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...from the outside

M

marianne

Guest
A Silicon Valley CEO asked me tonight what I thought the biggest problems were inside any given radio station. (Besides the obvious fear so many of us have about losing our jobs, lack of marketing, stifled creativity or finding new developing talent)

He was inquiring about software and the weaknesses of the current systems.
"how many systems does it take to run your station"... There's got to be a joke in there somewhere.

I said a significant problem was incompatible software between departments.
Either software on the traffic side that didn't work well with programming or software that isn't programming friendly.

For those of you working with on-air/prodcution/traffic software... Is anyone working with a system that covers all the bases?? I personally haven't been impressed with anything I've worked with so far....

anyone care to unload?
 
Software

Selector has always been an arcane piece of crap, but a necessary evil. It doesn't even run well on autopilot, as proven by a previous KFRC programming deadbeat who depended on jocks to fix the log every single day while he went golfing.

The trouble with trying to consolidate all radio departments into an efficient software suite is this: they don't want it. Such a system runs counter to the prevailing turf-protecting, backstabbing climate in most stations.

Traffic doesn't want somebody else to understand what they're doing. Sales doesn't want production to see what's coming up. And PDs want an air of mystery and alchemy to surround the so-called "magic of music selection."

Given all that, it would likely be impossible to design an integrated system for efficiency's sake. Radio stations work very much like Dilbert's comic-strip corporation: build an empire, protect your turf, defend it to the death, no matter how illogical or ill-conceived it is.


> For those of you working with on-air/prodcution/traffic
> software... Is anyone working with a system that covers all
> the bases?? I personally haven't been impressed with
> anything I've worked with so far....
 
Re: Software

> Selector has always been an arcane piece of crap, but a
> necessary evil.

Just had a "preview" of selector's new windows based program. After having used the "arcane piece of crap" the new version is quite refreshing. There are, however LOTS of bells and whistles to use. Something I always thought was not very useful. Fun? yes. But not a replacement for human ears and creativity. Anyone else have a thought?
> -BCH
 
Re: Software

RogerWilco,

Interesting assesment... Funny and true.

-RadioEnginerd

> Selector has always been an arcane piece of crap, but a
> necessary evil. It doesn't even run well on autopilot, as
> proven by a previous KFRC programming deadbeat who depended
> on jocks to fix the log every single day while he went
> golfing.
>
> The trouble with trying to consolidate all radio departments
> into an efficient software suite is this: they don't want
> it. Such a system runs counter to the prevailing
> turf-protecting, backstabbing climate in most stations.
>
> Traffic doesn't want somebody else to understand what
> they're doing. Sales doesn't want production to see what's
> coming up. And PDs want an air of mystery and alchemy to
> surround the so-called "magic of music selection."
>
> Given all that, it would likely be impossible to design an
> integrated system for efficiency's sake. Radio stations work
> very much like Dilbert's comic-strip corporation: build an
> empire, protect your turf, defend it to the death, no matter
> how illogical or ill-conceived it is.
>
>
> > For those of you working with on-air/prodcution/traffic
> > software... Is anyone working with a system that covers
> all
> > the bases?? I personally haven't been impressed with
> > anything I've worked with so far....
>
<P ID="signature">______________
If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything...</P>
 
Re: Software

> >http://www.bsiusa.com/

Thanks, I'll check bsi out. I'm not sure what the catalyst was recently for one of the big companies to drop RCS studio and switch to Audiovault... but I'm willing to bet saving money was involved. As a backend programming person, I'd say RCS is better for control of the product, but Audiovault is so damn easy to run in studio.

A new guy could probably easily develop software that integrates all the departments, updates account activity/inactivity - traffic logs - automation - music scheduling. Has it been done? If so, who's done it and why isn't every damn station on the planet using it? There were a lot of "glitches" in RCS studio (aka Dead air for no apparant reason). Prophet/NexGen and Audiovault are both easy to run, but the reconcilliation process is tedious and neither system schedules music.
 
BSI

I just ran through BSI's offerings. Are they not marketing properly or are there some problems with the software? Seems they've got the right idea.
The music scheduling system is pretty cool...and everything else you need is right there too.
 
Re: Software

> Prophet/NexGen and Audiovault are both
> easy to run, but the reconcilliation process is tedious and
> neither system schedules music.

Prophet has a separate music scheduler, called MusicGen, and that part of the system is free of charge.
<P ID="signature">______________


</P>
 
Re: Software

and Music Gen is a piece of poop. That's why it's free so far.
Of course, RCS's attempts at a Windows version of Selector has been a dog since 1995 when they first released it.
>
> Prophet has a separate music scheduler, called MusicGen, and
> that part of the system is free of charge.
>
> > Prophet/NexGen and Audiovault are both
> > easy to run, but the reconcilliation process is tedious
> and neither system schedules music.
 
