At Telos Alliance, we hire people from all walks of life, but mostly, we hire people who are Passionate About Broadcasting, whether it be TV or Radio! Dave Sarkies, Social Media Community & Content Coordinator, is all about passion. Passion for music, passion for Radio...

In early 2015, the Telos Alliance^® and 25-Seven^® introduced the Voltair^® Monitor and Processor. According to industry experts, the use of Voltair resulted in more accurate measurement of radio listenership. This disruptive technology enabled Radio to finally get credit for more of the listening it deserves.

Months later, after denying that it had any effect, Nielsen^® responded to Voltair by changing its encoders to include some of Voltair’s features. The company claimed that its so-called enhanced CBET (eCBET) could replace the need for Voltair.

We weren’t so sure.

Tom Churchill believes that radio’s future must include localism, customization, and that connection of familiarity with listeners. Lower budgets and smaller on-air staffs can reduce localism, but Tom offers ideas and services that maintain localism around the clock. Chris Tobin joins Kirk Harnack talking with Tom Churchill of Virtual Voice Technologies.

Supa Cindy is the popular morning show host at Miami's 99 JAMZ, WEDR 99.1. Cindy has been with 99 JAMZ the full extent of her on-air career - 15 years - after making the switch from another realm of the broadcast world early on in her career. Her upbeat personality and enthusiasm for the music greet the ears of South Florida hip hop and R&B fans five days a week, and have raised her to celebrity status in greater Miami. We had the opportunity to speak with Supa Cindy recently for an inside look at what motivates her.

Meet Bob Page, the studio manager with two studios and no transmitter. With a revolving door for the on-air talent. And for whom every single broadcast shift is a “remote.” Bob manages the Radio Broadcast Center at Universal Studios, Florida. He and Jason Mercurio manage, train, facilitate, troubleshoot, connect, and do whatever else is needed to get from 2 to 5 broadcasts on the air each day from these spectacular studios.

We experienced some tech difficulties during the broadcast. Naturally, the high-speed Internet link checked out perfectly before the broadcast. But, it went dead and we had to use a backup Internet connection. Quality wasn’t so good, but Bob Page’s interview, along with Chris Tobin’s comments, are worth watching or listening to.

Of all the components of the broadcast facility, the transmitter may be the most important in a disaster. That site can be pressed into service as a combination studio/transmitter location, especially if a backup generator exists. Back in the days of cart machines, we removed a rack of three decks, relocating them to the transmitter, to stay on the air when the studio flooded. It wasn’t the most glorious of 'studios', but we stayed on the air and covered all the spots. Nowadays with backup hard drive systems or even an iPod® for source material, a station can usually stay on the air during a disaster.

Last time, we covered a number of general planning tips in preparation for disasters. When the disaster strikes is not the time to develop a plan. First on our list of suggestions is hardening your studio site. Should the studio site fail, do you have an off-site backup facility?

If not, think remote truck! Should you lose your studio facility, a remote truck can be pressed into service to keep you on the air. Prior to predictable weather emergencies, keep the truck fluids topped off.

Embarking on the Telos Alliance All Frequencies Tour last year, Broadcast Audio Fanatics Andrew Clark and Jared Given weren’t sure what they would find as they crisscrossed the United States from station to station (radio station to TV station, that is). They soon found out. And what they found out is that the broadcast industry is one built on great people with a passion for what they do, and a real kinship with others in the field.

Being new to the industry, meeting so many folks in broadcast caused perceptions of the industry to evolve quickly. Andrew says his perceptions of Radio and TV were somewhat superficial prior to the tour, but that changed. “I’d listen to radio daily, watch TV at night, but you don’t think about how much goes into it. Seeing what goes into bringing that content to you was interesting.” Jared concurred, noting “You see what it takes to bring that programming to the listeners and viewers. You really get a new respect for what goes into delivering that.”

If it can be done in radio, Ted Alexander has probably done it. Broadcast Engineer, Disc Jockey, Talk Show Host, Traffic Reporter, Voiceover Artist… and now Support Specialist for The Telos Alliance. Ted’s career in the industry spans more than five decades – impressive enough – but his interest in radio goes back as far as he can remember. “Before I could walk,” Ted says, “lying on my back in bed… the buttons on my clothes looked like buttons on a radio, and I thought ‘If I could somehow push a button and make radio come out…’ To this day, I’m as fascinated with radio as I ever was.”

Hardly a week goes by that weather-related disasters aren’t touching some section of the country. So how can you protect yourself? In this three part series, we’ll look at some general preparedness techniques, then, drill down to the studio and transmitter sites.

Your thoughts on this topic are appreciated.