Podcast appearances and mentions of kirk harnack

Ya gotta love Dustin Tatro’s journey into and through radio broadcasting. Voicing PSAs at 4 years old got Dustin an early start. Then working as a DJ, along with musical interests, honed his technical and operational skills. Now as a General Manager and Ops Manager, Dustin has demonstrably learned the engineering side of radio broadcasting. Indeed, his SBE certification, CBRE, attests to that. Dustin joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to discuss AoIP, audio processing, work working nicely, even with competing radio stations. Indeed, he joins us from the KORQ-FM transmitter site. Also on today’s show, we talk with David Bialik. He and Fred Willard are coordinating the SBE Ennes Workshop in Las Vegas. Their track is “Media over IP”. David gives us information and plenty of reasons to sign up and be there! Show Notes:Register for the SBE Ennes Workshop @ the 2025 NAB Show Guests:Dustin Tatro, CBRE - Radio Station Manager, Chief Engineer, Sports OrganistDavid Bialik - Director of Engineering for MediaCo NYHosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, & Akamai BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.TWiRT is brought to you by:Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Ya gotta love Dustin Tatro's journey into and through radio broadcasting. Voicing PSAs at 4 years old got Dustin an early start. Then working as a DJ, along with musical interests, honed his technical and operational skills. Now as a General Manager and Ops Manager, Dustin has demonstrably learned the engineering side of radio broadcasting. Indeed, his SBE certification, CBRE, attests to that. Dustin joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to discuss AoIP, audio processing, work working nicely, even with competing radio stations. Indeed, he joins us from the KORQ-FM transmitter site.

Megan Amoss is the assistant chief engineer for Baltimore Public Media, which includes FM stations WTMD, WYPR, WYPF, and WYPO. Starting in a Traffic Coordinator role, she progressed to taking on engineering responsibilities, eventually becoming a key figure in the technical operations of Baltimore Public Media. Megan has been instrumental in the integration of WTMD and WYPR, where she is involved in the conversion of WYPR's studios to an Axia AoIP system. Megan joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack, discussing engineering challenges with some focus on metadata, which has become critical for today’s broadcasters. Guest:Megan Amoss, CBNT, CRO - Assistant Chief Engineer at Baltimore Public MediaHosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum Media, Inc.Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas Broadcasting, & Akamai BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.TWiRT is brought to you by:Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Megan Amoss is the assistant chief engineer for Baltimore Public Media, which includes FM stations WTMD, WYPR, WYPF, and WYPO. Starting in a Traffic Coordinator role, she progressed to taking on engineering responsibilities, eventually becoming a key figure in the technical operations of Baltimore Public Media. Megan has been instrumental in the integration of WTMD and WYPR, where she is involved in the conversion of WYPR's studios to an Axia AoIP system. Megan joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack, discussing engineering challenges with some focus on metadata, which has become critical for today's broadcasters.

Akamai Broadcasting bought six radio stations (2 AM & 4 FM) plus a number of translators on Maui. Russell Laferty has been building new facilities, and your TWiRT host, Kirk Harnack, is helping with the final wiring and configurations. In addition to a new rack room and (so far) one studio, Russell is moving several studio-transmitter link (STL) systems and installing new ones. One highlight of the work has been improvements to two tower sites on Mt. Haleakala. We visit the upper site at close to 10,000 feet above sea level where Russell gives us a video tour of the building. Plus, learn how a defective Ethernet switch earned Kirk a trip to this transmitter site above the clouds. Show Notes:Mt. Haleakala Observatory: Science CityAxia StudioCore is a new I/O and Mix Engine from Telos AllianceWe’ve installed some of the first Axia xNode2 units in our rack room.The Axia xSelector is key to monitoring our multiple stations.The Axia StudioEdge handles plenty of analog and AES/EBU connections to our AoIP network.Omnia MPX Nodes are getting perfect FM MPX signals to our FM transmitters and translators. Guest:Russell Laferty - Broadcast Contract Engineer Host:Kirk Harnack - Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, Akamai Broadcasting, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Akamai Broadcasting bought six radio stations (2 AM & 4 FM) plus a number of translators on Maui. Russell Laferty has been building new facilities, and your TWiRT host, Kirk Harnack, is helping with the final wiring and configurations. In addition to a new rack room and (so far) one studio, Russell is moving several studio-transmitter link (STL) systems and installing new ones. One highlight of the work has been improvements to two tower sites on Mt. Haleakala. We visit the upper site at close to 10,000 feet above sea level where Russell gives us a video tour of the building. Plus, learn how a defective Ethernet switch earned Kirk a trip to this transmitter site above the clouds.

