INTERNATIONAL EDITION Distributed to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America
MARCH 2018
INSIDE PROGRAMMING
• Several radio production organizations create “alternative” initiative in Quito, Ecuador — Page 6
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Pakistan’s FM100 Continues Growth The country’s first commercial FM station now covers 80 million people in nine areas of the country BY WILL JACKSON KARACHI — From its beginnings as one of
Pakistan’s pioneers of FM radio, with broadcasts in three cities, FM100 has grown to now cover nine separate cities and continues to innovate across multiple platforms. The station was founded in 1994, launching on-air in March 1995 as the country’s first (continued on page 5)
Host Ajmal Khan Shobi (behind the desk) speaks to guests in the FM100 studio.
Radio Caroline Returns to its Roots
• L e groupe RTL quitte son siège historique pour un espace moderne plus fonctionnel — Page 14
NEAR COLCHESTER, England —
The station is now operating 24 hours seven days a week on AM
BUYER’S GUIDE
• Progressive sports and remote gear score big with radio broadcasters — Page 16
BY LAWRIE HALLETT The MV Ross Revenge is the home of Radio Caroline.
(continued on page 1)
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Well into its second half-century of broadcasting, Radio Caroline has begun the next phase of its operations, returning to wide-area AM transmissions for the first time in nearly 30 years. Although by no means the first offshore radio station (that honor probably goes to one of the gambling ships that operated off the coast of California back in the mid-1930s), it is nevertheless the archetypical “pirate” station and one of the most famous names in European broadcasting. After some 26 years of unlicensed (continued on page 12)
INTERNATIONAL EDITION Vol. 42 No. 3
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◗NEWSWATCH
March 2018
www.radioworld.com FOLLOW US
www.twitter.com/radioworld_news www.facebook.com/RadioWorldMagazine CONTENT Managing Director, Content Paul J. McLane, pmclane@nbmedia.com Content Director Marguerite Clark, rwieditor@nbmedia.com Senior Content Producer — Technology Brett Moss, bmoss@nbmedia.com Content Manager Emily Reigart, ereigart@nbmedia.com Technical Advisers Thomas R. McGinley, Doug Irwin Technical Editor, RWEE W.C. “Cris” Alexander Contributors: Argentina: Jorge J. Basilago; Australia: James Cridland; Bangladesh: Md. Azizul Alam Al-Amin; Barbados: Arturo Valentino; Belgium: Marc Maes; Brazil: Carlos Eduardo Behrensdorf; Canada: James Careless; Chile: Juan G. Buenaventura; El Salvador: Soudi W. Jiménez; Estonia: Urmas Loit; Finland: Tapani Ranki; France: Emmanuelle Pautler; Germany: Thomas Völkner; Greece: Panos Polyzoidis, Andreas Tzanakos; Guatemala: Mario Rivero Nájera; Hong Kong: Martyn Green; Hungary: Drew Leifheit; Iceland: Hans K. Kristjansson; India: Frederick Noronha; Indonesia: Mark Timpany; Ireland: Kevin Branigan; Italy: Davide Moro, Giuseppe Camonita; Kenya: Gregory Lagat; Lithuania: Bernd Trutenau; Macedonia: Igor Isakovski; Malawi: Lameck Masina; Malta: Charles Flores; Morocco: Sébastien Nègre; Netherlands: Hans Knot, André van Os; New Zealand: Nick Gerritsen; Peru: Fernando Saravia; Poland: Cesco van Gool; Portugal: Nuno de Sousa; Serbia: Blazo Guzina; Singapore: Patricia Lee; Spain: Raúl Llarull; Turkey: Tayfun Kesgin; Ukraine: Stanislav Kiselyov; United Kingdom: Lawrie Hallett, Will Jackson, Andy Bantock; United States: John Bisset, Scott Fybush, Randy J. Stine; Uruguay: Eduardo Curuchet, Guillermo Pellegrino, Charly Pérez; Zimbabwe: John Masuku Production Manager Caroline Freeland Art Director Karen Lee ADVERTISING SALES VP/Market Expert, AV/Consumer Electronics, Education & Pro Audio Adam Goldstein, agoldstein@nbmedia.com, 212-378-0465 VP/Market Expert, TV/Video/Radio Eric Trabb, etrabb@nbmedia.com, 212-378-0400 x532 VP/Market Expert, Broadcasting, Cable & Broadband TV Charlie Weiss, cweiss@nbmedia.com, 212-378-0478 SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE To subscribe, change your address, or check on your current account status, go to www.radioworld.com and click on About Us, email newbay@computerfulfillment.com, call 888-266-5828, or write P.O. Box 8518, Lowell, MA 01853. ARCHIVES This magazine is available for research and retrieval of select archived articles from leading electronic database and search services, including ProQuest. For microform availability, contact National Archive Publishing Company, 800-521-0600, or search the Serials in Microform listings at napubco.com. Back issues are available. For more information, contact www.proquest.com REPRINTS/PERMISSIONS This magazine may not be reproduced or quoted in whole or in part by printed or electronic means without written permission from NewBay. To obtain permissions, contact Wright’s Media, 877-652-5295.
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RADIO CASA PUEBLO GOES SOLAR Community radio station Radio Casa Pueblo, located in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, says it is now operating entirely with renewable energy. According to the station, the project, which was carried out in collaboration with Maximo Solar Industries, takes on a special significance after the devastation of Hurricane Maria last year. The station, whose operation no longer depends on electricity from the island’s wrecked grid, says it played a big part in informing inhabitants of the island’s central region during the hurricane. “Radio Casa Pueblo marks a new path for telecommunications. After hurricane Maria, communications collapsed for several reasons such as destroyed antennas, impassable access roads and the lack of fuel for power generators,” said Arturo Massol Deyá, associate director of Casa Pueblo. “Although Casa Pueblo already worked with solar power, the transmitter still depended on a power generator. The high conventional costs of operating this transmitter strained the daily operation of our radio station. This solar project liberates us from onerous expenses and leaves us better prepared, not only for our daily work but also to face emergencies.” The project, which cost nearly US$73,000, consisted of the installation of 42 solar panels of 260 watts each, producing around 16,000 annual kWh, combined with a Unigy II battery that powers the station’s total operation. Radio Casa Pueblo broadcasts on 1020 kHz in the central zone of Puerto Rico and via the internet.
ABU DBS 2018 TO ADDRESS KEY TOPICS The ABU’s annual Digital Broadcasting Symposium (http://dbs.abu.org.my) will take place March 5–8 at the Royale Chulan Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. The symposium, organized by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, comprises an international conference, workshops, interactive master classes and an exhibition. The 2018 session will address a wide range of topics for radio and television broadcast as well as for webcasting. Sporting the theme “Enhancing Multiplatform Content,” the 14th edition will also fea!"#$"%&"'()*+,&-+$,./0)(%/",!", ture a new Immersive VR Master Class run by the World VR Forum, where participants can experience examples of virtual reality through the use of headsets. The principal sponsor of this year’s meeting is WorldDAB for the fifth consecutive year. Additional sponsors include MediaGenix, Rohde & Schwarz, Dolby and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. The conference and exhibition begin on March 6, while the workshops start a day earlier on March 5. The ABU, a nonprofit, nongovernment, professional association of broadcasting organizations formed in 1964, today has 272 members in 69 countries.
!"
