Rock Lives, In Touch Networks, Inc.,
New York
Flash Gordon Special, Sun Sounds of
Arizona, Phoenix/Tempe
Mail Order Catalogs, Kansas
Audio-Reader Network, Lawrence
Out of Sight, Audio Journal, Worcester
The International Day of Disabled
Persons – Translink, VoicePrint, Toronto
Oprah Magazine, Talking Information
Center, Marshfield
The Economist, In Touch Networks,
Inc., New York
A Novel Idea, Radio Reading
Services of Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati
Can Lit Condensed, VoicePrint, Toronto
Science World, Radio Reading
Services of Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati
The Ontario Regional Report, VoicePrint,
Toronto
Enquirer Sports, Radio Reading
Services of Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati
Big Kill Devil Hill, WCRS, Akron
ITN Christmas PSA, In Touch
Networks, Inc., New York
ITN Client PSA, In Touch Networks,
Inc., New York
For Your Ears Only, Kansas
Audio-Reader Network, Lawrence
Michael Starling of National Public
Radio
Receives IAAIS C. Stanley Potter
Award
May 22, 2004
Presented by David Noble of Sun
Sounds of Arizona, representing IAAIS
The purpose of the Award is to
honor outstanding contributions to the audio
information industry. This
particular individual has not only served IAAIS
on its Board of Directors, he has
also served IAAIS in his work “outside”
audio information services. He has not “grown up” in radio reading, but
is
a convert to the cause.
One of the key factors in
identifying a candidate for our most prestigious
award, is to find those who think
“out of the box” in creating innovations
for furthering audio information
access. This award is not about how long
one has been in this industry but
what an individual or organization has
contributed to IAAIS's growth,
success, empowerment, technological
advancement, and programming
creativity.
This nominee does all this and is
not a staff member or volunteer at a
member station of IAAIS. He has contributed to the growth of this
industry
by helping to represent its mission
and purpose to the Federal
Communications Commission, the
leadership of non-commercial radio and by
educating us on those things
outside our sphere of knowledge. He has
served in key roles that
contributed to the industry’s success in
protecting existing radio reading
services from the potentially harmful
effects of Low Power FM
stations. He champions IAAIS within the
public
radio system, and is instrumental
in helping IAAIS members meet with and
educate leaders in the broadcast
industry. With his support for the work
we all strive to accomplish, he
helps further our organizational
development and our reputations as
professionals in the broadcast industry.
This individual has offered
expertise from both his legal training and his
broadcast engineering
background. Most commonly, this is put
to use to
develop language for various
filings and pleadings for IAAIS with the
Federal Communications
Commission filings in which he
formulated position
statements that were irrefutable
for their concise logic, broadcast
engineering expertise, and plain
old good sense. The man I am referring
to unselfishly devotes countless
hours to attending IAAIS conferences,
standard setting committees for the
broadcast industry, committee meetings
for IAAIS, and has served on our
board of directors. He is well-known for
his ability to explain
patiently in layman’s terms the vagaries of
complex technologies to aide our
industry’s conversion to digital.
Currently he is spearheading the
NPR led effort we know as the “Tomorrow
Radio Project”. While its best-known purpose is to test the
ability to
send more than one signal through
the new digital radio system, he built
into the planning a “home” for
radio reading services. Because he
meant
for reading services to be included
in the plan from day one, the
developers of the digital radio
system at iBiquity, and manufacturers like
Kenwood received clear messages
that public radio and reading services were
to move into the future of radio
together.
Like his “out of the box” thinking
ability, he is “outside” our membership.
This has not prevented him from
promoting the acceptance of IAAIS's needs
to his companion workers. On countless occasions those co-workers will
remember him asking… “But what
about the reading services”? He has
made it
a part of his position inside
public radio to ensure that audio information
services will not be the step-child
of digital radio. He constantly seeks
technological solutions that will
accommodate our industry’s need for
inclusion in the digital broadcast
world tomorrow.
Ultimately, of course, his efforts
are not just about an industry, or a
technology, or the politics of
broadcasting. Ultimately, his work helps to
insure that all people everywhere,
regardless of disability, can get the
information they need to be full
functioning members of the community and
the society.
His current title is Vice President
of Engineering at National Public
Radio. Only a little while ago he had “Director IAAIS” after his name as
well. Michael reached his term limit on the IAAIS board and so was
required to set aside the title of
Director, but he’s earned several other
titles. We call him counselor, advocate, friend, and now; we call him to
our podium receive our highest
honor, C. Stanley Potter Achievement Award.
David Noble, Past President, IAAIS