Sky News Radio upgrades NETIA Radio-Assist digital automation software suite
NETIA has announced that Sky News Radio, the radio arm of the Sky News division of Sky, is upgrading its NETIA Radio-Assist digital automation software suite to version 8.2 and, in the process, extending and integrating the system with solutions from Logitek Electronic Systems to support audio over IP. The upgrade will give Sky News Radio the benefit of the latest Radio-Assist features and of IP audio transport while enabling operators to continue working within a familiar production environment.
“In serving an audience of 34 million listeners, we must have the tools and infrastructure to be responsive and efficient,” said Derek Cole, radio technician at Sky News Radio. “We know from long experience that we can rely on NETIA solutions to provide the stable performance, robust feature set, and intuitive interface that our operations demand, and it was a natural choice to continue working with the company as we enhance our production infrastructure and capabilities. We are confident that the upgrade of our Radio-Assist software suite and shift toward audio over IP will put us at the forefront of radio automation technology.”
Sky News Radio delivers national and international news, sport, business and showbiz news to more than 300 commercial stations including Classic FM, Magic FM, LBC, and talkSPORT, as well as several radio stations based outside the UK. Using NETIA’s Radio-Assist suite along with Avid’s iNews newsroom management system, journalists in the broadcaster’s London facilities work 24/7 to produce content for delivery to all the newsrooms across the radio network. To accommodate the extensive nature of its production and distribution operations, Sky News Radio needed a solution that could cover the entire chain, from production to delivery, as well as the sharing of content. The integration of NETIA’s Radio-Assist 8.2 software with Logitek technology met this requirement.
In addition to upgrading from Radio Assist 7.5 to Radio-Assist 8.2, Sky News Radio is installing two new mirrored hard drives and two further line-in recorders, adding an extra profile to the Radio-Assist Autofill system, and dedicating a server to support audio archives. Partnering with Logitek, NETIA created a system for capturing simultaneous TV news feeds from Sky’s SDI router. A Logitek JetStream Plus with the company’s JetNet driver converts up to 12 stereo feeds into audio-over-IP (AoIP) streams, enabling NETIA to record the audio continuously for use on the Sky News Radio network. This is the first such integration of NETIA software with Logitek solutions.
“Logitek is pleased to work with NETIA on this useful tool which will enable Sky News Radio to get the most out of its content on every platform,” said Tag Borland, Logitek president. “This technology will be a valuable asset for radio and TV operations anywhere in the world.”
“The installation demonstrates Sky News Radio’s leadership in implementing forward-looking technology, and we are pleased to be continuing our relationship with Sky News Radio through this exciting upgrade of its audio production systems,” said Thierry Gandilhon, managing director at NETIA. “We look forward to future opportunities to partner with Logitek in enabling similarly sophisticated solutions for radio broadcasters around the world.”