An FM station with no known authorization on 101.7 has been interfering with adjacent channel KGB-FM in areas south of downtown San Diego. The station broadcasts religious music and information, apparently from Tijuana. Operation is reported to be intermittent. The station has a Facebook page and a forum page about it on RadioDiscussions.com. If you have any information you can add about its whereabouts, please let us know.
Thanks to Bob Gonsett for this news tip.
The evolution of audio transport over IP has been long, and some might argue, painful march. Fortunately, we’ve experienced advances in bandwidth, efficiency and fidelity with better codecs, tenacious reconnection schemes, and clever error correction protocols.
Tony Gervasi of GatesAir will discuss the latest generation Intraplex IPL and Ascent products, which he promises “isn’t your normal codec and transport system.” What can they do for you? He’ll give an overview with best practices and several use cases.
Join us Wednesday, October 16, at 12:30 PM PT, via this Microsoft Teams link. By phone, use +1 614-421-7917,,463204509#.
Tony’s background includes more than 30 years of experience in the broadcast industry, including 20 years as Sr. VP of Engineering & Technology for Nassau Broadcasting, where he bought his first Intraplex STL T1 system in 1996. During his tenure at Nassau, he relied on Intraplex products to provide audio and data transport for over 100 radio stations in 15 markets, including Boston and Philadelphia.
In April 2018, Tony joined the GatesAir family as the sales manager for Intraplex.
The Federal Communications Commission announced the extension of the deadline for all EAS Participants to submit their ETRS Form One for calendar year 2024 in the Emergency Alert System (EAS) Test Reporting System (ETRS) to October 18, 2024.
The FCC said it was extending the filing deadline, which was previously October 4, 2024, to reduce burdens on EAS participants recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. EAS Participants that have already submitted their ETRS Form One for calendar year 2024 need not take any further action.
Filers can access ETRS by visiting the ETRS page of the Commission’s website. Filers must use their registered FCC Username that is associated with the FCC Registration Numbers (FRNs) for which they will file. Filers that have already created a Username for use with another FCC system may access the ETRS with that Username. Filers that do not remember the password that corresponds with their Username may reset it here.
The Society of Broadcast Engineers has released the latest addition to the Broadcast Station Self-Inspection Guides. The new Guide covers AM broadcast stations. The SBE released the FM and TV Guides in April 2024. The SBE partnered with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to produce the Guides. These Guides are designed to aid stations and Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP) inspectors in evaluating a broadcast station’s compliance with FCC rules and regulations.
The Guides are being developed to replace the FCC Self-Inspection Checklists that were first released in the 1990s, but had not been updated for nearly 15 years. While the previous Checklists only provided references to rules, the new SBE Guides include recommended practices for stations to establish policies and procedures for their own stations to ensure overall regulatory compliance.
The project was announced at the SBE National Meeting held in September 2023, and received widespread support from state broadcaster associations, many of which are actively involved in their own ABIP programs.
The SBE Government Relations Committee, chaired by Charles “Ched” Keiler, CPBE, 8-VSB, ATSC3, CBNE, formed a working group of SBE members in April 2022 to begin reviewing and updating the Guides. Additional Guides for other broadcast services are under review and will be released later.
SBE President Ted Hand, CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD, ATSC3, DRB, said, “The SBE is proud to offer the next edition of the Self-Inspection Guides. There was great interest in the AM version at the 2024 NAB Show, and I commend the Committee for its work in producing this version.”
The Guides are available for download from the SBE website under the Legislative/Regulatory and Resources tab. They are free to SBE members.
iHeartMedia engineer Ron Foo reported that, on August 23, 2024, John Rigg, Regional Lead Engineer for the group, fell at the 52nd Street, San Diego transmitter site and sustained serious neck and facial injuries. Ron was with John at the time of the accident and was able to call 991 to have him transported to a hospital.
John underwent a long surgery early the next week. His wife, Cathy, reported to Steve Cilurzo last week that he is making daily progress in his rehabilitation.
John Rigg has been an engineering manager for iHeartMedia (previously Clear Channel Corporation) for the San Diego market since 2006. His management responsibilities expanded to include the Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Honolulu markets.
Construction crews have been working to abandon the Emerald Hills transmitter site, now owned by Vertical Bridge and due for residential development. KOGO 600 AM is moving to the KGB-AM 760 site adjacent to Santee. Meanwhile, the FM stations at Emerald Hills, KLNV 106.5 and KWFN 97.3, are moving to the 52nd Street Site to join KGB-FM 101.5, KHTS 93.3, and KLSD 1360 kHz.