A specially commissioned project from BBC Scotland, which saw Dabster Productions build, service and manage a radio studio in the East End of Glasgow for Radio Scotland’s community pop up station, Commonwealth Voices.

The world’s eyes turned to Glasgow for ten intensive days of sporting action in 2014, and whilst the host broadcasters, international film crews, local media and an army of independent reporters focused on the track and field, BBC Scotland took the time to celebrate the people of Glasgow, integrating them with the glamour and action and recognising the stories of the Games’ host.

BBC Commonwealth Voices was a pop up radio station, situated in the middle of the East of Glasgow and surrounded by newly built and repurposed venues for the Commonwealth Games. The remit of the station was to broadcast the true nature of Glasgow to the Commonwealth countries, connecting communities thousands of miles apart through topics and stories found across the world. Charities, clubs, foundations and individuals who make a difference in society were the cornerstone of each broadcast, which was live online and repeated on BBC Radio Scotland FM throughout the night.

Dabster Productions were commissioned to provide all technical capabilities for the project. In just four weeks the team designed, procured and built a broadcast standard twin studio radio station (in the old pick and mix stand in the Forge Shopping Centre). From a simple list of requirements provided by the programming team, an on-air studio, voice studio and production department were constructed with full connectivity and alternative action plans that overdid the BBC’s requirements.

The studio was managed by Dabster as well, so whether a thirty piece choir or a man with a games console arrived for a performance, the BBC’s programming team knew that there would be the equipment and expertise needed to get them to air.

The project was deemed a great success by BBC Scotland, with strong community engagement and excellent on air content and over two hundred hours of broadcasting serviced by Dabster.