IT/Engineering Director
Rhode Island Public Radio
Non-profit; 25-50 employees; Wireless/Broadcasting industry
June 2012 – Present | Providence, Rhode Island
+ Responsible for all IT, networking, and studio engineering for NPR affiliate network in 1 Union Station, downtown Providence.
+ Provide all engineering services for four-station network: WELH 88.1FM Providence (leased from The Wheeler School), WCVY 91.5FM Coventry (leased from Coventry High School), WRNI-FM 102.7FM & HD (owned). Also lease WRNI 1290AM to Latino Public Radio and WRNI-FM-HD2 to MVYradio.com
+ Manage staff of three contract engineers.
+ Provide strategic analysis and vision for engineering matters.
President, Owner
Fried Bagels Broadcast and Technical Consulting
Self-Employed; 1 employee; Wireless/Broadcasting industry
September 1999 – Present | Boston, Massachusetts and Santa Barbara, California Areas
+ Jack of All Trades in Broadcast Consulting and Engineering
+ Able and Ready to Assist YOUR Radio Station or Web Media/Webcast Outlet with: Studio Engineering, Transmitter Engineering, Production, Scriptwriting, Fundraising, Webcasting, Listener Outreach, Social Media, Promotions, Sales / Underwriting and more!
+ Currently providing services for KCBX, San Luis Obispo (Public Radio for the Central Coast). Maintaining transmitter sites for KSBX (Gibraltar Peak) and K215AG (Broadcast Peak) and assisting on HD Radio upgrade to KCBX (Cuesta Peak) and KNBX (Williams Hill).
+ Available for contract work in the greater Santa Barbara region (Central Coast of CA) or greater Boston, MA.
Chief Engineer, KCSB 91.9FM
UC Santa Barbara
Educational Institution; 5001-10,000 employees; Higher Education industry
July 2011 – October 2011 | Santa Barbara, California Area
KCSB is a free-form radio station with 5 full-time career staff and 100+ volunteers (both student and local community) based at UCSB. It broadcasts live 24/7/365 across most of Santa Barbara County. The facility has four studios, seven offices and a 10,000+ CD/LP library.
+ Primary technical support for all computer, networking and engineering needs.
+ Served as FCC Chief Operator.
+ Wired/re-wired studios and AudioArts D75 mix consoles as needed to add/remove equipment.
+ Installed new CAP-compliant EAS ENDEC, trained staff on new FEMA/FCC procedures.
+ Provided laptop / desktop support for 20+ Macs and PC's.
+ Maintained Linux-based servers for mail, web, webcast, archive, DNS and DHCP.
+ Installed and maintained ENCO DAD automation system. (4 networked workstations)
+ Maintained mountaintop transmitter facility with Moseley StarLink/LanLink STL.
+ Assisted dozens of students in training them on using Audacity, Nicecast, Adobe Audition, Protools and other related software for audio transmission and editing.
General Manager WEOS and WHWS Radio
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Educational Institution; 501-1000 employees; Higher Education industry
August 2007 – June 2011 | 300 Pulteney Street, Geneva, NY 14456
WEOS 89.7FM-HD, (Finger Lakes Public Radio) NPR news/talk affiliate station. Est. 25,000 daily listenership. Numerous special events and broadcasts of speeches, concerts, symposiums, etc.
WHWS-LP 105.7FM (Hobart and William Smith College Radio) Student-run "college radio" station for HWS and Geneva area. Heavy sports coverage (100+ games/yr)
Duties and Responsibilities
+ Manage a mix of 4 FT and PT pro employees, 4 student managers and 50+ volunteers.
+ Responsible for annual budget of $300,000. Manage CPB and PTFP grants.
+ Responsible for all operations, long-/short-term planning, FCC compliance, public relations, finances, web presence and programming decisions.
+ Record newscasts, special programming, etc.
+ Perform on-air fundraising during pledge week.
+ Perform engineering and repair duties at studios and transmitters as needed.
+ Maintain in-house computer network.
+ Record voice tracks and related audio as needed. Maintain Enco D.A.D. Automation system.