Lee Melton is one of those semi-crazy radio guys that we know and love. And many of us wanted to BE that guy! Lee’s career started at KFI, Los Angeles, and he’s been at about 25 radio stations, even building a couple in Southeast Texas. Some have called him “The Kind of Radio Trade-Outs” while many others called him a friendly and fun voice on the radio. Lee’s radio recollections inspire plenty of banter with Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack. And Chris reveals his encounter with Paul McCartney! It's an hour of radio stories and fun, with a little engineering talk sprinkled in. Show Notes:Lee’s Facebook page is a good place to connect.Chris Tarr mentioned a new Valcom AM whip antenna for one of his radio stations. Guest:Lee Melton - Legendary Radio Guy Hosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel and the HD Digital Radio Test DriveBroadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Lee Melton is one of those semi-crazy radio guys that we know and love. And many of us wanted to BE that guy! Lee's career started at KFI, Los Angeles, and he's been at about 25 radio stations, even building a couple in Southeast Texas. Some have called him “The Kind of Radio Trade-Outs” while many others called him a friendly and fun voice on the radio. Lee's radio recollections inspire plenty of banter with Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack. And Chris reveals his encounter with Paul McCartney! It's an hour of radio stories and fun, with a little engineering talk sprinkled in.

Lee Melton is one of those semi-crazy radio guys that we know and love. And many of us wanted to BE that guy! Lee's career started at KFI, Los Angeles, and he's been at about 25 radio stations, even building a couple in Southeast Texas. Some have called him “The Kind of Radio Trade-Outs” while many others called him a friendly and fun voice on the radio. Lee's radio recollections inspire plenty of banter with Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack. And Chris reveals his encounter with Paul McCartney! It's an hour of radio stories and fun, with a little engineering talk sprinkled in.

U.S. Broadcasters are required to provide emergency alerts to their audiences, but many radio stations use IP-based signal distribution — something incompatible with old-style EAS boxes. What is needed is a simple way to interface the real-world over-the-air reception of EAS events, filter and process the messages, and — if necessary — incorporate the alerts into the modern audio-over-IP (AoIP) air chain. Doing this right involves some innovation, but once done well, there are several distinct benefits. Bill Robertson from Digital Alert Systems joins Kirk Harnack to explain how this award-winning implementation works, and why it makes EAS better and more effective. Show Notes:EAS at the Edge℠ - What does that mean, and why should I care? - blog postVideo from NAB 2024 - EAS at the Edge from Digital Alert Systems Guest:Bill Robertson - VP, Business Development at Digital Alert Systems Host:Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel and the HD Digital Radio Test DriveBroadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

U.S. Broadcasters are required to provide emergency alerts to their audiences, but many radio stations use IP-based signal distribution — something incompatible with old-style EAS boxes. What is needed is a simple way to interface the real-world over-the-air reception of EAS events, filter and process the messages, and — if necessary — incorporate the alerts into the modern audio-over-IP (AoIP) air chain. Doing this right involves some innovation, but once done well, there are several distinct benefits. Bill Robertson from Digital Alert Systems joins Kirk Harnack to explain how this award-winning implementation works, and why it makes EAS better and more effective.

U.S. Broadcasters are required to provide emergency alerts to their audiences, but many radio stations use IP-based signal distribution — something incompatible with old-style EAS boxes. What is needed is a simple way to interface the real-world over-the-air reception of EAS events, filter and process the messages, and — if necessary — incorporate the alerts into the modern audio-over-IP (AoIP) air chain. Doing this right involves some innovation, but once done well, there are several distinct benefits. Bill Robertson from Digital Alert Systems joins Kirk Harnack to explain how this award-winning implementation works, and why it makes EAS better and more effective.

