What the users say…

In today's Traffic and Revenue Management System Intel Brief, we've gathered some quotes from radio and television traffic personnel responding to selected Traffic Directors' Guild of America (TDGA) questions.
This is a bit of a "wish list," although they were welcome to get up on their soapboxes as well! We've asked vendors in the space to respond, where relevant to their product offering.

The participants:
Angela Bandlow: Chief Marketing Officer, Wide Orbit
Kim Wimble: Product Manager, VCI Solutions
Dave Scott: CEO, RadioTraffic.com
Dave Cole: CEO, Specialty Data Systems (SDS)

RADIO

John Zimmer, President, Zimmer Radio of Mid Missouri, Inc.:
For over 20 years I have been searching for a better traffic system that can benefit the sales rep, the traffic dept, the sales managers, the yield manager (pricing system), the GM, corporate, and lastly the customer all without breaking the bank.
In small market situations I have often felt the addition of CRM or some primitive sales force automation system would be enhanced if the traffic system developers would think from a total organization viewpoint versus a departmental or strictly accounting function.  All the basic information to our clients is right there in our traffic system.  However, utilizing that information that would allow the organization to see real productivity gains is missed by the developers.  I even had two different traffic companies tell me they are not interested how a radio station sales organization works and why it would even matter to their traffic products.  It is frustrating to remind them that all traffic information flows from our customers to our sellers to our traffic dept to our stations back to our traffic dept for reconciliation and billing and accounts receivables back to our customers. 
Wimble: The VCI Solutions’ Orion product does provide the best solution across all departments within an organization.  From SalesDesk for the sales reps to the Accounts Receivables applications for Accounting, VCI Solutions has made every effort to assure that we have a complete product across the business.
Scott:  Mr. Zimmer and my staff think alike!  RadioTraffic.com integrates the various departments as he asks.  As radio stations operate leaner than ever before, the interaction between various departments and job functions simply must become smoother and easier. 
RadioTraffic.com flows seamlessly with the In A Box (“IAB”) Sales Management system and the IAB SmartRate yield management software from sales consultant Chris Rolando in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.  RadioTraffic.com and In A Box both have built-in CRM and a number of sales force automation features like calendars. 
Further, the RadioTraffic.com copy and production features integrate perfectly with most studio automation and production systems (remember I invented and was CEO and former owner of Scott Studios for many years), including the 25,000 pieces of pre-written ad copy in In A Box software.
Cole: SDS Symphony contains a Traffic system that is completely unified with an advanced Sales Presentation system. Everyone in Traffic and Sales works with the same data. That includes SDS’ CRM data as well as contracts, inventory, history, etc.

Joann Stora, Traffic Manager, KINK-FM, Portland OR:
Don't buy any software unless it has advance scheduling. My system uses Dynamic scheduling. I'm working in the dark with our system. You never know the true avail situation until you open the log.  A nearly equal number of proponents might be just as opposed to advance scheduling (once referred to as “pigeonhole” schedulers, much to the dismay of traffic vendors.)
Bandlow: WO Traffic offers the ability to schedule formats as far into the future as the client desires. The most common setup is 180 days which provides 6 months of scheduling and therefore 6 months worth of real-time inventory reports. (Note: Orders can be entered as far into the future as desired because order flight dates are not dependant on format schedules in WO Traffic. The spots from these orders will simply remain as displaced spots until a schedule exists and avails for these spots to place into.)
Proponents to advance, or “pigeonhole” schedulers main concern is likely spots scheduling into an avail and staying there regardless of new incoming orders and/or new or edited format schedules. This is also not a concern in WO Traffic as spots can be “cascaded” based on a set criteria of scheduling factors such as priority, rate and contract end date, just to name a few. As new spots are entered into the system they are weighed against the existing spots based on these factors (weight of importance is self-defined for each station in the database independently) and lesser weighted spots will be displaced and scheduled elsewhere in favor of higher weighted spots. For example, a rotator spot may be removed from a nearly sold out time period or daypart in favor of a spot specifically ordered to that time period and that rotator spot can be automatically placed elsewhere by the system or the user can make the determination about if/where to place that spot on their own.
Wimble: The VCI Solutions’ Orion software product utilizes real-time spot placement and inventory management.  At any given time throughout the day accurate and up to date inventory can be obtained, as well as spot placement.  This does not limit how often a spot can be placed if better rotation or placement opens up.
Scott:  RadioTraffic.com can be configured to either work with or without the “pigeonhole” system as desired.  However, even if you like (our ability to automatically maximize station revenues in oversold situations with our new version of) dynamic scheduling, RadioTraffic.com can still accurately deliver advance avails reports without taking time to open each log (although that only takes seconds).
Cole: SDS Symphony, which includes a Program Scheduling module, allows scheduling for as long out as you like; - several years, if you need it. Live avails, for as far out as you like, are visible both from within Traffic and within the Sales Presentation system.


