Commentary: Worldcast future-proofs FM transmission sites

The last few decades have seen many alternatives to FM radio deployed. With the challenges of keeping their audience loyal and competing with other media channels — such as DAB broadcasting or streaming — broadcasters need complete monitoring and control over their operation. At any time, they must detect any issue in their program transmission and remotely adjust the transmitted signal.

Broadcasters on FM have no room for error in air-time, audio quality or operational spending, so it’s crucial they modernize their transmission networks with the right tools to continuously offer the best service to their audience. As a result, they will maintain listener loyalty, and consequently attract advertisers to generate revenue while optimizing operating expenses. Monitoring and control are therefore more critical than ever for radio stations to achieve the following objectives:

• Maintaining On-air Availability Rate
On-air availability rate has a direct impact on a station’s financial health. Advertising is the primary revenue source for most stations, so any loss in signal risks a loss in revenue. By continually monitoring a transmitter site, a broadcaster is alerted as soon as a failure is detected so that they can take specific, immediate actions. At the same time, monitoring the infrastructure also enables detection of the slightest changes in the transmitter, allowing timely preventive maintenance.

• Improving QoE
Ensuring that the signal the listener receives is not disrupted is key to maintaining optimal Quality of Experience. By optimizing programming QoE, stations not only retain their audience, but also improve their visibility and potential advertising revenue.

• Increasing Transmitter Lifetime
By monitoring the operation of their transmitter network, broadcasters can react before critical breakdowns occur and thus increase the lifespan of various devices. They can then maximize their ROI by planning preventive maintenance, thereby reducing premature wear and tear on their equipment.

• Better Managing Technical Resources
When it comes to cutting costs, broadcasters look to reduce on-site technical staff. With the proper monitoring tool, manual checking by on-site technical staff is unnecessary because alerts are automatically sent to a station as soon as an issue is detected. Consequently, management can reallocate technical resources to perform preventive maintenance on the broadcast chain, which optimizes on-air programming.

How WorldCast Solutions Offer Multiple Layers of Monitoring and Control

WorldCast Systems has more than 30 years of extensive expertise in the field of monitoring and control. Today it offers a complete range of products to simplify the daily operations of broadcasters. On the transmitter side, Ecreso has included many built-in features to facilitate maintenance, such as a full SNMP monitoring and the intuitive Advanced Measurement Interface. Embedded into Audemat and APT product ranges, ScriptEasy can locally communicate with devices through GPIO, serial connect, and remotely connect by acting as an SNMP Manager.

Broadcasters on FM have no room for error in air-time, audio quality or operational spending, so it’s crucial they modernize their transmission networks with the right tools to continuously offer the best service to their audience.

The soon-to-be-available Audemat FM Probe — part of the Audemat signal monitoring range — sequentially monitors a list of defined stations and continuously ensures the FM network conforms with both legislation and the broadcaster’s expectations. For each station monitored, critical thresholds are defined and alarms triggered when a problem is detected. The operator can then remotely check the signal received, determine the impact on the listener and react to fix the issues. WorldCast also offers Kybio, an open and extensible monitoring and control platform to oversee media and broadcast networks. It empowers businesses with real-time monitoring and data-driven insights to ensure operational continuity across the end-to-end broadcast value chain from audio/video acquisition, production and distribution in an increasingly digital and IP-environment.

Learn more about Kybio here.