This is one in a series of facility features excerpted from the free Radio World ebook “Spectacular Radio Studios.”
The new studios of Hubbard Radio Cincinnati are showstoppers. Opened in August of last year they are home to FM music stations WUBE, WKRQ, WREW and WYGY as well as marketing firm 2060 Digital.
Thomas Getter, who joined the cluster as director of engineering toward the end of the project, said the work involved moving from four floors in an aging, shared facility to two floors of a brand-new, dedicated building with 12 studios, four tracking rooms and a lobby with sufficient space for a small live performance.
Former Director of Engineering Brett Patram was the lead on this project, working alongside Hubbard Corporate Vice President of Engineering Dave Garner and Corporate Director of Facilities & Security Thomas Rehkamp, while Kevin Surgeon provided contract engineering services.
[Click to toggle through pictures of Hubbard Radio Cincinnati’s new facilities]
RadioDNA was the integrator. The project developer was Cushman & Wakefield, with architecture by Phoenix Architecture and general contracting by DB Solutions.
Perfection Group handled HVAC. The STL and RF coordination were by Waterford Consultants. Protocol Communications provided wiring and low-voltage work.
Major technology choices include Telos Axia Element and Fusion consoles and AoIP infrastructure; custom cabinetry by Studio Technology; RCS Zetta automation, supported by Dell EMC physical hardware; and EV RE20-Black mics at every position, mounted on Yellowtec M!ka arms.
[Check Out More of Radio World’s Facility Showcases]
The physical layout of the rooms and cabinetry was important, given that each air studio has 10 24-inch display monitors, six microphones, three Wheatstone VoxPro machines, four Telos VX handsets, and full mic on/off control at each guest position.
Among the many cool things about this facility, according to RadioDNA owner Rob Goldberg, is that the programming staff is making heavy use of its new MultiCam Systems video equipment. The PTZ cameras are networked, with three control points, so they can be brought up in any studio; and the team has programmed the system with scenes, sequences and logos. The video also is integrated with the AoIP network, so its audio comes up as sources there.
