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.