Agricultural Telecommunications 2001
Full Proposal 3.3 / 20343

Project Summary:

Title of Project:		RadioSource.NET
Project Director:		Ashley Wood
Applicant Organization:		UF/IFAS Communication Services

Summary:

     This proposal seeks to expand an existing Internet radio project, RadioSource.NET. The project was originally funded from a 1999-2000 USDA/ADEC grant to establish an Internet radio network for land-grant universities to disseminate news and research.
     From the initial grant our collaborative created a portal website, a database, and search engine. We also implemented a flexible, remote entry system that enables the collaborative to grow in number, and evolve with the changing online audio industry. In addition the project provides an ongoing marketing and promotional campaign to help increase audience exposure to member programming and information.
     For the next phase of the project we want to share the technical and collaborative expertise we have acquired and expand the project to include 1890s and tribal institutions, as well as continue to grow the land-grant membership base. Many 1890s and tribal institutions are beginning to consider posting online programming, but do not have the technical and financial resources to do so. The RadioSource.NET project is an ideal training model and resource for these institutions to make the digital transition.
     The RadioSource.NET database contains programming on a number of topics that directly impact the lives of millions of people around the world on a daily basis. Internet radio is an ideal technology to disseminate this information to audiences, both directly and through the mediation of broadcast radio stations.

Authorized Organizational Representative:

Name:		Rusty Okoniewski
Email:		rusty@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu
Phone Number:		( 352) 392-2356x29
FAX Number:		( 352) 392-8479
Address:		G022 McCarty Hall D
		Gainesville, FL 32611

IRS Number:		596002052
Congressional District Number:		5
Period of Proposed Project Dates:		09/01/01 to 09/01/02

Principal Investigator/Project Director #1:

Name:		Ashley M. Wood
Email:		amw@ufl.edu
Phone Number:		( 352) 392-7227
FAX Number:		( 352) 392-8583
Address:		Bldg 116 Mowry Road, PO Box 110810
		Gainesville , FL 32611-0810

Curriculum Vitae:

Ashley Wood is director of ICS, a unit of the University of Floridas Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). ICS produces all state land-grant communications for the University of Florida College of Agriculture, school of Forest Resources and Conservation, College of Natural Resources and the Environment, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, and Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. His service to the University of Florida spans a 30-year period during which time he has held several key positions in the communications unit of UF/IFAS. A native Floridian, his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree (1969) and Master of Education degree (1974) are both from the University of Florida. Over the past years, Wood has won top awards in both graphic design and publications in the Agricultural Communicators in Education (ACE) Critique and Awards Program. In 1988, he was presented the ACE Award of Excellence and in 1991 he won the ACE Outstanding Professional Skill Award in Graphic Design. In 1995 he received a Golden ARC Award in publications from the Agricultural Relations Council. In 1997, Wood was awarded the Professional Award, the highest award presented by ACE to one of its members. In 2000, he was presented the Honored Professional Recipient Award by the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow. Wood is also the incoming ACE President.

Principal Investigator/Project Director #2:

Name:		Barry W Jones
Email:		barjones@arches.uga.edu
Phone Number:		( 706) 542-5580
FAX Number:		( 706) 542-0944
Address:		330 HOKE SMITH
		Athens, GA

Curriculum Vitae:

Vita - Barry W. Jones

Coordinator of Education, Communication and Technology, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Education, Communication and Technology is a support unit within the college that is attached to the Dean and Directors Office.

Education:

Ohio University, Ph.D., 1994
University of Georgia M.A., 1976
Baylor University, B.A., 1966

Career Vita:

1967-68 - Waco Tribune Herald, Waco, Texas. Copy Editor.

1968-69 - Norman College, Norman Park, Georgia. Director of Public Relations.

1969-1971 - Athens Daily News, Athens, Georgia. City Editor.

1971-76 - Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, University of Georgia, Tifton, Georgia. Rural Development Editor

1976 - 1980 - Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas A&M University, Uvalde, Texas. Area Communications Specialist.

1980-1988 - Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi. Managing Editor for News. (1985-86 Sabbatical was spent at Ohio University working toward a doctorate in mass communications from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism).

1988 - 1995 - The Agriculture Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Department Head.

1995- 1997 - Retired.

1997 - Present - College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, The University of Georgia. Coordinator, Education, Communication and Technology.

Principal Investigator/Project Director #3:

Name:		Thomas W. Knecht
Email:		tomk@ext.msstate.edu
Phone Number:		( 662) 325-1716
FAX Number:		( 662) 325-1710
Address:		Box 9625
		Mississippi State, MS 39762

Curriculum Vitae:

Thomas W. Knecht
Office of Agricultural Communications
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS 39762-9625
662-325-1716

EDUCATION
Ed.D., Adult and Community College Education, North Carolina State University (NCSU), 1994
Extension Education Track, Focus on Institutional Marketing and Administration
M.A., English, 1965, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
B.A., English, 1963, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)

EXPERIENCE
Head August 1998 to present
Office of Agricultural Communications, Mississippi State University (MSU)
Provide program leadership and administration for a full-service communications department employing 35 full-time professional land support staff. The unit provides print and electronic publishing, news writing, radio and television production, graphic and exhibit design, video and multi-media production, interactive videconferncing, and photography services for the seven academic, research, extension, and international program units in the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine.

