Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 873, Volume 17, #40 for May 6, 2026

WKRP IS BACK – IN CINCINNATI – AND THIS TIME FOR REAL!
Randy Michaels and Jeff Zeissman have done what many a broadcaster has dreamed: bring the ethos of WKRP to the airwaves of Cincinatti for real, over 45 years after the fictional station grabbed the attention and hearts of broadcasters across the country.

Reimagining the famous set of calls from the TV show in the 1980s, Michaels and Zeissman plan to feature the fun displayed by the TV characters in an environment of super-serving their local audience. Welcoming listeners during the opening broadcast: Gary Sandy, the actor who portrayed the Program Director Andy Travis on the TV show. Among the first questions: what will happen for Thanksgiving? The new owners will not say as yet but aver that it will be interesting and fun. And will the morning guy say “booger” on the air? As they say, stay tuned!

MAY FLOWERS
Now that the six extra weeks of Winter are over, a lot of flowers are blooming, along with other vegetation. For many folks, this is the right time – now – to make sure vegetation does not take over your transmitter site. Do not delay, the result can be perplexing.

MORE FROM THE FLOOR
Among the busiest booths at the NAB Show last month was the Nautel booth. Location was part of the reason, the Nautel booth was right in the middle of the somewhat consolidated radio-TV floor but many folks were coming over to see some of the things shown and discussed at the Sunday Radio Technology Forum, the new name for the Nautel NUG.

As we are happy to have Jeff Welton with us this week (and likely Jeff Wilson lurking), we will have some discussion of the new products and features, and an update or two on things you may want to know about.

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!

ISSUES & PROGRAM FILINGS, ETC.
Even since the FCC brought the Public Information File online, it has been warning stations of the need to make whatever filings are required on time – Issues & Programs, renewal applications, yearly regulatory fees, etc. Some fines have been issued, but despite a Consent Decree including money, compliance procedures, staff training, etc – Commission felt this one, at WABG Greenwood MS, was just too much. Within days of the Consent Decree, the station was violating the Rules again. Now, they are on a one-year renewal path – and some close scrutiny.

The message to all is clear: file the required forms on time. (And obey the rest of the Rules.)

THIS YEAR’S REGULATORY FEES
The FCC has plans for a modest increase in some regulatory fees that will be due in September. Plans for fee increases of 4-5% will attach to most full-power radio and TV stations, with a slight decrease in fees for LPTV, translators, boosters and earth stations.

FCC OFFERING SOME HELP WITH DIRS
The Open Meeting for May will include a vote on changing the DIRS requirements to less burden on stations. The idea is to simplify the filing and drop fields that do not provide significant value in an emergency. This may encourge more stations to voluntarily participate.

Might we wish for some similar retooling for the EAS Forms One, Two, and Three?

SOME SHORTCUTS ARE NOT SO GOOD
When dealing with purchases, equipment, parts, etc, it is smart to be thrifty, and not waste money. On the other hand, sometimes saving a few bucks can create some major problems. Ron Schacht has two examples to share.

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MUSIC?
According to an Apple executive, over a third of music uploads to the service are “100% AI.” Studies are ongoing as to whether listeners can tell the difference and/or care about it.

… NOT TO MENTION RADIOS
We are now 25 years after the introduction of HD Radio, and the debate about it is as strong as ever. Sales and transmission system companies like it. Program directors are skeptical. Engineers find it complicates the system. Listeners largely do not know the difference … and car companies continue reacting: GM has largely stopped installing HD radios. Some of the others have pulled some things (AM in EVs), others restoring them. Those with memory may recall how AM Stereo died, especially with broadcast itself under pressure to keep its place in dashboards.

ARE IHEART AND SIRIUS/XM IN PLAY?
Several reports in the past week talk about iHeart and Sirius/XM are in merger talks. A major force behind that is Liberty Media, owner of Siriuis/XM. But other suitors have starter appear, including music mogul Irving Azoff. This would take consolidation up to a whole ‘nother level.

TED TURNER PASSES AWAY
The founder of Cable TV News – CNN – and so much more passed away this morning at the age of 87.

FOR SALE
Could you use a 5 kW dummy load? One has just been listed on the BuySell Page. Check it out along with other items.

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

Here are some of the more recent items of interest:

• Danger: Consumer Electronic Parts – Ron Schacht
• Coping with Overgrown Wild Vegetation – Barry Mishkind
• Join the Lunch Gathering – Thursday 2 PM Eastern
• Enforcement Watch – Licenses in danger for non-payment / Tower painting NOVs
• Talking Like An Old Hand – Clay Freinwald
• Are you Ready to Buy Your Own Station? – George Kimble
• New Transmitters and Tubes from Nautel – Barry Mishkind
• MP3 was Only a Beginning – Greg Ogonowski
• AC Problems Solved with PowerClamp – Hank Landsberg
• Making Nautel Customer Support Better – John Wilton

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

During the NAB 2026 Show, Mersedeh Najishabahang, Electrical Engineer at Dielectric, was named one of TVNewsCheck’s Women to Watch. She was honored for her innovative achievements. A Ph.D. in electrical engineering, one of her first projects for Dielectric was to design and develop a broadband high-power, single-output, circularly polarized FM panel, resulting in an industry-first, patent-pending product that is set to simplify component architecture.You can see Mersedeh discuss Dielectric’s DSCP antennas on the BDR.

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Heading to London for the 2026 Media Production & Technology Show (MPTS) next week? The Telos Alliance plans to be seen in multiple booths around the Show, with a variety of their latest products and technology.

