Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 881, Volume 17, #48 for July 1, 2026

QUARTERLY REPORT TIME
Yes, for some this is a repetitious reminder, it is time. July 10th is the next deadline for quarterly reports. And, perhaps you have noticed the FCC is getting stickier about late and missing Issues and Programs filings, as well as other required things that need to be placed in the station’s on-line Public Informatixon Files.

AN EAS – AND MORE – NPRM TO COME
As we expected, the FCC adopted a policy to significantly enhance cybersecurity at stations. And now the NPRM has been released. Many feel it is something that should have been addressed earlier, but with AI-assisted hackers, it is becoming more and more important, and the FCC is moving this along fairly rapidly.

REACTING TO THE FCC’S INITIATIVE
Given that the hackers are out there, hammering away at station firewalls, it really is smart move to be proactive, and plan and build security so you do not become a victim.

SECURITY TIPS AND TRICKS
For our 326th video presentation – and all are available to you at no charge – Jeff Welton will be here tomorrow (Thursday) to speak with us from a manufacturer’s perspective on some of the simple and quick protections, as well as more comprehensive ideas to implement.

Our 326th 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.)

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

 

FCC FEEDS TREASURY $3.5 BILLION
After the recent AWS-3 auction, the FCC got winning bids of $3.5 billion for “midband” spectrum that had been unused. The total beat expectations, but of course, the money goes into the Treasury, not the FCC.

MORE MONEY THE FCC DOES NOT RECEIVE
Like auction income and regulatory fees, the FCC is not allowed to keep money from fines and Consent Decrees. These do bring significant amounts of money to the US Treasury, though, so it is always best to avoid fines. How much can they be? Take a look here!

NCE FM TRANSLATOR WINDOW
Several groups, including NFCB, CBI, and RECNET are have asked the FCC to change the dates on the upcoming NCE FM translator window, noting that many of the college stations that might be applicants may not have enough time – or even be in operation – to benefit from the August dates. No official response has been made as yet.

LOOKING FOR HELP TO FILE IN THE NCE FM TRANSLATOR WINDOW?
The window is coming up in early August. If you have a desire to acquire a translator for the NCE FM service, this is the time to plan. Need help? Check out these folks who can put together an application.

ON TOP OF THE WORLD?
Well, not quite, but two people managed to get out on top of the Empire State Building in New York City. One person climbed to the very top antenna spire and hung a banner. Reports are that one was an Internet celebrity doing a live-streamed publicity stunt and the other was taking pictures…. Some of us are more than a bit tired of “Internet influencers.”

DID YOU KNOW?
Do you need to contact someone at the FCC or the FAA? Looking for information on the Rules and Regulations? Maybe some historical material? Hard to find parts? There is a lot of Good Stuff to Know on the GSTK page.

A VOTE ON C-BAND AUCTION COMING UP
During the upcoming Open Meeting on July 22nd, the FCC has plans to vote on the “Big Auction” of 89% of the remaining C-Band frequencies. It appears that just 20 MHz will be left for incumbent services – and broadcast use of the band will largely end.

WOW – WHAT A CALL SIGN REQUEST!
The buyers of KXSP – recently KOMJ – on 590 in Omaha would like to go back a lot further and recapture the original call sign for the station: WOW – which was not just an excited expression, but stood for Woodman of the World, used since 1926 by the insurance company that put WOAW on the air in April 1923. Walnut Radio seeks an unusual wavier to restore the three-letter call sign – unused since 2000 – something the FCC is very reluctant to authorize unless transferred from a co-owned station using the old calls. (KHJ in Los Angeles was one of very few that were granted a such a wavier, this based on the awkwardness of pronouncing its then current call sign in Spanish, which was the station format.) (Thanks, Mike Shane!)

HOW FULL IS YOUR PLATE?
How many things are on your To-Do list for today? 5, 10, 20? While many folks report more, experts say that if you have more than 3 to 5 items on you To-Do list, you will likely not only not manage them, but will be frustrated as the leftovers pile into tomorrow’s list! Reduce your To-Do list to 3 items if possible, 5 maximum, and if necessary, run out and buy a round tuit to feel better.

WINDOWS 10 NOT ENTIRELY DEAD YET
Microsoft has announced a reprieve for those currently paying for past-end-of-life support for Windows 10. The one-year extension may be helpful for some systems that rely on older computers that cannot run Windows 11.

UK SIGNS OFF ON LONGWAVE
The 198 kHz station at Droitwich England closed down last Saturday, ending 92 years of service. The station, which had been on 200 kHz until 1988, was used as a frequency reference. In recent years, the utility companies have used the channel to control electric meters. Programming was from the BBC Radio 4, which continues on FM, DAB, and satellite.

NEW ZEALAND REDUCES AM POPULATION
Earlier this year, Radio New Zealand decommissioned stations on 531, 702, 810, 936, 1179, 1332, and 1476, as two towers that had been standing for 70 and 91 years were being replaced. (Thanks, Ralph Sanson!)

FOR SALE
We have several new items this week. A mic processor, an audio processor, a phone system, and more. The ForSale page is here.
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

Here are some of the more recent items of interest:

• That FCC Fine is How Much? – Barry Mishkind
• Join the Lunch Gathering – Thursday 2 PM Eastern
• Enforcement Watch – $50k for translator violations
• IT Security for Broadcast Gear – Kirk Harnack
• Building A Maintenance Checklist – Barry Mishkind
• The Rise and Fall of C-Band – Chip Morgan
• Predicting Maintenance Needs – Rolin Lintag
• Beware of Killer Thumb Drives – Barry Mishkind
• Danger: Consumer Electronic Parts – Ron Schacht

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

 
MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS

The Fall broadcast convention season is definitely under way, with more announcements. Here is a partial list, so you can make plans and secure the special rates:

The Texas Association of Broadcasters –  August 5 and 6.
The Nebraska Broadcasters Association – August 13.
The IBC will mean in Amsterdam, slated for September 11-14 at the RAI.
The Wisconsin and Minnesota Broadcasters associations combine for the Broadcasters’ Clinic, September 14-16.
The NAB Show New York is scheduled for October 21-22.

