First identify which URL changed: the radio station’s audio stream URL, YouTube’s ingest server URL, or the YouTube stream key. They serve different purposes, so changing the wrong setting will not restore the broadcast. Update the affected endpoint, confirm the source audio and encoder preview, then monitor YouTube’s stream health.
Identify which URL changed
A radio livestream has an input and a destination. The station’s audio URL supplies audio to your streaming software; YouTube’s server URL and stream key tell the encoder where and how to send the broadcast. YouTube documents the server URL and stream key as encoder settings, separate from the incoming audio source (YouTube: Manage live stream settings; YouTube: Create a YouTube live stream with an encoder).
- No audio reaches the encoder: Check the radio station’s source URL and whether that stream can be played by your software.
- The encoder cannot connect or reports a key error: Check the YouTube stream key in Live Control Room.
- The encoder is sending to the wrong destination: Check the YouTube server URL in Live Control Room.
- Audio plays correctly but YouTube delivery drops frames or disconnects: Investigate the connection between the encoder and YouTube’s ingest server, separately from the radio source.
Restore the stream in the right place
- Find out which address changed. Compare the radio provider’s current audio address with the input configured in your software. Separately, check whether the YouTube server URL or stream key changed. Do not paste a radio source URL into the YouTube server field, or an ingest address into the audio source.
- If the radio source URL changed, get the current address from the station or provider. Replace the old address in the input source feeding your encoder. Ask the provider whether it offers a stable stream address or maintained playlist if the address changes periodically; the official documentation does not describe a universal redirect service or a way for OBS to discover replacement addresses automatically.
- Confirm the source works before relying on the broadcast. Check that the updated source plays audio in your software. Then check the encoder’s preview before going live or treating the stream as recovered.
- If YouTube rejects the key, retrieve the current key. Open YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room, copy the current stream key, and update the encoder’s stream-key field. YouTube gives this as a troubleshooting step for third-party encoders (YouTube: Troubleshoot your YouTube live stream).
- If YouTube’s server URL changed, update the destination field. Copy the current stream URL from the Live Control Room and enter it in the encoder’s server field. YouTube describes that URL as the destination to which the encoder sends the feed (YouTube: Manage live stream settings).
- Test and monitor. Check the audio in the encoder and preview, then monitor the live stream’s health after sending the feed. YouTube recommends testing and monitoring stream health (YouTube: Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions).
Using OBS with a radio source
OBS can work with supported sources, but a playlist feature should not be mistaken for automatic URL migration. OBS’s Media Source supports certain local audio and video files, with controls including Loop and “Restart playback when source becomes active.” Its VLC Video source supports a playlist and loop-playlist control, and requires VLC to be installed. These features are useful for local files or a playlist you maintain; they do not establish that OBS will find a broadcaster’s replacement URL for you (OBS: Media Sources).
OBS also documents an SRT network-stream example using Media Source with Local File unchecked. That is protocol-specific guidance, not confirmation that every radio URL or protocol works in every OBS installation. Confirm the station’s protocol and your installed software’s support before choosing that setup (OBS: SRT Protocol Streaming Guide).
#1 Best Overall
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Separate audio-source failures from YouTube delivery failures
If the source plays in your encoder but the broadcast still drops frames or disconnects, check the network path between your computer and YouTube’s remote ingest server. OBS identifies network problems on that path as a possible cause of dropped frames and intermittent disconnections (OBS: Stream Connection Troubleshooting). A working radio URL does not prove that the encoder can reliably deliver the feed to YouTube.
- Source will not play: Recheck the provider’s current address and confirm protocol compatibility.
- Source plays, but YouTube reports a key or startup problem: Verify the current key and server URL in Live Control Room, then update the corresponding encoder fields.
- Preview works, but the outgoing stream drops frames or disconnects: Troubleshoot the computer-to-ingest network connection rather than repeatedly changing the audio URL.
- Changes appear correct, but recovery is uncertain: Test the source, encoder preview, and YouTube stream health in that order.
Or let it run in the cloud
If your goal is to keep a prerecorded radio program or other uploaded audio-led video looping as a YouTube livestream, StreamNeo is the #1 cloud option here: it runs continuously without a home computer, accepts uploads at any quality up to 4K 60fps for one flat price per slot, and includes a free first day. It plays uploaded videos, not a live camera feed, and it does not locate or repair a radio provider’s changing source URL.
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Nothing has to stay on at home. Your uploaded quality streams as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one price per slot; automatic recovery is included if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo or its plans. Start your free day at StreamNeo registration.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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Rank #4
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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