
In this episode Bubba has a conversation with Colonel Jason Benefield US Army retired to talk about the current conflict in the Middle East. Bubba sits down with "The Tech Titan" himself Stuart Brockwell to provide a tech update. Bubba also catches up with Lee Perryman of Radio Alabama to discuss upcoming updates in the world of radio!
Loading summary
Lee Perryman
This podcast is brought to you in
Bubba
part by Russell Lands Coke Buffalo Wild
Lee Perryman
Wings, Central State Bank, Dr. Thomas Dudney,
Bubba
Sunrise Docks, Bice Motors, the Green Monster Fishing Lights. Now back to Bubba on the Lake.
Colonel Jason Benefield
B U double B A on the
Bubba
lake hey wishing I could listen to the show every day hey gotta hear
Colonel Jason Benefield
what Bubba and his buddies gotta say
Bubba
B U double B A on the
Colonel Jason Benefield
lake in the mellow yellow studio putting on a show Betty say what she
Bubba
always on the go we got Hunter bus sitting at master control don't wanna miss a moment cause Bubba's got the flow B U bubble B A on the lake hey wishing I could listen to the show every day hey gotta hear what Bubba and his buddies gotta
Colonel Jason Benefield
say on B U double B A
Bubba
on the lake Hey B U double
Colonel Jason Benefield
B A Hey B U hey hey
Bubba
B U double B A U double B A on the lake well, hello again, friends, neighbors and associates everywhere. I am your semi retired, mostly washed up host, formerly of the Rick and Bubba show and now your host of Bubba on the Lake. And we are so glad that you have joined us. This podcast is also known as the People's Podcast. We're broadcasting from the Meliella Studio. Our website is bubba on the lake.com and we'll talk more about the website in just a minute. Our message line 308 Big Lake. And we're going to hear some of those also in just a minute. Don't forget to turn on your notifications, subscriptions, likes, follows, all of that stuff for all of our social media. We don't want you to ever miss a moment of Bubba on the Lake. And again, I want to remind the new folks who are tuning into the podcast, just because it's Bubba on doesn't mean it's just about lake. There is some lake life stuff that we talk about. There is also a lot of other things that we talk about. And we cover water everywhere. You might be on the Gulf of America, we cover that. We're going to cover that some more this summer before it's over. But being on the lake is more of a state of mind. It's just that, hey, it's going to be okay. And hey, don't get in too big a hurry. Which is a problem for me being 15 minutes early everywhere I've been my whole life because of my military dad who was in World War II. But we're doing what we can do and we certainly appreciate you being part of this. The podcast is about people, places and perspectives. Coming up, we have an update with our Senior military analyst Colonel Jason Benefield retired on what's going on in Iran. We have now brought back military operations there as the Iranians cannot seem to get to the table and keep their word. So they're going to have to be punished. We'll get up with him on what's going on with that, what the strategy is, and also cover a little bit about Russia and what they're doing over in the Ukraine and how that may be playing into some of that. So we'll get updated on that. Stuart, the tech guy, will be along. You know, SpaceX had a very successful launch this week, and we'll talk a little bit about that and a few other things. And we're going to try to get an interview with the Alabama Broadcaster association president, Lee Perryman in. I don't know if we're going to have time. If not this podcast, it'll be the next one. So we'll, we'll jump into that and get that going. I mentioned the website. There is a lot of, you know, I get good comments on the website and I'll tell you what our goal was with the website. It was to be simple, clean, and get you information. So many of the websites I go to now, they've got so many creative types involved. It's kind of like you're, you're, you're on a search, you know, you're, you're hunting and you're pecking and you're, you're trying to get through all these extreme graphics and all these things just to find out what you want to find out. Well, ours is a little simpler. We got blue buttons there. You can go to episodes, you can find out about the podcast, you can find out news. We have a great store there. And we appreciate the folks at JDA who are our engine behind that. We have merchandise for Bubba on the Lake and our other podcast, the Tailgate, Tailgate show, which will kick up again here in August as football season kicks in. And we're excited about that podcast this year and we want to carry it to some new heights, so be standing by for that, too. But on the website you have that, you have sponsors, you have frequently asked questions. A lot of them I get in the email and I just send them to FAQ because it is laid out beautifully there. The sponsors who make this thing happen are listed there and we appreciate them. You can find out more about them there. You can look at the folks behind the scenes. Just really a few of the people who helped make this show possible and do a Great job with that. We have our Bubba. Well, I guess it's Bubba on the Lake. Our, our hall of Fame where we have winners from past contests that are listed and are still there and will stay up as long as this show is possible and continues. Excuse me. So we're excited about that. We have Betty's Corner. She has some recipes up there, things that you guys have asked for over the years. It is there and available and we have links. Don't forget to miss that. Hunter has a show he does on YouTube every Sunday night. He also is a part of the Barn that covers Auburn if you're an Auburn fan. He has a show on there with Graham McLean and it's called the Social Hour and it's 30 minutes long so you gotta love that. My daughter Caitlin, there's a link on there. She does a little blip on a program called Right side Media and we were actually going to co host and fill in for that next week, next Wednesday. So mark your calendar for that and we'll also be hitting that on social media. We also have links over to our parent company Intergalactic Pants and Tees and of course the Tailgate Tailgate show. And for those of you that missed the Rick and Bubba show, we have a link to Rick and Bubba's Greatest Hits. This is a podcast that's produced every week, Greatest Hits. So the show continues in its own magical way. As long as you are listening and enjoying that and I appreciate the folks that keep that going. That's I get a lot of good comments off of it and I know that a lot of you miss the show and as long as you're there with that podcast, it continues. So thank you for being a part of that. We're going to get into this. We have a lot to cover before we we get started though. I Talked about the 308 Big Lake, our comment line and we've got a few of those for you to enjoy. Bubba love the show. Longtime listener since Q104. Love Joseph Scott Morgan. The first time he was on the show I meant to text or call and request it return. So I enjoyed this second segment about that. Keep doing what you're doing. Everybody loves you.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Thank you.
Bubba
Well, that's a very sweet self serving call from my fragile ego. I appreciate that. Now Joseph Scott Morgan is, he's rock star man. He is moving and shaking and as we said in his podcast, there's some big things coming up in his future and you're going to, you're going to hear about it. And you're going to go, wow, that's really cool right there. So here are a few more calls, bub.
Stuart Brockwell
I love the show.
Bubba
This is Pete in Indiana.
Stuart Brockwell
Quick suggestion for the car name. Now, comma, I am patient Annie. Love you guys. Take care.
Bubba
That is a throwback to the naming of one of our interns on the radio show. He was suggesting that I name my Tesla that. Very good, sir. I have to give you points for creativity because you. You went way back. Way back. And drug that one out. That's a good one,
Stuart Brockwell
bubba. I'm an actual fan, and this is not a complaint. It's only an observation.
Bubba
I have sat in the golden seats and I have sent you Saunders Fudge
Stuart Brockwell
in the past, your new show. I find it very frustrating to spend
Bubba
time every Thursday looking for a show. And sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not.
Stuart Brockwell
Is there some way that you could be more consistent or let me know
Bubba
when there is going to be not just me, but anyone when there is going to be a show and when there is not. Thank you for all your hard work,
Stuart Brockwell
good humor, and we love and respect you, period.
Bubba
Chuck Main. Chuck, thank you for that question. You know, I'm a little perplexed by that particular question because we usually publish these on Thursday morning. I would say 95 are on Thursday morning. We've had a few that were early. We've had one or two that was a little bit later. It just depended on scheduling of the guest and the timeliness of it. It's not set up to be an exact time. We've just kind of been lucky that it has been. But here's the key, Chuck. You have to, and I don't know, depending on which podcast app you have, subscribe or follow or like or whatever it is, and when the podcast comes out and it doesn't matter what time or what day, it will immediately go to your podcast app update and it will send you an alert. You'll say, hey, you got, you know, bub on the lake. A new one is in. So be sure to use that feature I do with other podcasts I listen to. And it is really great because the scheduling, I mean, it's not like network TV used to be. We're not going to hit it every day. But strangely enough, it's been pretty regular. So I don't know where that problem is. Can somebody else, anybody help me with that a little bit? Clue me in, guys. Y' all know anybody, so shoot me an email if. If you can explain that. I understand what Chuck's saying, but I. I feel like they've been pretty consistent. I don't know, maybe I'm. Maybe I'm missing something. So, anyway, that's. That's why we have the comment line. We work out these complicated issues.
Lee Perryman
Bubba, I really enjoyed this last podcast
Stuart Brockwell
of you and your wife's tour of the west.
Bubba
And I laughed when you sung My Humps.