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Audio-Technica introduced their new D50 Digital UHF Wireless System at InfoComm 2026, purpose-built for rock-solid multichannel performance in demanding RF environments.

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Content creators need memory units that not only feature speed and reliability, but also modest pricing, especially now considering
the memory chip shortages. Other World Computing(OWC), has announced the launch of its new line ofOWC Atlas Core CFexpress 4.0 Type B 256GB memory cards. The Atlas Core memory card delivers speed up to 3571MB/s read, 2227MB/s write, and 368MB/s sustained write speeds and the highest level of reliability at an unbeatable price. WithOWC’s FREE Innergize software, users get built-in card health monitoring, performance restoration, and firmware updates

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

 

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

• 15 years ago (7/3/11) Little Richard performed in a wheelchair at the “A Capitol Fourth” in Washington, DC.
• 17 years ago (6/30/09) Spinal Tap began – and ended – their One Night World Tour. Where? *
• 24 years ago (7/1/02) Sirius Satellite service began.
• 29 years ago (7/2/97) “Men in Black” premiered in theaters.
• 41 years ago (7/3/85) Back to the Future was released, featuring the 1981 DeLorean DMC-12.
• 49 years ago (7/2/77) Theme from Rocky hit #1 on the charts. (“Gonna Fly Now“).
• 54 years ago (7/1/72) Neil Diamonds “Song Sung Blue” hit #1.
• 56 years ago (7/1/70) American Top 40 with Casey Kasem debuts. The #1 hit that week? **
• 56 years ago (7/4/70) Casey Kasem first hosted American Top 40.
• 62 years ago (7/4/64) the Beach Boys scored their first #1 hit. ***
• 63 years ago (7/4/63) WWVB began operations at 60 kHz.
• 72 years ago (7/5/54) Elvis Presley recorded “That’s All Right (Mama)” – his first studio session.
• 85 years ago (7/1/41) Commercial TV stations were first licensed. First up: WNBT, NY.
• 85 years ago (7/1/41) the first true TV commercial aired in the US. On WNBT ****
• 98 years ago (7/2/1928) the first experimental TV station was licensed.  (W3XK)
• 104 years ago (7/1/1923) the first network was set up: WEAF/WMAF.
• 115 years ago (7/1/1911) the Radio Division was created as part of the Commerce Department.
• 116 years ago (7/1/1910) Public Law 262 initiated licensing of wireless radio operators.

… and 129 years ago (7/2/1897) Marconi got his first patent in England.

How about a few “general history” items as well:

• 15 years ago (7/8/11) Atlantis was launched on the final mission of US Space Shuttle program.
• 19 years ago (6/29/07) Apple released the first iPhone.
• 21 years ago (7/1/05) the last of more than 4.4 million Ford Thunderbirds was produced.
• 29 years ago (7/2/97) “Men in Black” premiered in theaters.
• 31 years ago (6/29/95) the American space shuttle Atlantis docked with the Russian space station Mir to form the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth.
• 34 years ago (7/2/92) the One Millionth Corvette was built (it took 39 years).
• 41 years ago (7/3/85) Back to the Future was released, featuring the 1981 DeLorean DMC-12.
• 42 years ago (7/1/84) the PG-13 rating debuted.
• 47 years ago (7/1/79) The first Sony Walkman went on sale in Japan.
• 62 years ago (7/2/64) President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.
• 80 years ago (7/5/46) the bikini swimsuit was first shown. *****
• 90 years ago (7/2/37) Amelia Earhart disappeared. No, she was not RIF’d by a Consolidator.
• 95 years ago (7/7/31) work began on the Hoover Dam.
• 98 years ago (7/7/1928) Sliced Bread was first produced in Missouri.
• 105 years ago (7/5/1921) Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing World Series. (“Say it ain’t so, Joe!”)
• 142 years ago (7/4/1884) France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States.
• 250 years ago (7/2/1776) … let’s see .. .what could possibly have happened during that week in history?

…. and 413 years ago (6/29/1613) the original Globe Theatre burned to the ground. It was rebuilt in the following year.

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

 

* Wembley Stadium, London

** Three Dog Night’s “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)“.

*** Beach Boys: “I get Around”

**** for the Bulova Watch Company.

***** The name came from the island where US atomic tests were done.

MIDWEEK BONUS

Going to a World Cup game? It is not a cheap day out. If you can afford the tickets and parking costs, you are not done – be sure you have enough for the refreshments: in Philadelphia, a 16-ounce beer is $18.58 … water is $6.99.

STAY A HOME
OK… you would rather watch at home. and watch the action the big screen. But, aside from the game, you may well need something to do on your day off, while you wait for the fireworks. How about a compilation of the “couch gags” at the start of every Simpsons episode over 34 seasons?

Get something to drink and here you go!

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PLEASE INVITE A FRIEND TO JOIN US
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:
        1. Invite a colleague or a friend to sign up for the Newsletter. Since it is only one-time-a-week, you will not be accused of flooding their in-boxes!
        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.

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?

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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.

MORE DETAIL HERE – YOU HAVE PROBABLY READ THIS BEFORE…
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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