This week we were joined by Brian Radka, Aquira Product Manager, to preview some of the new, exciting Aquira features that are included in Aquira 3.21.2, due out shortly. Brian discussed Google Ad Manager DFP, impression based campaigns, Aquira Service Heartbeat, Triton integration and Aquira’s cloud solutions, just to highlight a few new enhancements. We also reviewed some of Brian’s favorite Spotlines tips and tricks.

New in Aquira 3.21.2, we’re expanding on impressions with Google Ad Manager. Just as radio is evolving, commercial traffic is evolving as well. Traffic Directors now need to focus their attention to web impressions like CPC and CPM, while maintaining their radio contracts and proposals. Utilizing the same Aquira software from your desk, you can now work with both.

Speaking of impressions, Aquira will soon be able to track impressions from podcasting and streaming campaigns with the new Triton integration tool. In addition, right around Aquira 3.21.2’s general release, we’ll also be unveiling exciting Aquira cloud functionality. Don’t worry, as we get closer to its release, we’ll have a full RCS Live dedicated to both Triton integration and Aquira cloud solutions.

Finally, Brian demonstrated some of his favorite Spotlines tips and tricks. Rather than manually edit the date or perhaps you clicked too far into the future, and you don’t want to spend tedious clicks to return to another date, why not use a keyboard shortcut? That’s right, Traffic Directors can use a single character and corresponding number to automatically choose a date. If you’re working within months, then type “m” and the desired numbered month. For example, if you type “m1,” then Aquira will automatically open January 2022. If you type “m8,” then it will highlight August 2022. The same applies for week scheduling, utilizing “w,” for week, and a number. For example, “w15” will display March 21, 2022. While working within the cells below, work smarter with keyboard shortcuts. Control + Left Click to highlight multiple single cells or Control + Shift for a grouping of cells. And regarding that new green highlighted button on the bottom right of the screen? Aquira 3.21.2 now includes a Service Heartbeat to the Aquira server so that users can instantly see their connection status. Green is good and red means that you’ve lost connectivity to the Aquira server and it’s probably a good time to call RCS Support.

If you’re looking to get your hands on the latest and greatest RCS technology, become a Beta user! Aquira 3.21.2 Beta is out now, as well as Zetta 5.21.2 and GSelector 5.0. Be the first to become acquainted with these features! Did you also know that RCS is hiring? We have multiple rare openings that you can learn more about here: https://www.rcsworks.com/company/careers-at-rcs/ . Otherwise, we’ll chat with you next Thursday at 11am ET for another RCS Live.

Live, in person radio conferences are back! That’s right, RCS is hitting the road once again and this week we were joined by SVP of Marketing Diana Stokey to discuss all the great events we’ll attending this year. If you want to check out the latest RCS features, ask specific questions that relate to your station or simply want to get your hands on and play with our software without fear of your General Manager calling you in a panic because you played with one too many settings, just stop by one of our RCS booths and we’ll be more than happy to answer your questions!

Here’s a partial list of the current 2022 RCS events, with more to announce shortly!

March 21 – 25: UK Radio Festival / https://radiodramafestival.org.uk/by-year/festival-2021/

April 20 – 21: All Access Audio Summit (Virtual) / https://allaccessaudiosummit.com/

April 23 – 27: NAB 2022: Booth #W5222: / https://nabshow.com/2022/

May 15 – 17: Radiodays Europe / https://www.radiodayseurope.com/

June 1 – 3: Momentum 2022 / https://cmbonline.org/momentum2022/

June 8 – 9: WAB / https://www.wab.ca/registration

June 8 – 10: Broadcast Asia / https://www.connectechasia.com/broadcast-asia/

If you can’t make it out to one of these events, we’re also finding ways to connect with you through virtual events and webinars. Don’t forget to join RCS CEO Philippe Generali on March 17^th for the free Radio World Webinar: Running Radio Today. Sign up here

RCS is hiring! We have multiple rare openings that you can learn more about here. Since we’re weeks away from the official releases of Zetta 5.21.2 and GSelector 5.0, we’re always looking for Beta users. Don’t forget to join us every Thursday at 11am ET as we continue our RCS Live series on Facebook, Twitch, YouTube and Twitter.

