Classic FM Relocates

Lawrie Hallett MIBS reports on Classic FM’s move last year to GCAP’s London Radio Centre.

Classic FM’s production studio at Leicester Square

n 9 May 2006 the UK’s two largest only when this rival group was unable to June/July 1999 edition of Line Up.) commercial radio companies – the raise the considerable pre-launch capital Classic FM enhanced its presence on O Capital Radio Group and the GWR needed for its proposed service that the FM (it now has 42 transmitters across the Group – completed their merger to form contract was awarded instead to Classic FM country) as well as raising its profile GCap Media plc. Soon after its formation, as the runner-up in the contest. through involvement in the ‘Digital 1’ and doubtless recognising the potential cost Once it had the green-light, Classic FM national DAB multiplex. It has also savings and operational synergies which wasted little time in getting on-air in 1993, broadcast via the Sky satellite TV system should arise, it was decided to consolidate and its transmitter network quickly since 1999 and the same service is available the London departments under a single expanded to cover 82% of the total on Virgin’s digital cable system, the Tiscali roof. The chosen location was what had population – just over the 80% required by (formerly Home Choice) network and, of been the Capital Group’s Leicester Square the INR1 licence. The old GWR Group had course, via the Internet. headquarters, so the former GWR broadcast provided technical expertise and support stations as well as a newly combined for the fledgling national broadcaster, and in Location, Location, Location national sales team have all taken up 1997 it bought out the entire company. Following the formation of GCap in 2005, residence in this expanding complex of Classic FM found itself not only the buildings, which is now one of the largest Forward Thinking country’s largest commercial radio station, non-BBC broadcast radio production Following the full take-over of Classic FM, but also part of the UK’s largest commercial facilities in the UK. work began in 1998 on creating a joint radio group. So, once again, consolidation London home at Oxford Circus for the lay behind the decision to move the station A Classical Future? group’s national sales team and for Classic a second time to a new base of operations Classic FM, in some ways the ‘jewel in the FM’s broadcast operations. In many ways, within GCap’s London broadcast hub at 30 crown’ of the new GCap Group, might this move was dictated by a desire to have a Leicester Square. never have happened as the station almost W1 address from which to base the sales Although Classic FM certainly has the didn’t get on the air in the first place! Its operation. More importantly, though, with highest national profile of all those stations founders failed to win with their original its financial backing and operational operating from these premises, several 1990 bid for the Independent National viability secure Classic FM was now able to other major broadcasters also operate Radio 1 (INR1) franchise, losing out to a bid continue to expand. (An article about the from the buildings. Back in 1996, the from a group known as ‘Showtime.’ It was Swallow Place move was published in the long-established London stations Capital Radio (FM) and Capital Gold (AM) moved there from their previous home in Euston “The Leicester Square Tower. Since then an increasing number of commercial stations has been technical facilities are accommodated including Capital Life, Choice FM and the ‘indie’ music station considerable” Xfm. National DAB station Planet Rock has

18 LINE UP Nov/Dec 2007 also transferred from its previous Swallow had gradually been introducing Logitech up to standard. To minimise disruption and Place home, and the latest successful Numix 18 channel control surfaces in our change for presenters, the studios were addition was theJazz, launched in on-air studios, with 12 channel Remoras in refurbished to duplicate as closely as December 2006 and already reaching smaller areas. However, as Logitech is no possible the working practices employed at 350,000 listeners. Various networked GCap longer making the Numix surface, we’re the station’s old Oxford Circus facilities.” shows are produced at the Leicester Square going to have to reassess the situation when From an operational point of view the studio complex as well, such as the chart we come to re-equip the next batch of main differences were the change of mixing programme Hit 40 UK. studios.” console, from Klotz to Logitek, and the The Leicester Square technical facilities introduction of a new commercial play-out are, necessarily, considerable. Over the Classic Suites system. Before the move Classic FM was years, adjacent buildings have been leased Classic FM uses two on-air studios and three using the Computer Concepts DCS system to extend the original floor space such that production studios in the Leicester Square to handle commercial play-out, but, in GCap Media now occupies what was complex, all located originally two separate buildings. In total together on the second John Sullivan points out studio features to visiting there are some 32 studios, including live floor. In addition, there IBS members at Leicester Square performance rooms and editing suites. is a booth for Classic FM Fifteen are on-air self-op studios, and there news bulletins on the is also one control room/voice booth pair third floor, and the used for commercial production. racks-room is located on the first floor of the Standardisation building. A complex and ongoing programme of According to John refurbishment and standardisation is in Sullivan, “Two of the progress at the Leicester Square facilities. five studios had John Sullivan MIBS (Head of London recently been Technology Services at GCap Media) refurbished, but the explained, “Working within defined remaining three were in budgets as any commercial organisation a bit of a state and must, means standardisation takes time. We needed to be brought