TWR BONAIRE INAUGURATES 450 KW TRANSMITTER On Jan. 30, religious broadcaster TWR Bonaire celebrated the launch of its new Nautel NX400 450 kW transmitter. The station, founded in 1964, broadcasts on 800 AM to listeners in Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, Brazil and the Caribbean, as well as on 89.5 FM for people living on the island of Bonaire. To inaugurate the 450 kW, 800 kHz, three-pattern radio broadcast transmission system, TWR’s president Lauren Libby was present on Bonaire leading an international gathering of ministry staff, supporters and friends. The station says the new transmission system results in clearer, wider-reaching broadcasts to more countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. “A project of nearly five years has come to an end,” said Bernard Oosterhoff, TWR Bonaire station director, of the “Power Up” campaign, which raised more than US$3.8 million and rebuilt the broadcast facility. As part of the upgrade, Nautel supplied the NX400 transmitter and Kintronic Labs provided the upgraded four-tower antenna system. TWR says the stronger signal could double the size of its audience, potentially reaching some 100 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean. The daily broadcasts will also have a new identity — Shine 800 AM Bonaire and Que Brille 800 AM Bonaire in Spanish.
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March 2018
PAKISTAN’S FM100
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Maintenance work is carried out on an FM100 transmission tower.
(continued from page 1)
commercial FM station, bringing a new, more youthful style of radio to listeners. Prior to this, only the national public broadcaster, Radio Pakistan, had begun FM transmissions.
NEW STYLE
FM100’s General Manager Operation Qazi Ahmed Mateen explains: “Initially we launched FM radio in three cities — Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad — on 100 MHz. The medium wave and shortwave radio industry was almost dead in our country. We were going to launch FM radio, which was very tough. At the time, there were no smartphones, and no in-car radio — only transistor sets at home. Our station grew more popular day-by-day, and gradually FM radios were installed in cars by auto makers, and also on public transport.” With new licenses issued by the local regulator, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), FM100 now broadcasts in nine cities, adding Hyderabad and Rahim Yar Khan in 2012, followed by Gujrat, Abbottabad, Multan, and Jhelum. Around 80 million people can now receive the station, and in total,
Director and actor Sahira Kazmi talks to FM100 reporter Asif (left).
there are around 145 licensed commercial FM stations across Pakistan, and a further 45 noncommercial. Mateen believes they brought a completely new style of broadcasting for Pakistan. “The entire package and style of the shows on FM100 was catered towards the new generation of listeners in the country,” he said. “It concentrated on the youth, introducing creative and innovative programs to cater to their tastes and preferences. The RJs [radio jockeys] at the station had also managed to touch the hearts of radio listeners throughout the country, and had successfully attracted a sizeable audience away from other forms of electronic entertainment media,” he explained. FM100’s RJs were a hit, and the station now provides live entertainment programs around the clock, as well as promoting Pakistani music, coupled with regular programs featuring Urdu pop, Panjabi and western music, the latest film hits, poetic ghazals and folk songs.
LOCALLY BASED
Mateen says that more than 70 percent of its broadcasts are locally based. “All cities have local studios and music libraries; the radio jockeys speak their language, so listeners in each city have their own station. Advertising clients also want some of the content to be aired on our complete network, which we distribute via the internet.” The challenges of covering such a large country are clear. “As Pakistan’s geography is divided into four provinces and Azad Kashmir, the local languages spoken in these regions are different, but the national language is
Urdu,” Mateen said. “Our programming at the nine stations are in Urdu language, plus a few hours of English music and some programs are in local languages, to give a local taste by playing local-language music, and promoting local trends.” The FM100 studios include Arrakis ARC-10 audio mixers, with a variety of microphones including those from Behringer, Shure and Samsung. Playout comes from a Dell PC with audio cards from Creative Labs and M-Audio, coupled with Omnia Audio Omnia-3 Turbo processing. From the studio, audio is sent via a Sielco STL to transmitters from Crown Broadcast, Eddystone and Elenos. The station can face challenges sourcing and replacing this equipment, with many of the main equipment suppliers not having nearby outlets. “We have to purchase backups of all our equipment, along with accessories to run our transmission without any problem” said FM 100’s Mateen. “Because if any parts are faulty we have to be able to replace it immediately, and then order another from abroad as backup, which can take four to six weeks at least. It increases not only our investment in equipment,
but it makes it very difficult to decide when we want to add new technology.” As well as traditional FM transmission, the station’s audio is available via phone lines. Mateen explains this service is popular in the areas where there are no radio signals and no internet. “Different mobile and landline operators provide these services through their IVR (Interactive Voice Response) services; the user has to dial the number provided by the operators and they can listen to the live radio. The station must have the contract with the operators and the service is not free — the user has to pay the charges at a set rate per minute. It also provides revenue to the radio station and the operator.” Alongside this, the station has now expanded its reach through the internet. “FM100’s social media activities aim to engage the maximum audience. We update Facebook and our web pages to provide all the information to the audience and clients about the station — daily schedules, presenter profiles and archives. Live streaming is available to those who are not in the range of the airwaves making the radio station global, where it can bring the station and Pakistan to the world,” he concluded.
◗NEWSWATCH RADIODAYS EUROPE ADDS SPEAKERS, WOMEN’S NETWORKING SESSION RadioDays Europe (www.radiodayseurope.com) has announced additional speakers and new events that will take place during the conference. Eight new speakers have been added. They include Andrzej Matuszynski, CEO Euroznet Group; Cilla Benkö, director general, Swedish Radio; Aled Haydn Jones, head of programs, BBC Radio 1; Cheeka Eyres, co-presenter, “For F1’s Sake” podcast; Zurab Alasania, CEO of Ukranian Public Broadcaster; Michele Livesey, chief reporter, Key 103 Manchester; Albert Malli, vice PD at Ö3, ORF; and Chuse Fernandez, director of TEA FM Radio. As part of RadioDays Europe Women program being launched this year, the conference is planning a networking session on Sunday, March 18. Open to all attendees, the session will see industry figures share experiences in radio and discuss initiatives being taken in the radio industry worldwide on the theme “Moving Forward.” In addition, Ralph van Dijk, founder and creative director of Eardrum, is producing podcasts for RadioDays Europe and recently finished one on “How to Make a Great Radio Ad.” He will also be in attendance at the conference. RadioDays Europe will take place in Vienna from March 18–20.