This week we were joined by Brian Willard, Field Technician Services Manager, and Jeff Zigler, Senior Sales Engineer, to discuss and offer real life examples of how our users are implementing Zetta’s ZCast and Site Replication. These are internal RCS services, not third-party applications, that help connect markets and radio stations so that administrators can share audio, schedules, metadata, voice tracks and more. We’ve discovered that once programmers understand how these services work, they apply them to modern workflows, maximizing their staff and efficiency. During this RCS Live, we broke down ZCast and Site Replication, where to configure them, and specific examples you can introduce today.

What are the differences between ZCast and Site Replication? To keep things simple, think of Z-Cast as a “YOU need this,” be it audio, schedules, metadata, or voice tracks. It can be a manual or automatic workflow in which users can highlight specific elements and then deliver them to pre-defined destinations. Pending on what content needs to be sent, we have a mix of programmers who automatically send newly created station specific elements or only when another market requests that piece of audio. Meanwhile, Site Replication acts as a “WE” activity, sharing 100% of the Zetta environment. Although engineers can isolate certain elements and station groups, the concept is that a Zetta user can sit down at a workstation and see all their work, no matter the studio. With Site Replication, despite having multiple stations across multiple markets, Zetta treats them all as one shared site, again, sharing audio, schedules, user profiles, etc…

Some important configuration settings to note, administrators can setup ZCast connections via Configuration | ZCast Configurations. If you want to monitor current or completed ZCast connections, there’s a display window found under Tools | ZCast Transfers. Aside from automatic ZCast transfers, users can manually distribute assets via the ZCast icon, found throughout Zetta, but most notably within the Library row of icons. Site Replication can be setup via Configuration | Site Replication Manager. It’s also important to note that Site Replication is not only an automatic function, but it’s also how RCS Cloud can continue to forward site changes and replicate them in the cloud. It’s very common for stations to have multiple Site Replication profiles, one for a local and another for RCS Cloud Disaster Recovery.

Now, let’s review some real-life examples that our stations are employing. Let’s say that you have two markets with HD2 stations that require some local programming, however, due to the audience size of HD stations, companies may not want to burden Program Directors with tedious, repetitive tasks for a small payoff. Utilizing GSelector’s S3, Scheduling Subscription Service, programmers can curate a single master music log and then deliver that log to another market, while maintaining local clock structure, imaging and commercial spot blocks. You can learn more about GSelector’s S3 here: https://www.rcsworks.com/qa-in-the-time-of-remote-workflows-gselector-s3-scheduling/ . Programmers can ZCast all of the audio for the new HD format across to another Zetta site, then receive the S3 log and add their own commercials and voice track local content. In this example, administrators are maximizing their live and local content without sacrificing their staff’s time.

If you have two sites that are close in proximity, but are missing multiple voices, we have some stations that will assign commercials in Market A and then ZCast to Market B to achieve a voice rotation throughout their commercial logs. Or perhaps there’s a format center with format captains who are adding audio in one central location that is then ZCasted to all Subscribers.

In regard to Site Replication, look no further than SiriusXM, in which employees can sit at any studio, no matter the location or state, and continue to work as if they never left their original studio. We have some clients that even cross countries to replicate their user profiles and share audio or schedules. Mirror hybrid locations so that three markets, who are all within a close geographical area, operate as one single entity. Aside from RCS Cloud Disaster Recovery, there’s also examples of users implementing Site Replication for redundancy. Or, if there’s a site with insufficient Internet or network activity, then they can relay their Zetta environment to a commercial data center for better bandwidth to deliver their content to their larger programming network.

