This Week In Radio Tech (TWiRT)

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This Week In Radio Tech (TWiRT)

“TWiRT” is your go to show if you want to get behind the scenes on what makes broadcasting possible. The show addresses common issues as well as explaining past experiences from a wide array of hosts who each come from a different background in radio technology. This show is a must for any tech geek or for anyone who is interested in what goes on behind the boards and wires.

Episodes

  1. 14 HR AGO

    TWiRT Ep. 753 - Armstrong FM at Alpine

    Join us for a special on-location episode of This Week in Radio Tech, recorded at the historic Armstrong Tower in Alpine, New Jersey—the birthplace of wideband FM broadcasting. We’re joined by electronics designer and radio historian Steve Hemphill, along with Chuck Sackermann, whose company owns and oversees this iconic site. Together, we explore the groundbreaking legacy of Edwin H. Armstrong and the enduring impact of his tower and technology. Tim Braddock also joins us with comments about the famous Alford Antenna, in service for over 50 years on the Empire State Building.Don’t miss this fascinating journey through radio history, innovation, and preservation!

    1h 13m

  2. 13 JUN

    TWiRT Ep. 752 - Niches and Needs - with Catfish and Corny

    The spark, motivation, and process for invention is absolutely fascinating! This week we got lucky and found two gentlemen who epitomize the spirit of invention. They often do this by asking, “What is it that we’re really trying to do here?” Sometimes the answer results in new approaches to the problem or task. Mike “Catfish” Dosch and Cornelius Gould are working on some projects at Angry Audio. This provided a perfect opportunity to interview them together and discuss the inventor’s process.

    1h 12m

  3. 6 JUN

    TWiRT Ep. 751 - Radio News Legend Talks Tech - with Bob Hardt

    On this episode of This Week in Radio Tech, we welcome a true legend of the newsroom—Bob Hardt. From his early days at WXYZ to anchoring at WABC and ultimately rising to the top at ABC Radio News in New York City, Bob shares a career shaped by storytelling, breaking news, and the evolving tools of the trade. Host Kirk Harnack dives into how technology changed the game—from cart machines to digital editors—and how those shifts made newsgathering faster, sharper, and more agile. If you’ve ever wondered how great radio news gets made, or how the newsroom adapted from analog chaos to digital speed, this conversation with Bob Hardt is one you won’t want to miss.

    1h 13m

  4. 30 MAY

    TWiRT Ep. 750 - Today's Broadcast Innovation with Tyler & Grant

    Seven hundred and fifty episodes of TWiRT! Wow! It’s my honor today to welcome two innovative broadcast engineers and businessmen - and business partners with Telos Alliance - Tyler Everitt and Grant Biebrick. We’re learning about the practical equipment and systems that their company, Pippin Technical Service (PTS) brings to Canadian broadcasters. Tyler and Grant reveal the innovative networked devices and systems that PTS has developed and installed at hundreds of facilities in Canada.

    1h 14m

  5. 23 MAY

    TWiRT Ep. 749 - 5-Studio Upgrade at WJOU-FM

    Oakwood University, located in Huntsville, Alabama, is renowned for its significant contributions to gospel and Christian music, particularly through its alumni who have achieved fame in these genres. Groups like Take 6 and soloists such as Brian McNight are alumni of Oakwood, along with many, many more. Oakwood is also home to WJOU-FM, and we all know that university-owned radio stations often go a couple decades between serious studio upgrades. WJOU is overdue for new equipment, and not just for the sake of newness. Indeed, the station’s leadership staff recognizes the need for more diverse music and talk programming, but one signal isn’t enough. So, WJOU-FM is remodeling and building new studios to accommodate four different formats, and finishing an HD Radio transmission system to accommodate them. Good leadership and big upgrades go hand-in-hand, so on this episode we’re meeting with Dawna Baker and Dammeon Malone from WJOU, and with broadcast system integrator, Josh Bohn and field engineer Mike Hutchens from MaxxKonnect. Together they’re give us a worthy overview of this major upgrade process from the perspectives of management, operations, and engineering.

    1h 11m

  6. 16 MAY

    TWiRT Ep. 748 - Cart Machines: The Rest of the Story with Andy Rector

    The Story of the Broadcast Cart Machine is fascinating, especially to those of us who used them on-air, or installed and repaired them as engineers. Andy Rector, who was heavily involved in the business of broadcast cart machines, joins us for Part 2 of our exploration into this history. We’ll go through the 1970s and 1980s, as new broadcast cart machines were developed and deployed. We’ll follow this story arc right up to the late 1990s, when Andy says was really the end of that cart machine era.

