Smarts/On Air Digital
SKYLLA

Over the years, the face of radio has slowly been changing. With consolidations, multiple ownerships and the resultant growth of groups, more and more radio signals have been consolidated in a single location.

Now, with the advent of digital (HD) radio, technology exists to transmit several different program channels within one frequency assignment. This will have the impact of increasing exponentially the number of signals that can be transmitted from one location, and overall group transmitting channels will increase by yet another magnitude.

What used to be a single station, perhaps grew to 4 stations through consolidation, and now can grow to as many as 24 signals through the use of digital broadcasting.

Obviously, that number of signals changes the way stations need to be structured. It’s doubtful that most operations would have the space to construct 24 conventional studios with 24 conventional control boards and 24 conventional automation systems. The cost is so astronomical that it would be impractical in almost all markets.

Enter SKYLLA

Smarts Broadcast Systems and our sister company On Air Digital, Inc., have developed the first digital system to address the problems created by the multiplicity of available channels, and allow stations to economically program them from within existing facilities. The system also addresses the transition from analog to digital broadcasting in a simple, yet flexible fashion to allow stations to immediately start digital broadcasts, but change analog sources (such as satellite signals) to digital as they become available in a digital format.

The concept of the Skylla is a core system that handles all signals in a particular location. The audio streams are provided by inexpensive "Audio Heads", one for each stream. Audio Heads can be added to the Skylla as more signals go on the air.

Stations can fully automate a signal using just an audio head, controlling any or all of the stations through a master control council. Alternatively, any station can be routed through any number of conventional studio operations, by adding control modules at the studio locations.

Multiple locations can be controlled via Internet, from a single master control unit. Each location would employ its own input and output switching and switching control to avoid Internet latency problems.