Fully Modulated

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 the air you breathe in broadcasting. You may not always see it, but without it nothing moves." From remote transmitter sites to complex playout systems, this open source powerhouse runs approximately 90% of cloud infrastructure and serves as the foundation for tech from industry giants like Grass Valley, Telos, and Evertz.
Monitoring doesn't have to cost a fortune either. We explore how LibreNMS, Grafana, and Zabbix provide enterprise-level visibility without the enterprise price tag. I share how these tools once helped me catch a transmitter cooling fan failure before catastrophe struck – saving thousands in potential equipment damage. For audio and video production, we delve into the surprising capabilities of Audacity, BUTT (Broadcast Using This Tool), OBS Studio, and the Jack Audio Connection Kit. These aren't just budget alternatives; they're powerful solutions that often outperform their expensive counterparts.
Ready to level up your broadcast engineering game? Check out the resources mentioned in this episode to build your open source skills. And don't miss our next show where we'll tackle how cloud services are transforming remote broadcasting – for better and worse. Subscribe now to keep your signals clean, your mind open, and your config files backed up!

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📚 Learn more!

https://www.comptia.org/certifications/linux - CompTIA Linux+
https://www.cbtnuggets.com/it-training/linux - CBT Nuggets Linux Courses

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💬 Get in touch!

🎙️ Need a voice tracker for your station? I’m Tyler — experienced in rock and classic hits, but open to other formats (no polka, thanks). Fast turnaround, easy to work with, and budget-friendly. Hit me up: [email protected]

Subscribe to Fully Modulated on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

Got radio or TV engineering stories? Or just curious how the magic behind the mic and screen works? Whether you're in the biz or just a fan, let’s connect. Reach out on Bluesky—I'd love to hear from you!

Tech Giants Under Scrutiny: When User Data Meets Foreign Powers

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04/24/25 • 7 min

Privacy, power, and the digital panopticon—what happens when tech giants potentially compromise your personal information? Today's deep dive explores the troubling allegations of major technology companies sharing user data with foreign governments, and the far-reaching implications for everyone who uses digital platforms.
The digital breadcrumbs we leave across the internet aren't just marketing fodder; they represent potential intelligence goldmines with profound national security implications. We examine how whistleblowers risk everything to expose potential misconduct, serving as essential checks on corporate power in an industry where proprietary algorithms and data practices typically operate behind impenetrable walls of secrecy. Their courage catalyzes investigations, drives policy reform, and ignites necessary public discourse about who truly controls our information.
"In the digital age, data is power. How that power is wielded affects us all." This sentiment from a leading privacy advocate encapsulates why vigilance matters in our increasingly connected world. Regulatory bodies worldwide are responding with investigations and legislation, while public awareness grows about the true cost of "free" digital services. As we navigate this complex landscape, one thing becomes clear: the ethical responsibilities of technology companies extend far beyond quarterly profits—they shape the very foundations of privacy, security, and freedom in modern society. Join the conversation and discover how staying informed is your first line of defense in protecting your digital rights.

Follow Tyler on Bluesky at @tylerwoodward.com 🦋

Corporate America's Olympic-Level Tax Backflips Are Leaving Citizens to Foot the Bill

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04/21/25 • 8 min

Ever wondered why your tax bill feels heavy while mega-corporations seem to skate by? We're pulling back the curtain on America's most glaring tax injustice: billion-dollar companies paying their executives more than they contribute in federal taxes.
Netflix reported $5.3 billion in profits with zero federal tax liability while paying its CEO over $40 million. Ford generated $18 billion in profits yet somehow received money back from the IRS. Tesla avoided federal taxes for years while Elon Musk's wealth exploded into the stratosphere. These aren't isolated incidents—they represent a pattern affecting at least 55 major corporations that paid nothing in federal taxes despite generating over $40 billion in profits.
The mechanisms enabling this corporate sleight-of-hand include perfectly legal tax loopholes, creative accounting practices, offshore subsidiaries, and strategic use of loss carry forwards. As Senator Elizabeth Warren pointed out, "The system is rigged when the richest corporations pay less in taxes than the guy who delivers your Amazon package." Bernie Sanders called it nothing short of "obscene." While these companies utilize our roads, benefit from our educated workforce, and enjoy government protections, they contribute minimally to maintaining the public services we all depend on.
This isn't a broken system—it's functioning exactly as designed, tilting the playing field dramatically in favor of those with the resources to navigate it. The question isn't whether corporate America is playing by different rules, but whether we're ready to demand change. Follow our podcast, share this episode, and join the conversation about creating a tax system that works for everyone, not just those who can afford Olympic-level tax avoidance strategies.

