Automation
6 posts on this topic
Rotation clocks: building an hour that sounds designed
A rotation clock is a template for an hour: which category plays in which slot, with what separation rules. It is the difference between a playlist and a format.
Read the postThe clock wheel: firing events at a fixed minute of every hour
News at the top of the hour, a station ID at :20, a sponsor bed at :45. The clock wheel is the oldest idea in radio automation and still the most useful.
Read the postSchedule confidence: finding the problems before they air
A missing file at 03:00 is a very different problem from a missing file at 15:00 the day before. A background scan turns the first into the second.
Read the postPreventing dead air: the four causes worth engineering against
Dead air almost always comes from one of four things. Each has a specific defence, and none of them is "be more careful".
Read the postBuilding a morning show that runs itself until the presenter arrives
A worked example: the 05:00 to 07:00 block, assembled the evening before, using rotation clocks, voice tracks, the clock wheel and cue stops.
Read the postYour automation should be able to explain itself
Scheduling software that cannot tell you why a track landed at 09:14 is asking you to trust it blindly. That is a bad deal for a programme director.
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