Radio World 0061 - Jan 2024 by Future PLC

AN R A EW WO DIO EB RLD

New Studios That Dazzle From simple to spectacular, here are some of the radio industry’s most notable recent studio builds. Sponsored by

AEQ • BSI • DNAV • ENCO • Inrush • Lawo • Studio Technology Telos Alliance • Wheatstone • ZTransform

JANUARY 2024

January 2024 eBook www.radioworld.com FOLLOW US www.twitter.com/radioworld_news www.facebook.com/RadioWorldMagazine www.linkedin.com/company/radio-world-futureplc CONTENT Managing Director, Content & Editor in Chief Paul J. McLane, paul.mclane@futurenet.com, 845-414-6105 Assistant Editor & SmartBrief Editor Elle Kehres, elle.kehres@futurenet.com Technical Advisors Thomas R. McGinley, Doug Irwin, W.C. “Cris” Alexander Contributors: David Bialik, John Bisset, Edwin Bukont, James Careless, Ken Deutsch, Mark Durenberger, Charles Fitch, Donna Halper, Alan Jurison, Paul Kaminski, John Kean, Nick Langan, Larry Langford, Mark Lapidus, Michael LeClair, Frank McCoy, Jim Peck, Mark Persons, Stephen M. Poole, James O’Neal, T. Carter Ross, John Schneider, Gregg Skall, Dan Slentz, Dennis Sloatman, Randy Stine, Tom Vernon, Jennifer Waits, Steve Walker, Chris Wygal Production Manager Nicole Schilling Group Art Director Nicole Cobban Senior Design Directors Rob Crossland, Lisa McIntosh, Will Shum ADVERTISING SALES Senior Business Director & Publisher, Radio World John Casey, john.casey@futurenet.com, 845-678-3839 Publisher, Radio World International Raffaella Calabrese, raffaella.calabrese@futurenet.com, +39-320-891-1938 SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE To subscribe, change your address, or check on your current account status, go to www.radioworld.com and click on Subscribe, email futureplc@computerfulfillment.com, call 888-266-5828, or write P.O. Box 1051, Lowell, MA 01853. LICENSING/REPRINTS/PERMISSIONS Radio World is available for licensing. Contact the Licensing team to discuss partnership opportunities. Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw licensing@futurenet.com MANAGEMENT SVP Wealth, B2B and Events Sarah Rees Managing Director, B2B Tech & Entertainment Brands Carmel King Managing Vice President of Sales, B2B Tech Adam Goldstein Head of Production US & UK Mark Constance Head of Design Rodney Dive

New studios that dazzle

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Paul McLane Editor in Chief

Above Hard at work in Bonneville’s new studios in Denver.

wo years ago this month, Radio World published an ebook featuring new and recent radio studio buildout projects. It immediately became one of the most popular among the many ebooks we’ve published. We’re proud to present the third annual edition, once again giving you a look inside “radio studios that dazzle,” from simple streamlined jobs to high-end projects. How have our industry’s leading broadcasters, engineers and integrators solved common and unusual audio and design challenges? What equipment did they choose, what aesthetics did they adopt? What can we learn from decisions made by organizations like Bonneville International, SiriusXM, Grupo Bandeirantes, KQED, KNKX, The Ryan Seacrest Foundation, Regional Media and others? I hope you enjoy flipping through these stories as much as I’ve enjoyed putting them together. As always let me know how we can serve you better. Email me at radioworld@futurenet.com.

radioworld.com | January 2024

THIS ISSUE 4

AoIP system serves “Planet 93.9”

New studios bloom for Lotus in Seattle

A virtual studio facility on a beer budget

Ryan Seacrest Foundation adds three vibrant new Seacrest Studios

KQED renovates, re-relocates, revitalizes

Band FM gets a bright new studio

Michigan charter school launches “The Nest”

New Seattle home helps KNKX connect

KFROG hops down to Riverside

Bonneville completes a major five-year mission

A big-box retail space becomes a retail facility

A seven-studio upgrade project for WUNC

SiriusXM opens its doors in Miami

Beasley gets a new hub of its own in Boston

New Studios That Dazzle

AoIP system serves “Planet 93.9” Born in a storage facility, the station now has a new home in Davenport, Iowa Above The main studio is ringed with monitors. This is a view from the co-host position.

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very single person who has been in this studio compliments us.” That’s Fletcher Ford talking about the new home of FM station KQCJ, “Planet 93.9,” which serves the Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois with an alternative format. The station is part of Virden Broadcasting Corp., which owns 20 FM and AM stations in the region. Its new headquarters in Davenport, Iowa, has a main studio, a production room and a “lounge” studio; they serve as the home of Planet 93.9 and the company’s podcast work. (Parent Regional Media also owns podcasting, production and other media-driven businesses, while Regional Media Digital serves the entire U.S. market.) “Another of my businesses is a storage company that has thousands of units,” said Ford, Virden’s CEO. “We actually launched Planet during the pandemic after my friend Dave Levora was let go from corporate radio (again) and swore off radio. We decided to build a station, and the Planet was born. We built it inside an office on my 25-acre storage garage property. It was successful, so we needed to build a ‘real’ studio.”

As its new headquarters, Virden converted a residential house to a commercial facility, placing the studio in what used to be a two-car garage. The floor was raised for code purposes, which also made wiring easier. Ford is an Illinois native and a busy entrepreneur. In addition to running Virden Broadcasting and the storage company, he is CEO of software firm Radio Workflow, a member of the board of the Illinois Broadcasters Association and a member of the International Broadcasters Idea Bank. He’s also active on the leadership team of his local church and with several other local groups. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t hands-on with a radio project. “I have always had a knack for building studios. When I got into the business with Randy Miller, as a sales manager of WKEI, WJRE and WYEC, then going on to purchase the stations from him in my first cluster deal, I needed new studios for our stations in a small town in Illinois,” Ford said. “I designed them and saw the project through. I am a practical builder. From my real estate background, it is easy for me to vision the end product. Since then we have built studios all over Illinois and Iowa, some in Missouri

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle Left The host position. The audio complement includes an Axia iQ console and Rivendell automation software. The simian sitting at right is named Spank and has been with the morning team since 2005.

Below The host can look to the left at a lounge area within the studio and the lobby beyond. The StreamDeck system is used to change studio signage and logos on the fly.

and one in New Jersey; and I have consulted on several dozens more.” Over the years Ford’s son Cammeron trained under the company’s corporate engineer Wayne R. Miller and became Virden’s primary engineer. “He along with my partner Darren Brown and I worked on this studio to perfect its look, design, functionality and quality. And this is a full audio and video broadcast audio.” Matt Cauthen of SCMS was the major equipment provider for the project, which is built around an Axia AoIP system. The studio has an irregular shape for acoustic purposes. It features high-end granite finishes, hardwood floors and digital signage and logos. “We have remote connections on the other side of the room — small but very helpful for bands and live podcasts from our lounge.” The studio features an Axia iQ console, Rivendell automation software, Electro-Voice RE27 mics, Bose flushmount speakers, a VoxPro system and StreamDeck. A video screen system allows guests to call in via video, and the cabinetry is custom-built. The transmitter site in Cambridge, Ill., is fed by a Telos Z/IP One codec system over high-speed fiber, backed up by Comrex gear as well as a point-to-point STL. The

transmitter is an Elenos ETG model with a Nautel VS as backup. It’s located in Cambridge, Ill. The air chain also includes an Angry Audio C-Level studio processor, an Omnia.11 audio processor and an Inovonics 732 RDS encoder, all provided by SCMS.

