XPost: alt.radio.broadcasting

Radio World

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G&D Beefs Up North American Sales Presence

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/people-news/gd-beefs-up-north-american-sales-presence


From the People News page: Guntermann & Drunck announced two new sales
roles in North America.

“To better serve the many western U.S. customers, and particularly to drive further market success, GDNA is continuing their North American expansion,” it said in an announcement. “Carlos Mira was appointed  director of sales for Mid America, Florida and Latin America, and Silvia van Lieshout joined
GDNA North America Inc. as director of federal sales.

The sales team is joined by Andy Cooper, field application engineer.


G&D makes professional KVM extenders, switches and matrix switches; it is headquartered in Germany and has a North American sales and support
subsidiary in California.

Send announcements for People News to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post GD Beefs Up North American Sales Presence appeared first on Radio World.


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iHeart Adds Talk Back Feature to App

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 07:57 AM PST https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/programming-and-sales/iheart-adds-talk-back-feature-to-app


There’s a new feature in the iHeartRadio app that lets listeners send voice messages to air talent on participating iHeart radio stations.

“Engage with your favorite on-air hosts and DJs in on-air conversations by tapping, recording, and sending your voice directly from within the iHeart
app for iOS and Android,” the company tells listeners on its website.

The user navigates to a participating live station, taps the mic button and records a voice message up to 30 seconds, and hits Send. The voice
recording is sent to the station.

The feature only works on participating iHeartRadio live radio stations.
The user has to have the latest iOS or Android app.

TechCrunch reports that the feature also will roll out to interested iHeartRadio podcasters who opt in come April.

“What makes this offering unique,” TechCrunch reports, “is that the recordings aren’t just going to some inbox somewhere — Talk Back is integrated with the proprietary iHeartRadio content management system, so
the voice recordings are available to use, live on air, within about 10
seconds after sending.”
In a blog post, iHeart said it expects listeners will use it to send song requests and participate in on-air conversations. “This first-of-its-kind feature makes it simple for listeners to pause their listening, join in the conversation or make a request using their voice, and then seamlessly
unpause and return them back to the content they were listening to. And
with Talkback, the studios aren’t just receiving a transcript of what was said, but will hear users’ actual voices and be able to play them back in front of millions of other listeners.”


The post iHeart Adds Talk Back Feature to App appeared first on Radio World.


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NAB Opposes Airing Russia-Sponsored Programming

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 07:09 AM PST https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/nab-opposes-airing-of-russian-sponsored-programming


The National Association of Broadcasters today, Mar. 1, urged broadcasters
to refrain from carrying and state-sponsored programming associated with
the Russian government or its agents. The call came in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a fierce defender of the First Amendment and the critical importance of the ability to freely
express views, both popular and unpopular,” stated NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “While the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, however, it does not prevent private actors from exercising sound, moral judgment.”

LeGeyt’s statement continued: “To that end, given the unprovoked aggression exhibited by Russia against the free and sovereign people of Ukraine, NAB
calls on broadcasters to cease carrying any state-sponsored programming
with ties to the Russian government or its agents.”

[Related: “Russian Broadcasters Leave EBU”]

The statement ended noting that NAB knows that such programs are extremely limited on U.S. airwaves, but “we believe that our nation must stand fully united against misinformation and for freedom and democracy across the globe.”

The question of how a broadcaster can tell the source of any given
programming is timely. The NAB and other broadcast organizations have sued
the FCC, opposing a new rule that requires stations to determine the source
of foreign-based content. The association has argued that the requirement
puts undue burdens on radio and TV stations, that that the rule is unconstitutional and that the problem the FCC is trying to solve is a “phantom harm.”

The post NAB Opposes Airing Russia-Sponsored Programming appeared first on Radio World.


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What Could Be Better?

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 02:00 AM PST https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/from-the-editor/what-would-be-better


How can Radio World do better?

It’s my goal to make our content as helpful and interesting to you as possible. Today I’m asking you to tell me how we can improve it.

I want RW stories to help you with your career. Do they?

I want our articles to help you understand changes in technology and how
they might affect you or the organization you work for. Do they?

I aim to meet Radio World’s goal of bringing buyers and sellers together,
to promote a vigorous marketplace for radio and audio technology. How are
we doing?

