I enjoy technology. As a youth, catalogs from Lafayette, Radio Shack, Heathkit, and Edmund Scientific were stacked with Jules Verne and Arthur C. Clarke novels, an encyclopedia, and a dictionary. Spaceflight and other worlds gave way to Dynaco, Ampex, and then Fortran.
To this day, I appreciate the importance of the proper application of both grammar and a wrench to get things done.
WBHM
As of August 27, 2012, I took on a new adventure as General Manager of Public Radio Station WBHM 90.3 FM, licensed to the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The people and the community impress me. It reminds me of Pittsburgh (and WDUQ) in 1995. Birmingham is a city with a legacy in steel, addressing challenges of the past while evolving into a center for medicine, commerce, and education.
The changing media world is offering up the potential for public media to take an even larger role in convening and informing the public. For WBHM, it is a great opportunity with a dedicated, talented staff in a special city with a great university, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a strong community of listeners and supporters.
I am eager to contribute to the success of what is next.
Helping things and people work TOGETHER
Technology is a tool to accomplish things. It may be a device or a process or a combination of both. But the creators of technology are often not the same people who will be working with technology. The long-term success of technology is how it succeeds, every day.
The "creators" and the "practitioners" are often very different in their backgrounds, learning styles and perspectives. Communication and understanding across the "system" is one of the biggest impediments to technological success.
It is important to manage expectations over what is possible, what is practical, and what is a vision for the future that may be beyond reach, for now.
I specialize in helping all of the stakeholders open up a dialog, find understanding, and to cut to the essentials. If we can make connections between the potential of the software and equipment, the technicians, the business planners, and the other talent, we can create something new that can be replicated, and that can also evolve, grow, and change over time.
Technology allows us to do almost anything. But no one has the time, money or talent to do everything. It is important, to make good choices.
Capital and Technical Project Management
Manage and lead construction and expansion projects, and technology initiatives. Experienced with local, state and federal government coordination, permitting, licensing, and approval. Craft contracts, management agreements, and intellectual property agreements.
L to R:Scott Hanley, NPR Board/WDUQ; Mike Starling, NPR; Mike Bergman, Kenwood; Lucius Stone, Harris Corp. Tomorrow Radio Presentation © NPR 2005
National Public Radio
2003-2008, Chair of the NPR Distribution/Interconnection Committee for the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS). We worked to bring 400 stations and 200 program producers through the rollout of a new, complex program delivery system.
WDUQ-FM Pittsburgh
A founding member of NPR, WDUQ was also a founding participant in the groundbreaking NPR/stations collaboration, www.nprmusic.org. The station pioneered digital services in public radio, online, and HD Radio. It was my privilege to serve as General Manager of WDUQ from 1995 through 2011.
JazzWorks, LLC
I was co-Founder and Manager of this advanced-technology programming service for public radio stations across the country. Using an innovative distributive production model with staff and producers located across the nation.
Involved and In Service
Panelist/Presenter, Public Radio Conference, NAB Convention, PBS/NPR Online Summit, National Endowment for the Arts, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, NETA, and other conferences on technology, media, financial management, economic development, marketing, music, and other disciplines. I also served as President of the Pittsburgh Radio Organization for a decade.
WDUQ-FM Auxiliary/HD Antenna Installation © 2005 Scott Hanley
Member, National Radio Systems Committee (National Association of Broadcasters and the Consumer Electronics Association), 2006 to 2011.
