I think you will find this article from Microsoft,  information that is greatly needed if your current broadcast rackmount equipment is running on the Microsoft Windows XP platform. Broadcast engineers be ready. The day is soon here where this long lasting OS will loose it’s support. Opening the door to the outside with the loss of security updates and stability. Check out this article.

 What is Windows XP end of support? 

Microsoft has provided support for Windows XP for the past 12 years. But now the time has come for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources toward supporting more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences.

As a result, after April 8, 2014, technical assistance for Windows XP will no longer be available, including automatic updates that help protect your PC. Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP on this date. (If you already have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, you will continue to receive anti-malware signature updates for a limited time, but this does not mean that your PC will be secure because Microsoft will no longer be providing security updates to protect your PC.

If you continue to use Windows XP after support ends, your computer will still work but it might become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Also, as more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimize for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter greater numbers of apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP.

– Information found on http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/end-support-help

Though we seem to be bootstrapped in the PC world to running Microsoft OS’s their reliability and stability have been greatly appreciated by those in the broadcast industry. Unless the Open Source world can catch up with the performance and quality of the Microsoft platform. Until then we must be ready to update and integrate with the evolution of technology.

– Forbes Hair
Integrity PROracks Team

Radio station in tsunami-hit city breaks world record for longest non-stop program airplay

A Japanese radio station, Kamaishi Saigai FM, in the city of Kamaishi in Iwate Prefecture, has set a new Guinness World Record for a radio drama that played non-stop for over eight hours – the world’s longest nonstop live radio play. The drama was intended to give information about the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated this coastal city, and encourage tsunami survivors.

An official representative delivered the Guinness World Recordscertificate to the Kamaishi office of the radio station on Jan. 23 for the “NISSAN A, Abe Reiji” drama. The radio program aired in December of last year, and ran for 8 hours, 23 minutes and 31 seconds. It was initially broadcast by a temporary radio station set up in April 2011 in the aftermath of the disaster. “I feel good that we conveyed the plight of Kamaishi to the nation and around the world,” said Kaori Ichikawa, a 42-year-old radio personality who works at the station.

The record-breaking drama was produced as an extended version of an original 55-minute series that was previously broadcast on Tokyo FM. The story tells of the life of an average corporate “salaryman” named “Abe Reiji”, the name of the lead character itself a wordplay on the English word “average”. A total of seven main radio voice actors acted as the primary characters in the show. The program also included guest performances by Iwate Governor Takuya Tasso, among others. The Kawaishi radio broadcaster joined forces with Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co., FM Iwate Broadcasting Co. and other broadcast groups in this record-breaking effort.

Source:http://japandailypress.com/