I love to celebrate the history and personalities of radio, especially
radio technology, while balancing that with an embrace of today’s tools and tomorrow’s important trends. Do we meet that goal?

Do our print and digital editions meet your needs? Do you read Radio
World’s daily SmartBrief newsletter? Are we reaching you on the right
social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter? Should we be
using different outlets instead?

Do our ebooks cover the right topics, do you find our online events informative?

Is your experience of Radio World everything you’d like it to be?

Tell me at radioworld@futurenet.com.

Thanks as always for being part of the Radio World family.

The post What Could Be Better? appeared first on Radio World.


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College Stations Send Audio Support to Ukraine

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 01:29 PM PST https://www.radioworld.com/global/college-stations-send-audio-support-to-ukraine


The College Radio Foundation said more than 50 stations around the world
took part in a hastily organized audio event to show support for students
and others in Ukraine.

Rob Quicke, founder of the foundation, invited messages of support that
were then combined into a produced piece to be sent to the Ukrainians the
next day.

“It was a truly international coalition of love and support,” Quicke said in an announcement.

The piece has been posted to SoundCloud.



He contacted OstRadio in Ostroh and STUD Radio in Lviv with the material.

OstRadio journalist Diana Khokhonik replied, “The only thing left for us is to remain calm and not to panic, to pray to God, to believe in the army
that protects us, to protect our health and life. Ukraine wants a peaceful
sky over its head!”

Roman Zajac, head of STUD Radio, said the station shared the audio with
other universities.

“Zajac then coordinated a response from his students involved with student radio who live across Ukraine, including Lviv, Chornobyl, Donetsk, and the capital city Kyiv,” Quicke wrote. “The students sent audio recorded on their cell phones as they were sheltering from the war. The result was a
piece that Zajac put together and asked Quicke to help finish produce, as
Zajac could not access his radio studios.”

That message was also posted to SoundCloud.



“I am very moved by the bravery of the students in Ukraine to keep going
and to make the effort to send a message to the world in such difficult circumstances. College radio stands with Ukraine. We must not forget them,” says Quicke.

The post College Stations Send Audio Support to Ukraine appeared first on
Radio World.


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Radio Leads in Advertising Attentiveness, Study Finds

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 01:16 PM PST https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/programming-and-sales/radio-leads-in-advertising-attentiveness-study-finds


The next time someone tells you that radio is just background noise for
most people, point them to this study.

Cumulus Media is calling attention to a report that explores consumer attentiveness and ad skipping tendencies.

The company says the report demonstrates that AM/FM radio leads all media
in advertising attentiveness, with the lowest levels of ad skipping.

It also found that consumers devote very high levels of concentration to podcasts “since listeners actively seek them out to learn something new, which justifies premium CPMs for podcasts.”

The report is from Cumulus Media/Westwood One’s Audio Active Group.

Cumulus summarized key findings:

“Attention grows in importance among marketers and agencies,” it wrote. “Nearly half of advertisers have discussed consumer attentiveness as a metric. Two out of three say it is important for measuring media investments.”

Also, traditional media ads have greater engagement compared to digital
ads. “AM/FM radio, print, and podcast ads lead in attentiveness. Consumers skip social and digital ads the most.”

Further, it said, agencies and marketers tend to “overestimate consumer concentration of social media. Two consumer studies reveal social media has
the lowest attentiveness of media platforms.”

AM/FM radio CPMs should be a premium to Pandora and Spotify, Cumulus said. “Pandora/Spotify audio impressions are not the same as AM/FM radio impressions. The greater proportion of spoken word content on AM/FM radio generates much higher levels of concentration and attentiveness. The information and personalities of AM/FM radio satisfy consumer need states
for information and connection.”

Also, “Audio platforms satisfy unique need states. AM/FM radio is
associated with information, connection, and entertainment. Podcasts are a source of information, learning, and entertainment. Music streaming
entertains, relaxes, and lifts moods.”

The Media Attentiveness and Ad Skipping Report is aimed at marketers,
agency media planners and buyers.

The post Radio Leads in Advertising Attentiveness, Study Finds appeared
first on Radio World.


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FCC Has Harsh Words for Cumulus

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 12:14 PM PST https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/fcc-has-harsh-words-for-cumulus


Cumulus Media is getting a tongue-lashing from the Federal Communications Commission.