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

New studios bloom for Lotus in Seattle Cluster looks out on Puget Sound and the Space Needle

he purchase in 2021 of four radio stations by Lotus Communications from Sinclair Broadcast Group necessitated a major studio buildout. Today that cluster comprises KNWN(AM/ FM) “Northwest Newsradio” (formerly KOMO, whose call letters stayed with Sinclair), along with hot AC station KPLZ(FM) and conservative talker KVI(AM). Lotus Director of Engineering Jason Houts oversaw the project, which was managed by Doug Tharp at SCMS and built by integrator RadioDNA. It is a WheatNet-IP facility featuring LX console surfaces,

talent stations and lots of virtual screens and AoIP scripting. The IP audio equipment had been purchased by Sinclair and stored in a warehouse pending the acquisition. According to a project summary published by Wheatstone, Lotus at first had 18 months to move the stations from the original KOMO TV building. But the timetable was compressed when a property lease fell through. “Once they found a suitable space and started building new studios in earnest, they were up against a hard cutover. In less than six months, they had to frame out, network together, and bring four on-air control rooms, two

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

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production rooms, a voicetrack studio and a news desk with three editor positions live,” it said. “In addition to fast-tracking workflows by positioning news edit stations in line with the news desk, Rob Goldberg and his team at RadioDNA created AoIP salvos and macro sequences for triggering and automating newsgathering from the NewsBoss automation system, which is integrated into the native AoIP environment through the WheatNet IP control interface, as is the RCS Zetta automation system,” Wheatstone wrote. “They also custom developed touchscreens for quick news editing and used a combination of Blade utility mixers, I/O and WheatNet IP scripting to automate IFBs as well as route, control and mix down live feeds from multiple sources.” The 9,500-square-foot facility is on the fourth floor of an office suite. The sales team’s work area faces the Seattle Space Needle while the radios studios and the talent’s “retreat area” are on the west side looking at Puget Sound. Three control rooms in a row face the water and look over the news desks in an adjacent studio. When operators stand at the host microphone position in the main studio, they can see straight out over the news desks to the water of the sound below. Puget Sound is also visible from studios serving KVI and KPLZ, which are to the side across from production behind the retreat area. The Technical Operations Center is a visual highlight, grabbing a visitor’s attention with a large overhead monitor — “all the guts of radio right there in lights and status indicators, all professionally done and showcased,” one visitor said.

All the guts of radio right there in lights and status indicators, all professionally done and showcased. radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

A virtual studio facility on a beer budget Running Wolf Radio builds a streamlined operation serving listeners in oil rig country Below left Thane Conriocht and Mark Harcourt

Below right With the console and phone system being virtual, the studio componentry is quite simple.

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veryone under the age of 30 missed out on how awesome broadcast radio was,” KZLF(FM) in Alva, Okla., tells young people on its website. “We love everything that radio was, and we think you will too if given a reason to tune in.” In their effort to create radio that isn’t boring and lifeless, Running Wolf Radio General Manager Thane Conriocht and his business partner Mark Harcourt acquired the license and tower of the former KPAK in 2022 and turned

it into KZLF, “97.5 The Rig.” Its 50 kW signal serves northern Oklahoma with new rock plus ’80s and ’90s mixed in. They needed a studio so they built one in Harcourt’s house in Edmond, which is about 100 miles from Alva. “We operate and manage the station largely by remote from there, maintaining a local presence with live remotes during community events in the listening area,” he said. Conriocht (pronounced “KAHN-rokt”) led the technical aspects including system planning, the audio over IP design and the airchain. Harcourt was responsible for back-end data and network configuration. “Our hidden advantage is that Mark and I are both high-level IT software and network engineers, so we have been able to harness the power of technology to improve and streamline both the operation and the airchain itself. We are a 100% audio-over-IP airchain with a solid signal covering a 60-mile radius in really stellar sound.” Their primary vendor for the studio project was Broadcasters General Store. “I have owned a few radio stations over the years and I first started working with what is now the Telos Alliance as our primary equipment vendor back in 2010,” Conriocht said. “We use the new Axia Altus virtual console and the VXs virtual phone hybrid system. Our playout system, Station Playlist, is not flashy but it is reliable and simple. We have the nice black Electro-Voice RE20 mics on O.C. White arms with flags from the awesome Impact PBS company.” The mics are brought into the AoIP world via an Axia microphone xNode. Mic processing is built into the Altus, making it easy to administer and tweak. The studio has redundant VMware servers, and the AoIP

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle services and software reside within. The Altus console, VXs phone hybrid and Station Playlist software are virtual machines, as is the Breakaway One encoder/processor, which doubles as the STL front end. “We have a local PC in the studio that runs the remote console into the Station Playlist virtual machine and a web browser running full-screen on the second touchscreen monitor as our virtual Altus console,” he continued. “The monitors are both multi-touch and quite responsive, so the operating experience is comparable to a hardware mixing environment.” At the studio, Conriocht uses Breakaway One as a heavily buffered STL to the transmitter site. Both the studio and the transmitter sites have 1 GB internet connections as well as backup cellular and Starlink connections. “The lossless STL audio path will automatically choose the fastest available path upon any single failure. This is accomplished through Cisco Firewalls, routers and Above Conriocht designed software to emulate an on-air light, phone light and time-synchronized clock, running off Axia Livewire GPIO and displayed on an LED monitor. When a call comes in, the blank panel at lower right blinks “Phone.”

Left The two surfaces provide the GUIs for Station Playlist and Axia Altus. The EV RE20s are mounted on O.C. White arms with flags by Impact PBS.

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

Above An Axia microphone xNode provides under-counter connectivity.

switches,” he said. “At the transmitter we feed an old Omnia-3fmt with our studio feed. It’s an old box but still sounds leaps and bounds better than our area competition.” A planned upgrade will use a virtual Omnia 9s audio processor feeding an Axia MPX xNode at the transmitter, replacing the Breakaway One and Omnia-3fmt. “Last, the transmitter is an old reliable Broadcast Electronics FM-10T tube rig. It is in fantastic shape and still humming right along despite its age.” (Visitors who buzz the door intercom at the transmitter site are connected by VoIP

“

We didn’t have a lot of money, and what we did have was focused on the product. We wanted everything to be stable, feature-rich, expandable and sound great.

to the studio 100 miles away.) The studio aesthetic is simple. “We didn’t have a lot of money, and what we did have was focused on the product. We wanted everything to be stable, feature-rich, expandable and sound great.” Two-inch sound panels are gray but will soon be replaced with panels featuring oil industry images, reflecting the importance of the oil industry in the region. Under-counter lighting gives the room a cool vibe. Any other nifty details to share? “Our color is in the programming,” Conriocht replied. “That said, we do have a unique on-air light, an LED monitor running custom software that I designed to emulate an on-air light, a phone light and a time-synchronized clock. It is a web app that runs directly off of Axia Livewire GPIO, so it can be opened from anywhere on our network, just like the Axia console. “We’re also writing a really nifty EAS interface that allows full EAS monitoring and control of a Sage Digital Endec using a simple desktop and/or web application.” The station is proudly, aggressively against “corporate” radio. (“Those stations are soulless and pander to the sheep,” it states on its website.) Conriocht knows making big money with a singleton radio operation will be a challenge, but he plans to have fun with it. “While we have a very average studio compared to media giants that have the budget for fantastic-looking facilities, we had to make do on a beer budget and I think we put together a really nice facility.”

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

Ryan Seacrest Foundation adds three vibrant new Seacrest Studios Studios serve pediatric hospitals in Memphis, Queens and Salt Lake City

any broadcasters know about the great work of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation to establish multimedia studios in pediatric hospitals. RSF has built 14 in as many years, and readers may remember Radio World’s special supplement in 2011 about the first few locations. In the past year RSF cut the ribbon on three more broadcast media centers. These bright and inviting studios can be found at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.; Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens, N.Y.; and Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. The aim of the Seacrest Studios is to encourage patients to “explore the creative realms of radio, television and new media” and help the healing process for children and their families. “We believe access to multimedia experiences will bring patients stimulating and exciting adventures to encourage optimistic thoughts during treatment,” said Nicole Mead,

the foundation’s vice president, business development and operations. The hospitals also invite local school children to visit the studios to learn and participate. The new studios feature high visibility looking in and out, giving almost a fishbowl effect. “We want patients and families to always be able to see into the studio and then want to engage in whatever is taking place,” Mead said. “We use warm colors that have been shown to create a calm and inviting atmosphere for patients and families. No carpet is used, and all furniture can be easily cleaned in order to maintain a safe and sterile environment within the hospital. We also have to be sure wheelchairs, medical beds and other equipment can easily move through the space. This requires us to be sure doors are wide enough and there is proper room for these items to be wheeled in and out.” The studios reflect the work of many hands. The foundation hires engineers to help with the design and buildout process. Project management is run by Mead; the

radioworld.com | January 2024

Below View from behind the operator position in Queens.

