From SOIVA Studio to FM Frequencies
Mökkiradio bringing diverse programming and music to the airwaves
Locally produced and made for local listeners, Mökkiradio aims to bring permanent residents and seasonal cottage dwellers together on the same radio frequency. Mökkiradio’s programmes and its diverse, time-of-day themed playlists are created using the SOIVA Studio system and broadcast on FM via Digita’s transmission network.
“As a part-time resident, I was invited about ten years ago to help come up with ideas to increase the attractiveness of Mäntyharju, Finland. That process led to the Luova Mökkitie portal, which connected locals and seasonal residents. Out of that need, Mökkiradio was born as well,” summarises executive producer Rikhard Matalalampi when describing the background of Mökkiradio. Luova Mökkitie was piloted in Mäntyharju in 2016–2017.
“The original idea was that local people and businesses would create the content. That worked well for a couple of years, and then COVID hit. In 2022 I felt it was time to revive Mökkiradio, so we applied for a temporary radio licence. During the winter seasons the station operates as an online radio, and in the summers we return to FM frequencies.”
Diverse music across genre boundaries
“With Mökkiradio, genuine local presence has been brought back into radio broadcasting,” says Matalalampi. Some of Mökkiradio’s programmes are produced in Helsinki, while around half of the content is created locally.
“Local events genuinely interest listeners. At the same time, local businesses usually don’t have the opportunity to advertise on large national channels. On Mökkiradio, for example, a small tyre company can reach exactly the right audience.”
What sets Mökkiradio apart from other stations, according to Matalalampi, is its music selection. Depending on the time of day, the playlists feature pop, soul, indie, hard rock, dance pop, and timeless classics.
“Using SOIVA’s automation, the DJ builds themed segments for different times of day, including lesser-known tracks from music history. Even from well-known artists, we also play those hidden gems that don’t usually get airtime.”
Playlists don’t need to be built manually. Each track added to the system is enriched with dozens of attributes, allowing the automation to select songs that match the desired theme.
Executive producer Rikhard Matalalampi in formal attire.
SOIVA Studio – designed for radio
“SOIVA Studio is brilliant in the way it allows us to combine different music genres and create new playlists on a very tight schedule. A great example of this flexibility was when Ozzy passed away – the very next weekend we played his music throughout the night.”
The themes certainly don’t stop with Ozzy. Mökkiradio’s hit programme, Laituritanssit – also known as a warm-up for traditional dance pavilion evenings – plays two to three hours of pure dance music every Saturday.
“It’s been a major success, attracting a lot of listeners both on the online stream and on FM.”
Matalalampi also points out that the SOIVA Studio music stream is technically very high quality. “Tracks always play at a consistent loudness and transitions are seamless. Some systems leave several seconds of silence between songs, but with SOIVA, consecutive tracks are perfectly in sync and transition smoothly.”
He continues by noting that producing programmes, for example from events, is fast and flexible. Mökkiradio does not currently broadcast fully live shows, but short interviews, mixing, and publishing a programme to SOIVA can be done in as little as fifteen minutes.
“In SOIVA Studio, programme scheduling was originally designed specifically for radio, which is why it works so well. Our advertising management tool, which is essential for us, is also extremely effective.” At Mökkiradio, SOIVA runs as a cloud-based, remotely controlled system, meaning there is no need for a costly physical radio studio or transmission lines.
When choosing a system, SOIVA Studio was an easy decision for Mökkiradio, Matalalampi says. “There simply isn’t another solution in radio that fits our needs as well. We didn’t even consider any alternatives.”
Mökkiradio.fi also serves as an online portal for municipalities and as an internet radio station.