Modified: 2017/10/04 12:29 by EricCrocker - Categorized as: Help, How-To

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Templates

Templates are the building blocks of your 24 hour formats. You can access templates from Settings and, in Premier 2014, directly from the Log window.



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Main Menu

• Template
  • New
    Clear the window to prepare for creating a new template.
  • Open
    Opens an existing template.
  • Save As...
    Allows you to save the currently loaded template as another template.
  • Save To...
    Allows you to save the currently loaded template to another station.
  • Print
    Prints the existing visible list.
  • Print Preview
    Print previews the existing visible list.
  • Close
    Closes the window.
• Log Elements
  • Avail Types
    These are used to determine commercial avails, sponsorships and other places in templates where spots will be placed on a log.
  • Automation Commands
    This serves a dual function. You can use automation commands to control your on-air automation (on certain systems) but also allows you to create static carts.
  • Log Notes
    Items that will print on any hard copy of a log but has no impact on the on-air automation.
  • Program
    Can be used to identify programs on a template.
• Format
  • Open
    Opens a saved format.
  • Save As...
    Allows you to save any template as a format.

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Building a Template

To build a template, chose NEW from the FILE menu at the top of the screen to clear the main template window.



The key to building templates is that they are not time dependent. When you build the actual formats in RadioTraffic, you will be prompted to choose the hour for the chosen template to be used. So when building templates, build for the midnight (00) hour.

First, place something at the top of the hour. This can be a commercial break, static cart with a Legal ID or just a log note that says "Legal ID." In the left side window, click on the + next to "Log Notes" to expand that listing in the window. Double click on the item you wish to add to make the ADD window appear.



Enter the time where you want the log note placed (00:00:00 for the top of the hour) and click OK to insert it into the template.



This is important because when you place a template in a format...or when you use a template to overwrite a daily log in the event of a special broadcast...the template will put the first item at the time you enter rather than the time on the template.

For example, you have a template that has nothing until 20 minutes after the hour and you don't put a log note at the 00 time point in the hour. You wish to put this log into your 7am hour, meaning the first break is at 7:20. If you click to add the template and put in "07:00:00" for the 7am hour, the first break will be at 7:00, NOT 7:20.

A log note doesn't impact on air automation, so they're always safe bets to use at the top of the hour.

If you have more log notes to place in the hour, do those before moving on to the next step.

Second, place any automation commands. This is both the commands for your on-air automation system or static carts that need to be placed in the hour. As with Log Notes, click the + to expand the list of automation commands and double click the one you wish to place into the template.



If you need to modify an already placed automation command, double click on the command in the template to open the editing window. Make your changes and then click OK to save.



Third, place your program names. The program names have no impact on the actual on-air automation. They are mostly a way for you to keep track in your templates of the shows airing within that hour.



Finally, you'll place your spot breaks.



To add the commercial breaks, double click on them to open the add break window.



Start Time - Time you wish the break to start.
Length - Total length of the break. This can be entered in seconds or in a MM:SS format. If you enter in seconds, RadioTraffic will automatically convert it to an MM:SS format. RadioTraffic will not schedule more commercials than can fit under the time limit entered into this field.
Units - This is the total number of spots allowed to be scheduled in the break. RadioTraffic will not schedule more spots than the limit you place into this field. NOTE: This could mean that your break doesn't fill to the maximum amount of time. To make sure the maximum amount of units can fill a break, divide the total time in the break by the lowest unit of time you sell. For example, a four minute break on a station that sells 30 second spots would be 240 seconds divided by 30 seconds...for a total of 8 spots.
Priority - Tells RadioTraffic the order breaks should be filled in that template. If left blank, spots will be placed in all breaks evenly.



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Avail Types

Avail types are the different elements used to build templates & formats and also to define in each individual order the location on the log/format where the spots are to be placed.

This allows you to customize the logs to increase your speed in log processing. For example, if you have sponsors for your weather in each hour, creating a avail type of "Weather Sponsor" can allow you place only weather sponsors within that avail. You no longer have to hunt through the logs to make sure sponsors are placing next to their sponsored item!



You cannot delete avail types from this window. If you wish to delete a avail type, first make sure that the avail type is not being used in any template or format. If you are using the avail type, it can cause problems with the formats and templates that are using it. If you have a format or template using the avail type replace it with another avail type or delete the avail entirely. Then contact your RadioTraffic support representative to have the avail type removed.

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Adding an avail type

To add a avail type, click the NEW button to bring up the new avail type window:



Type the name of the new avail type into the data field and click OK or APPLY to save.

In the top menu, you have these options under FILE:

New - Allows you to add a new avail type.
Open - Opens an existing avail type to change the name.
Export - Allows you to export the currently displayed template to Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet, Adobe PDF, Microsoft Rich Text File Format, Text (Tab Delimited), Web Page
Print - print to a local or network printer
Print Preview - Preview print output on screen
Close - Closes the window



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Automation Commands

Automation commands allow you to do two functions in templates and formats. The first is to control your on-air automation through the export log. The second is to create static carts if you have pieces of audio that play at the same time every day.

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Controlling Automation

Depending on the make of your automation system, RadioTraffic can send commands through the log to control your automation. Click the NEW button to open the add automation command window.



(Check your automation system's user manual to see if it can accept programming commands from the imported traffic log. That manual should also show you the commands that need to be used to control the automation.)

Any length command can be put into the data field. You must enter data into both the description and command field. Click OK to save when finished.

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"Static Carts"

If you have a piece of programming that uses the same cart number at the same time every day, you can schedule these in your templates and formats by creating a static cart automation command. Click NEW to open the new command window.



Place the cart number in the cart line. You can also put an automation command on the cart if your particular automation system allows it. (Check your automation system manual to see if you can put commands on static cart numbers.) Click OK to save when finished.

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Log Notes

Log notes are items printed on hard copies of logs. They have no impact upon the exported automation log.



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Programs

Programs are the names of programs you run on your air. They have no impact on the export log to your automation.



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Saving the Template

Once you have built your template, you save it by choosing "save as" in the FILE menu and giving the template a unique name.



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Saving as a Format

To use the templates you've built for your logs, you will need to save them as a format. You may have templates named for each day of the week or Monday-Friday, for example.

First, click OPEN under Template and then select your template from the drop down list. Now you have your template open (Wednesday in our example) and its title at the top left is grayed out.



Now click FORMAT and choose SAVE AS



A date box will appear. Select the first date this format should take effect and click OK. In our example, we will select a Wednesday date. This will save the format to all Wednesday from this date forward. Continue this process until all appropriate days have been saved as formats.



If you are a station that changes your logs for fourth quarter, Christmas or other holidays, there is a quick way to change logs for the holiday. Build a template for the holiday and save as "holiday". You can now apply this template directly to the log when needed.