New Studios That Dazzle

hospitals provide management support and build shells for the space. Technology design/engineering firm Automated Systems Design, headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga., played a central role in the three jobs completed in 2023. The audio infrastructures of the rooms are built around SAS audio consoles and a Dante platform, while the automation is provided by ENCO. An NDI-based video workflow with PTZ cameras was designed by JVC using vMix software designed for the Seacrest Studios. Video is distributed using a Castus automated system. “Starting with the new studios in 2023, each studio also has its own dedicated network,” Mead said. “The hospital still provides this service for the studio, but it allows the ability to really share all the great things the studio has to offer for the patients and guests. This also allows remote connections for almost instant troubleshooting by the foundation’s approved vendors and engineers. “There is also a shared file source that contains wire schematics, equipment installed and other pertinent information related to that studio, which allows much more ease in future troubleshooting.” Additional technical products were made or supplied by Adobe, Apple, BlackMagic, Brightline, Broadcasters General Store, Canon, Comrex, Electro-Voice, Omnirax, Samsung, Sennheiser, Symetrix and Yellowtec. “Many of the vendors donate or provide their products at a significant discount to the foundation,” Mead said. “This enables us to continue building and maintaining these studios and providing the very best experience for patients and our staff who run the studios.” The people who manage the studios are hospital employees but are fully supported by the foundation. They set the programming, suitable for their local patient population, with the foundation providing guidance. Each studio generates at least 30 hours of live local content per week but can also pull on a shared asset library maintained by RSF at its Nashville headquarters.

Above left This youngster appears to have landed a zinger on Ryan. In addition to serving patients of the hospitals, the program provides students from local schools an opportunity to gain experience in multimedia.

Above right Ryan Seacrest meets with patients at the opening of the studio at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens, N.Y.

Right Under-counter rack pod in Salt Lake City.

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

Above The studio at the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis exemplifies the open, warm and inviting feeling of the facilities.

Right Lobby view of the studio at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Each studio provides patients and families with a “weekat-a-glance” calendar showing all the live programming for Monday through Friday so patients know the schedule in advance. “For evening and weekend hours, we program prerecorded content into our Castus systems so that the channel will always be broadcasting content,” Mead said. Each location also has its own CCTV channel that broadcasts to the patient rooms. Each channel can only be broadcast within the walls of the hospital due to HIPAA and child safety laws. Programming includes both audio and visual elements at all times, and patients can participate in interactive games such as bingo directly from their rooms. “The studios do have the ability to all link up for special visits, following strict network security protocols to maintain compliance,” Mead said. Should a technical problem develop, the hospital studio team can ask for help from the foundation, which has two broadcast engineers on contract to help remotely and also maintains relationships with engineers in each market. While the studios are top of the line and have many functionalities, she said, at the end of the day it’s all about the patients.

“This is their space, and the patient will always come first. We want to provide an escape while kids are in the hospital and possibly inspire them to want to learn more about broadcasting or pursue the field one day.” In addition to the three new locations there are Seacrest Studios at hospitals in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Nashville, Orange County, Philadelphia, Orlando and Washington D.C. (Watch a highlight video from the December opening of the facility in Salt Lake City.)

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

Writer

KQED renovates, re-relocates, revitalizes FM facilities are part of a $94 million overhaul

Tom Vernon

ocated in the Mission District of San Francisco, Newenhouse, vice president, broadcast engineering and public broadcaster KQED’s new facility is home operations; and Peter Cavagnaro, director, marketing and to KQED FM 88.5 and TV channels KQED 9 and communications, about the long voyage from Mariposa KQED Plus, along with streaming media, podcast Street to a temporary location in San Francisco’s financial production studios and a vibrant community live district, and back home again. event space. The building recently underwent Building renovations were funded by KQED’s a $94 million gut-it-to-the-walls-and-start-from-scratch Campaign 21, the station’s eight-year capital effort, which renovation. raised $140 million in total to fund critical infrastructure KQED’s journey involved a lot of skill, planning, and technology improvements as well as innovation collaboration and patience. It also projects. Donations to Campaign 21 took a bit of luck and, in the end, the came from nearly 5,000 individuals. Above ability to create opportunities out The renovated building devotes The project transformed the station’s headquarters on Mariposa Street “from of crisis. a significant amount of space to an industrial-style building into a vibrant, Radio World spoke with KQED’s community engagement, a trend accessible state-of-the-art center for civic Dave Hansen, executive director, becoming more common in public and cultural engagement, live events and locally focused journalism.” media operations and facilities; Donny broadcasting.

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle Right Radio Master Control feeds KQED’s locally produced programs and newscasts with national newscasts and programs from NPR and its partners.

“ Below A lobby view. The facility was designed by EHDD Architecture.

Jason O’Rear/KQED

The heart of the building is The Commons, a 3,850-square-foot, 150-seat multipurpose theater, which is the setting for KQED Live, a multiplatform live events program that supports both in-person and virtual participation. KQED Live events are designed to track with public media programming, providing another means for the audience to interact with the station. KQED Live produces around 80 events annually. The PRX Podcast Garage at KQED is a community program in the facility that aims to bring a new generation of audio storytellers into the environment. PRX operates in designated multipurpose space, and has been the scene for podcast workshops by the Kitchen Sisters; NPR and podcast producers Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva; Snap Judgment’s Glynn Washington and several others. The program hopes to eventually make studio space and equipment available for aspiring podcasters and audio storytellers.

Temporary studios KQED moved into its current Mariposa Street location in late 1991. What had been an industrial warehouse space

”

Our goal for the new facility was complete crossfunctionality.

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

was revamped to accommodate KQED’s corporate and technical operations. After 20 years of station growth and changes in media, a rethink was long overdue. “There had been incremental upgrades and renovations over the years, and yet more modifications when we went to HDTV in the 2000s,” said Dave Hansen. “By then, it had reached the point where the basic configuration of the building was no longer meeting our needs. We had simply outgrown the space as it existed.” That realization set in motion a planning process to consider the options. The choices came down to selling the Mariposa Street building; purchasing a new space in an expensive and competitive Bay Area real estate market and starting over; or temporarily moving to another location while their old space was renovated, and then moving back. Hansen said the decision came down to financial responsibility. “Even though it involved complex logistics, temporary relocation and moving back was deemed to be the most financially responsible option.” Their course now set, one of the first steps for KQED was finding a suitable rental space while the projected 2-1/2-year renovation was completed, no simple task in the San Francisco real estate market. Then luck intervened. “Our real estate partners managed to connect us with Bechtel Engineering, who were in the midst of relocating their downtown Beale Street offices to Virginia,” said Hansen. “It turned out they were looking to sublet their space for the remaining three years left on the lease. “The space was already built out and furnished for our corporate needs. We moved our TV productions to a local studio, Media One. Finding a furnished space downtown in this time frame for a reasonable lease is really what made it all work.” Plans were soon underway. Tech teams were mobilized to build the temporary radio and TV studios, and to engineer new connections to the outside world. Newenhouse and his team decided the best strategy was to upgrade studio gear when moving into the temporary location, making the return to Mariposa Street easier. “At the same time,” Newenhouse said, “the old analog/ AES Studer consoles were replaced with Lawo Sapphire Crystals in the edit booths and Lawo Rubys in the two control rooms. Audio routing was upgraded from Lawo Nova 73 to PowerCore.” The decision to upgrade at this point would pay huge dividends as later events unfolded. Other key radio components included Dalet Galaxy media asset management; Telos on-air phone system; GatesAir Intraplex IP Links and codecs; Electro-Voice RE20 microphones; Forecast Consoles technical furniture; and acoustic design by Russ Berger Design Group.

Peter Cavagnaro/KQED

Above Dave Hansen with cabling.

Right Radio Studio B.