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March 2018
RadioLAB Offers Space for Experimentation Several radio production organizations create “alternative” initiative in Quito BY JORGE BA SIL AGO QUITO, Ecuador — In an effort to encourage creativity in radio program production, six nonprofit radio content production organizations throughout Latin America launched RadioLAB in Quito, last September. The group’s first meeting was hosted by the local Radialistas Apasionadas y Apasionados in Quito and was attended by members of the Centro de Producciones Radiofónicas and América Profunda (Argentina), Infante (Bolivia), Radios Comunitarias para la Paz y la Convivencia (Colombia) and Ojo de Agua Comunicación (Mexico). “We don’t want to be just a ‘typical’ organization or network, but we strive to provide an open space that promotes radio experimentation,” said Santiago García Gago, Radialistas’ technician responsible and coordinator of RadioLAB. “We now have with six institutions as part of RadioLAB, and our goal is to increase that number, with additional broadcasters or content producers who interested in contributing to this idea joining us.” According to García, after several years of producing radio content, such as dramas, documentaries and training information, the founding members wanted to explore new ways of producing innovative material. “The idea is that RadioLAB offers total freedom to experiment together when producing content, where everything works and nothing is right or wrong, and where we must let the imagination fly without limitations,” he said. The RadioLAB’s first initiative took place on Nov. 25, with “Radiotazos” (“Twitter-like”) at specific times during the day, when all affiliated stations aired short audio bytes offering information around the subject of abuse against women. Many community stations took part, producing their own “radio tweets.” “This won’t be our exclusive way of experimenting,
but it will hopefully encourage other stations to think up new ways of doing things and send their proposals, to share with all of us,” said García. Initially, RadioLAB is launching — through its members, to their partner organizations and broadcasters — new proposals about different radio topics
every two months. For example, in Jan the organization presented “Emotifones” (https://cpr.org.ar/article/emotifones/), short sound pieces to express various emotions during interviews and other radio programs. During the project’s first stage, members use the founders’ websites and social networks as communications platforms to disseminate ideas. “We need to adapt content to each station’s local context and reality so it’s good to be able to work with international colleagues who are able to provide global a perspective and reach out to their citizens,” García added. Jorge J. Basilago, a freelance writer and journalist, reports on the industry for Radio World from Quito, Ecuador.
◗NEWSWATCH AMPEGON ADVANCES WITH TRANSRADIO PRODUCT LINE TAKEOVER Ampegon Group says its takeover of Transradio SenderSysteme Berlin AG’s medium-wave product line is allowing the company to offer continued assistance to customers who may have been affected by Transradio’s insolvency last May. The Swiss-based group acquired Transradio’s TRAM and SCIAMP product ranges in addition to its manufacturing site, warehouse and the core engineering team in Berlin. “While we are going through the legal process, we set up AM Broadcast GmbH in Berlin so we could immediately transfer existing Transradio contracts to the Ampegon group and ensure minimal disruption in service and delivery for medium-wave customers,” said Josef Troxler, CEO, Ampegon Group. Once the legal formalities have been completed, Ampegon says it will transfer the Transradio Sendersysteme Berlin’s complete medium-wave portfolio into the Ampegon Group and subsequently rename AM Broadcast as an Ampegon-branded company.
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In January, ERT began transmitting DAB+ signals from its transmitter site on Mount Hymettus outside Athens.
Greece Launches First DAB+ Transmission
Athens-area pilot broadcasts cover much of country
BY JAMES CARELESS ATHENS, Greece — Greece entered the digital radio
age on Jan. 5 with the country’s first-ever DAB+ radio transmissions. The country’s public broadcaster ERT [Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi] is transmitting the DAB+ signals broadcaster from its transmitter site on Mount Hymettus, which overlooks Athens. According to the Greek-language news site Radio+TV Link, seven DAB+ channels are being broadcast by ERT on VHF Channel 12C (227.36 MHz), using a single DAB+ multiplex and a transmission power of 300 watts. The seven DAB+ channels on the ERT DAB+
multiplex include the country’s six ERT radio program channels (First, Second, Third, ERA Sports, World, Voice of Greece), plus audio from the Greek parliament. “January’s update from Greece is excellent news for radio in both Greece and across Europe,” said Bernie O’Neill, project director at WorldDAB; the global association that promotes the DAB/DAB+ digital radio standard. “The tender for national and local DAB+ services was announced in December 2017, with licenses to be issued in May 2018,” she added. “This is pretty fast progress since September 2017 when Lefteris Kretsos, the Greek secretary general of Information and Communication, revealed that Greece planned to launch digital radio,” O’Neill said. “World-
March 2018
Wiki Commons, Xristos Liaskonis.
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DAB is now actively working with the Greek ministry to make sure that Greek broadcasters benefit from the best practice and case studies from all the other markets across Europe that have already deployed DAB+.” ERT’s plan is to cover Greece’s large urban centers “with digital radio signal in 2018 and later the whole country,” said radiotvlink.gr (as translated by Google). However, the country itself does not have a timeline in place to turn off analog broadcasts in favor of DAB+. The radio information website DAB Ensembles Worldwide says that Greece has been divided into nine DAB+ “regions,” each having a Band III allocation. “The region of Attica includes the capital. Thus Athens has seven allocations, six of its own, plus Attica,” said the website. “Crete has two regional allocations. There is an allocation for a national ensemble on Block 12D.” In the meantime, ERT’s test DAB+ broadcasts are covering all of central Greece and Attica with a single-frequency network. A DAB+ receiver is required to receive the signals. ERT radio programming in digital form can already be heard via Greek’s digital television service, although a special TV decoder is required to do so. The news from Greece is just one of a number of developments for DAB in 2018. “In just the last month we’ve seen accelerated progress for DAB+ in France, Germany announced that 40 percent of new cars have DAB+ fitted and there is growing support for EU-wide receiver legislation,” said O’Neill. As well, “WorldDAB recently joined with the European Broadcasting Union and the European Digital Radio Alliance to call upon EU decision makers to introduce measures to encourage the interoperability of radio receivers across the EU.”
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March 2018
French Touch for the European Radio Show Event attracted industry professionals from France and abroad BY EMMANUELLE PAUTLER
Photos: Serge Surpin/Salon de la Radio 2018
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PARIS — The Salon de la Radio (www.
salondelaradio.com), an annual main meeting point for radio professionals in France, has evolved considerably since its inception in 2003. Now also branded European Radio Show (www.european-show.radio), the 2018 edition, held in January, attracted 6,785 visitors, 30 percent of which were non-francophone, according to the organizers.
TOPICS
Digital was the main focus of this year’s gathering, which featured speakers from France and abroad. Scandinavia was chosen as this year’s region of honor. During the conference, officials from the French Audiovisual Regulator, Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel shared its DAB+ plans. Nicolas Curien, CSA advisory member in charge of radio and of audiovisual service distribution, said “France’s determination to move forward with a long-term goal of 70 percent DAB+ coverage by 2020.”
The European Radio Show was broadcast live via streaming and DAB+.
Though it was clearly stated FM won’t be switched off in France, Olivier Schrameck, CSA president, underlined the fact that “France is definitely moving ahead with digital,” with “a DAB+ deployment to reach 20 percent coverage by the end of 2018, with some 20
new DAB+ multiregional license tenders in major cities in 2018 and 2019.” Schrameck explained that part of the digital move is intended to “drive a synergy between independent and associative stations via common apps and to develop autonomous podcasts encouraging radio content.” Among other news, Médiamétrie announced the development of a new audience measuring system expected to be implemented in September 2019. The system combines phone call polling and “watermarking” technology via an inaudible digital signal and is now being trialed. Some 130 sessions and 240 presenters (including many international speakers, according to organizers) debated key issues such as content innovation and strategy, radio and the cloud, monetization solutions, automation and programming, audio/video production, systems integration and engineering and audience interaction and social networks. Speakers included sports commentator Jacques Vendroux, TV host JeanLuc Reichmann, Radio France’s France Culture DG Sandrine Treiner.
