Fully Modulated
I’m Tyler, and I’ve been fascinated by radio since getting my first AM/FM radio as a kid. On Fully Modulated, I dive into the history of radio, television, wireless, exploring the stories behind the medium and taking you behind the scenes to see how it all works. From vintage broadcasts to modern digital signals, we break down the technology and uncover the forgotten moments that shaped how we communicate and entertain. Whether it’s the science of transmission or the creative chaos of production studios, I make the complex stuff easy to understand. This is an independent podcast, not affiliated with any radio station, television network, or media company. Tune in for the stories that keep us all fully modulated.
Episodes
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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...
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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...
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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 artificia...
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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'...
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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 t...
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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.
Emerge...
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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 ...
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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&...
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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 ...
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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...
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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 syste...
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Ever wondered what happens when those jarring alert tones interrupt your favorite show? As a broadcast engineer, I'm taking you behind the curtain of one of America's most crucial yet misunderstood safety systems.
The Emergency Alert System isn't just annoying beeps—it's a sophisticated nationwide network designed to deliver critical infor...
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Those jarring tones that interrupt your favorite radio and TV programs aren't just annoying interruptions—they represent a complex, life-saving system with a fascinating history and critical importance to public safety. Fully Modulated returns with an ambitious new season dedicated entirely to unpacking the Emergency Alert System.
Your host Tyler brings ...
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Whether you've worked in broadcasting for decades or just wonder how emergency alerts interrupt your favorite shows, you're about to discover what really happens behind those alarming tones.
After a seemingly harmless social media post about emergency alerts sparked a technical correction from a fellow broadcast engineer, this episode dives into the...
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Cable industry titans are merging, and the consequences for local television could be profound. The $34.5 billion Spectrum-Cox merger and Verizon's $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications represent massive shifts that put the future of accessible local broadcasting at risk.
When cable providers and broadcasters clash over retransmission fees, ...
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Ever faced a technical problem that defied conventional wisdom? In our latest deep-dive, we unravel a perplexing HD radio mystery that had us questioning everything we thought we knew about digital transmission.
Our HD1 signal kept dropping out randomly for fractions of seconds while HD2 played flawlessly—a contradiction that shouldn't happen if the iss...
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Broadcast engineering certification just got a whole lot more accessible. The SBE has finally brought their CertPreview practice exams into the modern era with a completely web-based platform that eliminates the installation headaches and compatibility issues that plagued the previous system.
As broadcast engineers, we're rarely in one place. We bounce b...
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You don't get into broadcast engineering thinking you'll become a first responder, but that's exactly what happened on May 26, 2025, when an EF3 tornado tore through St. Louis. The powerful storm passed just 250 yards from the KMOX FM transmitter tower, knocking the heritage 50,000-watt station off the air and triggering an emergency response that revea...
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Dive into the world of free and open source software that's revolutionizing broadcast engineering! We're peeling back the curtain on the powerful tools that keep stations running without breaking the bank.
The humble Linux penguin (affectionately known as Tux) might be the unsung hero of broadcasting. As Kirk Harnack perfectly put it, "Linux is...
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Remember when your local TV station actually felt local? When engineers knew every inch of the equipment and could fix problems with a screwdriver instead of a help desk ticket? Those days are rapidly disappearing as corporate consolidation reshapes the broadcast landscape.
The quiet revolution in local television has transformed independent stations into rem...
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