WKSU/Cleveland Improves Reach with MaxxCast HD Signal
| RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, April 4, 2023 | 11:42am CT |
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 GeoBroadcast Solutions |
WKSU-FM/Cleveland, a non-commercial public radio station operated by Ideastream Public Media, says it has substantially improved its broadcast signal and audience reach using a MaxxCasting system from GeoBroadcast Solutions. The station had recently consolidated the region's NPR programming on WKSU (89.7) and its network of repeaters to improve its coverage area.
Licensed to Kent State University, WKSU was historically the public radio station in the Akron, Kent and Canton, OH areas. In 2021, Ideastream Public Media consolidated operations of its own NPR station, WCPN-FM, with WKSU and subsequently dedicated WCPN to a classical and jazz service. With the merger of the two stations, Ideastream tapped MaxxCasting to help improve the weaker parts of the 89.7 signal in northeast Ohio.
Having recently deployed the first of a two-node single-frequency network (SFN) with HD Radio, WKSU will serve Greater Cleveland with FM and HD Radio coverage that provides better quality audio and more stable RDS transmission.
"After the merger, WKSU needed improvements to reach the growing population of the metro-Cleveland aera. The nodes will do a tremendous job of filling the area and providing a signal that is clear and strong," said Ideastream Public Media Sr. Director of Technology Chuck Poulton. "We are very pleased to be using the MaxxCasting technology to better reach and grow our audience."
MaxxCasting combines radio and cellular technology with patented designs that enable FM Broadcasters to enhance their signals with the deployment of a strategically located cluster of low to the ground, highly directionalized synchronized booster sites. MaxxCasting allows broadcasters to deliver easy to receive signals that reach a broader portion of their service area and supports the accurate decoding of Nielsen PPM watermark to aid in accurate audience measurement.
"Part of what our MaxxCasting system will accomplish for WKSU is not having to duplicate much coverage. It allows for the introduction of more content to more listeners, including the public service broadcasting to the communities the station serves," said GeoBroadcast Solutions Chief Technology Officer Paul Littleton.
