Thursday, September 21 - 1:30 to 6 p.m. - Room 102 Once an industry buzzword, "digital" is now commonly used in nearly every aspect of radio. The audio side was the first to become digital, and now the RF side is becoming digital. New ways are being found to utilize computers in day-to-day radio operations. This session has two separate segments. The first segment from 1:30 to 4 p.m. covers issues concerning IBOC and its implementation. The second segment from 4 to 6 p.m. looks at the role computer networks play in radio.

IBOC implementation Now that the IBOC proponents have joined together as iBiquity Digital, the focus of this IBOC session can look at the specific progress and planning that are underway. Real-world implementation will be discussed in areas of projected costs, equipment requirements and specifications, site installations, and processing.

The session moderator is Glynn Walden of iBiquity Digital. Presenters include George Cabrera of Harris, Dave Hartup of Xetron, Wendell Lonergan of Nautel and Frank Foti of Omnia Audio/Cutting Edge.

Networking in the broadcast facility Computer networks are used for more than just business operations. Most stations use some type of computer-based, networked audio storage and playback system. More recently, network usage includes equipment control and diagnostics, and distribution of audio files and their associated data.

This session will cover the basics of computer networks, look at the changing role of the radio engineer from audio and RF to computer networking, and provide a case example of a radio networking installation.

The session moderator is Chriss Scherer of BE Radio magazine. Prespenters include Ralph Hogan of Washington State University, Terry Baun of Criterion Broadcast Services, and Chris Cottingham of AMFM San Francisco.