Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 876, Volume 17, #43 for May 27, 2026

AM ACT GETS A PATHWAY
Sometimes the way Congress works really makes you stop and think for a moment. Right now, the Build America 250 infrastructure Bill contains something many broadcasters have sought: the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. The key aspect: the Bill is mostly reauthorizing funding for surface transportation but will likely go to “reconciliation” before long, which means it may get passed and sent to the President later in September.

A DIFFERENT BILL BRINGS DIFFICULTY
Sometimes it is hard to see if there is progress or just some sort of circular action. While the big push for AM in all vehicles has been on the minds of broadcasters for a while, another Bill could truly hurt some stations, especially daytimers. The “Sunshine Protection Act” – a push for year-round Daylight Saving Time – could completely eliminate AM drive for a number of stations that do not have full power until the sun comes up. For example, in the Northern tier of states, sunrise can be – and is right now! – well after 9AM.

A REAL BOOST FOR AM?
Most broadcasters know that background RF interference coming from all sorts of sources – computers/LED lights/power supplies/EVs/etc – has raised the “noise floor” and reduced the effective coverage of many stations. For many reasons – not to forget FCC Rules – simply raising power may not be the solution. An NRSC study released during the NAB Spring Show has some startling results: over 80% of AM stations in the US could benefit from the use of boosters – even including many stations putting out 50 kW.

Boosters for AM? Yep. Our guest this week, John Kean will discuss the why, the how, and the potential results of using AM boosters. Join us this Thursday (tomorrow) at 2PM for this interesting look at something that could help some AM stations recover market coverage.

Join us Thursday at 2 PM Eastern /11 AM Pacific, and let us learn things. The link request is, as usual, at www.theBDR.net/TLG/ Yes, you can see us on YouTube live – but joining us on zoom makes it easier to ask questions and discuss issues.

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

 

IS PICON BACK?
Recent comments by FCC Chairman Carr reminding stations that they have – unlike many other sources of news and entertainment – stressed the responsibility of serving the Public Interest in their communities. While some have seen parts of the new emphasis on enforcement as political, the FCC actually has been for some time now making more and more noise about the need for stations to be prompt and clear about the Online Public Information Filings. Carr’s comments seem to recall the old acronym PICON – the Public Interest, Convenience, or Necessity – as what should be guiding station operations. Sometimes the automation needs to be stopped in favor of local needs.

THE OPIF IS NOT JUST AN OPTION
Each month we do see more fines and Consent Decrees coming from stations that have neglected filings. One recent case ended with a $41,000 “voluntary contribution” to the US Treasury and a Consent Decree. Check it out here.

DIRS MANDATES LOOSENED A BIT
It has always seemed a bit of a bureaucratic catch-22, the FCC demanding stations facing emergencies fill in a form on the FCC’s Disaster Information Reporting System, even as they may be struggling to stay on the air or facing loss of Internet connections during emergencies. Unanimously, the FCC has approved relaxing the DIRS requirements, including adding a “one-click” filing option, to let stations focus on restoring services. The Commission will continue the DIRS and other assistance to help stations in need to deal with proper notifications and paperwork, all in the right order.

FCC STILL IS NOT OPENING CHANNEL 6
Over the past decade or so, a number of petitions have asked the FCC to designate Channel 6 – or 5 and 6 – for operation by FM stations, some local, some former AM stations. Even with most TV stations having abandoned Channel 6, the FCC has held firm and despite lack of open FM channels in many areas, will not expand the FM Band at this time. A recent LPFM application in Connecticut shows the FCC still is not open to discussion on Channel 6.

AUDACY LEANS TO ABC FOR NEWS
With CBS News now history, Audacy has brought ABC News to its stations around the country. The company says stations will be tasked with local news presentation.

UPCOMING SUMMIT
The Michigan Broadcasters Engineering & IT Summit is set of June 2 and 3 in East Lansing, MI. This year’s Summit will tackle some of the industry’s most pressing operational and technology challenges, including cybersecurity, RF maintenance, infrastructure planning, equipment decisions, AI tools, and future-focused technical strategies, and more.

RAGE AGAINST THE WAYBACK MACHINE
A total of more nearly 400 web sites, including more than 340 news outlets in this country, have started blocking the Internet Archive – aka, the Wayback Machine – from accessing and preserving their content. Led by USA Today, McClatchy, and Alden Global, they wish to prevent AI from scraping their sites, using txhe information for training, and keeping web searches away from their web sites.

On the other hand, publishers of expensive databases like ProQiest and LexisNexis continue to license their content – with the expectation that costs will rise. Some say free preservation of history and data is at risk, as the Internet continues to be more and  more monetized.

YET ANOTHER CYBER WARNING
PSHSB Chief Nakazawa recently warned of the detection of more frequent attacks against broadcasters, many of them using AI, that are incresingly sophisticated. At a time when more and more station equipment is hooked into network and Internet links, it behooves every station, of any size, to regularly review their cyber operations to reduce as many attack vectors as possible.

