission system, you might want to assume power costs will rise.

AND AI IS NOT COMPLETELY BENIGN
An MIT Sloan and Safe Security study claims AI is behind some 80% of ransomware attacks, phishing campaigns and deep-fake social engineering tactics trying to invade systems from all directions. Being careful is the word.

Here is one you may not notice at first: You get an email from someone you know. They ask if you have an Amazon account, for example. When you reply, the “reply-to: address has their name, but suddenly the domain is hotmail, or something like that. If you do reply, you get another message from your “friend” asking you to help them get a gift-card for their daughter, etc. They promise to repay you. Right. Now, you are warned!

FOR SALE
Several new items of interest this week, including an EAS Receiver, an RPU system, and a Gates ST-101. Really! Also, someone is looking for 6-10kW FM transmitter and antenna transformer. Check them out 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

                  More Fall regional conventions coming up:
                          Georgia Association of Broadcasters’ – Atlanta – September 19, 20
                          Midwest Broadcast & Multimedia Technology Conference – Columbus, OH – September 24-26
                          The Western Association of Broadcast Engineers (WABE) will hold its 2025 Conference in Calgary on Sept 29th – Oct 1st.
                          Kansas Association of Broadcasters Convention Manhattan KS – October 6th
                          CCBE/OAB Conferences Toronto Canada – October 27, 28

                  = = =

                  Wheatstone                   is holding a video seminar on September 24th on how to set up reliable AoIP studio networks. Registration is here.

                  = = =

                  Lawo                   introduced its HOME Audio Shuffler – the fifteenth HOME App to date – a software-based replacement for a traditional baseband audio matrix within an IP-based Dynamic Media Facility. It is available in six packages in different sizes, to allow users to repackage incoming audio signals for different applications.

                  Also worth noting: Lawo is making changes to HOME, now at version 4.x – with the ability to scale the system as to each specific installation. (FYI: existing former HOME core licenses will cease to exist. Check with Lawo for updating information.)

                  = = =

                  GatesAir                   used the IBC to display their new AirWatch365 remote monitoring system, as well as the Maxiva VAXT Ultra-Compact, IMTX 2+0, Flexiva FAX150 and GX1K, Intraplex IP Link 100c and 200n, plus Maxiva XTE models.

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

                   

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

                      • 11 years ago (9/20/14) Meghan Trainor replaces Taylor Swift at #1 with “All About That Bass.“
                      • 18 years ago (9/14/07) the FCC allowed AM IBOC operation at night (MM Docket 99-325)
                      • 28 years ago (9/19/97) Auto-Tune pitch-correction software was released.
                      • 30 years ago (9/17/95) BBC began Eureka-147 DAB broadcasts.
                      • 38 years ago (9/19/87) The Grateful Dead had their only Top 10 hit. *
                      • 41 years ago (9/16/84) Miami Vice premiered, featuring Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight.“
                      • 47 years ago (9/18/78) WKRP in Cincinnati debuted on CBS.
                      • 51 years ago (9/14/74) Eric Clapton’s version of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” hit #1.
                      • 55 years ago (9/18/70) Jimi Hendrix died of a drug overdose.
                      • 56 years ago (9/19/69) saw a #1 hit by a cartoon group. **
                      • 58 years ago (9/16/67) The Who blew up the stage on the Smothers Brothers Show.
                      • 60 years ago (9/15/65) Ford began offering 8-track tape players. Which model? ***
                      • 63 years ago (9/15/62) The Four Seasons earned their first #1 hit with “Sherry”
                      • 65 years ago (9/19/60) Chubby Checker hit #1 with his cover of “The Twist.” ****
                      • 68 years ago (9/15/57) Ford introduced the 8-track tape for automobiles.
                      • 91 years ago (9/15/34) the Mutual Broadcast System was formed.

                      … and 104 years ago (9/15/1921) WBZ, Springfield, MA received the first “broadcast” license from the DoC (no, WBZ was not the first broadcaster, this was just a bureaucratic action.)

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

                      • 4 years ago (9/15/21) the first orbiting civilian space ship (Spacex Dragon) flew three days with four people.
                      • 24 years ago (9/11/01) the terrorist attack brought down the World Trade Center.
                      • 66 years ago (9/19/59) Nikita Khrushchev was barred from visiting Disneyland and was mocked in LA.
                      • 68 years ago (9/19/57) the United States detonated a 1.7 kiloton nuclear weapon in an underground tunnel 65 miles from Las Vegas.
                      • 93 years ago (9/16/32) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi began his hunger strike.
                      • 117 years ago (9/16/1908) William Durant created General Motors.
                      • 144 years ago (9/19/1881) James Garfield was assassinated. The New Pres? *****
                      • 167 years ago (9/15/1858) The first transcontinental mail service to San Francisco begins.

                      … and 405 years ago (9/16/1620) the Mayflower departed England. 


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

                       


                      * “Touch of Grey” peaked at #10. No other Grateful Dead song got as high.

                      ** “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies was #1 for four weeks!

                      *** the 8-tracks were available in the Mustang.

                      **** Checker managed to top the charts with this song again in 1962. (The original, by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters only reached  #28.)

                      ***** Chester Arthur became the US President.

                      MIDWEEK BONUS

                      What else can AI do? How about becoming a government “minister” to tackle corruption? This is what is happening now in Albania.

                      Perhaps you have a lot of time this weekend. Maybe watching the Earth as seen from the International Space Station as it transits the world. The inset shows whether it is going over your location.

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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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