TBI Media Delivers World's First Live Launch of a Radio Station

WIRED BROADCAST • CLIENT STORIES SERIES

One for the record books: TBI media delivers world’s ﬁrst live launch of a radio station from a high-speed train for Virgin Radio UK

TBI Media is an award-winning producer of programmes and live events for TV, radio, and online brands in the UK and abroad. Working with clients like the BBC, Disney, and BT Sport, TBI develops innovative concepts and produces complex creative projects. For one of its most daring outside broadcasts, TBI Media turns to Wired Broadcast for expert implementation of a reliable broadcast solution at 125 mph.

Specifically, Critchlow wanted to know New York and consulted on a method Challenge if it were possible to broadcast a live that enabled Brubeck to perform radio show from a train, at speeds of up in perfect synch with the BBC Jazz Phil Critchlow, CEO and to 125 mph, on a four-hour journey from Orchestra in London’s Mermaid Theatre Manchester to London. The programme despite the long satellite delay. founding director at TBI, would include two presenters and For the Virgin Radio project, Critchlow five music acts on board the train developed an unusual knew the challenge would be getting and require a reliable two-way, concept for the re-launch audio from the train to the studio. He low-latency link to the Virgin studio. of Virgin Radio UK. Before would need a reliable connection in Wired Broadcast is always the first the most challenging of circumstances. pitching the idea to Virgin, outside broadcast provider Critchlow Knowing that Wired Broadcast had he called Wired Broadcast calls because of his long working used multi-WAN technology to deliver relationship with its CEO, Johnnie high-quality connectivity for some of to determine technical Dymock. “It’s a trust factor. There TBI’s previous broadcasts by using feasibility and cost. are very few people in the UK, or just consumer cellular networks, anywhere, for that matter, with the Critchlow thought the same approach kind of expertise that Johnnie and could work here. Securing budget and his team have,” Critchlow said. Back approval from Virgin would depend on in 2007, Dave Brubeck had won a producing evidence that the project Lifetime Achievement Award at the could succeed technically. Moreover, BBC Jazz Awards and couldn’t be success would depend on more than present at the ceremony in London just technology. It would depend on to accept it. TBI produced the event, Wired Broadcast’s agility, dependability, and Wired Broadcast supervised a and wide skill set to use the most live satellite link-up with Brubeck in cutting-edge technology efectively.

Measuring cellular coverage from studio, Wired Broadcast monitored Using diversity to reduce risk a high-speed train To determine connectivity over the entire journey of latency and dropouts Wired technical feasibility, Wired Broadcast using multi-WAN devices and Broadcast designed a connectivity needed to test the solution thoroughly monitoring software. By recording solution characterised by three types and assess connectivity along real-time graphs showing latency, of diversity—spatial diversity, mobile the proposed route. Because of packet loss, and GPS location technology diversity, and carrier train tunnels, including some that using screen recording software, diversity. For spatial diversity, two are several miles long, the train the team was able to slowly replay multi-WAN routers were connected would hit dead zones at times, the video the next day to pinpoint to two sets of antennas clustered making live two-way transmission where cellular coverage was good, towards the front and rear of the train. impossible with any technology. mediocre, and poor. This information For mobile technology diversity, the would allow Wired Broadcast to solution employed a combination of To address this problem, Wired create their coverage map, provision 3G and 4G connections. Finally, for Broadcast developed a heat map appropriately, and create sufcient carrier diversity, the configuration showing segments of the route in redundancy of cellular connections. used SIMs from all four UK cellular which two-way transmission would network operators. In total, the be reliable, uncertain, or impossible, Planning the radio programme solution comprised 12 simultaneous either because of a dead zone or around the train route Wired mobile broadband connections. because of too short a distance Broadcast provided Critchlow with Surprisingly, the fixed broadband between dead zones. Because the a detailed list of optimal times for connection at Virgin’s London studio proposed route for the launch wasn’t each type of programme segment, was unreliable, so Wired Broadcast a scheduled one, the team would enabling him to plan the show. For placed one of its Mediaport® rely on the train’s location, rather example, the show would include multi-WAN routers there as well. than time, as the reference, while live two-ways when connectivity was managing the complexity created by strong for extended portions of the uncertainty about the precise times journey, with content from the studio the train would reach key landmarks. planned at times when the train was expected to enter dead zones. Even With a list of requirements to hand, with this information, total certainty Wired Broadcast contacted Virgin would be impossible. Being chartered, Trains to request a train for testing. As the launch train would be required Dymock recalls, he told them, “We’ll to slow down to allow scheduled have to disable your onboard Wi-Fi trains to pass, possibly upsetting the and connect our own equipment to order of the programme. To Virgin the train’s antennas. This will cause and TBI, this level of uncertainty was disruption to your passengers, so acceptable and even heightened the ideally, we’d like to borrow a train.” appeal of attempting an industry first. To his amazement, a few days later, Virgin said, “It looks like we can give you a train.” In fact, Virgin provided Wired Broadcast with a private 11-coach intercity train for its test, running the proposed route between Manchester and London. A key objective was to measure the number of cellular channels carrying data at any given location on the route. With two team members on the train and another at its London

In the early hours of March 30, 2016, drive-time presenter for the station. out-of-the-box and unique radio the day of the launch, a broadcast The programme featured five music launch!” For TBI and Critchlow, it was engineer and a network engineer acts performing live from the train: a major success. “The involvement from Wired Broadcast were on site at The Feeling, Travis, The Mystery of Johnnie and the Wired Broadcast Manchester Piccadilly station to set up. Jets, Walking on Cars, and Irish team was an important aspect of The pair had a tight window in which singer-songwriter Gavin James. our achievement. The fact that TBI to load the train, dismantle existing Sam Branson joined the programme delivered such an ambitious and equipment, and install the solution. on the train, and his father Richard successful project means Virgin will They would supervise the broadcast called in live by phone from Necker always consider us in the future.” while TBI operated a full radio studio Island. As the train approached its in one of the carriages, complete destination, all the musicians joined in with mixing desk, microphones, performing Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”. cameras, and other equipment. At Dymock’s suggestion, the listening As scheduled, the chartered train full audience had been told at the outset of presenters, musicians, press, and that, when presenting live from a train nearly 100 guests, left Manchester reaching speeds of 125 mph, anything and began its four-hour journey to can happen. This approach was a London via Crewe, Birmingham, and clever way to build edge-of-your-seat Rugby. For the first significant part excitement while hedging bets. In fact, of the journey, not a single packet the broadcast was completed with of data was lost. “That’s a tall order only one hiccup when the presenters for an outside broadcast, even introduced live music as the train from a fixed site. Considering the entered a long tunnel. At that point, “The involvement of Johnnie circumstances, it was an extremely the studio picked up immediately and the Wired Broadcast team high-quality stereo connection at 192 and filled the slot with content, was an important aspect of kilobits per second,” recalls Dymock. making the error barely detectable. our achievement. The fact that TBI delivered such an The launch programme included For Virgin, the live launch was a major ambitious and successful two presenters on the train—Edith coup. Sam Branson praised the team project means Virgin will always Bowman, presenter of Virgin on the Virgin website, saying, “Well consider us in the future.” Radio UK’s Breakfast Show, and done to everyone involved in what Matt Richardson, comedian and can only be described as a truly fun, PHIL CRITCHLOW, CEO & FOUNDER, TBI MEDIA

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