Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 856, Volume 17, #23 for January 7, 2026

WELCOME
As we start the 2026 calendar year, we just want to take a moment to say “Hello” and “thanks for reading our Newsletter” to everyone. Whether you are new or old, the BDR Newsletter is designed to provide important information one-time-a-week. We will not flood your inbox. You can feel free to invite your friends and colleagues to subscribe to the BDR Newsletter knowing we are doing what we said we would do 17 years ago – and that we will keep the promises!

INTERNATIONAL CES UNDERWAY
It is always the first convention of the year in Las Vegas, and this year is no different. CES has taken over the LVCC (the North Hall is back, although it will not be the Radio Hall in April), and the huge attendance – over 140,000 are expected to jam the show floor. This year, do we really have to say that the big draw is AI? AI “agents” will be seen in all kinds of varieties of apps, from vehicles to  robots (and drones) to health monitors and a whole lot more. AI in the broadcast studio will become part of the automation, transmitter control, and all point in between. It might even open the pod bay door.

NOT TO EARLY TO THINK NAB
Registration is open for the Spring NAB Show – April 18-22 (and PREC, April 16, 17). Note: Some of the NAB’s messages indicate if you want the Free Floor Pass, it may need to be registered this month. Note2: for those planning for the Radio Technology Forum (formerly, the NUG) conference, it will be at the Westgate this year. 

Possibility? Last year we changed from mid-day to evening, for a pizza night and had a nice group. We are investigating options for this year – whether most prefer lunch or dinner. It is possible the Westgate buffet will be open at lunch during NAB week, but this is not confirmed as yet. Ideas are welcome – but as the LVCC has grown, there is not much close any more.

PROTECTING THE PROGRAM AUDIO CHAIN
Loss of the program feed is among the more frustrating things a station can experience. Dead air. And if you have been following the FCC’s current NPRM regarding the potential sale of much of the rest of the C-Band frequencies, one of the more reliable program feeds may disappear. You may wonder what can be done to ensure program reception. You might be just a bit nervous about Internet transmission. Of course, some equipment has been aimed at making IP transmission more clean and reliable. On the other hand, some newer solutions based on decades of SaaS technology have been produced that may work better for you – such as the new Prism from Adventure 33 in collaboration with Angry Audio.

That is the theme of this week’s zoom meeting, as we welcome Adrian Berkovits and Catfish Dosch to explain why this new technology should be in your plans for the near future.

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

 

A 2026 BROADCAST CALENDAR
A calendar of major deadlines and events is available from several sources. You can find one here.

POSSIBLE AM HELP
As you can imagine, there is a renewed effort to get the AM in all Vehicles Act passed an implemented. Meanwhile, there has been some effort to get the FCC to return to the 2016 Window/mechanism for AM stations to acquire and move translators – with emphases on Class C and D AM stations. It is not yet an NPRM, but support seems to be growing.

CPB CLOSES DOWN
In response to the removal of funding from the Federal government, the Board of Directors has decided to dissolve The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has shut down after 58 years.

ARMSTRONG TRANSMITTERS CLOSED DOWN
The company that sold solid state transmitters (much of them re-badged RVR products) closed down over the past summer, selling off their parts inventory. At this point the only products for which they still offer support are the NOAA weather transmitters.

IS ANYONE LIVING AT YOUR SITE?
Site security has become more of an issue in recent years as, in many cases, visits to the sites are reduced. With Winter’s cold weather, there is potential for squatters to break in and make a “home,” hence a reminder to keep an eye on the sites, even if remote. IP-based cameras are cheaper than ever, so it is a good idea to have a few pointed at any potential access point.

FOR SALE/WANTED
This week an Optimod 8100 leads the newest items. Some Kathrein PRF-950 and SAMCO Yagi antennas are also available. And, a station group in IL is looking to hire an engineer. Check them out on the ForSale page.

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

 

Here are some of the more recent items of interest:

• Y2K – Tempest in a Computer Code – Barry Mishkind
• The Rewards of a Broadcast Career – Mike Vanhooser
• Join the Lunch Gathering – Thursday 2 PM Eastern
• Enforcement Watch – EAS tones on public radio stations: $86,400
• What Do We Really Know About Reginald Fessenden – Donna Halper
• Aqua Cobalt – Designed to Work – Ted Nahil
• The Most Heralded Radio Failure – Don Kimberlin
• The Quiet After the WABE: A Reflection – Tessa Potter
• Resisting the Spam Flood – Mike Langner
• Dana’s Daily Deals

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

 
MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS

Yes, it is CES Week. The first looks really make it seem the whole concept of the trade show is changing. It is hard to find a booth that does not have some sort of AI implemented. Auto displays are a prime example. Not unlike the TV race to large (each year, the manufacturers sought to bring the biggest consumer screens – as much as 116 inches!) displays, some cars had screens virtually from steering wheel to the passenger door. Wearable items to scan your health. Locks that respond to a wave of your hand. Robots to talk to you and keep you company. And more.

