The Broadcasters' Desktop Resource
This Week’s Newsletter
Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 813, Volume 16, #33 for March 19, 2025
FCC COMMISSIONER TO RESIGN
It will not happen instantly but Geoffrey Starks, the senior Democratic Commissioner of the FCC has informed President Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that he intends to resign “later this spring.”
ANOTHER QUARTER, ANOTHER SET OF REPORTS
We are rapidly approaching the end of Q1 2025. Usually we remind folks of the Issues & Programs report that must be filed by the 10th of the month, for example. Our friend, Larry Wilkins, points out another task that is often forgotten – or misunderstood – relates to tower lighting systems for towers that are lit and noted locally. The emphasis is on the entire “system,” including the control system, alarms and reporting systems.
GETTING AND KEEPING A GOOD GROUND
We have heard a lot about grounding over the years from different folks. The reason: it is not a simple function. There are a number of factors that can ensure your ground is solid – and a few traps that can waste all your efforts.
This week, Bill Ruck, a consultant and contractor in Northern California, will be our special guest. Bill will discuss and show some things you will want to know about. We promise you will learn something. “ www.theBDR.net/TLG/
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!
DELETE, DELETE, DELETE
The Carr-led FCC has announced a new Docket, with the “Delete, Delete, Delete” title, characterized as a major deregulatory initiative. The goal is to collect comments “on every rule, regulation, or guidance document” that could be modified or eliminated to reduce the burdens many consider unnecessary.
FCC SERVER NOTE
By the way, when you are filing required reports, check the day. Did you have trouble accessing and filing on LMS last week? The FCC LMS servers were down for about two days and a notice on the site warns that users may find the site down for maintenance on Wednesday evenings. Sometimes that runs longer, as we saw last week.
REGULATORY FEES NOT OPTIONAL
It may take a couple of years or so, but the FCC continues catching stations that fail to pay the regulatory fees each year. The latest is an AM station in New Jersey that owes over $18,500.
FILE CONVERSION ALERT
Do you ever look for one of those “free rile conversion” sites to, for example, change a HEIC to JPG, or maybe a .docx to .rtf? The FBI has issued an alert that bad actors are using these sites to inject malware onto systems.
WORLD BACKUP DAY
March 31st is recognized as World Backup Day – a reminder to have a solid backup plan, including making backups and checking them periodically to ensure they are good and capable of being used should trouble happen – “whether it’s a hardware failure, a cyberattack, or just a simple mistake – you don’t want to lose the work that matters most,”Larry O’Connor, CEO and Founder, Other World Computing (OWC) notes.
Connor says: “having a backup doesn’t mean much if it’s not reliable.” If you’re a creative or a business owner, your data isn’t just files; it’s your work, your ideas, your late nights and early mornings. It’s everything you’ve built. … That’s why World Backup Day is a good gut check. … The goal isn’t just to back up your data; it’s to have a system you can actually trust and know it just works. Because when you know your work is safe, you can stop worrying about ‘what if.'”
Why March 31st? a group of Reddit users wanted to spread the word in a way that would stick, so they picked the day before April Fool’ s, with the message: “Don’t be a fool – back up your data!” What started as an internet joke quickly became a worldwide movement. Tech companies, IT professionals, and even everyday
FOR SALE
Someone is looking for a Shively fine-matcher and/or a Shively antenna. As usual, we invite you to take a peek and see the wide range of items that are available – or wanted. If you have a need, take a look here.
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!
Some recent articles of interest:
- The Orban 8000 at 50 years – Barry Mishkind
- Join the Lunch Gathering – Thursday 2 PM Eastern
- Enforcement Watch – FCC Chair seeks Payola Information
- Troubleshooting 101 – What to Do While Waiting for the Engineer – Barry Mishkind
- Measuring RF Power – Getting It Right – Bob Tarsio
- Registered Plug? No, It’s A Jack – Rolf Taylor
- CES 2025 – Walking the Floor – Barry Mishkind
- Ham Radio: Emergency News Service – Mike Langner
- Dana’s Daily Deals
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!
MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS
We are down to 2-1/2 weeks to the Spring NAB …. April 5-9. The Registration Page is here. (for full registration or Free Floor Passes.)
There will be more than 1,000 exhibitors, including 140+ first-timers at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Since we are getting closer, the manufacturers are letting us know what to look for on the floor.