Jason O’Rear/KQED

Interoperability Part of the strategy for the new facility included blurring the lines between radio and TV. “In the past, the two sides were very siloed,” said Newenhouse. “Our goal for the new facility was complete cross-

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

Jason O’Rear/KQED

functionality. This means intake across radio and TV on the same control system, all sources from both sides available to all platforms and all crew trained to manage different disciplines.” Newenhouse adds that the infrastructure is largely fiberbased, with most traffic moving away from AES to AoIP, and unified control systems with native Quartz. “There’s very little analog left in the facility,” he said. No large renovation project goes quite according to plan, but KQED’s staff faced unprecedented challenges shortly after the Mariposa Street building was gutted in the fall of 2019. “That’s when the pandemic hit,” said Hansen. “The impact was unimaginable, everything just stopped. On a project of this magnitude, the initial two-week halt could be catastrophic. We had to get a letter from the mayor’s office declaring that our renovation was an essential project so that we could continue construction.” But that wasn’t the only problem. “We were in the midst

of this massive renovation project, and suddenly we all had to pivot and design new workflows that would enable people to work from home,” Newenhouse said. “Comrex Access units were sent to most of our employees. We had to enable everyone to virtually access their workstations. Our op techs continued to work from the studios to build this workflow infrastructure from scratch.” In the midst of this near-chaos, Hansen said something went in their favor. “We were able to reconfigure and leverage the new technology that was installed when we relocated to the temporary locations at Beale a year prior, that is what really made this transition possible. The way our tech was set up before the move out of Mariposa Street, it would simply not have been possible for people to work from home.” Meanwhile, the FM part of the operation began a disaster-recovery project, leveraging its old equipment to build emergency studios at Sutro Tower. All types of access were included, and that part of the project was completed

radioworld.com | January 2024

Above The open-plan newsroom includes a tribute on the rear wall to the “transformational leadership of John Boland, president and CEO of KQED, 2008–2019.”

New Studios That Dazzle

Kirsten Dalldorf /KQED

Above Dave Hansen and Donny Newenhouse atop KQED’s San Francisco studios and headquarters.

in the next two to four weeks.

A matter of debate While Newenhouse and his team had tried to build as much redundancy and flexibility into the new facility as possible, it hadn’t been tested to full capacity during the first year of operation. That was about to change. On Oct. 23, 2022, KQED hosted the only California gubernatorial debate between Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Sen. Brian Dahle. As Cavagnaro recalls, planning for this had to come together in a hurry. “Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos from KQED’s Politics and Government team were in touch with the two candidates about setting up the debate. We didn’t get confirmation from Brian Dahle’s campaign that he would accept the invitation until maybe just short of three weeks before the scheduled debate on Oct. 23. So the preparations happened in quite a hurry. That was a challenge.”

The debate was hosted in The Commons, KQED’s multipurpose event venue. “This space is state-of-the-art and built for audio and visual recording. What made this debate a unique opportunity in using The Commons, was that this was the first time all of the systems we designed and installed in the space were used in order to broadcast live on radio and rebroadcast later that evening on television.” Another big part of the broadcast was to make the feed available to other television stations for simulcast or to rebroadcast later. In contrast, production for the 2018 debate was only broadcast live on radio and shared with other radio stations. There was no television or video component. One of the major lessons learned from this, according to Cavagnaro, is that not all stations use the same technologies or platforms for receiving simulcast feeds,

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New Studios That Dazzle

The renovated building devotes a significant amount of space to community engagement, a trend becoming more common in public broadcasting.

particularly between commercial and public media stations. To solve for this, KQED engaged with The Switch to host their television feed in the larger market California distribution hubs The Switch also made the debate available via satellite uplink, which could be accessed by stations that did not subscribe to The Switch. Since KQED only broadcasts locally to the San Francisco area and this debate was of consequence to all Californians, the goal was to ensure that stations in every market across the state not only had awareness but could broadcast on their own channels and platforms if they chose to. According to Cavagnaro, the broadcast went perfectly. “There were no issues, and everyone was really pleased with the quality of the setup, conversation and production. Distribution through The Switch and ContentDepot ran as planned. The debate was either simulcast or rebroadcast by several other stations across the state and also nationally via C-SPAN.” Reflecting after the event, Cavagnaro found positives. “As far as what worked, we were quite pleased with the production and how the space and its technology suited the production. Moreover, this was a massive cross-departmental collaboration with news, TV and radio operations, radio and TV programming, station relations, and marketing and communications all working together on a complex project against an intense deadline. A true team effort.”

Peter Cavagnaro/KQED

Above Hansen in the technical operations center. Left A view of The Commons from the production booth.

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New Studios That Dazzle

Band FM gets a bright new studio Its bright open feel supports video and online needs as well as radio Above Thais Tatá Lima works at the main operator position.

hese photos show the newly renovated and expanded main studio that serves top-rated Rádio Band FM in São Paulo, Brazil, part of media company Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação. Grupo Bandeirantes is headquartered in the Morumbi neighborhood of São Paulo. The new studio debuted last March. “It is a project built around AoIP,” said Radio Technical Director Jean Pierre Vandresen. “We wanted the studio to be flexible, resilient and reliable, and to adapt as the talent desires — the studio can serve just São Paulo, at other times São Paulo and affiliates, and other times a ‘pocket’ show broadcast on the internet or distributed by one of our television channels or

on YouTube.” The audio infrastructure is built around an AEQ AoIP system using an Atrium console, BC2000 router, NetBox 32 AD interfaces and System IP multiconference telephony system. The main microphone is a Neumann TLM103 supported by a Biquad arm, and several BCM705 mics are mounted with On Stage stands. The equipment complement includes Wheatstone M-1 Digital Mic Processor, Shure SCM820 Digital IntelliMix automatic mixer, Yamaha HS7 monitors with subwoofer, Digigram VX822e sound card and Audinate Dante Virtual Soundcard. “This is a project to meet the needs of radio, but with possibilities for other media and distribution channels such as TV, YouTube and pay TV,” said Vandresen.

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New Studios That Dazzle Left The large LED wall screen shows videos and displays branding. Right The ceiling treatment combines functional lighting support with a decorative effect.

Below Thais Tatá Lima, left, and Ana Karina Meyer are shown in the new studio.

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New Studios That Dazzle

Above A view under the counter.

“It has a ceiling height of almost 11 feet and a grid for the best lighting coverage, whether scenic or artistic. It also contains a large LED screen, where we carry out marketing campaigns or remote interviews, and also a space for shows with artists who come to visit us and give interviews. We use a Yamaha QL1 Digital Mixing Console for bands.” The studio also has five PTZ NDI video cameras and a switcher from NEOiD. Neutral colors are used as the base for acoustic and furniture treatment, giving the room a light and

harmonious feel, while bright highlights identify the studio with the station branding. Most of the design and installation work was done internally by the company’s staff. Vandresen provided general and technical project management. Technical installation work was by Renato Peranton, Kedes Días, Julio Vieira, Joao Rocha, Diego Brochado and Ivan Salvador. Architectural work and furniture design were done by a team led by Joao Alcides. Watch a video of the grand opening.

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New Studios That Dazzle

Michigan charter school launches “The Nest” Online studio is part of a new career technical education center

n September, Star International Academy in Dearborn Heights, Mich. — an independent K–12 public school academy near Detroit with students from more than two dozen countries — unveiled a career technical education center. Dubbed The Nest, the center is an initiative of Dr. Ali Y Bazzi, president and superintendent of schools at Hamadeh Educational Services. In addition to courses in topics like nursing and child

development, it features “The Nest Radio,” an online station programmed by students and featuring news, weather and music in Arabic and English, reflecting the large Arab American population of the greater Detroit area. “The purpose of the project was to provide both a duallanguage community and worldwide streaming service and educational platform for students,” said broadcast engineer Bob Burnham. He handled the technical aspects of the project including the planning and construction, supported by the school staff as well as his wife Debie, who pulled wires. The facility features a radio-style control room as well as a studio for guests and interviews, which the team calls the podcast studio. The audio operation features an Audioarts Air4 console, BSI Simian automation, Adobe Audition software and Designcraft furniture. The microphones are Shure SM-7Bs mounted on O.C. White arms. Henry Engineering talent pods are used for five mic positions. The equipment complement also includes an Eventide Broadcast Delay, Tascam CD-RW900SX Recorder/Player, Telos Z/IPStream R/1 stream encoder/processor, JBL

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New Studios That Dazzle

Above Student Manager Sarah Ameen runs a live broadcast.

