RTM, Malaysia’s government-owned major broadcaster, has turned to Calrec, and its regional partner JAA Systems, to provide the technology and support across a multi-year move to AoIP for its radio station network. RTM will install a total of 192 Type R fader panels and 104 Type R cores, so far 75 Type R cores across nine regional radio stations are up and running and 29 Type R cores in four more of its regional radio station networks will shortly be installed.
A comprehensive IP education initiative by JAA Systems along with the creation of a complete proof-of-concept, followed an initial IP project at the broadcaster’s PerlisFM regional network. David Chan, Director of JAA Systems, said, “RTM was, of course, already aware that IP is the future, and following the work just mentioned, they could see how it works and the benefits it brings. RTM was very happy with the PerlisFM installation, both from an overall IP network and workflow perspective as well as the central role Calrec’s Type R plays.”
Following a rigorous open request for proposal tendering process, RTM awarded the contract for a further twelve regional stations networks to Calrec and its partner. Nine of these have already been installed including PerlisFM, RTM Kedah and Penang; Sabah and Labuan; Pahang and Terengganu; Negeri Sembilan and Melaka. A further four regional stations including RTM Keningau, RTM Sandakan and RTM Tawau are currently being installed. Recently, Calrec has also won the tender to upgrade RTM RAS Kelantan. When this installation is complete, Calrec and its partner will have upgraded about sixty percent of RTM’s regional stations with Calrec Type R.
As Chan explained, there’s no fixed size and scale across the regional stations so each installation had its specific requirements, with the number of studios varying and therefore the number of Type R cores and fader panels also varying. In general, each main and backup on-air studio benefits from a 16-fader panel as well as a main core respectively. For the smaller setups, where there may be ingest studios alongside edit suites, 12-fader panels were installed. The project is AES67-based.
Chan said, “IP infrastructure provides a range of benefits which were recognised by RTM: scalability and flexibility when it comes to further technology purchase installation. Each setup with RTM is, overall, very similar, meaning integration now and moving forwards is without any conversion technology or the need for additional interfaces. Then there’s the flexibility of AoIP workflows and the improved audio quality for listeners. It also increases productivity.”
The start of the project dovetailed with the onset of the pandemic, which led to a range of additional challenges to overcome. Travel was very restricted and there were considerable supply chain issues across the world, with both of these scenarios requiring some lateral thinking to overcome.
Chan said, “The support across this huge project, from both us and Calrec, absolutely went above and beyond the norm. I have to say Calrec was marvelous in terms of helping us and RTM right throughout the installation. The combination of both our efforts, alongside the team at RTM, really helped drive this deployment. We worked largely remotely, and this is where another benefit of IP technologies comes in: remote access to troubleshoot and resolve issues quickly. It has been a very successful installation.”
In addition, RTM has also installed five Calrec Brio 36 consoles for capturing content in some of its studios. The overall project is now complete, with JAA Systems providing ongoing 24/7 support.
Anthony Wilkins, International Sales Manager at, Calrec, said, “With FM radio so important across Malaysia, not only for entertainment but also for information dissemination – severe weather alerts, for example – helping RTM move to IP was very important for the future of radio across the country. We have been hugely impressed with the technical expertise of JAA Systems, its determination and the sheer volume of work it achieved. We believe this acts as a powerful reference for other broadcasters across the region.”
