Here’s some Dublin Sunshine for you! Not long ago, our Jay Tyler and Ronan O’Connor with Radio Services, Limerick, showed up at Sunshine 106.8 with an LXE console surface tucked under an arm. Here’s the result: a split frame LXE console surface networked by WheatNet IP audio networking. Since the visit, Sunshine 106.8 has become one of Dublin’s number 1 easy listening music stations. 

All of which makes Wheatstone a very proud technology partner. When we asked Sean Ashmore, CEO of Sunshine 106.8, Dublin, what he liked most about his new WheatNet IP audio networked studios, he commented: “The ability to easily use the studio for pre-recorded segments whilst it was live on-air … the multiple GPIO options to distribute contact closures for live external network news bulletins to two other stations in our building… (and) the four channel mic processor (which doubles as an I/O and logic Blade).” 

Shine on, Sunshine 106.8, shine on.

Lotus Communications had less than six months to build out, network together, and bring four on-air control rooms, two production rooms, a voicetrack studio and a news desk with three editor positions live.

Here’s a frame-by-frame of how it came together, courtesy of RadioDNA. You’re looking at the new WheatNet IP audio networked studio suite for KNWN 97.7 FM/1000 AM, KLPZ 101.5 FM and KVI 570 AM facing out over Puget Sound in a shared architectural experience.

We’re putting PPM watermarking where our processing is, including on streams and in the cloud. We just completed the Nielsen certification process for inserting the PPM encoded watermark in our core streaming software. Now, no matter where you’re streaming from, whether it’s from an AoIP appliance, an on-prem server, or in an AWS cloud data center, your station will be counted.

Similar to our on-air processors, our streaming software carries the watermark that is then picked up by a Nielsen PPM device to be reported as a separate stream or tallied with on-air listenership to attract advertising buys.

Twenty percent of the time spent with AM/FM radio occurs via streaming, according to Nielsen’s Audio Today 2023 report.

“We’re using the same watermark technology to record those listeners and in the case of Wheatstone, we’re integrating the encoding right there in processing software rather than running it through a hardware encoder after the fact. It’s a much better way to operationalize it,” commented Eric Kmetz, Product Manager for Nielsen, which offered a hardware option in the past before introducing a software encoder that can now be added to any Nielsen certified processor.

“As a processing manufacturer, having that Nielsen encoder certified as part of the processing chain gives our broadcasters the assurance that their station is not only going to sound its best, but it’s also going to be measured by Nielsen,” said Jeff Keith, our Senior Product Development Engineer.

Wheatstone and Nielsen engineering teams completed a rigorous certification process that involved testing for quality and error detection of both audio content and the watermark being streamed through Wheatstone processing software.

Affected is Wheatstone’s Layers Stream, a full suite of software for streaming from an on-premise server or a cloud data center. Included in Wheatstone’s streaming software are metadata support and multi-stream management as well as audio processing designed specifically to optimize the performance of streaming codecs. Wheatstone also makes AoIP streaming appliances Streamblade and Wheatstream, which also include the PPM watermark.

The PPM watermark is inserted after the dual-band limiter in Wheatstone streaming processors for a robust, consistent signal that can be picked up by the PPM without interfering with the performance of the audio codec.

“After the audio processing is the best spot in the chain to add the watermark, and as a software option, this is making it easier for broadcasters to move their operations to a cloud based operation if that’s what is in their future,” commented Kmetz.

We’re gearing up for NAB 2024 with new products, new partnerships, new technology and a whole new take on the state of broadcasting. Look for our products and people in the LVCC, West Hall, booth W1731. It starts soon! Join us at NAB 2024 as our guest. All you have to do is register at NAB 2024 using our guest code NS8557. We will see you in a few weeks.