1. Set up a dubbing  studio - Many broadcasters are still using carts on-air for music playback. These carts are usually dubbed in the production studio, where the audio must pass through the mixing console and associated wiring. A quick way to improve the sound of your station is to construct a simple dubbing system outside your production studio. The main idea is to get the audio from the CD into the cart machine through the minimum amount of electronic stages, the most direct path (usually a piece of wire!). By eliminating the production studio and associated wiring, you can usually can achieve an audible improvement. If you want to take it one step further, play CD's directly on the air with one of the new cart style CD players such as the Denon or Audiometrics.

2. Re-dub your entire music library at least once a year- Carts don't last for ever. Even though they may look  fine to your eye, old carts can make your station sound dull and lifeless!. Maintaining your music and commercial library should be an ongoing project for your production/music director. As new carts are put into service they should be dated with a permanent marker. This will allow you to track the age of each  cart and replace old carts before they die on the air. In order to keep your station sounding loud and clean,  re-dub your entire music library at least once a year! Make sure your engineer has a monthly cart machine maintenance program which includes demagnetizing of all tape heads, thorough cleaning, and alignment of all machines.

3. Re-equip your studios with new microphones - Prices have come down and it's time to upgrade your old dynamic type studio mikes to condenser type mikes (just like the ones in recording studios!).  In the past year, Neumann has come out with the TLM 193 transformerless condensor microphone which is reasonably priced at $1295.00. AKG offers two condensor mikes for less than $1500.00: The AKG 414 condensor mike ($1400.00) and the AKG C3000 dual diaphragm condensor for $650.00. Shock mounts isolate the microphone from any mechanical vibrations from furniture and studio equipment. These mounts are relatively inexpensive and should be included in the purchase of your new condensor mike!

4. Use single point grounding - Want to eliminate hum and reduce noise in your studio equipment?   Have your engineer verify that each piece of studio equipment is connected to the studio central ground point via a separate wire. Then make sure that each studio's central ground point is connected together at a single location which is usually called the station ground. The station ground point should be bonded to several 10 foot ground rods that are in close proximity to your studios. A qualified electrician can usually install these ground rods and verify that they are providing a good ground to your studios.

5. Upgrade your transmitter  - Talk to your transmitter manufacturer to see if there are any available upgrades. Some manufacturers such as Continental offer upgrades to replace the transmitter tube type driver stage with a solid state driver, which improves sonic quality and stereo separation. This upgrade can also improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs. A new exciter is another way to greatly improve transmitter fidelity.

6. Is your FM transmitter healthy? An improperly tuned transmitter  can degrade the sound of your station. Have your engineer review the manufacturers suggested tuning procedures for your transmitter and adjust parameters accordingly. Purchase an AM noise meter (such as the Radio Design Labs ACM-1). These meters give a good indication of when an FM transmitter is tuned properly, and can warn you when parameters have changed.