The Broadcasters' Desktop Resource
This Week’s Newsletter
Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 869, Volume 17, #36 for April 8, 2026
NEW AUCTIONS AHEAD?
In their 2027 Budget Estimate to Congress, the FCC has a couple of surprises in their plan: FM auctions.
QUARTERLY DEADLINE THIS WEEK
Yes, it may seem like a repetitious reminder. But each year the FCC is getting more aggressive regarding the Quarterly Lists and we continue to see more enforcement actions when the complete Quarterly Lists are not in the Public Inspection File on time. Content is also important: you should have specific *local* issues and *specific* programming to address them. (FYI: The FCC’s base fine for missing or late Quarterly Lists is $10,000.)
NAB PREVIEW FROM BROADCAST TOOLS
“What is new this year?” is a question for a number of companies that will be at NAB next week. This Thursday, Broadcast Tools will give us all a preview of what they are bringing to Las Vegas – and more. Ben Nason is our special guest and he will be showing off the new Site Sentinel 4 G2 remote control, as well as some new switcher products. He also plans to share some tips/tricks/examples for working with SNMP/Ethernet, as well as USB/Serial devices.
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!
A NEW LOOK IN LAS VEGAS
Attendees at the NAB Spring Show will be the first to be wandering around the results of the now completed $600 million renovation LVCC project. Also, it will be the first time for many of the radio manufacturers to be found in the Central Hall. However, despite the Tesla Tunnel, walking from the South Halls to the West Halls will be a definite hike! If you are going, be sure to have comfortable shoes!!
ARE YOU PLANNING FOR SPRING?
Getting ready for the NAB Spring Show reminds us of the general thawing and warming of the country. As this change in climate occurs, it is time for stations to audit their operations, checking for any issues that have arisen – from site security to site status: looking for vegetation growth or erosion that might impede access to the tower, checking the entire tower system integrity (from bottom to top), to building conditions, including air filters and lack of winter “visitors.” Use your phone to document items of import that will require action – and log them in the station maintenance log.
NEED HELP WITH SITE/NRSC/MORE?
If you are looking around and want to repair or improve your site, Contract Engineers, Consulting Engineers, or NRSC Techs. The folks can help you get through, not only Spring, but the whole year with smoother operations.
TAB PLANS FOR AUGUST
One of the best of the regional broadcast conventions has been the Texas Association of Broadcasters show. This year, it will again be in Round Rock TX at the Kalahari Resort Convention Center. This week the TAB released the Engineering Program for the convention.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BUY A RADIO STATION?
Most broadcasters have thought at least once about owning the station they work at – or one in a smaller town – so they can do exactly what they think will get the attention of listeners. George Kimble, a station broker in Tucson, offers some suggestions for those of you who are thinking this might be the time to “own a piece of the action.”
BROADCAST VERSUS STREAMING
It is not necessarily either or. However, broadcasters need to remember their core, even as a lot of listening and viewing is moving to streaming services. It is a challenge, and keeping the audience engaged with your station(s) is getting harder as sometimes money – a major income source for many stations – starts to follow some non-traditional modes. For example: the NAB and the FCC are currently noting the increase of some streaming platforms buying major sports programming and putting it behind pay walls. They feel this is violating the intent for the antitrust exemption the NFL enjoys from the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.
FOR SALE
Do you need a good 5 KW Dummy Load? Or perhaps you need some Andrew connectors. These are among the newest items on our For Sale Page. Take a look!
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!
Here are some of the more recent items of interest:
Here are some of the more recent items of interest:
- Buy One! – George Kimble
- Join the Lunch Gathering – Thursday 2 PM Eastern
- Enforcement Watch – Licenses in danger for non-payment / Tower painting NOVs
- New Transmitters and Tubes from Nautel – Barry Mishkind
- MP3 was Only a Beginning – Greg Ogonowski
- AC Problems Solved with PowerClamp – Hank Landsberg
- Enforcement Watch – License deleted / EAS fine: $369k
- Coping with Overgrown Wild Vegetation – Barry Mishkind
- Making Nautel Customer Support Better – John Wilton
- Keep Your Copper in the Ground – Clay Freinwald
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!
MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS
We are learning more about things to be unveiled at NAB 2026 …
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For several hundreds to folks, the Nautel Radio Technology Forum kicks off the Convention. This year, in the Westgate Resort, the program will feature speakers that will include Deborah Parenti, President of Radio Ink and Radio Business Report/TV Business Report; Joseph D’Angelo, Senior VP at Xperi; David Layer, VP Advanced Engineering at NAB; and Steve Newberry, CEO of Quu, with Keith Barton, VP/GM of Max Media. Register here for the program – and lunch.
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At the NAB Show, the Telos Alliance will unveil the Omnia XII – its brand-new flagship FM/HD/DAB audio processor – the culmination of decades of audio processing expertise and experience from Frank Foti and the Omnia team. Built on a space-friendly 2RU hardware platform, Omnia XII features a color display and local controls up front, while the rear panel boasts a comprehensive array of I/O and connectivity options, resulting in their best-sounding and most forward-thinking audio processor ever.
