In this letter to the editor, the author comments on the ongoing discussions surrounding the future of AM radio. Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com. Hi Paul, I just had to write you after digesting everyone’s ideas about what caused the problems of AM radio. Number 1 is electrical storms, which God gave us, so we must live with that. There are, however, some things to even that out. Such as higher power and better maintenance on tower systems to be sure your radiation is as it should be. That one is a big Cracker Jack. Also, make sure your audio system is ..read more

Radio World’s “Guest Commentaries” section provides a platform for industry thought leaders and other readers to share their perspective on radio news, technological trends and more. If you’d like to contribute a commentary, or reply to an already published piece, send a submission to radioworld@futurenet.com. The author is CEO of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, which has been serving the nation’s community radio stations since 1978. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at Radio World. For some of us in public radio, the past few weeks have been ..read more

Welcome to the era of solid-state lighting, featuring a variety of approaches using light-emitting diodes.  In December I shared tips about light bulbs, lumens and brightness, upon which retired TV engineer Cliff Kotchka suggested an article about how to choose the correct color temperature with the new LED lamps. The choices are mesmerizing! These new designs have completely changed what consumers expect of household light!  LEDs offer a new palette of colors to the world of lighting. First, learn these two basic types: soft white and daylight. Soft white re ..read more

For the past decade or more, radio and television managers have been dealing with a dilemma: Many veteran engineers are retiring while few skilled young people are stepping in to take their place.  Leaders of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association are well aware and are taking a proactive approach. Their strategies include working with colleges and vocational schools that have relevant courses, encouraging the use of apprenticeships, and hosting conferences and seminars, sometimes in conjunction with the Society of Broadcast Engineers.  Their goal is to provide young adults with oppo ..read more

Bauer Media Audio has completed the acquisition of SharpStream, a streaming platform for live and on-demand audio content.  The deal had been announced earlier but was pending regulatory approval and closing conditions. “SharpStream is counted on by some of the world’s biggest brands to stream their audio content live to internet audiences,” Bauer said in a press release, “including high-profile sports broadcasters like the ATP and Le Mans Racing Series, all the way through to niche, ethnic and community audio broadcasters.” It said it has a longstanding relationship with SharpStream and ..read more

Harry Pappas, one of three brothers who founded Pappas Telecasting Companies in 1971, died April 24. He was 78 years old. Pappas is survived by his wife Stella, son John F. Pappas and daughters Mary K. Pappas and Destiny Jewell. (Image credit: Jim Ocon) The youngest son of Greek immigrants, Pappas as a high school graduate pooled the $5,000 he had saved for college with the funds of his twin brothers Mike and Pete to buy KVEG radio in Las Vegas. Working as a salesman and on-air talent under the name “Harry Holiday,” Pappas and his brothers were able to put the station into the black in less th ..read more

The BBC World Service announced the formation of its Global China Unit, a new editorial team focused on telling the stories of modern China, at its three-day “The BBC World Service Presents” conference. The conference highlights the work of BBC World Service journalists around the world, as well as examines the current relationship between news and technology. The Global China Unit team will develop original journalism for the World Service and other BBC platforms. In particular, the team is looking at China’s economic growth and global influence and how it affects the rest of the world. The t ..read more

It appears that a single-digit clerical error is going to prevent a group from launching an LPFM station in Selma, Ala. Selma Weather and Information Forum had applied for a CP in last year’s filing window, saying it wanted to emphasize public safety — airing weather forecasts and live updates about severe weather and making programming available to local law enforcement when needed. But its application contained a typo in the coordinates; a longitude that was entered as 67 degrees should have read 87 degrees. This placed the proposed antenna site 560 miles off the coast of North Carolina. So ..read more

Tuesday morning, the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Innovation, Data and Commerce met to discuss the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2024. While interested parties included contenders from the automotive and consumer technology industries denouncing the bill, there was an overwhelming amount of support from the gathered members of Congress.  The draft language of this bill largely mirrors that of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2023 (S. 1669/H.R. 3413), which passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee last summer. In December ..read more

More and more elements of the radio air chain are moving to software. There are important recent developments you should know about. In this new free Radio World ebook learn about: Nautel’s efforts to make implementations of digital radio easier and more affordable. A new concept called “EAS at the Edge,” explained by Digital Alert Systems. Nielsen’s Audio Software Encoder, which decouples PPM encoding from hardware and makes it available for integration in broadcast products. How Telos Alliance has taken virtualization into account in its product planning. A multi-year effort at Xperi to mov ..read more