Right View from the host position into the podcast studio.

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New Studios That Dazzle

Control 1 speakers and AudioScience sound cards. Maroon Markerfoam acoustical treatment contrasts with the grey furniture tops. Broadcasters General Store supplied all of the equipment. Connections are built around a single Krone-style punch block, and most audio paths go to a single destination, so distribution amplifiers were not needed. The Talent Pods are daisy-chained with standard Cat 5 cabling. Since this is an analog installation, standard Belden 9451 was used for audio connections and Neutrik XLR connectors. The adjacent podcast studio is equipped with a basketball net, couches and pillows and is intended to be a fun, relaxing environment. The school originally had hoped to apply for a low-power FM license. It explored the possibility with the help of Lowell Homburger of Abernat, Roxben & Boggs and with MunnReese Broadcast Engineering Consultants. But due to the proximity of Detroit and the Canadian border, spacing and other limitations, Burnham said, there was no hope for a CP at or near the studio in Dearborn Heights. The opening of The Nest was featured in a local TV news report that you can view here. The Nest Radio is a finalist in

three categories for high school audio in the 2024 Michigan Student Broadcast Awards. “The studio is special because of the relentless dedication of Dr. Bazzi and his staff to demand only the best for their students,” Burnham said. “That comes across with the positive attitude of their broadcast students involved in the radio station, especially their student manager, Sarah Ameen. They are excited to be involved.”

Above A couch in the podcast studio overlooking the control room.

Left An outside view on the day the studio was presented to local media presentation including a crew from WDIV(TV).

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

New Seattle home helps KNKX connect A century-old concrete warehouse near Pike Place Market is transformed Above The studios feature a WheatNet-IP infrastructure with Broadcast Electronics automation and news software.

ere’s an update to a story we told you about in this ebook last year, when we shared artist’s renderings. KNKX is a listener-supported jazz and NPR station that serves the Seattle market and operates a network of 12 signals in western Washington as well as a popular website, jazz stream and YouTube channel. It had outgrown its original studios, and the

configuration of rooms was no longer meeting the station’s needs. “In-studio live events could only accommodate a handful of audience members, and the radio broadcaster’s growing team of news reporters were working in extremely close quarters, challenging their productivity,” said Erik Utter, president of integration company ZTransform. “The technology was outdated and was in need of a complete refresh to bring it in line with the organization’s newer Tacoma studios, which had been built to increase news coverage of the South Sound region as well as collaborations with arts and music organizations.” An improved space would help the station better connect with its community and collaborate more effectively with the public and local musicians through live music production, news programming, studio sessions, events and panels. “Early in the project, ZTransform met with multiple end-user groups from news, music and production teams whose needs didn’t necessarily align,” Utter said. He said ZTransform sought to provide agility to users in their use of equipment, room configuration and workflow.

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New Studios That Dazzle

ZTransform provided the design, build, integration and launch services, working with V Three Studio architects. The general contractor was Sellen Construction, which also led major projects for KEXP and KING, two other Seattle noncom stations. A century-old concrete warehouse in the Madore Building was turned into a state-of-the-art broadcast plant. The facility, which went on the air in July, is in the vibrant waterfront neighborhood next to the Pike Place Market and provides stunning views of the waterfront. It includes four broadcast studios, a live performance space with mix studio, a newsroom and technical operations center. The project included video production support in the live studio to support the station’s popular YouTube channel. Having flexible spaces that served the different needs of music and news was important to KNKX, Utter added. “ZTransform spent considerable time and effort developing creative technical solutions that would serve both needs. Examples include custom-designed sit/stand technical furniture and KVM systems that easily allow for custom screen layouts.” An AES67-compatible Wheatstone WheatNet-IP audio

infrastructure enables all audio sources to be accessed and controlled by all devices on the network, including mixing consoles, control surfaces, software controllers and automation devices. Broadcast Electronics AudioVault is used for audio storage, automation and playout, while BE NewsBoss systems serve the newsroom workstations for content creation, ingest, distribution, presentation and editing. EV RE20 mics with Wheatstone M4 processing provide the desired sound, and the mics are supported by Yellowtec Mika arms. Yellowtec LITT signaling devices were used for EAS notifications, phone ringers, silence detection and carrier loss. Various models of Genelec audio monitors are used throughout. The studios were built with customized Cabinetworks technical furniture and designed to be as flexible as possible. “A slotted aluminum rail was recessed and installed behind each mix console, running the width of the desk, along with a slot in the counter that was trimmed with a linear brushed grommet. The slot provides access to wire management and power below, allowing for quick physical reconfigurations of monitor arms, microphone

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Left The Seattle studio is at 1501 Western Avenue very close to Pike Place Market.

Right The station sought to better connect with the community and members of the public as well as live musicians. This “living room” area is outside the performance space visible at left.

New Studios That Dazzle Left In the air studio on the first broadcast day. From left: ZTransform President Erik Utter; KNKX “All Things Considered” Host Emil Moffatt; Assistant News Director Amy Jeffries; and News Director Florangela Davila.

Below Part of the newsroom. Color-coded cabling runs in the overhead trays.

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New Studios That Dazzle

poles and other equipment,” Utter said. “ZTransform modified the Yellowtec Mika poles to mount to the rail. It’s easy to simply slide monitor and microphone mounts left or right for exact placement, greatly simplifying changes in the future.” Other elements of the tech plant include Allen & Heath venue mixing, Audinate Dante, Cisco networking, Adder IP KVM, Canon video cameras and ETC theatrical lighting. Visitors to the lobby can see into the station’s rack room through a glass wall. Studio X, the station’s new performance space, seats 25 people. Joey Cohn is president and general manager of KNKX. Other important players at the station were Steve Albertson, director of administration; Lowell Kiesow, the chief engineer; and Austin Hodges, studio engineer. According to its website, KNKX stands for “Connects” — “to acknowledge its commitment to inspire, educate and entertain its audiences by reflecting their vital local community.” Utter called the year-long project “a true collaboration between KNKX and the ZTransform teams.”

Above In the mix studio looking into the performance studio. From left: KNKX Director of Digital Media and Technology Justin Steyer and Mix Engineer Brian Moynihan. Right Across the top of the middle photo you can see the slot described in the text, providing flexible access to wires and power as well as quick physical reconfigurations.

Bottom right Café space.

New Studios That Dazzle

KFROG hops down to Riverside “A modern, sleek look with a focus on simplicity and functionality”

or this Los Angeles-area job, Audacy needed to migrate SoCal station KFROG, heard on KFRG 95.1, from Colton, a southern suburb of San Bernardino, moving about 10 miles down the road to Riverside. It also streamlined to a smaller facility consisting of a main air studio, a flexible air/production room and a production booth. Audacy’s Rick Rapalee led the integration, along with local engineers Phillip Vaughn and Norm Reynolds, assisted by contract engineer Aaron Savage. Inrush Broadcast Services managed the studio installations and staff training along with telephony configuration and Pathfinder programming. The Axia audio over IP routing and mixing infrastructure were provided by Telos Alliance and features Quasar

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New Studios That Dazzle

Opposite top Anthony Donatelli, multiplatform talent at Audacy, works in the room. Above Another view. The microphone is an Electro-Voice RE320.

XR, Quasar SR and iQx consoles; Pathfinder Core Pro for workflow automation and facility management; and iPort for inter-market audio and control. The playout and ad management functions are handled by WideOrbit Automation for Radio, with cabinetry by Studio Technology. “The design aesthetic is predominantly clean and minimalistic with a bright color scheme,” said Cameron Boswell, partner at Inrush. “Notable features include strategically placed televisions for dynamic background changes, purposeful lighting for video and social media, and abundant natural light through numerous windows. The overall design aims for a modern, sleek look with a focus on simplicity and functionality.”