Head January 1996 to July 1998
Department of Agricultural Communications, North Carolina State University (NCSU)
Provided leadership for a communications department providing a wide range of communication services for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Production and Special Projects Coordinator July 1994 to January 1996
Department of Agricultural Communications, NCSU
Coordinated customer relations and production services for communication projects requiring cooperation of communication specialists with diverse expertise; developed project scheduling and tracking system and computer-based publishing system.

Head, Publications Section July 1985 to June 1994
Department of Agricultural Communications, NCSU
Managed a group of technical editors who provided publication services for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Head, Office of Publications August 1978 to June 1985
College of Agriculture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Directed a unit that provided editorial, typesetting, art, printing, and distribution services for the College of Agriculture. Managed a publication sales program that generated $100,000 annually.

Publications Director September 1974 to August 1978
Institute for Environmental Studies, UIUC
Managed the institutes publication program, handling writing, editing, design, layout, and procurement of printing and distribution services. Introduced use of computer text processing.

Research Engineer September 1972 to September 1974
Graduate Research Assistant February 1964 to January 1971
Department of Electrical Engineering, UIUC
Developed and operated electronic systems for the acquisition and computer processing of data from rocket probes of the ionosphere. Produced software and documentation.

Instructor January 1971 to June 1972
Graduate Teaching Assistant January 1970 to January 1971
Division of Business and Technical Writing,UIUC
Taught business communications principles and skills to about 60 students each semester.
MEMBERSHIPS and OFFICES
Society for Technical Communication (senior member)
Agricultural Communicators in Education
Chair, Strategic Planning Committee
Chair, Communication Management Special Interest Group
Member, program committee for 1999 annual conference
Former chair, Marketing Special Interest Group
Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
Epsilon Sigma Phi National Honorary Extension FraternityRotary Club of Starkville, Mississippi
AWARDS and HONORS
Elected to Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, 1989
Member of national editorial committee, Journal of Extension, 1990-92 and 1992-94
Best Paper Award, Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists, Communications Section, 1999
Distinguished Technical Communication Awards (2)
Society for Technical Communication, Carolina Chapter, 1990 and 1997
Superior Award, Agricultural Communicators in Education (ACE), 1987
Excellent Award, Technical Publications, ACE, 1986
Excellent Award, Popular Publications, ACE, 1983
Blue Ribbon Awards (2), Educational Aids, Amer. Soc. of Agricultural Engineers, 1989
RECENT PUBLICATIONS and PRESENTATIONS
Knecht, T.W., Brinson, M.K., and Tucker, D.C. Outsourcing Graphic Design Services: A Study of Costs and Quality. Proceedings of the 96th Annual Conference of the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists. Memphis, TN: Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists, Communications Section.

Knecht, T. W. (1997). Measuring your organization=s image. Presentation at the 1997 ACE/NETC Conference, Cleveland, Ohio, July 13-16, 1997.

Weiner, L., and Knecht, T.W. (1997). The targeted marketing grid: A tool for effective planning. Presentation at the 1997 ACE/NETC Conference, Cleveland, Ohio, July 13-16, 1997.

Knecht, T. W. (1996). Improving the effectiveness of educational programs on the World Wide Web. In Proceedings of the 93rd Annual Conference of the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists. Greensboro, NC: Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists, Communications Section.

Principal Investigator/Project Director #4:

Name:		Robert DeMatinna
Email:		rdematti@ca.uky.edu
Phone Number:		( 859) 257-4953
FAX Number:		( 859) 257-1512
Address:		138 Scovell Hall, University of Kentucky
		Lexington, KY 40546

Curriculum Vitae:

Employment

1964-1967 U.S. Army Served as combat photographer in Republic of Viet Nam NCOIC of photo lab in Chu Lai RSVN October 1966-Sept. 1967

1967-1970 Studio Supervisor, Thomas Parrotta Photography, East Rochester New York

1970-1972 On Air personality WNYR Radio, Rochester New York
1972-1973 On Air personality   WBTA Radio, Batavia, New York
1973-1974       Program Director, On air personality   WCJW, Warsaw, New York
1972-1973        Weekend on air personality    WGR Radio, Buffalo, New York
1974-1975 Music Director, On air personality, WLNJ, Lockport, New York
1975-1980       Vocational Instructor, Journalism, Photography,   Attica State Prison,
                         Attica New York
1980-1988 Communication Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Suffolk
             County, L.I. New York
1982-1988 On air personality WLNG AM/FM Sag Harbour, L.I. New York
1988- Present    Electronic Media specialist, Radio/TV University of Kentucky
1988-1991 On air personality WVLK Radio, Lexington, Kentucky
1991-1993 On air personaility WFKY Radio, Frankfort, Kentucky

Education

1960-1964 East Rochester High School, East Rochester, N.Y. Regents Diploma
1967-1970 Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y. A.A.S., Professional
                         Photography
1970-1973 S.U.N.Y. Geneseo, N.Y. Bachelors of Arts, Speech communication
1976-1978 S.U.C. Utica/Rome, N.Y.    Permanent Certification to Teach Journalism,    photography
1982-1986 S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook, N.Y., Masters Degree, Applied Technology
1991-Present University of Kentucky, Doctor of Education, ABD in Vocational                    Education.