    1h 7m

  7. 9 MAY

    TWiRT Ep. 747 - How We Got the Cart Machine with Andy Rector

    Most of us in radio engineering have worked with broadcast cart machines. While it’s been a good 25 or 30 years since we’ve had them in our studios, we’ll never forget the pleasure - and occasional pain - of using them and maintaining them. But how did cart machines come to be? Were they always like the ones we grew up with in the 70s and 80s? Or did the development come with fits and starts? Andy Rector worked with broadcast carts nearly from the very beginning of their existence. He’s been interviewed many times and provided historical presentations to SBE groups, AES sections, and others. We’re delighted to have Andy Rector join us on this TWiRT episode to look at the early days of broadcast cart machines and the early technologies employed.

    1h 6m

  8. 2 MAY

    TWiRT Ep. 746 - IP Radio & WiFi Engineering with Cam Lasley

    Young broadcast engineers are few and far between, but Cameron Lasley is making a big difference for broadcasters in Kentucky. Cam’s primary role is with wireless broadband technologies; he’s the owner of a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) in Kentucky. On a future TWiRT episode we’ll discover Cam’s broadcast engineering experiences, but on this show we’re finding out about the WiFi technologies that power IP radio links. These are links that broadcasters - as well as WISPs - use every day. We’ll gain understanding of link budgets and margins, as well as best practices for modulation schemes and frequency band selection for IP radio links. There’s a lot of great information for us broadcast engineers to absorb on this episode of TWiRT.

    1h 9m

  9. 25 APR

    TWiRT Ep. 745 - Tower Maintenance and Broadcast Regulations - with Robbie Hulett and Bud Walters

    Today’s TWiRT webcast is a double-header - two guests on very different yet important topics. First up is Robbie Hulett, owner of Tower Maintenance Corp. Robbie shares his company’s work and achievements on social media, keeping broadcasters abreast of current trends in the tower maintenance field. Perhaps some of TMC’s work will prompt others to check on and maintain their vertical structures with the attention they deserve. And Bayard “Bud” Walters - a Nashville-based radio group owner - gives us his candid thoughts about the FCC’s “Delete, Delete, Delete” regulatory reform program. The NAB has filed lengthy comments and suggestions, and Bud, owner of Cromwell Broadcasting, has a few thoughts of his own to share. See if you agree or disagree!

    1h 18m

  10. 18 APR

    TWiRT Ep. 744 - Engineering Achievement with Paul Shulins

    Congratulations to Paul Shulins, co-owner of Over The Air RF Consulting. He is the recipient of the 2025 NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award, which was presented at the NAB Show on April 8. Paul joins us on TWiRT, along with Chris Tarr, to talk about recognizing broadcast engineers and their contributions and recognition in the broadcast industry. We’ll also look at some moments and technical achievements in Paul’s career, plus discuss engineers’ role in the future of radio broadcasting.

    1h 12m

  11. 11 APR

    TWiRT Ep. 743 - Live from NAB 2025

    The NAB Show 2025, held from April 5-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, showcased a wide array of cutting-edge technical exhibits focused on media, entertainment, and technology innovations. There’s no way that TWiRT could bring you a wide look at the whole show, but we did manage to interview ten broadcast industry insiders in just over an hour, and we present them to you on this episode! From England to Australia, from the Netherlands to Florida, and from Minnetonka to Los Angeles, we’re letting you in on the technical and industry conversations that exemplify our experiences at NAB. Special thanks to Broadcast Bionics for providing a set for TWiRT production, and the bandwidth to send you our show!

    1h 9m

  12. 4 APR

    TWiRT Ep. 742 - Public Radio Engineers Learn & Share at NAB

    Public radio has an audience size of around 30 million weekly radio listeners with a broader reach exceeding 57 million when including digital platforms. Public Radio engineers play a critical role in building, upgrading, and maintaining the needed facilities and infrastructure. Broadcasters go to the NAB show in Las Vegas to see and hear what’s […]

    1h 5m
  • 12 Episodes

About

“TWiRT” is your go to show if you want to get behind the scenes on what makes broadcasting possible. The show addresses common issues as well as explaining past experiences from a wide array of hosts who each come from a different background in radio technology. This show is a must for any tech geek or for anyone who is interested in what goes on behind the boards and wires.

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