What were you checking out most this past week? Here are Radio World’s Top 5 stories. From the battle for Upper C-Band spectrum, to @w2njl.bsky.social 's antenna plight, and a bright, shiny new studio in West Palm Beach, get caught up for the week ahead.

Take note for your April NAB Show scheduling: The Society of Broadcast Engineers Ennes Workshops' "Emerging Technology" track will run Tuesday and Wednesday. David Bialik and Fred Willard told us the track will tackle video with audio, reflecting the reality that modern engineers must handle both.

Cleveland is a cool place that I know well. Might it be the best location in the U.S. for college radio? WJCU(FM) Director Jasen Sokol thinks so. He talked to me @radio-world.bsky.social about the station's record-breaking radiothon, which raised over $100,000 this month.

The Beacon Air Group, a Fixed-Base Operator at a Billings, Mont., airport, has received a notice of unlicensed operation from the FCC for its VHF aircraft band transmissions.

Major U.S. wireless carriers like Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are aggressively lobbying the FCC to repurpose the entire upper C-band (3.98–4.2 GHz) for flexible-use wireless services, aiming to secure up to 180 MHz of additional spectrum.

Filed my story for @radio-world.bsky.social on the college radio happenings at the IBS Conference in New York City this weekend. 👇 Back in South Jersey before the Blizzard of '26 hits!

Our IBS 2026 keynote speaker is Helen Little of WLTW in New York. She was the 1st African-Amercian female radio operations director. She was PD of New York's WWPR. But she opted to host middays at WLTW. "You have to find out what motivates you," she said. For Helen, it's the fun of it all.

It’s day two of the IBS College Radio conference, pre-blizzard edition! Lance Venta of @radioinsight.com, Sean Ross @rossonradio.com and Pat Cerullo of Loud Radio PA discuss the state of the industry and radio’s DIY opportunities.

Mindy draws some oohs-and-aahs from the students in attendance as she describes notable tower sites across North America. She is explaining the visual differences in FM, AM and TV broadcast antennas and is quizzing her subjects. Mindy points out Dallas-Ft. Worth's Cedar Hill tower farm here.

New to #IBSNY2026 are its engineering-focused sessions. Love to see it! They're led by Bud Williamson and Andy Gladding of SBE's Chapter 15. Right now, Mindy Hoffman, engineer with Audacy and advisor for 90.3 WVPH(FM) at Rutgers is talking about troubleshooting station technical issues.

Scott reminds us on the slippery slope of individual social media account use. What members of your station, including its DJs, produce, could end up being representative of your university, with one recent high-profile case at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell an example.

Our next session is an FCC-focused roundtable for college stations with Ed Perry of 95.9 WATD(FM), Allen Meyers and @fybush.com. Despite the headlines, Fybush said his dealings with the FCC's Audio Division and Media Bureau have not changed. "If anything, I am really getting quick responses."

Our first session offers a roundtable for faculty. It includes Jodi Vale of of Five Towns College, Carol Weingarten of Villanova University and Al Levine of Nassau Community College. How do you stay authentic? The impact of AI in schools is the first topic for discussion. #IBSNY2026

Good morning! I'll be posting a bit more than usual today, giving you a feel for the events at the 2026 IBS Conference in New York City, where many in the world of college radio will convene. 🗽 Stay tuned for posts and videos with a fun schedule today ahead! #IBS2026 #IBSNYC26

Montreal-based Stingray Group's acquisition of the TuneIn platform provides insight into the competitive global audio marketplace. Our Randy Stine talked with TuneIn CEO Rich Stern about the deal and about radio's role in cars with IP-based connections.

The FCC plans to open a window for noncom broadcasters to apply for new FM translators, the first such window ever. Chairman Brendan Carr called it a “unique” window and an opportunity to promote the continued growth of noncom service in the FM band.

The U.K. government has launched a review of the nation’s radio industry, including whether it should transition away from FM. The goal of the review is “to ensure [radio] continues to flourish as audiences increasingly shift to digital platforms.

Microwave Power Products’ pending shutdown of the former Econco plant — known for rebuilding transmitter vacuum tubes — is a big deal for U.S. station operators. In my @radio-world.bsky.social follow-up, Dave Morgan, whose WTAR(AM) in Hampton Roads uses a tube-type model, gave me great insight.

I've always wondered what an SDR like the @airspy.com could hear while connected to an antenna atop a high tower. Roman Porterfield put together an awesome video near Jamestown, N.D. that answered my question! At just 22, he's also written some awesome software that aids his engineering duties!

As part of its merger, the @oceanstatemedia.bsky.social radio operation moved from historic Union Station in downtown Providence, R.I., where it leased space, and relocated to the Rhode Island PBS studios about four miles away. Read the latest from our ebook on studio buildouts. 🎤

In 1920, Mary Texanna Loomis founded the Loomis Radio School in the nation’s capital. As John Schneider explains in this feature, she was a true pioneer in the early days of the medium.

Public Media Infrastructure, the new entity that hopes to play a growing role in supporting the infrastructure of public media stations, has named its board of trustees. Its chair will be LaFontaine Oliver, executive chair of New York Public Radio.

Happy World Radio Day. The medium has certainly evolved through the years. In 2026, which station(s) do you feel do the best job celebrating what the medium has to offer? #WorldRadioDay

Who’s winning, Nielsen or Cumulus? The latest ruling "is a major strategic shift in how power is balanced between broadcasters and data providers," guest columnist Jerry Del Colliano writes. "There are major implications for Cumulus, the radio industry and their leading ratings company."

