The FCC’s ETRS (EAS Test Reporting System) Form One filing window is now open. Due on October 3rd, this is mostly a time to update contact information for stations as there will be no national test (NPT) this year.
All posts by Gary Stigall
KPBS Tour a Success
On August 13, 2025, SBE Chapter 36 toured the recently remodeled KPBS FM and TV studios on the SDSU campus. We were pleasantly surprised to see so many veteran KPBS staff engineers join us.
Many thanks to Tony McDaid and Tom Guidry for showing us around.
FCC Allows Zonecasting
FCC rules just went into effect allowing FM stations to originate programming on boosters, effectively giving them the right to target ads to certain segments of their coverage area. The rule was approved in November 2024 but adopted in late July.
In San Diego, Audacy’s KWFN 97.3 has a system with a main transmitter in Southeast San Diego and four independent boosters, each with HD capability. They could sell ads unique to booster coverage areas in La Jolla, Carlsbad, San Marcos, or Romona. The new rules allow up to three minutes per hour of independent broadcasting.
One limiting factor is with mobile receivers. When moving between coverage zones, a listener in an automobile would hear an ad being interrupted by a different ad. And with terrain shielding, as is likely in North County, these switches could occur frequently as one signal dominates another with movement. KWFN would have to file with the FCC to allow this operation.
GeoBroadcast Solutions introduced the geotargeting concept, proposed the new rules, and developed the concept with several broadcasters, including KWFN. I was involved in helping to set up the boosters in 2021. Precise timing with GPS helps to make synchronized boosters viable. Terrain helps isolate the booster from the main signal, but hills in the booster coverage area can make mobile reception tricky. Also, using boosters in a metro area like San Diego can be hindered by adjacent channel reception, especially when trying to maintain a digital HD sideband signal.
LA Engineers Recognized by the SBE
[From National SBE and local reports]
The Society of Broadcast Engineers has announced the recipients of the 2025 SBE National Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements by individual members, local chapters, and Sustaining Member companies. Among the organization’s highest honors are the Robert W. Flanders SBE Engineer of the Year and the James C. Wulliman SBE Educator of the Year awards.
Doug Irwin, CPBE, AMD, DRB, of Burbank, CA, a member of SBE Chapter 47 Los Angeles, has been named the 2025 Robert W. Flanders SBE Engineer of the Year. With nearly four decades of experience on both coasts, Irwin manages one of the most complex and influential radio operations in the country. His career has navigated the challenges of industry consolidation and evolving technologies, yet he remains deeply committed to advancing engineering standards and mentoring the next generation of professionals. As one Chapter 47 member stated, “Doug exemplifies unwavering dedication and genuine passion for broadcast engineering.”
Matthew Wilson Anderson, CSRE, staff engineer at iHeartMedia, was named SBE Chapter 47 Los Angeles Engineer of the Year. Matt was formerly with San Diego State University, KPBS, and iHeartMedia in San Diego before moving to Los Angeles. He’s been a chapter leader for years.
I’ve had the privilege of working with both Doug and Matt as Event Frequency Coordinators in the NFL and can tell you they make critical tasks look easy and have interpersonal and leadership skills second to none. Both Doug and Matt were instrumental in helping build the iHeart infrastructure with redundancy that allows for high reliability with a low staff level, lower stress, and free weekends.
Read here for more winners of the 2025 SBE Awards Program.
Did You Hear Broadcast Tsunami Warnings?
No, neither did we. After the powerful earthquake off the coast of Kamchatka, Russia, on July 30 (local Russian time), scientists warned of tsumani waves threatening the west Pacific Coast of North America. These waves were predicted to transit the ocean and strike Southern California beaches and harbors by 1:30 AM on July 30 and were observed to create stronger waves at that time, but no surface damage was reported. Erratic waves were measured between 1:00 AM and about 2:00 PM at San Diego’s Broadway and Scripps Piers.
John Dumas of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, said, “The only area in California to get a tsunami warning was the Crescent City area. That would trigger EAS. We had a Tsunami Watch which was transitioned to an Advisory in SoCal which does not trigger EAS.”
Damage estimated at $1-million was done to the harbor at Crescent City, California on the Oregon border, a town known for its vulnerability due to its low elevation.
Several San Diego area engineers confirm that Tsunami Warnings were neither received nor issued by the radio and TV stations they maintain.
Exactly what triggers EAS codes for tsunamis? NOAA has a protocol and operates two warning centers but what triggers codes for what regions is complex.