Important broadcast equipment update scheduled from borough council grant funding

Equipment that will help keep Erewash Sound securely and more reliably on the air is to be purchased after the Awards Panel at Erewash Borough Council granted an application for funding.

With the advance of technology, old equipment can quickly become obsolete, unable to be upgraded and therefore more susceptible to breakdown and even failure beyond repair.

In a society ever more reliant on technology, Erewash Sound, a non-profit making community interest company, relies on this very same type of equipment to run its various computer based systems including how audio is fed and played out and how data is managed.  

After the closing date, there was a nervous wait to see if the application had been a success, but this week, Community Engagement Officer Colin Handley contacted Ian Perry, one of the station directors, to inform that the Awards Panel had seen in favour of the radio station application and had granted the maximum sum available under the Community Grants Scheme - £2,000.

Erewash Sound IT Director Paul Stacey explained how important it is for the radio station to be able to replace the existing ageing equipment.  He said: "Our current server, which holds the Erewash Sound music library and allows our computer-based audio playout system to work in all of our studios, was kindly donated to us but has now become quite elderly at 14 years old.  The age of the current server means that we can only get used spare parts and are also limited in options for keeping the operating system up-to-date.

In order to maintain Erewash Sound’s 24x7 radio service, the new server will see us operating from more reliable hardware that won’t require frequent outages and hardware replacements.  It will also allow us to use a more modern operating system to keep us up to date with future security updates.

With the growth of the Erewash Sound Academy, it will also allow us to support a growing number of users training in multiple studios and editing suites.

The new equipment is expected to be purchased before the end of the current financial year.  Along with all successful applicants for funding from the borough council, radio station officials will be providing verification of the completion of the project being funded as part of the conditions of award.

Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay