| Publisher: Information Station Specialists |
| Pow Wow Broadcast Live on New Tribal Radio Station |
| Tribe’s Radio Service Will Promote Safety, Emergency Preparedness & Culture |
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| Photo Courtesy of Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi |
| FULTON, MI:
Approach the Pine Creek Indian Reservation in southern
Michigan the last weekend in June and you can experience
a very traditional gathering with a very non-traditional
media presence. The annual Pow Wow celebration features
traditional Potawatomi dance, music, singing, crafts and
other cultural expressions. It’s open to the public and
draws thousands from across the country. Back in the day, you had to be physically at the Reservation to see and hear the goings-on; now you can experience the Pow Wow event on your car radio, live-streamed on a smartphone or, if you are on foot, in special “sound zones” scattered about the Tribal property. J.W. Newson, the Tribe’s audiovisual production specialist, will manage it all from the newly designed Control Studio located on the grounds. |
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| Photo
Courtesy of Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi |
| The Nottawaseppi
Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) Tribe will use the
radio service to inform attendees of event directions,
parking information, prohibited items, the photo policy
and other things visitors need to be mindful of. Once it
begins, they can tune in to AM1620 and hear it happening
in real time on the property and for miles around. “And there are a lot of avenues in which this service will be useful all year long,” points out James Zoss, the NHBP’s emergency manager. “Severe weather is our number-one exposure in southern Michigan – both summer and winter – and the fact that National Weather Service warnings can interrupt radio programming at any time is critical.” Getting information out to residents when power or communication services are down is important as well. The radio system is on generator-backed power, so the signal stays up even when the grid goes down. |
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| Fireman Erik Olson and the new emergency (TIS) radio antenna at Red Rock Canyon National Conservancy. | |
| Photo Courtesy of the BLM | |
| Recreation Radio Resurgence | |
| Federal Parks and Forests Embrace 21st Century Technology to Keep Visitors Safe and Informed | |
| It’s been more than 100 years since a medium called “Radio” went mainstream, but despite its long presence, the methodology has rivaled “Old Faithful” in its ability to rise to the occasion. Why radio? Many parks and sites don’t have cellular or WIFI coverage for visitors, many of whom are of the age that easy-to-navigate communications are preferred. Moreover, Travelers Information Radio Stations (TIS) can now perform feats of quality, signal range, operational ease, remote control and portability that were considered impossible in the analog age. | |
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| Hiking in the Bureau of Land Management’s Red Rock Canyon Conservancy near Las Vegas, NV | |
| Photo by Margaret Wiktor, Courtesy of Shutterstock | |
| At Red Rock Canyon National Conservancy Area west of Las Vegas, management has just installed a RadioSAFE Emergency TIS Radio System to inform visitors of rapidly changing conditions that have the potential to affect their safety. Red Rock is a large canyon with a 5-mile loop road that can quickly become impassible or dangerous due to a fast-burning fire or a weather-related event. On a given day, thousands of visitors may be driving, hiking, biking or rock climbing in the vulnerable canyon area. The RadioSAFE system incorporates the uber- efficient AN2X antenna that allows the Bureau of Land Management to transmit safety broadcasts all the way across the valley to cars at every point along the road and its many turn-offs and lots. Audio messages are in the form of high-quality digital files (mp3), which rival commercial broadcast stations in quality and can be transferred easily. Red Rock’s messages were recorded by Information Station Specialists' audio team in Michigan. The Park's system will also be network-managed for maximum day-to-day convenience and to allow for fast message changes when required by conditions. | |
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| Glacier National Park Entrance in Montana | Elk winter near Bridger-Teton Forest in Wyoming. |
| Photo by Virrage Images, Courtesy of Shutterstock | Photo by Reimar, Courtesy of Shutterstock |
| Glacier National
Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest are employing
RadioSTAT
Systems -- Travelers Information Radio Stations
that are ready to roll on a moment’s notice. This allows
operators to take the service to where most needed while
keeping systems themselves out of the way of wildfires,
floods or other threats. At Glacier, the location of
road construction will determine where the radio signal
will be provided for incoming visitors. At Bridger-Teton, the inbound will be advised about a variety of safety issues like bear danger and current wildfire locations. In late June the Sandy Fire ignited in the National Forest near the town of Bondurant, burning more than 100 acres. Smoke was visible to motorists on the area’s main highway -- US 191. One of Bridger-Teton’s three RadioSTAT systems will be DC so it can take advantage of solar power where available. At Grand Canyon National Park, the National Park Service has entered its 6th year of renting an EventCAST Radio Station to give visitors shuttlebus information as they approach the South Rim near Tusayan, Arizona. The 1610 AM radio signal was tasked with keeping visitors tracking on changing COVID regulations and resulting closures that have occurred since 2020. This service and its day-to-day messages are managed remotely by Information Station Specialists. |
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PO Box 51, Zeeland, Michigan, USA, 49464-0051, Phone 616.772.2300, Fax 616.772.2966, Email
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