As you can see, once users understand the basics of what and how Zetta’s ZCast and Site Replication can connect stations, there’s unique configurations that companies can implement. Since Brian and his team have seen and built it all, if there’s a design that you’re looking to build, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local RCS contact and we can help outline your vision using ZCast or Site Replication.

Did you know that RCS is hiring? That’s right, we have multiple open positions that you can learn more about here: https://www.rcsworks.com/company/careers-at-rcs/ . If you’re looking to get your hands on the latest and greatest features, RCS is always looking for Beta users. We’re weeks away from the official releases of Zetta 5.21.2 and GSelector 5.0. We’re also back on the road! We’ll be at NAB this year and cannot wait to answer your questions, live in person. So, if you’re planning on visiting NAB 2022, don’t hesitate to reach out or stop by our RCS booth: W5222. Otherwise, we’ll see you again next and every Thursday at 11am ET for our weekly RCS Live.

RCS expanded remote features throughout our products, focusing on the user experience and automating everyday tasks. With Zetta automation, we listened to our clients’ requests and quickly introduced a completely revamped Zetta2GO Voice Tracker, equipped with Zetta tools, like volume points, trim in, trim out and more. Combine that with multiple Zetta themes, modernized under-the-hood performance improvements for scalability, innovation with the introduction of Virtual Events (identifying multiple assets within a single longform file), redesigned Hot Keys and more, we’ve equipped our clients with a vast array of radio tools and resources.

In addition to our new user friendly Zetta2GO features, like expanded drag and drop, keyboard navigation with Windows shortcut functionality, and F1 dynamic help, our remote capabilities have expanded to the cloud with RCS Cloud. Unlike other automation systems that require multiple external pieces of software, RCS Cloud is a true disaster recovery cloud solution, written for and on Amazon Web Services, following best practices and securities. RCS Cloud disaster recovery can not only back up your audio, logs, metadata, and SQL backups, securely with Zetta’s built in Site Replication service, but we’ve also incorporated business friendly workflows. For example, if you have a remote talent without VPN access, then utilize RCS Cloud’s empty voice track positions, already built into your everyday clock, to voice track using RCS Cloud’s two-factor authentication to forward their voice tracks to your local Zetta system.

Newly released, GSelector 5.0 features a subtle thematic facelift with the addition of new themes, scalable icons, and more importantly, a user customized Song/Link Window, allowing users to organize and hide or display metadata based on multiple layouts. Programmers can already view and schedule their time granularity by hours and minutes, but now, with GSelector’s Flex Clocks, users can build their clocks and grids down to the minute or a single clock up to 24 hours a day, allowing for endless programming opportunities to save time and efficiently. Don’t forget about Selector2GO, which allows users to continue to add or edit elements, adjust clocks, schedule and massage logs, and analyze their spins. When integrated with Zetta’s live logs, a user can make a change anywhere that’s instantly reflected in each corresponding piece of RCS software.

Not only does GSelector share live logs with Zetta, but Aquira, a powerful CRM, sales, and traffic solution, also features true integration of commercial logs and media straight from Aquira to Zetta. Traffic Directors can adjust their live commercial log or add live copy from Aquira and it will be instantly available for talent to read on air. From CRM, media, to traffic and billing, Aquira ties together multiple workflows in an interactive Work in Progress interface. Maximize your sales team with Forecaster, Meeting Planners for traditional media and shortly, cloud native third-party integration for non-linear media. Aquira also features remote solutions with Aquira2GO and direct cloud native integration with Triton. With Aquira’s Cloud Native APIs, we’re bridging the divide between linear and non-linear workflow. “

RCS News continues to offer a state-of-the-art centralized location for reporters to monitor unlimited RSS news feeds and email accounts, customize their alerts for breaking news, define sub-categories, and create and edit rundowns or audio. When they’re ready for broadcast, export your stories to a social media feed, website or RCS automation system. Then continue to incorporate photos and videos into your rundowns while presenting the story on-air with Zetta’s bi-directional integration.

