NETIA has announced that Saudi Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) has upgraded the NETIA Radio-Assist£ radio automation suite used by the  kingdom’s national audio archives.

SBC is a governmental entity of Saudi Arabia, organized under the Ministry of Culture and Information. NETIA provides radio automation, media asset, and workflow management solutions to major radio and television brands and to multimedia groups around the world.

SBC worked with NETIA’s area partner, First Gulf Company, to upgrade its existing systems to Radio-Assist 8.2 and to leverage the software to facilitate the smooth exchange of content between the national archives facility and SBC’s two flagship radio stations, Radio Riyadh and Radio Jeddah.

SBC began working with NETIA in 2008, and in 2012, the two companies deployed the NETIA radio automation suite at three additional regional sites: Jizan, Hail, and Tabuk.

“We have developed a strong relationship with NETIA and a familiarity with the  company’s automation software that give us confidence in using Radio-Assist to enable ongoing expansion of Saudi  Arabia’s digital media archives,” said Naim Saidi, CEO at First Gulf Company. “With this latest extension of NETIA software, we have improved the ease and speed with which various SBC sites can access and work with media. Convenient sharing of assets across these sites ultimately will enable SBC to be more efficient in preserving and repurposing unique media assets reflecting the kingdom’s rich heritage.”

“Through the evolution of its digital archives and the software supporting it, SBC is creating a valuable and readily available historical resource for the Kingdom of Saudi  Arabia,” said Mathieu Poussin, area sales manager, Middle East and Africa, at NETIA.