Southern California Public Radio installs PowerStation

KPCC-FM will deploy Axia’s new integrated console engines

14 April 2009, Cleveland Ohio, USA

Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) will install new Axia PowerStation integrated console engines as part of Axia studios being built for KPCC-FM, their flagship station serving the Los Angeles metro.

SCPR is a subsidiary of American Public Media Group, who also operate highly-regarded Minnesota Public Radio. MPR has been on the air with one of the US’ largest Axia networks in St. Paul, Minnesota since 2005; recently, they selected Axia as the provider of choice for their West Coast operations as well. SCPR’s new Pasadena studios will include 16 Axia Element modular broadcast consoles, each with PowerStation Main and PowerStation Aux integrated console engines, complemented by Axia audio nodes and routing control software.

“Minnesota Public Radio moved early into the migration to IP-Audio using the Axia system in our headquarters in St. Paul,” recounts MPR’s Tom Nelson, St. Paul Engineering Group Supervisor. “Our sister station in Pasadena was a tough sell on Axia, having seen TDM systems successfully implemented in their own back yard. But the simplicity and economy of PowerStation won them over; it was a welcome relief to the project budget.”

“Using PowerStation, [SCPR’s] original data switch budget was cut by one third. When the team realized that the ‘studio integrator’ required to install TDM systems would mostly be covered with Axia by our project’s Voice/Data contractor, we chalked up more savings. What remained in the ‘integration’ was basically hooking up the audio devices, which we quickly realized we could do ourselves; again, we saw significant budget relief.”

“Axia has ‘hit it out of the park’ with PowerStation,” concludes Nelson.

PowerStation is an advanced “integrated console engine” that makes it easier than ever to build networked studios. PowerStation Main combines audio I/O, console CPU, logic GPIO, mixing engine and Ethernet switch into a single 4RU chassis; PowerStation Aux doubles the Main’s audio I/O and GPIO capacity while adding a redundant power supply with automatic switchover, all via a simple two-cable connection. PowerStation supports console sizes of up to 40 faders.

The Axia IP-Audio system allows broadcasters to build audio networks of any size using standard switched Ethernet to connect a few rooms, or an entire facility. Axia networks have a total system capacity of more than 10,000 audio streams, and can carry hundreds of digital stereo (or nearly a hundred surround) channels over a single CAT-6 cable, eliminating much of the cost normally associated with wiring labor and infrastructure. Axia products include the popular Element modular broadcast console, a family of “audio nodes” that allow easy mixing and matching of digital, analog and microphone audio, and a comprehensive suite of network administration and routing control software.

PowerStation details can be found on the Web at www.AxiaAudio.com/powerstation/. Visitors to NAB2009 can see PowerStation, along with the complete line of Axia products, in the Radio Hall at the Telos / Omnia / Axia display in Booth #N7620. For more information, contact Clark Novak at Axia Audio, via email at cnovak@AxiaAudio.com or by phone at +1-216-241-7225.

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Press-ready photos of PowerStation and Element can be downloaded from www.AxiaAudio.com/pix/.

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