From L-R: Ryan Smith of Shure Inc., Representative Jim Cooper (D.-Tenn.), Steve Gibson of the Grand Ole Opry and Hank Neuberger of Springboard Productions.
From Wednesday, January 24, through Friday, January 26, representatives from Shure Incorporated, the Grand Ole Opry, the Professional Audio Manufacturer’s Alliance (PAMA), the Sports Video Group (SVG), PRG Audio, Springboard Productions, Masque Sound and Sound Associates Inc., among others, participated in a series of meetings in Washington, D.C. with U.S. Senators, members of the House of Representatives, and Commissioners and staff at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The group highlighted the integral role of wireless microphone systems in today’s entertainment, sports and news productions. It emphasized that professional audio productions face a significant risk of interference from the introduction of unlicensed devices in television broadcast bands unless the FCC develops rules that fully protect wireless microphone systems. Concerns about proposed legislation from Sens. John Kerry, D.-Mass., and John Sununu, R.-N.H., were specifically expressed.
“The group we assembled for these presentations included individuals who are responsible for some of the country’s biggest and most significant events in news, politics, sports, music and theater on a regular basis,” said Jeff Krull, Shure’s vice president for product development. “We facilitated these meetings to explain to these policy makers that our industry is very important to many sectors of American life, and that we’re very concerned about this proposed legislation and resulting rules.”
From L-R: Richard Fitzgerald of Sound Associates, Bob Rendon of PRG Audio, Representative Bobby L. Rush (D.-Ill.), Paul Gallo of PAMA, Danielle Burt of Bingham McCutchen LLP, and Jeff Krull of Shure Inc.
The group included Steve Gibson (Grand Ole Opry), Hank Neuberger (Springboard Productions), RF audio engineer Ed Greene, Bob Rendon (PRG Audio), Geoff Shearing (Masque Sound), Richard Fitzgerald (Sound Associates) and broadcast and studio engineer Ed Wieczorek.
“One of the messages we wanted to deliver is that wireless microphone systems are critical to the production of the content that Americans demand and expect from all media and entertainment outlets,” Krull says. “Our group wants to ensure that wireless microphones are protected from potential interference. FCC rules that do not allow for the successful coexistence of unlicensed devices would also significantly harm the greater public interest. Any interference could cripple the production of live, high-profile events like the Super Bowl, World Series, Grammy Awards, Broadway shows and political conventions, to name a few.”
For more information, visit www.shure.com.
