RADIO

Radio stations may be switching from vinyl and compact disks to computer hard disks. “It’s the best-sounding equipment you can buy anywhere,” said Paul Donahue, vice president of engineering for KIIS-FM and Gannett Broadcasting, of the new “tapeless studio” Synclavier system that his radio station began using in March. The new $450,000 digital system, developed by New England Digital in Vermont, allows music, commercial jingles, and production effects to be integrated and stored on a hard disk. KIIS-FM’s commercial and promotional production has increased 25%-30%, Donahue said, and the Gannett station in Chicago may soon add the hardware, too. “What we’re doing here is going to change the whole way broadcasting is done. In order to deliver the highest-quality sound, we can’t get by with anything less.”