Required FCC ETRS Form One Filing Deadline Delayed

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.

SBE Publishes New Self-Inspection Guide for AM Broadcasters

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.

John Rigg Recovering After a Transmitter Site Injury

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 Rigg at KGB-AM Site Recently

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. 

Learn About Spectrum Analyzers at Our September 17th SBE Chapter 36 Meeting

It’s quite possible that in the 21st century, you came to your broadcast engineering job through the IT portal, responding to workstation issues, configuring routers, and setting up streaming devices. That’s okay, but you could be missing out on all the radio frequency fun and opportunity for career growth.

We’re offering a free introduction to the spectrum analyzer, that device that gives you a graphical window into the world of radio frequency transmission. I first learned spectrum analysis on a Tektronix 7L12 in 1979 (variable persistence—ooh!) and will demonstrate the principles of setting up bandwidth and amplitude to measure real-world signals. We’ll have on-hand several makes and models of spectrum analyzers to play with—hobbyist-level TinySA, pro field RF Explorer, and lab-grade Rigol and HP—and their owners to help you navigate the controls. No excuse to miss this opportunity to learn!

Regardless of whether you’re an SBE member or have experience with RF, please join us on Tuesday, September 17, at 6:00 PM at iHeartMedia, 9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego. We’ll have pizza to share. This is a perfect opportunity to dip your toes into the RF world. 

We have a TinySA to give away as a door prize for a lucky participant.

RSVP so that we have a planning headcount.

XEPRS Reverts to Spanish Language

On August 1, 2024, at midnight, XEPRS 1090 at Rosarito, BCN, Mexico, began its Spanish-language Catholic “Monte Maria” religious programming, apparently ending a contract with BCA. 

The station had operated as “The Mightier 1090” with ESPN radio sports programming that included play-by-play NFL, MLB, and NBA games, local sports talk on the Jim Rome Show, SportsGrid, The Rich Eisen Show, Scott Kaplan, and SportsMap programming.

According to Wikipedia, this ends a run of “border blasting” mostly English programming that began with the Wolfman Jack Show in 1965 using the callsign XERB. Mexican broadcasting of US-originated content is increasingly challenging since the Mexican government requires carrying a substantial load of public service announcements that supersede commercials.

The station was built with a 3-tower array that maximized their 50,000 watt (transmitter output) signal up the Pacific Coast. The station could readily be heard daytime in Los Angeles and at night as far as Oregon.

Society of Broadcast Engineers