Precise preparation leads to a perfect premiere

The Zetta rollout continues across Australia, and by this point, one has to wonder if there are any stations left who are not using RCS automation software. RCS installer Chris Galea recently travelled to the Mildura/Sunraysia region for a visit to River 1467 to begin yet another install.

River 1467 (3ML) is a commercial radio station that began as 3MA Mildura on 25 May 1933, from the T&G Building in 8th Street Mildura. The original frequency was 1390AM but this was altered by Government regulation over the years to the current frequency 1467AM. Although another call sign was originally allocated to the AM commercial radio frequency, River 1467’s official call sign is 3ML. The station is currently located at 130 Ninth Street Mildura near the Langtree Mall. River 1467 is the most-listened-to service for the 40+ demographic.

The Mildura/Sunraysia region is located in northwestern Victoria and southwestern New South Wales in Australia. This area is well known for its sunshine, intensive horticulture including grapes and oranges, as well as grain farms. Its main center is Mildura, Victoria.

Galea had come to River 1467 to complete the second Zetta install as part of a 50 station national deployment for Grant Broadcasters. All RCS software installations involve a great deal of teamwork between the installers and station personnel. Galea was not disappointed with the crew at River 1467. “The River 1467 team consisting of Glen Badans, Gerry Pyne and Stephen Seagale had redesigned the go live structure to make the best use of time. We setup shop in a shoebox style boardroom to review the configure which all had been done by the team prior, I was extremely impressed, I was asking them “what do they need me to do,” because everything was done.”

Galea focused his setup on migrating spot data/audio, identifying mistakes in and out of sat programs for the team to fix, and double checking configuration. He also set up site replication logs between Mildura and Bendigo, as they provide content for each other.

Day two was training day. There were two three-hour sessions separated by a lunch break. In attendance were six local announcers plus an additional visitor from Berri who was a key member in Grant Broadcasters Aquira Roll Out and ongoing support.
Galea adds, “All users were thrilled about the functionality of Zetta, and eager to get their hands on it. There were users staying back after hours to be the first person to get into the studio and play around with it.”

The Grant Broadcasters team powered through other tasks while Galea was training and by the evening, logs were loaded, studio 2 was installed and they were focusing on the finer details. The entire site was ready to be put on air in two days. Galea concluded, “I couldn’t believe the work that Grant had done without any assistance at all!”

On to day three, which began with more hands on training, where Galea sat beside users in a studio with Zetta playing out “on air” and going through scenarios such as stopping down for a talk break, voicetracking, replacing audio, segueing, hotkeys/stacks/zplayer and editing. When they would make a mistake, Galea would simply say stop, and get them to work out what they did wrong. They would go through how to fix the problem to help ensure that the training was taking hold with staff. Galaea adds, “It was quite fun, I felt like a driving instructor for a car license, and the users gained a lot of experience from it.”

There probably isn’t any type of broadcasting resource you can’t find at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. But the sheer scale of the week-long event can be overwhelming, particularly if you’re a radio person. If you’re looking for a conference geared more to your interests, the annual Radio Show may be more to your liking.  This year,the joint NAB-RAB event will be held from September 24-26 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas Texas.   And yes, RCS will be there.

Be sure to visit us at booth 120 in the Chantilly Ballroom. While you’re there, check out the demonstrations of Revma, our new streaming service. 2019 is also the 40^th anniversary of RCS, and the roving birthday party that began at NAB in April continues at the Radio Show. Join us and share recollections about our history.

There will be lots to see at the show. The 24^th  launches a new feature for the Radio Show – ‘Tech Tuesday’, a day of sessions and a luncheon just for the technically inclined amongst us.  Join VP Sales Neal Perchuk for his session:  RCS: Why Zetta Cloud Disaster Recovery is the Pro Playout Safety Net for Radio: From natural disasters to viruses taking down IT infrastructure, whatever the emergency, Zetta Cloud is a high-tech, cutting-edge safety net that gets broadcasters back on-air, easily, efficiently and quickly. Learn how your station can quickly recover from an unforeseen situation from the worldwide leader in broadcast software, RCS.

The exhibit floor opens on Wednesday, and there are sessions asking what business you’re really in, a discussion of the podcast revolution and how to reach Generation Z, those born and raised in a digital world.

It’s billed as “The world’s most influential media, entertainment and technology show.” IBC 2019 is coming to Amsterdam September 13-17. Six leading international bodies are the partners behind IBC, which represents both exhibitors and visitors. The 2018 show attracted more than 55,000 attendees from 150 countries around the world, as well as over 1,700 exhibitors and more than 400 speakers. Needless to say, RCS will be one of those exhibitors.

