MusicMaster Blog
Take Control of Your Day: The Awesome Power of “Included Hours” for Scheduling! publicado em March 2nd, 2026
by Chris Hulsether
Hey there, fellow schedulers!
Ever feel like you need to tackle your station’s schedule, but the thought of running the auto-scheduler for the whole day is just too much? Maybe you have a killer Morning Drive show you want to nail down first, or a special weekend program that needs your focused attention.
Well, good news! The “Included Hours” function in your auto-scheduler is here to make your life way easier. It works in both the desktop client and web version of MusicMaster, so you can focus on the parts of the day that matter most to you, right when you want to.
What is “Included Hours” and Why Should You Care?
Basically, “Included Hours” lets you tell the auto-scheduler: “Hey, ignore everything else for a minute—just focus on these specific hours.”
This is super handy when you want to:
- Prioritize Key Segments: Lock down your biggest shows (like Morning Drive or your specialty programs) first. You schedule those, make any manual tweaks, and then you can run the scheduler for the rest of the day, knowing your core content is solid.
- Schedule in Chunks: Instead of one massive run, you can schedule your day piece-by-piece: Morning Drive, then Middays, then Afternoons. It makes the whole process feel much more manageable!
- Fix Mistakes Without the Headache: Oops! Did you forget to add a new song to your library, and now it’s missing from two hours in the afternoon? No sweat! You can use “Included Hours” to unschedule just those specific hours. You don’t have to blow up the entire day’s schedule just for a small fix. Phew!
How to Use the “Included Hours” Function
It’s really easy to get started!
1. Find the Button:
In the Automatic Scheduler, look for the “Included Hours” button.
2. Select Your Time:
It defaults to all hours selected. You can select None, and it will unselect all hours. Click the button and select the specific hours you want to focus on.
3. Save Your Selections (Pro Tip!):
If you schedule Morning Drive every day, you can save your “Included Hours” setting! That way, you don’t have to re-select those hours every single time you use it.
4. Run the Scheduler:
Run the auto-scheduler to fill in only the hours you selected.
5. Finish Up:
Once those hours are scheduled and you’ve made any necessary manual adjustments, you can go back and run the auto scheduler again, just make sure to select the rest of the hours by clicking the All button. It will now schedule any elements in the day that are not already scheduled.
The best part? It works exactly the same for unscheduling!
Need to wipe out a few hours to fix an error?
- Click the “Included Hours” button.
- Select (or load a saved setting for) the hours you want to clear.
- Run the unschedule function.
Just those selected hours will be cleared out, and the rest of your day remains untouched!
If you’re using the Web version, the hours you select for “Included Hours” will be shaded in gray so you know exactly which hours you’re targeting.
Give “Included Hours” a try! It’s a fantastic tool for bringing order and focus to your scheduling workflow.
As always, if you have any questions or need a hand, the MusicMaster support team is ready to help!
Happy Scheduling!