Audio over IP (AoIP) has been used in broadcast facilities for about 20 years now. A few broadcast facilities have swapped one brand or standard of AoIP equipment for another during that period. Some broadcasters have swapped equipment twice! Whether the reasons for changing equipment are technical, political, old age, or support issues, we’d like to know about the challenges - or the easy aspects - of changing AoIP brands and standards. Matt Levin is a broadcast engineer in Ohio. His consulting and studio construction work take him to different facilities to make upgrades. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack discuss with Matt about using different AoIP systems, using console profiles effectively, and about FM audio processing running on PCs and servers. Show Notes:Processors Are Tasked With Repairing Damage - Radio World article by Matt Levin Guest:Matt Levin - Broadcast Engineer & Technical Consultant Hosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:NUG@NAB Radio Technology Forum is almost here! Register for this free event at NAB! Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Audio over IP (AoIP) has been used in broadcast facilities for about 20 years now. A few broadcast facilities have swapped one brand or standard of AoIP equipment for another during that period. Some broadcasters have swapped equipment twice! Whether the reasons for changing equipment are technical, political, old age, or support issues, we'd like to know about the challenges - or the easy aspects - of changing AoIP brands and standards. Matt Levin is a broadcast engineer in Ohio. His consulting and studio construction work take him to different facilities to make upgrades. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack discuss with Matt about using different AoIP systems, using console profiles effectively, and about FM audio processing running on PCs and servers.

Audio over IP (AoIP) has been used in broadcast facilities for about 20 years now. A few broadcast facilities have swapped one brand or standard of AoIP equipment for another during that period. Some broadcasters have swapped equipment twice! Whether the reasons for changing equipment are technical, political, old age, or support issues, we'd like to know about the challenges - or the easy aspects - of changing AoIP brands and standards. Matt Levin is a broadcast engineer in Ohio. His consulting and studio construction work take him to different facilities to make upgrades. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack discuss with Matt about using different AoIP systems, using console profiles effectively, and about FM audio processing running on PCs and servers.

Chris Tarr just finished a long-anticipated FM transmitter move. Big implications attended this move all the way across a metro area. The new site needed a directional FM antenna, and they decided that a new transmitter made more sense than moving the old one. Chris covers a lot of ground when contemplating any transmitter site move. Kirk Harnack touches on a few pointers for IP radio microwave links, including not trusting the existing infrastructure too much! Show Notes: Planning Transmitter Moves Facilities - Building, road, fencing, parking, HVAC, roof, ice protection Legal including FCC Permitting - local zoning, building, etc. Safety - fencing, insurance requirements, guy anchors, tower base STL considerations & options Frequency coordination for 950 & IP STLs Fiber internet availability AC Power - service sizing, etc. Executing the move What can be built and ready beforehand What has to move overnight or a weekend Absolutely no off-air time? Or minimal? Actual cutover Moving audio processing if needed What if something goes really wrong? Plan to go back if needed? After the move (should have been before the move) Tying up all the loose ends Grounding, lightning protection Putting redundancy in place at the new location What if Internet installation is late? Wait or move ahead? Hosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:NUG@NAB Radio Technology Forum is almost here! Register for this free event at NAB! Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Chris Tarr just finished a long-anticipated FM transmitter move. Big implications attended this move all the way across a metro area. The new site needed a directional FM antenna, and they decided that a new transmitter made more sense than moving the old one. Chris covers a lot of ground when contemplating any transmitter site move. Kirk Harnack touches on a few pointers for IP radio microwave links, including not trusting the existing infrastructure too much!

Chris Tarr just finished a long-anticipated FM transmitter move. Big implications attended this move all the way across a metro area. The new site needed a directional FM antenna, and they decided that a new transmitter made more sense than moving the old one. Chris covers a lot of ground when contemplating any transmitter site move. Kirk Harnack touches on a few pointers for IP radio microwave links, including not trusting the existing infrastructure too much!