Principal Investigator/Project Director #5:

Name:		ONEGAA(O.J.) J MCGHEE
Email:		onegaa@hotmail.com
Phone Number:		( 850) 561 - 2094
FAX Number:		( )
Address:		Florida A&M University - CESTA
		Tallahassee , FL

Curriculum Vitae:

EDUCATION

OHIO UNIVERSITY         Athens, Ohio
Telecommunications Management - Master of Arts Degree 1996
CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY       Atlanta, Georgia
Mass Media Arts/Radio Television & Film - Bachelor of Arts Degree 1991
WILLIAM PENN COLLEGE        Oskaloosa, Iowa
Communications - Concentration
WORK EXPERIENCE

FLORIDA A & M UNIVERSITY Tallahassee, FL
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES, TECHNOLOGY & AGRICULTURE
Director of Telecommunications June 1998 - Present
Responsible for overseeing the activities of the Office of Communications which promotes the positive image of the colleges academic, research and extension programs through the use of publications, video & computer-based technologies; oversee the production & editing of the colleges magazine The Grapevine; collaborate with instructors to establish & maintain distance education courses; create & manage budgets; duties also include producing, the cable television program FAMU FOCUS and promotional/recruitment videos; responsible for script writing, creating rundowns and editing packages using Media 100 non-linear system; manage and maintain the colleges Teleconference Center which provides both videoconferencing & satellite downlinking technologies for the university; responsible for the distribution of instructional media equipment; duties also include overseeing construction & maintenance of colleges web site; participate in trade shows, conferences and recruitment activities to represent the college; oversee the acquisition of video production, post-production, and instructional media equipment, as well as computer hardware and software; also responsible for conducting computer application workshops for faculty & staff; in addition, produced and directed the Homecoming football game telecast for the Rattler Sports Network, the Florida A&M University Millennium Celebration telecast, the Florida Board of Regents webcast, NASAs Model Institutions for Excellence Millennium Symposium, and NASAs Administrators Fellowship Program webcasts.

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATION MEDIA CENTER Baltimore, MD
Distance Learning Coordinator and Instructor January 1997 - April 1998
Coordinated overall planning, management and operation of Communication Media Center distance education efforts; responsible for faculty and staff training; Acted as liaison with Bell Atlantic system; Oversee activities of the video production & graphic design staffs; responsible for producing promotional videos, brochures, & news letters in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Transportations Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks (CVISN) project; duties also included the supervision of practicum students; also responsible for teaching telecommunication courses in television production and basic multi-camera directing techniques as an adjunct instructor; responsibilities included developing syllabus, quizzes, tests, and studio activities.

UNION TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH LIBERATION BROADCAST Washington, DC
Producer/Director August 1996 - April 1998
Responsible for coordinating production elements for weekly television broadcast; duties included directing multi-camera Sunday morning services and gospel concerts; developed yearly budget; created & developed opening and tape purchase promo; additional duties included overseeing Avid on-line editing sessions and developing production schedules.

BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION Washington, DC
Network Operations September 1996 - March 1997
Operated studio camera and floor directed for nationally televised programs: Screen Scene, Our Voices, BET Talk, and BET News.

OHIO UNIVERSITY PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATION CENTER Athens, Ohio
Producer/Director September 1995 - June 1996
Produced and directed the weekly independent film program O.U. Showcase and the international affairs program Our Global Neighbors; Responsible for assigning production crew, booking & scheduling guests, creating production run downs, and supervising editing sessions. Produced independent film For Good Luck in which responsible for production schedules, talent and property releases, management of budget, and scouting shooting locations with director. Enrolled in non-linear Avid editing class in the School of Film. Duties also included teaching Studio Production course to undergraduate students.

INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES Capitol Heights, MD
Producer/Director June 1991 - August 1995
Produced and directed studio and remote teleconferences, talk shows, satellite field trips, distance learning courses, sporting events, and promos for live and taped broadcasts. Supervised production staff, assisted in developing proposals, coordinated site surveys for remote broadcasts, created & managed production budgets, created run downs, consulted with graphics and lighting departments, coordinated internship program, and acted as liaison between client and production team. In addition, began in production department as an editor and camera operator.

WMAR - TV (ABC) Baltimore, MD
Studio Operations January 1995 - August 1995
Performed studio camera, character generator, and floor directing duties for weekend news broadcast and late night sports program.

UNITED STATES EDUCATIONAL NETWORK Arlington, VA
Producer/Director October 1992 - December 1994
Produced and directed weekly math, science and special event distance learning programs for the U.S. Department of Education Star Schools Project which broadcast to New York, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC public schools; Coordinated class curriculum with school administrators; Other duties included preparing quarterly reports, budgets, and evaluations.

CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY TELEVISION Atlanta, GA
Producer/Director January 1989 - December 1991
Produced and directed special event program Lift Every Voice, produced and directed the weekly sports program Accent On Sports, and the 1991 CAU Homecoming Football Game; Also edited weekly music video program The Show; In addition, worked as technical director, floor director, camera operator, and character generator operator.

WAGA-TV (CBS) Sports Department Atlanta, GA
Production Assistant September 1990 - May 1991
Edited sports highlights for the 6 & 11 PM sportscast; Also scheduled interviews with local college and high school athletes; Assisted sports department producers on ENG productions.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICE OF CABLE TELEVISION Washington, DC
Production Assistant May 1990 - August 1990
Produced promo for DC Summer Employment Program; Performed assistant director duties for the morning talk show DC Today; Also worked as studio camera operator, teleprompter and floor director.

