Radio World Buyer’s Guide articles are intended to help readers understand why their colleagues chose particular products to solve various technical situations. This month’s articles focus on media asset management including automation, traffic and billing.
As one of the early adopters of Radio.Cloud’s new operating model, Hispanic Broadcasting Inc. is taking full advantage of the radio playout studio and programming suite.
After flipping from a Spanish talk format in January, KYST(AM) has overhauled its infrastructure starting with the cloud-native automation platform.
Patriot Talk 920 runs a two-hour live morning show Monday through Friday, broadcasting out of a small studio using Radio.Cloud’s browser-based Live Studio. The audio feeds the transmitter site, where all other vital equipment sits.
As a news/talk station, KYST runs 22 hours of satellite programming per day. The satellite dishes and uplinks reside at the transmitter, along with Radio.Cloud’s main and backup Edge Gateway playout boxes.
The workflow is unique, as all satellite cues and triggers are received and controlled through the cloud, ensuring no manual work. This method of operation ensured that Patriot Talk was one of two news/talk stations in the Houston market never to go off air during Hurricane Beryl earlier this summer.
Radio.Cloud says its model enables stations to operate entirely from the transmitter site, integrating all incoming satellite feeds into the cloud workflow. The company says this empowers broadcasters through technology to reduce expenses by moving away from legacy systems and hardware.
“Radio and the technology behind it were starting to feel archaic,” owner Matt Velasquez told the company.
“When I saw the possibilities with Radio.Cloud I knew we could create something that would future-proof our radio station and minimize our downtime and maintenance, plus open new opportunities to our broadcasting capabilities.”
One of those new opportunities Velasquez refers to started late this summer, as KYST is airing Houston Christian University football, broadcasting completely through the Radio.Cloud Live Studio. The supplier said this highlights Radio.Cloud’s goals of empowering locals, increasing efficiency and reducing hardware footprint and costs.
