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RCS Academy Expands GSelector Horizons for Ken Payne

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Opportunities for formal education in radio broadcasting are few, and usually confined to the academic world. That’s why RCS introduced the RCS Academy, which offers opportunities for training and certification in Zetta, GSelector and Aquira. One of our beta testers and first graduates of the GSelector certification program is Ken Payne, Assistant Program Director and midday personality for KOOL 105.5 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Payne has been a long time user of GSelector, starting out with the 1996 DOS version of the program. When he was contacted by course developers Drew Bennett and Nate Mumford, and asked if he wanted to participate in the beta, he didn’t hesitate.

All RCS Academy courses are offered online and self-paced. They’re broken down into segments with an exam on each. Once you pass, you earn a micro-degree. When you have completed all the chapters, you can take the final exam. If you pass, you’re certified. As Payne noted, “It’s interesting and exciting, but you’ve got to pay attention. Some modules are intuitive and easy, others are difficult and challenging, and you can get caught napping if you’re not careful.” But no worries, if you fail a module, you can take it over again.

Even with 23 years of experience under his belt, the Academy course showed Payne things about GSelector that he didn’t know. “It’s really a journey into the dark corners of the program, tab by tab. GSelector is so intuitive that you can teach yourself how to use it well enough to do the daily music scheduling. But deeper in the program, there are tricks, shortcuts and powerful tools that can make you a better programmer. Taking this course really opened my eyes to what I didn’t know about the program.” He adds that he now uses GSelector differently, and that his music logs and troubleshooting skills are much improved.

For Payne, GSelector certification is another way for him to connect with his coworkers. “I like to help people out, and as the local expert on the program, I’m better able to do that. I usually start out by asking what they want to accomplish with GSelector, and we go from there.”

Certification has its rewards. You can order a diploma to hang on your wall, a lapel pin, and digital badge that can be used on professional sites such as LinkedIn, or attached to your e-mail. Your name and contact info are also listed in the RCS directory of ‘Super Users’, where potential employers can seek you out.

Gold FM 101.3 Upgrades to Zetta and GSelector

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RCS continues to make inroads in the Middle East, as more stations upgrade from Master Control to Zetta and GSelector. In the Emirate of Ajman, Gold FM 101.3 from the Channel 4 group made the switch in July.

Since its launch in 2010, Gold FM 101.3 has been the UAE’s fastest growing Malalyalan radio station, It, and sister stations Radio 4 89.1, Al Rabia and Channel 4 FM 104.8 are all based in the UAE, and owned by Ajman Independent Studios LLC. Only one station remains to be migrated over from Master Control to Zetta and GSelector.

Elsewhere in the region, FM888 in Kuwait has fully transitioned to GSelector, and plans are well underway for some major upgrades to stations in Egypt.

Gimme Country Cues Up Outlaws, Hippies and Cowpunks with Zetta

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Country has always been a popular radio format, and there seem to be an almost unlimited number of stations and syndicated services playing variations of country, country and western and Americana. It begs the question, does the world need another country music service? Gimme Radio answers emphatically – yes! The two-year old startup has a completely different take on how to do country radio, and they’re using RCS Zetta and Zetta2GO to make it all happen.

Gimme Radio launched in 2017 with an eclectic heavy metal format. Its success led to the launch in May of a second channel, Gimme Country. This streaming service is what might have happened if 1970s free-form radio reinvented itself with 21st century technology. Rather than having a core library based on music research and programming driven by a scheduled rotation for songs, Gimme Country puts the DJ in the spotlight. The format revolves around the interaction between him or her, and the audience. Most of Gimme Country’s announcers are well-known country artists, such as LeeAnn Womack, Brandy Clark, Dillon Carmichael, Jesse Dayton and Joshua Hedley.

Most express enthusiasm for this open-ended programming philosophy. As Womak explains, “Growing up, my dad was a radio DJ, so I was surrounded by all kinds of music – everything from traditional country to blues to rock & roll. Gimme country is the perfect place for me to showcase my range of musical tastes and play my favorite classics and new favorites all in the same show.”

While Gimme Country is headquartered in San Francisco, where they have seven Zetta workstations and all production takes place, their DJs and contributors are scattered around the world.

