|
We are pleased to have completed the 2007 annual report. What may have seemed like a quiet year was actually a milestone in terms of capacity building and in terms of technology innovations for the broadcast industry. KVPR began broadcasting in HD (hybrid digital) and later, our secondary HD2 channel, offering more classical music and more entertainment programs such as This American Life, the BBC’s World Have Your Say, To The Best Of Our Knowledge and more. The opportunity to select what you are listening to, and to enjoy incredible sound quality are just two of the reasons for listeners to invest in the emerging technology of HD radio.
2007 was also a year for a new satellite delivery system for Bakersfield and the South Valley. The signal is not only clear and reliable, it reaches into the grapevine, just 75 miles outside of Los Angeles! We are pleased to hear from our South Valley listeners regarding the reliability of the Bakersfield signal.
There was also an invisible technological advance, called “Content Depot” – involving over 750 public radio stations across the country. Content Depot is the means by which nearly all programs are distributed through the system. I liken this to a large server in the sky that holds all of the programming we broadcast and allows us to download the programs as we need them. This two-year project is now complete, and the station uses Content Depot exclusively. I congratulate the staff for an uneventful transition to an easier and more reliable way of bringing listeners the programs they want to hear.
Our new traffic management system (“Radio Works”) was another technological advancement, allowing the station to automate the traffic system and to merge invoicing, logging, and monitoring of the entire broadcast content. This system was launched in the summer of 2007 and is near completion. Radio Works allows the station to provide complete and professional documentation to agencies, corporate partners, and those placing underwriting spots on Valley Public Radio.
The most visible accomplishment during the past year was the redesign of the kvpr.org website to allow for easier navigation. The redesign has facilitated access to the site’s more popular features, increased users’ capacity for social networking, and has brought more users to our site. More interactivity on kvpr.org has meant an increased ability to communicate with new listeners, as well as a deeper dialogue with those listeners we currently serve.
These are mostly “internal” changes, and you might ask yourself, “What impact do those changes have on me?”
Building this internal capacity is necessary for us to better serve a growing audience, and impacts all our listeners, directly. The fact that a greater number of South Valley listeners can tune in and hear a clear HD signal is music to our ears – and theirs! The new website has made the top NPR news and classical music stories just one click away. Archived audio programs like Quality of Life and Young Artists Spotlight allow listeners to access an increasing number of perspectives around a multitude of topics in which they take a personal interest. More and more people have the option to use the website as a learning vehicle.
To learn more about the impact your investments have had on capacity building and listener satisfaction, visit www.kvpr.org and take a read of the annual report, or call and ask us to mail you a copy. I am always happy to respond to your questions and curiosities. I salute the leadership, volunteers, staff, community partners and members like you for contributing to these and other successes. Together we have an enormous impact on the quality of life for the Central Valley and beyond.
|
What's Playing Now?
Recently in the Archive
Top Stories
