To finish out another busy year, we asked our Radio World family to share how they’ve been celebrating the holiday season. You’ll find a plethora of festive photos — including pics of furry friends, unique decor and, of course, Santa. Plus, we reveal which holiday songs “take the fruitcake.”

From city-wide radiothons to toy drives to fundraising for local children’s hospitals, our radio circles have been busy giving back to their communities. 🎁 In this story, Elle Kehres offers up a roundup of heartwarming stories that have been sent to Radio World’s inbox.

In Chicago, Moody Radio's 100 kw ERP 90.1 WMBI(FM) temporarily reduced its transmitting power due to reported interference with recently introduced FAA equipment at nearby Chicago O’Hare. ✈️ My latest @radio-world.bsky.social:

Large radio groups have historically been nearly unanimous in their support of relaxing the FCC's ownership caps that limit the number of stations a single company can own in a single market. Now, some small market broadcasters are also in agreement.

Not everyone is on board with the FCC waiving the local U.S. radio ownership caps. Several interested groups are vehemently arguing against changes, saying a repeal would only bring more consolidation and monopolization of the airwaves without any benefits.

At the Cedar Hill tower farm in Texas, installers from Tower King raised a Dielectric RingMaster auxiliary system to radiate FM and HD Radio signals for 10 stations serving the Dallas-Fort Worth market. 🗼

Despite previous plans to abandon all analog FM transmission in Switzerland by the end of 2026, the country’s parliament, or Federal Assembly, has decided to reverse course … at least for now. www.radioworld.com/global/swiss...

In a move the Audio Engineering Society expects to revitalize its North American convention, it announced that its 2026 AES Show will be held in Nashville on Halloween weekend — Friday, Oct. 30 through Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 — at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr appeared before a Senate oversight committee on Wednesday. In answer to a question, he said the FCC is not an independent agency, "formally speaking." Carr said that the U.S. Supreme Court backs the commission on "enforcing the public interest standard" on licensees.

The National Association of Broadcasters is not mincing words: It urges the FCC to remove limits on how many radio and TV stations a broadcaster can own in a single market. I explain how NAB believes recent ad revenue and listenership dips support its proposal for @radio-world.bsky.social.

If you’ve spent any time in the radio industry, you’ve heard about the need for younger talent. Our Excellence in Engineering award recipient, Andy Gladding, through his work at Salem Media, @hofstrau.bsky.social, SBE and WKZE(FM) in Salisbury, Conn., is helping to connect a new generation.

iHeartMedia and Netflix have announced a new video podcasting partnership. 📽️ As Elle Kehres explains, the agreement grants Netflix permission to share the content of approximately 15 original iHeartPodcasts.

Our recent Workbench explored using duct tape to remove a dead floodlight bulb. But what if the bulb is already broken? Grab a potato, Archie Simpson explains! 🍠

For some, by collecting microphones, it's a chance to share the history and technology behind each of their mics with others. Stan Coutant tells us how his impressive website does just that in the latest "Show Us Your Mic Collection" feature. 🎤

Licensed to Newark, N.J., 88.3 @wbgojazz.bsky.social is the only full-time jazz station in the New York City tri-state area. This fall, it partnered with SoundStack to launch programmatic advertising on its internet stream.

In this column, Todd Dixon, Alabama chief engineer for Crawford Broadcasting Co., reflects on Windows update anomalies and other computer headaches. 🖥️

A program distributed by American Public Media that aired on more than 500 U.S. noncom radio stations in 2023 contained EAS tones in the absence of a real emergency, according to the FCC. The tones were part of a "BBC Witness History" episode on the 2013 Moore, Okla., tornado. 🌪

We love to receive photographs that capture the allure of radio, like this one of the @wbznewsradio.bsky.social tower site in Hull, Mass. Over the last few years, we’ve put out multiple calls to our readership asking for pretty pictures of their facilities, and they have not disappointed! 🗼

Season 5 of Stranger Things, the popular Netflix series, centers around fictional station WSQK. 📡 The former home of WPTF, where its AM signal transmits, may look familiar to you. Earlier this year, Elle Kehres profiled the Cary, N.C, site with the help of historian Heather Leah.

Cumulus' 770 KKOB(AM) moved its longtime transmitting location in September and is operating at 1 kW both day and night. The heritage Albuquerque station plans to return to 50 kW daytime from a new site in 2026, but it is unlikely the station will return to the same power level at night.

I was thrilled to write a story on Scott and Lisa Fybush's Tower Site Calendar. 2026 is the last year they'll be publishing it, so you most definitely want to get your hands on it for a Christmas gift! @fybush.com is truly a jack-of-all-trades in the radio industry, from journalism to engineering.

WELY in Ely, Minnesota, has a special meaning for Mark Persons. His father, Charles, launched the station on 1450 AM in 1954. Persons tells us how, after WELY AM and FM were silent for more than a year, Civic Media brought the AM side back to life. 🙌

Today, managing the user experience for listening to the radio in the car goes beyond ensuring a clear, crisp sound. 🚙 At the @worlddab.bsky.social Summit in Belgium, standards for managing metadata were outlined in a session featuring Nick Piggott of @radiodns.org and Gregor Pötzsch of CARIAD.

A plan by General Motors to eventually move beyond phone projection systems — namely Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — has left broadcasters wondering what the auto industry’s next move is. The decision will likely trigger even more changes in the in-vehicle infotainment space. 🚘

Here’s a story on our recent legal fight, from @radio-world.bsky.social

Many readers told Paul McLane they enjoyed his column about BBC Radio 4's Melvyn Bragg, who stepped down earlier this year as host of "In Our Time." Now, @mishaglenny.bsky.social has been named as the new host, with the series returning in January.

