CONCORD, N.H. — As the vice president of engineering for Binnie Media in New Hampshire, I am responsible for the engineering health of multiple radio stations as well as the NH1 News Network. When Binnie Media purchased the Walker School, a historic 100-year-old elementary school in Concord, N.H., in an effort to expand our local capabilities, the fun began.
We wanted to renovate the school and to install a modern broadcast facility while honoring the historic nature and architecture of the building. Prior to the school, the site held the meetinghouse in which New Hampshire ratified the U.S. Constitution; so we had a long list of federal and state historical entities to keep happy.
When it came time to plan the studio space and furniture, we called on Studio Technology Studio Furniture. Studio Technology’s Vince Fiola made several trips to New Hampshire early in the process to listen to our plans and help with the furniture design. His expertise and experience was invaluable as we proceeded to the construction phase.
Bill Binnie, owner of Binnie Media, was intimately involved in every aspect of this project. At one construction meeting, Mr. Binnie and Vince more or less crawled around on the floor of our future newsroom, designing custom furniture on the fly. Within a week, we had a drawing to review and approve. That furniture is now installed in the NH1 Media Center newsroom.
In all, we had Studio Technology build furniture for four on-air studios and four production studios for the radio side. We also involved Studio Technology in other aspects of the facility. As well as the newsroom mentioned earlier, our plan required an on-site television control and audio studio. Vince worked with WBIN(TV) Chief Engineer Rick Zach to design the TV-specific furniture. We even had Studio Technology build us a 5-foot by 18-foot custom conference room table.
The furniture is well-built, not made of modular components that are “customized.” The furniture was designed to fit each studio space and equipment as well as the ergonomic needs of the people who work there. The pricing was fair and competitive and in line with our furniture budget. As we went through the process, Vince made us aware of how our design discussions could affect the cost and made suggestions in instances when there was a concern about cost.
An important aspect of this project for me was scheduling. Even though we had an excellent construction company working with us, inevitably there were things beyond our control that made the completion date a moving target. Studio Technology was able to work around our schedule changes without a problem. The furniture was delivered and installed in several phases as various parts of the facility were completed.
Studio Technology was there to do the furniture installation when we needed them and when they said they would be. This attention to detail and customer service enabled me to proceed with my planning and get the studios online in an efficient way.
This was a satisfying, challenging project for all of us at Binnie Media. We know we have succeeded in building a world-class broadcast facility in Concord, N.H. Studio Technology Studio Furniture was an integral part of that success. I won’t hesitate to call them for our next project and recommend their studio furniture and services.
For information, contact Vince Fiola at Studio Technology Studio Furniture in Pennsylvania or visit www.studiotechnology.com.
