JPS/Raytheon, RCC Consultants and Sonic Foundry Team up to Showcase Next-Generation of Homeland Security Solutions to Florida Law Enforcement Officials.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

Topical News: War On Terrorism 

MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 26, 2003

Sonic Foundry's Mediasite Live Selected to Webcast Advanced

Emergency Preparedness Solution That Overcomes Current Obstacles to

State's Public Safety and Communications Issues

Sonic Foundry Inc. (NASDAQ:SOFO), a leading rich media solutions company, JPS/Raytheon Communications (NYSE:RTN), a wholly owned subsidiary of defense industry leader Raytheon and its partner, RCC Consultants, Inc., are teaming up to deliver the latest in state-of-the-art emergency preparedness and communications technology solutions to Florida Department of Law Enforcement Region IV, Domestic Security Task Force officials this Friday, June 27.

JPS/Raytheon Communications and RCC Consultants will demonstrate a neutral host, cost-effective, interoperability solution of dislike radio systems and frequencies. Sonic Foundry's Mediasite Live(TM) will be used for real-time capture and streaming of the live demonstration to law enforcement, public works and public safety officers across the region and in other various parts of the country. The demonstration will take place Friday, June 27, 2003, at the Port of Tampa, Administration Building, Boardroom, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time and can be viewed live at http://mslive.sonicfoundry.com/flhomelandsecuritytaskforce. The Webcast also will be available for later on-demand viewing at the same link.

The Tampa Bay Region is particularly fitting for the demonstration as it has a number of unique challenges to overcome, including multiple radio communications systems, numerous federal, state and local jurisdictions, border issues and a compact size that makes emergency disaster preparedness and response a necessary regional requirement with far-reaching ramifications for public safety.

JPS/Raytheon and RCC will demonstrate a communications solution built on speed, interoperability and reliable connectivity between independent communications platforms so law enforcement, fire, EMS, public works, government officials and military units can communicate seamlessly and efficiently in a crisis situation within their existing infrastructure and at minimal cost.

"This is an important venue and opportunity to educate homeland security, first-response officials on a new technology solution that can overcome current communications barriers and deliver critical information quickly and effectively," explained Michael Hunter, President of RCC Consultants, Inc. "We took a process of selecting the technology we would use to deliver this Webcast just as seriously, and determined that Sonic Foundry's Mediasite Live was best suited to meet our requirements as an easy, fast and high-quality Web communications solution."

Responding to dramatic growth in market demand from businesses, education institutions and government agencies looking to communicate with speed and convenience, Sonic Foundry developed Mediasite Live to remove the cost and complexity issues of capturing and distributing online presentations. As a complete system, it provides all the hardware and software needed to create, deliver, and view high-quality, multimedia Web presentations without any special preparation, costly production or complex authoring. Further, because there are no streaming or seat-licensing fees, users can present as often as needed, to as many people as needed, without incurring additional costs.

Communications Interoperability is Key for Fast Dissemination Of Information

The JPS/Raytheon RCC Consultants' solution includes an equipment rack with radios from participating agencies and a computer that controls the interconnection. Its communications center can select which radios need to interconnect and set up the links upon request. In addition, outside directional antennas point to the other agencies' repeater sites to pick up their signals to include omnidirectional antennas for aircraft communications.

Anyone with authorized access can become part of the communications network. For example, someone in Washington could participate and communicate with anyone. Besides disaster communications, there could be federal as well as multiple local law enforcement connections needed for communication during surveillance operations that might extend over great distances. NASA recently used the JPS/Raytheon technology during the space shuttle disaster operation and the U.S. government employed the same technology to enhance communications during the conflict in Iraq.

"The Web can be a powerful and broad-reaching channel for emergency management and homeland security. However, until now the viability of most Web media systems for rapid response have been limited by the time required to create or transform content for use on the Internet," said Rimas Buinevicius, chairman and CEO, Sonic Foundry. "Mediasite Live, on the other hand, is a real-time system that practically eliminates those time-consuming processes and provides agencies with a quick and efficient way to ensure their message gets out to first responders and law enforcement officials to act on it rapidly or view it later on-demand."

For more information on the demonstration or to attend, contact Lawrence Gould at 800/442-4995.

About JPS Communications

JPS Communications (www.jps.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and a Project 25 signatory, designs, manufactures and sells electronic hardware and software products that enhance the effectiveness of communications systems. The company's main product focus is radio interconnect products, which facilitate communications between two-way radios (HF and VHF/UHF) and various other devices, such as specialized radios, cellular, landline telephone, NEXTEL and SATCOM. The company's products are designed for two broad segments of radio communications users: customers who use high frequency (HF) radio systems and customers who use Land Mobile Radio (LMR) communications systems. HF radio equipment (for long distance communications) is used mainly by militaries and government agencies, both foreign and domestic. LMR equipment (for short distance communications) is used by federal and local government agencies, such as police and fire departments, railroads and other commercial businesses, and militaries worldwide.

JPS' products address an increasingly critical need in the public safety industry for communications interoperability -- defined as the ability for two or more parties (e.g., two different public safety agencies) to exchange information, when and where needed, even when disparate communications systems are involved. JPS' products enable interoperability in situations where agencies could not otherwise communicate due to the incompatibility of their existing communications systems. Applications for these systems are virtually unlimited, with a primary focus on public safety and homeland defense capabilities.

JPS has continued to develop products in support of both the HF and LMR markets and has about 25 major products in its catalog. The company's commitment to continuous research and development is focused on supporting new applications and adding features to its voter and interconnect product families. With superior technology, product line expansion and increased market penetration, JPS has established a solid customer base, including a wide variety of U.S. Government Agencies, numerous OEM customers and a wide variety of military/commercial end users.

About RCC

RCC Consultants, Inc. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Woodbridge, New Jersey. RCC provides client-centered consulting, engineering, integration and outsourcing services in the communications and information technology fields to private and public sector clients. RCC is an industry leader in public safety communications consulting. It is handling numerous large systems planning and implementation projects for such diverse clients as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Los Angeles County, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Irish Garda (the national police force of Ireland).

About Sonic Foundry(R), Inc.

Founded in 1991, Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO) is a leading provider of rich media solutions for the enterprise. Its complete offering of tools, systems and services provides a single source for creating, managing, analyzing and enhancing media for government, business, and education. Sonic Foundry is based in Madison, Wis. For more information about Sonic Foundry, visit the company's Web site at www.sonicfoundry.com.

Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market acceptance for Sonic Foundry's products, its ability to succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services and/or systems, the effect of new competitors in its market, integration of acquired business and other risk factors identified from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.