Zetta2GO is the perfect tool for such global voice tracking requirements, As Jon Maples, Chief Product Officer for Gimme Radio explains. “Some of our DJs are used to the studio environment, and others are musicians who have never been in a radio station. We needed something sophisticated enough to satisfy the studio people, but also simple enough for novices to use. Zetta2GO keeps everyone happy.”

Because Gimme Country’s style puts the DJ in the spotlight, it totally changes the way they create and use a music library. Zetta is flexible enough to handle a novel approach. “We start with a different ethos,” says Maples. “The first step to building playlists is asking the DJs what they are playing and want to play. There are a lot of Americana artists, women and fringe groups. Creating a music library is really driven by the interaction between the DJs and their listeners”.

Much of Gimme Country’s success is based on a clever leveraging of new technology, as Maples elaborates. ”Operating a terrestrial radio station, with large studios, towers and and FCC license is expensive. That means they need to attract a large audience to generate enough capital to meet expenses and generate a profit. This, in turn, makes them averse to taking risks with unusual formats. As a streaming media service, we have a much lower overhead. We don’t need to attract a huge audience in order to be profitable. We can define micro genres, serve them well, and make money.”

And that is a big part of Gimme Radio’s plans for the future -seeking out neglected genres and developing channels to serve them. “Look for us to also be doing live broadcasts and having a presence at concerts and events in the future,” adds Maples.

KBLB Goes ‘Live on the Lake’ with Zetta2GO

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“Live On The Lake” – a July 4th remote broadcast.

Summertime provides boundless opportunities for radio stations to do live remote broadcasts. What made a recent remote from Nisswa Minnesota’s KBLB -B93.3 a bit different is that they used Zetta2GO to broadcast from a boat in the middle of a lake. As B93.3 morning personality Bill Satre explains, it was a logical choice. “We were doing the music for a 4th of July fireworks display over a lake. Since most of our listeners would be in boats, we figured we should be in a boat too. So we loaded up a pontoon craft with our remote gear, banners, flyers, lots of tee-shirts and other free stuff to give away and headed out.”

Satre’s remote setup included a classic RE-20 mic on a boom, a laptop with Zetta2GO, his Audio 2000 mixer and a Nady wireless mic AC power was supplied by an inverter connected to the boat’s 12-volt battery supply.

Before doing the remote, Satre did a trial run with the remote gear from his own boat offshore from his cabin. The wireless connections worked, and he was ready for the Fourth.

Since Satre was incorporating interviews into the remote, he opted to do voice tracking, rather than broadcasting live, in order to have better control over the situation. He edited the interviews on his laptop using Audacity, and imported the completed audio file into the log on Zetta2GO.

It all came off without a hitch, although he cautions there are a few issues to be aware of when voice tracking a remote. “Be sure to allow sufficient time for files to upload. I tried to stay at least 5 minutes ahead. Files that were a bit too long did have issues with dropouts. When planning these remotes, it’s essential to check that you have solid wi-fi, cellular and internet signals at the location.”

Satre notes that Zetta2GO is a complete game changer for remote broadcasts. “Doing a remote the old way, there would be more bulky gear to lug around, and I’d be coordinating with a board op back at the studio, which doesn’t always go smoothly. Zetta2GO gives me control of everything on site. I am my own board op.”

Zetta2GO is the ultimate remote broadcasting tool. This mobile playout management system enables you to go live from anywhere you have a mobile connection, see the logs, adjust segues and record voice tracks that can be dropped directly into the log. It’s also cross-platform compatible with any smartphone or tablet.

The success of the July 4th broadcast leaves Satre contemplating future remotes. Central Minnesota is a resort area with countless lakes, so there are lots of aquatic possibilities. “There’s the Governor’s Fishing Opener in the spring, and the ice fishing extravaganza during the winter, where we have 20,000 people fishing in a tournament.” He adds that he is also looking forward to doing his first live remote with Zetta2GO.

Radio ZW FM

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Radio Znad Wilii, better known as Radio ZW FM is the Polish-language station in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Wilia is the Polish name for the Neris river which flows through the city of Vilnius.

This state is one of Poland’s neighbors, and the Polish population in Vilnius numbers about 16%. In suburbia that number rises to 52%. Radio ZW delivers two signals, an FM channel at 103.8, which serves Vilnius and its suburbs, and an internet stream. This stream is an educational project for Polish-speaking students in Vilnius.