The company faces a $32,000 penalty in a case in Georgia that involves EEO rules. But to explain why it chose to raise what might have been a smaller fine, the FCC criticized Cumulus more broadly about its habits in following commission rules.

In the notice of apparent liability, it pointed to past EEO rules cases in
2008 and 2017. But the commission then went on to talk about the company’s “prior history of non-EEO rule violations” and it posted a footnote that listed a string of Cumulus FCC cases over the past 19 years involving
political files, public inspection files, broadcasting phone conversations, tower fencing, antenna painting and false certification in a renewal application.

“Indeed, the commission recently sanctioned Cumulus for its repeated violations of the commission’s sponsorship identification rules,” the commission wrote in the notice of apparently liability. “In that forfeiture order, the commission emphasized that repeated violations of the
commission’s rules warranted upward adjustment — even if the prior violations do not relate to the type of violations at issue in the current matter.”

The commission didn’t stop there:

“While Cumulus’ history of repeatedly violating the commission’s rules would be problematic under any circumstances, its apparent disregard of the commission’s EEO rules is particularly troubling. Cumulus, in its own
words, is ‘an audio-first media company delivering premium content to over
a quarter billion people every month…’ Cumulus owns and operates several hundred radio stations in dozens of markets across the nation. In short, it
is a highly sophisticated broadcaster with extensive operations that
employs thousands of people and routinely fills scores of job openings annually. The commission’s EEO rules ensure that broadcasters take concrete and thoughtful steps to seek and attract diverse employees.  Repeated disregard of these rules by a broadcaster of Cumulus’ size and scope is contrary to the public interest.”

Radio World invited comment from Cumulus and will report any response.

In the case at hand, the FCC found that Cumulus Licensing LLC apparently violated the equal employment opportunity rules in regards to five of its former stations in Georgia: WEGC(FM) Sasser: WJAD(FM) Leesburg; and
WKAK(FM), WQVE(FM) and WALG(AM), all in Albany. (The stations subsequently
were sold to First Media Services, according to news reports.)

The commission said the company failed to upload its annual EEO public file report in the online public inspection files, failed to upload its annual report to the stations’ websites and failed to analyze its EEO program.

This came to light in the stations’ license renewal applications. According to the FCC, Cumulus indicated that it had not uploaded the EEO files  when required. When the Enforcement Bureau wrote asking why, Cumulus told it
that the 2018 annual report had not been added to the public inspection
files and websites until more than nine months after the deadline, because
its business manager had “simply overlooked this requirement.” It blamed a routine administrative change and the loss of a former employee who had
helped with this task in the past.

The commission said those facts don’t mitigate the violation.

The rules set a base forfeiture of $10,000 for each public file violation
but the FCC has discretion to change the penalty. Here, the commission
cited “Cumulus’ prior history of rule violations, including violations of the EEO rules,” as well as the longer list of past incidents mentioned
above.

Cumulus argued that the forfeiture penalty should be decreased because its parent emerged from bankruptcy in 2018 and because the pandemic had hurt
its ad revenue; but the commission rejected those arguments, quoting
statements on the Cumulus website that the company had reduced its debt and increased its cash since emerging from bankruptcy.

The company has 30 days to pay the fine in the specific case or to reply seeking a different outcome.



The post FCC Has Harsh Words for Cumulus appeared first on Radio World.


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Radio Holds Steady in Infinite Dial 2022 South Africa

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 11:22 AM PST https://www.radioworld.com/global/radio-holds-steady-in-infinite-dial-2022-south-africa


Edison Research’s second look at South Africa through its Infinite Dial methodology finds online audio use has exploded over the past four years.

In the 2019 Infinite Dial South Africa report, 39% of respondents 15+ in
major metro areas reported using online audio. In the 2022 report, that
number increased to 61% of respondents.

Weekly radio listening held steady from 2019 to 2022 with 69% of
respondents reporting having listened to the radio in the past week, up one percentage point from 68% in 2019. Ninety-four percent of respondents
reported having at least one radio in their home, although 64% of
respondents said they used a mobile phone, computer or television for
in-home radio listening too, which was a significant (44%) increase from
2019.
Comparison of 2019 to 2022 reported radio listening in the past week among those 15+ (Edison Research)

In terms of in-car listening, 80% of respondents 18+ reported having tuned
to AM/FM radio while driving or as a passenger within the past month.