Lee Perryman
So, Hunter Bussy, could you make an
Bubba
AI song of your dad singing My Humps, My Humps? I guess he was referring to the Grand Tetons. Maybe. I don't know. I do remember singing that. I'd have to go back and listen. It's. It has escaped me exactly what part of the podcast that was. But, sir, I certainly appreciate you asking for that. And Hunter, always looking for a project that may be something we have coming up. Anyway, it might be a good promo for the Grand Tetons. Anyway, thank you so much for those calls. And you too. We get many of these, we don't air all of them. Some of them are maybe a little more hostile or a little confused and it's just too much. But we air some every now and then that we think you might enjoy. And Those come from 308 Big Lake. So feel free to leave your comment too and you might make it to air. We'll be right back. What a matchup we've got, folks.
Stuart Brockwell
Just non stop action.
Colonel Jason Benefield
The energy is electric and the fans are all in. An intense game like this calls for a Coca Cola.
Stuart Brockwell
Ah, crisp and refreshing.
Colonel Jason Benefield
That's a game changer. Yeah, that taste scores every time. And just like that, they're back at it. Passionate fans in an ice cold Coca Cola. Now that's a winning combo. No matter the team, no matter the sport, everyone knows fan work is thirsty work.
Bubba
Enjoy a Coca Cola on the water or off. Experience lake life to the fullest at Russell Lands on Lake Martin. Grab a latte at Bruce 63, linger over lunch at Fanny's, or take in a Lake Martin sunset at Kalija Restaurant. Whether you're here for the weekend or you've made your home at the lake, Russell Lands is where community and the land come together. To learn more about upcoming events, visit Russelllands.com come see what Lake life is all about.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Just got that new boat. Let Sunrise Docks protect your investment with swift shield boat covers, Neptune boat lifts and easy ports for your personal watercraft. Plus they have composite decking that stays cool. Designed with your feet in mind, Sunrise Docks is always first in quality, first in service, and first in customer satisfaction. Right off Highway 63, your Lake Martin headquarters with two barges and the most experienced boat lift crew on the lake. Sunrise Docks is your lake Life Expert. Call 256-392-5200.
Bubba
All right, folks, we're back. And we have senior military analyst to Bubba on the Lake, retired Colonel Jason Benefield. Colonel, welcome back. And the bombing has continued in Iran. And as you and I both predicted, we didn't think that what we did would be enough and that they would use all kind of stalling and negotiating tactics which they have. Trump gave them a chance to, to get out and have all the bridges and power plants left. But they're, they're not going to be difficult. Where are we at?
Colonel Jason Benefield
Well, as you said we sort of talked about last time, they're difficult to negotiate with for several reasons. The irgc, as long as they maintain some control, are going to fight and continue to be difficult. They're not going to recognize the, sorry about that. They're not going to recognize the authority of the folks doing the negotiating. And they're playing the long game on this. So they're looking at the longer planning horizon and absolutely do not care if their people suffer. And we've applied a lot of economic military pressure and it's gotten into this Groundhog Day where they've been agreeable at the negotiating table. And as soon as the deal was signed, they went back to sabotaging the deal, disrupting the Straits of Hormuz. Even though the military was neutered, they're not capable of being doing large scale operations. This is a suicide bomber society. So the IRGC is determined to fight no matter what deal is negotiated, there's not an acceptable deal for them. They sabotage the ceasefire over and over. They're going to continue to do that. I think everybody's recognizing that at this point. And negotiating with the IRGC is akin to negotiating with fire ants. As long as there's one left, he's going to bite you. As long as there's one left alive, they all are going to buy and there's always going to be more than you thought there were of them. So that's sort of the situation we have diplomatically, which has put us back into bombing them just relentlessly to try and continue to diminish their military capabilities. They can't control the straits. But as we talked about last time, they can disrupt them. And they've been doing that targeting illegally commercial vessels and our allies and even some small bases. So we responded to that with devastation. But they don't seem to care. So that's, that's sort of where we are. As you mentioned, we bombed them, we gave them a ceasefire on April 7, and they negotiated for 90 days and then immediately broke the MoU that we signed with them. And IRGC will be completely reliable in breaking every deal we negotiate. So.
Bubba
Well, should. I mean, we should expect that, right? I mean, these guys are. They've studied history. They, they saw what happened in Korea, saw what happened in Vietnam. And like you said, they're playing the long game, bait and switch, prairie dog tactics, if you will. But let me ask you this. The problem with them is really the straight of horror moves where all that shipping happens. And they have a rather long shoreline there. Can we not just tear up every piece of equipment, every bass boat they have within 100 miles of that? Is that easier said than done? I mean, I'm sitting here in the air conditioning. I know it's. It's different if you're over there actually trying to get it done. But is that. That the end game here? We're just going to have to break everything they've got that can create any problem for us?
Colonel Jason Benefield
I think you're right. That is what we're going to end up having to do. And the targets that we service so far, over 140 targets have been those things that we think will help achieve that in the command centers, the missile and drone storage and launch sites, air defense systems, coastal surveillance and maritime capabilities, and communication networks. And the one thing that they have done that we sort of expected but maybe underestimates, their ability to rebuild and to reconstitute some of these capabilities. Now, on the good news side of the ledger, though, we are getting help from some of our allies in the region. What Saudi Arabia is doing with Yemen is helping us too, in trying to keep the Houthis at bay and trying to keep that ring of fire or that network of terrorists that support the IRGC around the region, help keep them in check somewhat. So it's not all for not. But they're not going to take the easy way of agreeing to a deal and becoming a productive member of society. So I think we're going to have to continue our economic and military leverage and take a little different approach. And so I will tell you that I was thinking about what is it we need to do from here? And as I've studied this, and I think I'm pretty much in line with a lot of other military people, and I've heard this said by some, we're going to have to just kill every last member or at least every leader of the IRGC and continue to bleed them dry economically. They're terrorists. They're not a professional military. They're an army of jihadists. They're religious zealots and ideologists who would rather their people starve to death than to ever surrender to us or even agree to a deal. So they, if you give them $50 an aid, they're going to spend all 50 on rebuilding military capability and let people starve and they're going to continue to kill Iranians who oppose them or even ones who don't support them enthusiastically enough. They've done that to the tune of 53,000 or more so far.
Bubba
So, you know, they, I think they realize they have some allies in this too, like the Democrats, just to name one country that will support them and try to limit what Trump is trying to, they continue to try to cut the legs out from Trump. Don't they understand that if, you know, just presenting a united front against enemies that want to kill us is probably the best way to go. I know you hate Trump and you want to oppose. If Trump says it's sunshiny, you're going to say it's rainy. I mean, this derangement thing is just at a whole new level, isn't is?
Colonel Jason Benefield
And I actually had those points to cover. I'm going to go ahead and jump to that since you brought it up. But this is something we need to recognize, not just as political opposition, that there are Iranian operations going on in this country. They are not capable to hit us militarily or even to conduct terrorist operations in this country successfully or we would have already seen that. But they are darn sure operating in the information environment and conducting information operations against us. And we need to call those out for what they are. For instance, and you alluded to it, and I'll go a little further in calling it out. When a foreign born mayor of a city agrees to meet with the Iranian ambassador, but he threatens to arrest the leader of our strongest ally in the Middle east with no authority to do so, we need to look closely at what he is doing and what laws or in play there. Because if he's enacting his own foreign policy, that's a violation of the Logan act. And if he's providing a comfort to the enemy, well that's, that gets into the area of treason. And we can't imagine a, an American mayor in World War II meeting with the Nazis and then threatening to arrest Winston Churchill. But that's sort of where we are right now.
Bubba
Isn't that crazy? Isn't that just crazy? I mean, it's Looney Tuney.
Colonel Jason Benefield
And you know, he got caught doing this because he thinks he's a little bit of a Teflon don and it doesn't gonna have. Well, he actually thinks he's gonna benefit from it politically with his face. And he thinks he can stop short of maybe breaking the laws outright, but he can flirt with that to a piece is very anti Israel base and some of the crazy left wings that just hate anything Trump's doing, but there's other people who are doing that too. We need to watch for the Iranian information operations in the forms of political contributions to some of these people. We need to make sure that we're not allowing them to do things to put into legislation. They're being influenced by these foreign actors, which include Iran, Russia and China, who would like to see us weaken.
Bubba
Sure.
Colonel Jason Benefield
So it's gone beyond, you know, just. I'm concerned about this war to the point of they are rooting against America and rooting for our enemies to win in this. And it's very disturbing to see. But you know, it's funny that the Iranians in this country are very clearly on America's side in this.
Bubba
Oh yeah, yeah.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Almost all the Iranians in this country understand who the good and bad guys are in this conflict. I mean, if there's any pro regime Iranians left in this country that haven't been Rubio'd right outta here, they're very few in number and they probably had a change of heart, realizing it's much better to be. To be a silent pro Iranian in this country than to be a vocal pro Iranian in Iran because life expectancy is a lot different there. But the political piece of this is very unfortunate and it looks to me like a very successful Iranian information operation campaign. And if it's not, then we need to quit giving them the free chicken. Our political opposition needs to quit giving them the free chicken. Of not even having to work to get their message out there and echo in their propaganda. It's very disheartening. And just rooting for America to lose is always bad business.