Follow Tyler on Bluesky at @tylerwoodward.com 🦋

Public Access TV: When Everyone Had a Voice, Not Just a Channel

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04/21/25 • 10 min

Whatever happened to that weird channel where your neighbor ranted about aliens one hour and the high school poetry club performed the next? Before YouTube, public access television was America's original media democracy experiment—and it disappeared while we weren't looking.
Growing up in Tampa, my media career began at the local public access station where duct tape was as essential as cameras. I learned every job from audio mixing to directing, sometimes all in one chaotic hour. But public access wasn't just quirky programming—it represented a radical social contract. Cable companies funded these channels in exchange for using public infrastructure, creating spaces where anyone could broadcast regardless of money, connections, or production polish.
What made public access revolutionary wasn't just that anyone could create content—it was that everyone had equal access to the audience. Unlike today's platforms where algorithms determine visibility, public access gave the conspiracy theorist the same airtime as the city council meeting. No metrics, no viral pressure, no optimization required. Just show up, follow basic rules, and you were on television.
The system began declining in the 2000s as cable companies consolidated and states eliminated franchise fee requirements. From over 3,000 PEG (Public, Educational, Government) channels nationwide, many stations disappeared quietly, replaced by infomercials and eventually overshadowed by YouTube. While today's digital platforms technically allow anyone to create content, only about 3% of YouTube's 51 million channels reach significant audiences.
As media scholar Patricia Ofterheide noted, "Public access television was the most radical media experiment in America. It said: here's the channel, you make the content." We've gained better tools, broader reach, and sleeker production, but we've lost the institutions that guaranteed every voice—not just the popular or profitable ones—had a place in our media landscape.
Have memories of your town's public access legends? Send me your stories through the link in this episode. Remember the karaoke lady, the puppet show host, or the guy with the overhead projector? I want to hear about them all—especially if fog machines were involved!

Subscribe to Fully Modulated on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

When Your Backup Plan Needs a Backup Plan: The Slow Death of a Generator

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05/19/25 • 7 min

There's a special kind of dread that comes with finding metal shavings in your generator's oil pan. That unmistakable sign of internal engine breakdown couldn't have come at a worse time for our critical broadcast site.
The story of our Cummins 400kVA generator is one of changing technology and infrastructure planning challenges. Installed around 2002, this diesel workhorse was appropriately sized for an era of power-hungry tube transmitters that could each draw 30-50 kilowatts. Fast forward to today, and our modern solid-state equipment—a 32kW TV transmitter, two FM transmitters (18.5kW and 3.6kW), and a 1kW NOAA weather radio transmitter—barely scratches the surface of what this generator was designed to handle. Our monthly power consumption rarely exceeds 200 kilowatt hours, even in peak summer months.
This mismatch creates a perfect storm when equipment failure looms. Do we rebuild this oversized dinosaur or replace it entirely? The economics favor replacement, but that means navigating a labyrinth of quotes, load calculations, site drawings, zoning approvals, and emergency contingency plans—all with a 6-12 month lead time hanging over our heads. Meanwhile, we're stuck in infrastructure limbo, hoping our metal-shedding generator keeps breathing long enough for procurement to work its magic. The stakes couldn't be higher: this site houses critical communications infrastructure serving entire communities with television, radio, weather alerts, and emergency communications.
Have you ever faced a similar infrastructure challenge? Share your generator breakdown stories or replacement nightmares with me—the link to text me is in the episode notes. Until next time, stay redundant, stay resilient, and when your generator starts coughing, don't just turn up the radio to drown it out.

