This Week In Radio Tech (TWiRT)

What’s a former DJ and Promotions Director doing building radio studios? Well, he’s lovin’ it! Bill Jackson is now the Principal Studio Engineer for Educational Media Foundation K-LOVE & Air1 Media Networks. He’s expanding the number of studios and replacing the consoles at EMF’s Franklin, Tenn, studio complex. We’re talking about how AoIP has made possible a revolution in studio interoperability and nationwide connectivity.

Show notes:

* Educational Media Foundation (EMF Broadcasting) - Info on Wikipedia* Positive and Encouraging - K-LOVE* Air1 - Worship Now* Axia Livewire+AES67 AoIP networking from Telos Alliance* Axia Quasar AoIP Livewire+AES67 audio console

Guest

Bill Jackson - Principal Broadcast Studio Engineer at EMF K-LOVE & Air1 Media Networks

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars.

Imagine the pressure of making sure every game-day broadcast for the Tennessee Vols gets on-the-air and sounds great. That’s what Tim Berry does in his “spare” time! Tim is the Chief Engineer at WUOT-FM at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He also maintains numerous Amateur Radio repeaters in East Tennessee. Tim joins us to talk about close calls and “audio feed negotiation” as well as connection reciprocity.

Show notes:

* What is the Vol Network?* Tim Berry - WN4GBI and East Tennessee Amateur Repeaters* Lindsey Nelson - First play-by-play announcer for the Vol Network* John Ward - the Voice of the Vols

Guest

Tim Berry - Chief Engineer at WUOT-FM and Chief Engineer at the Vol Network

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Thank you for helping us get to 500 TWiRT episodes! Chris Tobin says he’s up for 500 more! This week, Tom Ray joins us to review some past topics and see how they’ve changed in the past 10 years. Chris Tobin checks in from high above Manhattan. Plus, we predict the future for some of today’s technologies.

Guest

Tom Ray - TWiRT contributor and President at Tom Ray Consulting

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Many of us got our morning and afternoon hosts operating from their homes pretty quickly back in March. We had just a few days - or even just a weekend - to get our on-air talent connected from their kitchen tables or bedrooms, along with news and traffic reporters. Bryan Jones, Engineering Support Specialist at the Telos Alliance, helped dozens of broadcasters get operational from their homes. Now, we’re discussing longer-term home and remote broadcast operations. What are the best practices and key concerns from an IT perspective? What pitfalls should we avoid while improving these remote operations for long-term service? Plus, Chris Tobin describes his station’s unique remote operations setup.

Show notes

* Best remote desktop software of 2020: Paid and free choices for businesses* Kirk’s favorite remote access service: DWService.net* 4 VPN Types and When to Use Them* Chris’s favorite: DJB Radio playout software

Guest

Bryan Jones - Engineering Support at The Telos Alliance

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Na...

The global COVID-19 is truly global. North America’s oldest city - and tied with New York for the largest - is Mexico City. Cuauhtemoc (“Cuau”) Pereda is the Managing Director at @FM (www.arroba.fm), a network of almost 50 stations throughout Mexico, and oversees a network of talent, operations, and engineering professionals. Cuau joins us to discuss how they’re doing social distancing, while working with both union and non-union employees. It’s a lively look into big-market radio in another country.

Show notes

* @FM Radio Network* Radio Resultados* vMix Live Production and Video Streaming Software (also used by the GFQ Network)* OBS Studio Video Production and Streaming Software* Axia Radius AoIP Livewire+ AES67 audio console

Guest

Cuauhtémoc Pereda - Managing Director of @FM, Mexico City

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Many people use their cell phones and other devices to record conversations. The audio can turn out, well, almost useless. Most people try to clean up the audio, and in the process remove the audio they need to hear. Tim Dolbear is an audio engineer, specializing in mixing, audio restoration, and forensic audio analysis. He joins us to discuss these topics, as well as give advice on “how to listen” to audio.

Show notes

* “Listen Hear” - article by Tim Dolbear (PDF)* Izotope RX 7 audio repair software* Audio Repair Examples - Before and After* Audio Pareidolia - Why We Hear Voices in Random Noise* Audio Pareidolia is a real thing* Parametric EQ vs FFT Filter - Adobe Audition Tutorial (video)

Guest

Tim Dolbear - Chief Audio Engineer, Eclectica Studios, Nasvhille, Tenn

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community,

Beth Mann started collecting radios early in her career - and never stopped. As President/CEO of Edge Media Group in Cadiz, Kentucky, Beth directed the construction and operation of the DJ Everett III Radio Room - a showcase for almost 300 radios dating from 1919 to present day. We’re on location at WKDZ-WHVO-WPKY touring this radio museum, plus seeing a replica broadcast control room from the 1960s.

Show notes

* Detailed story of the DJ Everett III Radio Room* Grand opening of the DJ Everett III Radio Room

Guest

Beth A. Mann - President/CEO Edge Media Group

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) typically need towers for their backhaul radios and access points. Broadcasters need Internet access at their transmitter sites. It’s like a mariage made in heaven! On this episode of TWiRT, Kent Winrich, CTO of Open Broadband, a North Carolina-based WISP, describes the technical aspects of a WISP network, and the frequency bands used for network deployment.

Show Notes:

* Open Broadband of North Carolina* Google Network Planner* Chris’s favorite coffee mug - 12 oz Scout* RF Elements - Videos explaining WISP concepts and implementations

Guest

Kent Winrich - Chief Technology Officer at Open Broadband, Chair of WISPA, North Carolina

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts

Sports broadcasting usually involves following and describing a moving target. On the auto and truck racing circuits, that target is moving about 200 MPH. Doug Watson directed and built broadcast facilities, and developed reliable techniques, for radio coverage of NASCAR races. He shares what works and what didn’t for making sure the weekly race broadcasts were exciting, accurate, and delivered to nearly 500 radio affiliates.

Show notes

* Motor Racing Network* Mini Optical Fiber Power Tester* LinkUp Communications - Advice for Broadcasters on 5G Filters

Guest

Doug Watson - Senior Sales Engineer at Linkup Communications Corporation

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts

Audio is important to both Radio and TV, but there are key differences in audio production techniques. Rob Ashard is a Sound Supervisor (“A1” in the USA) for several top TV shows produced in England. Plus his weekly on-air shift at Radio Caroline keeps his heart in radio. This week, Rob shows us some of the large audio “desks” he uses for TV audio production, and describes a technique for low-latency “talkback” setup to remote talent.

Show notes

* Television Centre’s TV Studios* Game Creek Video Trucks* Radio Caroline

Guest

Rob Ashard - Sound Supervisor at Ashard Audio Ltd.

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts