Fully Modulated
Fully Modulated is your backstage pass to the stories and signals that shaped radio, TV, and wireless communication. Join Tyler, a broadcast engineer, as he uncovers the wild moments, quirky legends, and technical breakthroughs that keep the world connected. From vintage radio hacks to the real drama behind today’s digital waves, each episode blends deep research, humor, and storytelling for anyone curious about how media magic happens. Independent, insightful, and made for every fan who loves a good broadcast mystery.
Episodes
33 episodes
How to Protect Barix Audio Codecs from Radio Broadcast Hijacking
Radio stations across America are getting hacked through vulnerable Barix audio codecs, and your station could be next. In September 2025, hackers hijacked KPOG in Des Moines ...
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21:29
AWS Outage: Why Broadcasters Need Multi-Cloud Like Backup Internet
The October 2025 AWS outage that took down major internet services for hours proves why broadcasters need multi-c...
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19:40
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The Box Music Network: The Interactive TV Channel MTV Had to Kill
The Box Music Network was the interactive TV channel that let viewers pick the music videos — years before YouTube and streaming. Launched in Miami in 1985, The Box gave communities real control over what played next, from underground hip-hop t...
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13:39
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Charlie Ergen’s $23 Billion Spectrum Gamble: How Dish Lost the 5G Race
What happens when a professional poker player spends decades hoarding billions of dollars in spectrum licenses? In this episode of Fully Modulated, we follow Charlie Ergen’s incredible rise from selling backyard satellite dishes to running Dish...
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13:26
When Metallica Discovered Their Own Song on Radio Before They Released It - The Napster Leak That Changed Music Forever
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 ...
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18:12
When Radio Stations Go Wild - The Art of Stunting
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 ...
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21:25
The Complete Guide to Radio Microphones: From 1930s Ribbon Mics to Modern Podcast Equipment
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 mi...
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16:24
When the Last Voice Goes Silent: How Budget Cuts Could Kill Alaska's Most Remote Radio Station
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. ...
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17:21
Howard Stern’s SiriusXM Prank: How He Fooled Fans and the Media
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 convinc...
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9:58
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Midwest Broadcasters Clinic Conference Preview
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 cap...
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19:19
HD Radio's Hidden Success Story: How America's Failed Digital Radio Revolution Actually Won
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. ...
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13:22
HD Radio: Why America's $3 Billion Digital Radio Revolution Failed Completely
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....
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21:40
The Wild History of Pirate Radio: How Offshore Ships and Underground Stations Changed Music Forever
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 t...
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18:52
Is Radio’s Birthday a Lie? The Bizarre Origins of National Radio Day
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 se...
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24:33
Beyond the Tone: Innovations in Alerting
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 ...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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15:57
Local Heroes: The County Emergency Managers Who Keep You Safe
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.Mo...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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22:28
When disaster strikes, will your Netflix marathon keep you in the dark?
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....
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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13:54
Challenges and Limitations of EAS
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 becaus...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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18:12
When Seconds Count: EAS in Real-World Emergencies
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 e...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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16:32
How Broadcasters and Engineers Manage EAS
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 professional...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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17:45
The Science and Structure Behind Emergency Alert System Tones
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 framewor...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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19:01
The Invisible Network That Could Save Your Life
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 tel...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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17:09
From Bomber Alerts to Amber Alerts: America's Emergency System Evolution
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 sign...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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18:09
Emergency Alert System: The Lifesaving Broadcast You Need to Understand
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 Sys...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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14:19
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Behind the Broadcast: Decoding the Emergency Alert System
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 ...
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Season 1
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3:30