Subscribe to Fully Modulated on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

We Feed Billionaires' Egos While Children Starve in Our Schools

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03/24/25 • 7 min

The inaugural episode of "From the Recliner Podcast" confronts an unconscionable reality in modern America: children are going hungry in the world's wealthiest nation. Host Tyler delivers a raw, passionate examination of how, despite our immense national resources, we've allowed hunger to return to our classrooms at alarming rates.
With righteous anger and a father's perspective, Tyler breaks down recent reporting showing how teachers across the country are witnessing students arrive at school hungry again—a stark contrast to the pandemic era when expanded SNAP benefits and universal free school meals successfully reduced child hunger nationwide. These temporary solutions proved effective, yet were dismantled, leaving vulnerable children to suffer the consequences.
The podcast takes listeners through heart-wrenching examples of educators becoming the last line of defense—keeping crackers in desk drawers, discretely slipping food into backpacks, and watching as hungry students struggle to concentrate through hunger-induced headaches. But this isn't just a story about suffering; it's a call to recognize that feeding children isn't partisan politics—it's basic human decency and sound economic policy.
States like California, Maine, and Minnesota have already implemented universal school meal programs with remarkable results: improved attendance, better academic performance, and children who can finally focus on learning rather than their empty stomachs. Tyler challenges listeners to reject the false choice between fiscal responsibility and feeding hungry kids, emphasizing that "charity is not a substitute for policy." Call your representatives, support local food security initiatives, and most importantly, refuse to look away from this solvable crisis. As Tyler puts it: "Don't get numb, don't get quiet, and don't get used to this. Get angry, get organized, and stay in the fight."

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/03/business/tariff-related-layoffs-hit-five-us-auto-plants/index.html

Follow Tyler on Bluesky at @tylerwoodward.com 🦋

Economic Russian Roulette With a Guy Who Bankrupted a Casino

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04/03/25 • 6 min

Fury doesn't begin to describe the emotion driving this episode as I tear into the devastating economic fallout from Trump's tariff policies. What's being sold as economic patriotism is nothing short of a full-scale assault on working Americans, and I refuse to sugarcoat the harsh reality.
The evidence is damning and immediate: five American auto plants have already handed out pink slips as parts costs soar. These aren't abstract economic theories – they're real families suddenly facing unemployment while Mexico, ironically, reaps benefits from preferential tariff treatment. Manufacturing jobs aren't coming back; they're actively fleeing across the border as companies make coldly rational decisions to survive.
Meanwhile, everyday Americans are getting hit from multiple angles. Consumer prices are climbing higher on everything from groceries to appliances because companies inevitably pass these costs downstream. The stock market's negative reaction means retirement accounts are shrinking, forcing many to delay their golden years. It's a perfect storm of economic pain directed squarely at middle and working-class Americans.
What infuriates me most is how predictable this pattern is – the same economic shell game that's been played for decades, where working people bear the burden while those at the top remain insulated. The loudest voices claiming to fight for the American worker are orchestrating their economic punishment. This isn't winning; it's a sophisticated con that relies on desperation and anger being misdirected.
Connect with me on Blue Sky if you're feeling this same frustration. It's time we stopped accepting economic policies that sacrifice our financial security on the altar of political theater.

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/03/investing/us-stock-market/index.html

Follow Tyler on Bluesky at @tylerwoodward.com 🦋

Public Access TV: When Everyone Had a Voice, Not Just a Channel

Fully Modulated

04/25/25 • 10 min

Remember that strange, wonderful world of public access television? The place where church basement punk bands shared airtime with city council meetings and that one person in your town who had strong opinions about fluoride?
I'm Tyler Woodward, and this journey through the rise and quiet disappearance of America's most radical media experiment gets personal. My career began at Tampa Bay Community Network, where I learned everything from audio mixing to live directing with nothing but curiosity and copious amounts of duct tape. Public access wasn't just some charming chaos—it was democratic infrastructure that vanished while we weren't looking.
What made these community channels revolutionary wasn't production quality, but their radical inclusivity. Unlike today's algorithm-driven platforms, public access guaranteed visibility regardless of popularity. Cable companies were required to fund these channels through franchise fees, creating thousands of PEG (Public, Educational, Government) stations nationwide. But as regulations weakened and viewership shifted, this vital media ecosystem began disappearing state by state.
The digital revolution promised better tools and global reach, but as media scholar Dan Gillmor noted, "The tools are better, but the institutions are gone." YouTube's 51 million channels might seem like the natural successor, but the fundamental difference remains: public access was a service focused on representation, YouTube is a platform optimizing for engagement. We've confused better technology with greater equity.
Did your town have a public access legend? That local character with the puppet show or conspiracy theories? Text me your memories (link in description), especially if they involved fog machines. Subscribe to Fully Modulated for more explorations of how media shapes our communities and perspectives.