Here is a BOOTH LIST AND FLOOR PASS CODES from your favorite manufacturers:
Some new information:
DASDEC announces that Nebraska Public Media is deploying the DASDEC Emergency Alert System (EAS) messaging platform at all of its radio and television stations as part of its effort to implement IP infrastructure and prepare for the transition to ATSC 3.0. Booth N3837.
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During this year’s NAB, The Telos Alliance a catalog of new features and capabilities across its lineup of Linear Acoustic Next Generation Audio products. Booth N721.
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A major update to their Ecreso AiO series of transmitters will be shown in the WorldCast booth W3115. Additionally, there will be a debut of the Audemat MC6 v1.2, the latest upgrade to its industry-leading FM and DAB test and measurement platform. Booth W3115.
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Lawo has recently been tapped to provide the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, a state-of-the-art upgraded audio control room for the Grand Festival Hall in Salzburg, Austria. Booth N623.
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Inovonics will be introducing four new products and showcasing many of their regular crowd pleasing problem solvers. Booth W3535
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A new Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and an innovative Virtual Smart Panel will be a highlight of the Riedel Communications Booth N1821.
See the rest at https://www.thebdr.net/manufacturers-news/
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!
Do You Remember? This week in history:
Broadcast related items:
Do You Remember? This week in history:
Broadcast related items:
- 2 years ago (3/18/23) Morgan Wallen held the record for the most entries on the Hot 100 in a single week, with 36 on March 18, 2023
- 22 years ago (3/20/03) As the war in Iraq started, Bruce Springsteen opened a concert in Australia with “Born in the USA,” follow by a cover of Edwin Stars’ “War.”
- 35 years ago (3/17/90) ARPANET was officially turned off. The “Internet” lives.
- 32 years ago (3/22/93) Intel supercharged computers with the Pentium processor.
- 43 years ago (3/19/82) Joan Jett hit #1 for six weeks with “I Love Rock ‘n Roll.”
- 47 years ago (3/22/78) A parody group – The Rutles – sent up the Beatles. *
- 50 years ago (3/19/75) The movie version of The Who’s rock opera Tommy premiered in the US.
- 57 years ago (3/16/68) “Dock of The Bay,” released a month after Otis Redding dies in a plane crash, hit #1. **
- 67 years ago (3/17/58) The Champs saxophone instrumental “Tequila” hit #1.
- 67 years ago (3/17/58) The first “Greatest Hits” compilation was released. Who was it? ***
- 68 years ago (3/19/57) Elvis bought Graceland.
- 72 years ago (3/18/53) the first Academy Awards show and Oscar. Bob Hope was the MC. The statuette for Best Picture went to Cecil B. DeMille�s The Greatest Show on Earth, while John Ford won Best Director for The Quiet Man. Winners in the top two acting categories were Gary Cooper (High Noon) and Shirley Booth (Come Back, Little Sheba).
- 73 years ago (3/21/52) Cleveland hosted the “Moondog Coronation Ball” – considered the first Rock concert. It was a short one – shut down after one song!**** Who was the Moondog? *****
- 107 years ago(3/19/1918) Standard Time and “Daylight Saving” time were established in the US.
- 114 years ago (3/18/1911) �Alexander�s Ragtime Band” was the multimillion-selling smash hit that helped turn American popular music into a major international phenomenon, both culturally and economically.
…and 123 years ago (3/20/1902) Nathan Stubblefield demonstrated ship-to-shore broadcasts in Washington, DC.
Here are some other “Headlines of the Past.”
- 30 years ago (3/20/95) there was a Sarin Gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.
- 49 years ago (3/20/76) Patty Hearst was convicted of Bank Robbery.
- 56 years ago (3/17/69) Golda Meir became Prime Minister of israel.
- 57 years ago (3/16/68) a platoon of American soldiers brutally killed some 500 unarmed civilians in My Lai Massacre.
- 59 years ago (3/17/66) a missing H-Bomb was found off the coast of Spain.
- 62 years ago (3/21/63) the prison at Alcatraz Island was closed.
- 66 years ago (3/17/59) the Dalai Lama fled Tibet.
and … 88 years ago (3/18/37) Amelia Earhardt left to fly solo around the world.
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!
* The Rutles were actually the Monty Python bunch.
** Redding’s hit was the first post-humus hit in the USA.
*** Johnny Mathis
**** With 25,000 trying to fill the 10,000 seat arena, the Police and Fire Departments halted the show.
***** The Moondog was the nickname for Alan Freed, then on WJW, Cleveland.
MIDWEEK BONUS
What City or State do you think is the hardest place to live if you have seasonal allergies? Take a look.
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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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