TWiRT 826 - Media Forward 2026 at WKHS-FM

What if your high school had an FM station and you could host your own show? At Kent County High School in Worton, Maryland, students do just that on WKHS 90.5 FM. On November 10, SBE Chapter 37 brought broadcast engineers and other media professionals to the station for Media Forward 2026. The sessions followed the school bell schedule, which tells you who this event was built for.

I was invited to speak, and on episode 826 of This Week in Radio Tech, you’ll hear from people on both sides of those conversations. WKHS show hosts Ava Pannett and Sukie Tilghman bring the student perspective, and General Manager Chris Singleton joins us alongside guests whose careers span RF engineering, broadcast software, and mentoring.

Join me, Kirk Harnack, for TWiRT 826 and hear from the students who are already on the air and the broadcast professionals who came to meet them.

Show Notes:
SBE Chapter 37 - Washington, DC - supports Media Forward 2026
“Media Forward” Sends Enthusiasm to Maryland’s Kent County High - Radio World

Guests:
Fred Willard - Senior RF Engineer at TelevisaUnivision, Washington, DC
Karl Kuhn - Founder at Sherwood Insights LLC | Training, Coaching & Mentoring
Chris Singleton - General Manager at WKHS-FM
David Van Dyke - Retired Customer Success Manager from WideOrbit
Ava Pannett - Show Host at WKHS-FM
Sukie Tilghman - Show Host at WKHS-FM
Dave Kolesar - Senior Broadcast Engineer at Hubbard Broadcasting

Host:
Kirk Harnack, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

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TWiRT 826 - Media Forward 2026 at WKHS-FM

TWiRT 825 - Infrared Thermography with Dan Gunter

We’re used to pulling out our phones, snapping a picture, and letting the camera figure out the settings. So how hard could it be to point an infrared camera at a breaker panel and see what’s running hot? As I learned on this episode, getting the picture is the easy part. Knowing what temperature it actually represents takes some expertise.

On episode 825 of This Week in Radio Tech, we’re joined by Dan Gunter, an Alabama contract broadcast engineer who takes care of several radio stations and is also a certified thermographer. Dan explains how air temperature, humidity, and the surface you’re measuring can all affect a reading. That last part involves emissivity, which is how readily a surface gives off infrared energy. A shiny metal surface, for example, can reflect heat from something nearby and make the image easy to misread.

Dan walks us through which readings you can trust, which ones need an adjustment, and what to expect from different materials around a broadcast plant. Join us for TWiRT 825 and hear how Dan uses infrared thermography to spot trouble before it takes a station off the air.

Show Notes:
Using a thermal camera with your phone.  FLIR’s guide walks through its iPhone and Android app, including how to take a thermal image, use spot temperature readings, and adjust emissivity. 

Why shiny metal can fool a thermal camera.  This illustrated explainer shows how surfaces at the same temperature can look different in a thermal image, and how a shiny surface can reflect heat from somewhere else in the room. 

How to get certified in infrared thermography. The Infrared Training Center outlines its Level I courses, what the training and exam cover, and an option focused on electrical inspections.

Guest:
Dan Gunter - Owner of Alabama Broadcast Services, LLC

Host:
Kirk Harnack, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

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TWiRT is brought to you by:
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Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
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TWiRT 825 - Infrared Thermography with Dan Gunter

TWiRT 824 - Silicon Carbide: AM’s New Horsepower

What happens when transistor technology proven in electric vehicles finds a new home in an AM transmitter? You get a fresh approach to making RF power—with less wasted energy, less heat, and a remarkably smaller footprint.

On this episode of This Week in Radio Tech, Rich Redmond, President and CEO of Broadcast Electronics, and Tim Hardy, Senior RF Engineer, join us to explore the silicon carbide MOSFET technology behind BE’s new AMX transmitter series.

But the conversation goes well beyond the transistors. Rich shares what he saw in Broadcast Electronics that inspired him to become an owner. And we explore the partnership behind a dependable product: What does an engineer need from his CEO to do his best work—and what does the CEO need from the engineer to turn a promising design into equipment broadcasters can trust?