Stream your content anywhere with Revma’s content delivery network, containing a robust infrastructure with a wide range of features. Aside from VAST integration with prerolls, midrolls, and companion ads, users can implement scalable primary and secondary automatic failover switches and enable stream status alerts. Combine that with Revma’s detailed listener, track and ad analytics, administrators can quickly highlight and export streaming numbers, including geographic locations, smart speaker device statistics, and more.  With its flexible customizable outputs with various bit rate options, Revma can truly cater to any streaming design.

From modern automation with Zetta, better music and traffic logs with GSelector and Aquira, to our companion live remote 2GO products and futuristic RCS Cloud workflows combined with Revma’s streaming, RCS is your radio integration solution.

You’re still relying on old school music scheduling. How do you compensate for quarter hour rotations or separate multi-attribute segue bans like, “Don’t schedule Tempo 1 into Mood 1?” Can you copy clocks, Priority Lists, songs, metadata and more across stations? No? With our RCS Academy incentives and limited time only free upgrades, now is the time to finally make that switch and upgrade to GSelector and its modern scheduling workflows.

Aside from GSelector’s sleek new interface, with customizable themes, coloring and more, GSelector is evolving with 2022 programming requirements and operating systems. As an enterprise solution, all your market stations can reside in a single database, making it easier to toggle between stations, returning to where you left off when you reopen the original station. There are even options to directly connect to other markets and either review stations or make live, real-time adjustments. Remember, GSelector is goal and rule-based scheduling. Not relying on tie breakers, we incorporate score-based scheduling into your everyday vocabulary and start to schedule your music based on the “best scoring element,” not the old school “next element.”

Plus, GSelector is filled with countless scheduling features to cater to your programming philosophy. With its Multi-Attribute Timed Segue Bans, users can define a transition based on two different attributes, like banning a Tempo 1 playing into Mood 1. Or, a more modern execution, tap into Media Monitors or Mediabase research integration, define a research attribute and then schedule the best transition. Users can even assign multiple Priorities Lists across different categories or a single set of goals and rules that apply to all songs. Then, share that Priority List across all the stations within the database.

“But I’m so used to Selector and I’m worried about making the switch.” Don’t forget that we have a dedicated onboarding team to assist you. We’ll convert all your metadata, schedules, clocks and more, into GSelector and then train your team so that they’re comfortable with GSelector. Plus, we operate on your schedule and situation. And right now, with RCS Academy incentives, we can even help offer additional resources to bring your team up to speed quicker, with a deeper understanding of GSelector operations. GSelector is even equipped with an F12 Navigation feature for Selector users who need a refresher on everyday workflows. Current advanced programmers customize this Navigation setting so it performs as a quick go-to shortcut. To customize the navigator, simply go to Tools | Navigation and either Templates or Settings.

Between all the features and scheduling techniques, we ran out of time to expand on Selector2GO, the remote companion piece to GSelector that is included for free with your GSelector contract. With a VPN, continue to add or edit songs, adjust clocks, schedule and massage a log, and even export your log remotely from any device that has access to an Internet browser. Don’t forget, once paired with Zetta radio automation, GSelector and Zetta essentially share a live, integrated database. When you make a change in one area, it’s automatically replicated in the other. Adding a song becomes a single, one-time task. And with Global Attributes, programmers can add a song once and copy it across similar formats. If a user drops a song in Zetta, then GSelector will immediately reconcile that element, resetting the score for a future position. That’s especially important in regard to ASCAP, BMI or Sound Exchange reporting. Since both schedules are automatically linked, you know your exporting the correct information.

Now is the time to make the switch to GSelector. Maximize your staff and operations with modern connectivity and workflows, while introducing new unique scheduling techniques that caters to all formats. We’re currently offering limited time upgrades to GSelector from Selector, in addition to RCS Academy incentives. Reach out to find out more! While you’re at it, don’t forget to ask about becoming a Beta user for Zetta 5.21.2 or GSelector 5.0. We have all our past videos online on our archive and we’ll catch you next week for another RCS Live, every Thursday at 11am ET on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Twitter Live.