The latest video from @jeffgeerling.com and his dad Joe goes inside video production of St. Louis Blues NHL games for local TV and for the Enterprise Center. I thought it offered such a refreshing look at the people and teamwork involved! My @radio-world.bsky.social story. ⬇️

James Careless has used many shortwave radios over the years. The KiwiSDR 2, he says, tops them all. The SDR can be controlled entirely from a web browser. Find out why it's used by both hobbyists and SW broadcasters like Trans World Radio, and see where you can tune into one right now.

Our Paul McLane wrote about the Broadcast Technology Academy, the partnership between Wake Tech and the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters to train engineers. 13 students have already passed their SBE Certified Broadcast Technologist exam at the completion of the 10-week academy.

While radio license holders should make every effort to keep their contact information registered with the FCC up to date, they are not under threat of a $1,000-per-day penalty for failing to do so. The confusion stems from a robocall mitigation database proceeding it released the day prior.

The State of the Net Conference annually focuses on internet-related policy. But for FCC Commissioner @agomezfcc.bsky.social, the potential rapid consolidation of media ownership was a topic too important to ignore. My story for @radio-world.bsky.social on Gomez's remarks today. 👇

In the third of a series of interviews, Bob Orban tells our Paul McLane about the genesis of the classic Optimod-FM 8100A, describing his influences and the technical steps that made that box so successful.

Transmitter maker GatesAir shared a notice on LinkedIn on radio stations that were victimized by RDS-based "intrusions." "Never expose transmitters and control systems to the public internet,” the manufacturer warned. I also detail the FCC's recent cybersecurity notice @radio-world.bsky.social. 👇

On the weekend of the big game, Audacy's 95.7 KGMZ(FM) in San Francisco will use its Santa Clara FM booster to display "hyperlocal" RDS messages. GeoBroadcast Solutions says it's the first use of RDS in this fashion on one of its MaxxCasting booster nodes. More for @radio-world.bsky.social. 🏈

The legal battle between Nielsen and Cumulus Media has escalated, with the ratings giant filing a countersuit that accuses Cumulus of handing over ratings data to one of its main competitors. My story for @radio-world.bsky.social: 👇

The radio industry has been an early adopter of AI and its use of the technology will likely grow. As a result, it's also important to ensure legal compliance. Gregg Skall provides us with this current look at industry standards and regulations.

At a time of great changes and challenges for public broadcasting, Christy Tanner has been named to one of the most prominent positions in American local public radio: She is the new president/CEO of New York Public Radio, which includes @wnyc.org.

In its filing on local ownership rules, the Low Power FM Advocacy Group argues that if the FCC relaxes ownership limits for primary broadcasters, it should simultaneously update LPFM limits — which currently prohibit a single party from holding an interest in more than one station.

The real WKRP is going to fundraise off its iconic call letters. I hope a Cincinnati station takes advantage of this.

Would you like your station call letters to be WKRP? That famous call sign currently is held by a low-power FM station in Raleigh, N.C. And while the station isn’t planning to give it up, it would be willing to share if the price is right.

The Paris Radio Show takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday. 🇫🇷 @worlddab.bsky.social, the global industry forum for DAB+ digital radio, will again be represented, and DAB+ continues its rollout across France. Read a commentary from its France program manager Jean-Marc Dubreuil.

It’s one of our most popular features each year. ✨ Radio World’s fifth annual look at interesting and notable new radio studio projects has arrived. Get a peek inside projects at @kutnews.bsky.social, Spotify, Huskers Radio Network, Radio One, @oceanstatemedia.bsky.social and more.

ENCO has a new offering for embedding captions and subtitles into a live program stream from any location, called Raptor. It said Raptor is intended for use in broadcast and live AV work. ENCO will highlight the product at the ISE 2026 show in Barcelona next week.

Thursday, Corporation for Public Broadcasting President & CEO Pat Harrison gave remarks to CPB's board for the last time. “In a profound irony, it is precisely because public media remains so essential to American civic life that CPB’s final act must be to dissolve for the greater good," she said.

The FCC imposed six financial penalties against alleged pirate radio operators in 2025. The $2.4 million penalty against "Radio Touche Douce" was its steepest. The commission also updated the public database of its pirate enforcement activities.

We have more details about the FCC’s plan to invite applications for new FM translator CPs for noncom stations from 88.1 to 91.9 MHz. Applicants would have to be the licensee of an existing NCE FM or noncom AM radio broadcast station or LPFM that the proposed translator would rebroadcast.

For the first time ever, the Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on opening a filing window dedicated exclusively to new noncommercial FM translators (88.1–91.9 MHz). Past translator filing windows, such as in 2003, have been only for commercial (above 92 MHz) frequencies.

I don't do much TV DXing myself. But I couldn't help but write about an unusual propagation event last week several TV long-distance hobbyists witnessed. Was it Aurora-enhanced F2-layer skip? Plus, learn how a DXer in California heard a 45 MHz FM broadcast signal from South Korea in 1957!

Super Hi-Fi and Connoisseur Media have announced a partnership bringing Super Hi-Fi’s AI-powered radio operating system to several of Connoisseur’s stations. The deal involves an expanded business relationship too, with Jeff Warshaw joining the board of Super Hi-Fi.

Radio World - The Morse Code of Resistance www.radioworld.com/columns-an...

If you don’t recognize Jeff Detweiler's name from his prominent role at HD Radio parent Xperi, you might know him from many other broadcast and engineering endeavors. Elle Kehres tells us about a man who ran the gamut of roles in a 47-year radio career.

In a message to station managers sent Thursday, Corporation for Public Broadcasting CEO Patricia Harrison announced that its board approved approximately $12 million in remaining interconnection funds directly into the hands of stations. My story for @radio-world.bsky.social: