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.

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.