TWiRT 730 - Back to Basics - STLs and Studios with Chris Tarr

If you’re building a new radio studio, or rebuilding one, Chris Tarr is here to help.  This is your opportunity to get The Ninjaneer’s expert advice without laying out thousands of dollars in consulting fees. In this episode, we’re looking at various technologies to link your radio studio with your transmitter site. There are more choices now than ever! And we’re looking at today’s radio studios; how are they different from those of the past? We think studios can be a lot simpler than they used to be, mostly thanks to Audio over IP technology.

Show Notes:
Broadcasters Have More STL Options Than Ever - a Radio World article by Kirk Harnack
Understanding Studio to Transmitter Links (STLs) in Radio Broadcasting - video by Marcos O’Rourke
Studio Transmitter Link - Wikipedia article
Check out these classy and modern radio studios from Wale Ewedemi on Pinterest
Setting Up a Professional Radio Studio: What You Need to Know - video from Radio.co

Guest:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum Media, Inc.

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas Broadcasting, & 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.
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 730 - Back to Basics - STLs and Studios with Chris Tarr

TWiRT 729 - Back to Basics - Your New FM Station with Chris Tarr

If you’re building a new FM radio station, or rebuilding one, Chris Tarr is here to help.  This is your opportunity to get The Ninjaneer’s expert advice without laying out thousands of dollars in consulting fees. This episode focuses on what to do when you get your FCC Construction Permit. Chris gives hard-earned advice on towers, antennas, transmission line, transmitter selection, and more.

Show Notes:
Selecting an FM Antenna - RadioWorld article by Jeremy Ruck
Useful FM antenna tools from ERI (Bookmark this link!)
“FM Antennas from Theory to Practice” - TWiRT episode with Bill Harland of ERI
“Antennas for FM Broadcasting” - article by Peter Onnigian, PE, of Jampro Antenna Co.
Finding Suitable Transmission Line - RadioWorld article by Cris Alexander, DoE at Crawford Broadcasting

Guest:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum Media, Inc.

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas Broadcasting, & 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.
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 729 - Back to Basics - Your New FM Station with Chris Tarr

TWiRT 728 - Engineering Support for Radio Programming with John Shomby

What’s ahead in 2025 for radio programming? For radio talent? For radio programming executives? Where does Artificial Intelligence fit in? What audience is key to attract to radio and how can radio programmers make headway on that? How will new “PPM Wearables” affect station ratings? And how important are streaming and on-demand programs to radio’s future success? We got answers and opinions on all these questions from John Shomby at Country’s Radio Coach.  John’s been a consultant, programmer, and coach focusing on Talk Radio and Country Radio formats, and he’s our guest this week filling us in on the key topics and strategies for radio’s future success.  

Show Notes:
John Shomby - Country’s Radio Coach web site
Here’s How Nielsen Plans To Roll Out New PPM Wearables from Inside Radio
Meet Nielsen’s New PPM “Wearables” from Radio World
We discussed AI’s role in creating better radio; John mentioned Super Hi-Fi as a key player.
How Anyone Can Be Successful With Podcasting--Even Radio Broadcasters

Guest:
John Shomby - President & CEO at Country’sRadioCoach.com

Host:
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:
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 728 - Engineering Support for Radio Programming with John Shomby

TWiRT 727 - Windows 11, RDS/PAD, and 11 GHz for 2025 with Jeff McGinley

Jeff McGinley is the kind of engineer who pays attention to the important things. He’s focused on the technologies that bring value to the on-air talent and to the listeners, all the while satisfying the shareholders drive for return on investment. Jeff’s advice is based on real-world experience, so you know there’s value there, too. On this episode we’re discussing the end of official support for Windows 10, and moving to Windows 11. Plus, Jeff and Chris both relate the importance of good metadata for listeners via RDS and PAD (for HD Radio). And we discuss the significant benefits of 11 GHz IP Radio links.

Show Notes:
End of support for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7
There are several ways to upgrade to Windows 11.

Guest:
Jeff McGinley - VP of Engineering at SummitMedia

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:
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 727 - Windows 11, RDS/PAD, and 11 GHz for 2025 with Jeff McGinley

TWiRT 726 - Moving Eight Radio Stations on Maui with Russell Laferty

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 City
Axia StudioCore is a new I/O and Mix Engine from Telos Alliance
We’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 Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook

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.
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 726 - Moving Eight Radio Stations on Maui with Russell Laferty