+ Liaise with nearby colleges (Cornell, Ithaca College, Keuka, Wells College, RIT, etc) for special broadcasts.
+ Ensure all music played complies with licensing and reporting requirements.
+ Update and maintain stations’ web presence and social media outlets.
Accomplishments
+ Instituted regular on-air fundraiser system from scratch. Raised over $55,000 in first year.
+ Attracted new underwriters via aggressive pursuit of synergistic opportunities; esp. local wineries and Wine Trails. Also worked extensively with local chambers of commerce to secure new underwriters.
+ Implemented student mgmt structure at WHWS, from scratch, while improving student morale and increasing student involvement by over 50%.
+ Successfully installed first HD Radio-equipped FM Translator station in USA. (W212BA)
+ Planned and successfully executed numerous live events, concerts and fundraisers at local venues. (several for nat'l distribution) Including: Amy Goodman, Science Friday, World Café, Says You! and Whad’ya Know?!.
+ Implemented automated engineer system, saving over $4000 annually.
Staff Engineer
Broadcast Signal Lab (aka Isotrope, LLC)
Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Wireless industry
February 2002 – December 2007 | 505 Main Street, Medfield, MA 02052 (Boston)
(note: This position shifted from PT to FT to Contract)
+ Provided regular and on-call maintenance and engineering support to several Boston-area clients, especially college and public radio stations.
+ Performed weekly signal analysis to several AM/FM stations to ensure proper bandwidth, frequency check, spectrum analyzation, and other RF analysis.
+ Performed Spectrum Studies for various broadcast and wireless/cellphone clients to determine if proposed facilities meet FCC separation and contour rules.
+ Assisted in preparing presentations for Zoning Boards of Appeals for various municipalities regarding wireless tower siting and related issues. Liaise with municipal representatives as needed to explain technical concepts and federal regulations.
+ Managed accounts receivable. Installed networked Quickbooks system to be shared between two remote offices.
+ Provided in-house desktop and network support for the office LAN, printers, etc.
+ Client list included WGBH, WZBC Boston College, WBRS Brandeis University, WZLY Wellesley College, WHRB Harvard University, WBUR Boston University and WERS Emerson College.
Accomplishments
+ Provided operations and office support for $250,000 contract with USAF to provide RF exposure measurements of PAVE PAWS radar facility on Cape Cod.
+ Installed Axia mixer AoIP system with all-new furniture and equipment in two-studio facility at WZLY (Wellesley College).
+ Designed and repaired three-studio facility at WBRS (Brandeis University).
+ Performed regular studio maintenance at WZBC (Boston College) and assisted in overhaul of transmitter facilities and installation of new Shively antenna array, Marti PnP1000 transmitter, RF switch, dummy load, Omnia processor and general integration of previous Bext/Wilkinson transmitter as backup.
Technical Director, Living on Earth
World Media Foundation
Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Broadcast Media industry
2004 and 2007 | 20 Holland Street, Somerville, MA 02144 (Boston)
(note: employment was two, separate three-month contracts: once in 2004 and again in 2007)
+ Weekly, PRI, national public radio program about environment news and issues. Hosted by Steve Curwood and Bruce Gellerman.
+ Responsible for all audio quality and technical aspects of the program.
+ Maintained two-studio facility's audio gear, including Sony DMX-R100 digital mixer, Protools DIGI002, Telos phone hybrids and ISDN, Neuman U87a and AKG C414 microphones.
+ Performed network administration and maintenance, desktop support for in-house Macs and Windows desktops.
+ Engineered and recorded all interviews, via ISDN, telephone and in-studio.
+ Used Digidesign Protools to create coherent hour-long program. Work with producers to help edit audio into segments / stories.
+ Ensured delivery of program to affiliates via PRSS (Public Radio Satellite System) and ContentDepot.
Technical Director, The Infinite Mind
Lichtenstein Creative Media
Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Broadcast Media industry
January 2005 – August 2007 | 1 Broadway, 14th floor, Cambridge, MA (Boston)
+ Designed, constructed and maintained in-house recording studio, with custom-built rack cabinet (with soundproofed ventilation), three Telos Zephyr ISDN codecs, Protools DIGI003, multiple Mac/PC computers, Whisperroom booth, and Yamaha 01v96 mixer.
