The Way International Featured in Sound & Video Contractor Magazine

[Nottawayfer]

My husband has a recording studio. He gets several magazines on his part-time business/hobby. Yesterday morning he was looking at his most recent Sound & Video Contractor magazine and sees an installation spotlight on TWI. They are purchasing more equipment to get up to speed in this digital world. He came to me asking me if I knew R*ger K*ntz. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I was on Staff with him and his wife, but I only knew them in an acquaintance manner.

They did their best to sound bigger than they are. Here are some blurbs:

Tucked away within the heart of America's farmland, near the village of New Knoxville in northwestern Ohio, is The Way International, a worldwide, nondenominational biblical research, teaching, and fellowship ministry. Since 1942, the ministry has provided research for the study and practical application of the Bible.

Befitting its global focus, for 21 years The Way International has produced video and audiotapes of services recorded in its Victor Paul Wierwille Prevailing Word Auditorium. These are distributed to subscribers around the world. Within the auditorium, a 1,500-seat Teaching Center has full facilities for worship as well as musical and dramatic presentations.

Edited February 3, 2007 by Nottawayfer

[GT]

An online version of the article, complete with picture of Roger Kuntz sitting at his control console:

The Buzz: Installation Spotlight: The Way International, New Knoxville, Ohio

[krys]

Why?

[Nottawayfer]

I would have never thought of the auditorium as a worship center. I never worshipped God there. I was there Sunday and Sunday after Sunday for 5 years.

I'm sure TWI had Way Publication put their stamp of approval on the article before they allowed it to be published. Teaching Center with a capital T and a capital C in the middle of the sentence screams Way Style. Why else would it be initial capped??

[nandon]

pretty cool actually.

[Jim]

There's always some sadness to these things. I see that Carey W*ll**ms is still there. I would have expected him to see the light by now.

[Sudo]

Your ABS at work.

[potato]

maybe they're going to start podcasting. I told one of the leaders before I left that the only way I was ever going to listen to a STS again was if I could get them digitally, and I was treated to that old drone about why twi does things the way it does, it's old fashioned mail, cassettes are tried and true, and each one reach one blah blah blah whatever. I can shop online, man. some people hardly leave their house anymore, they don't need to. the only way I have to play a cassette is in my car, and I'm not going to use up that valuable family time listening to a bunch of lame music. I get my alone time late at night, so if you want my attention, give something digital that I can fit into my rythm.

[railroader II]

The whole thing sounds like something written by their PR people. I wonder if this is another "Terry Bradshaw" type promo where our ABS actually paid for getting that in the magazine? Can someone pry & find out.....Maybe they actually had to upgrade, since they are now putting STS out on DVD. Would be nice if they told the innies what they were doing. Ha! Ha!

[washingtonweather]

Really makes wonder about anything else they write....

[ChasUFarley]

maybe they're going to start podcasting. I told one of the leaders before I left that the only way I was ever going to listen to a STS again was if I could get them digitally, and I was treated to that old drone about why twi does things the way it does, it's old fashioned mail, cassettes are tried and true, and each one reach one blah blah blah whatever. I can shop online, man. some people hardly leave their house anymore, they don't need to. the only way I have to play a cassette is in my car, and I'm not going to use up that valuable family time listening to a bunch of lame music. I get my alone time late at night, so if you want my attention, give something digital that I can fit into my rythm.

Podcasting WOULD make sense - you can start up a podcast for around $50 and there's places you can upload your podcast to for free or chumpchange. It would be a quick, easy, and low-cost solution for digital recording.

But NNNNNOOOOOOOO-ooooooo oooooo....

They take the big $$$ way to digitally enhance their recordings, for what? 1,500+ adult believers? (I'm not counting the kids, k?)

What about the year they bought all those super big screen TVs that were used at the ROA and other classes...

Then they canceled the ROA... What did they do with the TVs?

I remember seeing them used in some of the staff lounge areas - yup, we'd watch the weather channel on 'em... in style...

Your ABS $$$...

BTW - R0ger K?ntz was not a recording tech prior to his going on staff... if I remember right, I believe he had a window washing business before going on staff...

Edited February 5, 2007 by ChasUFarley

[JustSayNO]

Actually a couple of years ago they sent around a survey to all the fellowships asking if they would prefer CD over tapes and DVD's over VHS in regards to the STS. Also they have been toying with and trying to figure out how to cost effectively transmit Live audio AND video broadcast for hookups.

