Connexion
Detweiler Reflects on a Long Broadcast Career
Jeff Detweiler is no stranger to our radio circles. If you don’t recognize his name from his prominent role as senior director of broadcast business development at Xperi, you might know him from one of many other broadcast and engineering endeavors.
Detweiler is a contributing author to the National Radio Systems Committee’s transmission standards documents for digital broadcasting and sits on the NRSC Data Services & Metadata Subcommittee. He also is chair of the North American Broadcasters Association Digital Radio Working Group and has contributed to the NAB Engineering Handbook.
“Beyond NRSC, I’m active in the IEEE Broadcast Technology Standards Committee, helping shape aggregated content delivery link standards, and, most recently, I had the pleasure of working with the SBE to update the test questions for the Digital Radio Broadcast Specialist Certification.”
With 47 years of experience, it’s safe to say that Detweiler’s retirement this month is well-deserved.
Detweiler said he is looking forward to more family time and more time by the water.
We talked with him about his career.
Early days
As with many of our readers, Detweiler’s love affair with broadcasting — particularly radio — started at a young age.
“I grew up in the New York metro area, listening to what I still believe was the best radio,” said Detweiler. “In my early years, my mornings started with Rick Sklar’s Music Radio 77 WABC, featuring legends like Harry Harrison, Ron Lundy, Dan Ingram, Bruce Morrow, the iconic ‘Cousin Brucie’ and Jay Reynolds.
“Late at night, I tuned in to Jean Shepherd on WOR(AM), whose off-the-cuff storytelling, comedic stunts and interactions with listeners fascinated me.”
As he entered his teens, Detweiler said WNEW(FM) became his station of choice, with voices like Dave Herman, Pete Fornatale, Scott Muni, Jonathan Schwartz, Dennis Elsas, Alison Steele and Richard Neer.
“Radio was my constant companion — whether driving, working on my car or after school at McIntyre’s motorcycle and locksmith shop in Westfield, N.J., where I worked as a mechanic,” he said. “Simply put, the radio was a big part of my life.”
After high school, Detweiler ventured to Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa., to study psychology. But he lamented that, while the school had an excellent recording and music program, it didn’t have a radio station.
“A few of us approached the dean about starting one,” he said. “After learning the high cost of licensing an FM station, we opted for a more affordable solution: building an LPB carrier-current AM station.”
Detweiler said that project, though short-lived, introduced him to Dick Crompton, owner of LPB Inc., and marked the beginning of his hands-on experience in broadcasting.
“I love radio so much that I worked ridiculous hours and felt a strong sense of duty to deliver the best technical sound and content I could,” Detweiler said of those early years.
“Unfortunately, many stations have abandoned this calling and have been forced to focus entirely on the bottom line. Now, anyone with a mic and a playlist can deliver ‘radio,’ but it’s not the same as a well-curated station with real on-air personalities.”
Two semesters later, he pivoted, enrolling at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Stratford, Conn. Detweiler later would complete electronics technology engineering courses through ICS in Scranton, Pa., and obtain a degree in business administration at Upsala College in Sparta, N.J.
Off to the races
Detweiler began his commercial career in 1979 at WNBT(FM)/WGCR(FM) in Wellsboro, Pa., where he served as program director and morning personality.
“Those early years gave me a deep appreciation for the art of programming and audience engagement,” he said.
In 1980, Detweiler moved to WSUS(FM) in New Jersey, assuming the dual roles of chief engineer and program director. “That experience sparked my passion for the technical side of broadcasting, designing, building and maintaining systems to keep stations on the air.”
From 1982 to 1988, Detweiler broadened his engineering and technical roles at Broadcast Service Company, an installation and service arm of Continental Electronics.
In the ensuing years he became chief engineer at Nassau Broadcasting’s WHWH(AM)/WPST(FM) in Princeton, N.J., where he managed a new six-tower directional array and an FM site build, and then moved to be director of engineering for Lake Erie Radio’s WWWE(AM)/WDOK(FM) in Cleveland.