ACTIVITIES AND AWARDS
§ College of Engineering Science, Technology & Agricultures - Team Award 2001
§ Joint Southern Region Program Communications & Information Technology Committee
§ National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) Linkages 2000
Committee Presenter
§ Graduate Fellowship in Public Broadcast Management - Corp. for Public Broadcasting
§ Best Live Direct Broadcast Satellite Teleconference - 11th Annual TELCON Magazine Award
§ National Black Media Coalition
§ International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
§ Clark Atlanta University Football - Quarterback & Undergraduate Assistant Coach
§ William Penn College Football - Quarterback
§ Frank W. Ballou High School, Washington, DC - Assistant Football Coach
§ Walker Ford Recreation Center, Tallahassee, FL - Assistant Football Coach
§ Fairview Middle School, Tallahassee, FL - Assistant Football Coach
§ National Recording Artist Toby Palmer & Chosen Generation - Road Manager

Description of the Agricultural Communication Network Project:

1. Project Objectives:

9 To improve agricultural research underlying agricultural telecommunications.

9 Make optimal use of available resources for agricultural extension, resident education, and research by sharing resources between participating institutions.

9 Improve the competitive position of United States agriculture in international markets by disseminating information to producers, processors, and researchers.

Explain how the project relates to the Program Objective(s) and how the Project will contribute to achieving these.

This project will improve research underlying agricultural telecommunications by serving as a model for Internet-based radio networks developed by academic institutions. The RadioSource principals have developed a unique model for online collaboration that minimizes time and financial resources for members, and maximizes exposure for their radio content.

9 The project makes optimal use of available resources for agricultural extension, education and research by sharing resources among an increasing membership of participating institutions. By having a central portal site, database, search engine, surveys and other features, duplication of these costly services is avoided. In addition, marketing efforts can be focused and carried out by one primary person for the collective. The majority of members do not have the resources to dedicate towards extensively marketing their programming. However, because multiple members are directly involved in the project, the RadioSource project is able to have a representative member at many more conferences, and events than an individual organization would.
This collaboration of institutions increases the credibility and visibility of the RadioSource project, and the members involved.

9 By providing a cost-effective,low-maintenance online forum for an unlimited amount of audio research programming, and then successfully promoting it domestically and abroad, the RadioSource project is uniquely able to share its knowledge with many more audiences than each institution could do individually. The collaboration affords the project an increased credibility and visibility at a national and international level.

9 We have already had constructive exchanges with counterparts in Russia, China, and Latin America. Many foreign entities are also anxious to find agricultural research now that restrictions on information have been loosened in their countries.
Internet radio is an excellent medium by which to share and promote U.S. university research.

2. Description of Agricultural Communication Network to be Developed or Utilized.
Web-site located at http://radiosource.net or www.radiosource.net.

The RadioSource system functions as a niche portal-site. A portal-site is a type of gateway for World Wide Web access. General portals include high profile sites such as Yahoo, Excite, Netscape, Microsoft Network, and America Online AOL.com. Niche portals are more specialized information directories that enable users to log onto one site and access information from multiple locations and vendors. The portal structure decentralizes content management, minimizing the burden of site maintenance. This supports the project goal to provide long-term viability and availability of the information. Each member retains their own files on a server housed at their own facilities. However, all the information can be retrieved and displayed with a uniform presentation on the RadioSource.NET portal site. Members enter information into a template and the information remotely uploads to the database.

The audio file entry template can be viewed by going to the "MEMBERS" page on the RadioSource site and clicking on the "Members click here to add file" link on the menu. A password dialog box will appear. Type in "member" as a user name and "file" as a password.

A central database was developed and linked to the portal in order to organize the large variety of audio content that members produce. A specialized search engine enables users to sort information topically, geographically, or by date. A keyword search can also be used to further narrow search results. Query search results have the ability to display the following information:

PROGRAM TITLE
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
PROGRAM LENGTH
TEXT/SCRIPT
FORMAT (Streaming or Downloadable)
CONTRIBUTING UNIVERSITY
RELEASE DATE
REPORTER/SOURCE

In addition, this past year a "Kill Date" function was added to the entry template. This was done because some members wanted the option of having a story drop out of the system if it has a limited, identifiable life span. The Kill Date function gives the individual member control over how long a particular program file remains in the system, and reduces the burden on the coordinator to clear out the system of non-relevant material.

To ensure collective input and distribution of information, The RadioSource collaborative also holds monthly conference calls and maintains a listserv. During conference calls participants discuss site structure and industry updates. The listserv was established to promote additional input and information distribution. Each member of the collaborative can directly post to the listserv. Both the conference calls and listserv include technical and administrative personnel from each university department. This multi-level inclusion has been helpful in addressing a wide range of concerns. Both formats are an excellent resource for member universities, as they provide a forum for members to pose questions to departments who have direct experience in similar ventures.

