The Golden Age of Radio is approaching its centennial, so it may not surprise you to learn radio reaches 93% of Americans today according to News Generation. Radio’s continued impact depends on one element that has driven the success of radio broadcasting for over one-hundred years: technology. Of course, today’s computer-driven digital radio technology is vastly different from the first VHF commercial broadcast systems of the early 1900’s. We went to tour KMUW, our local Wichita NPR station, with manager Debra Fraser to find out exactly how much Wichita’s local public radio station relies on computer technology today.
Its clear technology is essential to KMUW operations from the moment you first enter the new studio in Old Town. The conference room is state of the art, despite the salvaged conference table they made from the floors of the old Thunderbird Bowling Lanes when it closed. The recording studios are even more impressive, installed on floating floors to dampen the sounds of passing trains, desktops are hooked up to multiple monitors in every room. We half expect to see one recording studio with a pile of vinyl, but this is the new era of radio where staff can record at any time to air later.
Fraser walks us down the hall from the recording studios to show us what she likes to call “Mission Critical.” A glass wall allows us to peek into the KMUW server room to see how much computing power it takes to run a radio station. Admittedly we get a little over excited about a great looking server room here at CybertronIT, but we are especially impressed by this server room because the main KMUW broadcast signal feeds right through a CybertronPC server.
We stop to talk technology with reporter Deborah Shaar who explains how much she and her colleagues depend on their CybertronPC laptops. From field reporting to broadcasting, technology supports the KMUW team every step of the way. Staff then uploads podcasts to the internet, streams content and manages a robust website right from their desks.
Seeing just how much KMUW relies on the latest computer technology we know the station needs a sustainable solution that can keep up with the changing demands of the industry. So CybertronIT has teamed up with KMUW to found the KMUW Technology Fund. We hope this helps to ensure they can continue to serve the Wichita community with expanded news coverage in Kansas. Learn how you can contribute to the KMUW technology fund at http://kmuw.org/kmuw-technology-fund.