Tom Morris always provides a fresh perspective on broadcast engineering. He’s fascinated by well-designed systems, yet finds the humor in poorly-designed ones. Tom finds nostalgia in equipment and broadcast products that most of us have forgotten. And his unconventional outlook often results in insights and solutions to complex problems. He’s the guy you want handy to solve long-standing issues when no one else has taken the time to investigate the root causes. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack welcome Tom Morris on this episode of TWiRT, and Chris also offers up a vexing set of symptoms at an FM station that took several days to fully repair. Guest:Tom Morris - Engineer at KOVR-TV, Sacramento Hosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel’s new GV2 FM transmitters are here - chock full of features!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Tom Morris always provides a fresh perspective on broadcast engineering. He's fascinated by well-designed systems, yet finds the humor in poorly-designed ones. Tom finds nostalgia in equipment and broadcast products that most of us have forgotten. And his unconventional outlook often results in insights and solutions to complex problems. He's the guy you want handy to solve long-standing issues when no one else has taken the time to investigate the root causes. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack welcome Tom Morris on this episode of TWiRT, and Chris also offers up a vexing set of symptoms at an FM station that took several days to fully repair.

Tom Morris always provides a fresh perspective on broadcast engineering. He's fascinated by well-designed systems, yet finds the humor in poorly-designed ones. Tom finds nostalgia in equipment and broadcast products that most of us have forgotten. And his unconventional outlook often results in insights and solutions to complex problems. He's the guy you want handy to solve long-standing issues when no one else has taken the time to investigate the root causes. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack welcome Tom Morris on this episode of TWiRT, and Chris also offers up a vexing set of symptoms at an FM station that took several days to fully repair.

Can a team of engineers resolve thousands of engineering trouble tickets each month, and do it efficiently and keep with good engineering practice? iHeartMedia is doing it and Mike Sprysenski is leading that team. From an office in Orlando, Mike Spry and a team of radio engineers and IT professionals resolve engineering issues at nearly 900 radio stations, keeping those stations on-the-air. Many issues are even handled preemptively, before they affect what the public is hearing over the air or online. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack discuss this approach with Mike on this episode of TWiRT. Show Notes:Chris Tarr likes SNMP hardware interfaces from https://denkovi.com/ Guest:Mike Sprysenski - CPBE, Engineering Response Team Lead, iHeartMedia Technology Solutions Center Hosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel’s new GV2 FM transmitters are here - chock full of features!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Can a team of engineers resolve thousands of engineering trouble tickets each month, and do it efficiently and keep with good engineering practice? iHeartMedia is doing it and Mike Sprysenski is leading that team. From an office in Orlando, Mike Spry and a team of radio engineers and IT professionals resolve engineering issues at nearly 900 radio stations, keeping those stations on-the-air. Many issues are even handled preemptively, before they affect what the public is hearing over the air or online. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack discuss this approach with Mike on this episode of TWiRT.

Can a team of engineers resolve thousands of engineering trouble tickets each month, and do it efficiently and keep with good engineering practice? iHeartMedia is doing it and Mike Sprysenski is leading that team. From an office in Orlando, Mike Spry and a team of radio engineers and IT professionals resolve engineering issues at nearly 900 radio stations, keeping those stations on-the-air. Many issues are even handled preemptively, before they affect what the public is hearing over the air or online. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack discuss this approach with Mike on this episode of TWiRT.

Rolf Taylor describes himself as a Lover of Audio, Tinkerer, Broadcast Engineer, Support Engineer and Product Manager, Telco Guru, and Researcher and Writer. As Rolf’s longtime friend, Kirk Harnack can attest to each of those appellations. Rolf joins us on this “Festivus” episode of TWiRT, though we spend most of our time on making product usage and support better, and just a few minutes on the “airing of grievances”. Guest:Rolf Taylor - Broadcast Engineer at CACI International IncHost:Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel’s new GV2 FM transmitters are here - chock full of features!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Rolf Taylor describes himself as a Lover of Audio, Tinkerer, Broadcast Engineer, Support Engineer and Product Manager, Telco Guru, and Researcher and Writer. As Rolf's longtime friend, Kirk Harnack can attest to each of those appellations. Rolf joins us on this “Festivus” episode of TWiRT, though we spend most of our time on making product usage and support better, and just a few minutes on the “airing of grievances”.

