Before the sharp tones cut through your favorite show… before the scrolling warnings on your phone… there was CONELRAD.
CategoriesOpinion
Time to Let AM Radio Evolve — Why All-Digital May Be Its Only Future
The recent debate over mandating AM radio in all new cars has brought fresh attention to the AM band. Industry voices, like Gary Shapiro of the Consumer Technology Association, caution that such mandates are costly. These mandates will even stifle innovation. Instead of fighting to preserve AM in its current noisy and analog state, it’s time to consider new possibilities. What if AM didn’t have to be the scratchy, staticky, afterthought in the dashboard? What if AM sound clean, deliver metadata, and offer a compelling user experience again?
That’s not a pipe dream—it’s already possible through all-digital AM broadcasting.
CategoriesOpinion
How FCC Deregulation Could Harm Local Radio and TV
In June 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initiated major changes. These changes affect how many broadcast stations a single company can own. The review, under Docket 25-133, will lead to a rollback of long-standing media ownership limits. These rules were designed to protect local news, viewpoint diversity, and competition in radio and television.
CategoriesOpinion
When NOAA Weather Radio Goes Down, EAS Must Step Up
Lately, NOAA Weather Radio transmitters have been dropping off the air across the country — from Montana to Florida. Some have been out for hours, others for days. Equipment failures, broken microwave links, and even upgrade-related issues have all played a role. For broadcasters, it’s a reminder. When one piece of the emergency alerting chain breaks, the others have to be ready.
CategoriesNews
Tragic Fall from WAMU Tower Sparks Mental Health Discussions
On Friday, June 13, 2025, a man who had been perched on the WAMU/WTOP radio tower in northwest Washington, D.C., for nearly three days fell to his death. The incident began on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 10. It ended in the early hours of Friday morning. This was after an extended standoff involving law enforcement, emergency personnel, and mental health crisis negotiators.
The broadcast community, university officials, and local residents are now reflecting on what unfolded. They are considering what can be done to help prevent similar tragedies in the future.
CategoriesOpinion
Transforming Radio: Connecting with Today’s Audiences
Radio’s not dying. But it is moving — out of the dashboard, off the dial, and into every connected device we own. What was once a background medium is now ready to connect with listeners everywhere. This includes on their TVs, their smart speakers, their mobile phones, and in their cars.
And yet, too many broadcasters are still thinking inside the FM box.
That’s why a recent example from Pillar Media is so exciting. It’s not just exciting for what they did. It is also exciting for what it shows.
CategoriesEpisodes
Emergency Alert System: The Lifesaving Broadcast You Need to Understand
The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a critical infrastructure element that most Americans recognize but few truly understand. As explored in our recent podcast episode, this mechanism serves as a vital communication channel. It connects government authorities and the public during emergencies. This mechanism’s importance can’t be overstated—it provides immediate, reliable information when other communication ways fail during crises.
CategoriesNews
House Passes $9.4 Billion Rescission Package, Targets Foreign Aid and Public Broadcasting
In a closely divided 214–212 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $9.4 billion rescission package aimed at reclaiming earlier allocated funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting programs . The White House initiated this measure. It strives to solidify budget reductions already put forth by the Department of Government Efficiency—also known as DOGE cuts. These cuts were prompted in part by pressure from Elon Musk.
CategoriesEpisodes
Mailbag: When Engineers Collide: A Facebook Fact-Check Gone Wild
The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is one of those broadcast technologies that most people recognize but few truly understand. As a broadcast engineer, I’ve noticed widespread misconceptions about how these alerts actually work. I recently encountered these misconceptions firsthand after posting a simplified explanation on social media.
A fellow engineer named Joe Fleming made a minor technical correction. This turned into a valuable opportunity to clarify how emergency alerts actually work. The interaction highlighted an important distinction: what triggers EAS equipment isn’t what most people think. The iconic two-tone attention signal – that jarring sound we all recognize – doesn’t actually start the alert system. Instead, it’s the less-noticed digital data burst at the beginning of the transmission that holds the crucial triggering information.
CategoriesEpisodes
Cable Giants Merge, Local TV Fights Back: Why OTA Still Matters
The cable television landscape is undergoing dramatic shifts as major providers combine their power. The proposed $34.5 billion merger between Spectrum and Cox Communications is one significant industry deal. It will fundamentally change how viewers access local television. Alongside this, Verizon’s $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications further concentrates market power among fewer companies. These mega-mergers raise serious questions about the future of local broadcasting. They also bring up concerns about retransmission agreements. Ultimately, this affects viewer access to critical local content.