The phone company came out and cut over the T-1 circuit on Wednesday, June 2nd. This really kicked things into high gear. By that afternoon we had moved the Prophet systems automation rack up to the new location and started broadcasting from there.
Unfortunately, the backup plan, which was to use the phone company’s DSL circuit to relay audio to the transmitter site, fell through at the very last minute. I think the phone company mistakenly turned off the DSL service to the old studio ahead of schedule. The net result was 2 hours off air in the middle of the day, which we were seriously trying to avoid. Once it was done, however, there was no going back, so we worked extra hard to get back on the air from the new location.
Naturally, while all this is going on, the electrical inspector shows up to do the final electrical inspection for the town building department.
Here is a nice progression on the equipment racks:
After the T-1 circuit was cut over, we began broadcasting from the new location with the equipment rack automation system using the production room as a studio for live elements and voice tracking.
The wiring on the equipment rack is completed.
The equipment rack is completed, the phone system is installed, and the computer network is wired and tested. The yellow light on the top of the rack is a silence sensor.
The old WKZE studio was ripped out on Thursday. The console was removed and rebuilt with a new control surface
The production room was completed, speakers hung, etc.
All set and ready to be “customized” by the DJ’s. Monday morning, the staff will roll into their new digs, which is always fun. In comparison to most studio moves and built outs these days, this one was relatively small and simple. The last studio consolidation project involved 5 radio stations and ten studios. That one took place in steps over several months.