But that is not all. A new console will be displayed. The Axia Pulsar is a compact mixing surface designed for situations where a hardware console is preferred but space is limited, such as smaller studios, newsrooms, sports venues, and remote broadcasts. Using a set of motorized faders and a touchscreen-based monitor section, the 8 or 16 faders can be mounted in a joined configuration – or split up. Full remote control and monitoring of the console can be done via the optional browser-based HTML5 Pulsar Soft feature. Booth #C1819
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Dielectric will be making its worldwide public debut of its RingMaster Series of high-efficiency antenna systems. First announced last year at Dielectric’s Radiovana event, the next-generation antenna series merges the proven performance of Dielectric’s DCR Series with a ground-breaking new architecture – offering a more economical, efficient and adaptable solution for side-mounted FM system. At NAB Dielectric will demonstrate technological simulations and share real-world success stories of RingMaster deployments in the US and Bahamas at Booth C1446.
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Broadcast Devices, Inc. (BDI) will introduce its new IOX-24S SNMP Remote Control and Channel Expander – a flexible I/O platform which can simplify remote monitoring and control in broadcast transmission and studio environments. The IOX-24S has 24 Form C control relays, 24 status inputs, and 8 analog inputs in a single rack-mount chassis, and can be a standalone SNMP remote control system, or an I/O expansion panel for any SNMP-compatible remote control system. Booth #C2816
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GatesAir has announced the global launch of AirWatch365 – a managed service for broadcast transmission monitoring and support, including the new AirWatch365 Edge Gateway, an on-premises site appliance that securely connects transmitters and related infrastructure to the AirWatch365 platform.
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If you are looking for some of the exhibitors, here is a list of key booth locations and free floor pass codes.
- Arrakis Systems
- BGS/Broadcast Devices
- BGS/Broadcast Tools
- Broadcast Depot
- Broadcast Electronics
- BSW USA
- Comrex
- Davicom
- Digital Alert Systems
- Inovonics
- Lawo
- Nautel
- Telos Alliance
- Wheatstone
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!
Do You Remember? This week in history:
Broadcast related items:
- 8 years ago (4/9/18) Lindsey Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac after 44 years.
- 18 years ago (4/7/08) Bob Dylan was given an honorary Pulitzer Prize for his “profound impact on pop music and culture.”
- 37 years ago (4/12/89) Garth Brooks debut album contains two #1 hits: “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and “The Dance.“
- 38 years ago (4/12/88) Sonny Bono was elected mayor of Palm Springs, CA, his stepping stone to Congress (1994).
- 41 years ago (4/5/85) the music world and broadcast united to play “We are the World” simultaneously.
- 49 years ago (4/9/77) Abba had their first US #1 hit with “Dancing Queen.“
- 56 years ago (4/10/70) The Beatles officially broke up. Really … 56 years ago???!!!!!
- 61 years ago (4/12/65) “Mr. Tambourine Man” was released.
- 78 years ago (4/8/48) Ampex delivered the first Model 200 tape recorders (S/N 1 and 2) to Bing Crosby.
- 104 years ago (4/7/1922) In March and April 1922, the Department of Commerce really opened the spigot and issued a lot of radio licenses.
… and 166 years ago (4/9/1860) the phonautogram was invented by Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville to record sound.
Also, how about some more regular newsy-type stuff:
- 9 years ago (4/13/17) the US dropped the “Mother of all Bombs” (MOAB) on ISIS’ tunnel complex in Afghanistan.
- 16 years ago (4/3/10) Apple released the first iPad.
- 17 years ago (4/8/09) Somali pirates highack the Maersk Alabama ship.
- 52 years ago (4/8/74) Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record.
- 56 years ago (4/11/70) Apollo 13 was launched to the Moon.
- 75 years ago (4/5/51) the Rosenbergs were sentenced to death for spying.
- 81 years ago (4/12/45) FDR died during WWII.
- 114 years ago (4/10/1912) Titanic left Southampton on its tragic journey.
- 124 years ago (4/14/1902) the first J.C. Penny store opened.
- 130 years ago (4/6/1896) the first modern Olympics was held in Athens.
- 160 years ago (4/10/1866), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded in New York City.
- 161 years ago (4/9/1865) Robert E. Lee surrendered, ending the Civil War.
- 165 years ago (4/12/1861) The US Civil War began. as Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter.
- 198 years ago (4/14/1828) Noah Webster first published his American Dictionary of the English Language.
… and 393 years ago (4/12/1633) Galileo was accused of heresy.
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!
MIDWEEK BONUS
Do you still have any cassettes sitting on the shelf or in a drawer somewhere? Do not laugh. There has been a recent revival of sorts among some listeners. While nostalgia is a part of it, collectability, affordability, and the physical tangible connection are cited as some of the reasons for the resurgence of sales in the past year or so. Now, Maxell has brought out an updated cassette player that uses a most current feature: BlueTooth.
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barry