Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 864, Volume 17, #31 for March 4, 2026

THIS IS LEAP WEEK!
Just a few days left to check and see that all software and RF operations will be on the right timing Sunday at 2AM (which instantly becomes 3AM, so no log entries/programs are needed for the 2AM hour). Power/pattern changes, for example, stay on standard time, as authorized. For example, for many, a 6:00 change is not done at 7:00 during DST. Fortunately, those of us in AZ and HI do not even have to think twice. Meanwhile, British Columbia will join the Yukon this week with “permanent DST,” not reverting to standard time in the Fall any more.

OOPS – A CORRECTION
Last week we invited you to check couple of articles about the value and benefits of the NRSC measurements. As occasionally happens with the Internet, the links got messed up. Here are the right ones: Check out this article from Norm Laramee. Also worth a look is the article James Boyd did for us. Remember, AM’s do the NRSC dance once a year, within 14 months.

IS IT TIME TO ABANDON TUBES?
The recent news that Econco will conclude its rebuilding services shortly has many worried about keeping their tube transmitters going. At the same time, a star salesman for solid state units says not to panic. As usual as the beginning of each month, Jeff Welton from Nautel is in the spotlight this week. What is he really saying?

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!

 

NCE FM COMMENT DATES
The FCC has set March 13th as the deadline for those wishing to comment on the announced plans for an NCE FM translator Window  later this year. Reply Comments will be due by March 23rd. The Public Notice is here.

A PRETTY BIG EAS FINE
The FCC has made it clear that it is serious about EAS violations. An NALF penalty of $369,190 was assessed against KCWX (TV), Corridor Television LLP in Fredrickburg, TX.

DEATH SENTENCE
In recent years, the FCC has deleted the licenses of several stations that had been off the air for over one year. The situation for DKVSJ, Stockton, CA was a bit different, but the result was the same. 

BIG MERGER
The merger of Charter Communications and Cox Enterprises was approved by the FCC. Charter paid $34.5 billion to consolidate the companies – becoming the largest ISP in the country – under the Cox name, as well as the largest cable operator (in 2016, Charter bought Time Warner Cable). The merger also will need approval by various state regulators.

JIM JONES PASSES AWAY
Sad news regarding Jim Jones, longtime owner/operator of J-Squared Technical Service in Grants Pass, OR.  Jones passed away on January 16th, after fighting health challenges over the past year.

DIALING FOR PRAYERS
The most recent industry count of radio stations by format puts Religion at the top of the list, dropping perennial leader Country to second place. There are currently 2156 stations formatted as Religious, not including those just playing “Contemporary Christian” music.

SOCAL DISASTER
KNSJ, Descanso, CA lost its antenna when an American Tower Company’s tower on Monument Peak collapsed in the February winter storm due to severe ice accumulation and wind at 6,200 ft. Several other stations were also affected. The stations are scrambling for STA’s, and even looking for other sites, as it is estimated that it will take a year or more to rebuild – if AT&T does rebuild at that site.

APRE READY TO GO
The T26th Annual Public Radio Engineering Conference (PREC), April 16/17, 2026, returns to the Tuscany Suites in Las Vegas. The Thursday and Friday program preceds the NAB Show. Registration is now open now at www.APRE.US.

MAJOR CUTS AT AUDACY
Less than six months after declaring bankruptcy (and wiping out the retirement accounts of many workers), Audacy has embarked upon a number of staff reductions around the country. No exact numbers are available, but many stations have been affected.

LIVE NATION ON TRIAL
A federal antitrust trial has begun against Live Nation, the concert promoter that merged with Ticketmaster in 2010. The US DoJ, 39 states, and the District of Columbia allege Live Nation was essentially a monopoly, pressuring venues and artists into exclusive deals, stifling competition, and driving up ticket prices. Live Nation denies any wrong practices. A lot of money is involved, and the DoJ is said to be seeking to reverse the merger.

