Kiss FM, the first station in Rwanda to use IP technology for its broadcast

Instead of conventional mixing consoles, operators are using large touch screens with Lawo Relay VRX software giving broadcast facilities a modern, uncluttered look.

Nicknamed the “Switzerland of Africa”, Rwanda is a country with high aspirations. It has been proactive in creating industries such as automobile and smartphone production and considers innovation in information and communication technologies to be one of the main drivers of the country's economy.

This spirit of innovation is now also seen in the broadcasting sector. Kiss FM in Kigali is just one example of Rwanda using innovative and forward-looking technologies for commercial success and taking the region's media landscape to a new level.

Upon moving to its new building, Kiss FM has opted for IP-based technology, becoming the first station in the country to operate in this technological environment. Instead of conventional mixing consoles, operators are using large touch screens with Lawo Relay VRX software that gives broadcast facilities a modern, uncluttered look, perfect for cameras and “visual radio.”

Relay is a powerful mixing console that works in a virtualized PC environment. There are no equipment racks to take up space while saving on investment as virtual radio mixers run on a standard PC or laptop. The intuitive multi-touch screen interface makes Relay easy to use.

This complete virtual radio mixer offers all the tools necessary in the studio from voice processing to mix-minus, incorporated into its multi-touch interface. This way, operators can build an entire broadcast studio on a single touch-screen PC, using Relay software on the same PC that hosts the broadcast system, software codecs, streaming encoders and other studios.

Kiss FM CEO John Wilkins comments: "We are the first station in Rwanda to use IP technology for broadcasting. Touchscreen mixing is a huge advantage because it is so easy to learn and use. Today's radio presenters rely on touchscreen phones and tablets, which is why they love our new Relay touchscreen mixer. And in the field, a computer with Relay and a 4G phone connection makes it possible to originate high-quality remote broadcasts with much less equipment and very little setup time.”

“Our presenters have all social media platforms and Skype on the touch screen, so with the touch of a button on the screen they can interact with Kiss FM's huge online community, who are invited to shape our programmes: it is an innovative approach that has made us a clear market leader,” he adds.