Boswell said the primary WideOrbit servers reside in Audacy’s San Diego facility, along with backup studiotransmitter links, streaming encoders and other critical equipment. “The San Diego facility is fortified with redundant power, data circuits and more, making it the ideal location for critical equipment. During normal operation, audio and control is provided by the Telos Alliance iPort, with Pathfinder Core Pro providing monitoring and control of audio routing. “In case of a failure related to the Riverside market, audio paths are established via San Diego, allowing the station to stay on the air.” The KFROG format also is heard on KXFG 92.9 in Menifee, serving Temecula.

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New Studios That Dazzle

Bonneville completes a major five-year mission Tech team leads its own integration project and creates AoIP systems for six markets

Below The main production room in Salt Lake City. Genelec speakers are mounted on O.C. White monitor arms, allowing flexible placement.

ix markets. Twenty-two stations. One hundred studios. That was the daunting task facing technical leadership of Bonneville International Corp. And they planned to do the work using their own people, not an outside integrator. The work began in 2018, continued despite a pandemic and was completed in 2023. Two of the locations involved significant downsizing, one involved a move to a new facility. All involved operational overhauls. The photos here provide just a sampling of the results. Regional Directors of Technology Jason Ornellas and Aaron Farnham, who report to SVP of Engineering Scott Jones, wanted a certain amount of standardization. That included the selection of a Wheatstone AoIP infrastructure and RCS Zetta automation. But these rooms are far from boilerplate. They reflect

the needs of the local air talent, the input of six local chief engineers, and the character of the local markets, including Denver, Phoenix, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle. “Cookie-cuttering everything just wasn’t going to work,” said Farnham. “So for example in Phoenix the engineers opted for physical faders because that’s what their talent preferred, while in Seattle, we went virtual, because they were already doing it and didn’t want hardware sitting on their desk.” The planners sought to make the feel of each room unique to the individuals who use it, right down to the fader count. “Otherwise it’s not home, it’s just a place you go to work,” he said.

Local orientation Using the Salt Lake City cluster as a guide, each market CE

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New Studios That Dazzle evaluated his facility and workflows and designed a facility that worked for their market and talent, according to a summary published by Wheatstone. “Components included talent stations, button panels, mic processors and scripting software, plus a number of technology brands for integrating existing codecs, camera automation and audio editors into the WheatNet-IP audio network through the ACI protocol,” it stated. The engineers flew to the Wheatstone factory in North Carolina for final run-throughs and signoffs. Among the enhancements that arose from those meetings was the use of touchscreens in place of a console meter bridge. “We now have these three-channel LXE wedges that each have their own screen that looks like a meter bridge but are actually touchscreens,” said Farnham. The largest Bonneville studios use Wheatstone LXE surfaces, while others may be equipped with L Series, Sideboard or Audioarts DMX surfaces for applications such as podcasting. “The flexibility of the LXE console was really nice. For example, here in Salt Lake, we took one LXE tub and split it into three consoles,” he said. “It supports our Triple Team Traffic, where we have three traffic reporters during drive time. Each now has a threefader console. But it’s really all a single console using the same program bus. Each person has their own three-fader

chunk and their own headphone module so they can listen to their own mix, do recordings for our music stations, then go back to the talk and do their traffic report live.” Each market is different. In Seattle, three on-air control rooms have physical LXE consoles, as do two podcast production rooms, along with LXEs or L-8 consoles for the two main production studios. But the five edit rooms

Above The Bonneville lobby in San Francisco opens into the KMVQ(FM) studios. Floor-toceiling glass gives visitors a look right into the TOC.

Studio serving sports-formatted KIRO(AM) in Seattle.

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New Studios That Dazzle

Above In Salt Lake City, KSL NewsRadio uses split Wheatstone LXE consoles for the host and co-host. “O.C. White low-profile mounts give us flexibility for great camera shots,” Aaron Farnham said. “Custom quad split TV and TimeMachines Corp. digital clocks help the talent get the information they need quickly.”

have ReMix virtual consoles or instances of Screenbuilder software apps. Where possible, computer servers are in another room and controlled via KVM over IP. “A separate rack room has all of my PCs, all of my automation machines, in individual racks, with dual power supplies,” Farnham said. “So you walk into the studio and that door shuts, it’s quiet — no fans, no noise, no artifacts to deal with.” Ornellas and Farnham can access the systems of each cluster remotely, but it is not a centralized operation. “It goes back to the Bonneville way of doing things, of live and local,” Farnham said. “That’s our mission, to support the communities that we’re in, and that means we have to be there and we have to be local.” Most of the studios are equipped with Electro-Voice RE20 or RE27 microphones. Other notable choices include VoxPro Recorder Editors, Adobe Audition software, clocks

radioworld.com | January 2024

KIRO(FM) uses Wheatstone’s Remix instead of a physical console. “This setup gives a fast-paced newsroom lots of flexibility,” Aaron Farnham said.

New Studios That Dazzle

Above At KRSP(FM), custom logos are cut into countertop legs and backlit with led lights. Chair designs match the logo.

by Time Machines and cabinetry from Omnirax. Studio phones are managed with the Telos VX platform. “We have the ability to move studios around and do large call shows. It’s nice to be able to pull up a location anywhere and use the existing numbers. The flexibility of that system, nobody has been able to touch it yet.” Bonneville also is expanding its use of video. “We’ve just standardized on HDVMixers and bought a system for every market; they have an integration with Wheatstone. So now rather than somebody pushing a button to switch cameras or leaving a camera on generic wide shots, the video automation will provide something really nice for the end user.”

Words to the wise Farnham is impressed by what audio over IP can do but has advice for anyone making that transition. “Really map it out and understand what you’re looking to do. Your core infrastructure is crucial in ensuring it will be a success,” he said. “You cannot cheap out. It has to be programmed

correctly — and segmented out from everything else, because it will destroy any network you plug it into. My IT team has taken the whole house network down, and I tell them, ‘Yeah, my AoIP system will wipe out anything you do.’ “So ensure that your networking is built to the task. If you drop a switch, your network has to readdress all that multicast, and it comes out as static, which is very damaging to the product. If you let your switches go for 10 years, you’re asking for trouble. The more we push into AoIP and AES67, the more crucial it is to have that network backbone dialed in.” The series of impressive studio jobs officially was completed in 2023. But Farnham said conversations have already begun about what’s next. “If you’re sitting in maintenance mode, you’re falling behind. We’re really trying to avoid being comfortable with the standard lifecycle, where we put consoles in and not touch them for 15 years. We’re going to look constantly at the technology that’s coming out and evolve where we need to.”

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

A big-box retail space becomes a radio facility KSE Radio Ventures builds 10 studios for four stations in Denver

SE Radio Ventures in Denver is nearing completion of a relocation of its entire radio group to a new facility. Stations in the group are KXKL(FM), KIMN(FM), KKSE(FM) and KKSE(AM). The latter two collectively are branded as Altitude Sports Radio. KSE Radio was relocated from the Galleria in Denver to Meadows Marketplace in Lone Tree, about eight miles away. There are a total of 10 studios serving the four stations. The new space is a former storefront that was completely gutted in preparation for the move. “We are now wrapping up the final punch-list elements, but the relocation and integration are complete,” said Nick Straka, principal of systems integrator DNAV, in

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

January 2024. “The buildout was a fast-track timeline. DNAV was involved from the start, including the planning phase with the architect. DNAV first ran the low-voltage cabling and fiber backbone. Our fiber splicers started their work in late August, and the studio integration started in October.” DNAV managed all technical elements and worked closely with KSE Radio and Chiodini Architects of Brentwood, Mo., on the studio layouts. Saunders Construction was the general contractor and in conjunction with The Kroenke Group was the lead on the overall project. “From a technology standpoint, DNAV’s role was to oversee studio and technology from the design phase forward,” Straka said. “We consulted Chiodini on acoustical properties for each studio, including soundproof walls. DNAV manufactured and installed the acoustic treatments. Inside the studios, that included custom fabric-wrapped fiberglass panels, some of which had logos added. We worked closely with the KSE Radio IT team to ensure their corporate networking and computers were aligned with the automation computers and machines.”