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

 

Here are some of the more recent items of interest:

• My Experience with Tubes and Rebuilders – Reid Brandon
• Join the Lunch Gathering – Thursday 2 PM Eastern
• 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
• The Rewards of a Broadcast Career – Mike Vanhooser
• What Do We Really Know About Reginald Fessenden – Donna Halper
• Y2K – Tempest in a Computer Code – Barry Mishkind

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

 
MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS

If you stream and you haven’t tried the Chameleon C4s yet, Angry Audio has a deal you are going to want to hear this. C$ is a software processor built around their exclusive Chameleon adaptive algorithms which figures out what it needs, and adjusts itself in real time. The C4s is normally $199 but if you sign up for our news email at the bottom of this page, you will get a coupon code worth 50% off.

= = =

Lawo has announced the appointment of Jamie Dunn as their new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dunn joined Lawo in 2011 and has served as Vorstand and Deputy CEO since 2024.

= = =

Sennheiser has announced a fresh production run of the MD 9235 microphone head for wireless handhelds – a firm favorite with many engineers and artists for its ability to cut through high on-stage levels and reject crosstalk, even in front of the PA.

= = =

While the NAB’s Floor Pass offer has expired, it is still possible to get one via the exhibitors (register at NABShow.com). If you are planning to go to Las Vegas in April, you can start to make your walking list with these folks:

• Broadcast Depot         Booth #C1455       Exhibits Passcode: NS2994
• Comrex:                 Booth #C2243    Exhibits Passcode: NS4695
• Digital Alert Systems   Booth #C3452 
• Lawo                    Booth #C2108    Exhibits Passcode: NS6282
• Nautel                  Booth #C2546    Exhibits Passcode: NS9564
• Telos Alliance          Booth #C1819       Exhibits Passcode: NS9723            
• Wheatstone              Booth #C1051    Exhibits Passcode: NS8557

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

 

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

• 17 years ago (3/5/09) Michael Jackson announced his final tour “This Is It,” but died before it started.
• 25 years ago (3/5/01) Napster created came crashing down in the face of multiple copyright-violation lawsuits.
• 28 years ago (3/5/98) Digital Radio Mondiale forms in China.
• 41 years ago (3/7/85) “We are the World” was released.   
• 43 years ago (3/5/83) Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” hit #1 for the first of seven weeks.
• 44 years ago (3/4/82) FCC threw up its hands and let the “marketplace” select AM Stereo standards.*
• 45 years ago (3/6/81) Walter Cronkite signs off as anchorman of “CBS Evening News” … “and that’s the way it was.”
• 60 years ago (3/5/66) Barry Sadler’s “Ballad of the Green Berets” hit #1.

… and 150 years ago (3/7/1876) Alexander Graham Bell granted first telephone patent for his invention. (Did he invent the busy signal, too?) He was just 29 years old!

And here are a few other “newsy” items of interest:

• 57 years ago (3/2/69) saw the first flight of a Concorde jet.
• 63 years ago (3/5/63) the Hula Hoop was patented.
• 95 years ago (3/4/31) work began on the Hoover Dam. 
• 108 years ago (3/4/1918) the first cases of the deadly Spanish flu pandemic were reported. Why Spanish? **
• 127 years ago (3/6/1899) The German company Bayer patented aspirin, now the most common drug in household medicine cabinets was originally made from a chemical found in the bark of willow trees.

and 190 years ago (3/2/1836) Texas declared its independence.
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

MIDWEEK BONUS

Here is kind of a longish video, but very interesting look at how a single hack nearly killed the Internet.

And, if you are interested in seeing how dangerous it is out there, here are the top 10 cyber attacks in 2025.

= = =

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!):
(1) no inbox flooding – it is one-time-a-week, and
(2) we do not give out anyone’s address.. ever.
(3) no cookies are placed on your computer.
(4) no Google ads are grafted onto your computer screen.

PLEASE DO INVITE A FRIEND
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?

barry