This article covers how to file newscasts to NPR One.
Local newscasts are given prominent placement in the app’s mix, and play near the top. Typical considerations for any of the recorded newscasts that air through automation as a recording on another station generally apply to NPR One newscasts. The newscasts are set to expire 4 hours after they’re ingested, so only the most immediate time references and weather are an issue. (There is also a global option of setting newscasts to expire after 2 or 6 hours in StationConnect.org.)
Newscasts must be no longer than 10 minutes long.
Technical specs
NPR One is set to accept only newscasts with these technical specs. The file must be named newscast.mp3.
Channels: 1 (Mono) or Stereo
Bitrate: 64 kbps Mono/ 128 Stereo
Sampling Rate: 44.1 khz
Normalization: File should have a loudness -20 LUFS
Extension: .mp3
With the loudness spec, LUFS require some extra work to measure. Cool Edit and Audition 3.0 don’t have the means baked in. Newer versions of Audition do, under Effects > Special > Loudness Radar Meter.
You can download and install a plugin for Audition 3.0 that will measure LUFS here.
NPR has a standalone tool for measuring loudness available here.
APRN wants audio with peaks between -3 db and -6 db, which in my experience falls short of the -20 LUFS that NPR One wants. Generally, when I’ve pushed my peaks to between -1 db and -3 db, it’s in the sweet spot for NPR One.
Pushing to NPR One
Connect to the NPR One FTP (see Jeremy or David Purdy for login credentials). In the newscast folder, overwrite the existing newscast.mp3. The system checks for new newscasts on a set schedule three times an hour, so there is some additional lag time before it will be served up in the app.