After a 23-year career with Educational Media Foundation, including as director of engineering, Jeremy Preece is branching out on his own wavelength.
At the end of May, Preece launched a contract engineering and consulting endeavor, Wavelength Technical Solutions. “The skills I gained at EMF, where standards are exceptionally high and the diversity of work is vast, have given me a great deal of experience across the spectrum of broadcasting engineering,” Preece said.
Leaving EMF was not an easy decision for Preece. Through its K-LOVE and Air1 Media Networks, he has overseen remarkable growth in its properties. The networks are heard on more than 1,000 signals in all 50 states.
EMF’s global headquarters move from California to Tennessee was the impetus for Preece to move on. “After much prayer and consideration, it was clear we needed to stay close to our family in California,” he said.
Wavelength Technical Solutions is currently offering routine station maintenance and engineering services to broadcasters on the West Coast. Preece also plans to offer project-based services across the entire country.
His continued confidence in the industry is driving him in his quest to serve clients with Wavelength.
“Radio still has much to offer,” he said, “but it’s upon broadcasters to provide audiences with unique and compelling content and an exceptional listening experience, which is where engineering comes in.”
Preece said his time at EMF has given him an ample roadmap. “The team in place is top-notch and being surrounded by brilliant, yet very humble radio engineers was truly a gift,” he said. He said leadership was adamant about FCC compliance and that corners were never cut for its listening audience.
“My favorite memories are when we would drive into a market without one of our signals and drive away with a brand new one on the air,” Preece said, having been hands-on with 75-plus station buildouts over the course of his career.
The amount of rapid growth EMF experienced presented challenges, according to Preece. “We needed to establish procedures and standards that allowed us to expand the network as effectively as possible,” he said. Working with manufacturers to find methods to operate facilities remotely was an aspect he enjoyed most.
Landing a role at EMF in 2001, Preece said, was his dream job. His affinity for radio started at age eight while building an AM transmitter with a Radio Shack 200-In-One electronics kit with his father. “After that, I was hooked,” he said. He first desired to be on-air but eventually discovered his preference was to fix equipment around the station rather than being behind the mic.
Now, Preece is optimistic about his future with Wavelength. “The broadcast engineering field is changing a lot because experienced RF engineers are retiring each year and the industry is struggling to recruit replacements,” he said, “but there are a lot of stations out there with a need for engineers who know their way around a tower site.”
Preece encourages others on the fence about going independent to do their homework and to think about what they can offer to stand out. He also recommends partnering with fellow engineers. “A cord of three strands is not easily broken and you can get way more done.”
[Related: “Educational Media Foundation CEO Todd Woods Resigns“]