Subscribe to Fully Modulated on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

Toxic Truths: From Forever Chemicals to Political Flip-Flops

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04/14/25 • 29 min

Exposing the toxic truth about corporate gaslighting and political hypocrisy that affects your daily life, this hard-hitting episode tears through the week's most alarming stories with unflinching clarity and well-deserved outrage.
We start with the PFAS crisis – those "forever chemicals" now found in your popcorn bags, tap water, and bloodstream. While states like California and Minnesota try to ban these cancer-linked substances, chemical industry lobbyists work overtime to keep your cookware toxic and their profits flowing. The corporate playbook remains disturbingly consistent: deny the science, delay the regulations, and deflect responsibility while millions of Americans drink contaminated water every day.
The betrayal doesn't stop there. Former Meta executive Sarah Wynn Williams blows the whistle on Zuckerberg's company developing "Project Aldrin," a system designed to route American user data directly to Chinese government officials. Meta didn't just turn a blind eye to national security concerns – they actively silenced internal whistleblowers and built custom censorship tools to help Beijing target dissidents. This wasn't accidental; it was a calculated strategy to access the Chinese market regardless of the cost to American values or security.
Perhaps most jarring is RFK Jr's breathtaking hypocrisy. After building his entire public persona on anti-vaccine rhetoric and falsely claiming the MMR vaccine causes autism, Kennedy now pretends he "always supported vaccines" as the new Health and Human Services Secretary. This isn't redemption – it's gaslighting at its most dangerous, especially as measles outbreaks rise in communities where his fear-mongering took root.
We close by examining the Trump administration's plan to gut NASA's Earth Science Division by 40%, crippling our ability to track climate data at the moment we need it most. These satellites don't just serve American interests; they provide critical information used worldwide to predict disasters and develop climate policy.
The thread connecting these stories is clear: corporations and politicians placing profits and political expediency above public health, national security, and environmental protection. The question is: what will we do about it?
Want to join the conversation? Text us your thoughts or send a voice memo to [email protected] for a chance to be featured on our next episode.

Follow Tyler on Bluesky at @tylerwoodward.com 🦋

When Billionaires Can't Take What They Dish Out: Examining Elon Musk's Tesla Meltdown

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04/07/25 • 8 min

The stark hypocrisy of the world's richest tech mogul takes center stage as we examine Elon Musk's meltdown over Tesla's plummeting stock price. For years, Musk has gleefully mocked companies experiencing financial troubles after taking progressive stances, but when Minnesota Governor Tim Walz jokes about checking Tesla's declining stock for a mood boost, suddenly mockery becomes "morally wrong" in Musk's eyes.
We peel back the carefully crafted mythology surrounding the self-proclaimed free speech warrior to reveal a billionaire who can dish out criticism but crumbles when it's directed at him. While Musk has built his recent brand on attacking "woke" culture with his favorite catchphrase "go woke, go broke," Tesla's current struggles have nothing to do with progressivism and everything to do with his own alienation of the eco-conscious customers who once enthusiastically supported his electric vehicle mission.
The episode dismantles another persistent myth – that Musk is some Tony Stark-like inventor who personally engineered his companies' technologies. The reality? He didn't found Tesla but bought his way in. He was forced out of PayPal before its greatest success. His much-hyped innovations like Hyperloop and fully autonomous vehicles remain unfulfilled promises years after their announced deadlines. What emerges is the portrait of a businessman who bought existing ventures, hired brilliant engineers, and then masterfully claimed credit for their innovations – until the cracks in this narrative began showing as Tesla stock tumbles. Send this episode to your representatives and demand they stop giving special treatment to billionaires who cry victim while gaming the system at everyone else's expense.

📷 Photo by Austin Ramsey on Unsplash