Re: automation?

["Sid Schweiger" <sid@wrko.com>]

>>What automation equipment is reasonably priced and efficient, in your opinion?  What features do you think are the most important for the smaller market station?  And if you had some bad experiences or used any automation equipment that was a disappointment, you can tell me that too-- I have heard several of my consulting clients express rather strong opinions about Arrakis, for example... Anyway, I am working on an article, and will only quote you if you want to be quoted!<<

I have used a number of systems, going back to the Harris System 90 and Schaefer/SMC reel-to-reel systems.  Of the current crop, I think it can be safely said that you get what you pay for.  Entercom uses AudioVault, and although it's considered the gold standard of broadcast automation, like anything else it needs occasional attention.  (Broadcast automation is NOT, as some people think, a "set it and forget it" proposition.)  The current version of AudioVault, Vault2, does not use the proprietary AV100 cards which required monthly firmware- and software-licensing fees.  Rather, it uses off-the-shelf sound cards.  This cuts the price considerably.

I too have had bad experiences with Arrakis' system (DigiLink), which generally gets nicknamed Digis**t by most engineers I know.  The construction of the version I worked with was terribly flimsy (486 PC motherboards with ISA-slot plug-in cards, but with no backplane to fasten them to, resulting in motherboard replacement every few years), and the DOS-based software required reboots every few days.  I have no experience with DLIV, the current version, which is offered in a scaled-down version for free.

One aspect of installing PC-based automation which is, IMHO, underemphasized, is the infrastructure.  This is one place where you do not want to skimp or cut costs in any way, if you expect the system to work reliably.  As for the system cost, remember that you're expecting this system to store and reliably play back your station's bread-and-butter:  commercials or underwriting announcements.  The initial cost may scare you a bit, but it pays to spend the money on a good system that won't cause more headaches than it solves.  Automation should not be an excuse for constant make-goods.

I took the AudioVault University course (highly recommended, if you're going to install that system), and some of the owners who attended the course questioned why they couldn't use Cat1 wire (i.e., ordinary telephone wire) instead of Cat5, hubs designed for home-networking use instead of SMC, 3Com or Intel switching hubs, or why they couldn't do the work themselves.  The instructor's answer was simple:  This is the perfect way to insure that your system doesn't work reliably, that you're constantly on the phone to the customer support folks, that you end up blaming the system manufacturer for something that wasn't their fault, and in the worst case, that you end up scrapping a system that should have worked well.

I know some users of the Enco DADpro32 system who like it.  Prophet's NextGen system is the system of choice in the Clear Channel group (which now owns Prophet), but I've heard mixed reactions to it.

Feel free to quote me if you so choose.



Sid Schweiger
MIS Manager, Entercom Boston LLC
WAAF - WEEI - WQSX - WRKO - WVEI
Phone: 617-779-5369
Fax: 617-779-5379
E-Mail: sid@wrko.com