Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT department concern—it is becoming a broadcast engineering issue, and possibly soon, a regulatory one as well.
On episode 805 of This Week in Radio Tech, we’re joined by three experienced broadcast engineers from Georgia and South Carolina: John George, Charles Kinney, and Earl Welsh. We’re talking just ahead of the Georgia-Lina Broadcast Engineering Conference in Augusta, Georgia, and our topic is both timely and practical: the FCC’s proposed cybersecurity rules for broadcasters, especially as they relate to EAS equipment, studio-transmitter links, remote access, and other internet-facing systems that can affect what goes on the air.
We’ll discuss what the FCC appears to be concerned about, why default passwords and exposed web interfaces are no longer just “bad practice,” and what station engineers can do now to improve security before a rulemaking turns into a compliance deadline. This is not a theoretical conversation — it is about real broadcast facilities, real equipment, and real operational risks.
Join us for episode 805 of This Week in Radio Tech as we look at cybersecurity through the eyes of working broadcast engineers.
Show notes:
- Radio World: “FCC Set to Require EAS Firewalls and Unique Passwords”
- Broadcast Law Blog: Summary of the FCC’s proposed rulemaking on this topic
Guests
John George – Owner at Broadtech Service
Charles Kinney – Director of Engineering at Cox Media Group, Atlanta
Earl Welsh – Owner at Advanced Communications
Host
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, & Akamai Broadcasting
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