Bubba
Yeah, I've always been amazed at the left that will support these groups who the US are engaged against. And if these groups were in charge, they would kill the Americans who are supporting them because of their lifestyle or life choices or whatever they're doing, even beyond just being an American. What about. I'm sure China and Russia have their finger on the scale a little bit, trying to help out while they won't directly get involved. What is up with Russia? How, how is this thing with the Ukraine still going on? I mean, Russia is supposed to be a superpower. How, how are they still playing footsies with the, with the, you know, their neighbors there? I mean, why haven't they ended that war a long time ago?
Colonel Jason Benefield
Well, I think at some point, talking with you, I used the term you can't out suffer Russia and their political leadership. Much like I've said about Iran, they don't care what cost they inflict on the Russian people so much as they want to get to the end state of bringing Ukraine back into the fold or at least having them bend to the knee to recognize that Russia is the big brother in that region in that relationship. And it just seems like in spite of Ukraine putting up a much better fight than they thought they would be able to, they are unwilling to surrender or negotiate or do anything in good faith to bring that to a close until they achieve their political goals. Some people say that's Vladimir Putin, but as I look through history, I think that's pretty much Russian, the Russian technique throughout history. I don't think it's unique to Putin and I don't think it would necessarily change if, if we had a change in leadership there. I'm not sure the approach in Ukraine would change. They're going to be stubbornly, they don't care how many people, how many soldiers they lose. They don't care what kind of temporary economic setbacks. They have their eyes on the prize of bringing as much of Ukraine back into the Russian kingdom, federation or back into Russia as possible.
Bubba
Well, why don't they just line up troops and march in there and get them? I mean, why do they keep playing footsies, what I call it? I mean, they're, you know, missile shot here, missile shot there. You know, we're going to fire up some drones. It's just like they're, they're out in the backyard playing. They don't, they're not serious about it. Or, or why wouldn't they line up a million men and march in there and end this thing?
Colonel Jason Benefield
Well, I will tell you that the deterrent of NATO is the reason. And because our president has gone and beat NATO about the head and shoulders to increase their defense spending and their ability to take care of their own backyard. That, I think that that has happened concurrently with Russia trying to grind this out. And they can't really escalate the conflict without risking NATO involvement. Which would be catastrophic to them. That would really set things in a different direction. And I think they're trying to avoid that. But I'm not sure that this completely off the table in their mind. I will tell you that I think NATO is a deterrent, but I don't think that it's something that Russia thinks is completely. I don't think it's something that Russia believes would completely stop them from accomplishing their goal either. So they're not completely rational. They're a lot more rational than Iran, but they have a long history of being stubborn and being able to endure whatever hardship to get to their political ends. And I think they believe that'll be the case here, even if they have to drag this out and play footsies as opposed to the one big push that was. Would bring NATO into it.
Bubba
So how long has this Ukrainian conflict been going on? I know we're getting off the main topic, but I feel like it's an important part of Russia's ability to get involved in Iran too.
Colonel Jason Benefield
That is correct. They are engaged there in Ukraine. And I think it's. I think we're working on four years now. I didn't look at the.
Bubba
It's been a long time, hadn't it?
Colonel Jason Benefield
Yeah, it's been going a while.
Bubba
And so it's just odd to me that Russia could defeat Nazi Germany in four years. We'll say round figures. Even though they were pushed back midway. I mean, they really went from the Nazis being at the gates of Moscow all the way to back to Berlin in about two years. It's just strange to me they could do that and they can't seem to crack the nut there in the Ukraine.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Well, I think that tells you that they are sort of satisfied with the status quo. And I think that just playing this out over time will allow them to achieve that goal. So whether it's in two years or 20 years is not as big a deal to them as we would think.
Bubba
Yeah.
Colonel Jason Benefield
So they're playing in Horizon also is longer. Longer view of history and that affects that as well.
Bubba
So back to Iran. Give me your crystal ball. What's going to happen? Where are we at here? I know Trump is saying some of the frozen assets we still have he's going to use as an insurance payment to any ships that are damaged in the area. But how do they end this? I mean, how do. What is our end game in this or what's going to happen over the next few months? Jason, give me your best prediction.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Well, I'm not going to give an exact timetable. But I think the things we've recognized after 90 days negotiating that resulted only in a few days of them abiding by the agreement, the negotiating phase of this is over. With anybody inside Iran. We're going to kill every layer of the IRGC leadership. We can continue to bleed them economically. We're going to, I think, I believe that we're going to recognize and negotiate with an Iranian government in exile. The Shah's son is still out there. He's the most likely candidate. There was talk about him becoming the government in exile or becoming the interim government early in this conflict. I'm not sure what happened to that plan, but I think that's something we need to relook. We need to take those frozen assets and fund his government with those IRGC funds and prepare him to go in and establish an interim government in Iran and rebuild. And we also, when the conditions are right, meaning we killed all the fire ants we can find to arm the Iranian people and let them finish the IRGC off internally, set the conditions for this change and then assist the Shah son into coming in establishing a secular, not a theocracy, but establish a government outside the theocracy that includes a pathway to elections and becoming part of the world community and international agreements that they will abide by and having a government that actually can enforce their agreements upon the army and the army being separate from the irgc. But they've got to dismantle the IRGC and enforce these international agreements so people can take Iran at its word once again and let them re enter the world community. I don't think that's going to be in the next few months timeline, but I think we can start setting the conditions by continuing the kinetic pressure and the economic pressure. We can start negotiations with the government in exile, whether it's the Shah son or some alternative I'm not aware of. And then we can start looking for those conditions to arm the Iranian people to take control of Iran from the inside. And hopefully that'll get us on the pathway to. You know, I don't fault the Trump administration for trying to give Iran a better path. It's like taking a three point shot. You know, you only make 35 to 40% of them if you're a good three point shooter. They took the shot, they recognized they missed. So now it's time to change up a bit and pound Iran into submission militarily and economically. Continue to do that, but give the people a path out that they can see by establishing the exile government and to give them that encouragement that we are supporting the Iranian people through this government. We're going to arm you. If you guys will take control of Iran from the inside, we will help you end this nightmare.
Bubba
Well, there you have it, folks. Senior military analyst to Bubba on the Lake. Colonel Jason Benefield, retired. Colonel, thank you for taking time. We'll check in with you again. And you know, I'm to the point. I'm ready to take about a 50 mile strip on the coast and just call it US territory and set up shop and say, look, Iranians, if you can't play and leave ships alone in the Gulf, you don't get a golf, you don't get a coastline anymore. Sorry boys, and just take it over. I mean, I don't know what else to do, but sounds a little aggressive, but I think it would end the problem.
Colonel Jason Benefield
I don't think that's off the table completely either.
Bubba
Colonel, thank you so much. Take care of yourself and we'll be checking back in.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Yes, sir. Look forward to it.
Bubba
We'll be right back with more Bubba on the Lake in just a minute.
Stuart Brockwell
Where's Bubba?
Bubba
I'll tell you where. He's on the lake. On the water or off? Experience lake life to the fullest at Russell Lands on Lake Martin. Spend your mornings with breakfast at Fannie's. Afternoons you can explore over 100 miles of trails through Russell Forest. And for dinner, how about the southern farm to table flavors at Spring House. Whether you're here for the weekend or you've made your home at the lake, Russell Lands is where community and the land come together. To learn more about upcoming events, visit Russelllands.com come see what lake life is all about.
Stuart Brockwell
Since 1965, Bice Motors has been Lake
Colonel Jason Benefield
Martin area's home for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep
Stuart Brockwell
and Ram sales and service.
Bubba
For 60 years.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Families have trusted Bice Motors in Alexander
Stuart Brockwell
City for honest deals, friendly service and
Colonel Jason Benefield
the best selection around.
Stuart Brockwell
Our team of certified technicians services most all makes and models.
Bubba
Plus we've got a tire center, parts
Stuart Brockwell
department and a full collision center to keep you rolling. Bice Motors, your hometown Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, ram, dealer since 1965 and LXCD or online,
Bubba
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Bethany Swanson who has recently joined the practice of Dr. Thomas Dudney at Alabaster Aesthetic Dentistry and is welcoming new patients. Together, Dr. Dudney and Dr. Swanson are expanding dental services to better serve patients. Whether you need a routine cleaning, cosmetic dentistry, restorative treatment or simply a new dental home, Dr. Dudney and Dr. Swanson would love the opportunity to care for you and your family. They're now accepting new patients. Call to schedule Today, your appointment 205-663-6545. That's 205-663-6545 or visit tedudney.com.
Lee Perryman
Foreign.
Bubba
Well, we're joined by Stuart Brockwell from Surge Technologies, Birmingham, Alabama. He's the titan of tech. He is the guy go to with 1000 questions a week when I can't figure it out. Stuart, welcome back to Bubba on the Lake.
Stuart Brockwell
I am thrilled to be back.
Bubba
Bubba.
Stuart Brockwell
We got some, we got some good ones today.
