Telos Alliance is shipping Voltair II, a new version of its radio watermark monitor and processor, with a compatibility restriction that stations should check before planning an installation: it works with a physical watermark encoder, not software-based PPM encoding inside an audio processor.
In a November 6 Radio World interview, Telos executive Marty Sacks said the unit costs $19,500 and is sold directly to U.S. stations.
The manufacturer’s documentation describes adaptive enhancement that varies processing with program material, integrated watermark analysis and a new Pascal pre-processing algorithm intended to improve spoken-word encoding. Processing records can be exported as CSV data.
Telos says the system aims to improve confidence that existing listening is measured. It does not increase actual listenership. RNN has not independently tested its performance or established a ratings benefit.
For engineers and programmers, evaluation should include the existing encoder arrangement, audible artifacts and a comparison using the station’s own speech and music. A clearer monitoring display is useful, but it should not be treated as proof of audience growth.
Related: Kensington’s new broadcast monitoring and remote tools.