Ninety percent of respondents 15+ reported owning a smartphone in 2022, and
32% said they owned a smart speaker. More than a third (36%) of people in
2022 reported having ever downloaded an AM/FM radio station’s smartphone
app.

Podcasting also saw substantial gains with 26% of respondents 15+ listening
to podcasts at least monthly in 2022 compared to 10% in 2019. Fourth-eight percent of respondents said they were aware of podcasts even if they didn’t listen to them.

Podcast listeners were slightly more likely to be male than female (53% to
47%) and aged 15–34 (51%), compared to 35–54 (38%) or 55+ (11%). Of the 20% of people who reported listening to podcasts weekly, they listened to four episodes on average each week.
Comparison of radio ownership in South Africa and the U.S. (Edison Research)

When it comes to streaming audio services, YouTube Music had the greatest
brand awareness with 69% of those 15+ being aware of the service. Spotify followed at 36% and Joox, an Asia-based streamer that launched in South
Africa in 2017, at 27%.

The Infinite Dial 2022 South Africa survey was conducted by Edison Research
in November/December 2021 with in-person interviews of 1,500 people living
in eight major metropolitan municipalities in South Africa: Nelson Mandela
Bay, Mangaung, Johannesburg, eThekwini, Cape Town, Buffalo City, Tshwane,
and Ekurhuleni. The data was weighted to reflect the gender, age, and race
of the population. No margin of error was reported.

The National Association of Broadcasters South Africa commissioned the
survey, which was sponsored by Triton Digital, and produced in association
with The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa.

Larry Rosin, President of Edison Research, shared findings from the study
in an online presentation today. Rosin added, “The increase in online audio consumption and podcast listening among those we surveyed in South Africa points to a space that can accommodate many audio platforms while radio
stays strong. We hope this data that shows robust growth in audio
consumption motivates advertisers to consider all of these various audiences.”

The post Radio Holds Steady in Infinite Dial 2022 South Africa appeared
first on Radio World.


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FCC Moves to Protect Against Russian Cyberattacks

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 08:56 AM PST https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/fcc-takes-steps-to-protect-against-cyberattacks-from-russia-and-its-agents


In light of Russia’s attack on the Ukraine, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel
has proposed action to help protect America’s communications networks guard against cyberattacks. Earlier in the week, the Department of Homeland
Security warned U.S. organizations at all levels that they could face cyber threats stemming from the Russia–Ukraine conflict; the FCC said Rosenworcel’s proposal would begin an inquiry into the vulnerabilities of
the internet’s global routing system.

If adopted by a vote of the full commission, the Notice of Inquiry would
seek public comment on vulnerabilities threatening the security and
integrity of the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), which the FCC says is
central to the internet’s global routing system. The inquiry would also examine the impact these vulnerabilities would have on the transmission of
data through email, e-commerce, bank transactions, interconnected voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP), and 911 calls — and how best to
address these challenges.

BGP is the routing protocol used to exchange reachability information among independently managed networks on the Internet. BGP’s initial design, which remains widely deployed today, does not include explicit security features
to ensure trust in this exchanged information.

As a result, the FCC said, a bad network actor may deliberately falsify BGP reachability information to redirect traffic. Russian network operators
have been suspected of exploiting BGP’s vulnerability to hijacking in the past. “BGP hijacks” can expose Americans’ personal information, enable theft, extortion, and state-level espionage, and disrupt otherwise-secure transactions.

Working with its federal partners, the commission has urged the
communications sector to defend against cyber threats, while also taking measures to reinforce the nation’s readiness and to strengthen the cybersecurity of vital communications services and infrastructure,
especially in light of Russia’s actions inside of Ukraine.

Rosenworcel also recently shared with her colleagues a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would begin the process of strengthening the commission’s rules for notifying customers and federal law enforcement of breaches of customer proprietary network information (CPNI). The inquiry under consideration would build on those efforts, the FCC said.

The post FCC Moves to Protect Against Russian Cyberattacks appeared first
on Radio World.


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Workbench: Adaptors Help Solve Pin 1 Problems

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 02:00 AM PST https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/workbench/workbench-adaptors-help-solve-pin-1-problems

Fig. 1: A simple fixture to lift grounds and swap conductors as you correct
for Pin 1 problems.

