SiriusXM with 360L Is an Impressive Dashboard Experience
The Ram TRX 1500. SiriusXM’s 360L feature made its debut in Ram trucks in 2019. During the years that I’ve produced the program “Radio-Road-Test,” I’ve seen in-dash entertainment evolve from basic to high-end AM and FM radios and cassette decks to sophisticated units capable of accessing entertainment from terrestrial stations, satellite channels and streaming audio. […]
“You Felt Smarter After Any Conversation With Him”
Kirk Harnack and Jeremy Ruck circa 1994 with scale model of Sears Tower antenna masts Among those mourning the death of engineer Jeremy Ruck this past weekend is Kirk Harnack, his friend and former co-worker. “Jeremy and I worked together on the [then] Sears Tower in Chicago under the tutelage of Don Markley,” Harnack told […]
Li.LAC Microphone Disinfector Debuts
Designed by live event touring professionals, the Li.LAC Microphone Disinfector is a rack-mounted encasement that uses controlled exposure to ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and viruses on microphone surfaces, metal grilles and the windscreens underneath. The Li.LAC Microphone Disinfector is available in a professional 19-inch 3U rackmount drawer-based format, so that it can be located in an […]
New England Gets Its First All-Digital AM
Another AM radio station in the United States has converted to all-digital broadcast operations. WSRO(AM) turned off its analog signal in early December and is now broadcasting jazz music in all-digital AM covering the western suburbs of Boston. The radio station is licensed to Ashland, Mass., and owned by Langer Broadcasting Group. The geographic area […]
Broadcast Engineer Jeremy Ruck Dies, Age 50
Jeremy Ruck — a broadcast engineer and P.E. who owned Jeremy Ruck & Associates, managed Willis Tower in Chicago and wrote many articles for Radio magazine and Radio World — has died. According to his obituary at Oaks-Hines Funeral Home in Canon, Ill., Ruck was 50. He died after a battle with COVID-19. Ruck graduated […]
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: December 4, 2021 to December 10, 2021
Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel was confirmed by the Senate to serve a new, five-year term. (Rosenworcel Statement) She will continue […]
Smart Speakers and How to Talk to Them
One major technological innovation in consumer electronics of the past decade is the smart speaker. Increasingly, there are ever fewer homes that you can walk into where devices will not activate when you utter the name Alexa. The smart speaker performs many jobs in the modern home from turning on lights, acting as a cooking […]
Radio Club of America to Recreate 100-Year-Old Transatlantic Test
The 1BCG transmitter used for the original Transatlantic Test Project in 1921 To celebrate the first transatlantic radio broadcast by members of its club 100 years ago, the Radio Club of America (RCA) will undertake a re-creation of the 1921 Transatlantic Test Project transmission on Dec. 12. Using shortwave, low power and other state-of-the-art technology […]
In Appreciation of the Late Bernie O’Brien
Bernie O’Brien in an undated photo. The author is owner of broadcast equipment company SCMS. He writes here about the recent passing of longtime sales engineer Bernie O’Brien. Bernie, who passed away on Nov. 22 after a six-month extended illness unrelated to Covid, was a private person but also one who never met a stranger. […]
Nielsen: On Screen Diversity in TV Shows Increases
But almost one quarter of viewers complained of inaccurate presentation in TV programming, according to a new Nielsen study of diversity in 1,500 TV programs