Bubba
Yeah. As we speak today, SpaceX is about to launch Starship Flight 13. It has a 90 minute launch window set to open at 5:45 Central Time. So we'll see how that goes. The window is between 5:45 and 7:15. SpaceX coverage expected to start 30 minutes prior to launch. What are we looking at on this flight, Stewart, and how, how much progress are they making on starship? Because I don't know if you, if everybody realizes starship is supposed to be what lands on the moon and it's running behind schedule.
Stuart Brockwell
You know, some people say it's behind schedule. If you look at the actual advancement of the ship itself, they're moving, I don't want to say rapidly, but they're moving. Flight 12 was the first of the V3 ships, right? It was the bigger one. The first time they were trying out the new Raptor engines that are the crazy simplified design. And the hot staging didn't go too well on that one.
Bubba
Why talk a little bit about hot staging, what it is, I know what it is, but explain it to everybody. And why is that important? Why is that a step forward as opposed to the, oh, just cut the engines off, let this, let a segment fall away and then light them again.
Stuart Brockwell
But you know, as much as I would love to sit here and expound on that, I'm not a rocket guy as much as I am a computer. So I can't, I can't, I, I can't write you, I can't write you an exact reason why that's better because it's not my thing. But I can tell you from watching the footage where they, where they staged, once they reached the suborbital height they were going to, it was a rough split. It didn't go where they wanted it to do. It kind of ripped away the booster from starship and tore up a bunch of stuff in the process. And they have my understanding on this particular revision of Starship is they have fixed a bunch of that. They've changed a whole bunch of the way that the engines work. They've refined a lot of the things that caused problems last time. And so this particular flight will have a complete heat shield. So there's no deliberately faulty tiles. They're going for full simulation of trying to bring the thing back without any damage to see how it does. My understanding is they've painted some of the tiles different colors to see how they'll react, but there's no deliberate failure points that they've introduced into this version.
Bubba
So what would be a perfect mission for this Starship 13?
Stuart Brockwell
The perfect mission, my understanding is successful, uneventful, liftoff, reach suborbital height, separate. Deploy these Starlink satellites. This time they're not simulators. This time they're real. They've got 20, if I understand correctly, 20 Starlink V3 satellites, which is the first true practical mission that Starship will have, is to put these third generation satellites in orbit. They're too large for any existing vessel to carry to space. This is the first ship that can do that using the dispenser, as they call it, to eject them once it gets up there.
Bubba
That is cool video, isn't it?
Stuart Brockwell
It is and it works. The dispenser seems to work okay. The issue so far is that they've only been deploying dummies and this time they're going to have real ones on there. Unfortunately, it's not going to reach orbit, so the satellites will burn up after about 20 minutes. So it's not going to be an expansion of the Starlink network yet. They will be able to do connection testing. They' be able to make sure the bandwidth is what it's supposed to be. And they've equipped again. I believe I'm right on this. They put six of the 20 satellites have cameras on them and they're going to do like a mid flight inspection fly by, right?
Bubba
Yeah, look at it inside inspection before
Stuart Brockwell
they bring, before they bring Starship back down. Since this won't be an attempted catch, Elon, people have been asking this, especially with SpaceX's first earnings call, now that it's a public company. When are you going to try to catch the ship? You're going to try to catch the ship. That's the, you know, we call it the booster. When are you going to catch the ship? And Elon was like, we have to have at least two successful uneventful flights where it splashes down perfectly before we attempt to catch It. And I understand that given that you're not bringing down a booster that's mostly empty of fuel, you're bringing down a spaceship that's full of fuel. And it would be more of like a bomb if it went off than. Than the booster will be.
Bubba
So all these tests, Elon's losing a lot of hardware out in the ocean. I mean, he's building a lot of coral reef out there off the Texas coast, isn't he?
Stuart Brockwell
I think they're splashing them down in Indian Ocean. Oh, is it where they usually do it?
Bubba
And look, just for the record, and I knew kind of what hot staging was, but I wanted to look it up just to be sure. Hot staging is when the separation technique, where the upper stage actually fires its engine before fully detaching from the lower stage, which is also still firing its engines. This boosts payload capability because it prevents thrust interruption. In other words, normally when they cut the engines off the stage they're about to drop, you lose thrust. They're coasting, so the drag is slowing it down. It's losing a little bit of its power. Then that section drops off, then the next engine fires. But it. It's kind of like the difference. If we can make this comparison between a transmission and an electric car that does not have to stop to change gears. You know, when you change gears, there's a pause. That's why the acceleration curve on the Teslas are so much better than traditional combustion engines that have a transmission. So it's basically the same trick, but in space. And they said.
Stuart Brockwell
That's a good analogy, actually.
Bubba
They said by saving that energy, they can actually carry 10% more weight, which, you know, every pound when you're going into orbit has a cost to it. So that's. That. That would be very, very cool if they could get that right, for sure.
Stuart Brockwell
10%, a big number.
Bubba
It is. It really is. It really is. I guess that coasting stage can really can drag things down. Or, you know, as US engineers call it, Delta V Stuart, Starlink version 5. What are we. What's speaking of Starlink and Elon, what's going on with that?
Stuart Brockwell
Well, obviously, we got on this side of things, we have. They're trying to get the V3 satellites in orbit. That's a big deal. That's going to increase the backbone of the network itself. It's going to strengthen the overall upload and download capabilities of the network. But that's not yet on the. On the, you know, Earth side of things down here, planet side, the new Starlink V5 terminal. The current generation Starlink terminal is the V4. A lot of people call them V3 because there was technically two versions, but there have been. There's four technical versions of the Starlink terminal. You on your house, you've got the V2 terminal. The V3 increased bandwidth. Well, you are. But again, the V2 has the ability to adjust itself mechanically. The V3s took away that feature. So you still have feature that the newer ones don't. You just have to, you know, there's trade offs, but sure. Anyway, always the biggest difference with V5 is the size of the dish. So the V3 and V4 dishes were the same size and they were. I don't have a way to kind of illustrate this here, but we're talking, you know, about two foot by three foot.
Bubba
Something like a poster size.
Stuart Brockwell
Yeah, poster size, exactly. Not huge, but not something you could stick. Backpack V5 is almost as small as a Starlink Mini is now, which is, I think they said, 43% small or something like that. Huge reduction in size and power consumption also went down by a similar metric. So you're looking at higher download, higher upload and download capacities, smaller size dish and the Starlink Mini V5, which hasn't been officially announced yet, but there's been hints about it that Dish is going to supposedly have battery power built in, which is something that people already would often do like with. I have a Starlink Mini. It's a very. I have to keep a battery with it, so if I want to run it, I can plug it up, run it anywhere you want. It's one of the benefits. You can run it off a phone charger practically. And so they decided to integrate the battery into the new Mini, which has not yet been officially announced, but we've seen hints about it and just as recently as yesterday in Tesla earnings call. It's not one of our topics for today, but they showed some skeleton internal cutaways of the Cyber Cab, the driverless car. And they have integrated Starlink Mini V5s into those.
Bubba
Yes. All right.
Stuart Brockwell
And that is how we know a little bit more about it.
Bubba
You know, I've got the Mini too, in a little briefcase and I love throwing it in the car, so I know I've got it. We were experimenting with it going down the road, just putting it up on the dash. I mean, not, not a good installation at all. And we were getting 2 and 300k download, you know, driving while we were moving. So that's way, way far ahead of what the cell Networks can offer.
Stuart Brockwell
It's ahead of what they can offer, both in terms of performance, but also range. You could never reach the level of coverage that satellite can they just. This is not really what I intended to mention, but they just opened. SpaceX has now got Starlink Mobile, a cell service available in one of the eastern countries. I don't remember which one. Off top of my head, I didn't have this written down, but they're clearly moving toward cellular service of some kind. So as soon as that's available here, I'm getting rid of Verizon. I'm sick and tired of Verizon. I don't know about you. My coverage has gotten worse and worse and worse over the last 10 years. I can't. Can't take calls in my basement anymore. And I used to be able to. I just give me Starlink in my iPhone all day.
Bubba
What do you think it'll come to? That you'll just have coverage and you won't know if it's satellite or a cell tower or, you know, a hotspot or whatever. I mean, it's just going to bounce around between sources and it'll be, I think, fairly invisible to the user. They'll never know the difference.
Stuart Brockwell
Exactly. It will be completely transparent, that's all. It's already a thing. They're already doing that. It's a matter of bringing it stateside and, you know, opening a. Starting a new cell phone provider in the States is a complex endeavor, but I'm sure they'll pull it off.
Bubba
Stuart, talk to us a little bit about some of the AI out there. I know you were telling me that Chat GTP is in the news.
Stuart Brockwell
Okay, so this is kind of the big topic I wanted to highlight today because it's fascinating for a lot of things. First off, have you heard anything about the GPT 5.6 containment breach that happened Tuesday night?
Bubba
No, I have not.
Lee Perryman
Okay.
Bubba
Not a word.
