TWiRT 677 - Local AM Radio with Beth Mann

What use is a low-wattage, AM radio station in a town of 2,000 residents?  Indeed, the whole county population is just over 12,200. Is AM radio viable there?  With 500 watts daytime and 18 watts at night what can a new owner do to revive such a station?  Beth Mann, President/CEO of Edge Media Group, wanted to bring WEKT back to a rightful stature in this small, Western Kentucky town.  Beth grew up in Elkton, across from the original WEKT studio and transmitter.  Now she, along with her “digital- and future-oriented” staff are putting WEKT at full throttle with local news, local sports, local weather, and appearances to promote the station on-air and online. On this episode of TWiRT, she along with Josh Claussen and Bill Booth describe the technical operation, but more importantly the community involvement that’s driving Elkton’s embrace of WEKT, resulting in advertising and renewed revenue.  

Show Notes:
Edge Media Group is using Riverside.FM as a remote audio connection service for sports and other outside broadcasts.
WEKT’s new studio features an Axia iQx audio console, and they use Wide Orbit automation.
Kirk mentioned that he has used the WKDZ Live Weather Cams on some TV weathercasts of WSMV-TV in Nashville.

Guests:
Beth Mann - President/CEO at Edge Media Group
Bill Booth - Operations Manager at Edge Media Group
Josh Claussen - Program Director at WEKT

Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting

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TWiRT is brought to you by:
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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.

 
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TWiRT 677 - Local AM Radio with Beth Mann

TWiRT 676 - The Best Support is No Need for It with Rolf Taylor

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 Inc

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting

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TWiRT 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.

 
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TWiRT 676 - The Best Support is No Need for It with Rolf Taylor

TWiRT 675 - Public Radio in Rural Alaska with Paul Walker

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, Alaska
The 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, Alaska

Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting

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TWiRT 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.

 
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TWiRT 675 - Public Radio in Rural Alaska with Paul Walker

TWiRT 674 - Work Smart and Relax Well with Charlie Wooten

Any time spent with Charlie Wooten is time well spent! Engineering with iHeartMedia in the Florida Panhandle, Charlie keeps his Facebook friends apprised of bigger projects and occasional off-air emergencies. We also know that he loves “roughing it” at a 13,000 acre deer camp with longtime friends and fellow hunters. From a vexing audio crosstalk problem, to multiple station monitoring, to mentally resetting around a campfire, Charlie shares his thoughts on a great work-life balance.

Show Notes:
Charlie loves the ASI2816 1RU 4-16 channel streaming radio tuner for monitoring multiple AM, FM, & HD stations simultaneously.
Trail cameras are good for spotting wild game - or for keeping tabs on remote transmitter sites.

Guest:
Charlie Wooten (NF4A) - Regional Director of Engineering and IT at iHeartMedia

Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook

TWiRT 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.

 
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TWiRT 674 - Work Smart and Relax Well with Charlie Wooten

TWiRT 673 - HVAC & Remote Control for Winter with Joe Fleming

Once each year we discuss air conditioning and airflow at transmitter sites - and we do so in preparation for hot summer weather. But what about temperature control and monitoring during the cold winter months? What issues arise when it’s cold outside but the transmitter is still making plenty of heat? There are many variations in scenarios, but Joe Fleming advises that monitoring the temperature at key locations is important to keeping tabs on your HVAC system and your transmitter’s health. 

Show Notes:
We mentioned Bard HVAC units for transmitter sites.
What is “Low Ambient” and how can we modify an HVAC system to deal with it? 
Joe showed temp graphs created by an NTI Micro Environment Monitoring System
There’s also an NTI Low-Cost Environment Monitoring System – Supports up to 24 Temperature Sensors
Kirk likes these Wyze Cam Pan v3 units for about $25 each on sale
Kirk puts these wall thermometers in the transmitter building, in view of a Wyze cam.

Guest:
Joe Fleming - Engineer at Virginia Public Media

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting

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TWiRT 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.

 
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TWiRT 673 - HVAC & Remote Control for Winter with Joe Fleming