981KZE’s SignalRiot is a live concert broadcast project built around a pretty simple idea: independent radio should still be willing to do things that are difficult. Originally known as Radio Mazzstock and now based at the 981KZE studios in Red Hook, New York, SignalRiot combines broadcast engineering, custom-built mobile production systems, satellite and IP transmission, and high-definition digital audio to put live concerts on the radio in real time. The technology behind it is serious, but the mission is even simpler. Take the same kind of tools traditionally used by major broadcast networks and put them to work for independent artists, local festivals, small venues and the communities that support them. At the center of the project is the KZE Rolling Radio Kamper, a mobile broadcast and recording vehicle designed and engineered in-house. SignalRiot can roll into a club, theater, festival field, barn or just about anywhere somebody can build a stage, capture the performance and atmosphere of the show, and send it back to 98.1 KZE for listeners across the region. For the artist, it means the performance can reach well beyond the people standing in front of the stage. For the listener who couldn’t make the show, it means they can still be part of the moment. For KZE, it is another way to make radio feel immediate, unpredictable and connected to the community around it. SignalRiot grew out of the belief that imagination and engineering can often accomplish more than a giant budget. Independent media still matters. Local and regional music still matters. And radio is at its best when it is doing more than feeding another song into an algorithm. Sometimes you should be able to turn on the radio and hear something happening right now. That’s SignalRiot