Rolf Taylor describes himself as a Lover of Audio, Tinkerer, Broadcast Engineer, Support Engineer and Product Manager, Telco Guru, and Researcher and Writer. As Rolf's longtime friend, Kirk Harnack can attest to each of those appellations. Rolf joins us on this “Festivus” episode of TWiRT, though we spend most of our time on making product usage and support better, and just a few minutes on the “airing of grievances”.

As Chris Tarr points out, Paul B. Walker, Jr. is probably the most enthusiastic supporter of local radio service and programming. Paul is the Program Director at KSKO-FM in McGrath, Alaska, but he wears almost every hat required for running a full-service FM Public Radio station. Many TWiRT fans know of Paul through the Facebook group he started, “I Take Pictures of Transmitter Sites.” Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack talk with Paul about the challenges of broadcasting in rural Alaska, including antenna icing, Internet service, STL connections to outlying villages’ FM transmitters, and even the occasional “moose fade”. Show Notes:Paul does just about everything at KSKO-FM, McGrath, AlaskaThe KSKO-FM high-quality web stream is here. We think Reeve Air Alaska is pretty interesting as the way to get around in rural Alaska.An interactive, real-time map of Starlink satellites is here. Guest:Paul B. Walker, Jr. - Program Director (and much more) at KSKO 89.5 McGrath, AlaskaHosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel’s new GV2 FM transmitters are here - chock full of features!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

As Chris Tarr points out, Paul B. Walker, Jr. is probably the most enthusiastic supporter of local radio service and programming. Paul is the Program Director at KSKO-FM in McGrath, Alaska, but he wears almost every hat required for running a full-service FM Public Radio station. Many TWiRT fans know of Paul through the Facebook group he started, “I Take Pictures of Transmitter Sites.” Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack talk with Paul about the challenges of broadcasting in rural Alaska, including antenna icing, Internet service, STL connections to outlying villages' FM transmitters, and even the occasional “moose fade”.

As Chris Tarr points out, Paul B. Walker, Jr. is probably the most enthusiastic supporter of local radio service and programming. Paul is the Program Director at KSKO-FM in McGrath, Alaska, but he wears almost every hat required for running a full-service FM Public Radio station. Many TWiRT fans know of Paul through the Facebook group he started, “I Take Pictures of Transmitter Sites.” Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack talk with Paul about the challenges of broadcasting in rural Alaska, including antenna icing, Internet service, STL connections to outlying villages' FM transmitters, and even the occasional “moose fade”.

Max Pandini is known throughout Southern Europe for his audio processing acumen, radio brand consulting, and compelling audio programming. Host, Kirk Harnack, actually didn’t realize it until today, but Max is now a colleague, working at Telos Alliance! Max maintains his consultancy for some of the tops radio brands like Radio Kiss Kiss (Italy), Klassik Radio (Germany), and DIXI Media (Moldova). We caught up with Max on a consulting trip in Verona, Italy from where he’s sharing his passion for compelling audio processing, visual radio and branding, and takes us inside a couple of beautiful broadcast facilities. Show Notes:Max Pandini’s YouTube channel features the videos we used on this episode, plus many more radio station tours: https://www.youtube.com/@maxpandiniMax mentioned Cricova Winery in Moldova, so we had to link to it, of course! Guest:Max Pandini - Radio | Programming | Audio Design Host:Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel brings you Transmission Talk Tuesday Discussions. Easy, free registration is here.Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Max Pandini is known throughout Southern Europe for his audio processing acumen, radio brand consulting, and compelling audio programming. Host, Kirk Harnack, actually didn't realize it until today, but Max is now a colleague, working at Telos Alliance! Max maintains his consultancy for some of the tops radio brands like Radio Kiss Kiss (Italy), Klassik Radio (Germany), and DIXI Media (Moldova). We caught up with Max on a consulting trip in Verona, Italy from where he's sharing his passion for compelling audio processing, visual radio and branding, and takes us inside a couple of beautiful broadcast facilities.