Barbara Juneau, Traffic Manager/Office Manager, KNCO, Grass Valley CA:
A more friendly method of handling "bookends" and the increasing quantity of 15-second spots would be nice.  Currently a :15 is using a :30 avail.  I like the idea of altering "today's log".  And of course we need to move toward electronic co-op copy.
Bandlow: * In WO Traffic, bookends are ordered as a single spot that display as :15/:15 to easily distinguish
* Bookends automatically place in top/bottom position of a break
* Individual :15 spots are easily identified in the Inventory Report
* In WO Traffic :15/:15 bookend spots consume :30 inventory, and users have the option to have roll up individual :15 spots to consume :30 inventory, or track them against dedicated :15 inventory
* In reports throughout the system, users can view pure average unit rate for :15 spots or roll them into an equivalent :30 average unit rate
In an upcoming version, WO Traffic will introduce support for BXF standard to support live log changes as well as real time log reconciliation.
Wimble: The VCI Solutions’ Orion software allows for proper ordering of a bookend and is treated as two separate :15 spots that are forever linked together. 
The concept of altering “today’s log” has been a long unanswered question of who owns the spot at what time.  However, with the Orion software it is possible to alter a log at any time up until the time of air.  As long as the automation system can accept changes, Orion can provide them.
Within Orion, Co-op contracts will automatically produce separate affidavits of performance for each unique piece of copy to be given to those clients. 
Scott:  RadioTraffic.com has streamlined the handling of 15-second spots and bookends.  RadioTraffic.com does *not* use 30-second avails for 15’s or 10’s. RadioTraffic.com gives full ability to alter “today’s log” at any time. Electronic co-op copy is another current feature of RadioTraffic.com.
Cole: SDS Symphony handles bookends automatically, just click the bookend icon; SDS also ensures that the correct material is run in the correct position (top vs. bottom).
SDS Symphony handles 15”s and any other length, by automatically recalculating the true number of avails for any spot length. This is shown right in the SDS Sales System, a component of SDS Symphony, when reps are building proposals or revising bookings. Contracts can contain lines for any number of different spot lengths.
SDS Symphony allows alterations to today’s log as close to airtime as you prefer. This time threshold is set by your administrator in our system settings.
SDS Symphony includes electronic copy that is automatically collated and sent out with co-op invoices.

RADIO TRAFFIC.COM




Kymberli Wollman, Traffic Director, Entercom, Norfolk VA: 
We need quick, easy software.  More “quick and ease” than “bells and whistles.”  We need a system that allows us to monitor and control horizontal rotation of clients (something similar to the old Darts system which was discontinued).  And software that allows us to put in bulk orders, for example a client that can move week to week anytime of the month we have open avails, to better maximize revenue.  We need easy to create and read reports and the ability to quickly implement changes in the daily logs and the clocks.  How about “Sales-proof deadlines” (in a perfect world) although that need isn’t purely software?
Bandlow: While WO Traffic is a full sales, traffic and billing solution with many features, it is fully customizable to meet client needs. Un-needed or unwanted features can be turned off via the robust Security offered with WO Traffic.
Specifically, horizontal rotation is easily maintained and managed in WO Traffic both based on the design of our spot placer system and through easy to use tools. When spots are ordered in WO Traffic, the system automatically achieves the best horizontal rotation possible and never places more spots on a day that is necessary. For example, if you are to order 10 spots/week over a 5 day week the system will automatically place two spots/day. The user has the option of moving those spots around as desired. You can also choose whether or not to receive a conflict message that you are violating horizontal rotation for weekly ordered spots. Spots ordered as “fixed day” rotation will maintain their ordered distribution and will require makegoods to place on other days. For clients who need ultimate flexibility we also offer a “total” rotation which means users order a total number of spots to air within the order lines start and end dates. The system will schedule these spots with the most even rotation it can achieve but provides the opportunity to move spots from day to day, or week to week as desired without receiving conflicts or having to create makegoods. From the Inventory Report in WO Traffic you can directly access a tool we call Spot Manager for the particular time period or daypart you are monitoring in the inventory report. When accessing from the Inventory Report you are automatically taken to the list of spots that are represented in the inventory report. From here you can use a tool called Spot Grid to easily monitor and achieve horizontal rotation.
Reports are easily created and customized in WO Traffic. Only a very small percentage of reports in WO Traffic are “canned”. The vast majority are customizable with many reporting options and once the optimal report is achieved it can be saved so you don’t have to customize it to your liking again. As many reports as desired can be saved and the report can be accessible by just the creator or made global so it can be shared with other users.
Log editing and format/clock changes are also done with ease in WO Traffic. There are many one click options for moving spots to other days/times and several formats/clocks can be scheduled and edited at once if desired.
Logs can also be frozen in WO Traffic so if a user attempts to perform any order activity that affects a frozen log, it will prompt an override warning. Spots can still be placed and displaced from a frozen log by both the system placer and by a user. (A log is inherently frozen when it is finalized, which does prevent both the system’s placer and users from placing or displacing spots on a frozen finalized log.) Slots can also be locked on the log itself so no spots are moved from or placed into these slots. However, the log editor can specifically move spots into and out of a locked slot by taking specific action for one spot to or from one slot but mass placement functions will not place or displace spots from locked slots. Many traffic departments choose to freeze their logs or lock their slots at a specified deadline.
WO Traffic does have tools to help monitor Sales proof deadline activity. For example, all order activity is date and time stamped so it is easy to assess if deadlines are being adhered to.

