Qatar Radio Shifts All Five Channels Onto NETIA's Radio-Assist(TM) 8.1 Automation Software
February 28, 2013 --
NETIA today announced that national broadcaster Qatar Radio has taken all five of its main channels live on the Radio-Assist(TM) 8.1 digital audio software suite. The NETIA software, which Qatar Radio also uses as a robust disaster recovery solution, replaces an existing radio automation product and gives the broadcaster a more extensive and unified solution that addresses the entire production workflow.
"If I were to define the three key characteristics of Radio-Assist, I would say that it is an efficient, reliable, and stable solution," said Mohammad Al Mohtaseb, system engineer at Qatar Radio. His Qatar Radio colleague Mohammed Qaddoumi, system engineer for audio broadcasting, also underscores the system's efficiency and adds that the software's Air-DDO broadcast tool has proved particularly valuable. The technical team at Qatar Radio selected Radio-Assist after performing site visits and extensive testing and evaluation of the software.
Systems integrator Media Group International coordinated Qatar Radio's full migration to Radio-Assist 8.1, overseeing the copying and conversion of all media, along with associated metadata, into the NETIA software system without interrupting operations and without losing any of the broadcaster's 275,000 elements and assets. With this shift, Qatar Radio has been able to bring all radio production and broadcast functions onto a single platform. The Radio-Assist 8.1 software supports coordination, scheduling, and live broadcasting, as well as an archive of more than 300,000 hours of programming.
Today, Radio-Assist 8.1 is installed on 34 workstations across two sites -- Qatar Radio's main broadcast facilities and a disaster recovery site -- and used by 80 staff members on a daily basis. The software supports one principal channel broadcast in Arabic, another dedicated to Quran (religious/Muslim programs), one channel in French (Oryx FM, with partner RFI), one channel in English, and a channel broadcast in Urdu. The transition of these channels onto Radio-Assist was achieved progressively over the course of a year. Early in the project, NETIA provided training for both administrators and users.
More information about the Radio-Assist 8.1 software suite and other NETIA solutions is available at www.netia.com
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About Media Group International
Media Group International is a proven media broadcast and communications technologies systems integrator, serving the media, telecommunications, security, education, hospitality, and advertising industries in the Gulf region for more than 35 years. Formerly known as Salam Media Cast (SMC), the company joined GSSG Holdings in 2010, with offices in Qatar, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UK.
Media Group International is diversifying its business into new technologies. As well as equipping professional television stations and studios, master control rooms, newsrooms, concert stages, and theatres providing light and sound technology, the company also equips whole multivendor and multisensory environments. Media Group International provides solutions from safeguarding national security such as in government operations, creating the best venues for education such as museums and classrooms, enhancing sports environments, and revolutionizing health facilities and satellite telecommunications.
NETIA, a GlobeCast company, is a leading provider of software solutions that enable efficient management and delivery of content to today's full array of media platforms. Relied on by more than 10,000 users in 200 installations in more than 40 countries, NETIA solutions allow content producers and owners to manage content from ingest to delivery, targeting multiplatform outlets including the Internet, VOD, IPTV services, and mobile devices.
NETIA provides content management solutions to major radio and television brands and to multimedia groups around the world. Clients include SBS and ABC in Australia, RAI Italy, France Telecom/Orange, MediaCorp Singapore, RTL France, Radio Globo in Brazil, RTM Malaysia, Radio France, the Associated Press, France Télévisions, and L'Équipe 24/24. NETIA has its headquarters in France, with offices in the United States, Paris, Rome, and Singapore, in addition to a global network of professional distribution partners.