Radio TechCon 2026 – Sessions
Radio TechCon 2026 takes place on Monday, 23rd November 2026 at IET London: Savoy Place.
0900-1000 Enjoy a welcome coffee and breakfast (sponsored by IPE) in the Maxwell Library and visit our sponsors in the Exhibition zone. The Welcome Table will also be available if you would like to be introduced to some new contacts.
10:00 Welcome to Radio TechCon 2026
Our host, David Lloyd, welcomes you to the Turing Theatre and explains what to do if he catches fire.
Host: David Lloyd
Photo credit: Rupert Brun
10:05 STV’s New Studios
The technical story of how STV built a brand new radio station for Scotland, and what television engineers can learn from radio (and vice-versa).
Got a new project in the works? Been asked to do something in an area outside your usual comfort zone? This session is for you!
Speaker: Sam Dornan
10:30 Do You Get Me?
Dialogue intelligibility remains the top complaint in broadcast audio — and it’s getting worse.
A recent Xperi survey reports that 84% of consumers have difficulty understanding dialogue in TV shows and films. Surprisingly, this issue extends well beyond those with hearing impairments and is affecting general audiences at scale.
With the latest research from the University of Salford, this session will help you prevent your listeners from switching off!
Speaker: Will Curry
10:55 TAMS in 10
A whistle-stop tour of the Time Addressable Media Store (TAMS) in ten minutes!
The TAMS specification aims to give vendors and broadcasters a common interface to coalesce around when it comes to writing and reading media, allowing for easy systems integration.
In this session, BBC R&D expert, Georgina Shippey, will explain why TAMS is important for the future, the principles of strong identity and timing and how TAMS allows for advanced media modelling alongside a sneak peek into how BBC is putting TAMS into its Media Supply Chain today.
Standards explained in …600 seconds.
Speaker: Georgina Shippey
11:15-11:45 – Coffee Break – Head to the Maxwell Library for a caffeine boost and enjoy our mini trade fair.
11:45 Mini Masterclass: It’s About Time
From PTP to synching, GPS and beyond – why time is so crucial for broadcast technology – and why it’s so hard to get right!
A reliable, accurate source of time is critical to broadcast and almost every other industry.
Without a time reference, a DAB single frequency network doesn’t work, content might be completely inaccessible due to rights management being date dependent, security certificates also expire, making entire sites inaccessible if the date is wrong.
Our speakers from the National Physical Laboratory and the BBC will explain how you can create a resilient source of time reference for your systems.
This session will take your from beginner basics to Time-Lord mastery …in a matter of minutes!
Speakers: Hild Watts and Mike Ellis.
12:15 Virtualising Swedish Transmission
Bauer Media Sweden has been upgrading its transmission infrastructure. Broadcast project experts will explain the pros, cons and lessons learned from moving their transmission to the cloud with tips if you are planning a project of your own.
Speaker: Teemu S. Korhonen
12:35 Putting the SOM into Context
The Story Object Model (SOM) was a stand-out hit at IBC – but what is this new open standard for context, and how can it help with your workflows and software integrations?
Tessa Kaday was part of the project and can explain all. A must-see for manufacturers and broadcasters alike!
Speaker: Tessa Kaday
13:00-14:00 Lunch – Take a break, chat to other delegates and meet our sponsors. There’s more than one food point in the Maxwell Library, so don’t go hungry!
14:00 Mini Masterclass: The Cloud
‘The Cloud’ is a term that has been used for years – but what exactly is it? How are broadcasters using it? What are the opportunities? And more importantly – how do you protect your content from threats?
Mini-Masterclasses are our opportunity to revise a big industry topic. We go from beginner to expert bluffers in half an hour, with assistance from experts from around the world.
In this session, we’ll start with an explanation of the basics, then look at how broadcasters are using the cloud and its pros and cons in different scenarios.
Once everyone in the room is up-to-speed, we’ll then go in-depth with the latest thinking on how to protect your content, as well as why you need to consider who is actually in control of your data.
This session features experts from Broadcast Radio, Amazon Web Services and the EBU.
Speakers: Jamie Woods, James Thompson, Malte Blumberg
Photo credit: Ann Charles
14:35 ADM: Audio Definitely Matters
The Audio Definition model allows you to define metadata for object-based media and beyond – but what actually is it? How does it work? And how can you use it in your next audio or video project?
Speakers: Alan Archer-Boyd and Dave Marston
14:55 Unwatched, Unpatched and On Your Network
We know how to secure the computers we recognise as computers. We patch the servers and watch them. The embedded devices that run a power site or a broadcast site are computers too, and they get none of that. Often you don’t know what operating system one runs, or how out of date it is. If one’s compromised, it won’t tell you.
In this session, an ethical hacker will demonstrate how easy it can be to gain access to your transmission sites, broadcast networks and content, and what you can do TODAY to secure your network.
Speaker: Andrew Tierney
15:15 – 15:45 Engineers’ Tea Time – enjoy a cuppa and some cake, thanks to our official Sponsor Of Cake, RCS. This is your last chance to view the exhibition area.
15:45 Radio Christmas
Radio Christmas is an annual project which links community stations in the UK and Guatemala. Find out how to run international operations on a shoestring budget.
Speakers: Kai Randles and Oli O’Neill.
Photo credit: Radio Christmas
16:00 Livewire: Time to Listen Again
Livewire is a student radio station in Norwich. They had a problem: No one was able to listen to shows on demand.
In what is one of the first practical applications of TAMS in the UK, hear how students turned a tech spec into a functional web service, and how you can do the same.
Speaker: Hannah Anthony
16:15 Refitting the Radio Theatre
The BBC Radio Theatre was built in 1932 as the Concert Hall, and was last refurbished in 2008.
Since then, live production methods have changed dramatically.
Join Jamie Laundon to learn about how the legacy audio systems were upgraded in 2026 using networked audio, MADI.
Speaker: Jamie Laundon
16:40 There’ll Be A Quiz At The End!
Stephanie Hirst returns to host our interactive end-of-TechCon quiz.
She’ll be looking to see who was really paying attention, and awarding prizes to the winners!
Photo credit: Vincent Lo
Quiz Host: Stephanie Hirst
17:15 onwards – Evening reception – Once the main Radio TechCon sessions end, head back to the Maxwell Library for a post-TechCon drink and some nibbles, sponsored by LAWO.
What else can I see and do?
As well as giving you access to all our sessions, your ticket includes:
- Access to the exclusive exhibition area, where you can meet our sponsors and try new equipment hands-on.
- A chance to meet our amazing speakers.
- Arrival coffee and breakfast, tea and coffee breaks, a lovely lunch and official Radio TechCon cake in the afternoon.
- Live text-based translation of sessions into foreign languages (and English), as part of a trial with the EBU to support international and/or hard-of-hearing guests (experimental).
- A post event drink / networking session.
- The chance to meet friends old and new, as well as learn new things to help you in your work.
- Attending Radio TechCon also means you can receive 8 hours of official CPD accreditation from the IET.
We look forward to seeing you on Monday, 23rd November 2026 at IET London: Savoy Place.
The day starts with arrival coffees and access to the exhibition area from 0900, conference sessions begin at 1000 and end at 1715 approx – although delegates are encourage to stay on for a drink or two afterwards.
If you have any questions not covered by our FAQ, please get in touch with the team.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Radio TechCon reserves the right to amend the programme if necessary.