In Colorado, @cprnews.bsky.social, @ksutpublicradio.bsky.social and Aspen Public Radio are worried that simply being affiliated with NPR could result in further federal funding cuts or retribution through tax audits or even license revocation.

It all started when a snowstorm in October 2011 pummeled Connecticut. Now, as Elle Kehres explains, the Simsbury Fire District, with the help of a former CBS Radio engineer, are keeping the town informed with a soon-to-be updated LPFM. 🧑‍🚒 #LPFM

If we could beam ourselves back to the mid-1970s and listen to the audio processing on the U.S. radio dial, what would we hear? 📡 Paul McLane asked Robert Orban that question in Part 2 of our series celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first Optimod.

A field trip to a radio and TV headquarters would be my kind of day back in high school! 🎓 The Society of Broadcast Engineers' Chapter 37 and SMPTE Washington, D.C. chapter helped make that happen at the Media Forward event at @wbaltv11.bsky.social last month. My @radio-world.bsky.social story: 👇

Xperi said that in-vehicle radio listenership increased by 40% as radio stations went all-Christmas music over the Thanksgiving holiday. 🎄 The data is a result of its DTS Autostage platform.

Buffalo broadcasting historian Marty Biniasz shares his fascinating collection of vintage radio microphones and flags from stations like KDKA, WOR and WGN. It all started from a little dumpster diving, Biniasz tells us. 🎙️

Last month, a copper theft caused "catastrophic” damage to the broadcast tower of 100 kW 100.7 WDMS(FM), 1260 WGVM(AM) and its 97.3 FM translator in Greenville, Miss. It's another in a growing number of such copper theft incidents. My @radio-world.bsky.social story: 👇

Baltimore Public Media’s 88.1 WYPR(FM) has announced a partnership with GeoBroadcast Solutions to deploy MaxxCasting technology across its Maryland network of stations. 🦀

Spain is making great progress on its DAB+ deployment, according to Javier Sánchez Pérez, director of audiovisual policy and public service at @rtve, the national Spanish public broadcaster. 🇪🇸 He spoke at the at the @WorldDAB Summit. #DigitalRadio radio-world.visitlink.me/ptTW_y...

On this Giving Tuesday, the Broadcasters Foundation of America is seeking donations to provide aid to radio and TV professionals who find themselves in acute financial need due to debilitating illness or disaster. Elle Kehres explains how you can make a difference. 🫶 #GivingTuesday

Vinay Purhoit of CloudJuncxion, and Steve Shultis, CTO of @wnyc.org , write that the Seeker SD-WAN combines broadband and microwave links. 🚚 For New York Public radio's content distribution, Shultis says it has led to optimized performance while also lowering costs.

What does the pending ban on DJI drones in the U.S. mean for radio engineers and managers who use these tools? 🪁 "The issue with DJI, to put it simply, is that they are the absolute best," Todd Dixon writes in his guest commentary.

The FCC Media Bureau has affirmed its decision to cancel the license of WNJC(AM) in Washington Twp. N.J, after discovering that the station had been silent for more than a year. 🔇 Elle Kehres has the story.

Before Cleveland State University, the first WCSB was a carrier-current station at Grahm Junior College in Boston's Kenmore Square. 🎙️ Reader Gary McIntyre was part of the "original" WCSB and shares his memories.

Gusty winds that ushered in a wintry airmass damaged an FM broadcast tower in southeastern Minnesota on Wednesday. The tower is home to Leighton Media's 95.3 KGSL(FM) in Winona, and two FM translators. My @radio-world.bsky.social story: ⬇️

New FCC data confirms the number of noncommercial FM stations has hit an all-time high of 4,730, continuing a multi-year surge. 🚀 Check out the latest tallies for AM and commercial FM stations to see the full shift in the U.S. radio market.

From city-wide radiothons to “friendsgiving” concerts to food bank donations, our radio circles have been busy giving back to their communities. Elle Kehres shares a few heartwarming stories we've come across this Thanksgiving week. 🦃

The "Media & Entertainment: Best in Market Awards" are back to shine a spotlight on the most innovative and impactful products and services transforming the M&E landscape. Manufacturers and service providers are invited to nominate their offerings. https://radio-world.visitlink.me/7yNPSi

Radio collaboration is emerging in New York's Hudson Valley. 🤝 "Instead of viewing crosstown operators as competitors, find ways to work together to deliver maximum results using airtime, staff, hardware and other resources you can share," Bud Williamson writes.

Alex Curley's adoptastation.org — with a boost from John Oliver's @lastweektonight.com — is helping public radio stations in need, including KSKO in remote Alaska, give thanks this week. 🙏 Curley's Semipublic aims to be an online destination to see which public media outlets need help the most.

Jacqueline Bierhorst, the president of @worlddab.bsky.social, described “another strong year of global growth for DAB+ digital radio." But at the WorldDAB annual summit, she cautioned that FM radio reception is disappearing from some car models. 🚘

In our latest free ebook, we asked a half-dozen experts including engineer Cris Alexander to discuss budget planning and how they find operational efficiencies for their infrastructure. 📈

Thousands of pieces of broadcast, audio, video and computer equipment used by Radio Free Asia in Washington, D.C., are being auctioned through Dec. 1. There are consoles, microphones (lots) and recorders. Plenty of networking equipment, too. Someone might be getting some good deals. 👀

A radio studio in Lewiston, Idaho, the home for KRLC(AM) for nearly 80 years, was burned down Thursday as part of a fire training exercise. 🧯 Until 2023, it was the home for KMOK(FM), KVTY(FM) and the now silent KRLC. My story @radio-world.bsky.social: ⬇️