Top of the Tower Podcast #054: “Tales From the Trenches”

In this week’s edition:

We’re back for our new fall season of Top of the Tower podcasts – but because of the pandemic, we’re not going to New York City this month for the Audio Engineering Society convention, as we do most Octobers.

This year, the AES show goes virtual. So instead of moderating a panel on site at the Javits Center, I hosted a virtual panel: “Tales From the Trenches,” in which some of my favorite engineers shared some of their favorite war stories.

Is that snow inside a high-powered FM transmitter? It sure was, and EMF’s Shane Toven had to recover from that disaster when he was working for Wyoming Public Radio.

What happens when a simple studio update turns into a massive data center relocation, gutting of walls, surprise extra ceilings and mystery lead lining in junction boxes? Britny Williams of Wisconsin Public radio shared that tale.

And what’s it like to do FM from 6000 feet above Las Vegas on the brutally rocky outcropping called Mount Potosi? Tracy Teagarden lives that reality as part of his job at Entercom Las Vegas, and he told me all about it.

You’ll hear from them (and see lots of pictures) if you sign up for the virtual AES this year (plus much more on the broadcast track, including several great sessions on the centennial of radio, podcast production, mic sanitization and so much more) – but for now, you can enjoy highlights on this week’s Top of the Tower!

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