The plan was to first upgrade everything to digital, then figure out how to broadcast it and not cause the fellowship coordinators to dish out a fortune in compputers and a/v equiptment in order to hook up. Now that was a few years ago and I have been out of there for some time now, so I dont have the lastest scoop on it.

Since craig updated the video to digital when he taped the classes and now they are doing the audio portion, it looks like all they will need to do is figure out transmitting it. Heck, If it was me I would post it to a secure website and sell monthly fee's to access it for individuals(forget dvd's and cd's). And for hookups they could give out temporary one-time codes for that broadcast and export the video to a TV.

Edited February 5, 2007 by JustSayNO

[TOMMYZ]

All that great equipment and nothing worth recording. The only thing I think most of us would be interested in is digitally remixed versions of the old albums from the 70's and early 80's.

[skyrider]

There's always some sadness to these things. I see that Carey W*ll**ms is still there. I would have expected him to see the light by now.

Jim......I seriously doubt whether "the light" has much to do with Carey's decision to stay at twi.

IMO, he joins a long list of other 50+ year olds who knows where his bread is buttered. Having been on staff since 1979 or so.......he and Juanita are surrounded by another 40-75 who've made the same choice. Of course, the pay ain't all that great, but then small-town living, moderate rural lifestyle, small home off-grounds, friendly comraderie, a token seniority, behind-the-scenes work enviroment, kids-probably-off-to-college-now,..........why change??

For some.........it all depends how much you can stomach.

Or.....how deeply you can bury your head in your work.

And still....pat yourself on the back for "standing."

[Ham]

Now that he doesn't have to sweat as hard, maybe ole rosie will find something more important for him to do, like cleaning up oil spots and chewing gum in the parking lots..

wouldn't suprise me, anyway.

Edited February 5, 2007 by Mr. Hammeroni

[TrustAndObey]

Actually if you want to know what it all boils down to... The equipment they had was old and breaking. The people they have working there are not smart enough to know how to fix it when it does break. And with more and more "newbs" coming on staff to help, they really had no choice but to put some money into new equipment. And Williams and Colter and the rest of the A/V gang that have been there for some time are not "tech savy", just knowledgable about the equipment they do have to keep it running mid-grade.

They didn't need to upgrade to send out live broadcasts, and I told them that before. Gave them the plan on how to do it, but they didn't want to because they diss the internet so much! So much that if you lived at HQ they frowned VERY HEAVILY on anyone browsing the internet for fun as it was only for "work purposes". And actually kept an eye on anyone using their internet connection (which they did finally break down and purchase - but even that took a lot of push)...

[sprawled out]

wowie zowie! digital! CDs instead of cassettes!

man, they're on the cutting edge. guess their tight relationship with God is keeping them ahead of the curve!

what'll they introduce next? the iron horse? the wheel?

[TheInvisibleDan]

Yipee! now they have the capabilities to broadcast clearer, sharper crap.

[My3Cents]

The whole thing sounds like something written by their PR people. I wonder if this is another "Terry Bradshaw" type promo where our ABS actually paid for getting that in the magazine? Can someone pry & find out.

I have no idea about this magazine but many trade journals need copy so bad they'll print anything given to them as long as it's reasonably on topic - which this sure seems to be.

I personally think it's funny to see a sound engineer in a suit and tie but maybe a lot of those guys who work for churches dress that way.

[ChasUFarley]

Remember...

This is the same group that thought Beta was the next big thing...

[ex70sHouston]

I am the senior sound tech at church. If they were still using equipment out of the 80's wow.

The current board I use is 24 channels with 6 monitor channels per. That's grand verse what was used 10 years ago but nothing for today.

Currently looking at a digital board.

If you don't do sound you don't understand.

Look at it this way. At least they didn't throw this money away.

[nandon]

they'll never get HD cameras though,,,

imagine rosie on HD... dear god....

IF LCM were still in charge, they'd get HD for sure though, he'd shoot a new class JUST for the HD purposes... hell, that'd probably be enough to get him to do a "Christian family and sex on the way of abundance and power" class.

[Ham]

imagine rosie on HD... dear god....

I dunno.. you can "fix" a lot of things with computers.

[Ham]

Before digital processing:

After:

Edited February 21, 2007 by Mr. Hammeroni