Designing the Ideal Radio Studio
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INTERNATIONAL EDITION Designing the Ideal Radio Studio December 2019 From the Publishers of Radio World International ebooks: Tools for Strategic Technology Decision-Making Radio World’s growing library of ebooks can assist you in maximizing your investment in an array of platforms and tools: licensed transmission, online streaming, mobile apps, multicasting, translators, podcasts, RDS, metadata and much more. The ebooks are a huge hit with readers. They help engineers, GMs, operations managers and other top radio executives — radio’s new breed of digital, cross-platform decision-makers — understand this new world and thrive in it. Is there a topic you want Visit radioworld.com/ebooks to see covered in our next ebook? Let us know! Designing the 4 Radio 2 Antwerpen Inaugurates Ideal Radio Studio New Pop-up Studios Planning a new studio project? Whether upgrading 7, 12, 28 a studio or building one from scratch, there are a Newswatch number of points radio broadcasters should keep in mind — right from the planning phase — to ensure the successful execution of their project. Efficiency and cost-effectiveness are important 10 for both networks and smaller stations, as are clear IP Studios For Managers business objectives. Also key is the way in which Marguerite Clark media houses implement the latest technologies Content Director such as visual radio, virtualization and the cloud. 13 This latest Radio World ebook guides you on your Scarlet Knights’ Station journey toward the ideal radio studio. It offers examples of different stu- Gets a Fresh Start dio builds; provides tips from industry experts on how to meet specific goals; where to begin; questions to consider; how to select the right gear for your needs; and more. Clark Novak, radio marketing specialist for Lawo AG, gives advice 20 on what station managers need to know before building an IP studio. Ten Tips to Help You Create 2wcom Sales and Marketing Manager Anke Schneider shares insight on Your Best Studio cross-media adoption and how broadcasters can benefit from the evo- lution in media consumption. Also, consultant Gary Kline highlights 10 tips radio broadcasters 24 should keep in mind when designing or renovating a studio. And we Cross-Media Adoption Unites step inside Radio 2 Antwerpen’s new innovative pop-up studios, which feature three Flexbox studios for enhanced flexibility and modular Media Production, Distribution operation, take a tour of WTOP’s new modern facilities in Maryland, and more. Send me your thoughts about this or any Radio World ebook to 30 [email protected]. Take a Look Inside — Marguerite Clark the New WTOP On the cover: INTERNATIONAL EDITION The Capital studio in London, owned and operated by Global, has wrap-around LED screens, which allow the studio branding to be changed at the push of a button. It also uses five Panasonic AW-UE70 PTZ camera heads in an automated vision mix by Broadcast Bionics Virtual Director. Audio is routed through Livewire and Axia Fusion mixers. All the studio sources are captured automatically in multi- track recorders to allow easy reworking of material for pod- casts and rebroadcast. Axia Pathfinder pulls together all the different systems so Designing the Ideal that a desk profile change can activate new lighting, brand- Radio Studio ing, mixer layouts and mic processing profiles. December 2019 From the Publishers of Radio World International Cover image: Matt Gray – Global BUILDING THE IDEAL RADIO STUDIO Radio World International Edition | October 2019 3 Radio 2 Antwerpen Inaugurates New Pop-up Studios VRT’s regional channel makes use of Flexbox studios for flexibility, modular operation By Marc Maes over 30 people. Today, we have compact, cost-effective and efficient working landscapes in Leuven, Hasselt, Kor- ANTWERP, Belgium — Radio 2 Antwerpen recently inau- trijk and Antwerp.” gurated new “pop-up” studios. Boosting the regional station’s visibility was a crucial “The basic idea was to bring our regional studios to element in the whole process, echoes Steven Cauwen- where people live and work, increasing the station’s vis- berg, region-manager for Radio 2 Antwerpen. “The past ibility,” said Dirk Somers, head of Radio 2’s partners and 41 years, the Antwerp regional studio was located in the infrastructure department. back part of De Singel arts center. Today, we broadcast “It was also a cost-savings operation. Before, Radio 2 from a glass house, located in the very cradle of the city, was housed in buildings with huge studios and space for within walking distance from the River Scheldt and the The new facilities offer plenty of daylight in the open office space. BUILDING THE IDEAL RADIO STUDIO Radio World International Edition | December 2019 4 functional room-in-room operations. The acoustically insulated Flexboxes, equipped with mains, data