LINE UP Nov/Dec 2007 19 two main outputs each incorporate separate stereo channels for each of the six geographical transmitter regions around the country. The national DAB network is fed via a dedicated 384kbps circuit provided by Arqiva, backed up with a 256kbps ISDN2 line. The Sky platform is fed by GCap’s in-house Audio over IP system connected directly to the satellite uplink station at Chalfont in Buckinghamshire. Having such a high level of redundancy proved extremely useful when moving Classic FM into its new home as the transmission network could be moved in two halves. Back-up provisions, such as pre- recorded programming and the availability Classic FM on air from of emergency CDs, were in place at both Leicester Square with locations during the moving period, but Mark Forrest presenting proved unnecessary. terms of its hardware, this was ‘life-expired.’ and a Tascam MD350 MiniDisc machine. Pats on the Back GCap decided to re-engineer and installed For direct burning of CDs an HHB BurnIT From conception to completion, the the Broadcast Bionics Genesys system. Plus is also available. Monitoring is via project to move Classic FM took some Fortunately, Genesys understands all the ceiling-mounted Genelec speakers, and seven months, from September 2005 to DCS file structures and commands which presenters use Beyer MC740 microphones March 2006. The physical move was carried were integrated into GCap Media’s with TC Electronics Gold Channel out over the final two weeks before commercial scheduling and auditing microphone processors configured via broadcasting commenced from Leicester systems, and provided the ability to deliver personalised mixing desk pre-sets. Square, with equipment being pulled as multiple concurrent audio streams. As a GCap uses a VoIP (Voice over IP) phone required and the final move being result, Classic FM’s commercials can be system which offers increased flexibility completed over a single weekend. regionalised, with specific advertisements and considerable cost savings when Asked how he felt the move had gone delivered to any of six separate compared to traditional POTS (plain old in practical terms, John Sullivan explained geographical regions in the UK, as well as to telephone system) alternatives. A Cisco that it had been completed on time and the separate national DAB stream and a VoIP switcher at the Leicester Square within budget. More importantly, he also further separate Sky satellite stream. building integrates with a PhoneBox said that, “Despite some inevitable minor During the move from Swallow Place, Enterprise system for on-air phone-ins. teething problems, nothing related to the the backwards compatibility of this system move had been audible to spoil the listening proved itself invaluable allowing some Transmission Paths experience.” As a result, he was happy to commercials to be played out from the new The overall station processing for FM conclude that, “Judged on the twin criteria Leicester Square facilities and some on the outputs is via Orban Optimod 8200s, and that there had been no loss of output or old system still at Swallow Place – all from numerous Sonifex Red Box interface units commercial revenues, the move had to be the push of a single presenter’s button! handle the routing, balancing and so on. considered as being a big success.” Just over Clyde Broadcast SM3 PPMs are employed a year later John observed that “the Music Library for transmission chain level metering and, anniversary of the Classic FM move from Concurrent with the physical move, staff at in an effort to synchronise FM and DAB Swallow Place passed completely Classic FM also took the opportunity to outputs, TC Electronics digital delays time- unnoticed. Staff are now so comfortable improve the quality of the station’s music slip the FM audio feeds by 2.9 seconds. with the working environment that they library, re-ripping tracks to the RCS ‘Master There is no processing on DAB feeds apart feel they’ve been in Leicester Square Control XV’ system with a controlled peak from protection limiting provided by TC forever!” level to ensure a consistent output. Other Electronics DBMax units. GCap stations operating out of Leicester Programme distribution facilities are Square are gradually being moved over to provided by Arqiva (formerly NTL Thanks either the MCXV system or Genysys for Broadcast), using two diverse routes from both commercial and music play-out, the studios: one fibre-based via Bristol, and The author would like to thank John replacing the previous Barrcode BCX the other a microwave link via Arqiva’s Sullivan MIBS for his invaluable help in system. Croydon transmitter site to Manchester for putting together this article. Apart from these changes, most of the onward distribution. The system technical facilities at the station remain the incorporates full redundancy, with each same. Alongside the seven control screens programme output chain housed in a in each of the main studios, outboard separate rack with independent cabling and equipment includes Denon 951FA CD power supplies. To accommodate Classic players, a Sony PCM-R500 DAT recorder FM’s regionalisation of advertisements, the

20 LINE UP Nov/Dec 2007