Turkey, Transmitters, And Thanks

A quiet moment on a loud day: we step back from schematics and signal paths to say a sincere thank you. This special Thanksgiving bonus is a love letter to radio’s people—the mentors who turned confusion into confidence, the colleagues who answer at 2 a.m., and the listeners whose curiosity fuels every deep dive into transmitters, codecs, and the history that shaped the dial.

Tyler traces a path from the first radio job in 2014 to the long nights and longer checklists of broadcast engineering, and into today’s role in network engineering, where timing, routing, and reliability keep entire station groups connected. Along the way, we talk about why live audio captured our attention in the first place, how a single fix can save a morning show, and what it takes to keep signals strong when budgets shrink and formats change. The theme that keeps returning isn’t a piece of gear; it’s people. On-air talent, engineers, PDs, sales, and managers form a resilient community that shows up, ships the show, and serves listeners when it matters most.

We also reflect on how this podcast found its audience. What started as a niche corner for the technically curious has become a gathering place for stories about transmitter sites, HD Radio, and even a few pirate legends. Your emails, DMs, and corrections sharpen the work and make each episode better. That feedback loop is proof that radio’s heartbeat is still strong—driven by craft, curiosity, and care.

If you’ve ever kept a station alive through a storm, taught someone how to trace a signal, or simply tuned in because the human voice still matters to you, this one is for you. Thanks for listening, for sharing your stories, and for keeping the medium vibrant. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend in the industry, and leave a quick review so more radio geeks can find us.

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⚠️ All views and opinions expressed in this show are solely those of the creator and do not represent or reflect the views, policies, or positions of any employer, organization, or professional affiliation.

Episode Transcript

Tyler (00:24):
Hey everyone, Tyler here.
Happy Thanksgiving.
This is a special bonus episodeof Fully Modulated, and it's a
little different from our usualdeep dives in the broadcasting
tech and radio history.
You know, today I just want totake a few minutes to say
basically thank you.
Thanksgiving is aboutgratitude.

(00:48):
And as I sit here thinkingabout everything this year has
brought, I keep coming back tohow incredibly fortunate I am to
be a part of, you know, thisindustry.
Broadcasting found me back in2014, and honestly, before that,
it's kind of always beensomething I wanted to do.
But 2014, when I stepped intomy first official radio job, and

(01:14):
honestly, I had no idea what Iwas getting into.
I just knew that I that I lovedradio, loved the energy of live
audio, and wanted to be a partof it.
Since then, this industry hasgiven me more than I could ever
imagine.
It gave me a career as abroadcast engineer starting in

(01:36):
2018.
It taught me how transmitterswork, how to keep stations on
the air, and how to solveproblems at two in the morning
when something goes wrong.
And now in 2025, as a broadcastnetwork engineer, I get to work
on systems that connect entirenetworks of stations, keeping

(01:57):
the infrastructure runningbehind the scenes.
It's challenging.
Yes.
I will not lie on that front.
It's demanding, but Iabsolutely love it.
But beyond the technical side,beyond the equipment and the
engineering, broadcasting gaveme something even more valuable.
It gave me um a community.

(02:21):
The the people in thisindustry, whether they're the on
air, the on-air talent,engineers, program directors,
salespeople, or stationmanagers, they're some of the
most passionate, creative, andresilient people you'll ever
meet.
We face challenges constantly,budget cuts, staff reductions,

(02:45):
um technical shifts, formatchanges.
But we keep coming, we keepcoming in, we keep showing up,
we keep putting great content onthe air, we keep serving our
communities, informinglisteners, entertaining them,
and being there when they needus the most.

(03:07):
I'm thankful especially to thementors who took time to teach
me.
Even when I asked the samequestion, probably three or four
times, probably more.
I'm thankful for the colleagueswho have become friends over
these years, the the ones whohelped me troubleshoot a problem

(03:29):
or show, you know, just shareda laughter and a long day.
I'm thankful for the industry,the events, the conferences, the
the moments where we all cametogether and remember why we do
this work in the first place.
And I want to say thank you toevery single person who listens

(03:49):
to this podcast fully modulated.
When I started this podcastback in March, I wasn't sure if
anyone would give you know Ididn't think anyone would care
about the technical side ofbroadcasting, the weird stories,
the deep dives into radiohistory and engineering, but

(04:10):
you've shown up episode afterepisode uh uh uh episode after
episode, you've listened, you'veshared the show, you've reached
out with your own stories andquestions, you've commented on
my social post, you've you'vecorrected me when I've gotten
stuff wrong.
And that all means the world tome.

(04:31):
Knowing that there are otherpeople out there who geek out
over transmitter sites and HDradio codec specs and the
history of pirate radiostations.
That's uh what keeps memotivated to keep uh making new
episodes.
So on this Thanksgiving day, Ijust want to say thank you.

(04:53):
Thank you to the broadcastingindustry for letting me be to be
a part of this journey and dowhat I love.
Thank you to everyone who keepsradio alive day in and day out,
who believes in the power ofthis medium, and who works
tirelessly to make it better.
And thank you to you guys, allof you for listening, for being

(05:16):
a part of um the fully modulatedcommunity.
I hope you have a wonderfulThanksgiving surrounded by
people you love with good foodand even better company.
Take a moment today toappreciate the things that
matter, and maybe if you're inbroadcasting too, take a moment

(05:38):
to appreciate this crazywonderful industry we get to be
a part of.
I'll be back soon with anotherfull episode diving into more
broadcasting tech and history,but for now, happy Thanksgiving,
everyone.
Thanks for being here.