Max Pandini is known throughout Southern Europe for his audio processing acumen, radio brand consulting, and compelling audio programming. Host, Kirk Harnack, actually didn't realize it until today, but Max is now a colleague, working at Telos Alliance! Max maintains his consultancy for some of the tops radio brands like Radio Kiss Kiss (Italy), Klassik Radio (Germany), and DIXI Media (Moldova). We caught up with Max on a consulting trip in Verona, Italy from where he's sharing his passion for compelling audio processing, visual radio and branding, and takes us inside a couple of beautiful broadcast facilities.

When Jeff McGinley’s radio stations in Portland, Oregon, joined the ranks of the “homeless” last year, he had just a few weeks to create virtual radio infrastructures so the on-air talent could keep working, doing live shows. Even after moving into new “hands-on” studios, the Portland group is still using virtualized radio consoles for both regular and special broadcasts. Now Jeff is building another virtual studio for a country music star’s restaurant in Gatlinburg. Meanwhile, Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack have built out virtual broadcast infrastructures benefitting their companies’ stations as well. Come along as we describe and even demonstrate some of this virtualized tech that’s making broadcasting easier than ever. Show Notes:A viewer asked about Kirk’s touchscreen monitors at WBZK. They’re Dell P2418HT 23.8" Touch MonitorsBoth Jeff and Kirk implemented the Axia Altus virtual audio mixing console.Kirk also implemented the Telos VXs virtual broadcast phone system into WBZK’s Altus console Guest:Jeff McGinley - VP of Engineering at SummitMedia Hosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel brings you Transmission Talk Tuesday Discussions. Easy, free registration is here.Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

When Jeff McGinley's radio stations in Portland, Oregon, joined the ranks of the “homeless” last year, he had just a few weeks to create virtual radio infrastructures so the on-air talent could keep working, doing live shows. Even after moving into new “hands-on” studios, the Portland group is still using virtualized radio consoles for both regular and special broadcasts. Now Jeff is building another virtual studio for a country music star's restaurant in Gatlinburg. Meanwhile, Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack have built out virtual broadcast infrastructures benefitting their companies' stations as well. Come along as we describe and even demonstrate some of this virtualized tech that's making broadcasting easier than ever.

When Jeff McGinley's radio stations in Portland, Oregon, joined the ranks of the “homeless” last year, he had just a few weeks to create virtual radio infrastructures so the on-air talent could keep working, doing live shows. Even after moving into new “hands-on” studios, the Portland group is still using virtualized radio consoles for both regular and special broadcasts. Now Jeff is building another virtual studio for a country music star's restaurant in Gatlinburg. Meanwhile, Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack have built out virtual broadcast infrastructures benefitting their companies' stations as well. Come along as we describe and even demonstrate some of this virtualized tech that's making broadcasting easier than ever.

How do you provide electric power to your FM translators when, 1) It’s really expensive, 2) Commercial power isn’t reliable, 3) The public depends on your service working? KCAW-FM is installing both solar- and wind-generated electrical systems at their translator sites, serving tiny towns and villages in the archipelago of Southeast Alaska. Becky Meiers with KCAW, and Pete Tridish, a longtime consultant to low-power, community, and startup broadcast radio stations both join Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to explain the motivations for and approaches to renewable power sources for these FM translators. Show Notes:SuperWind - Micro Wind-Powered GeneratorsPete mentioned Paul Gipe as a resource for wind power info. Here’s Paul’s website.KCAW Radio, Sitka, Alaska“BUILDING A RENEWABLE ENERGY POWERED TRANSLATOR FOR KCAW” by Pete TridishRadio World article - “Powering an Off-Grid translator With Renewable Energy” by Pete Tridish Guests:Becky Meiers - Operations Director at KCAW-FM, Sitka, AlaskaPete Tridish - Director of Electromagnetism at International Media Action Hosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel brings you Transmission Talk Tuesday Discussions. Easy, free registration is here.Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console. The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

How do you provide electric power to your FM translators when, 1) It's really expensive, 2) Commercial power isn't reliable, 3) The public depends on your service working? KCAW-FM is installing both solar- and wind-generated electrical systems at their translator sites, serving tiny towns and villages in the archipelago of Southeast Alaska. Becky Meiers with KCAW, and Pete Tridish, a longtime consultant to low-power, community, and startup broadcast radio stations both join Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to explain the motivations for and approaches to renewable power sources for these FM translators.

