Antenna Audio
Encyclopedia
Antenna International is a company that produces audio tour
s and multimedia
interpretation for many museum
s, art galleries and heritage sites around the world.
, Mill Valley, California
, in 1981.
Antenna Audio's first major audio tour was for the Alcatraz Island penitentiary in San Francisco bay, which is still being used today.
In 1998, Antenna Tours was acquired by Arts Communications and Technology Ltd (ACT) to form Antenna Audio. ACT was founded by Iain Burton in London in 1994 and quickly became the leading audio tour company in the world (outside USA) and had pioneered the invention and use of portable communication devices in Museums & Art Galleries. ACT had worked with Antenna in USA for three years prior to the merger. Antenna Audio was acquired by Discovery Communications
in 2006, who on March 29, 2007 announced their intent to sell Antenna Audio to Cox Communications
as part of a multi-billion dollar transaction.
"Travel Media’s ownership of Antenna Audio was initially part of the deal, but was later excluded by mutual agreement of the two parties."
Antenna Audio was acquired by The Wicks Group of Companies L.L.C. (New York) in October 2010 and subsequently changed the company's name to Antenna International.
- London
, main hub EMEA
United States
- Connecticut
, Norwalk
, main hub America
Germany
- Berlin
France
- Paris
Netherlands
- Amsterdam
Italy
- Roma
Spain
- Barcelona
Poland
- Warszawa
Thailand
- Bangkok
Audio tour
An audio tour or audio guide provides a recorded spoken commentary, normally through a handheld device, to a visitor attraction such as a museum. They are also available for self-guided tours of outdoor locations, or as a part of an organised tour. It provides background, context, and information...
s and multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
interpretation for many museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s, art galleries and heritage sites around the world.
History
Antenna Tours began as a division of Antenna Theater, a performing arts organization founded in 1980 to create original work exploring new forms of theatrical experience. The group's founder, Chris Hardman, developed Walkmanology for the Antenna Theater's first production, High School, which premiered at Tamalpais High SchoolTamalpais High School
Tamalpais High School is a public secondary school located in Mill Valley, California. It is named after nearby Mount Tamalpais, which rises more than above Mill Valley....
, Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
, in 1981.
Antenna Audio's first major audio tour was for the Alcatraz Island penitentiary in San Francisco bay, which is still being used today.
In 1998, Antenna Tours was acquired by Arts Communications and Technology Ltd (ACT) to form Antenna Audio. ACT was founded by Iain Burton in London in 1994 and quickly became the leading audio tour company in the world (outside USA) and had pioneered the invention and use of portable communication devices in Museums & Art Galleries. ACT had worked with Antenna in USA for three years prior to the merger. Antenna Audio was acquired by Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
in 2006, who on March 29, 2007 announced their intent to sell Antenna Audio to Cox Communications
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
as part of a multi-billion dollar transaction.
"Travel Media’s ownership of Antenna Audio was initially part of the deal, but was later excluded by mutual agreement of the two parties."
Antenna Audio was acquired by The Wicks Group of Companies L.L.C. (New York) in October 2010 and subsequently changed the company's name to Antenna International.
Awards
The company has won several awards, full list here:- Queen's Award for EnterpriseThe Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation (Technology) (2003)The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation was awarded on 21 April 2003, by Queen Elizabeth II.-Recipients:The following organisations were awarded this year....
(Innovation category) in 2003.
- Several MUSE awards from the American Association of MuseumsAmerican Association of MuseumsThe American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
- D&ADD&ADDesign and Art Direction is a British educational charity which exists to promote excellence in design and advertising...
, NAI and M&H Awards for Excellence
- A technical innovation award from BAFTA, Britain’s prestigious Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Locations
United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, main hub EMEA
EMEA
EMEA may stand for:* the previous acronym of the European Medicines Agency, an EU regulatory agency for the evaluation of medicinal products* Europe, the Middle East and Africa...
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Norwalk
Norwalk
Norwalk is the name of several places in the United States of America:*Norwalk, California, a suburb of Los Angeles*Norwalk, Connecticut, a city in southwestern Connecticut that contains several neighborhoods including Central Norwalk, East Norwalk, South Norwalk, and West Norwalk** The Norwalk...
, main hub America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
- Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- Roma
Roma
- Places :Italy* Rome, the capital of Italy, is called Roma in Italian and some other languages* Roma Tre University, a university located in Rome, Italy, and founded in 1992...
Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
- Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
- Warszawa
Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
- Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
External links
- Company website
- Company information and http://www.museumsassociation.org/suppliers/find-a-supplier/23839?SORT=%40ascending+%40icase+organisation_main_body&referrer=NODE25365&FILTER=ix_mode+%28rel%3d1+imp%3d1%29+%28%28%22Audio+guides%22+in+ma_auth_org_category_val+index+term%29+and+%28%22Y%22+in+ma_auth_org_is_supplier%29%29+sort+%40icase+%40collate+1+%28organisation_main_body%29+%28organisation_main_body%29&N=20&P=0&RECNUM=2supplier information] from the Museums AssociationMuseums AssociationThe Museums Association is a professional organisation based in London for museum professionals and museums in the United Kingdom.The association is the oldest museum association in the world and was started in 1889 by a small group of museums to protect the interests of museums and galleries...
- Museum Insider
- Company information from the American Association of MuseumsAmerican Association of MuseumsThe American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...