THE EXHIBITION
The show floor hosted some 120 exhibitors (a 20 percent rise over last year), French distributor and systems integrator SAVE Diffusion, celebrating its 30th birthday, was on hand showcasing technology from its partners Wheatstone, Tieline and Comrex. WinMédia was also present showing its latest software solutions iMedia, WinMedia, and WinMam, while Netia demonstrated its radio automation and playout solutions. The company recently welcomed Bruno Tézenas du Montcel, former chief
Olivier Schrameck is president of the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel.
information officer at state broadcaster France Médias Monde (France 24 TV and RFI), as its chief customer officer. Tézenas du Montcel described the show as “an opportunity to draw technology partnerships, to share the digital adaptability of radio, via more interactive audiences, social media, and European and North African customers.” Events organized around the show included live streaming and radio broadcasts via DAB+ with real-timesynchronized audio and visual elements, run by several exhibitors and partners, including Broadcast-associés, Maxi l’Air, A2PRL, SAVE Diffusion, multiCAM Systems, RCS and Vizion’R. As in previous years, the show’s award ceremonies honored the francophone radio industry’s most creative members. Among the 15 radio categories, the award winners included Radio France International for best public francophone broadcaster, RTL for best national generalist broadcaster and Radio France’s FIP for best national thematic broadcaster. The “Maurice Chapot Award” — named after the founder of the show — was given to Broadcast-associés. “We have received the heart of the prize,” said Fabrice Gauthier, Broadcast-associés managing director. Philippe Chapot, organizer of the European Radio show says the event is a result of teamwork. “Since 2010, I have been assisted by my associate Frédéric Brulhatour. In addition, Xavier Filliol and Nicolas Moulard coordinated the three-day audio digital sessions, ‘Radio 2.0 Rencontres,’” he said. “With the Radio 2.0 Rencontres now merged with the show, the European Radio Show has become a leading event in radio,” he added. The organizers, who say they hope to gain 50 percent of the European radio industry audience within five years, also recently launched a website dedicated to Francophone Africa info, with an African radio event planned in Abidjan, then touring across several African countries (www.afriqueactu.radio). Radio World was an event partner, along with WorldDAB, Radiodays Europe and European Broadcasting Union. The 2019 edition is scheduled for Jan. 24–26 in Paris. Spain and Portugal will be the countries of honor.
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operations from international waters, off the British and Dutch Coasts, Radio Caroline finally ceased its offshore “pirate” broadcasts in November 1990, just a few weeks before the British government introduced tough new laws against such activities.
LAND-BASED BROADCASTING
Its final radio ship, the “MV Ross Revenge” stayed at anchor, but off air, for about another year, before losing its anchor in a storm and then running aground on the infamous Goodwin Sands off the coast of Kent in November
launched in 2015 and there are now even time-shifted streams of the main station output for listeners on the East and West coasts of North America. In 2015, the British radio regulator, Ofcom, began experimenting with open source approaches to small-scale DAB delivery. Using the strapline “Same Ideology — New Technology,” Radio Caroline obtained carriage agreements with several of the experimental multiplex operators, including in Birmingham, Brighton, Glasgow, Norwich, Portsmouth and Woking. Despite developing its presence across alternative delivery platforms, the station continued to take an active interest in getting back to its AM broadcasting roots. In 2010, politicians in the British Parliament called for Caroline to be given a new license to serve its tradition-
March 2018
Broadcaster Chris Pearson on air from the Ross Revenge. Engineers working on the 648 kHz omnidirectional transmitter mast at Orfordness, just prior to the launch of Radio Caroline’s new AM service.
Steve Anthony broadcasting from Caroline’s land-based studios in Kent.
1991. Unusually, the ship survived its encounter with the sandbank and was salvaged and then towed into the port of Dover, although its ownership at that time was somewhat unclear. For many broadcasters the change in the law and the loss of its broadcasting base would have brought operations to an end. However, the popularity of the station, its history and the enthusiasm of its team soon saw the station implementing alternative forms of broadcasting. In a way, the timing for the station worked to its advantage. Changes to United Kingdom broadcasting law in the late 1980s initially allowed the station to carry out various low-power short-term broadcasts on AM, mainly in London and other locations in Kent and Essex. From the late 1990s onward, the station also began broadcasting via satellite, even getting involved in the WorldSpace satellite radio platform until some 10 years ago. More recently, internet streaming has become increasingly important for the station and all satellite transmissions were ended in 2013, as costs rose and audiences steadily moved to IP-based platforms instead. An additional “Caroline Flashback” stream was
al heartlands of London and the South East of England.
BACK TO AM
In 2015, Radio Caroline began to take make progress with its AM broadcasting ambitions, reaching an agreement with “Manx Radio” on the Isle of Mann in the Irish Sea between Britain and Ireland to broadcast (on 1368 kHz at 20 kW EMRP) one weekend a month, but originating the programs from its, now restored, former home, the MV Ross Revenge, located at a river anchorage in Essex. At about the same time, Ofcom, was looking again at what to do with some other AM (medium wave) frequencies no longer needed by existing licensed broadcasters and decided that some could be used for community radio services across parts of the country. One such frequency was 648 kHz. This low frequency with excellent longrange propagation characteristics is cleared for U.K. use at power levels of just above 40 kW (omnidirectional) rising to over two megawatts in some directions toward northern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Used by the BBC for many years until
2011 it was eventually taken out of use completely in May of the following year. The BBC broadcast on 648 kHz from a transmission base at Orfordness right on the East Coast of England, using the former military “Cobra Mist” transmitting station originally built in the late 1960s to house an experimental over-thehorizon radar system.
OLD SITE WELCOMES NEW USER
Although almost all the original broadcasting equipment was stripped out after the end of broadcasting in 2012, the antenna systems remained intact and available for use. When in 2016, Ofcom invited applications for new AM community radio licenses, the problem for Radio Caroline was fitting its activities into a licensing regime that is primarily intended for very local, geographically-focused community broadcasting organizations. By comparison, Radio Caroline has always been a music-based station broadcasting to a target audience that is not concentrated in any specific geographic
location. Most U.K. community radio stations operate on FM with a typical coverage radius of between five and 10 kilometers. AM community radio stations are much less common, but do tend to cover a larger radius, usually of up to around 20 kilometers. For Radio Caroline such limited coverage would be difficult to accept, primarily because much of its audience base could not be served. Fortunately for the station, the availability of 648 kHz with its international clearance for use at very high power levels provided Ofcom with the ability to accept its proposals to cover a somewhat larger geographical area. Although it had planned to build new facilities from scratch, after the license was awarded discussions with the current owners of the Orfordness transmission facilities lead to a cost-effective change of plans and the use of the old BBC facilities instead. Under its new license, Radio Caroline is permitted to broadcast with a radiated power of 1 kW, not a particularly high-power service in terms of its earlier offshore activities. However, given the lack of incoming interference on the frequency, and its long-wavelength signals, the result is effective coverage that, in practice, for many listeners is larger than planning criteria might suggest. In many ways, Radio Caroline has both kept up with the times in terms of the broadcasting technologies it uses and come full circle with its recent return to AM broadcasting. The similarities between 1964 when the station began operations and today are even greater. When broadcasting from the high seas, the station had to be supplied by boat. In 2018 the station’s private Orfordness transmitter site is also accessed mainly by boat! Dr. Lawrie Hallett lectures at the University of Bedfordshire and reports on the industry for Radio World from Norwich, England.