DEALS DEALS DEALS!
Each afternoon during the week, Dana Puopolo shares some good – sometimes great – buys he finds on the Internet. You might find something you need – or want – on the page: https://www.thebdr.net/danas-deals/
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

Here are some of the more recent items of interest:

• The Rise and Fall of C-Band – Chip Morgan
• Join the Lunch Gathering – Thursday 2 PM Eastern
• Enforcement Watch – $41k fine for Isue & Programs violationss
• Predicting Maintenance Needs – Rolin Lintag
• Beware of Killer Thumb Drives – Barry Mishkind
• Danger: Consumer Electronic Parts – Ron Schacht
• Coping with Overgrown Wild Vegetation – Barry Mishkind
• Talking Like An Old Hand – Clay Freinwald
• Making Nautel Customer Support Better – John Wilton

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

 
MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS

Arrakis has replaced the ARC-15 console with the new H15, adding new flexibility for today’s broadcast studios. The Analog/Digital hybrid console continues with all the features of the ARC-15, but adding things like the H-Series Controller software, remote console control, user presets, custom channel labels, logic control, automatic restore after power loss, remote audio monitoring, 2 mix minus buses, and more. The ARC-15s are still supported according to Arrakis.

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Nautel has now reached the 100th of their transmission-talk broadcasts, hosted by Jeff Welton. As you know, Jeff usually drops in on us every first Thursday of the month on the BDR Lunch Gathering. And, he is an SBE Board member, host of the Nautel Sunday show at NAB, and is active on still more groups and initiatives. The best part is that Jeff has a lot to share and does his best to do so!

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Broadcast Depot is running a special on some DEVA gear: half price.

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WorldCast Systems has released its Audemat MC6 v1.4, the latest software evolution of its flagship FM/DAB+ test and measurement platform. Version 1.4 introduces major improvements to DAB and DAB+ field analysis, particularly for mobile measurement campaigns. The MC6 now integrates enriched embedded data for advanced Single Frequency Network (SFN) analysis, offering deeper visibility into transmitter contribution and network synchronization under real driving conditions.

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The ATSC NextGen Broadcast Conference is set for June 1�3 in Washington, D.C. Digital Alert Systems will be sending Ed Czarnecki, VP Government and International to participate in a panel discussion on how NextGen can handle EAS and other issues.

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

 

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

• 0 years ago (5/26/26) Michael Jackson’s record of the most #1 songs by a male artist is broken by Drake. *
• 4 years ago (5/27/22) Abba’s virtual reality tour opens in London. Digital avatars performed.
• 19 years ago (5/28/07) the Police re-united after 20 years and do a 151 show tour.
• 30 years ago (5/26/96) Eric Clapton’s home burned down as he tried to save his guitar collection – $3 million in damages.
• 44 years ago (5/28/83) Irene Cara has a #1 pop hit with the “Flashdance” theme.
• 49 years ago (5/25/77) Star Wars opened in theaters with John Williams instantly recognizable score.
• 57 years ago (5/26/69) The Who released the Rock Opera “Tommy.”
• 59 years ago (5/26/67) the Beatles’ “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Band” album was released. **
• 63 years ago (5/27/63) Bob Dylan’s breakthrough album “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” was released.
• 63 years ago (5/30/63) Lesley Gore sang “It’s My Party” on American Bandstand.

… 98 years ago, on 5/25/1928, the FRC deleted 164 stations in an attempt to reduce interference on the AM Band.

Here are some other “Headlines of the Past.”

• 21 years ago (5/31/05) Mark Felt admitted being “Deep Throat” who leaked a lot of the Watergate Scandal.
• 32 years ago (5/25/94) a man was buried in Pennsylvania – but his coffin was really weird. ***
• 73 years ago (5/29/53) Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, become the first explorers to reach the summit of Mount Everest – at 29,035 feet
• 85 years ago (5/27/41) The Bismarck was sunk by the British Navy.
• 89 years ago (5/27/37) the Golden Gate Bridge opened. Rich Wood promptly offered it for sale.
• 91 years ago (5/25/35) Babe Ruth hit his last home run, he retired later than week.
• 99 years ago (5/26/1927) the last Model T rolled off the Ford production line.
• 115 years ago (5/30/1911) the first Indy 500 was run.
• 130 years ago (5/26/1896) the Dow Jones Industrial Average started with 12 stocks.

And finally: 167 years ago (5/31/1859) Big Ben went into service in London.

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

 

* Drake has had 14 #1 hits. The top was The Beatles with 20. Drake also has a record 42 songs on the Top 100 chart – and nine of the Top Ten! – beating Taylor Swift’s 26.

** It is said that Sgt. Pepper caused Brian Wilson to retreat even further into his shell and become functionally dead.

*** George Swanson was buried in his 1984 Corvette.

MIDWEEK BONUS
“The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous” will soon no longer be doing that. Schlitz, a brand that is 177-years-old, is shutting down for good.

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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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Now … some extra stuff .. some important … some just interesting.

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