IBC will be held at the RAI, one of Europe’s largest exhibition and convention venues. It’s just ten minutes by train from Schiphol international airport, which has direct flights to over 200 cities in 97 countries.

Be sure to visit us, we’ll be in Hall 8.C32. While you’re there, meet Revma, our new professional grade streaming solution.

2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of RCS. Our roving birthday party that kicked off at the NAB Show in April continues at IBC. Be sure to grab some refreshments and join the conversation about the history and future of RCS. You’ll earn bonus points if you’ve been to any of our previous parties.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the business and social implications of emerging technologies, IBC offers the executive forums, an exclusive, invitation-only club bringing together a network of media and entertainment’s most eminent leaders to engage in open debate, discussion and problem solving. With no press permitted, delegates can speak freely, addressing critical issues and highlighting their concerns in a more open environment. Three programs will be presented in the Executive Forum – the Leaders’ Forum, Cyber Security Forum and Telco & Media Innovation Forum. All are scheduled for September 12.

There will be lots of other things to see and do at IBC. Awards that are presented at the show celebrate everything from exceptional booth design on the IBC Exhibition floor to innovative thinking and research in our technical papers to creative collaborations between technical partners and end users to outstanding achievement in the industry. It all takes place on awards night.

RCS products are used not only by commercial broadcasters, but by stations at educational institutions as well. In New Zealand, that includes public schools, polytechnic institutions, universities of technology and the University of Auckland. Some stations are funded by the schools, while others are commercial operations. Many are LPFM (Low Power FM) operations. Vocational schools often use stations for training, while others are an extracurricular activity.

RCS New Zealand lends a helping hand to educational stations whenever possible. Simon Tims, Support Manager for RCS (NZ) Ltd notes, “We give them the best service and support, and also share with them our love for the industry.” He adds that members of the RCS NZ team also attend career nights at schools to talk about radio and employment opportunities in broadcasting.

“This is also a valuable experience for us,” says Tims. “Students arrive on the scene with different ideas about radio and how it should work. We see a generation that integrates radio with social media. They have in effect been broadcasting via Facebook and Instagram with no investment of cash.”

In one instance, Tims recalls, “We were asked by a school that was starting an LPFM for suggestions, they had never done anything like this before. We helped them to get organized, file the necessary paperwork and generally shared our enthusiasm and passion for the business. After they launched their LPFM, they were using our products and employing the core information we gave them. By using our latest software, they have the best opportunities for learning, as well as launching a career in radio.”

Another assist was given by RCS to a Maori radio station that needed to add a new site. The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, and they consist of many separate “Iwi” – or tribes. The majority of them are a part of the 20-plus station “Iwi Radio Network.” They are partially funded by the government, and part self-funded through advertising. Government funding depends to a large degree on a station’s use and promotion use of spoken-word Maori, which is an endangered language. About half of these stations use RCS software.

As Tims explains, “The station had developed a partnership with a local school to provide content, and asked us to help get them set up. We agreed to duplicate some of their material and provide it to the school on a hard drive. The station used the computer at the school as remote access, and it made the school part of the process of gathering and sharing content.”

At RCS, not only do we operate sales offices around the globe, we’re also a part of the broadcasting communities that we serve. Sometimes that means sponsoring events or awards at professional trade organizations. RCS Australia is proud to be a Silver Partner with ACRA (Australian Commercial Radio Awards), and for over ten years, sponsor of the Best Music Presenter awards.

The ACRAs are the pinnacle event in the Awards weekend, which also includes the National Radio Conference. The Awards weekend is the only weekend of events in Australia dedicated to the commercial radio industry and is the largest gathering for commercial radio professionals in the southern hemisphere.

RCS always has a small booth at the CRA conference. It is located in the break out area and gives our staff a good chance to speak with clients in between the conference speakers.

The national Awards include 39 categories and cover all areas of radio broadcasting. Winners are awarded in each category across three divisions: metropolitan, provincial and country commercial radio stations.

Last year, the Best Music Presenter awards went to: Bryce Ruthven, Edge FM, Deniliquin NSW, ACE Radio Broadcasters – Country; in the Provincial division, Josh Olek,, K rock, Geelong VIC, Grant Broadcaster; Melissa Doyle, smoothfm, Sydney NSW, NOVA Entertainment in the Metropolitan division.

The ACRAs are held annually, and were previously known as the RAWARDS, first held by FARB in 1989. The ACRAs are held as part of the Awards weekend in either Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or the Gold Coast.

The 2019 ACRAS will take place Saturday October 19th at the Royal International Convention Center in Brisbane.