We also look at the possibilities for putting more of the transmitter site inside the transmitter itself: audio processing, HLS stream reception, a built-in receiver with streaming for remote listening, and potentially software-based EAS as FCC rules permit. Rich discusses how this approach could extend across AM and forthcoming FM products, reducing the space, equipment, and heat load needed to keep a station on the air.

Join us for a conversation about better transmitters, thoughtful engineering, and the people helping shape the next chapter of Broadcast Electronics—on This Week in Radio Tech!

Show Notes:
Silicon Carbide Comes to AM Broadcasting Inside the BE AMX Transmitter

Guests:
Rich Redmond - President and CEO at Broadcast Electronics
Tim Hardy - Senior RF Engineer, Broadcast Electronics

Host:
Kirk Harnack, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

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TWiRT is brought to you by:
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Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

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TWiRT 824 - Silicon Carbide: AM’s New Horsepower

TWiRT 823 - Virtual Voice Talent from a Radio Champion

How do you give a virtual radio DJ the personality, emotion, and local knowledge that make listeners feel connected? On episode 823 of This Week in Radio Tech, Jeff MacIntyre—also known as RadioDJ Dude and founder of RoboDJ—joins us to explain how virtual voice tracking works. We explore how voices are shaped and adjusted to sound natural, with the expression and organic feel you’d expect from on-air talent. Jeff also explains how scripting brings together community information, songs just played, and music coming up, all tailored to the air shift, time of day, and program director’s instructions. We hear examples actually airing on radio stations, plus insights from returning guest Lee Perryman, who makes extensive use of RoboDJ’s virtual talent across his dozen stations in east central Alabama. Join us for a listen to the technology—and the programming decisions—behind these virtual voices!

Show Notes:
RoboDJ: https://roboradiodj.com/pro/
AI Voice Playground: https://voices.roboradiodj.com/
RoboDJ Case Studies: https://studio.radiodjdude.com/ai-radio-guides/
RadioDJ Dude YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RadioDJDude

Guest:
Jeff MacIntyre - RadioDJ Dude

Host:
Kirk Harnack, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

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TWiRT is brought to you by:
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Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
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TWiRT 823 - Virtual Voice Talent from a Radio Champion

TWiRT 822 - Live from OAB EXCHANGE

This Week in Radio Tech hits the road for episode 822, recorded live at the Ohio Association of Broadcasters’ OAB Exchange in Newark, Ohio! The new location outside Columbus provided a welcoming setting, with plenty of laughter, good conversation, and broadcasters comparing notes between sessions. Engineers, station managers, and sales professionals all had opportunities to learn something useful and catch up with their colleagues. Engineering sessions covered everything from HLS studio-to-transmitter links and cybersecurity to audio processing, antenna troubleshooting, and staying safe at transmitter sites.

OAB President Chad Budreau joins me, along with MaxxKonnect’s Matt Levin and Adam Robinson. We’re also joined by Geary Morrill, Regional Director of Engineering at Connoisseur Media, and Chris Winters, Director of Engineering at Spirit Communications. The camaraderie that made this gathering so enjoyable carries right into our podcast conversation. Pull up a chair and join us for TWiRT 822—a little broadcast engineering, a few friends, and a good time in Ohio!

Show Notes:
OAB EXCHANGE web site: https://oabx.oab.org/
OAB EXCHANGE 2026 schedule: https://oabx.oab.org/2026-schedule/

Guests:
Chad Budreau - President at the Ohio Association of Broadcasters
Matt Levin - Broadcast Engineer at MaxxKonnect
Geary Morrill - Regional Director of Engineering at Connoisseur Media
Adam Robinson - Broadcast Engineer & Director of Sales at MaxxKonnect
Chris Winters - Director of Engineering at Spirit Communications Inc.

Host:
Kirk Harnack, MaxxKonnect, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
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TWiRT 822 - Live from OAB EXCHANGE