I was here in Vegas early to spend time with public radio engineers; they met prior to the NAB convention.
One of the best quotes from the Public Radio Engineering Conference came from Scott Hanley of WDUQ(FM) in Pittsburgh who also chairs NPR’s Distribution Committee.
He was describing the responses to a recent station survey about Content Depot and said, “The lack of profanity was admirable.”
Gripes about the much-delayed audio distribution system replacement are that it adds more work for stations; it’s not easy to use; there’s a lack of tuning control; and a station can’t join in events that are already in progress.
Of a potential 427 stations that could use the new system, only about 50 have converted from the Public Radio Satellite System and are using ConDep full-time, he said.
Of the survey, he said, “We learned a lot about what we need to do, what the system is capable of doing and what we should set aside and not try to do now.”
The next steps, he said, are to publicize recommendations to the station system, solicit feedback and develop a timetable and resources for priority items.
