The NPR broadcast, part of an initiative to make radio more accessible tothe millions of consumers with sensory disabilities around the world, wasshown at private demonstrations at NPR's international headquarters and TowsonUniversity in Towson, Maryland, along with five NPR member stations around theUnited States. At each of the demonstration locations, participants who aredeaf or hard-of-hearing filled out surveys in person or online to providefeedback on the technology.

Responses to surveys indicated that captioned radio will be a popularbroadcast format for deaf and hard-of-hearing users:

-- 95% were happy with the level of captioning accuracy, a crucial aspectfor readability and comprehension

-- 77% said they would be interested in purchasing a captioned radiodisplay unit when it becomes available

-- 86% indicated they would be interested in purchasing a 'dual-view'screen display for a car (which would enable a deaf passenger to see thecaptioned radio text while the driver listens to the radio).

"Being able to read the captions enabled me to stay current on theelection results. I usually tune out the radio when it's on because it isdifficult to understand the dialogue with my hearing loss," said BetsyMcCarthy, who participated in the demonstration at WGBH in Boston. "Thistechnology would allow me instant access to a broadcast as opposed to takingthe extra time to obtain a transcript when one is available."

Demonstration participants also showed a strong desire to rely uponcaptioned radio in emergency situations -- on a scale of 1-10, with 10 beingextremely important, they ranked emergency notifications at 9.6 when askedwhat types of information would be important to receive through captionedradio broadcasts. General news came in second at 8.0.

The survey also included a number of questions regarding formatpreferences, such as the speed of the scrolling text and the size of the text.The information will be used to improve future captioned broadcasts.

"The survey responses indicate this broadcast was very well-received bythe audience," said Dr. Ellyn Sheffield, assistant professor of psychology atTowson University, who conducted the survey portion of the event. "Thedetailed feedback we received from this broadcast will help us improve boththe text-display and the user-interface for future radios, making thecaptioned radio experience significantly more enjoyable for consumers who aredeaf and hard of hearing."

The telecast leveraged cutting-edge digital HD Radio(TM) technology toenable people who are deaf to experience NPR's election coverage by viewinglive radio content on specially equipped receivers. Stenocaptioners from WGBHin Boston monitored NPR's live coverage and fed instantaneous speech-to-texttranscriptions to the participating NPR stations and to NPR's web site.

"The telecast demonstrated the enormous potential of digital radio and howit can reach new audiences," said Howard L. Lance, chairman, president andchief executive officer of Harris Corporation. "HD Radio's benefits extendwell beyond clearer signals and better sound -- it sends data, scrollingreal-time text, even images. This telecast ushers in a whole new era of radiothat can now finally be experienced by millions of deaf and hard-of-hearingpeople."

"This historic broadcast was extremely successful and clearly demonstratedthat this important captioning process and the associated technologies areready for prime time," said Mike Starling, chief technology officer andexecutive director of NPR Labs. "We are also continuing to receive importantfeedback from many of the people who are deaf and hard of hearing who tookpart in this event, and we intend to use that information to improve futurecaptioned radio broadcasts."

The event was coordinated by the International Center for Accessible RadioTechnology (ICART), which is headquartered at Towson University in Towson,Maryland. Founding members also include NPR and Harris Corporation. Towsonhouses the primary administrative and academic research office for theinitiative, NPR Labs in Washington, DC, provides the technology R&D andsoftware development, and Harris Corporation supplies the transmission andresearch support at its radio broadcast technology center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

More information on the initiative can be found at www.i-cart.net . Inaddition to NPR, Harris Corporation, and Towson University, ICART memberorganizations include iBiquity Digital Corporation, Delphi, NDS, Radiosophy,Helen Keller Institute, Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center forAccessible Media at WGBH (NCAM), Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deafand Hard-of-hearing Persons, and the G3ict, an Advocacy Initiative of theUnited Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development. NPR's AccessibleRadio project is funded by a grant from the National Institute on DisabilityRehabilitation and Research (NIDRR).

About NPR

Since its launch in 1970, NPR has evolved into a leading multimediacompany, award-winning primary news provider and dominant force in Americanlife. NPR produces and/or distributes 1,500 hours of programming weekly,including more than 150 hours of news, information, talk, entertainment andcultural shows for the 800-plus NPR Member stations around the country,attracting 26.5 million listeners weekly. NPR also programs two 24/7 channelsfor Sirius satellite radio and five 24/7 music multicast channels for digitalHD Radio, having served as an industry leader in HD research and development;additionally it produces nearly 90 podcasts, making it the biggest podcasteramong American media companies. NPR.org offers extensive original video andaudio content, hourly newscasts, concerts and free audio streaming of currentand archived NPR programs.

About Towson University

Founded in 1866, Towson University is recognized among the nation's bestregional public universities, offering more than 100 bachelor's, master's anddoctoral degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences, and appliedprofessional fields. Located in suburban Towson, eight miles north ofBaltimore, the university's beautifully landscaped, 328-acre setting offers apleasant environment for study and a diverse campus life, as well as easyaccess to a wealth of university and community resources. With more than20,000 students, Towson University is the second-largest public university inMaryland. As a metropolitan university, Towson combines research-basedlearning with practical application. Its many interdisciplinary partnershipswith public and private organizations throughout Maryland provideopportunities for research, internships and jobs. The university's radiostation, WTMD, will soon convert to digital format and will serve as theinitial testing ground for the initiative. Towson University is a foundingmember of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU); TUPresident Robert Caret holds the office of president. Additional informationcan be found at www.towson.edu .

About Harris Corporation

Harris (NYSE: HRS) is an international communications and informationtechnology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has annualrevenue of $5.4 billion and 16,500 employees-including nearly 7,000 engineersand scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assuredcommunications(R) products, systems, and services. Additional informationabout Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com .

HD Radio(TM) is a proprietary trademark of iBiquity Digital Corp.

SOURCE Harris Corporation