EN FRANÇAIS
RADIOWORLD
Actualités et informations des pays francophones
March 2018publicité
RTL : nouveau cap et nouvelle dynamique technologique Le groupe RTL quitte son siège historique pour un espace moderne PAR EMMANUELLE PAUTLER PARIS — RTL, station au nom historique depuis 1966,
est depuis 1980 la 1ére radio généraliste francophone. Elle a commencé à émettre en modulation de fréquence dès 1986. Le pôle français des radios du groupe luxembourgeois (RTL, RTL2 et Fun Radio) amorce un virage important avec son récent rachat par M6. Annoncé fin 2016, mais effectif depuis le 1er octobre 2017, ce rachat de 100 % des titres du pôle radio français du groupe RTL — filiale comme M6 du groupe luxembourgeois RTL qui en détenait auparavant 100 % — représente un nouveau cap avec un siège moderne à Neuilly-sur-Seine. Après plusieurs dizaines d’années dans l’immeuble historique de la rue Bayard, dans le 8e arrondissement à Paris, qui hébergeait les activités du groupe depuis 1936, ces nouveaux locaux seront mieux
adaptés aux impératifs de modernisation de RTL. Fin décembre 2017, le hall et les locaux du nouveau siège de RTL, avenue Charles-de-Gaulle à Neuilly, étaient en pleins travaux. Dans les étages de l’immeuble moderne qui va regrouper les trois antennes, 2 studios pour Fun Radio étaient déjà opérationnels avec les équipes, alors que les autres studios et espaces étaient en chantier : intégration du mobilier et du câblage dans les différents étages. Mi-janvier 2018 a eu lieu le lancement de RTL2, et au printemps 2018 RTL devrait rejoindre le nouveau siège situé face à celui du groupe M6 et de ses chaînes de télévision (M6, W9, 6Ter, Paris Première, Teva …). Les 2 500 salariés des deux groupes M6 et RTL seront ainsi réunis dans un même environnement. « Le projet de déménagement de RTL était cependant antérieur à son rachat par M6 », déclare Benoît Quiviger, responsable depuis 2010 de l’ingénierie et de la maintenance du pôle radio RTL à la Direction Technique
◗DU CÔTÉ FABRICANTS DES
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La vitrine des produits broadcast professionnels les plus récents.
Traitement de l’audio Online : Wheatstone précise que comme les stations traitent davantage de nouveaux contenus — y compris les chaînes streaming — son blade multimode Aura8ip-3 devient de plus en plus populaire. L’Aura8IP-3 est au format 1U, il occupe un espace rack mais intègre huit processeurs audio stéréo multibandes indépendants avec des fonctions AGC, de compression et de limitation pour le streaming web, des fonctions de podcasting et des fonctions audio traditionnelles ou HD Radio. Le processeur audio Aura8IP-3 réunit deux technologies Wheatstone : le traitement audio à très haute résolution et le réseau audio WheatNet-IP. La société affirme que la fusion de ces éléments dans un produit constitue un moyen pratique et économique d’accéder au traitement audio partout où cela est nécessaire sur un réseau WheatNet-IP.
Chaque chaîne de traitement consiste en un égaliseur paramétrique à quatre bandes suivi d’un crossover et de trois bandes de compression. Les compresseurs alimentent chacun leurs propres limiteurs, dont les sorties sont ensuite envoyées à un limiteur large bande pour un contrôle de crête serré. L’Aura8IP-3 possède ses propres E/S locales, avec quatre paires stéréo d’audio numérique AES et quatre paires stéréo d’entrée et de sortie audio de niveau analogique, et peut fonctionner comme un moteur de traitement autonome. Comme il s’agit d’un Blade-3, il peut également se configurer lui-même en tant que partie d’un réseau audio WheatNet-IP nouveau ou existant, permettant d’avoir sa puissance de traitement sur l’ensemble de ce réseau, et est compatible AES67. Informations : www.wheatstone.com ; en France : www.savediffusion.fr
RTL
Une partie de l’équipe technique radio de RTL, de gauche à droite : Benoît Quiviger, Mathias Bejanin, Erwan Kerfourn, Stéphane Guérin, Thomas Zech et Sylvain Loiseur.
(possédant aussi une expérience antérieure de technico réalisateur chez RTL2 depuis 2001, puis de technicien d’antenne et de reportage au service d’exploitation de RTL). « Dès février 2016, RTL devait déjà déménager et il n’y avait pas de corrélation avec le rachat par M6. Entre l’annonce du rachat en décembre 2016 et le printemps 2017 un rapprochement des équipes techniques des deux groupes a été élaboré », précise-t-il. « Mais il s’agissait de le faire intelligemment en mutualisant les moyens existants pour les studios : en profitant, d’une part, de l’infrastructure de M6 et, d’autre part, de l’expertise en télévision de ses équipes, un atout pour la radio visuelle. En revanche, la partie radio restait autonome. En dehors des services support, il n’y avait pas d’interaction entre les activités de M6 et de RTL radio », ajoute-t-il.
DES FONDAMENTAUX ÉDITORIAUX GAGNANTS
RTL a su fédérer les émissions phares quotidiennes, mêlant analyse politique, culture, divertissement et humour. La grille de rentrée 2017 de RTL a conservé les fondamentaux éditoriaux gagnants (Stéphane Bern, Flavie Flament, Julien Courbet, Laurent Ruquier, Marc-Olivier Fogiel, Jacques Pradel, etc.), accueillant aussi une nouvelle chroniqueuse, Amandine Bégot (ancienne d’iTélé
March 2018
et de LCI) dans RTL Matin d’Yves Calvi (Journal de 7h30 et la revue de presse). D’autres jeunes animateurs ont également fait leur entrée cette année sur l’antenne de RTL. Les studios vont se retrouver à Neuilly, notamment le Grand studio dans lequel sont réalisées des émissions — comme l’émission d’humour « Les Grosses Têtes », créée en 1977 par Philippe Bouvard et animée avec succès depuis septembre 2014 par Laurent Ruquier, de 16h à 18h, en présence d’une centaine d’invités, « À la bonne heure » de Stéphane Bern et ses chroniqueurs, du lundi au vendredi de 11h à 12h30, le « Grand Jury, le dimanche de 12h à 13h, animé désormais par Benjamin Sportouch qui a fait ses premiers pas en 2001 » — de même que le studio Jean Farran, entièrement dédié à la réalisation en direct de tous les grands journaux. RTL, financée par ses recettes publicitaires, a connu une audience record en 2017, avec 6,6 millions d’auditeurs quotidiens (+ 369 000 sur un an), sa part d’audience a culminé à 12,6 % sur la saison 2016-2017, soit son meilleur score depuis 2000-2001.
