Content Director Ryan Khay of Southern Cross Austereo’s Maroochydore studio in Queensland is always using new broadcast technology.
“We wanted to do something really cool and out of the box, so we brainstormed and decided to get our 91.9 SEA FM breakfast broadcast team of Brad and Sophie to broadcast the entire show from the back of a tandem bike to celebrate the National Ride to Work Day,” Khay said.
He explained that the broadcasters used their Samsung Galaxy S2 smartphone and iPhone 4 tethered to an iPhone 5 in Wi-Fi hot spot mode connected to a 4G LTE data network. They used Tieline’s Report-IT to stream audio from an external mic and earphone interface to the in-studio Commander G3 codecs.
Khay said that the phones dialed separately, allowing them “to send independent bidirectional feeds, including unique mix minus feeds to each of the announcers.”
“We have been using Tieline’s Report-IT Enterprise application for some time for live reports and broadcasts, and we can’t believe how clear our broadcasts sound. It’s much better for our listeners because they can hear the announcer’s audio clearly, in addition to accurate environmental sound effects, which adds to the entire listening experience. The contrast with normal cell-phone audio is huge,” Ryan said.
“We have been using Tieline codecs over wireless data networks for some time to remain at the cutting edge and really push the envelope when broadcasting live radio,” Khay said. “In terms of technology these are pretty exciting times; earlier this year we performed the first 4G LTE wireless broadcast in Australia using Tieline’s USB 4G module in a Commander G3 codec at triathlon event.”
Khay was also recognized with the award for the Best Regional Program Director at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards. “When we hear from colleagues and listeners and they mention how remarkable a broadcast was, it makes it all worthwhile. It’s a great acknowledgement and a big high five to the entire broadcast team. Tieline has been an important element in us achieving this ongoing success, he said.”