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Sennheiser has announce the introduction of their HD 480 PRO Series studio headphones, which is said to deliver a perfect balance of sound accuracy, comfort, and versatility, using a closed-back design and Vibration Attenuation System to preserve the integrity of the audio signal. Additionally, the company has brought back the very popular MD 9235 capsule, famous for its precision and clarity with live vocals even at high onstage levels. There is also SoundBase SE, a free program to control and unify your wireless audio workflow.

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Logitek has unveiled their new JetPack, purpose-built to bring USB to AoIP, simplifying how computers integrate with AoIP systems like Livewire and AES67. Due to ship in July, the JetPack interface supports up to 14 stereo I/O channels with integrated GPIO and logic control.

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

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

• 1 year ago (5/4/25) Madonna ends her Celebration Tour in Rio with a 2.4-mile-long free concert for 1.6 million fans.
• 10 years ago (5/7/16) After Prince’s death, his albums took #1 and #2 on the Billboard chart.*
• 25 years ago (5/8/01) XM got their satellite system in place. (The official launch of the service was on September 25, 2001.)
• 49 years ago (5/7/77) the Eagles hit #1 with a 6:08 song “Hotel California.”
• 50 years ago (5/8/76) The theme from “Welcome Back, Kotter” was the #1 song.
• 56 years ago (5/9/70) The Guess Who hit #1 with “American Woman” – actually a tribute to Canadian Women!
• 61 years ago (5/6/65) Keith Richards woke up in the middle of the night to write “Satisfaction.”
• 62 years ago (5/9/64) the Beatles were toppled from being #1 after three and a half solid months. Who did it? **
• 65 years ago (5/9/61) Newton Minnow gave his famous speech to the NAB calling TV a “Vast Wasteland.” ***
• 67 years ago (5/4/59) the first Grammy Awards were held. ****
• 70 years ago (5/4/56) Gene Vincent recorded “Be-Bop-A-Lula.“
• 89 years ago (5/6/37) the Hindenberg crashed at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in New Jersey with Herbert Morrison’s famous coverage on WLS.
• 94 years ago (5/9/32) WFLA-WSUN in Tampa, FL began operations with the first directional antenna on AM.
• 100 years ago (5/8/1926) WGY became the first station to broadcast at 50 kW.

… and 202 years ago (5/7/1824) Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 debuted

Here are some other “Headlines of the Past.”

• 24 years ago (5/5/02) “Spider-Man” became the first movie to top $100 million in its opening weekend.
• 26 years ago (5/5/00) the “ILOVEYOU” cyberworm went global in 24 hours, infecting hundreds of millions.
• 32 years ago (5/7/94) Norway’s most famous painting, “The Scream” by Edvard Munch, is recovered almost three months after it was stolen from a museum in Oslo. The fragile painting was recovered undamaged at a hotel in Asgardstrand, about 40
• 32 years ago (5/6/94) the Chunnel Tunnel between England and France was opened. (1/3 the time as a ferry – and much smoother!)
• 32 years ago (5/10/94) Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as President of South Africa.
• 32 years ago (5/4/94) was the first National Star Wars Day “MTFBWY” (Lucasfilm, Disney, and others.)
• 32 years ago (5/4/94) Yitzak Rabin and Yassir Arafat signed an accord for Palestinian home rule.
• 47 years ago (5/4/79) Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister in England.
• 52 years ago (5/9/74) Richard Nixon’s Impeachment Hearings started.
• 56 years ago (5/4/70) the National Guard killed four students at Kent State.
• 63 years ago (5/8/63) In the US, Sean Connery starred in his first Bond movie, “Dr. No.” (UK release: 10/10/62)
• 65 years ago (5/5/61) Alan Shepherd, Jr became the first American in space, in the Freedom 7 space capsule, one month after Russia’s Gagarin.  ***** Mission length???
• 74 years ago (5/9/52) Joseph Fletcher landed the first aircraft on the North Pole.
• 81 years ago (5/8/45) V-E Day is celebrated in America and Britain.
• 111 years ago (5/7/1915) the German submarine sunk the RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198
• 157 years ago (5/10/1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met in Promontory, Utah, and drove a ceremonial last spike into a rail line that connecteds their railroads. This made transcontinental railroad travel possible for the first time in U.S. history.

… and 159 years ago (5/8/1867) Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel patented dynamite in England. Yes, he later started the Nobel Prizes.

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

* Since Prince’s music was mostly unavailable online, the albums were the best way to get his music.

** The Beatles were finally knocked off the #1 slot – a place they held longer than any other artist before or since – by Louis Armstrong …. and his top of the charts “Hello Dolly”  on May 9, 1964.

***.. and yes, in a recent interview, he still feels that way.

**** Song of the Year AND Record of the Year: “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare)” by Domenico Modugno

***** Shepherd was in space for 15 minutes. But it was a start! And, now, civilian space trips of 11-15 minutes are routine!


WEEKEND BONUS

Did you know? The espionage franchise – Mission Impossible – is all about secret codes, including one embedded in its popular theme song. The opening notes are actually based on Morse code, which translates to “M” and “I.”

It is usually sad to see a broadcast tower come down, whether due to weather issues or, as in recent years, selling the land. Especially interesting are self-supporters when they are pulled down. Recently, the no-longer-used KFUO tower (they have a new one) in St. Louis was dropped. Here is a look at the event last month.

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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.

NO INBOX FLOODING!!!!    MORE DETAIL HERE
Those you who read the Newsletter might notice that more detail is provided on some timely issues than on the BDR site, itself. That is one reason we encourage you to invite your friends to subscribe. We are Opt-In only… and we give you two promises (OK, four!):
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PLEASE DO INVITE A FRIEND
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PLEASE 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?

barry