The Broadcasters' Desktop Resource

Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 880, Volume 17, #47 for June 24, 2026

NCE FM TRANSLATOR WINDOW IS ANNOUNCED
The FCC has announced the dates for the NCE FM Translator Window. It will be open for two weeks, August 11th to 25th, 2026, with a limited freeze on some applications starting earlier.

FIRST AM, AND NOW FM?
You may want to grab your portable radio and carry it in the car. Most everyone is aware of the fight now going on in Congress over the AM in Every Vehicle Act, to mandate AM radios in all vehicles sold in the US. However, there is another part of the puzzle that may go missing: FM radios are being eliminated in the new Rivian SUV. The sport-utility vehicle is planned to have only cellular-based programming, using the iHeartRadio app with a monthly subscription.

CYBERSECURITY
In this week’s Open Meeting, the FCC probably will vote to require new actions on broadcasters’ part to ensure the security of their program audio. Is this a good idea? How can it be done if there is no IT department handy?  We’ll talk about that, and other issues this week. Join the conversation and, perhaps, share your thoughts on how the FCC is handling broadcasters.

Our 325th Virtual Lunch Gathering will be on Thursday at 2PM Eastern / 11 AM Pacific. Join us and learn things! The link request is at www.theBDR.net/TLG/ … the same place where you will find most of the 323 previous presentations.  (By the way, our buddy Jeff Welton does his 100th TTT next week. Register at Nautel .com for access.)

… and do not forget, on the same page we have over 200 videos you can use on subjects you will want to learn about.