Member institutions contribute to a national marketing campaign to promote their programming and RadioSource to commercial radio stations and to the public. A combination of more traditional marketing and promotional methods are used, such as direct mailings, press releases, and distributing brochures at conferences. In addition, the site is marketed electronically via web-site links. A press page link was recently added to the site as well. The press link includes an online version of the RadioSource.NET print brochure as well as a link to press releases. The press page is an effective marketing resource for online promotion. The coordinator can email radio stations and use the press page as a promotional piece, similar to a direct mail campaign, but there are no shipping costs. Also the production cost is a one-time set-up for the page, in contrast additional costs for making multiple hard copy brochures.

The RadioSource.NET database currently contains over 1,100 radio stories. More stories than these have been entered, but due to the Kill Date function, time-sensitive stories have dropped out. However, the database will continue to grow and we expect several thousand stories to be posted annually as the collaborative grows.

A Members page is also online to highlight particular programs and services provided by individual institutions.

Describe the Cost/Benefit Analysis for purchasing (or leasing) different types of facilities, equipment, components, hardware and software, or other items. (complete only if applicable to your project).

Sound Forge 5.0 digital audio software.
Sound Forge is a digital audio-editor for audio recording, editing, effects processing and media encoding. Soundforge has built-in support for video and CD burning and can save to a number of audio and video file formats, including WAV, WMA, RM, AVI, and MP3.

There are other digital editing products on the market, but Sound Forge is an affordable and utilitarian product. We plan to produce multimedia tutorials on making and retrieving web audio, and Sound Forge is an easy program to teach and to learn as well as a powerful digital audio editing tool.

One goal is to get 25 percent of 1890s and tribal colleges online (approximately 14 sites). In our budget we have allocated purchasing SoundForge software for this number of sites, and have supplemented this purchase with plans to teach the site personnel how to use the program to digitize and post their programming online on RadioSource.NET.

SOUNDFORGE Software
Goal: to get 25 percent of tribal and 1890s colleges online

37 = tribal stations
18 = 1890 colleges
_________
55 total: 25% = 55/4 = 14 (approx)

15 Sound Forge software packages
15 x $165 = $2475 ($165 is bulk non-profit discount price - 30 percent off the market price of $234 per individual non-profit license)

3. Agricultural Communication Network Programming:

9 Agibusiness

9 Agricultural Biochemistry

9 Agricultural Communications and Education

9 Agricultural Economics

9 Agricultural Profitability and Sustainability

9 Agronomy

9 Animal Science

9 Biotechnology

9 Dietetics Nutrition

9 Entomological Science

9 Environmental and Natural Resources

9 Food Science

9 Technology and Safety

9 Human Ecology

9 Microbiology

9 Plant Pathology

9 Plant Science

9 Rural Sociology

9 Veterinary Medicine

9 Other

Describe the Programming and how it will contribute to achieving the Objective(s):

Member universities contribute programming to the RadioSource network on all the topic areas listed above and more. Programs vary in length depending upon the contributing source. Currently, the majority of RadioSource.NET programming runs between 30 seconds and two minutes, although some broadcast files run up to 15 minutes in length. Many universities post text of the script along with audio files. Surveys of radio stations conducted by several RadioSource member universities, and responses from the RadioSource Radio Station survey show that the majority of radio stations prefer packages that average approximately one minute, which reflects the majority of programming offered on RadioSource. Longer programming offered on the site has increased value for individual consumers.

9 Programming topics primarily center on agriculture and life sciences. However, some of the 1890s universities have programming that promotes their research, teaching and education programs and tribal colleges produce extraordinary programs that present Native American issues. Including 1890s and tribal college programming on RadioSource increases the content value for all partners. RadioSource.NET has succeeded in creating a system to disseminate and promote university radio programming on the Internet. Enlarging the programming scope and membership base to include 1890s and tribal colleges is a logical next step for the project and will help to expose new audiences to this important content information.

9 The programming informs and educates the general population, with an emphasis on improving access for populations marginalized through traditional media. Collaboration enhances the amount of information available and makes resources easily accessible for users by having one location to visit. Additionally, promoting one site (as opposed to multiple sites) helps conserve resources and improve awareness.

9 The majority of the programming is in English, but the University of Illinois has contributed 85 Spanish-language audio files covering culture, health and special topic issues relevant to the Hispanic community. With the funding provided by this grant, we would also like to translate programming from additional states into Spanish.
Also, we have recently developed a Spanish version of the RadioSource site. Spanish-language programming is a valuable addition to the RadioSource site because it increases our ability to inform and educate the Hispanic community, a growing and important audience for agricultural and life science programming. A 2000 US Hispanic market study by the Strategy Research Corporation shows that Hispanics are heavier users of radio programming than non-Hispanics. In addition, providing Spanish-language programming on the Internet helps us to promote research being done at the member universities in Latin and Central America, and in other Spanish-speaking countries. Distributing information in native languages will help the dissemination of this important information significantly.

Detailed description of methods to be used in producing and/or delivering the programing.

Each state produces its own programming. Production procedures vary from site to site. RadioSource members operate both in MAC and PC environments and audio production software use includes CoolEdit Pro, SoundForge, and MediaCleaner among others.

Most states currently have various modes of distribution to radio stations and extension agents for their programming including cassette, CD, and phone feeds. However, the RadioSource members are dedicated to increasing the availability of web-downloads available in order to save time and money in duplication and mailing costs. The transition to web-distribution will also provide stations and agents with a more timely product. Online programming also increases the number of individual consumers. Additionally, the searchable database allows the consumer (whether a radio station, agent, or individual) to specify what type of information they receive.
Online distribution of programming is becoming increasingly attractive and appropriate for content producers and receivers. Technology is rapidly making faster and better transmission possible, and this trend will only increase.