San Francisco Projects Engineer Bill Ruck and I have been conversing via
email about the Pin 1 grounding issue discussed in Workbench in December
and January, especially the problem encountered when interfacing gear to an outside source, such as an event sound contractor.

Bill built up a variety of XLR adaptors that he keeps organized in one of
those black cotton bags found at Harbor Freight. The first photo shows his
male and female XLRs brought out to a barrier strip.

This adaptor makes lifting grounds or switching “HOT” pins on the XLR easier than disassembling and resoldering connector pins. Now Bill can try different configurations with only a screwdriver and see what works best.
He can also change from balanced to unbalanced by moving the lugs on the barrier strip.
Fig. 2: The same idea, but bringing the conductors out to alligator clips.

The rig in the second photo can be used in a similar fashion, as it brings
the terminals out to alligator clips. Bill made up two other adaptors, seen
in the third image. On the left, this jumper has Pins 2 and 3 reversed. The assembly on the right lifts the ground, Pin 1.

You’ll note that Bill took advantage of his labeling machine to identify
all the adaptors and to include his name — less of a chance of something “walking off.”

Bill also provided a link to an interesting series of papers about the “Pin
1 problem” should you want further information. The URL, appropriately enough, is www.pin1problem.com.

Gotta run for shade

Alan Peterson, national production director and weekend program coordinator
for the Radio America Network in Arlington, Va., and former Radio World columnist, has been following our Pin 1 discussion too. He offered a simple mnemonic to remember the order of XLR connections: “2 is Hot, 3 is Not.” Fig. 3: Additional adaptors that reverse Pins 2 and 3, and lift the Pin 1 ground.

Likewise, Alan reminded me that Kool & The Gang permanently cemented the standard in 1979 when they rolled out the song, “Too (2) Hot.” Hum that to yourself and you will never forget!

He adds that he wished XLR plug manufacturers would emboss larger numbers
on those connectors. Yes, Alan, my eyesight is failing, too.

Alan then surprised me with news that he’ll be retiring in March from Radio America. Congratulations!

Man Cave

I’ve gotten a number of great comments about our description of Harry Simons’ living room studio, which he built in retirement. More than one engineer wanted to know what Harry’s wife had to say about turning the
living room into a studio. No problem there, Harry’s single!

Slippery when cold

When it snows and sleets down in the Carolinas and Georgia like it did recently, you know it’s winter. And that means keeping something handy to keep your locks working.

We’ve written about the many great applications of WD-40 Multi-Use Product. Educational Media Foundation Field Tech Scott Todd writes that when it
comes to spray lubricants, especially for locks, you may also want to try a couple of other options, both available from Amazon.

The reviews for PB B’laster Penetrant note that it stinks. Also, that it’s a great penetrating oil but not a silicon lubricant. PB B’laster Silicon Lubricant, on the other hand, contains a higher concentration of silicone
than other brands, which means longer-lasting lubrication. It’s formulated with a Teflon polymer. This compound is a clear, non-evaporating formula
that can lubricate and protect not only metal, but also plastic, wood,
rubber, vinyl and leather products.

[Check Out More of Workbench Here]

Scott says that in his opinion, the gold standard in lock lubricants, bar
none, is Kano Laboratories’ Penephite Graphited Penetrating Oil. On Amazon, this spray has a 78% five-star review. It consists of a combination of
oils, solvents and micron-sized graphite in a suspension. The oils and
solvents carry the graphite into infinitely small spaces to loosen frozen parts. Once deposited, the graphite provides long-lasting lubrication.

Strong not silent

Back in September 2019, we published a Workbench tip from EMF’s Ken
Beckwith about constructing an EAS Loop antenna out of PVC. Carroll Broadcasting’s Lance Coon wrote in recently to say he was looking to build this antenna for his stations but needed clarification on one point.

In the article, we mentioned improving the “strength” of the loop by adding a piece of conduit down its middle.

Lance wanted to confirm that be “strength,” we meant the rigidity of the loop, not the strength of the signal.

Lance, you are right. To increase the signal strength or sensitivity, you’d add more turns of wire to the loop. Mounting shouldn’t be critical; just be sure the edge of the loop is pointing toward the EAS signal you want to receive. Be sure to send us a picture of your completed project, Lance!

