Global - VR Radio Station Training

CASE STUDY

THE CLIENT

Global, Europe’s biggest commercial radio business, runs some of the UK’s favourite radio stations (including Heart, Capital, Smooth, Classic FM, Radio X, LBC and Gold) from state-of-the-art studios at broadcast centres across the UK. As it provides ever more sophisticated tools to broadcasters and studio operators, it also needs to ensure that they know how to work them effectively. If they get it right, they make exceptional radio for Global’s 23 million listeners. If they get it wrong, the listeners hear nothing!

THE CHALLENGE

Global has invested tens of millions of pounds in cutting-edge broadcast facilities for its radio stations. These studios use advanced and specialist technology, including several tools developed in house. The end users of these studios are radio presenters, journalists and producers.

The aim was to improve the quality and reliability of Global’s broadcast product through better end-user education and increased confidence.

Global also wanted to be able to train people without using a live broadcast studio.

THE Solution

We developed a virtual reality (VR) experience that immerses users in the studio and presents challenges in a realistic, exhilarating, fast-paced way – without tying up a studio.

Using photographic references that we captured on location in Global’s Studio 3A in London, we created 3D models of the studio, including its fixtures and other equipment. We optimised these models for display in a real-time rendered VR environment.

To allow authentic studio interaction, we recreated the interface screen content from captures of the studio displays.

We added ambient and point light sources to provide illumination and create lens-flare effects that match the presenter’s chair viewpoint. The end result is remarkably realistic and similar to the real studio.

Having created the virtual studio, we developed two modes for using it:

Tour mode – where the user explores the studio and is trained on all the different equipment, software and operating practices
Scenario mode – where the user experiences some real-life scenarios of things going a bit wrong, and has to decide how to manage these to minimise impact

We tested early versions of the studio and the modes on some representative user groups, and used their feedback to make the studio and scenarios more realistic, as well as ensuring that all the training materials were completely accurate.