Digital Radio for Radio Stations

Digital Radio for Radio Station Scheduling and Production Staff

As well as managing more material for more stations, you're now going to be managing more complex material for more stations.

Ironically, the new standards and procedures being introduced because of digital radio, are actually going to improve work processes across the board.

Commercial Radio Australia's Digital Technical Advisory Committee included staff from scheduling and production on the Commercial Contents Standards Group (CCSG) which came up with the new standards.

AudioNET was there too.

For all the information you need to know, you can see the Plain English  Guide To Digital Radio Commercials. 
 The information below is paraphrased from the CRA Documents relating to Commercial Content Standards, Piñata Tools and Operating Practices.  It also includes extra examples and information.  

The Piñata Tools

Because there are specific standards for Piñata tools, dispatch companies and other software developers are able to produce their own Piñata tools. However they have to create both a production tool for putting all the elements of a commercial into a Piñata, and a carting tool for radio stations to pull out the relevant elements.

AudioNET's Pinata production tools are already in the marketplace, and most networks should have received carting tools from AIM.

The tools are drop-and-drag, allowing for clear, easy use by radio stations.

Stations only need one Piñata carting tool. Because every tool has to meet the CCSG Standards, any CRA endorsed carting tool will open any Piñata.

If you're producing spots in-house to be sent to another Network, you'll need to package them into a Piñata - but again, any CRA endorsed Piñata production tool will do, no matter where you're sending spots to.  

Piñata Dispatch Process

As with current AudioNET dispatches, scheduling staff will be alerted by email at the same time as production staff, so everyone will be kept in the loop.

Because the emphasis remains on audio quality, AudioNET intends that it will be the role of the Production Studios to create the Piñata packages and upload them direct to radio stations.        

In this way, the audio quality is never compromised.

AudioNET is also recommending to all clients that even audio only commercials be packaged into Piñatas because of the added security and efficiency of Piñata dispatch.

The ban on emailing commercials to radio stations.

The Commercial Content Standards Group recommended that CRA ban commercials being dispatched via email. The Board has decided not to approve this recommendation.

So the confusion caused by clients and sales reps who insist on emailing, will continue until all Networks follow the example set by Southern Cross Media in January 2011 and ban commercials received via email.

Naming conventions for audio, text and image

Production staff creating commercials for clients need to be aware of the new Key Number naming conventions.   Check the Plain English Guide to Digital Radio commercials, because that has everything you need to know.