The February newsletter is on the newsletter page.

Our February meeting will be February 21st at the Out-O-Town Club in Kaukauna.

SBE Alert
Feb 4, 2017

The SBE is sharing the following message with our members at the request of the FCC.

The Federal Communications Commission is requesting your assistance in disseminating the information below to your organization’s members.

It has come to our attention that unauthorized persons recently may have illegally gained access to certain audio streaming devices used by broadcasters, and may have transmitted potentially offensive or indecent material to the public. We believe that the reported cases involved unauthorized access to equipment manufactured by Barix, which some licensed broadcasters use for studio-to transmitter (STL), remote broadcast (remote) and similar audio connections. We understand that the unauthorized access to the devices may be due, in part, to instances where the licensee fails to set a password for devices with no default password, or to re-set default passwords on the Barix device.

We urge licensees to take all available precautions to prevent future unauthorized transmissions. In many cases, there may be simple, practical solutions to prevent such situations from occurring. For example, we strongly encourage licensees that use Barix devices, as well as other transmitting equipment, to check and, if necessary, add a password, or reset existing passwords with new, robust passwords. Similarly, if a broadcast station experiences turnover in staff who had access to passwords, we encourage licensees to reset the password to ensure future security. We also recommend that broadcasters investigate whether additional data security measures, such as firewalls or VPNs configured to prevent remote management access from other than authorized devices, in some cases, could be implemented to preserve this potentially critical part of the broadcast transmission chain. If you suspect that broadcast equipment has been subject to attempts at unauthorized access, we also recommend that you contact the equipment manufacturer and/or a data security firm. We also suggest that you notify the FCC Operations Center at 202-418-1122 or FCCOPCenter@fcc.gov of suspected unlawful access.

If you have any questions, please contact Lark Hadley, the regional director for the Enforcement Bureau’s Region Three via WR-Response@fcc.gov.

Thank you.

Charles Cooper
FCC/Enforcement Bureau/Office of the Field Director/Field Director

The January newsletter is posted on the Newsletter page.

Our January meeting will be January 17 at the Out-O-Town Club in Kaukauna. Our speakers will be Ben Crease and Jeff Clarine speaking about wideband antennas.

Our December 2016 newsletter is posted on the Newsletter page.

Our December meeting will be on December 20 at 6 PM (note the time change). It will be our annual holiday party at the Out o’ Town Club. Spouses and significant others are welcome. Tom Hutchinson, former General Manger of WLUK TV and author of Hunters, Loggers & Bootleggers, a book about life in Wisconsin will be the speaker.

Our October Meeting will be at the 2016 WBA Broadcasters Clinic, October 11-13 at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton. For more information on the clinic, visit the WBA website. We hope to see you there!

The October newsletter is on the newsletter page.

The September Chapter Newsletter is now posted on the Newsletter page.

Our September meeting will be September 20th at the Out-O-Town Club in Kaukauna.

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Broadcast Clinic is October 11 – 13 at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton, WI. This year is the 60th anniversary of the clinic and the theme is “Doin’ It Our Way.”

Our August meeting will be August 16 at the Out-O-Town Club. We hope to see you there!

The August newsletter is on the newsletter page.

The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Broadcast Clinic is October 11 – 13 at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton, WI. This year is the 60th anniversary of the clinic and the theme is “Doin’ It Our Way.”

Here is the brochure for this year’s clinic.

You can register and find out more information on the WBA website.

We hope to see you there!

The July newsletter is posted on the newsletter page.

Our July “annual picnic” meeting will be held in Green Bay on Tuesday, July 19th at the newly-remodeled “Packer Party House” across from Lambeau Field, followed by a tour of WLUK Channel 11 just down the street. The address is 1249 Shadow Lane which parallels, but is one block north of, Lombardi Ave in Green Bay. Grilled meats and side dishes are provided by Chapter 80; please be sure to RSVP so we know how much food to prepare. The cost for members and guests is $5 to defray expenses.