Radio World Buyer’s Guide articles are intended to help readers understand why their colleagues chose particular products to solve various technical situations. This month’s articles focus on products for sports and remote broadcasts.
Adam Epstein is a local sports radio host working in Richmond, Va., on Audacy’s WRNL 910 The Fan. He hosts a three-hour midday slot every weekday in the market as well as a Saturday morning show in Washington, D.C. Epstein also handles VCU basketball coverage including pre- and post-game shows live from the stadium.
Prior to June of 2022, Epstein didn’t have a good solution for producing high-quality remote sports coverage.
“Several times we tried to use Zoom or traditional phone calls, but the quality was too poor to go out on the air,” he said. “If I had to do something that sounded like a remote, I’d have to pre-record the segment in the studio and pretend I was live.”
Getting a Comrex Access NX opened up opportunities, both for programming and for revenue.
“Now, if the sales team can sell an on-location show, I know I can reliably do it with no problems.” For the majority of his broadcasts, Epstein uses MiFi and has also taken advantage of Ethernet connections when necessary. “We do our Monday and Friday shows from a bar and a bowling alley, respectively, and that’s helped us make more revenue.”
He found it easy to use the codec. “The touchscreen was very self-explanatory. I had one 20-minute meeting with my engineer to set up the WiFi connection and talk about access points. Since then I haven’t had to do any troubleshooting. I just turn it on, connect to my MiFi and then connect to the station.”
He feels Access NX has made his college basketball coverage more comprehensive and exciting. “I can go to any game now. Before, I had to stay in the studio; now I can travel because I know I have a reliable connection to do the pre- and post-game shows.”
That ability to travel has opened other opportunities. “Last year, we were lucky enough to take a trip to Vegas to be on Radio Row for the Super Bowl,” Epstein said. “We did five live shows that week and had a ton of celebrity guests and superstar ex-NFL players come through. All we needed was the Comrex unit and two headsets. It was the best trip I’ve taken.”
The codec has even improved Epstein’s quality of life. “I do a Saturday show on 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C., and I used to have to either go into the Richmond studio or all the way to D.C. to do it,” he said.
“With the Comrex, however, I can do my Saturday show from my house. And I love that it’s not clunky, I can fit my Access NX in a carry-on bag with some padding to keep it safe. It’s easy for me to take it on trains, planes, in my trunk — it doesn’t take up too much space.”
