Visual Radio: How to Add Cameras to a Radio Studio
Listeners now watch as much as they listen. Visual radio puts the studio on camera so the same show reaches web players, apps, social platforms and connected TVs. The good news: you do not need to turn the station into a TV studio.
Start with the show you already have
The goal of visual radio is to show the radio as it is: hosts, guests, the desk and the energy of the studio. Keep the programming, the playout and the on-air sound exactly as they are. Video is an extra output of the same show.
Cameras
- Two or three angles are enough to start: a wide shot of the studio and one close shot per host's position.
- Fixed or PTZ cameras: fixed cameras are simple; PTZ cameras can be moved by presets when the studio layout changes.
- Network cameras save cabling: cameras that send video over the network (for example with NDI) arrive in the production software without capture cards.
Light and background
Radio studios are often dark. Soft, even light on the faces matters more than the camera model. Treat the wall behind the hosts as a set: the station logo, a screen or a simple backdrop make the image recognizable.
Audio stays the master
The video uses the same audio the station puts on air. Send the program audio from the mixing desk or the playout to the video software, so viewers hear exactly what listeners hear.
Switching without an extra operator
A video switcher such as vMix or OBS combines cameras, graphics and the program audio. The hard part is the commercial break: someone has to change scenes when spots start and return when they end. That is the job automation should do.
Automate the breaks
Fast Monkey Station reads your radio automation, detects commercial breaks with their duration, switches vMix or OBS scenes at the start and end of each break and marks the break with SCTE-35 for compatible digital ad workflows. Hosts and programming stay the same.