Sierra Automated Systems infrastructure is networked via Dante and AES67. Stratos consoles are used in the main air studios, with M Class surfaces for production and producer rooms and a Rio Bravo in the TOC. The automation is from WideOrbit. Cabinetry was provided by Graham Studios, with Yellowtec studio arms supporting the mics. “This was an open retail storefront vacated by a big-box retailer,” Straka said. “KSE’s mission was to convert it into an amazing state-ofthe-art radio facility with enough room to house everything from studios and production rooms to more than 60 employees, and much more.” The Altitude Sports Radio studio was equipped to air their radio shows on Altitude Sports Television and Twitch, which was achieved in their talk studio. Large glass windows were a part of the studio design, which look out into the offices, common areas and performance space. “Everyone can see into the studio, and everyone can see out,” Straka noted. There is also a mezzanine level for more offices and special events that overlooks the entire open area. The studios are separated by pods, one for sports and the other for music.

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New Studios That Dazzle

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The new space is a former storefront that was completely gutted in preparation for the move.

Each pod was customized for the designated stations. “For example, we have a collage of artists for Mix 100 and Kool 105, branding for Altitude and an array of pictures from the Denver sports teams.” As a former big box store, the site offered a significant amount of space that could be activated. “There are nine-foot ceilings in the studios, which is very rare. TV lights were hung to the drop ceiling, leaving plenty of height so that people don’t have to worry about hitting their heads. The sightlines are amazing,” he said. “Expanding on the glass designs, we included large pieces of glass between Altitude master control, Altitude studio and the AM studio. The glass spans the length of each room, with no lines in the middle. It is one continuous

piece of glass, which provides outstanding visuals for the on-air staff.” Straka said it was refreshing to be involved in a groundup facility where there was a genuine investment being made in the latest and best technology. “That goes beyond the studio and to the microwave equipment that is hauling the signals to the transmitter sites. We have 6 GHz microwave IP radios pushing Dante signals, which means we also have two-way audio and data communications across all these STL links. If someone needs to backfeed something from the transmitter site to the studio, such an HD2 channel, that’s achieved by adding another set of Dante audio channels. Scalability will be very simple.”

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

A seven-studio upgrade project for WUNC Public radio station seeks more flexibility while protecting its sound

UNC North Carolina Public Radio began work last June on a seven-room facility upgrade to its studios on the campus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. It is doing this project in stages to minimize disruption, with the work scheduled to be finished this summer. “All of the studios already sounded amazing in terms of the equipment but also the physical shape of the studios,” said Graham Youngblood, director of IT and engineering for the station, which serves the Raleigh-Durham market and eastern North Carolina. “There are very few stations that sound as good as we do due to our equipment and hosts. One of the key goals

Below A view at the operator position.

was to be careful not to diminish our quality of sound and enhance it where possible.” WUNC had been using Wheatstone equipment that was put into service around 1998, and this project marks its entrance into the world of AoIP. “We decided to stick with Wheatstone based on the quality of the hardware, the functionality of WheatNet-IP and their control surfaces, and the overall flexibility that it gives us with software and hardware,” Youngblood said. “An example is Screen Builder, which allows us to create custom touchscreen interfaces for our studios and engineering centers. We are going to see how far we can take its capabilities to create custom interfaces while utilizing Wheatstone’s Automix features to minimize our physical fader usage. We have to step back and think about how we carry out our daily work in the studios and ask ourselves if there is a better way. We will have a glass surface in each studio, so seven total. We also are using LXE Digital Consoles in five of those studios. Two will be touchscreen only, and we are using Screen Builder to create custom touchscreen surfaces.” The studios are equipped with Neumann U87 and Electro-Voice RE20 microphones as well as Wheatstone MG-1 Digital Microphone Processors. Each studio also has a small “hub” that allows operators to bring in audio from digital recorders, phones, computers, USB sticks and other sources. “This is part of our effort to create flexibility for studios for the years to come,” said Youngblood. “We also have Tieline codecs, Comrex Access, Comrex

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New Studios That Dazzle

Opals and hybrids. One studio will be set up for all archiving needs and house equipment such as CD players, a DAT player, a cassette player, a VHS player and even a reel-to-reel unit.” The turntables visible in the photos are used by the weekend show “Back Porch Music,” which plays from vinyl, CDs and digital recordings. “We also had to make sure the studios were as quiet as possible, ruling out certain lighting, video projectors, hardware buttons and so on. We even hope to transition fully to touchscreens over the next five years as we build our custom touchscreen environments in Screen Builder.” The work includes new cabinetry from Studio Technology; new microphone stands, copy stands and monitor fixtures from Yellowtec; and new carpet and custom sound treatments. Dealer SCMS provided various studio components. The studio lighting will be finished in the next few weeks, removing shadows on equipment and minimizing reflections on hardware. “We kept the carpet and wall materials somewhat neutral so that our WUNC branding really pops. And we had Signs Now in Chapel Hill provide us with amazing logo signs and on-air lights. When we turn a mic on in that studio, we have LED strips on the tops of the walls switch from white to red, along with our studio on-air lights that are the actual studio letter names of our studios — in this case a ‘C’ for Studio C.” A corner table allows the station to carry out interviews with up to three additional people in this studio. Studio C is attached to a talk studio that houses four more microphones around a wood table with a new cork top. This is a job that WUNC conceived more than four years ago but could not pursue because of the pandemic. Youngblood is the project manager, while Jeff Anderson Technical Services is the integrator. WUNC engineers Jon Hardee and Sol Samet bring expertise and institutional knowledge to the project. Studio Engineer Sean Roux worked with Youngblood on design

Above A corner table allows the station to carry out interviews with up to three additional people in this studio.

Below Inside Studio C.

and tabletop hardware such as mic arms, touchscreens and video. The team also sought input from the people who use the studios to make sure the design meets their daily needs. Flexibility throughout the facility is a key goal. “We will be able to broadcast from almost any studio in the building, which is not currently possible. We’ll be able to customize the hardware controllers and the touchscreens to each person’s needs,” Youngblood said. “We also now have more options to bring audio in, with more in-studio audio inputs; codecs available in each studio that utilize Comrex Access Gagl, Comrex Opals and Tieline Report-It; and Zoom, Skype and other video conferencing options. We now have more mics in the studios to allow for more interviews and voice tracking as we create more digital content. We’ll have many more options for remote control of the studios, from control surfaces, audio path monitoring and remote broadcasting.” WUNC’s audio is also on a closed network to protect the core systems. “This has been a challenge to design, with all of our systems and software and their needs to connect to the cloud for updates, validation and other resources. It is not easy to pull off, but it’s worth the reduction in risk and additional ongoing maintenance,” he said. “Finally, this took a lot of planning and thought with our internal engineering staff to make sure that we able to keep the station up and running while we carry out these upgrades. That meant planning out three phases — working between our pledge drives, moving functionality between studios as we shut each of them down, and merging the old audio network with the new while maintaining network security.” North Carolina Public Radio is heard on nine terrestrial FM signals in central and eastern North Carolina, with a 10th planned, and it streams online.

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

SiriusXM

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

SiriusXM opens its doors in Miami

called Hits Uno, inspired by Miami’s musical culture and roots. Singer Becky G was among the performers helping at the launch. Construction began last October and was completed in March. Senior Distinguished Engineer Thom Mohrman was the designer and project manager. Nelson Architects handled architectural design under SiriusXM guidance, with McGowan Construction as the general contractor. The studio integration was by Broadcast Integration Services. “SiriusXM Miami’s studios are designed with graphic stretchwall coverings and use lighting to effect branding and mood based on the channel or event in the studios,” said Mohrman. “The performance and recording studios feature video walls and LED monitors to accommodate custom branding and graphics.” Video walls in the performance studios are by Audio Visual Design Services. 3C Studios handled the graphic design for wall treatments and scenic design for the performance studio, and Feldman Designs designed the lighting for that room.

The studio facility was built and brought online in about five months Left SiriusXM Miami is at 2340 Collins Avenue in Starwood Capital’s newly opened Miami Beach headquarters.

