Keeping a Radio Station on the Air: Rebuilding KCMM 99.1’s Network
At a glance
Client: KCMM 99.1 The One, Belgrade, Montana
Type: Broadcast radio, studio and transmitter site
Services: full network replacement, studio-to-transmitter connectivity, structured cabling, on-air automation computer setup, managed support, Microsoft 365 migration
Scale: Two sites, a studio and a transmitter site, linked over an encrypted connection
Platforms: Alta Labs cloud-managed networking, Microsoft 365
The constraint
A radio station can’t go dark. KCMM was facing a hard deadline to cut over to a new on-air automation system, an internet connection that wasn’t dependable, and equipment no one on staff could log into. Partway through the project, the station’s IT person also moved on, so they needed a partner who could take the whole picture and run with it.
Phase 1: Getting the keys back
Before replacing anything, we had to get in. We regained administrative access to every device, mapped how the studio and transmitter site actually connected, and documented all of it. That map became the cutover plan: what gets replaced, in what order, and how the station stays on the air while it happens.
Phase 2: A new network, end to end
Then we replaced it, top to bottom. New managed switching and a new gateway went in at the studio, and a second managed gateway went in at the transmitter site, all on a cloud-managed platform registered to the station, not to us. We put the station’s own firewall in charge of the internet connection, then built an encrypted site-to-site link that carries the audio path between the studio and the transmitter. Both sites are monitored around the clock, and alerts come straight to us.
Phase 3: A real backbone
The studio got a new Cat6 cabling backbone, and every device on the network was assigned a static address and brought online in an orderly, documented way. That is what turns the next problem into a five-minute fix instead of a guessing game.
Phase 4: The automation cutover
With the network stable, the station could switch automation systems. We built the new on-air computer to the automation vendor’s spec, with dedicated media storage, a second audio output, and secure remote access for the vendor’s team, then verified that every production and automation machine could reliably reach it. That let the station’s staff focus on learning the new workflow instead of fighting the technology.
Phase 5: Clearing the long tail
Once the foundation was solid, we cleared the smaller problems that quietly eat a team’s day: printer issues that had been costing staff time, and a migration of the station’s email to Microsoft 365.
What’s in place now
Managed, cloud-monitored gateways at the studio and the transmitter site
Managed switching at the studio
Encrypted site-to-site link carrying the studio-to-transmitter audio path
Station-owned admin accounts and full network documentation
New Cat6 backbone with a static address for every device
New on-air automation computer, built to the vendor’s spec
Email on Microsoft 365
Around-the-clock monitoring with alerts routed to Big Sky Wired
The result
KCMM now runs on an entirely new, documented network the station owns and controls, with the studio and transmitter site connected and a local team on call whenever they need us.
“The KCMM studio was in desperate need of updated equipment and with a deadline fast approaching to implement a new automation system, we panicked when our IT guy suddenly quit. Angas and his team came to the rescue, not only helping us with the new automation, but when we got knocked off the air for various reasons, they responded immediately helping us get back on the air. To say the team at Big Sky Wired went above and beyond is an understatement! We simply can’t praise them enough.”
Kathy Hart Achenbach, KCMM 99.1 The One
Running an operation that can’t afford downtime?
Broadcast, production, multi-site, or anything else where “the internet is down” means the business stops: let’s talk about your network.