A variety of audio formats are used by the member universities, including streaming (ie: RealAudio) and downloadable (MP2, MP3, WAV, AIFF) files. Each university member is responsible for providing server space for its audio content. This multiple server model results in faster distribution of content by reducing the burden on the portal server.

4. Population to be Served and Target Audience(s):

The target audiences for content on RadioSource.NET include:

Distribution to Radio Stations(for further mass distribution via airplay)

Individual consumers: U.S. and international.

Extension Agents and other academic researchers (domestic and abroad)

Hearing and visually impaired audiences.

The Internet is a revolutionary medium for disseminating information. The RadioSource.NET project aims to educate and inform populations about important issues that are relevant to their lives. Radio has long been a primary and preferred means for farmers, lower-income, and rural populations to receive information. Internet technology eliminates the need for people to tune in at a particular time to hear programming, and allows users to access material on-demand 24-hours a day. The search engine capability provides users additional autonomy and increases the value of the data substantially.

The collaborative also anticipates that online distribution to radio stations will become increasingly common and desirable. Several universities have already begun to provide online distribution to radio stations, reducing shipping and equipment costs. Providing programming on-line also makes news available as soon as it is produced, rather than being delayed by shipping times.

The inclusion of Spanish programming on the site helps us to target Hispanic communities. Hispanics are the fastest growing sector of the U.S. population, and also represent an important faction of agricultural workers.

Because the Internet is accessible worldwide, the RadioSource.NET portal site has received an increasing number of hits from international users. In particular users from Canada, Europe and Asia have been accessing the site programming. We have also received emails from Moscow State University - Foundation for Agrarian Development Research and Rural Information Network, who are working on obtaining agriculture programming for the newly independent states now that former Soviet restrictions on information have been lifted.

Hearing and visually impaired audiences are additional RadioSource.NET target populations. The site provides audio and text making it an appropriate medium and valuable resource for both these groups.

Finally, the project is an excellent forum to improve communication among universities. Agricultural students, extension agents, researchers and teachers can quickly and easily see the research being done at institutions around the country.

The RadioSource.NET site launched in September 2000. Our statistics tracking shows a consistent increase in usage from various commercial and independent sectors. Exposure for the project is growing and feedback has been very positive. We would like to continue and expand this phenomenon for minority populations by including 1890s and tribal college audio programming content. We have been speaking with representatives from the tribal community about telecommunication requirements and restrictions within their network. Our current proposal includes specific software allocations for 1890s and tribal colleges, as well as technical support and multimedia tutorials for radio stations to learn how to work with online audio content. Both of these steps are critical to the sucess of this project. Members must learn to transition their content online, and stations and other end users must be able to receive and play it.

5. Collaborating Institutions and Other Partners:

PI denotes that someone from the university is a Principal Investigator on this grant.

(* denotes that this institution is currently posting programming on the RadioSource.NET site)

(@ denotes that the institution is working towards getting online, and intends to begin posting in the near future - intended dates to begin posting are listed if known at this time)

All members participate in monthly conference calls and on the RadioSource Listserv.

-----------

University of Arkansas *
University of California * (currently only               English, but plan to include Spanish               as well in the future)
University of Connecticut @(September)
University of Florida * + PI
University of Georgia * + PI
University of Illinois * (English and Spanish)
Kansas State University *
University of Kentucky * + PI
Louisiana State University *
Mississippi State University * + PI
North Carolina State University *
Purdue University (just joined, plan to begin posting programming in July)
South Dakota State University @ (just got a        server, plan to begin posting by September)
University of Tennessee *
Texas A&M University * + PI
Virginia Tech University @ (member, but no      immediate plans to post - trying to get      equipment and staff trained - using the      RadioSource group as an information resource)

Florida A&M - PI. (@ Hope to begin posting by September).

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The following institutions are not members yet, but have expressed interest in joining the collaboration and posting web audio programming.

Penn State University
Tuskegee University
Fort Valley State University
USDA (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture)

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RadioSource provides members with an established support network by which to enter the online world of broadcasting. Members participate in a conference call about once a month to discuss the project status, future site plans, and to update one another on their particular information. A RadioSource.NET member listserv is also available for similar purposes, and is a valuable resource to help disseminate technical and industry information to the group. On many occasions in the past year, members have posted questions to the listserv asking for information about equipment purchases and technical support. The network coordinator at the University of Florida and ICS operations support staff provide training in setting up member websites, entering data into the database and other information via travel, telephone, e-mail, listservs and other methods. These collaborative efforts are, and have been, instrumental in generating a body of knowledge concerning the emerging and evolving Internet and digital broadcasting technologies.

Members provide their own programming and post content to a server that can be accessed by the network database. This dispersed responsibility helps reduce the burden on a centralized person or institution. However, the collaborative does share technical information, marketing efforts, and if applicable, programming information.

