Riding the airwaves

Arabian Radio Network has raised the bar for radio production in the Middle East with a brand new upgrade at its facility in Dubai Media City. Digital Studio reports.

Radio, although traditionally the medium of the masses, has remained a relatively untapped commercial media platform in the Middle East with very few players competing for air space. One group that enjoys a big presence in this market is Arabian Radio Network (ARN), which falls under the umbrella of Arab Media Group (AMG).

Over the last two years, the state-backed media giant has spent millions of dollars migrating its systems to a brand new, state-of-the-art tapeless TV station at Dubai Studio City. Now that the TV infrastructure is complete, the Group has turned its attention to its radio network, where its studios are being revamped not merely because they were in need of an upgrade, but also perhaps to remain on top of the game in the light of strong rumours that several new radio launches are in the offing from rival state-backed forces in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

There are several firsts to this project. The first is the choice of Al Futtaim Technologies (AFT) as the systems integrator for this installation. Although Al Futtaim has undertaken several studio projects in the past under its Panatech banner, this is the company's first high-profile radio installation. The project is a big win for the company, which has marked its entry into the radio business with the ARN installation.

Al Futtaim Technologies installed five edit suites; one general edit room for recording news and editing clips; seven production studios and two on-air studios at ARN's facility in Dubai Media City.

Besides upgrading from legacy systems to new solutions, the installation has also ensured that all studios at the Media City facility are connected to the control room.

In essence, this means that all signals from the studios will be sent to the control room before they are sent back to the production, edit or on-air studios for broadcast. This streamlines the workflow while also maintaining quality control over all content.

An important part of this project is the installation of the Studer On-Air 2500 console. Claimed to be the first new Studer model to be installed in the Middle East, the 2500 brings more functionality as well as user-friendly features to the presenters, explains Mahmoud Al Rasheed, general manager of ARN.

"Our RJs take on an all-in-one role at the studio. They are the presenter, the director, the announcer as well as the person who attends the phone calls and reads all the SMSs that come in. Therefore, it's very important to give them equipment that will allow them to focus on their core job of presenting while also enabling them to instinctively use the equipment. This is why we chose the Studer - it is very user-friendly besides the fact that it is also one of the best mixers for radio," explains Al Rasheed.

Hassan Ali, business manager - Broadcast & Professional Division, Al Futtaim Technologies explains that two Studer 2500 units will replace a couple of Studer 2000 models, which have now been discontinued by the manufacturer.

"The 2000 was a modular mixer that was designed to the customer's requirements. The 2500 is a single unit; it is portable and can be fitted onto any studio console. It has a main panel that has both inputs and outputs. This is a very user-friendly model," Ali reiterates.

ARN has also used a mix of two different kinds of microphones at its facility namely Electrovoice and Neumann. ARN's Al Rasheed again points out that he left the choice of mics to his presenters.

"Some of our presenters prefer the quality of one mic over the other because one probably carries their voice better than the other. These are individual preferences and while we maintain a certain quality that is in line with international best practices, we give our presenters the solution they want. If it puts them at ease and helps them to produce their show better, I believe we should provide systems that cater to their needs," adds Al Rasheed.

The general manager speaks from his own experience. Having started off as a presenter at ARN in September 2001 when the radio network was first launched, Al Rasheed worked his way up the ranks by sheer hard work and learnt each part of the business.

Al Rasheed believes that equipment should submit to the end user's requirements rather than the other way around.

"I have done everything at ARN. I joined purely out of my love for music and was associated with many of the lead singers and musicians in the Arab world. I started off as a presenter and then became head of music at our Al Khaleejiya station, which is aimed at Arab nationals who want to listen to Khaleeji music.

I worked my way up to head of music and quality at ARN before getting to this chair. I have done everything from being a presenter to producing music to working on the mixers. Being on that side has helped me appreciate and respect some of the challenges that presenters face, so we have tried to implement the flexibility to accommodate them," explains Al Rasheed.

As he takes Digital Studio on a tour, he states that one of the key aspects of this project has been ensuring that all of the studios are connected to the main control room. As a result, signals are sent from the studios to the control room before they are diverted to the edit, production or on-air studios for going on air. This ensures that content is constantly monitored before it is broadcast.

"This ensures completely quality control as well as control of the signal," explains Al Futtaim's Ali. "This is also an entirely tapeless workflow in keeping with the rest of AMG's requirements. Previously, the presenter would have to write the content onto a CD and bring it to the control room. The new installation allows the feeds to be routed from the studio to the control room, and from here, back to the studio and on air. It also enables the studios to be used together if there is a much bigger production," he explains.

READERS' COMMENTS

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM