The FCC announced in late May a filing window beginning August 20, 2024, during which Class A and LPTV stations will be permitted to file Major Change applications to move to a different TV channel to improve viewer reception. The opportunity is subject to limitations in location change and spacing from existing stations.
Category Archives: National
The SBE and L.A. Chapter 47 present an Ennes Workshop on Saturday, May 4
[From SBE Headquarters] Don’t miss the SBE Ennes Workshop by SBE Chapter 47-Los Angeles on Saturday, May 4. Breakfast and registration open at 8 am and the workshop starts promptly at 9 am and takes place at KPCC Headquarters, 474 South Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105. Register TODAY!
Registration includes light breakfast and lunch
The cost is only $20 for SBE members and $30 for non-members. Register HERE. Students can register for FREE by clicking HERE.
In addition to the SBE Ennes Workshop, the event includes a sponsor showcase, a special message from SBE President Ted Hand and an optional facility tour following the end of sessions at 3 pm.
Continue reading The SBE and L.A. Chapter 47 present an Ennes Workshop on Saturday, May 4MFJ Enterprises to Quit Manufacturing
Apologies to those of you not involved in the allied field of ham radio, but this news is huge to those who are. The founder of MFJ Enterprises, Martin F. Jue, announced yesterday that the company would cease manufacturing on May 17, 2024, after 52 years of operations. The company, based in Starkville, Mississippi near Mississippi State University, represents a kind of throwback operation. Local Americans manufactured and sold relatively inexpensive accessories, antennas, and amplifiers for the ham radio hobby. Given the labor costs relative to imported goods from China, businesses like this are nearly impossible to keep afloat. Mr. Jue is 80 years old and said he has been looking for a buyer without success and is ready to retire.
Continue reading MFJ Enterprises to Quit ManufacturingSBE Releases Broadcast Station Self-Inspection Guides
The SBE has released new Broadcast Station Self-Inspection Guides for FM and TV broadcast stations. The SBE partnered with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to produce the documents, which are the first part of a planned series to cover all broadcast services. 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 were developed to replace the FCC Self-Inspection Checklists that were first released in the 1990s, but have 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 Guides are available for download from the SBE website under the Legislative/Regulatory and Resources tab. They are free to SBE members.
EAS Digital Certification Update Required
[ FEMA Bulletin] An element of the current Emergency Alert System (EAS) IPAWS CAP message verification certificate used by EAS devices will expire on Sunday, April 28. Any EAS device not updated prior to that date will no longer be able to authenticate received IPAWS CAP messages. EAS device manufacturers have included the updated verification certificate in recently published updates or made it available via other means. If you have not done so already, please reach out to your EAS manufacturer as soon as possible to replace the existing digital certification bundle or update your EAS device firmware, as necessary. You may review your EAS device logs following the regular Monday morning IPAWS RWT to determine if your EAS device has the updated verification certificate.
Thank you to all our AM/FM radio, television, and cable partners. Every day we see the impact of the lifesaving EAS alerts you voluntarily distribute. Your community is safer because of you.
Please let us know if you have any questions at IPAWS@fema.dhs.gov.