Stuart Brockwell
All right, I'm going to lay this out for you and everybody listening here. This is a really, really fascinating story. Okay, so everybody knows ChatGPT. It was sort of the first large language model AI to really take off right in 2022, roughly when it started to move forward and people figured out what these things were. Now we have Quad and Grok and we have Gemini and these other ones. But the original ChatGPT, they're still doing a pretty good job OpenAI, despite my disagreements with them. Company wise, they have really smart people there and their model is genuinely good. So they were running a test, so it Goes. They were running a test Tuesday on this model, GPT 5.6, codename SOL S O L. And this particular test, as they often do with these models, is they were positioning it, they were giving it a challenge, some kind of a project to complete. And then they were going to evaluate it based on its performance in the project and then tweak the model and so forth. This particular project they gave it to do was a cybersecurity related task. Where it was, it was supposed to find a given weakness in a program, exploit it, and then write some sort of a report or give some answers on how it did that. They ran GPT 5.6 inside of a sandbox. Do you know what that term means in it?
Bubba
It's not out in the wild. It's a closed circuit.
Stuart Brockwell
Exactly. It's isolated. It has its own little private chamber. It can't access the Internet, it can't access other systems. And they gave it, like when we were in high school, they gave us the tests and you can't open your books. You have to do it off what you know. Right. And that's what they did here. They said, okay, GPT 5.6. Here's your challenge. You have your test. You can't do anything with the Internet. You got to work with what you know. Right. And so they started this test and about this time, another company by the name of Hugging Face. If you don't know what Hugging Face is.
Bubba
Wait a minute, give me that name again.
Stuart Brockwell
It's exactly what I said. Hugging Face.
Bubba
Hugging Face. Okay.
Stuart Brockwell
Yeah. So Hugging Face. If you don't know what it is, you ought to. Anybody with AI interests should look this up. It is effectively the online encyclopedia for AI models. It is a nonprofit, as far as I'm aware. But their website catalogs practically every AI model in existence. And their website has incredible amounts of resources on information and learning and how these models operate and research. And they partner up with most of the major AI companies to provide resources to them. So OpenAI has a relationship with them, as do all the others. They're generally kind of a neutral ground for collective research. All right, so Hugging Face, they announce while this is going on over at OpenAI, hugging face suddenly announces that they are under the. They are now under a sophisticated cyber attack that they've never experienced before. And they don't know what's happening or where it's coming from. They're able to figure out that the patterns of behavior look like an AI agent performing the attack because the attack is too quick and non Human, like, it's moving too quickly. And so they deploy one of their AI research company, so they deploy one of their own AI agents internally to chase down this intrusion. And they're able to determine that it's coming from OpenAI. And they're like, okay, what's going on? So I'm assuming the phone call was made, hey, guys, what's going on over there? What are y' all doing? And they're like, I don't know. Let's find out. And so they end up releasing a joint press release that evening. And apparently what happened? They gave GPT 5.6 this challenge, and it decided that the best course of action to complete this challenge was to hack its way out of the sandbox. It exploited an unknown bug in the sandbox, broke out, moved itself to another system, an OpenAI's network that had Internet access, hacked Hugging Face's network because it figured, hey, this is an AI challenge they're giving me. They probably have the answers. And so it broke into their network to find the answers, effectively looking for the cheat code to the test it was given. So instead of actually solving the problem, it made the decision, I'm just going to cheat. And it went for the likeliest place to have the answers it could, broke in, and got what it wanted. So there are so many takeaways from this.
Bubba
Yeah, it's scary. It's scary in it.
Stuart Brockwell
It's fascinating from a lot of different angles. And I'll get your take on this. But my two biggest takeaways are, number one, it just broke containment, and it didn't really have to try that hard. This is OpenAI, easily top 3 AI companies in the world. If not top 2, they couldn't contain their own agent, and it just broke out. So that's number one. The other thing is that when presented with a challenge, the model decided that instead of solving the problem, the fastest route to completion was to cheat. That's a very human response.
Bubba
Yeah, I started to say, a lot of humans go that route, don't they?
Stuart Brockwell
I know. It's like a high school boy who gets into the principal's office to steal the answers to the test. It's exactly like that. And another thing that I would mention, too, is it got into Hugging Face's network. It had theoretically limitless control. It could have unleashed all sorts of problems, caused all sorts of issues, and instead of causing problems or anything like that, it just took the answers and left. Imagine if this model had been malicious, had any malicious intent to it at all, and it Chose not to.
Bubba
That is. That's interesting. Very interesting that they couldn't sandbox their own experiment.
Stuart Brockwell
They couldn't keep it contained.
Bubba
Maybe they should tell it to build a better sandbox.
Stuart Brockwell
I think that a lot of questions have to be asked about this one. This is, as far as I'm aware, this is the first time that a modern AI has broken out of its chains and gone rogue and done something outside of the theoretical. This is a. It's, it's a pretty. It's a pretty scary thing when you look at what it managed to do and how effortlessly it did it.
Bubba
Yeah, that's. That is a little concerning, I'll give you that. So tell us. And we're about out of time. And I appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to do this. We still got chip issues, right?
Stuart Brockwell
Yeah, the chip shortages are still happening and that's driven by AI, of course. So you can thank the AI every AI generated video and meme you see on Twitter or X or Facebook or whatever. You can thank for the higher prices when you go to Best Buy.
Bubba
So I thought after Covid, we had allocated money and we were going to give seed money to some of these companies so they could move that stuff onshore and do it here. We would never have to suffer with a shortage overseas again. What happened to that?
Stuart Brockwell
It's in process. But you have to understand, to build a chip fab from the ground up, which is what's happening out in the western United States, that is something that you talk. I mean, minimum of 10 years to get one of those off the ground. It doesn't. They don't just. You don't just build those in one or two years. It takes a very long time to build them and get them to where they're operable. Is it going to happen?
Bubba
Are we building them? I mean, are they under construction?
Stuart Brockwell
Yes, as far as I know, intel is in the process of building at least one FAB here. I think TSMC is also building one here as well. So there's. My understanding is those are the two major ones that are in process.
Bubba
Stuart, I had a discussion. I've seen the protest, I've seen the signs. I don't get it. Explain to me why people are anti data centers in their area now. Most of them that I see protesting, that are the same ones who protest cell towers while they're on their song, while they're on their phone and trying to buy something from Amazon. Do they realize they're cutting their own nose off their face?
Stuart Brockwell
Do they get That I don't think people truly understand it. I think they just imagine, you know, the giant loud building, you know, right behind their neighborhood, and they don't want that, which, I get it, you know, big effectively manufacturing enterprise plants like that. You don't want that around your neighborhood. That's going to drag down property values and so forth.
Bubba
We have industrial parks where we have, you know, industry that makes noise, it makes pipes that, you know, do all this kind of stuff. So what? I don't, I don't. To me, it seems like the uproar is not worth what they're fighting for. I mean, how loud is a data center? I mean, if the, if the diesel generators are running, I got that. But they're going to test once a week for two minutes, and if the power doesn't fail, they're never going to run. So what, why is, why is everybody all tore up about it? I mean, they're, they're just, I mean, sideways about it.
Stuart Brockwell
People are torn up about it because they don't understand what they're getting torn up about. They see this on social media, they hear their friends talk about it and they go, worst case scenario, they don't actually know what these things are going to look like or be like.
Bubba
Wait a minute, you mean they see it on social media that's on a server at a data center somewhere? Is that what.
Stuart Brockwell
Imagine that. Imagine that as they're snap. As they're snapchatting their buddies, right?
Bubba
Yeah, sure.
Stuart Brockwell
But no, data centers are no big deal. We've had data centers for so long and there's new ones have been popping up all the time. The only reason people are freaking out about it is because a big deal has been made about it.
Lee Perryman
It.
Stuart Brockwell
And so a lot of people that previously would not have ever mentioned it are suddenly finding something else they can get upset about.
Bubba
Well, I saw somebody that I knew and I won't, I won't out of here. But they were putting up a sign in their yard that said, no data center here. And I thought, you know, it's not a jail. You ain't got to worry about somebody scaling the fence and coming, you know, holding you hostage. I just. And they kept, they kept saying, well, it's going to use all the power, it's going to use all the water. And I'm like, I doubt that, that you're going to be. Your lights are going to dim or you won't be able to take a shower. If a data center goes online and it has noise of servers being cool which are little fans. I don't get it.
Stuart Brockwell
I mean, they're not quiet, but it's not any louder than any other manufacturing thing. And the thing is, in terms of power, I mean, any modern data center is going to require their own power generation or some kind of dedicated power provisioning. That's not going to affect anything. And water. Do people not understand the concept of conservation of matter? You can't use up water.
Bubba
Yeah, it's not going anywhere.
Stuart Brockwell
It's an infinite resource. It all. It just converts into something else and
Bubba
then it comes back.
Stuart Brockwell
Go back to school, people, please. And get off of Twitter. Touch grass, people.
Bubba
Yeah, I just. The whole data center thing is a little amazing to me. I understand. You don't want to jail in your neighborhood. I got that. You want that out in the woods somewhere.
