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Use OBS Studio to combine the radio station’s audio with a rotating slideshow, then send the scene to a YouTube live stream. Before you start, confirm that you have permission to rebroadcast the station on YouTube and rights to every image you use: YouTube scans live streams for third-party content and may interrupt them.
Before you go live: confirm rights and source details
Identify the station’s actual stream URL and format, and check whether it can be used in your OBS setup. A URL that works in one player or environment may not work directly in another. Confirm separately that the station permits rebroadcast on YouTube and that your background images are yours, licensed for this use, or otherwise cleared.
Being able to listen to a station, owning a radio receiver, or having permission to rebroadcast somewhere else does not by itself establish YouTube rights. The relevant permissions can depend on the station, recording, territory, and agreements; verify them with the rights holders for your specific use.
Create the YouTube broadcast
- Open YouTube Studio and select Create → Go Live. Create or schedule a broadcast. YouTube’s encoder workflow uses the server URL and stream key shown in YouTube Studio. Keep the key private; anyone with access to it may be able to send a feed to your stream. YouTube’s live-streaming setup instructions describe connecting an encoder with these details.
- Decide how you will start the broadcast. For a scheduled broadcast configured for manual start, first connect from OBS and wait for the preview in Live Control Room, then click Go Live at the intended time.
Build the OBS scene
Add the radio audio
Add the station feed as an audio source that works with its stream format and your OBS environment. Check the OBS audio mixer while it plays: the source should be active, not muted, and not reaching the clipping range. If you play the station in a browser or another external player and capture desktop audio, check that you have not also added the same feed as a separate OBS source; capturing both can duplicate the audio.
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Add images that rotate
Add an image slideshow source, select the cleared images, and arrange or crop the source to fill the video canvas. Use the timing control in your OBS interface to set how long each image stays on screen, and choose a transition if available. The precise labels and timing options can vary by OBS version. Keep the slideshow in a fixed order if you want a predictable sequence; use shuffle only if you want the order randomized.
Another option is OBS’s VLC Video source, which can play a media list and offers loop and shuffle playlist options. It requires VLC to be installed; with 64-bit OBS, use the matching 64-bit VLC version. OBS describes VLC playlists as similar to its Image Slideshow source. See the OBS VLC Video Source guide for setup details.
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For a moving background, use an OBS Media Source with a compatible video file and enable its Loop property. Keep the station audio as a separate source so it can continue independently of the background clip.
Check the composition and audio
- Make sure the visual source fills the canvas without covering the station audio source or relevant overlays.
- Listen for clear, continuous audio and watch the mixer for clipping or unexpected silence.
- If you add a station logo, title, or other overlay, use only artwork you have permission to use.
Connect OBS and verify the preview
- In OBS, open the stream settings and enter the server URL and stream key provided in YouTube Studio. YouTube’s encoder setup guide covers this connection: YouTube live-streaming setup.
- Start streaming from OBS. In YouTube Live Control Room, wait for the incoming preview.
- Check that the preview shows the intended images and that the station audio is audible. If the broadcast is scheduled for manual start, click Go Live in Live Control Room when you are ready for viewers to see it.
- Before promoting the stream, let it run long enough to check image changes, audio continuity, and connection stability.
Plan for broadcast length and archiving
YouTube Help says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. That does not establish that one broadcast can run indefinitely as a 24/7 stream. For a continuous radio channel, plan how you will restart broadcasts and handle archives; the unattended multi-day limits are not established here. YouTube distinguishes a broadcast, which is a separate YouTube video, from a stream, which carries the audio-video feed and delivery settings. Its documentation also describes reusing an encoder stream for recurring broadcasts. Review YouTube’s live-streaming guidance before settling on an operating schedule.
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Copyright can interrupt a technically healthy stream
YouTube says, “All live streams are scanned for matches to third-party content, including copyrighted content in the form of another live broadcast.” If it detects a match, YouTube may replace the stream with a placeholder image, warn you, and interrupt or terminate the broadcast if the content remains. YouTube also says that even when you have a licence, the rights holder should add your channel to its Content ID allowlist; otherwise, a licensed stream may still be interrupted. Read YouTube’s copyright guidance for live streams and resolve permissions and allowlisting with the relevant rights holders before going live.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot common problems
The station URL does not play in OBS
The stream format and your environment determine whether a URL works directly. Confirm the station’s actual stream format and use an OBS source or supported playback method that can handle it. Do not assume every station URL is compatible without checking that specific feed.
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The preview has video but no radio audio
Check that the audio source is active in the OBS mixer, unmuted, and receiving a signal. If the feed is playing in an external player, confirm that the audio-capture method is capturing that player and that another source is not routing or muting it unexpectedly.
The audio is too loud, distorted, or doubled
Reduce the source level if the mixer shows clipping. If the station is audible twice, check whether both a direct OBS source and desktop audio are capturing the same playback.
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The slideshow does not rotate
Check that the slideshow contains multiple images and that its timing control is set as intended. If using VLC Video instead, confirm the playlist entries and enable Loop Playlist; enable Shuffle Playlist only for randomized order. VLC must be installed for the VLC source to be available.
YouTube’s preview is unstable or frames are dropping
OBS notes that rising dropped-frame counts can point to an unstable connection or a bitrate the connection cannot sustain. Check your connection and stream settings rather than assuming the images or radio feed are at fault. OBS’s Auto-Configuration Wizard is a starting point for basic settings, not a guarantee of stable service.
The broadcast is interrupted despite having a licence
Check YouTube’s notice and contact the relevant rights holder about Content ID allowlisting for your channel. A licence alone may not prevent an interruption if the channel has not been allowlisted.
Run it yourself or let it run in the cloud
OBS is free and open source, and YouTube supports streaming software as an encoder. The method above gives you control over the scene, but a local computer and connection must remain available while you operate the broadcast. For a YouTube stream made from uploaded recordings rather than a live radio feed, StreamNeo is a cloud alternative: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It loops uploaded videos; it does not take a live radio URL or stream from a camera.
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