“When Art Modell moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore as the Ravens, he sold Lake Erie’s radio stations and I subsequently joined Allied Broadcast Equipment as their northeast sales engineer,” said Detweiler.
During this time, he supported major markets including New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C., providing technical solutions and facility planning for some of the industry’s most demanding environments.
QEI and beyond
In 1988, Detweiler joined manufacturer QEI Corp. He spent 11 years there, rising to the rank of worldwide sales and marketing manager.
“This period was pivotal as I transitioned from hands-on engineering to strategic sales and global business development, helping broadcasters adopt new transmission technologies in solid-state FM transmitters and CAT-Link, a composite T1-based STL link.”
During his last year at QEI, Detweiler was approached by Dave Salemi and Rick Martinson of USA Digital Radio. They wanted him to help build a prototype IPA and transmitter to broadcast an OFDM iDAB waveform on FM.
After a brief stint at Radio Systems, in 2000 Detweiler took on a new challenge at iBiquity Digital Corp., the successor to USA Digital Radio and Lucent Digital Radio, as its broadcast business rollout manager.
It was there that he led the commercial launch of HD Radio technology.
“It was a fantastic time in my life, working with broadcasters who wanted to save the industry and scientists who had ideas about how to do so,” he said.
“It was like being in a race to build the best, high-performing system. Each day was exciting, marked by progress, while setbacks marked others. But we were in the arena fighting the good fight.”
iBiquity subsequently was sold to DTS and Tessera, which ultimately became Xperi, Inc.
Over his tenure Detweiler would be promoted to broadcast technology manager and, later, director of broadcast business development, a role he held until recently.
Face of HD Radio
Detweiler has worn many hats during his time at Xperi; however, his proudest moment has been the creation of the HD Radio developer’s Technology Learning Center.
Two years ago, Detweiler and his wife Donna began an effort to create a free technical resource for the industry.
“It has become a tremendous resource for training the next generation,” he said.
“My hope for the near future is that the broadcast side of the equation will continue to reduce complexity and cost, making it a very affordable technology for small- and medium-market broadcasters as well. We are almost there.”
Detweiler credits Donna with much of his success. The couple have often been seen working together at trade shows.
“The best decision I ever made was to marry Donna. She’s a great resource and a wonderful life partner, as well as a colleague,” he said. “Pretty much anything that’s gone well, it can be credited to her. … She’s just fabulous. She’s definitely the better half of the equation.”
Donna has worked for Xperi, including its previous iterations, for the last 10 years. The two have worked together since the first day they met at Continental Electronics.
Both worked under the guidance of Northeast Sales Manager Keith Leach of Continental Electronics. While Jeff was honing his engineering skills, learning how to do transmitter installs and studio builds, Donna worked as the office manager for the group.
Today, at Xperi, as Jeff enters retirement, Donna says she still has a few years yet.
When looking back on his time at WPST, Jeff recalls a memorable anniversary dinner with his wife that seems to capture the life of a broadcast engineer.
“We were in Ocean City, N.J., Donna and I, when my pager went off. She took the pager off my belt and threw it into the bay,” he said. “I remember it kind of squealed as it went in.”
Jeff’s eventual transition from hands-on engineering to sales seems to have served the couple well.
Future of radio
Where does he see this industry heading?
“I’m convinced radio has a strong future, especially as programmatic ad buying meets near-real-time attribution,” he said.
“That combination unlocks real revenue potential for broadcasters and positions radio as a serious player in the data-driven ad ecosystem.”
Despite this revenue potential, Detweiler said there’s a catch.
“If we keep churning out cookie-cutter formats and homogenized branding, listeners will tune out. They want variety, personality and local flavor, not another station that sounds like the one they just left.
“The next big win for radio isn’t just tech, it’s creativity,” he said. “Pair innovative monetization tools with distinctive programming, and we’ll keep audiences engaged while proving radio’s value.”
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