WO TRAFFIC




Wimble: The VCI Solutions’ Orion software provides many quick and easy solutions to every day business needs.  There are several ways to monitor and control horizontal and vertical rotation of clients, as well as enter “bulk” orders.  In addition to electronic contract import functionality, the manual process for entering orders is very quick and easy to use.  Orion includes a vast number of standard reports as well as maintains a library of over 4000+ custom reports that is sure to meet your needs.  And if not, one can easily be created. 
Orion can allow for changes in the daily logs up to the time of air. 
Scott:  Kymberli and RadioTraffic.com also think alike.  We use recent technical innovations to deliver “quick and easy” and “fast and friendly” rather than complex and inflexible.  RadioTraffic.com has flexibility that delivers optimum rotation of clients and ability to move to open avails using automatic “spots per week” and ability to create “packages” that can be copied or copied and tweaked are all built in. As to being able to sales-person proof a radio traffic system, we keep trying but can’t promise so much there.
Cole: SDS Symphony has an easy to use horizontal spot placement screen. SDS Symphony can move entire flights automatically. Revenue can further be maximized by using our Commercial Inventory Control module. The Reports module of SDS Symphony enables anyone to create powerful customized reports that can be saved and run any time. Access to reports is securely controlled by you. SDS Symphony allows alterations to today’s log as close to airtime as you prefer. In addition, up to seven logs may be open at a time to allow for easy drag ‘n drop of commercials from one day to another.

ADVERTISEMENT




TELEVISION

Mimi Nohemi Sanchez, KTSM Systems Coordinator, KTSM-TV, El Paso TX:
We need a system that can "scan in" tape, CD, DVD ISCI information to avoid all manual input into system, can transfer that information directly to master control.
We need a system that can be changed in "real time" from traffic department directly to master control.  If any changes come to traffic department, traffic should be able to make changes at their site, make those changes appear in master control automatically and the system should have some type of warning signal to operator on duty that changes have been made to copy coming up during the day.
We need a system that once the Advertiser is established with its proper Product codes, when A.E.'s are inputting orders. Example:  Euro Advertiser carries different products like Cricket wireless, Direct TV, Male Enhancers, etc.....once order is inputted with the proper product description, system should recognize product description and attach it to the new orders, instead of relying on A.E.'s and traffic personnel to be looking out and correcting those types of mistakes, especially when it affects $$$ reporting purposes.
Bandlow: In an upcoming version, WO Traffic will introduce support for BXF standard to support live log changes as well as real time log reconciliation.
Wimble: While there is no industry standard for this type of process, VCI Solutions is always looking for new opportunities to improve the process. 
VCI Solutions’ Orion® software can accept changes for the log in real-time and can be sent to Master Control. 
In Orion, each advertiser does have related brands and product codes associated with them.  When the order is inputted, the brand must be selected which will pre-populate the product codes.  This helps with reducing any errors of input for revenue reporting.