How do you provide electric power to your FM translators when, 1) It's really expensive, 2) Commercial power isn't reliable, 3) The public depends on your service working? KCAW-FM is installing both solar- and wind-generated electrical systems at their translator sites, serving tiny towns and villages in the archipelago of Southeast Alaska. Becky Meiers with KCAW, and Pete Tridish, a longtime consultant to low-power, community, and startup broadcast radio stations both join Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to explain the motivations for and approaches to renewable power sources for these FM translators.

FreePBX is an open source SIP PBX software application used in many thousands of businesses, including broadcast facilities. Tony Lewis is the entrepreneur behind this amazing software, and he joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to discuss the benefits and uses of VoIP telephony. Tony recently founded ClearlyIP.com, a provider of SIP telephony services and equipment, with expertise in high-volume inbound calling, needed by so many broadcasters. Show Notes:FreePBX is still free!ClearlyIP.com focuses on Radio Stations and SIP/VoIP telephony servicesWiPhone, A Phone for Hackers and Makers Guest:Tony Lewis - CEO at ClearlyIP.com Hosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel brings you Transmission Talk Tuesday Discussions. Easy, free registration is here.Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

FreePBX is an open source SIP PBX software application used in many thousands of businesses, including broadcast facilities. Tony Lewis is the entrepreneur behind this amazing software, and he joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to discuss the benefits and uses of VoIP telephony. Tony recently founded ClearlyIP.com, a provider of SIP telephony services and equipment, with expertise in high-volume inbound calling, needed by so many broadcasters.

FreePBX is an open source SIP PBX software application used in many thousands of businesses, including broadcast facilities. Tony Lewis is the entrepreneur behind this amazing software, and he joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to discuss the benefits and uses of VoIP telephony. Tony recently founded ClearlyIP.com, a provider of SIP telephony services and equipment, with expertise in high-volume inbound calling, needed by so many broadcasters.

A pleasant surprise today as our scheduled guest, Shane Toven, joins us from “Gilbert Lodge”, home of Mark Persons! We’re talking about the Emergency Alert System and how broadcasters might move forward with better techniques and technologies to get live-saving information to their listeners. Shane works with EMF (K-LOVE and Air1) while co-host, Chris Tarr, serves on the Wisconsin State EAS committee. Host, Kirk Harnack, expresses some annoyances with the current EAS system and Chris is the usual voice of reason. Show Notes:Chris Tarr mentioned that Gary Timm has stepped down from state EAS duties (Radio World article)The new Wisconsin State EAS Plan is hot off the presses and receives high praise from Chris.Our sponsor, Broadcasters General Store, offers several brands of EAS units for radio stations. Guests:Shane Toven - Senior Broadcast Engineer at EMF - K-LOVE & Air1Mark Persons - Founder of M. W. Persons & Associates (Ret) Hosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel brings you Transmission Talk Tuesday Discussions. Easy, free registration is here.Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

A pleasant surprise today as our scheduled guest, Shane Toven, joins us from “Gilbert Lodge”, home of Mark Persons! We're talking about the Emergency Alert System and how broadcasters might move forward with better techniques and technologies to get live-saving information to their listeners. Shane works with EMF (K-LOVE and Air1) while co-host, Chris Tarr, serves on the Wisconsin State EAS committee. Host, Kirk Harnack, expresses some annoyances with the current EAS system and Chris is the usual voice of reason.

A pleasant surprise today as our scheduled guest, Shane Toven, joins us from “Gilbert Lodge”, home of Mark Persons! We're talking about the Emergency Alert System and how broadcasters might move forward with better techniques and technologies to get live-saving information to their listeners. Shane works with EMF (K-LOVE and Air1) while co-host, Chris Tarr, serves on the Wisconsin State EAS committee. Host, Kirk Harnack, expresses some annoyances with the current EAS system and Chris is the usual voice of reason.

