Harris Corporation announced that Commonwealth Broadcasting has taken delivery of three Harris® NetWave digital on-air consoles with VistaMax studio audio networking for the upgrade of its Glasgow, Kentucky, facility. Commonwealth Broadcasting also will upgrade its Campbellsville facility with the same complement of Harris digital studio equipment by the end of September. The installations will serve to replace analog equipment as the broadcaster moves toward an HD Radio future. Commonwealth Broadcasting owns 21 radio stations in four small- to mid-sized markets in Kentucky.
“Harris’ reputation as a radio supplier is unequaled going back to the days of analog-only studio equipment, and the VistaMax and NetWave offer the studio technology we need moving forward at the right price point,” said Steve Newberry, president and CEO of Commonwealth Broadcasting. “Studio-to-studio flexibility is vital in markets of our size, and the VistaMax/NetWave combination allows us to be agile with our studio configurations. The flexible VistaMax networking connections ensure that all studios have access to each other’s sources. Ease of installation is a bonus as VistaMax eliminates the need for hundreds of pairs of audio cables. And in today’s world, small- to mid-sized markets don’t need as many direct channels on each console. The NetWave digital on-air console offers all the flexibility and versatility of a larger board in a fresh, compact configuration.”
Newberry noted that the Glasgow and Campbellsville facilities are ready for upgrades for different reasons. The Glasgow facility, serving the Bowling Green market, is targeted as the Commonwealth Broadcasting’s first HD Radio conversion. Bowling Green is the company’s largest market.
“The Glasgow upgrade is HD Radio-driven simply because that facility serves our largest market,” Newberry said. “HD Radio technology is being embraced by the radio industry because it will give us the opportunity to improve audio quality and offer multiple channels of programming, among other benefits. However, it isn’t feasible for most small- to medium-sized markets to upgrade the entire audio chain at once. The best move for us was to start at the origination point and work up to the transmitter in a staged process. Mike Graham, our chief engineer, highly recommended the Harris NetWave and VistaMax as the first big step.”
The Campbellsville facility, also a top performer for Commonwealth Broadcasting, needed more flexibility in the studio environment to modernize the facilities. The NetWave digital consoles will replace 20-year-old consoles. “They were workhorses, but they were yesterday’s technology,” Newberry said.
NetWave digital on-air consoles (NetWave-8, NetWave-16 and NetWave-24) are the most affordable, full-featured, stand-alone console solutions yet from Harris. The design of NetWave as a standalone console brings flexibility to broadcasters who may wish to upgrade to a networked studio audio system in the future.
NetWave, as other consoles in the Harris PR&E family, can be VistaMax “activated” for sharing on-air and production sources across multiple studios. The NetWave console with VistaMax activation permits further convenience, as any Dual Fader module can be upgraded to have dynamic, dial-up selection of network sources features previously unavailable on lower-priced consoles.
“Harris is pleased to announce the first U.S. installations of its new NetWave digital on-air console at Commonwealth Broadcasting,” said Debra Huttenburg, vice president and general manager of Harris Broadcast Communications Division, Radio Broadcast Systems business unit. “NetWave was designed specifically for customers like Commonwealth Broadcasting that need a flexible, yet compact console at an affordable price. The addition of VistaMax networking will deliver a powerful, studio-wide platform for sharing sources among multiple studios, which results in greater convenience and utility while offering lower costs of both installation and ownership going forward.”