RICHARD BURDEN

Dick  Burden was a pioneering broadcast engineer whose innovations shaped FM and television audio systems.  He began his technical journey at Lafayette College, serving as chief engineer for the college radio station WJRH in 1950, before graduating from RCA Institutes with a Radio‑Telephone License in 1952.  He went to work for the Armed Forces Radio Service in New York until 1955. He then joined General Precision Laboratory, designing audio-video systems and contributing to federal air-traffic control technology.   

Five years later, in 1960, he founded Burden Associates in Mount Kisco, later opening a California office in Canoga Park.   Burden originated the FM stereo “control carrier” switching system.  It became the standard for FM radio stations as adopted by the FCC.   Burden was also known for his invention of the now-standard stereo indicator light.  Both innovations helped bring stereo broadcasting to life in the 1960’s.  He also conceived the Traveler’s Information Service (TIS) at the Los Angeles Airport (LAX)  pioneering AM frequencies (530/1610 kHz) for driver guidance broadcasts around transportation hubs.  It’s an innovation that has been recreated in countless different communities nationwide. 

Burden was a charter member and later fellow of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, and a Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society, he chaired both regional and national committees on stereo television and radio standards. He earned the AES Golden‑Anniversary honor in 1998 and SBE Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 for over five decades of service.   Active into his 90s, Burden was admired for his generosity and passion for mentoring younger engineers.  He passed away at age 92, leaving a legacy firmly embedded in broadcast engineering.