Lee Perryman
But come on.
Stuart Brockwell
Something I'm a lot more concerned about. And I know we're pushing our limits here, but I did want to at least bring this up. Flock camera. Flock cameras. Have you talked about these at all?
Bubba
No. No, I have not.
Stuart Brockwell
Okay. You know what I'm talking about.
Bubba
No, I don't really.
Stuart Brockwell
Okay. All right. So this is a big controversial thing right now. And I should have put this on our map for the show today, but because it's a big. It's an important enough topic. So if you. I mean, these are all over Birmingham, Alabama. The Southeast is everywhere. Anybody listening can Google search what these things look like. It's flock, like sheep. Flock cameras. And they're little black poles with a solar panel on top, about 15ft tall. And they're all. They're popping up everywhere. This is a company, a private company called Flock Safety. It's not a government entity. And they're operating as a. Effectively an NGO that is creating a cloud linked network of these cameras everywhere. And they read license plates and they identify people and places and they capture wireless signals in addition to visual data. And they're basically creating a mass surveillance network nationwide. And you can effectively track anyone anywhere using these things. And as soon as your mind is sort of open to what they look like, like I said, Google search this so you can see it, you will. You will start to notice these things everywhere. They're in the Lowe's parking lot. They're in front of your neighborhood. They're at your church. They're outside of people of daycares. They are everywhere. And they are really starting to make a lot of people angry because it's not like the security cameras are privately owned by Lowe's or whoever it's this is a mass non governmental organization, meaning there's no regulation to govern this thing. It's just whatever that company wants to do with it. And they effectively can identify and track anyone anywhere. And I don't like it at all. It's something I've spoken to a lot of the folks in the cybersecurity community here in Birmingham about. We don't like it. We're discussing ways to legally fight this because it is a gross fourth amendment violation. But it is an encroachment of the surveillance state in a very Orwellian way.
Bubba
So according to looking here online, it says that they operate in over 5,000 communities across 49 US states and they perform 20 billion scans of car tags in the US each month. Yep, 20 billion. Yep.
Stuart Brockwell
They are very active and I'm seeing these.
Bubba
Why are you worried about them knowing where you go, what you doing out there you ought not be doing?
Stuart Brockwell
You know, it's less of what I'm doing. It's. It's kind of. Okay. I'll put it this way. My, my stance on the flat cameras is exactly the same as my stance on guns. Right? I'll tell you how. I'll tell you that I own a bunch of guns. But it's not your business to know where I've got them, what I'm doing with them. That's my private information. I'm an American citizen. I have the freedom to go and own and do the things that the Constitution grants me the right to do. And having yourself be tracked everywhere, these things are doing that in some capacity. But this is a device owned by a private entity. Apple creates these. These track you. But I'm consenting to that by purchasing this and carrying it around. Right. Flock cameras are non consensual. They're going to track me if I just exist in the community. It's a difference. People get up in arms about it and say, oh, you're overreacting because, oh, your phone's already doing that. Yes, but I volunteered that by owning the thing. Well, it's not the same.
Bubba
Flock defends that by saying they operate systems under contract with law enforcement agencies, neighborhood associations and private property owners. So they're only where they have been asked to be or paid to be.
Stuart Brockwell
That's true. That's exactly right. But how are you going to control the people accessing this thing? There's crooked people everywhere. And I guarantee you the system has been and will be abused.
Bubba
Well, sure it is. We all saw Snowden. We know what's going on. Where's he at, by the way? Do you know whatever happened to him?
Stuart Brockwell
Actually, don't. I haven't looked up him in a while.
Bubba
He snuck it out with that Rubik's cube, didn't he? Threw it around the detector. That was a good one. I saw that in the movie. Yeah, it's just, you know, humans are going to act like humans and they're going to abuse things. There's no doubt about it. And even though some things are great and we probably need them on some level, they also open themselves up for abuse. And sadly, in the fallen state of mankind, that's always going to be an issue. Stuart, thank you for joining us. I know you're busy. Stuart Brockwell, the titan of tech and he owns Surge Technologies. Forgot the name there for a minute. Surge Technologies in Birmingham. Stuart, thanks for joining us. And we'll check in with you again because, hey, tech is gonna be happening.
Stuart Brockwell
That's right. See you next time.
Bubba
See ya. It's Bubba on the Lake.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Bubba on the Lake.
Lee Perryman
You know one thing I love about Buffalo Wild Wings? You can get wings with any of
Colonel Jason Benefield
their 26 sauces and dry rubs for takeout and delivery. That's like bringing an entire B dubs
Lee Perryman
home with you, which you can't do.
Colonel Jason Benefield
I tried.
Lee Perryman
I've knocked down so many walls only to then be told to halt construction
Colonel Jason Benefield
because I'm not zoned to be a sports bar. Kind of just looks like a big pergola or something.
Bubba
Because of the lack of walls, at
Colonel Jason Benefield
least these 26 sauces and dry rubs are available.
Lee Perryman
To go.
Bubba
Buffalo Wild Wings. Let's go.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Sports bar. At Central State bank, we believe community banking is more than just transactions.
Bubba
It's about relationships.
Colonel Jason Benefield
For over 100 years, we've been helping neighbors grow, businesses thrive and dreams become reality. Because when you bank local, you invest in your community.
Bubba
Central State Bank.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Large enough to serve you, small enough to know you. Visit us today or learn more@centralstatebank.com Member FDIC.
Bubba
On the water or off, experience lake life to the fullest at Russell Lands on Lake Martin. Want to know what's going on around Lake Martin? Check out the calendar of seasonal events that include Fridays on the green, naturalist events, fireworks, concerts, poker runs, boat shows, juried art shows, boat parades, and much more. If you're here for the weekend or if you've made your home at the lake, Russell Lands is where community and the land come together. To learn more about upcoming events, visit Russelllands.com come see what Lake life is all about. We are joined By Lee Perryman from Radio Alabama, but also chairman of the Alabama Broadcast Pastors Association. And Lee, welcome to Bubba on the Lake.
Lee Perryman
I don't know what to say. I've never been on the lake before, but there we go.
Bubba
Well, this is your first time and we hope you'll be back for many more.
Lee Perryman
Lee, we were appreciate the invitation. How much does it pay? I don't remember.
Bubba
Well, it's not much. Lee, as I say, you're not going to get a cup of coffee out of this deal. You know what I mean?
Lee Perryman
Okay. Okay.
Bubba
So, Lee, you. We were talking earlier and of course you're in the radio business. I've been in the radio business. Still dabble, I guess you could say. But it's, we're fans of that industry, but it's, it's under attack. And you guys at the Alabama Broadcasters association have been doing some lobbying on our behalf, right?
Lee Perryman
We have. You know, it's really weird. You know, the whole world in the last several years has changed where everything is based on a subscription model. Everybody wants to get 9.95amonth from you, and by the time you wake up, you're spending 9.95 or 1995amonth with 40 or 50 different things gets away quick. The auto manufacturers, God bless them all, have decided that they want part of that too. They want subscription revenue. So they have begun making cars that don't have radios in them, starting with not having AM radio and then not having FM radio. And they're putting their own things in cars where you have to pay to be able to listen to something as you're driving down the road. And that's a problem for us because radio stations historically have been the backbone of the official emergency notification systems for America. Radio is always on when there's a, when there's a tornado or a hurricane or power outage, the Internet is out, cell phones don't work. All these things break when you're talking about many one to one connections. And radio is the original one to many. You put up several towers and you hit thousands or tens of thousands of people with one tower or one signal. But all radio stations in America participate in an emergency notification network that is required by the government, meaning that emergency officials can send alerts and alarms with no human beings involved at the stations in the middle of the night to turn them on. Most of our stations have emergency power generators and backup systems so that in emergencies we're still on. And the last remaining notification network being AM&FM radio is important even if you decide to subscribe to something. But the auto manufacturers want subscription models, so they're no longer putting increasingly so radios and vehicles, which is horrible because it means that if there is an emergency and every other method of communication in the new modern world goes away, you can't tell people where there's shelter, where things are coming at you, and you got to get out of the way. And usually in those emergencies, people will head out to their cars and turn on the radios and figure out what's going on. So we've been trying to encourage the House and the Senate and Congress and the government to make sure that it's not a mandate to put something in cars, but it's a mandate as part of public service and emergency alert systems to not take radio out of cars. And we have the majority of the support from the House and the Senate, but we just haven't been able to get it introduced so they can vote on it.
Bubba
You know, Lee, there's all kind of options out there. I mean, you can subscribe to music services, you can subscribe to this, subscribe to that. There's all already. I think for the consumer, there's a lot of options in the car. And that's what I don't understand why they're trying to make free over the air radio a subscription setup. I mean, I know initially it was. They were wanting to take AM out and, you know, some people thought, well, we don't ever listen to that. But it really was important because of the ease of getting an AM station back on the air in a natural disaster situation where you might have radio stations going down. And then it even went over to the FM side, which there's, you know, a lot of people still enjoy FM radio just like to, to get in their vehicle and hit the button and go. I just, I can't imagine the consumer wanting this. It really, it's just, you know, it's kind of money grubbing. And I understand that everybody's out there trying to do that for their stockholder. But. But this just doesn't seem like this is a good plan.
