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Soldiers render a salute as an event
week-
end opens with the raising of the colors. |
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Two young visitors listen as a reenactor
explains the details of his work. |
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| The "Old Fort" tells
its story in a new way. |
| Adds "History Station" to Invite Visitation,
Participation & Donations |
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Fort Wayne, IN: There is an old fort in Indiana
that’s trying some new tricks when it comes to promotion
and community engagement. Built in 1976 and located in
the heart of downtown Fort Wayne, the Old Fort is a
replica of the final fort to stand in Fort Wayne,
originally constructed in 1816. Operated by Historic
Fort Wayne, Inc., the Old Fort is reaching out to locals
and out-of-town visitors using a special radio
broadcast. No, they are not buying time on local
stations. The group recently took it a step further and
bought their own radio station. |
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Drive through
downtown Fort Wayne now and you can tune into a “History
Station” named “Fort Radio – AM 1640” (sample broadcast). The new service provide updates on coming
events, a thumbnail of the structure’s history and
details on where to park when you get there. The
broadcast even instructs listeners how they can
volunteer during historic events and how they can donate
to keep the Fort's programs vital and functioning.
Because the Old Fort is located in a city park and its
broadcast license is in the name of the city’s parks and
recreation department, one plan is to promote the
broadcast to park visitors within 2-3 miles to encourage
them to tune in, get engaged and plan a visit. Street
signs with a unique logo have been created, above left,
that can be
installed as riders on existing street signs. A more
rustic version, above right, has been designed to be installed at the
Old Fort itself. |
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Reenactor Malinda Pagel chats with
visitors about the role of women and the
intricacies of midwifery |
Woodwright reenactor Kip Lytle tends to
one of his many projects while conversing with
curious visitors. |
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| Public information
liaison Malinda Pagel tells The Source that a History
Station functions like a “point of purchase” display at
a retail store. “A large number of people drive by our
site daily in their cars. We're not open every day and
our large events occur over random weekends throughout
the year. So, we’ve struggled to let people on the
ground know who we are, what we're about and when we're
open. This History Station on 1640 is a great way to
communicate with potential visitors on the spot instead
of sending them to a website for more information.“ |
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| Volunteer
Jim Firestone installs the History Station antenna to
put Fort Radio - 1640 AM on the air. |
Since most every
destination has a website, a History Radio Station adds
an element of uniqueness to a site’s communication mix
that can set it apart. It tells the site’s story using
human voices to add character and nuance to the
presentation. An oral delivery can be especially
valuable for the very young, seniors and the visually
impaired – groups who may not be able to take full
advantage of traditional text-based communication
methods such as brochures, on-site displays or the web
pages.
History
Stations are in use around the US at well-known
historic sites such as Gettysburg and Fort Donelson
National Battlefields, Mount Rushmore, along the Natchez Trace Parkway
and to interpret structures such as the Zane Grey home
in New York, plantations in Tennessee and at lighthouses
such as Big Sable Point in Michigan ( read examples). Some
stations, like the Old Fort’s, are FCC licensed
Information Stations and
have a range suitable to cover a city.
Unlicensed versions with a shorter range are
utilized to tell the story of historic homes and
districts. Hear examples, middle
right. |
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| Visitors
stroll between the Old Fort (left) and the outbuildings
(far right), which represent some of the structures that
would have surrounded the original forts. Attractions
during events include a woodshop, a blacksmith’s forge,
a bake oven, and a modern building where a small gift
shop and bake sale operate. |
| Malinda Pagel
continues, “Historic Fort Wayne, Inc., is a donation-only
organization, and it takes a lot to maintain our Fort in
a way that is period-correct and historically accurate.
Increasing our number of visitors may also result in an
increase in our donations, which in turn allows us to
stay open and keep the Fort in good shape for
generations to come.” |
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| Lighthouse
preservation requires information. |
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| POINT REYES
STATION, CA: With the $5,000,000 restoration of one of
the most picturesque light stations in the US in full
swing, Point Reyes National Seashore in California is
reaching out to approaching visitors using radio (listen).
The goal is to keep motorists apprised of the status of
the project and to tell them how they can navigate
construction work. |
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Beginning late
this month, NPS is setting up a shuttle bus service on
weekends and holidays, so the public can continue to
have limited access to whale watching while the lighthouse area
remain closed. Because the
construction affects various roads and public
facilities, the Park Service is employing an
EventCast portable radio system to deliver to
visitors specifics regarding the shuttle schedule, its
route and its cost prior to their arrival. The broadcast
also stresses key safety information for riders who plan
to disembark.
“Our preference is to get the [radio] system up and
running before the shuttle starts to give visitors a
heads-up,” says John Dell’Osso, the National Seashore’s
Chief of Interpretation and Resource Education.
EventCast Portable Systems were first utilized by the
National Park Service at the Grand Canyon (The
Source newsletter, March 2017) to provide
details about their shuttle bus system, which operates
at the South Rim throughout the main visitation season. |
| History Stations
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Listen On-Air
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| Hoover's History Station |
| His history is a
headliner on a heartland highway. |
| WEST BRANCH, IA:
What former president grew up in a family of five and
lived in an Iowa house smaller than a two-stall garage?
It was none other than Herbert Hoover himself, who would
be humbled to hear how the National Park Service has
honored him with one of the first History Radio Stations
(TIS).
The radio service is available to motorists whizzing
along on Interstate 80 in Eastern Iowa as they approach
Hoover’s historic hometown – West Branch, Iowa. |
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View Westbound in
Eastern Iowa as Motorists
Approach Hoover's Historic Homestead |
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Recent
upgrades have allowed the Hoover Presidential
Foundation to take over the production of the radio
programming, and the result is one of the best-sounding
interpretive
Information Stations heard anywhere. The
Foundation’s Brad Reiners told The Source that
the 22-minute repeating broadcast includes multiple
voices and interviews to be more engaging ‒ and so the
broadcast will sound more like a live radio program.
“We hope that people who listen but don’t stop the first
time they pass us will come by on their return trip
across I-80,” states Reiners. The signal range is such
that travelers moving between Davenport and Des Moines
at 70 miles per hour can listen for 10-15 minutes, as
they go by.
Creating an engaging program such as Hoover NHS’s can
also be contracted out.
Information
Station Specialists, the historic site’s equipment
provider, offers a service called
“InfoRadio Format” in which multi-voice programs of
this type are written, produced and delivered to
operators to air on their stations. A number of
National Park service sites have utilized the
InfoRadio service – historically. |
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| Information Radio Stations is a generic term
synonymous with Travelers Information Stations (TIS), Highway
Advisory Radio Stations (HAR) / Highway Information Systems &
Low Power Radio Stations (LPR). Operation of the stations is
governed by FCC Part 90.242 Rules. A FCC license is required.
Information Radio Stations may be fixed or portable.
Subcomponents may include transmitter, antenna and ground
system, digital voice player, wattmeter, cabinet with
conventional or Corbin locks, lightning arrestors for RF, power
and telephone lines, coaxial cable. Most stations employ black
maximized antennas to discourage ice accumulation and security
measures to prevent unauthorized program access. Options include
synchronization, battery backup, solar power, remote programming
by local, network or telco, multi-station audio distribution via
RF or LAN / WAN or wireless network. |