+ Used Protools and Sound Forge to create coherent hour-long program.
+ Provided technical support as needed for producers' editing on Protools and other platforms.
+ Provided desktop and server support for 15+ Macs and PC's.
+ Liaised with WRNI staff for studio rentals for Dr. Kramer involving complicated three-way ISDN connections. Troubleshooted problems remotely as needed.
+ Liaised with Cambridge Innovation Center staff for networking support and service.
+ Beta tester for Public Radio Satellite System's Web Portal and ContentDepot satellite systems.
+ Engineered Second Life presence for four-episode series about SL.
Webcast Producer
TechOnLine
Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Online Media industry
March 2004 – December 2004 | 35 Crosby Drive, Bedford, MA (Boston)
+ Produced audio and video webcasts for commercial clients using proprietary CMS.
+ Included registration systems, audio/video stream, synchronized slide presentation, IM-style user Q/A, and full archiving capabilities.
+ Liaised with clients for show prep, content creation, content adaptation, post-show archiving and customer support. Extensive graphic design and Powerpoint work performed.
+ Hosted live webcasts, managed and screened questions for presenters.
+ Maintain in-house production studio.
Associate Producer (ITwebcast)
ITworld.com (aka Accela Communications, aka KIT Digital)
Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Online Media industry
February 2000 – November 2001 | 119 Turnpike Rd, Southborough, MA (Boston)
+ Produced live/on-demand multimedia webcasts for editorial and corporate clients, using both standard "freestanding" webcast methods as well as proprietary CMS.
+ Included registration, archiving, text- and phone-based Q/A, synchronized slides and multimedia, and audio/video stream.
+ Liaised with clients for show prep, content creation / adaptation and customer support.
+ Provided front-line desktop support for production computers in group (Win95, 98, 2000, NT).
+ Performed audio editing with Sound Forge/Vegas, and video editing with Avid XpressDV.
+ Designed, constructed and maintained in-house studio facility, saving $250,000 annually.
+ Liaised with VideoLink (off-site studio) staff for tech issues during live webcast productions.
+ In-house audio expert for editing, processing for the web, and maximizing codec fidelity.
Audio Engineer
Computerworld
Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Publishing industry
August 1998 – February 2000 | 500 Old Connecticut Path, Framingham, MA 01701 (Boston)
+ Recorded, edited and posted The Computerworld Minute. A daily five-minute webcast about computers, networking and high-tech news.
+ Maintained in-house studio.
+ Maintained in-house RealServer.
Broadcast Recording Technician
(Assistant Technical Director for Here and Now)
WBUR 90.9FM, Boston's NPR News Station
Nonprofit; 51-200 employees; Broadcast Media industry
October 1996 – August 1999 | 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215
+ Daily live board operator for local broadcast, including during broadcast of Here and Now.
+ Board operator for live fundraising on WRNI.
+ Served as backup Technical Director for Here and Now. Assisted in initial launch of the show.
+ Multitasked any of four studios and six edit booths for on-air broadcasts and/or off-air interviews/recordings.
+ Regular recording of interviews using ISDN, POTS, etc. Extensive use of Wheatstone A500 mix consoles, Sierra Audio Switcher, and patchbays.
+ Protools and Cool Edit Pro / Audition editor: engineered local reporters' long-form pieces for the following day's Morning Edition local inserts and for Here and Now.
+ Operated AudioVault audio recording/playback system for automation and live-assist.
Education, Certification and Related
- Boston University, B.A. Psychology 1998. (Also WTBU radio 1994-1998)
- Certified Broadcast Technologist, Society of Broadcast Engineers
- Published author in Radio World.
- Published illustrator in The IBOC Handbook.
- Regular presenter at College Broadcasters Inc (CBI) national conferences.
- Regular contributor to CBI and PUBtech (Public Radio Engineers) online communities.