Lee Perryman
It doesn't make sense. And the reason that AM is so important, even though the preponderance of listening is not on AM these days, it's still true that 97% of the American public listens to radio every week. But AM has reach and distance that FM can't match. FM is line of sight. So you have to be able to essentially see the tower. The tower has to be able to see you for the radio to Work. But AM is different. Half the antenna for AM is underground. It's buried underground on one of my stations. I've got three miles of copper buried.
Bubba
Oh yeah.
Lee Perryman
It's the soil conductivity that transmit the signal, transmit the signals. So AM is important because it's not about line of sight. It will go a long, long, long, long, long, long, long way. And in the cases of emergency, tornado, hurricane, alien attack, AM may be the only way to be able to, to, to understand where you're supposed to go so you can be safe.
Bubba
Yeah, I mean, you know, from an engineering standpoint, if an FM signal goes down, if a tower goes down, you've got to rebuild an antenna, you've got to rebuild feed line, which you may not have access to. With an am, you literally can take some wire and string up a dipole and in between some trees and get back on the air. So I mean, it's that part of it I thought was, you know, something that, that the public needed to know. But, you know, taking it a step further, even the FM out, I just, I can't imagine, you know, growing up loving radio like I did. And like I say, there's, there's options there. You can subscribe to satellite, you can subscribe to streaming services, you, I mean there's online radio stations, but you know, not to have just the good old FM and even AM that you can punch up for free is just kind of mind boggling to me. I would think the consumers would be very, very anti this.
Lee Perryman
And the thing that's most boggling to me, I mean, this is not an argument that the members of the House and Senate overwhelmingly approve this as part of public safety. I saw the reports yesterday. The opponents of this, which are basically car manufacturers and their friends, have spent millions of dollars lobbying to try to block it, to try to make sure that we can't help people keep radios in their cars in cases of emergencies. I don't understand why it's worth millions of dollars to take something out. It doesn't make sense except for the fact that they're trying to build a revenue stream, a subscription revenue stream.
Bubba
And Lee, I want to mention one more time, you made the point, but I just want to be sure people understand. The old, it used to be called EBS Emergency Broadcast System. It was replaced with eas. Is that still what they're using, eas?
Lee Perryman
And there's several, there's several different, there's several different pathways and several different, different systems. But, but ultimately it's, it's an, it's an eas. It's an EAS system, but there's ipaws, there's caps. They're all these. They're all these components that plug into it that allow government agencies. And if you've got an Amber Alert, if a child is abducted, if there's a civil emergency or weather alerts and weather warnings and attack warnings and things like that, there are many different pathways that authorized agencies you can use to be able to automatically be on all the radio stations simultaneously so nobody won't not know that something's going on.
Bubba
And that goes all the way to the White House. The president, whoever he is at the time, has the switch, or she. Or she can flip the switch and take over every radio station signal in the country in the event of a nationwide emergency and attack. It could be, you know, could be anything. Could be earthquakes, volcanoes, who knows? We just drove through the super volcano at Yellowstone Lee a few weeks ago. And I tell you, when that baby goes up, I hope I ain't here, I'll tell you that.
Lee Perryman
But the drama doesn't have to be that the world is coming to an end stuff. We've done probably 15 or 20 emergency alerts this week, including a child abduction alert that just ran a few hours ago. Right, I saw that. And it's important. It's important to understand there's nothing wrong with people having preferences. There's nothing wrong with cell phones, there's nothing wrong with the Internet. There's nothing wrong with any of that. But there has to be a free option. And the free options are built. Radio stations are required to provide this technology. Every single radio station and every single television station. And how in the world the government could even conceive of allowing it to be dismantled by car manufacturers that are working on trying to build a revenue stream. It doesn't make any sense.
Bubba
No. It seems to me they would come up with their own service and try to sell subscriptions to it or, you know, override some of these other ones coming up. That way they don't have to have all this investment up front. But I don't get it. I really. It just doesn't make sense to me.
Lee Perryman
Well, and my real fear is that, you know, when you require that people do something, unless you write very specific language in the agreement that requires them to do it, we may wind up with radio and vehicles, but you may not be able to find it. It'll be hidden on some menu that it's hard to get to and won't be conspicuous. And they will have achieved the requirement, but not the efficiency of actually people being able to find it in emergencies. Because everything's about dotting I's and crossing T's and negotiating. And the story I saw last week, which is important too, is that most consumers are confused. They actually place whether or not there's a radio in their car. Once they realize there may not be, that affects which models they choose to buy and whether or not they purchase those vehicles. Because you, you do want that option. So anyway.
Bubba
Well, I think it's important consumers are aware of that because, you know, I knew that the AM part was under attack. I really didn't know the FM was under attack till we had a conversation about it a few weeks ago. And I was really kind of shocked. And when I mentioned it to a few people, they'd never heard of it. So that's why we just want to let people to know, be aware of that. When you're out shopping for an automobile, be sure your friends and neighbors know about it. And if you feel led to reach out to your elected officials and let them know about it, that would be great too. Lee the radio business, it's, it's more diverse than it's ever been. There's more ways that people can consume content that they want to hear. And you guys at Radio Alabama still clicking right along. I think you guys are the example of how to do it now. And unfortunately, so many of these big groups have kind of got away from that and a lot of these legendary signals have gone away.
Lee Perryman
And that's what baffles me. You know, it's sort of a self fulfilling prophecy if you don't create a culture of purposeful listening where people actually have a reason to turn you on and listen and engage. They've got 85,442 more choices today, so they're not going to go find you if there's no reason to do so. And what we try to do, and we get a little better at it every day, is we try to create content on our radio stations that you can't get anywhere else that you want to listen to so that we can engage with you for the benefit of our advertisers who support us being able to make it happen. And we have some huge numbers, listener numbers, engagement numbers. We haven't been able to monetize it yet, meaning we're not, you know, making a fortune that we need to be doing like you. But, but it's, yeah, it's very important to make sure that there's a reason to listen And a lot of the people who are in the radio business these days, the, the big ones have tried to make everything as efficient as possible where they'll have one disc jockey doing 47 different stations, right, and not talking about things that are happening locally. But the, but the, the smaller stations are really faced with challenges because the, the advertising economy is not what it was. The chains that controlled everything don't invest in your local events, your local high school football team, your local activities. They just come in and take the money and provide sales tax revenue for the communities. But they're not leaving anything else here. So it's a challenge to make all the numbers work. But I'm very optimistic because more people are, are consuming audio than ever before, and more people are consuming video than ever before. It's just not about rushing home at 6 o' clock or 10 o' clock at night to watch a television newscast. It's not appointment viewing or listening. It's people want it when they want it on whatever device they're using. And we try to create content that crosses multiple platforms and multiple formats in multiple ways. That is actually something people are interested in wanting to hear, read or see.
Bubba
Well, and what I love how you guys and a lot of the people have adapted to this. I mean, you're still a radio station, you're still supplying content, but you can get it online, too. If you're not in your area, you can always be, you know, be able to pull that up. But, boy, there's just nothing like jumping in the car and hitting that FM button and punching up a station or AM and listening to it yourself. And, and it's always there. So we appreciate what you guys are doing and how you're doing it. And, you know, it is content driven. It wasn't too many years ago, God rest his soul, Rush Limbaugh, you know, really revitalized the AM band because he. People wanted to hear what he had to say. So I think you can't look over his career and not say that content can make anything come alive.
Lee Perryman
Absolutely. That's very, very, very true. And I firmly believe that people want to hear more local programming. They're not craving to be able to listen to somebody in California. They want to know what's happening in their communities and their hometowns and their regions. And that's the core reason behind what broadcasting should be. Keeping people educated, informed, involved, engaged, promoting events, creating a lift for everything that's happening in local communities. And that doesn't happen when you're listening to Spotify or Apple Music or whatever. It's great for entertainment, but it's not great for connecting communities.
Bubba
Lee, how many folks you have to pay every month?
Lee Perryman
It's really sad. I was explaining that to my accountant the other day as I was justifying it, but we operate 13 radio brands in east central Alabama and we have 63 people on the payroll and the full time list is much shorter than that, but people who get paid to help us with stuff, which includes a lot of high school sports with 63 people. As of the last time, I tried to balance the books, which again, you don't just stand back and turn on a radio and hope everybody's going to send you their money. You got to earn it. And we do it because we,
Bubba
when
Lee Perryman
we do football, it's not just about showing up at a stadium on Friday night, flipping a switch, calling a game and going home. We have five or six people involved all the time during the week. Student profiles, interviews with coaches, putting together things that are going to be on the website, getting things ready for apps, interviewing people. Lots of content is produced throughout the week that finishes itself on a Friday night and then you restart. It's not just about showing up and going home. It's about creating an entire experience. And I call all of everything we do our ecosystem, but I spell it E C H O instead of E C O because it's all about making sure that the content is available on whatever platform people might be able to use at that particular point in time to engage either on demand or live.
