Issue 37 SMARTS Broadcast Systems September 1997
Hello,
It's time for another newsletter. Schools are starting up all over the country, and I am a bit depressed. If you're like me, your kids went school shopping, and took your wallet with them. I'm starting to feel like George Jetson or Al Bundy.
When you and I first received our SMARTCASTERS, they told us not to put anything on them other than the programs already installed. At that time I felt it was because they didn't want the memory and space used up by foreign, and sometimes incompatible, software. Since then I have come to realize that was just the tip of the iceberg. An even bigger reason is to prevent the possible contamination of the system by a virus. There, I said it, the V-word. Sure, it only happens to other people. Don't forget that to me, you are the other person, and vice versa. So guard yourself. Viruses are coming in all shapes and sizes, and do all kinds of strange things. When all of your revenue generating commercials are on the hard drive, and all of your network-switching, announcer scheduling, and breaklogs are stored there, even a little damage from a virus is a major hassle in an already busy day. A little preventative maintenance can save you a lot of trouble. Remind the staff that no foreign disks are to be introduced to any computers at the station, and do a virus scan at regular intervals. As I said before, the daily routine can be hectic enough without something like a virus to spice things up.
I NEED MORE SPACE! Not only do we hear grumpy old men and our teenage kids saying this, we hear it from all kinds of radio stations. Whether you're a radio station with an expanding commercial load, or a Music On Hard Drive system that wants to add another 2,000 titles, we all need MORE SPACE! Now is the time. Hard drive prices have come down a bit and this may be a prime opportunity for you to add to your storage space. This will give you the added space for more commercials or additional music. Do remember, you MUST buy that hard drive through SMARTS Broadcast Systems. Buying one from a local vendor will terminate your support contract.
Speaking of Support. Since this letter is now on our WEB Site and goes out by mail to all of our customers, whether or not they are on a support contract, this is the opportunity to remind you of the benefits of being on support. It's a fact of life that we always have questions about how something works, or how we can get it to work better, or if we can get it to do something we have in mind. A major number of our support calls answer those kinds of questions. And then there are lightning strikes, operator error, miscellaneous smoke, and things that make noises in the night. We answer the average curious question during our office hours of 8 to 5 Central Time. We respond to the off-the-air emergency calls 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. We are there for you, because we realize that you are there those same hours for your listeners. Yes, it can be like an insurance policy where you pay in and don't need it…at the moment. But, when the time comes, you'll be glad that you maintained your support contract. If you haven't, call your Sales Representative today to get started again.
AND…when you call the Support line, don't forget that you have the opportunity to leave your station code number, type of emergency, and a description of the problem. Please take the time to do this because it helps us help you.
While I'm at it, I had better remind you. Pressing one to indicate an off-air emergency should be done only when you believe that your SMARTCASTER is responsible for the lack of audio being sent to the carrier. If you are in a time crunch, or have an engineer on hand, etc., still press two for non-emergency and then use the 30 seconds of message time to explain why you need a quick callback.
Once in awhile I can lurk in the shadows of the programming cubicles and watch genius at work. Work is just being completed on the List and Delete screen. Comparing the new to the old is like comparing Arnold Swartzen-whatever to Don Knotts. The system will sort or find a bazillion times faster. It can also record, audition, edit, and Internet transfer from the list. I happen to think you will like it. Needless to say it will be in the latest software, meaning some stations will need to upgrade in order to use it.
Have a good September!
Doug Burton
OFFICE: 800-7476278 SUPPORT: 800-765-2930
SALES: 800-498-0487 E-MAIL: support@smartsbroadcast.com