Tune in to this station for all college updates and unwind

HUBLI: If you walk into Global College of Business Management, IT & Commerce, don’t be surprised to hear a play-by-play booming in the halls of a sport being held elsewhere on the campus. The college now boasts of a campus radio based on Wi-Fi technology.
The campus radio, which was launched by Global Educare Foundation on Monday, is the brainchild of nine students of Bachelor of Computer Applications of the college.
It can be used to make announcements of college events as well as broadcast interviews with personalities and even film songs to help unwind. The facility can also be used to air instructions in all classrooms and running commentary of sports activities, debates and quizzes at the college.
Pavankumar B Haveli, a final-year BCA student who led the team of developers, explains that the campus radio differs widely from a typical radio station. “The campus radio has been developed using the latest Wi-Fi technology. A typical radio broadcast station requires a budget of several lakhs. But, here, we did with nearly nothing. We modified the scripts of the servers and made them capable of broadcasting flawlessly while being completely synchronized with the station.”
The radio technology was built with different modules. “Different factories employ various techniques to build their radios. So, the chips used are not always the same. The parts in our radio are an internet router, a codec for streaming data, an amplifier and speakers. The radio streams in data from the URL and plays it back through the speakers placed across the college. Most Wi-Fi radios need a portal support to stream,” says Haveli.
The team plans to air an hour-long programme daily and later venture into four to five hour-long shows. Two students will double as radio jockeys to run the show.
So, how does one access this radio station? Just connect your Wi-Fi-enabled device, say, a laptop, a mobile or a tablet to the internet server. The built-in menu will take you to the station in just a few steps.
Riyaz Basri, management representative, Global College of Computer Application, Hubli, says at present, the radio is accessible only in and around the campus of Global College of Business Management, IT & Commerce. “There are plans to air interviews of eminent personalities and guest lectures on the radio on a weekly basis. Later, we may look into providing information about water and power shutdown to the public.”
Basri hopes that the initiative will encourage other students to think out of the box as well.