Below Howard Stern and Pitbull

Right DJ Khaled and SiriusXM President and Chief Content Officer Scott Greenstein at “Salute The Sample” on SiriusXM’s Rock The Bells Radio.

Emma McIntyre

Jason Kaplan

iriusXM officially opened its new Miami studios located in the Starwood Capital building on Collins Ave. in South Beach last spring. The facilities include a 50-seat performance space and several “artist-first” radio and recording studios, in addition to office space. “SiriusXM Miami serves our broad lineup of music, talk, entertainment and sports programming. Miami has always had a rich music and entertainment culture and is home to major stars and events like Ultra and Art Basel,” said President and Chief Content Officer Scott Greenstein. “Similar to what we’ve done with our studios in New York, L.A., Nashville and Washington, D.C., this is a state-of-the-art facility that will capture the character and culture of the city and make it accessible to listeners across North America.” Howard Stern opened the place with a three-day special in May. The week also featured shows hosted by LL Cool J, Andy Cohen, Pitbull and Tinx, among others. The satellite company launched a Latin Pop channel

radioworld.com | January 2024

SiriusXM

Emma McIntyre

New Studios That Dazzle

Top right Jonas Brothers appear on SiriusXM Hits 1 from the performance space. Graphic stretchwall coverings and lighting effects in the performance space can be customized for each performance and mood.

Manufacturer MeCart built and installed prefabricated acoustically isolated studios. “The SiriusXM Miami facility is based upon the concept of total virtualization and the utilization of IPbased audio and video transport,” Mohrman said. “The only physical computers being used onsite are computers using multi-touch operation or computers running software that are not virtual machine compatible.” The switch infrastructure uses Arista switches in a spine-leaf configuration. The storage for audio and video is on NetApp. Audio routing and studio mixers are Lawo PowerCore consoles using Ravenna AES67 audio between the devices. Automation/playback is an RCS Zetta system; audio editing is on Avid ProTools or Adobe Audition.

The performance studio uses an SSL System T S332 console with Dante AES67 audio for connections between the SSL devices and to the Lawo mixers. Video PTZ cameras and switcher are provided by Panasonic; the cameras are converted from SDI to 2110 IP video streams using Riedel SFP converters in the Arista switch infrastructure. The video switcher is a Panasonic Kairos platform, providing switching, multiviewers, graphic capability, clip players and still store for graphics. Other studio hardware includes Heil PR40 microphones, Comrex Access Multirack IP codecs, Tascam Flash recorders and Telestream video recorders. The studio is serviced by SiriusXM’s in-house engineering team.

Bottom Jon Bon Jovi hosts a “New Jersey Album Special” on SiriusXM’s Bon Jovi Radio with Mark Goodman from the Miami Studios.

radioworld.com | January 2024

Emma McIntyre

Top left SiriusXM Miami features a 50-seat performance space to host musical performances, talk programming, podcasts and events in front of live, intimate audiences.

New Studios That Dazzle

Above Sports Hub Control Room A

Beasley gets a new hub of its own in Boston An 18-studio project supports six stations in this top-10 market

he task: Move Beasley Media Group’s Boston brands from their longtime home in the Dorchester neighborhood into a new 25,000-square-foot space in Waltham. The design and functions of the new home should befit some of the most popular media properties in the region. They would include special accommodations for WBZ(FM) “98.5 The Sports Hub,” which required a large hybrid TV-radio studio flanked by dualredundant control rooms. And the move should be done with no downtime or programming interruption. The 18-studio integration, completed in late 2022, also involved new rooms for WBOS(FM) “Rock 92.9,” WBQT(FM) “Hot 96.9,” WKLB(FM) “Country 102.5,” WROR(FM) “105.7 WROR,” and WRCA(AM/FX) “Bloomberg Radio.” Corporate technical leadership and advocacy for the

project came from Beasley CTO Mike Cooney and VP of Engineering Lamar Smith. The local Beasley team included DOE Dennis Knudsen and engineers Dan Kaiser, Charlie Henneberry, Steve Conti, Josh Polonsky and Deb Benanti. V Three Studios was the architect, and J. Calnan & Associates was the general contractor. The integration was done by Inrush Broadcast Services, requiring continuous staffing on the project, from three engineers at the beginning and end of the implementation phase, to up to eight during the peak of the implementation window. “V Three describes the facility’s design aesthetic as a harmonious blend of technical precision and striking visual appeal,” said Shaun Dolan, partner at Inrush. “Faced with the challenge of an unconventional U-shaped structure with a serpentine layout and odd angles, Steve Burns’ team turned these challenges into sources of design inspiration.”

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle The layout of the broadcast facility is organized around a winding spine that elegantly navigates the space. Departments are thoughtfully placed, with the lobby, breakroom and performance studio at one end, and the broadcast on-air and production studios at the other. Administrative, sales, and promo and marketing teams are conveniently located in the middle. “The design cleverly addresses the technical requirements of a broadcast facility while creating a dynamic and visually captivating space,” said Dolan. The studios have a Wheatstone AoIP infrastructure with 20 control surfaces of various types (LXE, L and Sideboards). The WideOrbit Automation for Radio system is supported by 27 servers and clients, and the studios use approximately 40 codecs from a range of manufacturers. “Inrush has had the opportunity to work closely with various Beasley markets over the years,” added Brian Sapp, partner at Inrush. “The Boston market stands out due to the deep bench of talent who make heavy in-person use of their studio space, which is especially notable post-pandemic. “Beasley leadership has recognized this as a market advantage, and accordingly invested in first-class studios as they moved from Dorchester to Waltham. This applies particularly to The Sports Hub, which at times can feel more like a live TV production than a typical audio-first radio station.” The Sports Hub operates from a 600-square-foot

“”

The design cleverly addresses the technical requirements of a broadcast facility while creating a dynamic and visually captivating space. Above Mike Dorris of Inrush created this panel to enable control and monitoring of ancillary equipment such as the profanity delay, EAS ENDEC and VoxPro.

Left Welcome to Beasley Boston.

radioworld.com | January 2024

New Studios That Dazzle

Above Racks in the TOC are showcased by floor-to-ceiling glass.

Left Bright wall treatments, on-air lights and studio windows capture the eye in this hallway.

showcase TV studio, placed prominently so as to catch the eye as a person walks into the facility. Its horseshoe-shaped set boasts six talent positions; the lighting helps the talent look their best from any of the available camera angles, and the acoustic treatment ensures each person is intelligible even when a heated topic progresses to a cacophony of passionate voices. Several hours of shows are simulcast daily on NBC Sports Boston, an NBC regional network carried via cable in six states across New England and nationally via DirecTV. The Sports Hub also is the flagship originating station for the New England Patriots Radio Network, Boston Bruins Radio Network, Boston Celtics Radio Network and the New England Revolution soccer franchise. A large production and engineering staff ensures these broadcasts go smoothly for the Sports Hub and for 80+ affiliates. A single control room would not be sufficient to handle these broadcasts, which often overlap or run back to back. The Sports Hub talk studio is flanked by two mirrored

radioworld.com | January 2024

9000

New Studios That Dazzle

Tony Massarotti and Michael Felger host the Marconi Award-winning “Felger & Mazz” show, a mainstay of Boston’s afternoon commute since 2009. They’re in the Sports Hub talk studio.

control rooms centered around Wheatstone LXE control surfaces, which can operate in a hot-standby (primary/ secondary) configuration, or in independent mode. In any case, a small LXE surface in the talk studio mirrors the state of the active control room’s surface, including the physical fader positions, which enables the in-studio producer to seamlessly share mixing control with the active control room. This is achieved through configuration of motorized faders and scripting originally provided by Chris Penny of Agile Broadcast and updated for the move to Waltham. The Sports Hub production staff use Wheatstone ScreenBuilder panels to control audio routing dynamically throughout the day, depending on what studio the broadcast will be originating from, which network the program is for, which backfeed the on-site talent need to hear, and more. In the studios occupied by the music formats, talent uses ScreenBuilder panels to handle routine operations. See more photos of the project on the website of V Three Studios.

The main studio of Hot 96.9 offers plenty of space for “The GetUp Crew” morning show and their guests.

radioworld.com | January 2024