The inclusion of Spanish-language programming on the site is an excellent example of the projects ability to provide a service to many institutions and users via collaboration at a reduced cost. Many states involved in RadioSource.NET have large and growing Hispanic populations (Florida, Texas, California, Georgia, etc) however, they do not currently have the departmental resources to produce Spanish-language programming. However, including Spanish-language programming on the RadioSource site that other universities have produced enables these universities to provide their constituency with access to this material. Currently the RadioSource site contains Spanish-language programming produced by the University of Illinois. The University of California also plans to begin posting Spanish-language programming that they produce in the upcoming year. In addition, the budget for this proposal includes translation costs for several stories per month to be translated into Spanish, rotating among the RadioSource member universities. Also, as mentioned earlier, we have translated the RadioSource site and produced a Spanish-language RadioSource site to further support these efforts.

RadioSource partners have also made important contributions by generating surveys and collecting data in their home states. This information is then shared with the collective. These individual state surveys were used to create a standard survey for radio stations and individuals, both of which are on the site now.

Over the past year, representatives from member schools have helped to market the RadioSource site in important ways. One primary method is by promoting the site at conferences. By way of example, the following are some conferences at which we promoted RadioSource.NET this past year.

American Farm Bureau Federations annual meeting. January 7-10, 2001 - Orlando

GLOBAL CONSORTIUM OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOR AGRICULTURE (GCHERA) Conference -San Francisco (July 2001)

National Agricultural Biotechnology Conference. Chicago May 22 - 24, 2001.

FACTS (Florida Agriculture Conference and Trade Show) SouthEast regional show in Lakeland, FL on Sept. 21 - 23 2000

FAEP (Florida Association of Extension Professionals) Annual Meeting on Sept. 13 & 14 in Stuart, FL.

ACE meeting - Puerto Rico, Washington D.C. and Toronto (upcoming)

The RadioSource project fundamentally operates as a collaborative. The site is based upon a shared database of programming information by member institutions.

6. Additional Rationale for Project

The RadioSource principals are making special efforts to target the growing domestic Hispanic community. These efforts stem from increasing evidence that radio is an effective medium to reach the Hispanic community. There are almost 650 Hispanic radio stations nationwide, and this number continues to rise. There is considerable crossover of use between Spanish and English language media, particularly broadcast media. Brand identity in the Hispanic community depends on building a lasting relationship through community involvement.

Another important rationale for our project is to help support, and lend operational expertise to other emerging community efforts, such as tribal and 1890s programming. The RadioSource project members have developed a highly functional, relatively low maintenance online distribution system. The base of member resource knowledge in traditional and online broadcasting is significant. As new members join the collaborative they have multiple personnel resources that have already worked through similar production experiences, difficulties, and resolution options. This network of professionals is an enormous asset in facilitating the migration to online broadcasting.

It is anticipated that this collaborative model can serve as an instructional basis for future online broadcasting collaboration, such as video.

7. Significant Impacts:

The RadioSource Project was originally designed to help modernize the utility of the land-grant mission. This goal is equally appropriate for other communities as we expand our membership base to include Hispanic, 1890s and tribal programming.

An Internet radio portal site containing a powerful database full of content regarding consumer-oriented, agricultural and life science research, as well as African and Native-American programming has extensive value to domestic and international audiences. All of these producers have been limited in their ability to gain widespread exposure for their programming, due to prior geographical and technical restrictions. Digital technology and the mass spread of web audio reduce these limitations significantly, and we now have a unique opportunity to disseminate and distribute this important programming.

Additionally, increased globalization allows us to share our knowledge with foreign markets as never before. Foreign countries with strong agricultural ties have expressed interest in the RadioSource.NET project and our statistics show growing numbers of international users.

This project is extremely timely, and can make important contributions to international and domestic collaboration among communities who share similar goals, but have not been able to work together in this manner in the past.

8. Describe the plans for evaluation, dissemination and assessment:

The RadioSource.NET site uses the Live Stats statistics program to monitor usage. The Live Stats program has the capability to track and record a variety of information about users, including:
- number of hits to the web-site (by day, week, or month)
- keyword searches conducted by users
- browser type
- user URL location

Usage for the RadioSource site has increased steadily since its launch in September 2000, and the past two months have shown dramatic usage increases. Specific numbers are shown below.

SITE HITS:
A Hit report tallys the number of requests for any day, week, month or range within recorded Web site history. A Hit is considered to be any request for data such as a Web page, bitmap, CGI gateway or file:

Sep 2000: 421
Oct 2000: 13030
Nov 2000: 13299
Dec 2000: 12510
Jan 2001: 15772
Feb 2001: 12184
Mar 2001: 10784
Apr 2001: 11012
May 2001: 14333
Jun 2001: 20280

Surveys have also been conducted to help generate specific information to help evaluate the needs of users and to help continually focus the direction in which the site grows.

Some RadioSource members have conducted surveys of radio stations within their own states, including, South Dakota State University, Texas A&M, University of Georgia, and the University of Florida. These states have shared their results with the rest of the members and these individual state surveys were used to help construct surveys for posting on the RadioSource site.
Two surveys, a radio station survey and individual user survey are currently posted on the RadioSource site. Greater survey participation was achieved by running a T-shirt giveaway contest for completed surveys.

Some of our survey results include the following:
80 percent of respondents use web-based services
66 percent of stations had a connection speed of ISDN or T1.
All respondents said that they would consider using RadioSource.NET services

Site survey and statistic results are compiled by the coordinator and shared with the project members either via the Listserv, conference calls, or both.

