November 19 Online Meeting: Chris Crump from Comrex

We’ll explore all things Comrex, including a discussion about their new product, FieldLink and the issue broadcasters face with frequencies related to wireless mic/IFB. Chris Crump will be presenting with context and a history lesson.

Many of us might not quite remember the early days of Comrex. The first products produced by its founder, John Chaney, in Sudbury, Massachusetts were some of the television industry’s first wireless mic and IFB devices. They were used on Broadway, by the NFL, and by television stations all over the United States. A lot has changed since then, including the problems with frequency congestion that caused a shift in product line focus in the late 60s. We’ll discuss the issues that broadcasters, especially at sporting and live concert events, face when trying to do sideline or in-the-stands reporting in addition to covering some new solutions being offered by Comrex and other vendors.

About Chris

Chris Crump has served as the Sr. Director of Sales & Marketing for Comrex since 2004. In 1987, he began his professional radio career at ABC/Cap Cities Detroit before taking the Features Editor position at MediaBase Research/Monday Morning Replay. On-air, remote broadcast engineer, Creative Services Director roles followed for Capitol Broadcasting  in Orlando and the Ron & Ron Radio Network in Tampa/St. Petersburg.  In 1996, Crump moved to the manufacturing side of the broadcast business performing sales & marketing roles for Spectral, Inc., Euphonix, Symetrix and Klotz Digital America. He is a CBNE certified member of the SBE chapter in Atlanta. 

Join us Wednesday, November 19 at 11:00 PT on Zoom. This meeting was organized by Chapter 9, Phoenix. 

ZOOM LINK HERE

FCC Closed for Business 

Due to a lack of Congressionally-approved funding, the Federal Communications Commission and other government agencies have suspended activities. According to TV Technology magazine, most filing deadlines that fall during the shutdown will be extended with submissions due the next business day after the FCC resumes normal operations. “Although the FCC website will remain up, it will not be updated except for matters related to spectrum auction activities and threats to life and property.”

The FCC issued a Public Notice on Tuesday, September 30, indicating that it would suspend most operations following a shutdown. “Aside from a few emergency and auction filing systems, all other Commission electronic filing systems will be unavailable to the public until normal agency operations resume,” said the FCC Notice.

The FCC Notice indicates that the CORES registration system will remain available to the public and will not be affected by the shutdown. The FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) databases are currently unavailable to the public. ULS and related systems (like the License Manager, License Search, Application Search, etc.) are not accessible during the shutdown. Users cannot file applications with the FCC, or access license data, including address information.

October Online Meeting Explores AI and Cloud Technology for Radio Broadcasters

Artificial Intelligence and cloud technology are rapidly evolving as we progress through 2025. As an industry, both are vital topics to keep up to date on and ultimately adapt to. Andrew Scaglione explains what’s already possible to achieve in broadcasting using AI and the cloud, including global case studies.

Andrew Scaglione is in his fourth year as Radio.Cloud’s account director, responsible for global business development with a focus on the US market. Andrew has been in the industry for a decade-plus and is based in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to Radio.Cloud, Andrew worked for G Networks/Sun Broadcast Group/Envision Networks in Cleveland, and was a TV and radio sports reporter/anchor in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Join us Tuesday, October 14, at 11:30 AM via Zoom. This meeting organized by Chapter 47, Los Angeles. 

REGISTER HERE

KFI Tour Brings Back Veteran Engineers

Marvin Collins with Doug Irwin at the KFI (AM) transmitter in La Mirada, CA

A late August tour of the La Mirada transmitter site tour sponsored by SBE Chapter 47 brought together an impressive collection of veteran chief engineers, including Marvin Collins, now 90, who was Chief Engineer of KFI (AM) 640 between 1976 and 2000, along with current CE Doug Irwin.

The iHeartMedia crew maintains impressive redundancy, including three capable transmitters, two independent antennas, electric generator, and standby studio. 

New Chapter 36 Sponsor – GatesAir

Many thanks to GatesAir and their regional sales rep, Ron Lane, for helping to support SBE Chapter 36 activities. It was great to see Ron at our September meeting. Ron, a veteran broadcaster himself from KKOS Carlsbad, had worked for Pacific Research & Engineering before the company was acquired by Harris, that later split into two companies, one of which is today’s GatesAir. 

Society of Broadcast Engineers