South African community radio station Radio Rosestad 100.6 FM in Bloemfontein is the latest community radio station in the country to install a Calrec Type R for radio console. The station now has a six-fader Type R with one large soft panel plus a small soft panel for exclusive use by guests.
Radio Rosestad was established in 1994 by the local Afrikaans community. It broadcasts entirely in Afrikaans for the residents of Bloemfontein and surrounding areas and has a catchment area of 100km. It provides local charities with airtime to promote their programs and trains community members in radio production to get them involved in the station.
Bernie Naude, General Manager at Radio Rosestad, said, “South Africa is a very diverse country, with 11 languages spoken, and many communities in one area. The community radio concept recognizes that they all have specific needs to address. When we identified that we needed to switch to an IP infrastructure, our systems integrator introduced us to the Calrec Type R for radio. We were impressed by the technology, and the Type R is such an easy-to-use system.
“We were up and running with multiple operators quickly and easily due to the flexibility of the consoles – operators have their own settings, and they have access to exactly what they need. It means that even though the technology is so advanced, it remains easy to use.”
Stefan Van Biljon, the owner of systems integrator Creative Kilowatt Productions, commented, “Budgets in the regions are often lower than they are in the large cities, and radio stations don’t buy for what they need now, they buy for the future. Radio Rosestad was looking for scalability – the station has bold expansion plans and wanted the same operation and ease of use. Because the Type R core supports multiple mix environments, they don’t have to invest as much in hardware for future expansion.”
Graham Murray, Calrec’s international sales manager, said, “Working with community radio stations with limited budgets and minimal staff is rewarding because it shows the Type R’s versatility and range. Staff at Radio Rosestad can log in from home and monitor the system, which makes this setup hugely beneficial for a radio station that runs 24 hours a day.”