Three radio station owners walk into a bar. They also happen to be owner-engineers of a terrific radio station on a tropical island. We’re talking about Hal Kneller, Joe Fiorini, and Kirk Harnack at Star 94.3, KHKU-FM, in Lihu’e, Hawai’i. We were all here for a broadcasters’ conference, plus some light maintenance at the Star 94.3 studios. While Hal has been a guest on TWiRT, this is Joe’s first appearance. What interesting engineering backgrounds from both of these guys! We talk about AM radios in automobiles, a question of 50 ohms, and some ideas on backing up everything. ===> So, how did Kirk manage to leave an unrelated mic open during the show, providing delayed echo and huge audio coding artifacts? In a hurry? Careless? Not learning the same lesson from our NAB show? Anyway, my humble apologies for the bad audio. Our headphone feeds were great; we didn’t know that Streamyard was recording my laptop’s built-in mic with no way to remove it from the recording later. Extra embarrassing since we worked hard to use the studio mics (one of which has a buzz, so that’s another embarrassment). This is why we should leave the show production to the pros, like our beloved “SunKast”. Guests:Hal Kneller - Broadcast Technology ConsultantJoe Fiorini - Owner of Fiorini Broadcasting Host:Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel brings you Transmission Talk Tuesday Discussions. Easy, free registration is here.Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Three radio station owners walk into a bar. They also happen to be owner-engineers of a terrific radio station on a tropical island. We're talking about Hal Kneller, Joe Fiorini, and Kirk Harnack at Star 94.3, KHKU-FM, in Lihu'e, Hawai'i. We were all here for a broadcasters' conference, plus some light maintenance at the Star 94.3 studios. While Hal has been a guest on TWiRT, this is Joe's first appearance. What interesting engineering backgrounds from both of these guys! We talk about AM radios in automobiles, a question of 50 ohms, and some ideas on backing up everything.

Three radio station owners walk into a bar. They also happen to be owner-engineers of a terrific radio station on a tropical island. We're talking about Hal Kneller, Joe Fiorini, and Kirk Harnack at Star 94.3, KHKU-FM, in Lihu'e, Hawai'i. We were all here for a broadcasters' conference, plus some light maintenance at the Star 94.3 studios. While Hal has been a guest on TWiRT, this is Joe's first appearance. What interesting engineering backgrounds from both of these guys! We talk about AM radios in automobiles, a question of 50 ohms, and some ideas on backing up everything.

Scared of or skeptical about ChatGPT driving voice-tracked AI voices in radio? You're not alone. RadioGPT can talk. It can research. It can take your calls. And it could be coming to your market. Let's get some answers, together. Daniel Anstandig, CEO, and Craig Bowman, SVP, at Futuri Media are sharing insights on the technologies involved, and their vision for now and the future of Artificial Intelligence in broadcasting. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack co-host this episode and play some examples of AI-generated radio content. Show Notes:RadioGPTDemo player for RadioGPTFrom Inquirer.net - RadioGPT Merges Radio And Artificial IntelligenceFrom SLATE.com - Replacing Humans “Is the Furthest Thing From Our Mindset,” Says the Company Selling an A.I. Radio HostFrom Interesting Engineering - RadioGPT: 'World’s first' AI-driven radio station is here Guests:Daniel Anstandig - CEO & Co-Founder at Futuri MediaCraig Bowman - Senior Vice President at Futuri Media Hosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas BroadcastingFollow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel VX Series FM Rackmount Transmitter Webinar - Register HEREBroadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube

Those who know Troy Pennington would say he’s a true gentleman. Engineering for a world-record-setting FM radio station in Birmingham, Alabama, certainly kept the pressure on. The #1 station had to sound great and be reliable - as did all the stations in his employer’s Birmingham cluster. Later, in Nashville, Troy helped build out several world-class studios for national music and talk shows, plus kept the local transmitters on-air. Oh, and his peers elected Troy to be President of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. You can bet that Troy has some tales to tell - and he does just that with Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack. Show Notes:Troy was elected President of the SBE for the term from 2001 to 2003Chris likes this affordable IR Imaging “Gun” with built-in display:And here’s another IR Gun for a bit less money Guest:Troy Pennington - SBE Past President & USMC RetiredHosts:Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on FacebookTWiRT is brought to you by:Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. Subscribe to Audio:iTunesRSSStitcherTuneInSubscribe to Video:iTunesRSSYouTube