The newest in-dash receivers from Sony include connectivity for Ipods and other media players. Other radios can do this, but the Sony models (CDX-GT630UI, CDX-GT430IP, CDX-GT330, CDX-GT130) have a feature called Zappin, which allows the radio head unit to scan the media player like a radio’s station scan button. Users can scan their own media players to find music they like.

Oh, the radios are HD Radio ready, too. That seemed like an afterthought in the press release.

It’s getting easier and easier to use a radio to listen to everything except radio.

I am in Oklahoma City today moderating the Society of Broadcast Engineers Ennes Workshop for SBE chapter 85. There are nearly 50 attendees here for the one-day conference. The chapter also arranged an exhibits area with about eight exhibitors.

The workshop sessions covered career advice, disaster planning, HD Radio, audio routing and more. It was a good mix of topics.

If a regional or local event such as this takes place near you, I hope you will take advantage of the opportunity and attend. They’re informative. The SBE is careful to screen an presentations that are sales pitches. (If a sales presentation is made, that presenter is not invited back.)

Not all road shows are the same.

You have probably seen other travelling events making their way around the country. These range in quality and substance. Don’t be fooled by those that claim to be educational events with lots of glitzy prizes. Just because someone does not mention the cost of a piece of equipment does not mean it’s not a sales pitch.

While those marathon sales pitches claim to offer a taste of something (a bad taste), they at least offer one benefit: they bring broadcast engineers together. There is an advantage to the networking opportunity.