VILVOORDE, Belgium — Qmusic’s current on-air studios were built as recently as 2019, yet two years ago, as visual radio and social media gained importance, DPG Media, the owner, planned a visual makeover. What started as a modest upgrade of the station’s main on-air studio, with new decorations and carpet, evolved into a complete overhaul of the facility, with an additional control room, a podcast studio and dynamic visual imaging. “The investment was essential, because the visual output of a radio studio is gaining more and more importance,” explained Hans Van Kerckhoven, head of broadcast tech for DPG Media’s Flemish radio. “We talked with DJs, producers and the channel management and brought in Erwin Deckers, DPG Media’s former strategic director, to guide the creative process. Along the way, we realized it would be better to start from scratch and expand the scope of the project,” he said.
The building phase of the project kicked off during the summer, when DPG’s radio stations were broadcasting from remote locations. “We had the two-month summer stretch to empty the studio and start building a new on-air landscape,” Van Kerckhoven explained.
Deusjevoo designed the new Qmusic on-air studio, followed by extensive consultation on its look and feel. The presenter’s desk, being the heart of the studio, needed to be perfect. For this reason, a full-scale mockup was built, in which the presenter’s position, display locations, headphone inputs and all other details were tested by the DJs, underlining their involvement in the project from the start. Acoustics were handled by iDeal Acoustics, who installed new insulated panels and internal acoustics for the on-air studio, control section and next-door podcast studio.
The studio lighting follows the show — when we have a competition winner, the big lights ignite
Jan De Poorter, radio software architect at DPG Media
Changing positions
In the past, the Qmusic on-air studio had four fixed positions, whereas the new setup consists of three. “The fourth position was not always necessary,” commented Jan De Poorter, radio software architect at DPG Media. “We opted for three fully outfitted, height-adjustable positions for the DJ, a sidekick presenter and a news host. Throughout the studio, extra patch points allow us to accommodate more guests, live items and small acoustic concerts.”
Another novelty is the extra control desk close to the studio. “In the past, editors and producers were located on the radio floor itself,” continued Van Kerckhoven. “In the new setup, we have a control room with three positions: producer, audiovisual producer and news editor. They are in direct contact with the presenter, separated by a glass wall. The challenge was improving communication between the control room and the studio, and this setup works perfectly.” Each fixed position features a customized, compact DHD TX touchscreen mixer that serves as an intercom and monitoring system.
All audio sources, including personal laptops and the Broadcast Bionics PhoneBox system, are available on the TX panel, ensuring DJs and producers never have to switch headsets, even during phone screenings. This makes the radio production process simpler.
“Another advantage of this approach is that the DHD audio core is part of the flow, allowing producers to verbally participate in the radio programs, just by tapping on the TX,” explained De Poorter. “The producer is no longer behind the scenes but an integral part of the show.”
The studio features USB-C and Bluetooth connectivity because presenters often call their contacts — such as artists and musicians — directly from their personal cellphones. “Direct USB-C integration also offers better audio quality than Bluetooth,” Van Kerckhoven adds. Every fixed position features a dedicated multiviewer display, allowing the monitoring of the program signal, all individual cameras, the newsroom in Antwerp and the OmniPlayer E2 playout.
Dynamic visual imaging
“For some 12 years now, our visual radio system has been using the same in-house open source solution,” De Poorter said. “A new system had to be both flexible and affordable. But what we needed was unavailable on the market.” So, DPG Media’s technical development team began work on a visual radio automation system to serve the group’s three radio brands — Qmusic, Joe and Willy
“We found the solution in Muxo, a content management system we developed, to define the lighting, video and visual effects in the on-air studio,” explained De Poorter. “The system was first used in the new Dutch Qmusic studio last year. We changed the look for this new on-air environment. The presenter has full control over the studio’s visual aspect — they can add pictures of interviewees, adjust the ‘mood’ lighting behind them, and even adapt the entire studio’s background lighting. The studio lighting follows the show — when we have a competition winner, the big lights ignite.”
He added that DPG Media invested a significant budget in better studio lighting, with LEDs, moving heads and large LED strips controlled by an Avolites T3 lighting control console, all designed by Genk-based lighting experts Painting With Light.
“The studio’s base is intentionally quite neutral,” added Van Kerckhoven. “Color and mood come from lighting, the LED wall and other screens, making it easy to adapt the look for different productions.” A new self-built quick-reaction automatic shot directory for the video feed completed the existing visual radio setup.
De Poorter is very happy with the result. “It looks better in real life than in the drawings,” he enthused. “I hear from presenters and producers that the studio is great to work in,” added Van Kerckhoven. “We have a stable system running in a pleasant interior, with everything in the right place, offering our radio teams maximum comfort and ease of use. With the visual upgrade and the new visual radio system, we’re now able to take our output for TV and online to the next level.”
Based in Antwerp, Belgium, the author began hosting a weekly program at a local radio station in 1980. He then joined the Dutch-language national broadcaster VRT as a reporter and music programmer. Since 1985, he has been a freelance writer for national press, industry publications and magazines.
This story originally appeared in the November/December edition of RedTech Magazine.
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