In addition to internal dissemination, the lessons learned from the project are also shared at conferences. This summer, the Project Coordinator and two other RadioSource members (one of which is a PI on this project, Bob Demattina from the University of Kentucky) will present a session at the Toronto ACE conference discussing aspects of RadioSource marketing and technical processes. Ashley Wood and Ron Thomas (from the University of Florida) have also presented findings from the RadioSource project at conferences domestically and internationally. The ADEC web-site currently includes a RadioSource power-point presentation and can be viewed at: http://www.adec.edu/user/current/alladecmins2001.html
(scroll almost to the bottom).

An academic paper discussing the RadioSource model is also near completion to further help share the lessons learned through the projects collaboration. We plan to submit it for publication within the coming year, either in the Journal of Applied Communications or the Journal of Computer Mediated Communication.

An additional testament to the success of the RadioSource.NET project is that it won a 2001 Silver ACE award for "Best Innovative Use of Communication Technology".

9. Broader Impacts:

The RadioSource.NET project is a successful example of academic collaboration within an online environment. The collaboration has created an effective model to share resources and was designed to support long-term growth, both in membership and in the industry. This system can serve as a model for similar collaborative ventures in the future, including video and multimedia tutorial projects.

Another important goal of the project is increasing exposure to the programming being produced at the member institutions. Increasing the audience for the research being done at these universities is a valuable service to communities. The RadioSource principals are particularly focused on improving access for the Hispanic community. Towards this end, the RadioSource site has been translated into Spanish and we are working to increase the amount of Spanish-language programming on the site. (If the Spanish version is not posted at the time of review, a preliminary version of the site can be found at http://www.radiosource.net/spanish_radiosource/. A discussion group being held at the ACE conference this year by the University of New Mexico highlights the timeliness of this issue. They are holding an exploratory discussion group to discuss collaboration on Spanish-language programming among states, in which we will be a participant.

In addition to Spanish-language programming, the RadioSource project is very interested in working with the 1890s and tribal colleges to help distribute their programming. Again, we believe that the Internet web-audio model that we have created can be of significant benefit to educational organizations entering the online marketplace. We want to be a resource to help bring this important programming to larger audiences.

Finally, the RadioSource site is an excellent source of programming for visually and hearing impaired persons. For visually impaired persons, the radio programming can be listened to, and the site text can be processed through reading devices to help lead the user. The site text also supports users with hearing disabilities, with many stories being available in script format.

10. Proposed Timetable:

Throughout the year the Project Coordinator will continue to recruit new member institutions and market the RadioSource web-site. Technical support to all members and prospective members will be occurring on a continual basis as well. In addition, the project coordinator will organize and hold monthly conference calls with RadioSource members and evaluate and disseminate statistical site information to the collective.

Additional specific activities are included below.

September 5-7 2001
NAB Radio Show in New Orleans. Promote site and gather information from radio executives (ie: program directors, etc) about where stations are in online distribution.
Use data to help generate upcoming years marketing campaign.

Finish final editing of "RadioSource.NET: Case study of a collaborative Land Grant Internet audio project" and submit to Journal. We anticipate sending the article to either the Journal of Computer Mediated Communication or the Journal of Applied Communications.

October - December 2001
Create multimedia training kit (ex: video, online tutorial) to be used to help new member institutions transition to online distribution. Products will include instructional information about how to use relevant software, etc.

Begin Spanish translations of RadioSource stories. Our proposed budget includes translation for 5 stories per month to be translated into Spanish from various members. Stories will be translated on a state-by-state rotating basis, and be chosen according to appropriateness for the Hispanic-speaking community.

Send brochures to following conferences:
October 31 - November 2, 2001 Agricultural Trade & Policy Conference

November 5-8 2001 - send brochures to Wildland-Urban Interface Conference, Gainesville, FL

Ag Excellence 2001, Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada, November 29-December 1, 2001

January 2002
Post multi-media tutorials online. Conduct multi-state promotional campaign to alert radio stations.

Translate 5 RadioSource stories into Spanish and post to site.

February - March 2002
Ongoing training support for radio stations in conjunction with multimedia tutorials.

Translate 5 RadioSource stories each month into Spanish and post to site.

April 2002
Attend NAB conference in Las Vegas. Promote project on-site.

Translate 5 RadioSource stories into Spanish and post to site.

May 2002

Translate 5 RadioSource stories into Spanish and post to site.

June 2002
NAB America Conference
Send brochures for insert inclusion and attend conference to promote site and learn more about Hispanic radio marketplace needs and direction.

Translate 5 RadioSource stories into Spanish and post to site.

Send brochures to following conference:
June 2-5 2002 3rd Annual Extension Professionals Conference

Also, in the upcoming year we have budgeted for an on-site meeting with the Tribal Coordinator to determine methods of effective collaboration. This meeting will be scheduled according to availability of each party.

11. Project Personnel and Time Commitment:

Tyson Gair -Senior Radio Editor, Mississippi State
.09 FTE $5,738

Roberto Ramirez - University of Florida
.12 FTE $5,199

Robert DeMattina - University of Kentucky
.05 FTE $3,000

John Harrell-University of Georgia
FTE .10 = $3,200

O.J. McGee - Director of Telecommunications Florida A&M - FTE .05 = $3375

Andy Smith. Assistant News Producer and Communications Specialist
- Texas A&M $2,200 FTE .06