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Follow UsAshwini R and Idhries Ahmad
Small is beautiful … or, is it really so? Well, the newest radio station is all about ‘big’ - except for the fact that its set-up in Bangalore is miniature in size, literally. The reason: adoption of IP (Internet Protocol) technology.
Big rules the day!
Everything about BIG 92.7 FM seems to boast of being ‘big’ – from the number of stations, to having Abhishek Bachchan as its brand ambassador, to targeting 200 million listeners (which means every fifth Indian across the country, every third urban Indian and every eighth Indian in rural areas)!
BIG 92.7 FM, the flagship channel of Reliance-Adlabs, is the first of its kind to implement IT in its very structure. In fact, except forRajasthan Patrika in Jaipur, no other establishment has opted for IP technology in India.
“By the end of the current financial year, we plan to reach our target of setting up 45 stations,” informs Lakshmi Sharath, vice president, South Operations.
Isn’t that a really short period of time, you might ask. Well, this is where IP technology comes into picture. With this technology in place, it is easy to establish a complete studio in a matter of days and easier to use, too!
‘Life banao’!
All BIG 92.7 FM studios are based on IP technology and the broadcasting is completely digitised from the point of delivery till the transmitter. From broadcasting consoles, to routing signals to different studios spread across the length and breadth of the country, the way audio is handled is radically different when compared to the conventional TDM (Time-Division Multiplexing) technology used in the broadcasting world.
The FM channel is a 24-bit, 48 khz audio that can travel across the studio facility through a standard Ethernet switch. The advanced IP technology incorporated helps it to use Real Time Protocol (RTP) called ‘Livewire’, sourced from a company called Axia Audio/Telos Systems.
What does this mean? Besides complete automation, networking and digitisation, using IP technology helps simplify the entire process of broadcasting. In fact, an RJ with little or no technical background can put up content on the channel with ease. All that he needs to do is to simply switch on the mike and talk! The rest is handled automatically by the system in place.
The advantages of having the IP technology in a radio station are many. Complete digitisation and automation keep manual intervention away. In addition, remote operability, easy installation and easy usage bring in more value to the technology.
Also, this technology allows one to go live anytime from anywhere in the world. For instance, if an event is happening at Chennai, the broadcast content will be processed at the Chennai studio and simply ‘dragged into’ Bangalore studio to be relayed here.
A comparison between conventional studio technology and BIG 92.7 FM’s Livewire technology is given in the figure.
The main broadcasting studio is called the ‘On Air’ studio. If for some reason, it fails, then software in the station automatically switches on the ‘Backup’ studio which then acts as the ‘On Air’ studio. If even this fails, there is a second backup studio. The third and the final backup is provided at the transmitter site.
‘Big’ plans
Says Lakshmi Sharath: “We are already number one in terms of size and in Bangalore and Hyderabad markets. Our immediate focus, as I mentioned earlier, is to reach the target number of radio stations (45). Besides, it is important for us to sustain the growth that we’ve achieved, so we will be focussing on that front, too.”
In this age of information and technology, ideas matter and so does the choice of technologies. And BIG 92.7 FM seems to have the best of both.