Multiple Stations Under One Roof - Tying It all together

By Roy Pressman

The advent of Duopoly is changing the way we operate our radio facilities. Sharing of resources is extremely attractive, but only careful planning will enable you to realize the full benefits of housing multiple stations under one roof. Careful planning before you consolidate will prevent technical problems from snowballing. But we're not talking rocket science, it's just plain ole' common sense!

Are you willing to accept all of your stations going off-the-air because of one common system failure?

When adding additional stations to your facility, how many additional studios will you need to operate the facility efficiently? Have you thought about redundancy and backup systems? Duopoly does not eliminate the need for these systems. Are you willing to accept all of your stations going off-the-air because of one common system failure? It's time to sit down with your engineer and map out a strategy to maximize the usage of your facility without compromising the reliability. The technical malfunction of one station or studio should not affect other stations in your facility. Resources that are shared by all stations need reliable backup systems.

Now might be a good time to look into a digital storage system for your facility

Most broadcasters sell their stations in combo. In theory this should greatly reduce the workload of the production department because a spot can be simultaneously dubbed for each station's commercial library, provided there are multiple cart recorders in the production studio. Many stations use different type carts/cart machines, and some stations even utilize DBX or Dolby noise reduction. This can greatly complicate what should be a simple task. Try to standardize on one dubbing methodology. Use one type of cart and decide whether or not you are going to use noise reduction. Remember that mono and stereo cart machines use different head configurations and they are really not compatible. Now might be a good time to look into a digital storage system for your facility. Most digital storage system allow commercials to be dubbed once and then shared by all stations. This can also reduce the workload of your production staff. But remember, the digital storage system you select must have an extremely reliable redundant backup system. How long can you go without playing spots on all of your stations?

If you must use a single STL for multiple stations, invest in a redundant system

Many new digital STLs have the capability of sending 4 very high quality signals to the transmitter site. This flexibility seems like a great way to consolidate the delivery of audio, but the first time the STL fails, you are going to loose your 4 very high quality audio signals! If you must use a single STL for multiple stations, invest in a redundant system that will automatically switch when there is a failure. I prefer using an independent/redundant STL system for each station.

No UPS system is 100 % reliable, so don't rely on a single UPS system to power your entire studio complex

UPS systems are becoming more and more commonplace in radio facilities. They smooth out the incoming electricity from the Power Company, keep our computers from crashing and protect the studio equipment from potentially damaging spikes and power surges. But no UPS system is 100 % reliable, so don't rely on a single UPS system to power your entire studio complex. If your UPS fails, your entire facility could be down for an extended period of time. Always install several UPS units. Distribute your power load among two or three units. Have your electrical contractor install bypass switches for all UPS systems.

Flexibility is the key word to an efficient multiple-station broadcast facility.

Audio switchers or routers have been around for years, but they were usually only used by big network broadcast facilities. An audio switcher lets you route audio signals anywhere in your facility with a minimum amount of wiring. The audio source desired is selected in each studio via a keypad or pre-selector panel and then is automatically routed to that studio. After the switcher/router is wired into your facility, virtually all future additional studio interconnects will be eliminated. No more wiring in your facility! When you need to add a new sources (i.e. a remote line), you simply connect the line to the switcher, eliminating the need to run new wires to your multiple studios! Flexibility is the key word to an efficient multiple-station broadcast facility. Let's take the router/switcher scenario one step further. Imagine the ability to put any studio in your facility on the air for any of your stations by simply pressing a button. Any studio can feed any other studio. Any studio can easily be routed to two stations' STL links for simulcasts! ITC and SAS have some really great routing systems. Prices vary according to the number of inputs and outputs you desire to control and the amount of "control" boxes you need for your facility. Installing a redundant audio switching system in your facility will be cost prohibitive and not practical. A practical solution is to install a patch bay system along with your switcher will allow you to manually route audio signals in case of a switcher/router failure.

Meet with your engineer(s), production director(s) and plan out a practical strategy for combining your facilities Successfully consolidation of multiple stations under one roof will be very difficult without proper planning. Meet with your engineer(s), production director(s) and plan out a practical strategy for combining your facilities. Digital storage, audio routing systems, and digital STL systems are some of the building blocks you can use to make your facility more efficient and flexible. Don't sacrifice reliability to save a few dollars!

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