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January 2010 |
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case studies
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techtalk |
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Helping Visitors See the Light |
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The City of Ludington,
Michigan, is partnering with a historic lighthouse group
to get visitors to "see the light" – using radio.
In the summer
of 2009 the
Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association
(SPLKA) installed a special "Information Radio
Station," which broadcasts on the AM
frequency 1610, atop the City's 3-story
water treatment building. From this high
point along the lakeshore the signal
propagates across the City of Ludington, up
and down the Lake Michigan shoreline and can
be tuned in by visitors in vehicles within a
3-5-mile-radius range.
(See more below, left.) |
Big Sable Point Lighthouse
Ludington, Michigan
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The Big Sable Point Lighthouse, located on
Lake Michigan, is one of three lighthouses
touted by the new radio station. Designated
a National Historic Site, its marker
reads...
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Called
Grande Pointe au
Sable by French
explorers and traders,
Big Sable Point was an
important landmark for
mariners traveling a
treacherous stretch of
Lake Michigan shoreline
between Big Sable Point
and present-day
Ludington. In 1855,
twelve ships wrecked in
that area. Commerce
linked to the burgeoning
lumber industry required
that Big Sable Point be
suitably lighted. State
senator Charles Mears
pressed the legislature
to ask the federal
government for a light
station at Big Sable. In
1866 the U.S. Congress
appropriated $35,000 for
a lighthouse, which was
built the following
year. As the lumbering
era waned, steamers
carrying coal,
foodstuffs, and tourists
continued to rely on the
lighthouse for
navigation.
The Big Sable Point
Lighthouse is one of the
few Michigan lights with
a tower reaching 100
feet. Completed in 1867,
Big Sable's tower
measures 112 feet high.
In 1902 the
deteriorating brick
tower was encased in
steel. The keeper's
dwelling, which once
housed a single family,
has been enlarged over
the years, resulting in
the present three-family
residence. Indoor
plumbing and heating and
a diesel electric
generator were added in
1949. In 1953, power
lines were extended to
the Point. In 1968 the
tradition of
light-keeping begun in
1867 by Alonzo A. Hyde
and his wife, Laura,
ended when the station
was fully automated. Big
Sable Point Light
Station is listed in the
National Register of
Historic Places. |
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The broadcast, whose handle is "Light Talk
1610," tells travelers how to locate three
1800's era lighthouses, and gives them
historic details as well as hours and dates
that each is open for tours.
Download a sample broadcast message.
SPLKA president David Hawley declares, "We've
had nothing but positive feedback about
'Light Talk 1610.'"
To give the the
broadcast spice and variety, the group
worked with Information Station Specialists
to conduct interviews with volunteers,
visitors and Association management. Their
voices can be heard, intermingled with
informational messages.
The City also has
access to the broadcast to insert current
event information
during
the beach town's busy summer season.
 The
content of the station's broadcasts are
calculated to get people's appetites up for
a visit to one of the lighthouses and to the
many other attractions in the city of
Ludington, which is strategically centered
amidst them all.
The equipment employed operates by
conventional audio files on flash drives;
and, when a new broadcast is required, it
only requires a quick change to get it done.
Like the lighthouses it speaks of, the
station is out there serving visitors and
potential visitors 24 hours a day, 365 days
a year. |
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Robert
Sperling
Lighthouse Director of
Maintenance
Posing with the Antenna
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"We value our
partnership with ISS, Inc.;
and we look forward to
working with [them] more in
the...future."
...David A.
Hawley
SPLKA President
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ISS' Bob Bateman Interviews
Lighthouse Gift Store Manager
for Broadcast Preparation |
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Related Links
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