Create and Design a Dynamic Visual Radio News Ticker

Integrating real-time data into your Visual Radio broadcast can bring context, relevance, and useful updates to your audience. We’ll walk through how to connect external XML feeds, like the BBC Technology RSS feed, into your Visual Radio visuals using the Data Source and Variables in Visual Radio Assist.

Step 1: Set Up the Feed as a Data Source

To start, we’ll create a Data Source for the BBC’s World feed. This feed uses the XML format and is accessible via the BBC’s standard feed URL structure.

Set Base URL and Endpoint

The full feed URL is structured as: https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/world/rss.xml

In the Visual Radio Cloud platform:

• Create a new Data Source in the Settings

• Set the Base URL to https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news

• Select RSS as the data format

• Specify the link, by using the endpoint /world/rss.xml

Choose Fetch Type: Cloud Proxied

Some feeds do not allow browser-direct requests, meaning the Cloud will need to fetch the data instead of your browser. Set the Fetch Type to Cloud Proxied to avoid fetch errors due to CORS (cross-origin request) restrictions.

✅ Tip: If you're unsure whether a feed allows direct browser access, test it. If it fails, switching to Cloud Proxied often resolves it.

Once configured, use the Test Request button to confirm the data is loading correctly. You’ll be able to inspect the structure of the data.

Link the Feed to a Variable

Once your feed is loading correctly, it’s time to connect it to a variable, which makes the data available inside the Visual Designer.

The easiest way to do this is by enabling the Auto-generate variable toggle. When you save the API Data Source, the system will automatically create a new variable with a descriptive name based on the feed.

This variable becomes accessible in all areas where visuals are built, whether for tickers, full-screen updates, or lower-thirds.

Working with Authenticated Feeds

If your feed requires credentials:

• Add an authorization token directly into the configuration

• Or set up custom headers and endpoint parameters for authenticated access

This gives you the flexibility to work with internal, paid, or restricted APIs beyond public feeds.

Step 2: Link the Data Source to a Visual

Now that your external feed is set up as a Data Source and linked to a Variable, you can display this information inside your Visual Radio visuals using the Visual Designer by using these steps:

1. Create a Text Layer and select the API Data Source Variable that is just created.

2. Open the Data Selector to browse the feed’s structure.

3. Choose the data field you’d like to display, for example title to display the news headline.

4. Open the Text Helper, copy the loop helper, and paste it into the text field. This will loop through all the feed items and their titles.

You might ask: How to add a news ticker to your Visual Radio? This can done by enabling the Ticker Effect on the bottom of the properties panel.

Step 3: Design your visual

Once your text is showing the correct data, it’s time to improve the look and layout of your visual. The Visual Designer in Visual Radio Assist gives you full control over how your data appears on screen, whether it’s a lower-third, full-screen visual, or part of a multi-layer layout.

You can also stack layers, add station logos, display timestamps, or include extra data like descriptions or publication time from the same feed.