Regiocasting
Regiocasting or regionalization refers to the transmission of different program content from one and the same station for different regions. A transmitter (radio or television) which, for example, supplies several federal states or countries in a transmitter chain can still convey regionality.
technology
There are basically two methods of computer-aided regiocasting:
- Central playout: By starting an event in the radio automation, not one audio is played, but several audios are played on different sound cards (e.g. regional weather). These are mixed with the main signal (moderator microphone, music bed) on individual routes to the transmitter locations.
- Triggered playout: This outdated method triggers the playout of a playback device in a regional studio with an inaudible trigger signal. The signal from the main program is available as a source on its transmitter mixer, is mixed with the regional content and the sum is sent to the transmitter location for the region to be served.
- Donut principle: an almost completely produced coat range is delivered to the regional studio. This already contains the local contents of the packaging and the music. (Up to this point it is similar to the central playout) However, there are moderators in each regional studio . (There is usually no regional studio in the central playout). The places intended for moderation begin with a jingle , followed by a music bed of the prescribed length. After this defined time, there is another jingle and the centrally played music program. The moderator has to place his moderation in this gap and "hit" the jingle correctly at the end. Modern radio automation systems offer a client with which the moderator in the regional studio can see his remaining speaking time using a countdown. This system is partially used in the USA and Eastern Europe. Disadvantages are, among other things, that local messages are not possible (length problem) and the moderator cannot react to current events.
Radio automation systems such as Dalet, mediatron, Zenon, DigaSystem (formerly: DigAS) or DABiS800 offer regiocasting in the standard version.
example
A branded music track is started in the radio automation, with which a regionalization event is linked. At the push of a button, for example, in Gelsenkirchen you can hear “The latest hits, most of the knowledge for Gelsenkirchen on Wikiradio 98.8”. At the same time in Cologne you can hear “The latest hits, most knowledge for Cologne on Wikiradio 102.0”.
disadvantage
In areas where the transmission areas overlap or when driving, the radio receiver may switch back and forth between two frequencies. The reason is that the radio always looks for the best receivable frequency thanks to RDS technology. If a music track is playing or the program is not regionalized, this usually goes unnoticed by the listener. Running on the two frequencies between which the receiver is switching regionalized program content (regional weather, event information ...), the listener has the annoying feeling that another station is "broadcasting" into his program.
In addition, greater care must be taken when broadcasting that the correct audios are assigned to the corresponding regiocasting routes. Otherwise, for example, the event notices for Düsseldorf run in Cologne.
Individual evidence
- ^ "Digas" on the RundfunkWiki, accessed on October 26, 2009.