Client: FAMILY LIFE RADIO / TUCSON, AZ
Chief Broadcast System Officer: ADAM BIDDELL
Services: SENTINEL
After a long-term focus on increasing on-air reliability and security through an upgrade in equipment, a refining of procedures, and the development of broadcast redundancy, Family Life Radio, Tucson, AZ, has collaborated with LinkUp by adopting SENTINEL, a service developed by the content delivery company to monitor network broadcasting, including transmitter off-air alarms.
Adam Biddell is FLR’s Chief Broadcast System Officer. Responding to a need for a quicker response to signal loss, his department has maintained their own 24/7 operations monitoring team for the past five years.
“It was a necessity at first,” says Biddell. “But our efforts paid off to the point that the number of alarms that we had previously received in a single day had decreased to the point that the number was now equal to the number of alarms received in a 10-day period. “
LinkUp President Mark Johnson says FLR’s monitoring success made them the perfect candidate for SENTINEL. “Adam was getting fewer and fewer calls to his 24/7 in-house operations, so the option of moving to an off-site partnership with LinkUp Communications just made sense.”
Together, Biddell and his Director of Operations, Joel David Hime, put together a plan with Johnson, LinkUp Vice President of Operations Eric Wiler, and NOC Manager Mike Wolfe to monitor Family Life Radio’s content and, when necessary, alert their staff regarding any first-tier emergencies.
On October 1, 2022, Family Life Radio turned the 24/7/365 monitor and alert duties for 20 full power stations over to LinkUp’s SENTINEL services. According to Biddell, the results have not been simply adequate, but have exceeded expectations.
WHAT THE CUSTOMER HAS TO SAY
“Making the move has enabled FLR to maximize human resources, and transition current staff into higher levels of troubleshooting, without having to sacrifice eyes and ears on stations 24/7/365.” Biddell also appreciates the responsiveness and expertise of the LinkUp staff. “Eric Wiler, Mike Wolfe, and the entire LinkUp team are very capable and have a robust facility to handle all monitoring needs. They truly listen and work to create solutions. As opportunities for improvement arise, they are responsive and quickly tweak and course correct as needed.”
WHAT LINKUP HAS TO SAY
LinkUp’s Eric Wiler: “Family Life Radio has been a truly collaborative partner with LinkUp, demonstrating that while there are two companies, we’re one team — working to ensure the success of their programming and technical systems.”