This Week In Radio Tech (TWiRT)

On this episode of This Week in Radio Tech, Rich Redmond, President and CEO of Broadcast Electronics, and Tim Hardy, Senior RF Engineer, join us to explore the silicon carbide MOSFET technology behind BE’s new AMX transmitter series. But the conversation goes well beyond the transistors.

How do you give a virtual radio DJ the personality, emotion, and local knowledge that make listeners feel connected? On episode 823 of This Week in Radio Tech, Jeff MacIntyre—also known as RadioDJ Dude and founder of RoboDJ—joins us to explain how virtual voice tracking works. We explore how voices are shaped and adjusted to sound natural, with the expression and organic feel you’d expect from on-air talent. Jeff also explains how scripting brings together community information, songs just played, and music coming up, all tailored to the air shift, time of day, and program director’s instructions. We hear examples actually airing on radio stations, plus insights from returning guest Lee Perryman, who makes extensive use of RoboDJ’s virtual talent across his dozen stations in east central Alabama. Join us for a listen to the technology—and the programming decisions—behind these virtual voices!

This Week in Radio Tech hits the road for episode 822, recorded live at the Ohio Association of Broadcasters’ OAB Exchange in Newark, Ohio! The new location outside Columbus provided a welcoming setting, with plenty of laughter, good conversation, and broadcasters comparing notes between sessions. Engineers, station managers, and sales professionals all had opportunities to learn something useful and catch up with their colleagues. Engineering sessions covered everything from HLS studio-to-transmitter links and cybersecurity to audio processing, antenna troubleshooting, and staying safe at transmitter sites.

On This Week in Radio Tech, we're exploring how cloud-based monitoring, intelligent alerting, and centralized site management are changing the way we maintain broadcast operations. Mike Hutchins, Director of Technical Services, and Josh Bohn, President and CEO of MaxxKonnect, join us to explain what's possible today and where this technology is headed. It's TWiRT episode 821, "What's the State of My Empire?"

What can a recording engineer teach a radio engineer—and what can radio teach someone behind the recording console? On episode 820 of This Week in Radio Tech, Bruce Roberts joins Kirk Harnack to explore how working in both worlds sharpens his ears, strengthens his technical skills, and helps him make better audio. Bruce owns and engineers ARP Studio in Charleston, South Carolina, and is the co-founder and engineer at Home Grown Radio. His passion began before age eight, running sound for his church’s radio broadcasts, and grew into a 50-year career recording artists, building audio equipment, and keeping radio stations on the air. Along the way, his work has included projects for NPR and the BBC, plus dialogue recording for Bill Murray and Army Wives—and an attempted retirement in 2021 that led to a new adventure with Homegrown Radio. Join us for a conversation about recording, broadcasting, and the lessons that travel both ways between the studio and the transmitter!

Bill Eaton has long been the sort of broadcast engineer who puts new technology to work early—going all the way back to one of the first DOCSIS cable modems bringing Internet service into the home. Today, as Chief Engineer at Oyster Radio, Bill is especially excited about practical uses for AI in broadcast engineering. He uses ChatGPT to take copious notes during transmitter-site visits, documenting maintenance already performed, work still needed, and even clues that another tenant may have changed something at the site. Bill also uses Google Gemini to analyze raw data from test equipment such as the PIRA P175 FM modulation analyzer. And he’s still building, too, recently putting together an FM audio processor using StereoTool software running on a Raspberry Pi. Join us for TWiRT Episode 819 as Bill shows how AI, affordable computing, and an engineer’s curiosity can make everyday broadcast work smarter and more productive.

For more than 40 years, C-band satellite distribution has been a workhorse for radio and television broadcasters — but another big chunk of that spectrum is going away - leaving almost nothing for program distributors to use. On TWiRT Episode 818, Mark Johnson, President of LinkUp Communications, and Marcos O’Rourke, Engineering Manager at LinkUp, join Kirk Harnack to explain what FCC 26-46 means for broadcasters still depending on C-band delivery. Mark gives us some history, explains how the FCC’s latest plans would eventually leave broadcasters with only about 40 MHz of C-band downlink spectrum, and walks us through the proposed transition timeline. We also look at alternatives already being developed, including increased Ku-band satellite distribution and terrestrial IP delivery using capabilities built into XDS receivers. The transition won’t happen overnight, but the direction is becoming clear: broadcasters using C-band need to start thinking about what comes next. Join us for TWiRT Episode 818 as we sort through the FCC’s plans and what engineers should be watching in the months ahead.

This Week in Radio Tech comes to you from IBC 2026 in Amsterdam, where the broadcast world is gathering to show us what comes next. In Episode 817, we get early access to some of the industry’s technical innovators and discover how they’re responding to a broadcasting landscape that seems to change almost by the day. Adam Robinson of MaxxKonnect joins us alongside Hans van Zutphen of Thimeo Audio Technology B.V. and Jay Tyler of Sales Call. We’ll also hear from Dan McQuillin of Broadcast Bionics and Dan Martin of Derby ONE and Aiir. Together, they offer a revealing look at the technologies, business ideas, and practical solutions shaping the future of radio and broadcasting. Join us in Amsterdam for TWiRT Episode 817—This Week in Radio Tech!

The FCC has adopted new cybersecurity requirements for Emergency Alert System equipment—but turning the language of a Report and Order into practical procedures at a real broadcast facility isn’t always straightforward. What equipment is covered? What constitutes adequate protection? And how can broadcasters comply without making their systems needlessly difficult to operate and maintain? This […]

ow can a modern FM transmitter produce 10,000 watts of RF power from such a surprisingly compact package? On episode 815 of This Week in Radio Tech, GatesAir’s Paul Barzizza joins Kirk Harnack for a close look inside the company’s new GX Series of FM transmitters. Paul draws on his extensive radio and television engineering background to explain the GX amplifier layout and the powerful LDMOS field-effect transistors at the heart of the design. Because these devices spread heat across a larger area, they can handle substantially more power than earlier generations of transistors—giving transmitter designers a way to produce impressive RF output from a comparatively small cabinet. This isn’t merely a discussion of specifications and theory. Paul and Kirk recently installed a GatesAir GX10K—a combined FM exciter and 10,000-watt RF amplifier—at WIQQ-FM in Leland, Mississippi. They share photos from the project, examine how the transmitter is assembled, and talk through the technology that makes it work.