Review On The Ubroadcast Station Manager
Ubroadcast came out a few years ago to deliver free online audio through their service. OK I’ll simplify that by saying they were, and still are letting users create their own internet radio station. Creating an internet radio station seems to be all to common throughout the internet as of late.
Plenty of websites, and companies are getting into the business usually for marketing their product or service. Now there are two ways you can use Ubroadcast, either by creating an internet radio station by using their station manager, or listening using the Ubroadcast player. Today I’m going to go through some of the interesting features the Ubroadcast station manager has and how it may potentially become more beneficial than simply hosting your own.
The Installation
Downloading and Installing this piece of software can be done with ease. All you need to do is go to their website, and click the download button. From there you’ll go through the regular download and installation sequence as you would with any other piece of software.
For the Ubroadcast Station manager to work and detect your audio devices you need to have the Direct X hot fix (which you can find here). This will fix the Direct X errors that are usually found when opening the station manager initially.
The startup of the Ubroadcast player takes a few moments(may take longer if you’re using it for the first time). If it’s your first time using this program they’ll take you through a registration where you get your station number, name, and other necessary information. Remember, once you’ve confirmed all of this information it’s very difficult to change or edit it. So make an effort to have your information as accurate as possible.
The Home Screen
When you first premier this easy to use control panel you will be taken to it’s home screen. There you will see the latest updates, frequently asked questions, and software that you may additionally want for your station. The left sidebar is full of the various options that control the production of your station including station audio content, Broadcasting options, Station options, and Interactive tools. All of which will assist you in creating and maintaining a quality broadcast.
Station Audio Content
As mentioned in the previous paragraph there are a list of options under “Station Audio Content.” This may include adding CD, MP3, or WAV files to your station library. You can also manage advertisements and playlists under this feature as well.
Adding CD’s and other audio files, in my opinion are quite a task to complete. If you plan on uploading multiple audio files to your song library be prepared to wait a few hours for your upload to complete. If you’re not interested in waiting for the upload to complete there’s another option of taking songs right out of the Ubroadcast song library. You can find this by going through the “Manage Playlist” link and then clicking “Ubroadcast song library”.
Currently Ubroadcast doesn’t provide advertising for your station, however, you can get your own advertisers if your produce great content through sponsorship etc.
Broadcasting
Under the broadcasting section you can go live. This is one of the simplest broadcasting interfaces I’ve ever seen. To Go live all you need to do is enter your show name, host name, and the topic for the broadcast. Of course you also need to make sure you have your microphone ready along with your tunes. The live page also lets you add mp3’s on the fly. This gives you the ability to add effects, voiceovers, songs, background music etc. The live page also shows you a “Mic read” box that shows you when you whether you voice is being heard. This proves to be very valuable if you’re having audio problems and are wondering if your voice is getting through to the listener.
Ubroadcast also gives you some talking points. This is a list of links that provides you with topics and ideas which you can utilize during your show. Talking points is a valuable resource if you’re looking for last minute content or are struggling to find ideas.
One of the great things about the Ubroadcast station manager is that it includes a station Email. This is a necessity if you want your audience to feel involved. The email refresh’s every 30 seconds, so you’ll have the latest comments opinions coming directly from your live listeners.
Station Options
There are multiple station options that if utilized correctly can attract more listeners to your show. First, is the station category. When you’re broadcasting you want listeners who are interested in the content that’s being published. Choosing the station category will assist you with that.
There is also the option to edit your station profile. There you can change your station name and show description. If you have a website, Ubroadcast allows you to promote it by imputing your link. Also, you can provide a station profile image which gives your station that extra spark of attractiveness. Other options that you can choose to edit in your profile include whether or not you want your station to be shown in their library, allowing fast forward, showing chapters etc. Another crucial part of your profile is choosing your broadcast type. The 4 types are High Definition(Best quality), High quality(Music broadcast quality), Broadcast Quality(Talk and Music), and Standard(Talk only). Make sure you choose your broadcast quality carefully.
Interactive Tools
Another great feature Ubroadcast offers is the ability to have a chat room and build surveys. These interactive tools, again, can prove to be very helpful if you’re wanting to include your audience within your broadcast.
The survey builder is also pretty amazing. By simply imputing a question and multiple answers you’ll have a survey up and running in no time. You can also save your surveys and edit how many answers you want to your question. Once again, a great audience tool.
So who’s hearing my show?
The people who’re listening to your show are people who have downloaded and installed the Ubroadcast player. They find your station by browsing through the station library or by jumping directly to your channel number. This is why it’s important to choose your station category carefully and making your information as accurate as possible.
Conclusion
The Ubroadcast station manager is a great start in becoming an on air personality or DJ. Use this software to practice and perfect your skills. Ubroadcast continues to grow and is more successful now more than ever since it’s acquisition by Diamond 1. With new features being released all the time and a growing community, Ubroadcast is perfect for you’re internet radio station.
If you have any questions about Ubroadcast feel free to send me an email or comment below. If you’re interested in creating your very own internet radio station try the links below:
I use ubroadcast and I love it cause it is free, great way to sell fixed rate ads and is becoming the new blog. Everyone is getting in to it now which of course has its pros and cons just like when known publications started blogging. I am looking at other Radio streaming networks and they are very difficult but for anyone wanting a free way to become a DJ and maybe make some money ubroadcast is a winner. Downfall is the download player in my view and that is why I am looking to spread out to other services so that I can embed a player to a website that will make it easier to listen to my station, so I can get listed into Itunes radio, and Make it easier for those to listen on the go through Ipods and smartphones from a browser. New cars with PC interface will now allow drivers to listen to my radio station, a sat or transitional station in the car. I will stay with ubroadcast while I search for other options with all the new updates embedding could be in the works.
[...] the player by clicking here. If you want to be your own radio DJ or broadcaster you can try out the Ubroadcast station manager. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email. I love [...]