Although Lithuania is normally covered by the RCS Scandinavia office, Radio ZW works with the Warsaw office since, it is more familiar with installing software and training customers in the Polish language.

Radio ZW FM started working with RCS in the summer of 2016, when it purchased GSelector to do the music scheduling. The station’s discontent with their current automation system led them to request a demonstration of Zetta. Following a skillful presentation by RCS field engineer Bartek Kubacki, the decision was made to make a purchase, and Kubacki also did the training and installation.

Over three days, he installed Zetta on five of the station’s machines. The station also uses Zetta2GO for newsroom operations. This suite of applications enables you to control your Zetta Automation/Playout system from a smartphone or tablet. Best of all, you can manipulate what’s on the air from any place with an Internet connection.

In addition to the software install, the project involved interfacing the station’s Lyra mixing console and Advantech I/O card to communicate with Zetta. Upcoming work at the station includes adding the time announcement feature.

Response from the station was enthusiastic. One staffer commented, “The project was a lot of work, but it was worth it. We’re very happy to have Zetta, this software is fantastic!”

Warsaw RPL Adopts GSelector & Zetta

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Take a drive about 100 Km out of Warsaw, follow the Vistula river, and you’ll eventually arrive in Plock, which is the home of Radio RPL FM 88.1. The station plays hits of the 80s, 90s and today, as well as author’s, journalistic and thematic programs. Radio RPL also features news and information from Płock as well as the region of Mazovia. The station is run by the Academy of Journalism and Sound Production. Radio RPL also has studios in Warsaw which interconnect to Plock via a VPN and audio link. The broadcast day is typically divided between Warsaw, for the morning show, and Płock for afternoon and evening programming, as well as newscasts. Radio RPL recently made the decision to adopt RCS GSelector and Zetta, and that’s where our story begins.

The first step in the installation of the new automation and music scheduling software actually took place in the RCS Poland office, where installation engineer Wojciech Wiśniewski configured the station’s DELL Precision workstation as a GSelector and Zetta database server. Then, Wiśniewski completed the database conversion, where he imported songs and links which were previously managed in another system.

The next step was onsite installation and training days. Time was spent with station management, learning about GSelector and Zetta features, which were located on the two on-air machines, as well as three production rooms. The server in the main studio was designated the main Zetta on-air machine, while the one in the other studio was set up as the backup server.

Next up was a focused lab on GSelector and Zetta training for the music programmers and production staff. They learned how to prepare library structure categories, clocks and basic rules. Their first real-life project was creating a schedule for the first 3-4 days on the new system. Wiśniewski also spent an afternoon training DJs and the morning show team on Zetta.

The changeover to GSelector and Zetta flipped at 1 AM on a Friday with the morning team in at 6 AM to go live. There was some apprehension, but the team soon agreed that the new RCS software was simple and intuitive. The entire installation and rollout went off without a hitch.

Get Certified, Get Noticed with the new RCS Academy

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How did you get started in radio? Chances are that you hung around a station, then watched and learned from other people. But Drew Bennett, National Sales Manager of Scheduling Products at RCS says there are two things wrong with that approach. “First, it’s possible that the people you learned from didn’t know what they were doing. Second, if they did know, they might not tell you because they wanted to have the edge.”

Meaningful, formalized education in the broadcast industry has always been hard to come by. That’s why RCS has launched RCS Academy, a way for you to learn about GSelector, Zetta and Aquira, and get certified for what you know.

As Bennett explains, you don’t even need to leave home: “The courses are online and self-paced. They’re broken down into segments with an exam on each. Once you pass, you earn a micro-degree. For example, when you master the library section of GSelector, you get a library badge and micro-degree. When you have completed all the chapters, you can take the final exam. If you pass, you’re certified.” The cost for online courses ranges from $300-$600.

Bennett adds that there are numerous benefits to certification. You can order a diploma to hang on your wall, a lapel pin, and digital badge that can be used on professional sites such as LinkedIn. Your name and contact info are also listed in the RCS directory of ‘Super Users’, where potential employers can seek you out.

RCS Academy is rolling out in 2019. By the end of the first quarter, the GSelector course will be available online. That will be followed by comparable online courses on Zetta and Aquira. The next step will be moving the program to college campuses, as Bennett explains: “These courses will also be available for college credit. Our first campus will be Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, and we will continue to expand to other schools.” He adds that each college will determine the tuition fees for the courses.