LA NOUVELLE ARCHITECTURE TECHNIQUE DES ANTENNES
Les nouveaux locaux hébergeront 9 studios de radio mutualisés et répartis entre les différents étages de l’immeuble : au 3ème étage, 4 studios pour les stations musicales du groupe, au 1er étage, 2 studios pour la rédaction de RTL, au rezde-chaussée, en plus du Grand studio, un petit studio live pour les émissions de divertissement de Fun Radio, RTL et RTL2, avec une capacité d’accueil de 20/30 personnes, ainsi qu’un studio polyvalent visible de l’accueil. « Les espaces seront beaucoup plus fonctionnels, avec cette nouvelle ergonomie, un outil de diffusion moderne alliant audio et vidéo, le tout s’appuyant sur la plateforme multimédia Dira! de la société Scisys ; à terme, le workflow de production et la réalisation On Air ne se dérouleront pas de la même manière. Cela a nécessité un travail en amont du service technique pour recenser les besoins de toutes les antennes avec des équipements et une ergonomie adaptés aux trois antennes », précise Benoît Quiviger, assisté d’une équipe de 10 personnes, sous la responsabilité de Mathias Bejanin, Directeur technique du groupe M6, incluant désormais dans son périmètre les activités techniques radio, depuis le départ de Thierry Fanchon en décembre 2017 pour France Médias Monde. Parmi les équipements récents pour faciliter cette modernisation technologique, les consoles DHD, fournies par la société Eurocom Broadcast, sont un atout incontestable, couplées au réseau Dante et aux systèmes Nexus de Stagetec et VSM de Lawo, elles permettent l’interconnexion
EN FRANÇAIS entre les studios, les départs antenne et les cabines de production Protools : « Nous avions déjà installé une console DHD aux musicales depuis 2014, dans la station locale de Fun Radio à Nantes. Nous avons actuellement 14 consoles DHD en tout, 4 déjà opérationnelles dans ce nouveau site, 4 qui sont encore dans l’ancien siège rue Bayard (2 en studio, 2 dans les véhicules techniques), 2 dans les bureaux régionaux de RTL à Lille et Marseille depuis 2007 et 4 sur les stations locales de RTL2 et Fun Radio », poursuit Benoît Quiviger. Quatre autres consoles DHD 52MX de grand format seront installées à Neuil-
ly pour la prise d’antenne de RTL dans les mois prochains, ainsi que des surfaces de contrôle tactiles 52TX qui seront au cœur des cabines journaliste. Au nombre des autres équipements, figurent la suite logicielle Radio-Assist 8 de Netia pour RTL et l’outil de réalisation vidéo de la société luxembourgeoise BCE, ainsi que des processeurs Omnia 11 et Omnia Volt, Orban Optimod 8600 HD et Orban 6300, pour le traitement de son, la production et la vidéo de Fun Radio, RTL 2 et RTL Les codecs pour les reportages et délocalisations sont ceux du fabricant
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français AETA Audio Systems (Scoop 5S, Scoopy+ 4G et Scoopfone 4G) et de la société australienne Tieline (BridgeIT, Merlin, et Commander G3). La station possède aussi une trentaine d’enregistreurs Nagra Seven, dont elle s’était équipée dès 2015. Le groupe RTL en quittant ses locaux historiques a aussi renoncé à sa façade spectaculaire ornée sur cinq étages par l’œuvre créée par l’artiste hongrois Victor Vasarely en 1971, symbole de la propagation d’une onde, mais sa nouvelle dynamique technologique propagera ses ondes loin et longtemps.
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BUYER’S GUIDE
Sports Reporting & Remote Gear
RADIOWORLD
March 2018
ACE Radio Takes Tieline ViA Off the Beaten Track Long battery life and wireless connections ease mobile use
◗USERREPORT
Tieline ViA codec ready to go live in the Variety Bash.
BY RAY BAKER
Group Technical Manager ACE Radio Broadcasters WARRNAMBOOL, Victoria — The
ACE Radio Network owns and operates several AM and FM stations in Victoria. The company is also a major communications sponsor and media partner of the Victorian Variety Bash, which is Australia’s longest-running motoring event raising money for families of children who are sick, disadvantaged or who have special needs. This year’s Bash journeyed from Melbourne in Victoria to Fraser Island in Queensland. ACE Radio fielded a team which consisted of three cars trekking around 3,226 kilometers over 10 days. Fund raising is an important aspect but it’s also a fun event for participants and everyone dresses up in costume. Our car was a 1976 Holden Statesman HX and
we dressed as the Blues Brothers. Along the way we broadcasted into the “Morning Rush” program from places
such as Canberra, Newcastle, Narooma, Lake’s Entrance, Bathurst, Coffs Harbour, Toowoomba and Fraser Island. The show is broadcast on AM stations 3YB, 3SH, 3WM, 3CS, 3HA and Gold1242.
ON THE ROAD
Keep control of your codecs, wherever they are! On field
In the studio Audio
Internet
Audio
Remote control
Control all the parameters of your codecs remotely and in real time via the Internet, including 4G mobile networks. AETA Remote Acess is available as an optional feature on the full range of AETA Audio Systems codecs running through IP:
• ScoopTeam • Scoopy+S
• Scoop5S / 5S-IP • µScoop
• ScoopFone 4G • ScoopFone IP
For further informations, please visit: www.aeta-audio.com
“Morning Rush” co-host Jon Vertigan travelled with us and used a Tieline ViA codec to broadcast live between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. each morning to a Tieline Commander G3 codec at our studio in Warrnambool. Jon received a mix-minus IFB feed to chat in real-time with co-host Kate Meade back in the studio. Using a headset/mic combo we broadcasted from breakfast venues and numerous open-air locations along the way. We attached a handheld microphone to the ViA to interview sporting personalities, celebrities and participants in the Bash. We first trialled Tieline’s ViA codec through our dealer Sonifex before the Bash and we were so impressed that we bought one for the trip. As we were travelling to remote locations, it was important to have portability, self-sufficient power and wireless connectivity. ViA ticked all the boxes. We connected the ViA codec to the Telstra 4GX cellular network using a Netgear Nighthawk Wi-Fi router. This is battery-powered and the ViA also has an internal battery that lasts for hours. We took a cable to charge devices in the car,
but it was never required. Often we didn’t even bother to recharge using AC at night because both the ViA and router could run for days without recharging. The ViA has built-in Wi-Fi which made it very simple to connect to the router and go live. Over IP we used Tieline’s low-delay Music encoding and round-trip audio latency was never an issue. Most people were amazed that we could broadcast like that and they streamed the show during breakfast to hear what Jon was saying. We also generated a lot of extra traffic to the “Morning Rush” Facebook page which was great. Travelling in the old Statesman was awesome. We all enjoyed driving the car and it had its own personality. Doing a Blues Brothers theme also made for many funny moments. There was another Blues Brothers car in the Bash so we did many activities together.
Jon Vertigan broadcasts into the Morning Rush show with ViA from Newcastle.
Overall, the broadcasts were flawless and we were so impressed with the ViA that we have already ordered another unit. It fits neatly into our occupational health and safety plan to reduce onsite risk by minimizing cables on outside broadcasts wherever possible. ViA’s many wireless connection options deliver on this in spades. We also plan to integrate battery-powered PA systems on OBs as well. In summary, the 2017 Variety Bash was a terrific success and raised a grand total of A$1.25 million for children in need. ACE Radio was thrilled to promote the event with our live broadcasts and we received great feedback. The team is planning to be back again for next year’s Bash and I anticipate the broadcast will no doubt be bigger and better.
For information, contact Charlie Gawley at Tieline Technology at +618-9249-6688 or visit www.tieline.com.