John Bisset, CPBE, has 50 years in broadcasting and is in his 32nd year
writing Workbench. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos
Alliance and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award.

Workbench submissions are encouraged and qualify for SBE recertification credit. Email johnpbisset@gmail.com.

The post Workbench: Adaptors Help Solve Pin 1 Problems appeared first on
Radio World.


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John Warner Dies, Was Respected AM Engineer

Posted: 28 Feb 2022 02:00 AM PST https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/john-warner-dies-was-respected-am-engineer


This story has been updated with additional comments from colleagues.

Retired broadcast engineer John Warner died Friday at age 73.

The cause of death was not announced. His daughter told Radio World that it
was not related to COVID.

Warner was known widely as an expert in AM radio engineering for his work
with companies like Jacor Communications and Clear Channel Communications, later called iHeartMedia.

In 2010, when he was vice president of engineering for Clear Channel, Radio World wrote: “When it comes to AM radio stations in the United States, perhaps no engineer has quite the number of sites to worry about as does
John Warner.” Clear Channel’s AM properties typically numbered 250 to 300 at that time. He later held the title of vice president of AM transmission
for iHeartMedia.

Jeff Littlejohn, executive vice president, engineering and systems for iHeartMedia Technology Operations, said this weekend, “He was truly
respected for his knowledge of AM, not only from the iHeart engineering
staff, but also from the consulting engineering community at large. I never saw a problem that John could not beat. John loved to teach others about
his craft, so any engineer that was eager to learn would have John as a
willing teacher.”

Early start

Warner became interested in radio as early as age 8 or 9, he told Radio World’s Michael LeClair in 2010.

“I owned a crystal set when I was young. My father was interested in
radios, and I built a small radio as a scouting project. My mother actually taught me to solder. During World War II, she worked at Bendix Radio in Baltimore, which manufactured aircraft and tank radios for the war.”

Warner lived on a farm as a child and became interested in antennas so that
he could pick up different kinds of radio signals.

[Read Radio World’s 2010 profile of John Warner.]

“I used to listen to all the European broadcasters via shortwave, and I experimented with long-wire and curtain array antennas. My father
encouraged my interest in radio, and for one of my birthdays he gave me a telephone pole, which he then helped me to put in the ground to use as a
tower that I could use to make experiments.”

He attended the University of Maryland for two years in 1966 and 1967 and studied defense electronics and electrical engineering. He did not obtain a formal degree because his family did not have enough money to let him
complete college, but he later went back to school and took further
engineering courses at Johns Hopkins.

His first job in radio was at station WBAL in Baltimore in 1979, a 50 kW clear-channel AM station on 1090 kHz with a high-power directional array.

Warner credited veteran engineer Harrison Brooks, who had just retired at
that time, with teaching him a lot of the history of WBAL and about broadcasting in the Baltimore area.

He also credited Ron Rackley, whom he met in 1986, with influencing his
career. “We were installing a new Continental 317C at WBAL, and to improve the stability of the array, we also replaced the sample system at the same
time and did a full proof. Ron and I struck up an immediate friendship
while working on that project and we’ve stayed in touch ever since.”
John Warner with tower-based matching and filtering equipment for a
five-tower triplexed DA in Boston designed by Ron Rackley. Courtesy Tom King

Rackley gave Warner his first copy of the MiniNEC code, used to model the behavior of antennas. “In those days it ran on an 8086 class computer, and
it would take hours to do a tower model. I remember that you could start a model in the morning and let the computer run all day while working, and
come back to find that it had just finished around 5 p.m.,” he told Radio World in that 2020 article.

Warner came to Clear Channel when Jacor was acquired in 1999. Among his
duties, he was responsible for overseeing the design and construction of
new AM facilities and the maintenance and refurbishing of existing AM
stations.

During his career, among other activities, Warner spoke at the NAB Show’s
AM Boot Camp and was a member of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers.
Colleagues remember

Ben Dawson of Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers said, “I first met
John when he was the transmitter supervisor for WBAL, where he demonstrated
his skill in the maintenance in proper operation of an iconic broadcasting station with a tight directional pattern.

“Later, when he worked for Randy Michaels [at Jacor] and later in the Clear Channel days, I got to work with John on a variety of interesting projects,
and always marveled at his skill and practical knowledge as well as his

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