Dubbed the Switzerland of Africa, Rwanda views innovation in Information & Communication Technology as a major driver of the country’s economy. The spirit of innovation can be felt in all areas including the broadcast sector, as Kiss FM in Kigali is using future-proof technologies to advance the media landscape of the region.
While moving into a new building, Kiss FM has broken new ground in broadcasting, using the country’s first IP technology in its new studios. Instead of conventional mixing consoles, operators are using large-sized touchscreens with Lawo Rǝlay VRX software which gives the broadcast facilities a modern and uncluttered appearance, perfect for cameras and ‘visual radio’.
Rǝlay is a powerful mixing console that runs in a virtualised PC environment. No racks of gear to devour space and money – Rǝlay Virtual Radio Mixers run on a standard PC or laptop. The intuitive, multitouch-enabled screen interface makes Rǝlay easy to use. Rǝlay is a complete Virtual Radio Mixer, with professional tools from voice processing to mix-minus busing built into its multi-touch interface. Operators can build an entire broadcast studio on a single touchscreen PC, using Rǝlay software on the same PC that hosts the playout system, software codecs, streaming encoders, and other studio.
‘We are the first station in Rwanda to use IP technology for broadcast,’ says Kiss FM Managing Director, John Wilkins. ‘Touchscreen mixing is a huge advantage because it’s so easy to learn and use. Today’s radio hosts are used to touchscreen phones and tablets, so they love our new Rǝlay touchscreen mixer. And in the field, a computer with Rǝlay and a 4G telephone connection makes it possible to originate high-quality remote broadcasts with much less equipment and very little setup time.
‘Our presenters have all social media platforms and Skype on the touchscreen so at the touch of an on-screen button they can interact with the huge Kiss FM community online who are invited to shape our programmes – it’s an innovative approach that has made us a clear market leader.’
More: www.lawo.com