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March 2018
BUYER’S GUIDE Sports Reporting & Remote Gear
Comrex Access NX Takes the Cardinals to London Codec helps NFL team’s flagship station deliver a penalty-free program
◗USERREPORT BY WALT ELLIS
Senior Radio Engineer Arizona Cardinals PHOENIX, Arizona — The Arizona Cardinals traveled to London this past season to play the Los Angeles Rams as part of the NFL London Games. As an engineer for the Cardinals, I traveled with flagship station KMVP(FM)/98.7 to cover the game. We had multiple shows to produce in the time we were in London. “Doug and Wolf Show,” the KMVP morning show hosted by Ron Wolfley and Doug Franz, was set to broadcast all but one of the six days we were abroad. We also needed to produce our weekly show, “The Big Red Rage,” from The Admiralty, a pub in Trafalgar Square. Not to mention, we needed to get our play-by-play and color commentary on the air during the actual game. So there were many moving pieces for us to manage. I always carry two Comrex Access 2USB codecs for backup. But because all the pregame shows, in English and Spanish, were going to be done from a big tailgating party outside the stadium, I decided that we would need four portable units that could work with Wi-Fi and cellular signal. Upon the release of the new Access NX, we decided to add two of those portable units along with
Cardinal announcers (L–R) Ron Wolfey, Dave Pasch and Paul Calvisi at the London remote site. The Comrex Access NX can be seen in the lower portion of the picture.
mixers to our kit. When we arrived in London, we only had an hour or so to get set up. We immediately went to a conference room in the hotel that was preconfigured for our broadcasts, and booted up the Access NX that I’d taken with me in my carryon, with no time to test anything. Because the Arizona Cardinals have a terrific IT department and the networks has been configured, I plugged the LAN cable into the Access NX, plugged in some headsets, and we were on the air by the time “Doug and Wolf” started at 6 a.m. Arizona time. About an hour and a half after we
◗TECHUPDATES BLU BY DIGIGRAM SIMPLIFIES REMOTE CONTRIBUTIONS MONTBONNET, France — Digigram says blu by Digigram makes it simple for professional broadcast studios to establish several simultaneous, quality communications through a user portal with any remote contributor who has a web browser, traditional SIP codec or telephone. The company says the platform allows easy management of multiplex audio contributions, and can manage up to six contributors simultaneously from up to six locations. Blu by Digigram is a plug-and-play concept that doesn’t need a specific installation or application. It gives users access to standard studio functions including talkback, mix-minus and monitoring. With its automatic recording, audio contributions are recorded in the cloud and then available for download. In addition, says Digigram, as an SaaS, blu can deliver “uncompromising quality” through redundant and encrypted connections. For information, contact Digigram in France at +33-4-76-52-47-47 or visit www.digigram.com.
settled in at the hotel, the second Access NX unit arrived. I set it up so that our sideline reporter and pregame show host, Paul Calvisi, could do his hits for our local news station. After a snafu with the hotel Wi-Fi, I hooked up the Access NX unit to a second LAN connection in a separate hotel room, Paul was able to do all his updates, and it worked out wonderfully. We used the same setup for two more days of broadcasting — the whole time, it went off without a hitch. For one day, we broadcast the “Doug and Wolf Show,” Paul’s sports updates and an expanded two-hour “Big Red
Rage” show from The Admiralty. On a balcony inside of this pub overlooking the main floor, we set up the Access NX units with a LAN connection. All of the shows went off without a hitch. On game day, we set up the two NX units to do all the backhaul of the two pregame shows that were outside of the stadium, and then inside of the stadium my two Access 2USB units were used in conjunction with ISDN units for the actual game day broadcast. In all of these cases, our Access units worked perfectly. If you have familiarity with the Access 2USB, a few differences are noticeable as soon as you unbox the Access NX. You notice that there are two mic inputs instead of one. This means that you can immediately have two people on the air, without adding a mixer. That’s a huge benefit. You also notice the larger screen. This makes the unit easy to read in the field, plus the menus are simple to navigate. Additionally, I really like the level controls, especially the input control that lights up red if the levels are starting to get too high. If you’re not watching things closely, the light makes it easy to see if something is going awry. Our Access units were our primary and only means of broadcast for most of the shows we pulled off while in London. I enjoyed using them — they performed flawlessly, and our programs sounded great. For information, contact Chris Crump at Comrex in the United States at +1-978784-1776 or visit www.comrex.com.
AETA SCOOPTEAM ALLOWS FOR FLEXIBLE SPORTS COVERAGE LE PLESSIS ROBINSON, France — AETA Audio System offers the ScoopTeam commentary unit for sports remote coverage applications. The system features a double mono codec for live audio transmission of one or two audio signals of up to 20 kHz and offers a maximum of four commentary positions and 11 audio inputs. According to AETA, while ScoopTeam is suitable for use with IP networks, it can also be used with ISDN lines. Alternative transmission modes are available as options; these include AoIP via 3G/4G, Wi-Fi via USB, along with mobile voice (including HD Voice). The premium version allows users to transmit via a Ravenna interface (AES67, Dante-compatible) and offers two additional analog inputs and one AES input. AETA’s new Remote Access can be integrated into ScoopTeam. The optional feature allows operators to control their codec remotely and in real time via IP, including 4G mobile networks, through an HTML web server. In addition, the new MyScoopTeam application lets users control ScoopTeam through its graphic interface, directly from a laptop. MyScoopTeam is available in LAN or remote (IP) edition. For information, contact AETA Audio Systems in France at +33-1-41-36-12-00 or visit www.aeta-audio.com.
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Success on Remote at Rubin Broadcasting
Telos gear paves the path for easy operation
◗USERREPORT BY STEVE RUBIN
CEO Rubin Broadcasting Inc. SAN JOSE, California — At Rubin Broadcasting I run three California stations — KTOX(AM) 1340 and K281CR 104.1 FM in Needles, Calif./Bullhead City, Ariz./ Laughlin, Nev., KUNK(FM)/92.7 The Skunk in Mendocino/Willits/Ukiah, and KTOX(FM) 98.1 in Wofford Heights/ Bakersfield/Porterville — from my home in San Jose, Calif.
March 2018
BUYER’S GUIDE Sports Reporting & Remote Gear
stream, and another Z/IP One is used for remotes. We use the VX primarily in our Needles talk station for call-in programs. We also have used the VX to terminate G.722 calls from iPhones for remotes. For our remote broadcasts, I use dedicated fixed lines on the VX when I am remotely board operating from home. I’ll use one fixed line as the cue bus, then I set up a feed to the Axia Fusion console so I can use the talkback on the board, which allows me to talk to the person doing the remote. Another fixed line is used for program, and all of this is done over SIP/G.722 and softphones. The VX solves most of my remote audio routing
◗TECHUPDATES APT MOBILIZES SURESTREAM TECHNOLOGY FOR REMOTES BORDEAUX-MÉRIGNAC — APT/WorldCast Systems says its new Mobile SureStreamer can be used to maximize the uptime and broadcast quality of existing hardware or software codecs over 3G/4G networks. The system was designed around SureStream, APT’s redundant-streaming technology, which the company says has been deployed in thousands of studio-transmitter links. APT says it employs multipath streaming over two or more redundant networks to deliver a solid connection similar to that offered by traditional synchronous links such as T1. According to APT, the main benefit of SureStream is its ability to achieve the performance and reliability of a high-grade broadcast link for much lower operational cost. Mobile SureStreamer offers these benefits to remote broadcasters in a portable, lightweight carry bag. It will work with app-based software codecs on a phone and hardware codecs to provide a direct connection to any SureStreamenabled decoder. The system can be preconfigured in the studio so nontechnical personnel and talent in the field can connect on start-up. Four universal Ethernet ports allow connection to any type of network access including the two 3G/4G modems that are supplied with the Mobile SureStreamer. Also included is a portable three-hour battery pack with backup and swap-out options. The company said Mobile SureStreamer is not restricted to audio use but can be deployed to protect UDP video and live media streams using SureStream. For information, contact APT/WorldCast Systems in France at +33-557-928928 or visit www.worldcastsystems.com.
