With that in mind, in mid-November 1996, the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) in Lake Placid, N.Y., bought a satellite audio system to bring commercial-free music to customers.
Installed in the ski jump area, the luge and bobsled runs, the speed skating facility, on-mountain cafeterias, warming huts and offices, ORDA can beam music into each of these service areas.
“People come here to relax, have fun and get away from everyday life,” said Don Krone, director of communications for ORDA. “We want to provide an environment in which people forget about the outside world, so we want our music to be commercial free.”
One of the biggest problems at Lake Placid, like many other resorts, is its remote location. Radio and television signals are often sketchy and cable is expensive. With this system, offered by Muzak and called the DISH network for business digital satellite transmission, signals are not a problem and there are several different music and video packages from which to choose.
The system used by the ORDA is the business and specialty package, which offers top-40 music as well as video programming. At Whiteface, the ski area near Lake Placid, the video programs are used in the ski area’s day care centers and Kid’s Campus lesson areas where educational films and cartoons are shown.
The cost of the installation was $1,200 which included the lease of the satellite dish, installing the dish and all the wiring. During the peak season (November to April) the cost for the ORDA to subscribe to the Muzak service is $455 per month, which includes some leased equipment such as speakers. Off-season (May to October) the cost goes down to $240. However, each installation can vary in price depending on existing equipment (an 18-inch satellite is required, as well as speakers) and the number of outlets needed.
Each outlet (ORDA has 30) can be customized to receive different music at different times so the entire network is not locked into the same music. “More than anything, it’s convenient,” said Jay Rand, mountain manager at Whiteface. “For events such as St. Patrick’s day, we can play special music at certain areas on the hill, while keeping normal programming in other areas.”
While commercial-free music seems to be the appeal of this system, it is also set up so subscribers can run their own commercial messages and videos.
