Clocks
Clocks are hour-long templates used to define how an hour of playout content should sound. When a clock is scheduled, the playout log will generate items to schedule based on the clock item. The clock can have a number of clock item types:
Track: The playout log scheduler will always insert the selected track in this position in the playout log.
Track Group: The playout log scheduler will randomly choose a track from the selected track group to insert in this position in the playout log. When scheduling the playout log, any playout policies will be taken into account.
Fixed Time Marker: The playout log scheduler will insert a fixed time marker in this position in the playout log.
Break Note: The playout log scheduler will insert a break note to include in this position in the playout log.
Voice Track: The playout log scheduler will insert a voice track placeholder where the user can record a voice track from the main interface.
Remote URL: The playout log scheduler will insert a remote URL item in this position in the playout log.
Aux Input: The playout log scheduler will insert an aux input item, in this position in the playout log. An aux input item will play a live feed from an input on your sound card.
Advert Block: The playout log scheduler will insert an advert block item, in this position in the playout log. An advert block represents a block of adverts to be played together. The advert tracks that are actually played are determined by the corresponding advert block 'start time' for the scheduled hour in the advert log.
Scheduled Event Action: The playout log scheduler will insert a scheduled event action item in this position in the playout log. A scheduled event action item will triggered scheduled event action inline within the playout log at the specific position. For more information see Scheduled Events
Hook Sequence: The playout log scheduler will insert a hook sequence playout log item in this position in the playout log. A hook sequence will play only the hooks of tracks back to back within a short clip. This allows you to promote songs that will be playing within the next hour or just songs from a specific track group.
Merge Start: indicates where merged content should begin. A Merge Start item allows you to schedule the insertion of external content, such as commercial traffic logs, into your playout log at a specified point. Place a Merge Start item into your clock at the point where you want to insert external content, followed by a Merge End to indicate the end of the merge segment. Use the Merge External Log File scheduled event action to perform the merge operation. This is typically used to insert commercial traffic logs from third-party traffic systems.
Merge End: marks the end of the merged content segment. This item must be placed after a Merge Start item to define the boundaries of where external content will be inserted into your playout log.
Partial Clock: used to insert a previously created partial clock into the current clock. Partial clocks are 'mini clocks' that contain commonly used sequences of clock items, allowing you to avoid repetition across multiple clocks. For example, you could create a partial clock for a standard top of the hour sequence containing a time announcement, station identifier, news jingle, and news break. By inserting this partial clock item into multiple different hour clocks, you can maintain consistency across your programming schedule and make clock management more efficient. Partial clock items will cause the scheduler to insert the items into the log verbatim with no consideration as to where in the clock they are added. It is a simple copy and paste. This includes any fixed time markers, which maintain their absolute time positions.