GBS MaxxCasting™ System Significantly Improves Coverage

for EMF’s WAWE-FM in Chicago to Better Serve West Side of Chicago

Henderson, NV, September 14, 2021 – Educational Media Foundation radio station WAWE-FM (94.3), serving the greater Chicago-area out of Oakbrook Terrace, Il., has significantly improved its signal quality and audience reach through the deployment of the GeoBroadcast Solutions’ MaxxCasting™ system. The recently deployed enhancement improves the reach into the lower west side of Chicago in an area quite problematic for its broadcast signal troubles at the convergence of the city’s three major expressways.

The signal improvement, designed by the engineers at GeoBroadcast Solutions (GBS), was strategically implemented through a four-node network using the MaxxCasting system. The coverage now reaches the University of Chicago, Rush Medical Center and the historic Pilsen community. WAWE operates as part of the Air1 Radio Network featuring modern  Christian Worship music presented with strong personalities. Educational Media Foundation operates both Air1 and K-LOVE (contemporary Christian music) and is the second-largest broadcaster in the U.S. by station count.  

“WAWE’s biggest challenge has been the areas where its signal wasn’t covering well, particularly between the Loop and O’Hare” said Shane Toven, Senior Broadcast Engineer at Educational Media Foundation. “GBS designed the WAWE system for the Chicago market, and after some successful tests, we worked with GBS to launch a similar system in Boston at our station WKVB, including HD Radio™ subcarriers. After licensing that system, GBS helped us finish up the WAWE nodes to significantly improve our coverage in the Chicago market and reach deeper into the community. We are quite pleased with the outcome and the feedback has been positive.”

With the MaxxCasting nodes in place, the system can now be used to diplex similarly located stations interested in improving signal coverage in the community.

“The convergence at the expressway interchange notoriously has had poor reception, due to the concentration of broadcast signals emanating from Chicago’s large towers and the amount of daily automotive traffic,” said Vern Egli, director of infrastructure deployment at GeoBroadcast Solutions. “Our solution for WAWE opens the door to other stations that want to improve their signals and increase their listeners through the existing MaxxCasting facilities.”

MaxxCasting combines radio and cellular technology and enables FM Broadcasters using nodes to enhance their signals by reducing interference between the main and booster transmissions through the use of a cluster of low-to-the-ground, high power, highly directionalized, synchronized node sites.

All equipment for Maxxcasting is provided by Doug Tharp at SCMS, the exclusive U.S. distributors for GatesAir/PR&E studio systems and transmitters.

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 About GeoBroadcast Solutions LLC

GeoBroadcast Solutions was formed in 2011 to develop the ZoneCasting™ Geo-Targeting platform.  This platform has been successfully tested under special FCC authorization. Geo-Targeted separation of the main channel audio of an FM radio station to its listeners allows the ability to split an FM signal into local “zones.” Out of this development effort came MaxxCasting™, which increases signal quality, PPM watermark decoding, and allows geographic targeting and fencing of radio screen advertising. It is successfully deployed and operational in many markets and growing rapidly. Additional information is available at geobroadcastsolutions.com.

Media Contact:  Robert Udowitz - 703.621.8060 – rudowitz@geobroadcastsolutions.com