Credit:Photo by Jim Peck
The Association of Public Radio Engineers is preparing the 26th Public Radio Engineering Conference, which returns to Las Vegas with a focus on navigating the uncertain future of public broadcasting.
The event will take place Thursday, April 16, and Friday, April 17, at the Tuscany Suites and Casino, preceding the NAB Show.
This year’s speakers include engineers, representatives from product manufacturers and other recognizable industry names. PREC is public radio’s yearly gathering for broadcast engineers of all experience levels.
This year’s guiding theme is “what’s next.” While the content remains mostly technical, the dramatic changes in public media over the past year give the discussions a unique context.
According to APRE President Scott Hanley, the association board designed the event with that shifting landscape in mind. He also believes this is the one time of year such a large and diverse group of public radio technology experts can gather.
“We decided that our conference had become even more important than years past, as we face a future where effective, sustainable operation is at risk and important to our communities,” Hanley said.
Sample Thursday sessions include:
- “Audio Processing: How to Tune It and Why It Matters,” by Leif Claesson of Claesson Edwards
- “Transmission System Troubleshooting Techniques” by Steve Wilde of American Amplifier
- “PPM Undercounting Spoken-World Stations,” by Rob Bertrand of Inrush
- “The Data-Driven Dashboard: Leveraging AutoStage Analytics for Public Media” by Juan Galdamez of Xperi.
[Related: “How Boosters Can Help AM Stations”]
A sample of Friday’s schedule:
- “Advances in FM Antenna Technology” by Cory Edwards of Dielectric
- David Layer of NAB presenting “AM Radio in the 21st Century”
- “NCE Translator Window and Other Legal Updates” by Derek Teslik of Gray Miller Persh
- An update on NPR Distribution by NPR’s Badri Munipalla, Jon Cyphers and Mike Pilone
- “Studios (Or No Studios At All): Some New Ways of Thinking” by Scott Fybush of Myriad broadcast software
- “How Engineers Contribute to Public Radio Revenue Growth,” Jeff Soderberg of StreamGuys
The newly formed Public Media Infrastructure will also present on Friday; its speakers were pending at this writing.
Organizers have held the in-person conference price flat at $350 for members since 2024. They also offer a virtual attendance option for engineers unable to travel.
He also said APRE is expanding its financial aid footprint. The funds are designated both to assist attendees with financial needs and “to encourage the next generation of technical talent to get firmly engaged in the public media engineering community sooner rather than later,” according to Hanley.
The conference concludes on Friday evening with the annual APRE Awards Dinner at Lawry’s Prime Rib.
[Read more Radio World preview coverage of the NAB Show and related events happening in Las Vegas this month]