One warning to broadcasters: many of these car displays did have radio reception, but it often required more than one button press to even get the radio on line.

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At CES, Pearl Television will be announcing their new NEXTGEN TV Converter Box Program, which is launched to support consumer transition to ATSC 3.0. Described as an “affordable and user-friendly way to access” the OTA NEXTGEN TV broadcasts, the product will permit a common certification and interoperability framework to support a range of eligible receiving devices across participating manufacturers. In other words, it will not only allow conversion of ATSC 1 televisions, but handle various programming choices the television station sets out, and is focused on essential viewing functionality, prioritizing simplicity, familiarity, and cost-effectiveness.

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The transition has completed at Broadcast Supply Worldwide (BSW). Tim Schwieger has retired and during the past year current President and CEO, Bryan Seeley, who has been an integral part of the company since 2012, has become the owner of the company.

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We have seen a number of different kinds of rechargeable batteries, in an effort to use “green energy” when the sun sets or the wind stops. A new plant in Sardinia is demonstrated how CO2 – yes, carbon dioxide – can be used to store energy for use upon demand. It will need to be scaled down, but might be the solution to the Lithium Ion batteries that can catch fire – or worse.

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

 

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

• 8 years ago (1/8/18) the FCC eliminated the Main Studio Rule.
• 22 years ago (1/6/04) HD receivers were first sold.
• 39 years ago (1/10/87) NRSC-1 goes into effect to establish AM emphasis/de-emphasis curves.
• 46 years ago (1/5/80) Hip Hop went Top 40 with The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight.“
• 47 years ago (1/5/79) the FCC eliminated Third Class Operator Licensing.
• 47 years ago (1/6/79) Chic was in the middle of seven weeks at #1 with “Le Freak.“
• 50 years ago (1/10/76) C.W. McCall hit #1 on the charts with the CB song, “Convoy.”
• 53 years ago (1/6/73) Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” hit #1.
• 70 years ago (1/7/56) Dean Martin hit #1 for six weeks with “Memories Are Made Of This.“
• 77 years ago (1/10/49) RCA introduced the 45 RPM record. It was probably less than a day later when the first radio engineer glued an insert on a 33 so the 45 could be more easily slip-cued on the air.
• 83 years ago (1/7/43) Nicola Tesla died poor and alone in a Manhattan hotel room.
• 86 years ago (1/5/40) Major Armstrong demonstrated FM to the FCC.
• 94 years ago (1/5/32) The Shadow debuts on CBS Radio.
• 99 years ago (1/8/1927) Commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London. *
• 108 years ago (1/8/1918) President Wilson’s 14 Points speech aired worldwide.

… and 188 years ago (1/6/1838) Morse Code was privately demonstrated.

Here are a few other “newsy” items of interest:

• 19 years ago (1/9/07) Apple revealed the first iPhone.
• 26 years ago (1/10/00) AOL-Time Warner formed.
• 27 years ago (1/4/99) The euro debuted replacing national currencies around much of Europe.
• 30 years ago (1/4/96) GM announced its first electric car
• 54 years ago (1/5/72) President Nixon launches space shuttle program.
• 62 years ago (1/8/64) Lyndon Johnson declared a War on Poverty.
• 93 years ago (1/5/33) construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge. 
• 106 years ago (1/5/1920) New York Yankees announce the purchase of Babe Ruth. *
• 125 years ago (1/10/1901) a drilling derrick at Spindletop Hill near Beaumont, Texas, produced an enormous gusher of crude oil, coating the landscape for hundreds of feet and signaling the advent of the American oil industry. (The geyser was discovered at a depth of over 1,000 feet.)

 … and 237 years ago (1/7/1789) the first US presidential election was held. Who Won?

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

 

* The Yankees paid $125,000 with $10,000 to Ruth. By 1922 Ruth was making $52K (now about $840k)

MIDWEEK BONUS

ARE THERE ANY LIMITS TO AI?
We now see AI answering support lines, driving cars, even reading x-rays. Can it be a sales coordinator – can it run a vending machine? Check this out.

Meanwhile, if you have a television from Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL Technology Group Corp., you might be interested to know the Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, has sued these companies for secretly recording what Texans watch in their homes – raising concerns about data harvesting of what is being watched.

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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:
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        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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Yes … you might have seen it before, but we should do this: some extra stuff .. some important … some just interesting.

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