GSelector is an enterprise solution that can house multiple stations within a single SQL database. With the evolution of virtual machines, we’ve found that many of our administrators are moving on from multiple market GSelector instances and instead, looking for ways to house all their stations within a single machine, like a Format Center. No matter your configuration, GSelector is equipped with multiple features to make your life easier by replicating attributes across stations within a single database. We’ll review how to “work smarter, not harder” with Song/Link Multi-Station activation, coping Clocks across stations, coping Priority Lists across stations, and multi-station scheduling.
Since GSelector is a linear workflow, users can start working in one area of GSelector, pivot to another tab, and then return to where you originally left off to finish your initial task. The same applies to stations. Simply use the Stations dropdown to toggle between stations that are within the same GSelector database. So, if you have a Song/Link that you want to activate on another station, open the Browse | Song | Multi Station tab, activate the Song/Link on your desired station, copy over any attributes and finally save the Song/Link in the new station’s category.
If you want to share attributes across multiple stations, then incorporate Global versus Station Specific settings. These can be adjusted via Setup | Station | Features | Attributes but remember – if you have Global Attributes and you change the Attribute Type to Station Specific, that doesn’t mean that the existing Global Attribute copies over to the Station Specific side. Working within the Song subtab, there’s a line down the center of the workspace. Anything to the left are Global attributes and the right include Station Specific attributes. An easy way to confirm if something is Global or Station Specific: The Title of the song will never change, but the Category will within each Station.
It’s just not Songs/Links that can be shared across stations, programmers can also copy their clocks. Found within Clocks | Definition | Copy Clocks to Other Stations will allow the user to select the Clock(s), Station(s) destinations and the Entry Type(s). Coping an Entry Type will create that value within the new station, however, note that if you are coping over Category Groups, GSelector will create the Category Group, but it will not create the Category as that also requires a station specific Song/Link Category activation.
Moving onto the Priority Lists, programmers can open the Goals | Priorities | Definition subtab and just like Clocks, use the Copy Priority to Other Stations to open the Copy Priority Lists window. This is where users can select the Priority List(s), Station(s) destinations and Priority Type(s). This is especially important because if you wanted to copy over Bans, simply include any desired Bans within a single Priority List and then copy that Priority List in order to replicate any Segue Bans in your new target station.
Finally, we covered how to maximize your time, especially if you’re programming multiple stations, by scheduling multiple logs with a single click. Scheduler | Multi Station and note the stations picker at the bottom left and the corresponding Schedule, Unschedule, and Publication Status (for S3 Publishers). Select all your desired stations, click Schedule and grab a cup of coffee while GSelector does the rest of the work for you. In addition, the Multi Station Scheduler includes a unique Conflict Checker so that if you have songs that overlap, users can identify any possible conflicts and replace them accordingly. Fix will respect the station hierarchy (Tools | Administration | Security | Organizations) so that if there’s a song on both stations, GSelector will automatically replace the lowest priority station. Fix Interactively will allow the user to make real time conflict adjustments and if the user doesn’t want to make a change at the time of scheduling, they could always use the File | Print and export the list of conflicts to adjust at a later time. Each of these conflicts will respect the Settings window, which includes what GSelector will check against and how.
As you can see, we’re all about the new features! And you can get your hands on these today by becoming a Beta user. Zetta 5.22.1 or GSelector 5.1 will be out shortly, so reach out to your local RCS contact to be added to our Beta user list. While you’re at it, be featured in our #StudioSpotlight by emailing marketing@rcsworks.com. Or simply start working for RCS. We are hiring unique positions now at: https://www.rcsworks.com/company/careers-at-rcs/ . As always, we’ll see you for another RCS Live each and every Thursday at 11am ET on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Twitch.