Fully Modulated

In 2000, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich got the shock of his life: their unreleased song "I Disappear" was playing on radio stations across America - before they'd even finished recording it. This is the wild story of how a leaked demo ended up on Napster, radio DJs started downloading it illegally, and one phone call triggered the biggest lawsuit in digital music history. 

Discover how radio stations accidentally beca...

Ever tune into a radio station and hear the same song playing... for hours? That's called radio stunting, and it's one of the weirdest, most effective tricks in broadcasting history.

This episode digs into the crazy world of radio stunts - from a Louisiana governor who played an obscure song for almost 60 hours straight in 1955, to the California station that somehow found 823 different versions of "Louie Louie" ...

Ever wonder what's behind that perfect radio voice that draws you in during your morning commute? This episode takes you on a fascinating journey through nearly a century of radio microphone technology, from the massive, temperamental ribbon microphones of the 1930s to the sleek digital mics powering today's podcasts and broadcasts.

You'll discover why early radio hosts had to stand perfectly still like statues, how t...

KSDP 830 AM serves just 600 people in Sand Point, Alaska—one of America's most isolated communities. But this tiny radio station is a lifeline, broadcasting everything from tsunami warnings to local fishing reports across the Aleutian Islands. Now, federal budget cuts threaten to silence KSDP forever, potentially leaving an entire community without their main connection to the outside world. Join Tyler as he explores the 40-ye...

Howard Stern just reminded the world why he’s still the master of media. After months off the air, Stern’s return to SiriusXM started with a prank that had Andy Cohen taking over his channel, news outlets reporting he was gone, and fans convinced it was the end.

But it was all Stern’s idea, a perfectly timed stunt that exposed how fast rumors spread and how easily the press can be fooled. In this episode, we break down what happened...

Tyler previews the upcoming Midwest Regional Broadcasters Clinic in Madison, Wisconsin (September 15-17, 2025), highlighting the sessions he's most excited to attend in his professional capacity.

Topics Covered:

• Audio Processing: Finding That Elusive Signature Sound with Mike Erickson (Orban Labs)
• Workbench Tips to Improve Engineering Efficiency with Kirk Harnack
• Hardening the Transmitter Site for reliability and protection
• The...

Got pushback on my last episode calling HD Radio a complete failure? You were right to call me out. While HD Radio's original consumer vision crashed and burned spectacularly, the technology quietly found success in ways nobody predicted. 

In this follow-up episode, I break down where HD Radio actually succeeded after failing as a consumer product:

• FM Translator Revolution - How one radio station can become four different st...

Ever wondered why HD Radio never took off despite being technically superior to regular FM? This might be the most tragic story in broadcasting history - a technology that had everything going for it but still managed to fail spectacularly.

In this episode, we explore how HD Radio went from revolutionary promise to comprehensive disaster. We'll cover the brilliant engineering behind OFDM technology, why it cost stations up to $...

Ever wondered how rock and roll conquered British radio? It all started with rebellious DJs broadcasting from ships in the North Sea. In this episode, we dive into the wild world of pirate radio - from Radio Caroline's first broadcast in 1964 to the underground stations that introduced reggae, house music, and hip-hop to British audiences.

We'll explore how a loophole in international law led to floating radio stations, wh...

On this bonus episode of Fully Modulated, Tyler drops the curtain on the weirdest holiday in broadcasting: National Radio Day. Why August 20th? Who actually invented radio? And what happens when the whole country suddenly remembers the tower selfie folder on their phones?

Tyler digs into the chaotic, disputed origins of National Radio Day, spins stories about how radio became the most personal mass medium on the planet, and shares w...

In this final chapter of our special series, The Story Behind EAS, Tyler Woodward explores how emergency alerting is moving beyond familiar tones and crawls into a new era of rich data and smarter delivery. From the Common Alerting Protocol to NextGen TV, the systems that warn us are becoming faster, more precise, and more connected than ever.

You’ll hear how artificial intelligence is helping emergency managers detect threats in re...

Ever wondered who actually pushes that button sending jarring alerts over your radio and phone? The answer might surprise you - it's usually not someone in Washington, but your neighbors working in county emergency operations centers.

Most county EOCs aren't glamorous command centers but rather ordinary rooms in courthouse basements or sheriff's departments. Inside, dedicated professionals monitor weather ra...

Have you ever wondered what happens when a tornado warning is issued while you're deep in a Netflix binge? Our emergency alert infrastructure, designed for the broadcast era of the 1990s, faces a critical challenge in today's digital world.

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) was built when everyone gathered around TV sets at scheduled times to watch their favorite shows. Today, with over 60% of Americans primarily ...

What happens when the systems we rely on to keep us safe suddenly fail? That moment when a Hawaii missile alert sends an entire state into panic because someone selected the wrong menu option. Or when a critical warning never reaches you because your favorite podcast app isn't required to interrupt your listening experience like traditional radio.

Emergency alerts represent a fragile chain of trust—one that's inc...

When disaster strikes, the Emergency Alert System becomes the critical lifeline between danger and safety. But how well does this federally mandated network actually perform when lives hang in the balance?

Through compelling real-world examples, we dive into EAS operations during the devastating 2011 Joplin tornado, where broadcasters became first responders as cell networks failed and storms darkened skies. You'll le...

Have you ever wondered what happens between a tornado warning being issued and that jarring alert interrupting your favorite radio show? Behind those familiar tones lies a sophisticated network of stations, protocols, and dedicated professionals working to keep you informed and safe.

As a broadcast engineer who manages several emergency alert system sites, I'm pulling back the curtain on this critical public safety in...

That jarring, unmistakable sound that interrupts your favorite radio show or TV program serves a vital purpose beyond merely getting your attention. The Emergency Alert System's distinctive tones represent a sophisticated communication framework meticulously designed to save lives.

As a senior broadcast engineer with years of experience maintaining this critical infrastructure, I take you behind the scenes of those at...

Ready for a deep dive behind those jarring tones that interrupt your favorite radio show during emergencies? Let's explore how the Emergency Alert System actually works.

The EAS operates on a surprisingly elegant principle: a game of telephone played with broadcast equipment. Each station monitors several others in what engineers call a "daisy chain," creating a resilient web of information sharing. At the h...

The familiar tones of emergency alerts that interrupt your favorite shows have a strange and fascinating origin story rooted in Cold War paranoia. What began as CONELRAD—a system designed to prevent Soviet bombers from using American radio signals to navigate—evolved through decades of technical advancement and hard lessons into the multi-layered emergency alert system we rely on today.

Journey with us through the tension-...