connec- tion, LED-lighting and air circulation, were optimized for radio use. Whereas the two production boxes were standard, the on-air studio cube was tailor-made and equipped with air conditioning. “Alongside the three studio-boxes the work floor is split in a production section for audio production, and a news section for digital and radio content, plus two national news journalists operating from Antwerp as regional hub,” said Cauwenberg. HEIGHT-ADJUSTABLE DESKS A DHD 52/XC2 core powers the main on-air studio. There are two DHD 52/MX mixer frames at the presenter position and one mixer for the news host or program Radio 2 Antwerpen’s space for news and digital content. sidekick. town hall,” he said. “Our neighbors in the Beacon (a smart community and hub that houses more than 60 startups focused on AI and IoT innovation) add value to the location. This is where digital creatives, developing smart-city applications like self-driving vehicles, or elements that could become inter- esting for radio are located. There’s quite some potential in future synergies or cross-pollination here.” POP-UP RADIO STATION Bearing in mind a possible future relocation, the broad- cast site’s infrastructure was conceived as a pop-up studio landscape. “The Beacon building was supposed to be replaced by a new real estate project,” added Somers. “We signed a five-year rental agreement but I gather that, considering the success of the site and its total occupancy, the agreement may be extended”. Els Broekmans is a VRT Radio 2 Antwerpen presenter. The broadcaster initiated the project for the new studio in early 2019, with parameters like visibility, open office “Two presenters in one self-op studio is new — before, structure and user-friendliness playing a crucial role. the presenter and news host worked in separate studios,” “Radio 2’s regional programs run on weekdays from explained Geert Cantens, engineer with VRT Labo Radio. 6–8 a.m. and 12–1 p.m., plus three regional news inserts Another novelty for Radio 2 Antwerpen is the integra- in Radio 2’s national programs,” explained Cauwenberg. tion of the Broadcast Bionics PhoneBOX SIP telephone “When we designed the studios, we calculated the max- system. “Until recently, the Antwerp studio used an ISDN- imum double use of the rooms. The main on-air studio based telephone system with analog lines. PhoneBOX is has no specific ‘Radio 2’ branding or imaging, so other fully IP-based allowing recording, editing and the transfer channels can use it. In addition, it’s possible to use the of telephone content from a PC. On the journalists office production studio as an on-air facility and our interview desk, a small DHD module is used for preliminary talks studio also serves as a meeting room.” and switching PhoneBOX footage/material to the main The 350-square-meter (app. 3,800 square feet) open studio, boosting the news flow’s flexibility. PhoneBOX is office landscape with huge windows offers plenty of day- not only the main hub to receive telephone calls, but can light and looks out on a lively square. The on-air studio also receives LUCI calls from reporter smartphones.” and the two production cells are housed in Flexboxes — a The on-air staff also works from height-adjustable 100% plug-and-play concept designed by office furniture desks — Radio 2 Antwerpen was the last studio with manufacturer Ahrend. seated presenter positions. “Apart from the fact that The cabins are designed to offer flexible, modular and Continued on page 6 ❱ BUILDING THE IDEAL RADIO STUDIO Radio World International Edition | December 2019 5 The transportable Flexboxes are the basis for Radio 2’s pop-up principle. ❱ Continued from page 5 The on-air studio is equipped with a Dalet Plus playout we’re really in the middle of the action, quite a differ- system, connected with VRT’s database in Brussels as well ent vibe, presenting while standing up is a bonus, and as Genelec 8240A monitors and Neumann U89 micro- results in better breathing,” said presenter Els Broek- phones. Two silent PCs are located under the presenter mans. “Radio 2’s former tagline, ‘Altijd dicht bij jou’ desk. “The whole concept had to be economical. We [‘Always Close to You’] has become true and this reflects stepped away from the expensive and complex KVM con- in our presentation.” nection to the engine room,” Cantens explained. Although most processing takes place within the DHD engine, an Empirical Labs Distressor was added in the CROSS-TALK STUDIO equipment rack. “It has become a standard component “It was crucial that the on-air and production studios for our on-air studios and engineers have become used had the same functionalities and layout,” continued Cau- to the settings,” commented Cantens. “We also use DHD’s wenberg. internal automatic mic mixer feature for studio guests.” “All studios are self-op — for many people with a jour- nalistic background, this is a next step ahead.