The Funchal Broadcasting Station (PEF) was founded in 1948 and quickly became one of themain references for social communication in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. In 2025, itcelebrated 77 years of uninterrupted activity, consolidating its mission to report accurately, accompany social and cultural transformations, and give voice to Madeiran identity. Itshistory intersects with that of the region itself, reflecting profound political, technological, and social transformations over time. It recently modernized its technical infrastructure, boosting production and broadcastingcapacity with state-of-the-art equipment supplied by AEQ, a Spanish company specializing inbroadcasting solutions. The project involved the complete renovation of broadcastingstudios, recording islands for journalists, external reporting systems, and the technicalcenter, ensuring flexibility, redundancy, and integration with IP networks. Each studio was equipped with the AEQ Forum IP Split modular broadcast console, a systemdesigned for on-air and production applications, fully compatible with Dante/AES67. Thethree main studios received FR CORE frames, FR CTRL-CS control modules with 20programmable keys, FR CH-CS Forum IP Split 4-fader modules, as well as analog and digitalinput and output cards, FR14 AoIP modules, and VirtualForum and ForumScreen software forlocal and remote operation. Two recording islands equipped with Rode Rodecaster consoles and Dante ESI22C interfaceswere installed, allowing full integration with the audio-over-IP network of the broadcastingstation. Mobility and live connectivity were enhanced with AEQ Phoenix Alio and Mercury audiocodecs, both of which support multiple high-quality encoding algorithms and can beoperated both locally and remotely. In the technical center, AEQ provided high-capacity and connectivity solutions: the Netbox 32AD interface, with 32 input and output channels; the Venus 4 Dante audio codec, dualchannel with Dante/AES67 integration; and the Systel IP Basic multi-conference system, with12 lines expandable to 20, suitable for stations with a high volume of live calls. “This modernization puts the Funchal BroadcastingStation at the forefront of broadcasting technology, allowing us to offer our listeners higher quality andreliability. ” — Nuno Figueira, responsible for thetransition from analog to digital at the FunchalBroadcasting Station. “For AEQ, it is an honor to collaborate on thisrenovation project, offering IP solutions thatguarantee flexibility and integration with the mostmodern audio networks. ” — AEQ spokesperson. With these new facilities, the Funchal Broadcasting Station now has a highly flexible, IPbased, fully integrated broadcasting infrastructure. The combination of Forum IP Splitconsoles, Phoenix Alio, Mercury, and Venus 4 codecs, the Systel IP conferencing system, andthe Netbox 32 AD interface puts the station at the forefront of technology, ready to meet thedemands of content production and broadcasting in the 21st century.
02 October 2025