RNE USES AEQ CODECS FOR OUTSIDE BROADCASTS Steve Rubin’s screenshot. Besides automation software, visible is Axia Audio’s SoftSurface console control software. Note Channels 13 and 14 are for the Telos VX hybrids.
We do remote broadcasts for high school football games, as well as an occasional talk program from a customer location. I also offer a range of services for the broadcast community including studio builds/maintenance, wireless studio to transmitter links, remote talent integration and tower services.
FLEXIBLE FEATURES
We have multiple Telos Z/IP One IP codecs, a Telos VX talk show system and a license of the Z/IPStream 9/X2 streaming software as part of our system to help make our remote broadcasts and streams sound their best, and — most important — be easier to manage. We use a pair of Z/IP Ones as an STL for our Mendocino FM station by sending the IP signal over a dedicated T1 line from the studio to the transmitter, with a backup over a cell modem. The 9/X2 feeds our internet
issues since I can drop fixed lines for anything to remotely monitor or control. One thing we are just starting to play with is remote voice-tracking using SIP with remote talent. We are using Paravel Systems Rivendell automation with the Livewire software driver. The talent simply dials into the VX with their soft client of choice and Rivendell just treats it like a local sound card. They can then remotely control Rivendell using VNC. I’m looking at adding a Telos Zephyr iPort Plus multicodec gateway at each of our four transmitters, and two studio sites to give me a little more flexibility. Overall, with a painless installation and smooth operation, the Telos remote products have worked out flawlessly for us. For information, contact Cam Eicher at The Telos Alliance in the United States +1-216-241-7225 or visit www. telosalliance.com.
MADRID — Spanish public broadcaster Radio Nacional de España is relying on AEQ equipment for IP connectivity. Headquartered in Madrid and with 16 provincial and some 40 regional and local production centers, the media house airs four national programs in addition to a Catalonian-language program and transmits via terrestrial broadcasting, satellite and the internet. According to AEQ, in 2017 RNE began renovating its infrastructure in an effort to shift completely to IP connectivity and away from ISDN technology. As part of the move, RNE recently purchased 40 AEQ Phoenix Alio codecs and 15 AEQ Venus 3 audio codecs to ensure streamlined IP. AEQ says the Phoenix Alio IP audio codec offers features including a carrying case adapted for outdoor usage and the need for reporters on assignment to manage the codecs manually at their remote location or remotely via dedicated software. It highlights Alio for ease of connectivity, advanced control functionality, a second optional stereo channel and a mixer for up to four mic inputs with phantom power supply and a 12 V power source using external AC adapter. AEQ audio codecs are compatible with the EBU-Tech 3326 standard for third-party audio codecs; users can connect AEQ equipment to gear from other manufacturers. AEQ adds that the AEQ Venus 3 simplifies the establishment of connections thanks to the proprietary SmartRTP technology. For information, contact AEQ in Spain at +34-91-686-1300 or visit www.aeq.eu.
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March 2018
◗MARKETPLACE IP Encoder and Decoder: DEVA has added the DB9009 to its range of IP audio tools. Featuring a second-generation IP audio encoder and decoder, the unit supports HE-AAC 1 and 2, MPEG-1 Layer 3 compressed audio streams and uncompressed PCM streams.
The decoder provides several backup sources in the case of an interrupted feed, and is also available with an optional fully digital DSP-based stereo and RDS encoder module. According to DEVA, the DB9009 is cost-effective, reliable and easy to use. The company’s Band Scanner 2 FM monitoring tool recently received a software update. Designed for measurements on-the-go, the Band Scanner 2 only needs a USB connection to any Windows PC for both power supply and data exchange. It can measure RF level, MPX deviation, left and right audio levels, RDS and pilot injection levels. During a campaign, measurements are stored in a log file, after which they can be converted into KMZ format and visualized in Google Earth. Information: www.devabroadcast.com
Aircast v6: D&R has released a new version of the Aircast music playout software. The Aircast 6.00 STD is a license of one PC that will allow the user to locally create a music database on that PC; the user can also log on to another PC with a STD+DB license and use the music stored on that PC. The Aircast 6.00 STD+DB has the same capabilities, but can also be used as a server and can offer its music database to other STD and ST+DB users. The Aircast 6.00 VT license allows users to remotely connect to a STD+DB license to voice track from anywhere as long as there is an internet connection. The license upgrade and existing software license is free of charge when bought within the last three months; if older, Aircast will charge 50 percent of the present end user license cost. With this upgrade, Aircast has also announced that it plans to discontinue its dongle license option and stop hardware shipping. Existing dongles will continue to work unless a customer wants to upgrade, in which case Aircast will convert the dongle license into a software license. Information: http://www.d-r.nl
BROADCAST EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE
RADIOWORLD
March 2018
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Tel: 800-532-6626 Web: www.econco.com Intl +1-530-662-7553 Fax: +1-530-666-7760
www.radioworld.com ADVERTISER INDEX page
advertiser 16 AETA Audio Systems 9 Axia - The Telos Alliance 21 Comrex Corporation 1 DB Elettronica Telecom. 6 Deva Broadcast Ltd 14 Eurocom Broadcast 8 GatesAir 23 Inovonics Broadcast 24 Lawo AG 19 Nautel 10 NeoGroupe 1, 14 RFE Broadcast 15 Save Diffusion 17 Thimeo Audio Technology 7 Tieline Technology 4 Wedel Software 2, 11, 13 Wheatstone
This listing is provided for the convenience of our readers. Radio World assumes no liability for inaccuracy.
website/url www.aeta-audio.com www.axiaaudio.com www.comrex.com www.dbbroadcast.com www.devabroadcast.com www.eurocom.fr www.gatesair.com www.inovonicsbroadcast.com www.lawo.com www.nautel.com www.neogroupe.com www.rfebroadcast.com www.savediffusion.fr www.stereotool.com/innovators www.tieline.com www.wedelsoft.com www.wheatstone.com
Welcome to
Broadcast 3.0 Radio / On-Air 3.0
ruby – Radio never looked so good. Meet ruby, the new radio console
ruby’s powerful visual interface
mixing and one-touch AutoGain
from Lawo. So elegant and
is designed for fast-paced
mic calibration, your operators will
uncluttered, you might think
radio, with fingertip access to
tackle the most complex shows
something’s missing — and
source, bus, and mix-minus
with ease. Even voice-tracking
you’d be right. We’ve moved
assignments, as well as EQ and
while on the air takes only the
most of the controls that litter
dynamics processing — freeing
push of a button. Be prepared:
the faces of other radio consoles
your talent to perform instead of
your talent may actually thank
onto an intuitive context-sensitive
searching for settings. You can
you! And because ruby is
touchscreen, while essential
even use ruby’s GUI-building
engineered and built in Germany,
controls like faders and monitor
app to centralize control of studio
it might just be the last console
selectors are right where you’d
software and peripherals. With
you’ll ever need to buy.
expect them to be. ruby gives you
intelligent AutoMix hands-free
the best of both worlds: familiar
ruby, from Lawo. The console with
physical operations, and a modern
a refreshingly new point of view.
graphical interface.
DOWNLOAD ruby BROCHURE bit.ly/2kT8Obi
Join us @ NAB, #N2813
www.lawo.com