SCA Adelaide’s New Home
Southern Cross Austereo in Adelaide got themselves some shiny new digs. After 34 years they made the move from Unley into downtown Adelaide.
We caught up with National Radio Engineering Manager of SCA, Steve Adler for chat about the new building and studios.
Blair: So the move happened last week, how was that?
Steve: Well I started at 6am last Sunday morning and we didn’t stop until Monday evening.
Both HIT 107 and Triple M went to Air at 6am on Monday (19th). I remember looking over my shoulder at 10:30am and thought “What’s happened here?”
Everyone and everything was working. It was a huge move but all the staff were set, it was like they had been here for 4 weeks not 4 hours.
It was flawless, that’s not an engineering embellishment. The whole On-Air chain just worked, every computer and printer worked.
Blair: How long did you call 128 Greenhill Rd Unley, home?
Steve: 34 years
Blair: So tell us about the new building… you’ve moved into the city?
Steve: Yes. Level 13, 70 Franklin Street in the heart of Adelaide city.
Blair: From the studio and technical side of things.. What do look for when searching for a new studio and office location?
Steve: A number of things come into play. Cutting to the chase the – The address, position, floor area, cost per square metre and outgoings. Slab to slab height and floor load bearing capability are very important. Also, how air conditioning systems are set-up and emergency generators, car park height, good security and car parking.
We also look for line of sight to the transmitter site and placement and accessibility for an antenna platform.
Blair: When did you first start making plans for the move?
Steve: Two years ago.
Blair: How did you twist Rhys’s arm?
Steve: Didn’t need to! Our lease was up at Greenhill Road.
Blair: Let’s talk the studios… What panels have you gone with?
Steve: AXIA panels are in play for the On-Air studios.
Blair: Automation wise…. have you made a jump to anything new?
Steve: No. We relocated Maestro across to the new set-up.
Blair: Tools and stuff for the guys and girls On-Air – what have you given them to play with?
Steve: They have both VOX PRO & Phone Box
Blair: How long did they get to practice in the new studios before you went live?
Steve: They had about a day.
Blair: How many On-Air Studios in total?
Steve: Two identical On Air studios & one News Booth per brand. (Four On Air studios and two News Booths in total) Three Production Studios and two Remote Talent booths.
Blair: The team behind the studio build… guessing you called in some of the guys from around the group to help?
Steve: Yes, it was an SCA team effort and we couldn’t have done it without them.
A huge thanks to Matt Steadman, Brett Kelly, Michael Cooper, Patryk Adamczyk, Shane DeCean, Warren Lane, Hani Molles, Kevin Stevens, Jamie Marschke, Matt Paton, Rorie Ryan, Frank Wilcox, Rob Tuck, Danny Shields, Fabio Carvana, Rowen Power, Xandria Ralph, Chris Bukalan.
Blair: It’s not an everyday thing to put in new studios.. did you call in outside help or guys who specialise in this stuff?
Steve: It’s pretty much all computer LAN cabling these days, so a little more straight forward. We used some local Adelaide contractors to help us out with that side.
Blair: Anything special about the way the studios have been built worth mentioning?
Steve: Pretty standard except we used two doors and an airlock for acoustic isolation. The views through the floor to ceiling glass windows across Adelaide are just amazing! The studio acoustic performance is very good too.
Blair: Production side .. how’s that looking?
Steve: They have Protools in play.