WRTI had the pleasure of hosting a live broadcast for BBC Radio 3’s Saturday Breakfast program here from Philadelphia to start the new year. BBC Radio 3 is currently on an American Roadtrip touring cities across the U.S.A. to help celebrate 250 years of American independence. As WRTI's Director of Operations and Production I had a front row seat, and my fingers on a good amount of board faders as I prepared and tended to technical needs.
BBC Radio 3 host Petroc Trelawny presented "Saturday Breakfast" live from the WRTI studios from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. EST, where the 5-hour time difference allowed the program to be aired live in London during their mid-morning slot. The broadcast's music originated from the BBC’s London studios, while we routed Petroc’s microphone live from our studio remotely over the internet back to London — allowing him to host the program in real time over the London airwaves.
The program explored the artists and places shaping Philadelphia’s vibrant classical music scene. For the last half-hour, BBC Radio 3 highlighted WRTI, with Melinda Whiting joining the broadcast to discuss the incredible classical music this city has to offer.
I asked Melinda about her experience from the host seat. "I was honored to be part of the broadcast," she said, "reconnecting with Petroc after many years and working with his gifted colleagues. The whole BBC crew was so impressive, absorbing the rich Philadelphia musical ecosystem quickly, and turning out in-depth reports literally overnight."
I agree that it was an absolute pleasure working with Petroc and the BBC producers, Hannah Thorne and Sam Hickling. During their time in Philadelphia, Hannah and Sam traveled around the city recording interviews with classical musicians and capturing live performances at the Curtis Institute of Music and the historic Wanamaker Building. They edited and produced this freshly recorded material on Friday for inclusion during the Saturday morning live broadcast, an impressive feat. Hearing those pieces woven seamlessly into the music programming and live talk breaks was a highlight from the broadcast.
Pulling off a live international broadcast with a station in London takes a significant amount of preparation on multiple fronts. In the weeks leading up to the show, our engineering team laid the groundwork and audio connections well in advance of the live broadcast to ensure the audio quality could make it across the Atlantic to listeners in the U.K. The broadcast went off without a hitch, and despite the early hours, we wrapped up the morning glad to have made not only new radio industry connections, but a few new friends as well.