Jodesha Broadcasting Finds Marantz PMD660 Compact Digital Recorder gives Regional Broadcasters Access to the Finest ENG Tools
(Marantz | Posted 2005-05-20)
Jodesha Broadcasting, which operates two FM music outlets (KSWW 102.1 and KJET 105.7) and an AM news/talk radio station (KBKW 1450) based in Aberdeen, Washington, has purchased its second Marantz Professional PMD660 Compact Digital Recorder literally weeks after buying its first one. The two PMD660 lightweight digital field recorders join the Marantz PMD670 Solid State Recorder already in use at the stations’ news department, providing a seamless, affordable file-based digital audio solution for ENG that gives independent broadcasters an edge in this highly competitive business.
“We’ve been using the PMD670 for a while and we love its performance and flexibility,” says Bill Wolfenbarger, President and Chief Engineer of Jodesha Broadcasting. “Within weeks of acquiring one of the PMD660 recorders, we realized that we had to have another one immediately — one for each of our two field reporters. They’re light and powerful and reliable, and they sound great on the air. Compared to the old way of working news, we simply take the files in from the PMDs, transfer it to a workstation running Adobe Audition software, and begin editing. It gets the news into shape and onto the air quickly, efficiently and effectively. It’s as much a great workflow tool as it is an incredible ENG tool. And it sounds so good it literally puts the listener into the press conference or event with the reporter.”
The Marantz Professional “hand-held” PMD660 Compact Digital Recorder is based on the PMD670 Solid State Recorder, and offers many of the same features found in the larger unit, including solid-state recording with no moving parts, easy one-touch digital recording to Compact Flash cards or microdrives, and a built-in microphone with Automatic Level Control (ALC). The PMD660 can record WAV files for high-resolution sound and excellent music fidelity, and in the MP3 format which offers enormous recording capacity with extremely intelligible sound quality. And the PMD660 delivers all this in a lightweight “hand-held” compact format, easily carried to the front of the news action and able to record for hours running on standard AA batteries.
“It’s small, so it’s unobtrusive and not an intimidating piece of hardware in someone’s face at press conferences,” comments Wolfenbarger. “At its very affordable price, there’s no reason why independent radio broadcasters can’t have cutting-edge newsgathering tools.”