A Deep-Dive into Disaster Recovery with Zetta

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Join RCS on November 28th at 11 EST on Facebook Live to learn how The World’s Largest Broadcast Software Company is leading the way with Cloud Based Disaster Recovery.

Our very own Zetta guru Nathan Mumford will be on Facebook Live showing you how Zetta can help you recover quicily and easily from any disaster and we’ll be taking your Zetta questions. Make sure you like our page here to get the latest updates on future live events from RCS.  Have a question about Zetta you’d like us to cover? Email live@rcsworks.com

RCS helps TEABBA to Broadcast From Paradise

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When we say that RCS software is used by stations on the furthest reaches of the planet, it’s no exaggeration. For this report, we will travel to Warruwi, Goulburn Island. It’s a tiny spec with about 300 inhabitants located 5 Km off the coast of the Northern Territory, Australia. Maung is the main language, and 90% of the population are Cook Islanders or Aboriginal. But despite the remoteness and size of Goulburn Island, it does have its own radio station.

TEABBAThe station is part of TEABBA, (Top End Aboriginal Bush Broadcasting Association) a group of 29 RIBS (Remote Indigenous Broadcast Stations) spread across the Northern Territory. They have begun to broadcast as a large community network. TEABBA airs regular programs from both its Darwin hub studio and the community stations by using dial-up program lines. However, the old analog dial-up modems have given way to the latest digital devices that can deliver broadcast quality programs over a regular phone line. Part of the massive infrastructure upgrade involves bringing the Internet to locations which have no access, or very limited access. At the same time, mono transmitters are being upgraded to stereo.

The Darwin hub utilizes Zetta and GSelector for automation and music scheduling. Aquira is slated to be online by the end of the year to add commercial integration. When the project is complete, logs will be created in Darwin with GSelector, and will be replicated out to the station in each market, which already has Zetta installed. Once Aquira comes online, commercials and community service announcements will be scheduled which target each market’s local issues. Two of the indigenous communities, Warruwi and Beswick, have already gone live, with the remainder to follow soon.

Zetta makes it easy for these RIB sites to broadcast over the entire TEABBA network. Stations currently build a “MiniLog” for the time that they are broadcasting to the network. Each of the 29 stations usually broadcasts 2-3 hours a week to the entire Northern Territory.

TEABBA is not the first indigenous broadcaster in Australia to use Zetta, GSelector and Aquira. They decided to go with RCS based on the excellent user feedback from their indigenous partner stations, Caama Radio (8KIN – Northern Territory), Kool N Deadly (3KND – Melbourne) and BlackStar (QRAM – Queensland). Together, these stations broadcast to over half of Australia.

China National Radio On Air With RCS

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China National Radio (CNR), China’s largest radio station group, with radio coverage encompassing the entire nation of 1.3 billion people. CNR’s Music Radio Channel is now powered by the latest RCS scheduling and playback systems, GSelector and Zetta.

The CNR group includes over 16 radio channels, with formats that include News, Traffic, Financial News and Music. In fact, the CNR Music Radio Channel, was the first radio station in China to use an RCS system back in November 2002, almost 16 years ago. The Music Radio Channel alone broadcasts a claimed listenership of over 700 Million people in China.

RCS has expanded its relationship with CNR, adding their Metro Radio Channel, a radio service only broadcast in the Beijing market.

Being the most prestigious radio station group in China and located in the capital city of Beijing, CNR is highly conservative and cautious with any new technology. After years of relationship-building and showcasing our latest software – particular its features and stability – RCS won CNR’s approval in installing an entire system upgrade at the end of 2017.

After months of logistics, data conversion, lengthy and multiple training sessions to make sure everyone was comfortable with our new system, our tireless and energetic Beijing team got CNR Music Radio Channel on air running our latest GSelector and Zetta software at midnight of April 10, 2018. As with any system upgrade there is a bit of apprehension at the beginning of a conversion, but our experienced team made sure the move was as smooth as possible. Channel Director, Mr. Mao, commented after the upgrade how easy the new system was compare to the old!

RCS is honored to have such a strong relationship with CNR throughout China and looks forward to another 16 years of working with the group as radio continues to evolve.