Nowadays, pretty much all stations use some kind of radio automation software to manage (at least part of) their broadcasts. But what exactly is an automation software, how does it work and which one should you choose? Let’s take a look!
An automation software essentially allows radio broadcasters to upload and store their pre-recorded content (music, interviews, shows, jingles, ads…) on a computer hard disk, or cloud-based solution. This content can then be broadcast directly from that computer.
There are many radio automation solutions that exist. However, bear in mind that some solutions provide more in-depth features compared to others. The most part of radio automation software allows you to create playlists or queue your audio files in a specific order. Many solutions also offer broadcasters the possibility of scheduling their content to broadcast automatically on certain days, at certain times.
Complete solutions facilitate the life of radio presenters, as they can organise their radio broadcasts in advance and then leave their computer to do the rest. It’s important to understand your needs and requirements when searching for the perfect automation software for your radio station.
A live broadcasting software will allow you to speak or mix music in real time! Unlike an automatic broadcast, in order to broadcast live you must remain connected to your software at all times during your live intervention.
When your live show is over, your radio stream will switch back to an automatic broadcast.
As you now know, a radio automation software allows a radio host to organise their content in advance. The software will send the information to a dedicated server. Then, the radio server executes the scheduled programming and makes it available to listeners via a radio stream that can be accessed via an Internet connection.
The Radio Manager is a cloud-based radio automation software designed by the RadioKing team. It allows you to manage your radio broadcast from A-Z thanks to a number of tools. Let’s take a closer look at what can be done via the Radio Manager.
Upload your MP3 files directly to your media library according to the available “trays”:
Once you have uploaded your content to the media library, there are additional features to help you better organise it, such as:
Furthermore, you can easily find tracks in your media library thanks to the search bar and filters!
Creating your own playlists and programs to broadcast on your radio station is a piece of cake thanks to the Radio Manager!
You can easily create 2 types of playlists with the Radio Manager:
A program is essentially a plan of your radio show, made up of your playlists. This feature allows you to create a programming slot made up of multiple playlists in your music library!
The Planning Tab allows you to schedule your content up to 6 months in advance! Simply drag and drop your playlists/programs directly onto the calendar and adjust the settings to your liking.
It’s an extremely intuitive tool that can help you to easily plan your broadcasts ahead of time!
Understanding how your listeners interact with your radio station will help you organize the content you want to broadcast on your radio. Get key information such as: the location of your listeners, the number of unique listeners, a summary of your listening sessions, the length of listening sessions and the distribution of listening sessions throughout the day and more!
If you already have your own radio stream, there are a number of other tools that will also work as a radio automation solution. Here’s a selection of available automation software:
Which radio automation software do you use to manage your radio broadcasts? Let us know in the comments!
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