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| KQED Public Radio's Brave New World |
By Daniel G.P. Mansergh, Director of Engineering, KQED Public Radio
KQED's Campaign for the Future has recently begun its public phase with ambitious fund-raising goals being set to upgrade the technical facilities of both KQED Public Radio and KQED Public Television to support new digital production and distribution technologies. For KQED Public Radio, this process involves the replacement of much of the behind-the-scenes equipment used every day to produce and air the award-winning news and public affairs programming that listeners have come to expect.
What the digital conversion will mean to listeners is significant. The quality, complexity and richness of KQED Public Radio productions will increase, from the inclusion of more music and audio elements within individual program segments to improvements in the overall organization, flow and feel of the programs. There will be more new local programming, highlighting the cultural richness and diversity of Northern California and complementing the breadth of existing KQED Public Radio programs. Most of all, listeners will hear, better than ever before, their community radio station serving their needs and interests with timely, in-depth and intelligent programs.
These changes will be made possible by the new capabilities and efficiencies of computer-based digital audio production and storage equipment that will replace the analog reel-to-reel tape machines used today. The new technology will also streamline the production process to make it even more efficient, and KQED reporters, producers and technical staff will receive thorough training so they can best utilize all the functions of the new equipment.
Perhaps even more exciting than the changes KQED Public Radio will be able to make in its existing FM broadcast service are the tremendous opportunities for new and expanded distribution of programming through other digital delivery methods. With the increasing use of the Internet as a distribution medium for audio content as well as for text-based information, KQED Public Radio will be able to complement its existing live Web streaming with streaming of program archives. Listeners will be able to log on to catch a program they might have missed during its on-air broadcast. Additionally, new satellite services are now providing hundreds of channels of digital audio programming directly to car receivers. In partnership with NPR, KQED Public Radio is currently broadcasting Forum nationally on the Sirius Satellite Radio system.
As the audience for these and other new services grows, KQED Public Radio will be prepared to supply listeners with quality programming wherever they happen to be. It is critical that KQED Public Radio be prepared to embrace emerging technologies to better serve its listeners, as the broadcasting industry moves into the digital age.
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