TWiRT 823 - Virtual Voice Talent from a Radio Champion

How do you give a virtual radio DJ the personality, emotion, and local knowledge that make listeners feel connected? On episode 823 of This Week in Radio Tech, Jeff McIntyre—also known as RadioDJ Dude and founder of RoboDJ—joins us to explain how virtual voice tracking works. We explore how voices are shaped and adjusted to sound natural, with the expression and organic feel you’d expect from on-air talent. Jeff also explains how scripting brings together community information, songs just played, and music coming up, all tailored to the air shift, time of day, and program director’s instructions. We hear examples actually airing on radio stations, plus insights from returning guest Lee Perryman, who makes extensive use of RoboDJ’s virtual talent across his dozen stations in east central Alabama. Join us for a listen to the technology—and the programming decisions—behind these virtual voices!

Show Notes:
RoboDJ: https://roboradiodj.com/pro/
AI Voice Playground: https://voices.roboradiodj.com/
RoboDJ Case Studies: https://studio.radiodjdude.com/ai-radio-guides/
RadioDJ Dude YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RadioDJDude

Guest:
Jeff McIntyre - RadioDJ Dude

Host:
Kirk Harnack, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

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Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
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TWiRT 823 - Virtual Voice Talent from a Radio Champion

TWiRT 822 - Live from OAB EXCHANGE

This Week in Radio Tech hits the road for episode 822, recorded live at the Ohio Association of Broadcasters’ OAB Exchange in Newark, Ohio! The new location outside Columbus provided a welcoming setting, with plenty of laughter, good conversation, and broadcasters comparing notes between sessions. Engineers, station managers, and sales professionals all had opportunities to learn something useful and catch up with their colleagues. Engineering sessions covered everything from HLS studio-to-transmitter links and cybersecurity to audio processing, antenna troubleshooting, and staying safe at transmitter sites.

OAB President Chad Budreau joins me, along with MaxxKonnect’s Matt Levin and Adam Robinson. We’re also joined by Geary Morrill, Regional Director of Engineering at Connoisseur Media, and Chris Winters, Director of Engineering at Spirit Communications. The camaraderie that made this gathering so enjoyable carries right into our podcast conversation. Pull up a chair and join us for TWiRT 822—a little broadcast engineering, a few friends, and a good time in Ohio!

Show Notes:
OAB EXCHANGE web site: https://oabx.oab.org/
OAB EXCHANGE 2026 schedule: https://oabx.oab.org/2026-schedule/

Guests:
Chad Budreau - President at the Ohio Association of Broadcasters
Matt Levin - Broadcast Engineer at MaxxKonnect
Geary Morrill - Regional Director of Engineering at Connoisseur Media
Adam Robinson - Broadcast Engineer & Director of Sales at MaxxKonnect
Chris Winters - Director of Engineering at Spirit Communications Inc.

Host:
Kirk Harnack, MaxxKonnect, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

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TWiRT is brought to you by:
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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 StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
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TWiRT 822 - Live from OAB EXCHANGE

TWiRT 821 - What's the State of My Empire?

How many things can you monitor at your broadcast facilities? And how many different systems do you have to check to know whether everything's working properly? Today's technology makes it possible to bring an extraordinary amount of information together into one convenient dashboard, giving broadcast engineers and station owners a network operations center of their own. From transmitter health and studio audio to computers, streaming signals, EAS equipment, and even FCC filings and FAA notices, there's more we can keep tabs on than ever before. Better yet, much of this information can be gathered from equipment you already own, using existing network protocols and automated reporting. 

On This Week in Radio Tech, we're exploring how cloud-based monitoring, intelligent alerting, and centralized site management are changing the way we maintain broadcast operations. Mike Hutchins, Director of Technical Services, and Josh Bohn, President and CEO of MaxxKonnect, join us to explain what's possible today and where this technology is headed. It's TWiRT episode 821, "What's the State of My Empire?"

Show Notes:
Radio World eBook: Trends in Remote Control & Facility Management
NOC-Type Systems Have Changed the Game - article by Jeff Welton
MonitorMaxx information page

Guests:
Mike Hutchens - Director of Technical Services at MaxxKonnect
Josh Bohn - President/CEO at MaxxKonnect

Host:
Kirk Harnack, MaxxKonnect, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

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TWiRT is brought to you by:
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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 StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
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TWiRT 821 - What's the State of My Empire?

TWiRT 820 - Home Grown Radio with Bruce Roberts

What can a recording engineer teach a radio engineer—and what can radio teach someone behind the recording console? On episode 820 of This Week in Radio Tech, Bruce Roberts joins Kirk Harnack to explore how working in both worlds sharpens his ears, strengthens his technical skills, and helps him make better audio. Bruce owns and engineers ARP Studio in Charleston, South Carolina, and is the co-founder and engineer at Home Grown Radio. His passion began before age eight, running sound for his church’s radio broadcasts, and grew into a 50-year career recording artists, building audio equipment, and keeping radio stations on the air. Along the way, his work has included projects for NPR and the BBC, plus dialogue recording for Bill Murray and Army Wives—and an attempted retirement in 2021 that led to a new adventure with Homegrown Radio. Join us for a conversation about recording, broadcasting, and the lessons that travel both ways between the studio and the transmitter!

Show Notes:
ARP Studio, Charleston, SC
Home Grown Radio, Charleston, SC
Thanks to Roger Gaither, founder of Island Media Productions for camera and location services.

Guest:
Bruce Roberts - Owner & Engineer at ARP Studio and Home Grown Radiod

Host:
Kirk Harnack, MaxxKonnect, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

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TWiRT is brought to you by:
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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 StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
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TWiRT 820 - Home Grown Radio with Bruce Roberts

TWiRT 819 - AI and Pi with Bill Eaton

Bill Eaton has long been the sort of broadcast engineer who puts new technology to work early—going all the way back to one of the first DOCSIS cable modems bringing Internet service into the home. Today, as Chief Engineer at Oyster Radio, Bill is especially excited about practical uses for AI in broadcast engineering. He uses ChatGPT to take copious notes during transmitter-site visits, documenting maintenance already performed, work still needed, and even clues that another tenant may have changed something at the site. Bill also uses Google Gemini to analyze raw data from test equipment such as the PIRA P175 FM modulation analyzer. And he’s still building, too, recently putting together an FM audio processor using StereoTool software running on a Raspberry Pi.

Join us for TWiRT Episode 819 as Bill shows how AI, affordable computing, and an engineer’s curiosity can make everyday broadcast work smarter and more productive.

Show Notes:
SharkDeck AI Handheld Linux Computer Beta
Pira P175 Broadcast Analyser Review

Guest:
William Eaton - Chief Engineer at East Bay Broadcasting Inc.

Host:
Kirk Harnack, MaxxKonnect, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

Follow 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 StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
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TWiRT 819 - AI and Pi with Bill Eaton