"Please remind the station staff that...other programs are not to be installed on SMARTS Broadcast equipment."
         
            - A Broadcast Tool

We live in an interesting age.  The computer has become an ever present device in our lives.  In one form or another, we have them in our watches, cars, TVs, microwaves, and in growing numbers, as a desktop unit in our homes for letter writing, gaming, bill paying, and communication.  The device has become "familiar."  I bring this up because we are experiencing more and more problems that relate to this phenomenon.  The computer at home, and many of the SMARTCASTER products, DO resemble each other.  That leads some people to believe that they

can do the same thing on both machines. Not so!  The SMARTCASTER products are broadcast tools that incorporate a computer.  We have long had a policy that no games or other programs be installed on these broadcast tools.  That policy still applies, insuring that the product in your station does the job you purchased it for, and with the reliability that we built into it.  Please remind the station staff that games, e-mail, ICQ, and other programs are not to be installed on SMARTS Broadcast equipment.

Now is a good time to remind you that if you are using our version of Music Master or SMAPS as a music scheduling device, we will no longer support this software as of December 30^th, 2001.  We urge you to replace this software for free with our newer product, Digital Program Director, or DPD.  It has been our policy to upgrade any Music Master user to DPD for free.  The only cost to you is the purchase of a Windows computer for the DPD program if you don't already have one, and the time it takes to learn how to use DPD.  Knowing how hectic December can be with increased advertising, production, Christmas concerts, programming, etc., we urge you to make the change between now and December 1^st.  Give the Support line a call for further details.

Procrastination is our enemy.  It can kill.  Here is an example.  You know you need to do that project, but you don't feel like it today, so you put it off.  Later, you realize that some time has passed, but right now you don't have the time.  Even later, you feel guilty about putting it off, but the schedule is too hectic to do it.  That is how we procrastinate important work.  Each station should be doing regular backups of their data and audio.  Why? Because for many stations, that day comes when the station loses a hard drive, or eats a lightning bolt, and then it's too late.  Once there is a major system failure, it is too late to go back in time and do a data backup, or backup the audio that should have been backed up with each recording or at least on a regular basis.  I know, I know, "it happens to someone else."  Just

don't forget, to someone out there, YOU are the "someone else."  Here's the story.  One of our stations recently lost a hard drive.  They lost everything on that hard drive in the process.  All of the audio.  Every commercial, jingle, liner, PSA, and announcement was gone.  And they lost all of their system settings.  Those settings could have been saved with a simple Data Backup that would have taken just a few minutes.  Now, they get to record all of their audio back in, and enter all of their Timed Events, Clocks, Announcer schedules, Function scheduling, Input mapping, and so on.  They can now measure the time it will take them to get back to normal in weeks, days and hours, rather than hours and minutes.  Please take the time to do back ups.  It will save you severe headaches in the long run.

We support  our clients by using  the telephone. We have had several instances recently when someone has called for help, and when we call back just a few minutes later, we find that they have left the building.  It is frustrating to not be able to help you, and it is frustrating for you if you have to call in again to say that you are now in the building.  We can both be more efficient if you are at the station when we call.  During normal business hours, routine calls are returned within one hour, and emergencies within five minutes.  After hours, emergency calls are returned within 15 minutes.

Greeting & Notice
Broadcast Tool
Procrastination
Music Master
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  Office: 800.747.6278            Support: 800.765.2930
  Sales:  800.498.0487            E-mail: support@smartsbroadcast.com
              Website: http//www.smartsbroadcast.com