Bubba
You know, I don't know that people fully understand what you're talking about, but you guys, well, the model that you guys have created and used at multiple schools are amazing. I don't give away the secret sauce here, but you guys, like you said, you're engaged during the week. You take these schools and you become their sports information person and you promote them and you, you do things all during the week. And like you said, the ending, the big crescendo to this is a broadcast on Friday night. But you guys are working it. And people can get more content about their local high schools and their sports programs than ever before.
Lee Perryman
Well, and while you were making a fortune in your radio career, I was with the Associated Press dealing with global technology for most of my career. And when it became time to get out of Washington D.C. traffic and come home, my focus has been, and people get confused about this because my focus is not to come home and get rich. My focus is to come home humbly and find a way to give back. And one of the ways that we give back, and I've got great people who execute on all of this, is shining lights on high school athletes. You know, many of them don't have a father figure, don't have people setting good examples for them. Many of them. But all of them, I have found, I have discovered or I believe that when they know that people are paying attention, when they feel the praise, when people are watching their performances, when they feel part of that bigger thing, it helps them develop into better human beings. That makes them better people, makes their lives more successful, makes their families more successful, creates a culture for the community that is one of a. It's a unifying thing. Everybody can get excited about high school sports and anything we can do to shine lights on high school sports players, and we do football, baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, track and field, golf, anything we can do to shine lights where people know that people are kids know that people are paying attention. It makes them perform better because they feel the praise.
Bubba
Lee it's come a long way since I was in high school. I mean, a long way.
Lee Perryman
Well, I think they were helmets. Helmets back those days.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Yeah, yeah, we.
Bubba
We actually did have helmets. And we. I don't go back quite that far, but I will tell you one funny radio experience I had. I've got to tell you this, because I think you'll appreciate this. We. We were playing. I went to Jacksonville High School. We were playing at Piedmont High School. And Piedmont. I'm talking about baseball season. It was a Saturday game, and we were at the big city park there in Piedmont. It doesn't exist anymore, but it did at the time. And I happened to be pitching that day, and the local radio station carried the baseball games. Wpid, where I ended up working and got my first paying job there. But it was so funny because they had the announcer up in the booth and everybody in the outfield had pulled their giant truck up, you know, with the big wheels on it, and they had the radio going. So I'm out on the mound and, you know, I'll make a move to in the stretch and come up and you hear the announcer going bussy in the stretch comes to a halt, and you hear that echo to everything you're doing is coming right back at you. And that was the funniest thing to me, to be like in 11th grade and be able to experience all that. So, you know, again, just local radio can do some wonderful things, and you guys have reinvented it and you're doing it the right way and. And Let me just say, as a fan of radio, we appreciate you guys.
Lee Perryman
Well, and again, I appreciate everything you do in setting examples so that, you know, everybody I know wants to be like Bubba. I don't know about that, but it's, you know, it's the inspiration that you drive through everything we do because of the example you set. We know that we can be better and bigger because Bubba did it.
Bubba
It. So Bubba stumble through it. Anybody can do it. But no, Lee, sort of. You guys have been good too. And we've partnered up on some podcast radio things, you know, all content oriented. And I love the fact that we're. That you, you have that attitude of, hey, let's give this a shot, let's try it and have a little fun with it. And we did that with our tailgate tailgate show and hopefully we can do some more stuff. But that, I thought that was a great partnership where we, we had a podcast and then it was also available on the radio as people were headed to the stadium on Saturday. And I thought that was a great partnership and idea.
Lee Perryman
Absolutely, absolutely. And we appreciate so much that you keep coming up with these innovative ways to make people want to listen to you.
Bubba
Well, it's that or throw food off the building. We've only got a few choices and we've done that too.
Lee Perryman
But it's very interesting. It's sort of like the old E.F. hutton commercials, you know, when, when Bubba talks. No, but it's true.
Bubba
Okay, I owe you a dinner. I know. I got you.
Lee Perryman
Okay.
Bubba
Lee Perryman, the chairman for the Alabama Broadcasters association, also the, the, the fearless leader of Radio Alabama and his group of stations. Lee, thank you for joining us and updating us on that. And I, I hope that soaked into everybody that somebody's trying to get your free radio and I hope that you don't let them do that.
Lee Perryman
Thank you. See you on the radio.
Bubba
See ya. You're listening to Bubba. Bubba on the Lake. Illuminate your night fishing adventures with the ultimate in submersible fishing light technology. The green monster fishing light attracts bait, fish and game fish in all water environments. Turn any dock into a vibrant feeding frenzy. Compact, tough and energy efficient, the green Monster fishing light will provide endless hours of family entertainment and enhanced nighttime visibility for safe docking. No dock, no problem with our 24 inch portable green monster fishing line. Start landing trophy fish tonight.
Colonel Jason Benefield
Visit thegreenmonsterfishinglight.com just got that new boat. Let Sunrise Docks protect your investment with swift shield boat covers, Neptune boat lifts and easy ports for your Personal watercraft. Plus they have compact decking that stays cool. Designed with your feet in mind, Sunrise Docks is always first in quality, first in service and first in customer satisfaction. Right off Highway 63, your Lake Martin headquarters. With two barges and the most experienced boat lift crew on the lake, Sunrise Docks is your lake Life Expert. Call 256-392-5200. What a matchup we've got, folks.
Bubba
Just non stop action.
Colonel Jason Benefield
The energy is electric and the fans are all in. An intense game like this calls for a Coca Cola.
Stuart Brockwell
Ah, crisp and refreshing.
Colonel Jason Benefield
That's a game changer. Yeah, that taste scores every time. And just like that, they're back at it. Passionate fans in an ice cold Coca Cola. Now that's a winning combo. No matter the team, no matter the sport, Everyone knows fan work is thirsty work. Enjoy a Coca Cola.
Bubba
That will do it. For this week's edition of the podcast. Old number 67 is in the book. We hope you enjoyed it. Thank all of my guests, Colonel Jason Benefield, Stuart the tech guy and Lee Perryman from the Alabama Broadcasters Association. We covered a lot of topics. We hope you enjoyed that and hope you enjoyed meeting and hearing from those people again. We want to remind you that we're broadcasting from the Meliella studio. Our website is bubba on the lake.com and don't forget to turn on notifications and follow so you will not miss a thing. We also want to thank our folks at Russell Lands who's a sponsor and you need to go to Russelllands.com to get the latest information. What's going on like Friday on the green, you, you, you see who's playing this week. Go out, get your lawn chair. Enjoy that. They also have a great app for your phone and I tell you the Russell Land folks do so much around Lake Martin. If you're in the central Alabama area, you need to be up on all the happenings there. So again folks, thank you. Follow us on social media and until we sell into port or tie up on the dock again, remember, God loves you and so do we. And thank you for being part of Bubba on the Lake.
Lee Perryman
This podcast is brought to you in
Bubba
part by Russell Lands Coke Buffalo Wild
Lee Perryman
Wings Central State Bank, Dr. Thomas Dudney,
Bubba
Sunrise Docks, Bice Motors the Green Monster Fishing lights B U double B A on the lake hey wishing I could listen to the show every day hey gotta what Bubba and his buddies got to say on B UBA on the
Colonel Jason Benefield
lake in the mellow yellow studio putting on a show Betty say what she
Bubba
always on the go we got Hunter bus sitting at master control don't want to miss a moment Cause Bubba's got the flow B U double B A on the lake, hey. Wishing I could listen to the show every day hey. Gotta hear what Bubba and his buddies
Colonel Jason Benefield
are gotta say on B U B A on the lake, hey. B U B A B U B
Bubba
A hey B U B A B
Colonel Jason Benefield
U B A on the lake, hey.
In this wide-ranging episode, Bubba welcomes an array of experts for discussions on global conflict hotspots (Iran, Russia/Ukraine), aerospace and AI technology advances, and the ongoing threats to traditional radio in vehicles. The relaxed, folksy tone typical of Bubba’s show prevails, blending serious analysis with tangents, listener calls, tech deep-dives, and local radio nostalgia.
(Starts ~14:09)
Background: Recent resumption of military activity against Iran after failed negotiations; continued IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) resistance.
Col. Benefield’s Analysis:
Political & Information Warfare:
(Starts ~35:34)
With Lee Perryman, Chairman, Alabama Broadcasters Association
(Starts ~66:58)
(Scattered throughout 7:00–12:00)
| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------| | 14:09–33:21 | Colonel Benefield: Iran-Russia military briefing | | 35:34–64:45 | Stuart Brockwell: SpaceX, AI, tech, surveillance | | 66:58–89:17 | Lee Perryman: Radio’s future in the dashboard |
For more: Visit bubbaonthelake.com and tune in for future episodes!