Pugwash Radio Station Knocked Off-Air in Montreal

An unusual failure at the server field in Montreal knocked Six Rivers Radio off the air for several hours earlier today.

The streaming server breakdown was discovered through the night, requiring equipment replacement that could not be completed until early this afternoon.

The local, online radio station uses FastCast, an international streaming service registered in Dubai with services in the Philippines and Poland, along with North American servers in Montreal and elsewhere.

Bill Martin, the station operator, says, “We chose the large company for its solid service record. In fact, today’s outage was the first in our nearly five years on the air.”

The online broadcaster has studios at the Hope Centre in Pugwash. Programs are sent live to Montreal where they are streamed to the world via the internet. Back-up systems include an “Auto DJ” in Montreal which kicks within two seconds of a break in the feed from Pugwash. That means the station continues to broadcast even in a power failure in Pugwash. The station is heard through a computer connection or mobile device, including a mobile app ideal for smart phones which keep people connected during severe weather or emergency situations.

Today’s disruption was a surprise. Once thought to have built in ‘redundancy’—a technical term to mean so much back-up to be unnecessary or overkill—we now see that if something can happen, it will.

Six Rivers Radio is owned and operated by Six Rivers Hope Centre Ministries, a Nova Scotia registered not-for-profit society. The station is back on the air and apologizes for the interruption. Click HERE to listen, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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