CRA Chooses a Donkey to Deliver Digital Radio Ads

Commercial Radio Australia has been applauded for its innovative, world-first solution for managing the compilation and dispatch of digital radio commercials.

Internet dispatch pioneer, AudioNET says CRA's Digital Technical Advisory Committee (DTAC) has sought and listened to, concerns and solutions proposed by agencies, dispatch companies and production studios as well as its own networks.

"The important thing is that DTAC worked closely with the staff responsible for compiling, dispatching, scheduling and carting radio commercials every day. Their collective interest and intellect has created an innovative solution that will work easily for everyone," said AudioNET MD Dave Cox.

CRA has decided on a set of standards for content for digital radio commercials, which clearly outlines the types of files, and sizes of files for the audio, text and images that can be broadcast on digital radio.

"More importantly though, the DTAC working group conceived the Piñata. Piñata is a sophisticated package that will carry the correct combination of audio, text and images for each digital radio ad, and make sure they're dispatched to the right radio stations.

"This is especially important where advertisers want different text or images for local audiences, but perhaps the same audio nationally," said Cox.

The Piñata concept also provides preview access for creative agencies so they can check all the elements in each digital radio ad are correct before it's dispatched.

"Piñata means advertisers and agencies can take full advantage of the  flexibility and creativity of digital radio advertising and still have simple, secure delivery to the radio networks."  

 

 

What is a Piñata in the context of digital radio?

 

Background:
The reason digital radio commercials presented extra challenges for dispatch and receipt of commercials was two-fold.

1. Each digital radio commercial may have any combination of text, image, audio with a maximum of one element of each 
2. Digital radio requires synchronisation of two play-out systems: one for the audio, and one for the text and images 

And, the commercial play-out needs to match the broadcast schedule required by the client and booked by the media agency. (This is the same for current radio, but complicated by the extra booking combinations afforded by adding text and images.)

The Solution:

• Standards for the actual content of commercials: the commercial content standards
• A software tool to package all the correct bits together for dispatch, and then unpack them again at the radio station for loading into the separate playback systems. The Piñata tools.
• Operating Practices for the Piñata, including new protocols for Material Key Numbers and Material Revisions.

1. Commercial Content Standards.
Audio:

• File format: 16 bit, 48 kHz, uncompressed PCM audio (30 sec = 5.6Mb file)
• Header: EBU BWF (Broadcast Wave File) format
• Duration: within 1% of prescribed length

DLS - Dynamic Label Service:

• 128 characters max per label
• Font style: Determined by the receiver
• Font size: Determined by the receiver

Images:

• File formats: JPEG; PNG; APNG
• Size: 23kilobytes maximum
• Aspect ratio: 320w x 240h
• Orientation: Landscape
• Animation: 10 frames /sec max.
• Tagging standard EXIF image data

What is a Piñata in the context of digital radio?

2. The Piñata tools

• Commercial elements are tested to ensure they comply with the content standards when they're loaded into the Piñata.
• The Piñata audit log tracks any changes or edits made by anyone at anytime
• Contact details for all parties are recorded in the Piñata file
• A check list for all content components ensures the spot is complete before dispatch
• Radio stations have a special Piñata carting tool which separates the audio and the images and text, for loading into the separate broadcast systems.

3. Operating practices

• Naming conventions for audio, text and image files (i.e. key number naming conventions)]
• Timing and combinations of text, image and audio elements
• Managing revisions of digital radio commercial.

 

Donkey image created by Turbomilk.com. Used under creative commons licence.