Re: Software

> and Music Gen is a piece of poop. That's why it's free so
> far.

To each his own, opinion-wise, I suppose, although rather than your scatalogical statement above, I would have preferred that you communicate what you believe is wrong with it. IMO, this entire site is cluttered with people who make a statement like yours, without elaborating, which contributes little (if anything) to the discussion.

I don't have a problem with MusicGen, personally. I've spent enough time with it experimenting with its various options to be able to say I could likely set it up for any format, given a week or so to tweak it.

<P ID="signature">______________


</P>
 
Re: Software

I happen to like Selector XV. Been using it for almost a year now.

R

> Of course, RCS's attempts at a Windows version of Selector
> has been a dog since 1995 when they first released it.
 
pot calling kettle black?

Wasn't aware I owed any sort of elaborate dissertation. Just my .02 on it along with the other brief mussings.

BTW- please don't do the nose-in-the-air with the "cluttered with people who make statements like yours without elaborating blah blah blah", THEN all you offer is "I don't have a problem with MusicGen" and not elaborate why you DO like it.

Works both ways.

> and Music Gen is a piece of poop. That's why it's free so far.
>
> To each his own, opinion-wise, I suppose, although rather
> than your scatalogical statement above, I would have
> preferred that you communicate what you believe is wrong
> with it. IMO, this entire site is cluttered with people who
> make a statement like yours, without elaborating, which
> contributes little (if anything) to the discussion.
>
> I don't have a problem with MusicGen, personally. I've
> spent enough time with it experimenting with its various
> options to be able to say I could likely set it up for any
> format, given a week or so to tweak it.
>
 
Re: pot calling kettle black?

> BTW- please don't do the nose-in-the-air with the "cluttered
> with people who make statements like yours without
> elaborating blah blah blah", THEN all you offer is "I don't
> have a problem with MusicGen" and not elaborate why you DO
> like it.
>
> Works both ways.

My statement about being happy with its options is still more than you offered.

Nice try, though.
<P ID="signature">______________


</P>
 
my mistake

Oh yeah, "I'm happy with it's options" is leaps and bounds more detailed and involved than "I think it's a piece of poop". A huge difference.


> My statement about being happy with its options is still
> more than you offered.
 
sorry I asked

CAT-FIGHT!
meow....
I thought I was asking some relevant questions. It is obvious that there isn't a perfect software system out there. Sure, everyone gets used to whatever they're stuck with... MusicMaster, Selector, NexGen, ENCO blah blah... but if someone came up with the ultimate system and it was affordable and easy to use for everyone...WOULD YOU BUY IT?
 
Re: sorry I asked

> I thought I was asking some relevant questions. It is
> obvious that there isn't a perfect software system out
> there. Sure, everyone gets used to whatever they're stuck
> with... MusicMaster, Selector, NexGen, ENCO blah blah...
> but if someone came up with the ultimate system and it was
> affordable and easy to use for everyone...WOULD YOU BUY IT?

I think, from the meaningful portions of this discussion, that there isn't a way to define "the ultimate system" for all users. What one person would want to do in a certain way, another person would want a different methodology.

What I have noticed is that most people get used to a particular software system and then tend to believe anything else is potentially inferior. That creates a mindset in which one expects the new program to be worse.

For example, there are probably things I like about MusicGen that are also available in other scheduling systems. I like being able to set rules for specific music categories and have a set of default rules that apply if none of them have specific overrides in a category. I know how to do that in MusicGen, but I have no idea if that exists in other systems or how to do it in those other systems that might have it. It would be very tempting to presume other systems are inferior unless I had enough experience with the other systems to know whether or not they can do the same things, and whether easier or harder to do them.

Perhaps a better way to phrase what you are asking would be: What features would your ideal system have?
<P ID="signature">______________


</P>
 
Re: my mistake

> Oh yeah, "I'm happy with it's options" is leaps and bounds
> more detailed and involved than "I think it's a piece of
> poop". A huge difference.

Now I remember why you were banned under your old username, orlando. You just have to hammer away until you win, even when you have no case.

Interesting that you focus on those two statements (and misquote me by trying to make my statement simplistic). If you want to go back and read my posts, I said: I've spent enough time with it experimenting with its various options to be able to say I could likely set it up for any format, given a week or so to tweak it.

That is more said than in your statement, by any measure. <P ID="signature">______________


</P>
 
Re: my mistake

and you guys hammer away until you get the last word or pull out the "we'll ban you if you don't behave" card.

See- NONE of us is perfect.


> Now I remember why you were banned under your old username,
> orlando. You just have to hammer away until you win, even
> when you have no case.
 
and before you hit the BAN THIS GUY BUTTON

Content removed by moderator due to violation of Radio-Info rule #5.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by KMRichards on 06/12/05 09:55 PM.</FONT></P>
 
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