We know that life gets in the way and sometimes, you have to do your work on the go. Did you know that you can access MusicMaster in the cloud? For years, MusicMaster users have been accessing their systems remotely by logging in to a cloud desktop. By doing so, you can access all the features and tools of MusicMaster on your home computer, tablet or smart phone - wherever and whenever you need to! Don't know how? Check out this video!

Thinking of joining us for the Conclave Genius Day on July 13 in Minneapolis? Well, if you are, you're not alone. We are looking forward to putting on this one-of-a-kind presentation filled with intense MusicMaster training and wisdom from a growing roster of special guest speakers. so far includes:

• Paige Nienaber - Known as the "Evil Genius", Paige is a promotional consultant with a reputation for the wild and weird. According to Paige, "I help clients cause trouble, make noise and get noticed." He is the VP/Fun 'N Games for Clifton Radio and President of C.P.R. Promotions and consults over 100 radio stations across the US, Canada, Europe and Africa


• Kipper McGee - Recipient of the 2009 Rockwell Award. Kipper is an RAB Certified Digital Marketing Consultant, whose client list ranges from Fortune 500 companies like Nokia and Delta Airlines, to internet startups, broadcast networks, groups and stations. As Chief Brandwidth Strategist at Kipper McGee LLC, he is a frequent presenter at national broadcast conventions and is the author of Brandwidth: How Big Broadcasting is Missing the Mediamorphosis.


• Keith Hill - Keith Hill, The UnConsultant, has been successfully helping radio stations raise their ratings since 1992 when he teamed up with Moon Mullins of Pollack/Mullins Nashville as a consultant specializing in country. When asked what “UnConsultant” means, Keith replies, “I do it differently. I look at radio stations holistically, and all advice is custom. I never offer cookie cutter advice.”


• Lisa Barry - Lisa is the Midday DJ in two top-rated markets: Minneapolis/St. Paul and Austin, TX. She has a passion for connection through radio and social media and uses them to reach over one million listeners/readers each week.

Early this month, some of the MusicMaster team took a tour through the steamy Deep South to visit with MusicMaster users and attend the LAB/MAB joint convention in New Orleans.

In Monroe, Louisiana, we joined forces with Broadcast Electronics' Marketing Manager and Senior Product Manager Jim Roberts at the headquarters of The Radio People. Founded and led by Louisiana legend Bob Holladay, this group hosts eleven stations broadcasting in Louisiana and Mississippi with a variety of formats ranging from country to hip hop to sports talk. Program Director/IT Manager Chris Collins demonstrated how the streamlined Nexus integration with BE automation product AudioVaultFLEX has enhanced his workflow when scheduling 100.1 The Beat and Mix 101.9.

Chris shared, "The integration has allowed my jocks to have a lot more say in what they do, but they're still following the rules that I set forward. That makes them feel a bit more involved with the station and I've noticed it raises their energy level a little bit. They know that they can swap out something here or there, but I still have the safety of knowing it fulfills the rules I've set up in my clocks." We're happy to hear Chris and his team are enjoying the enhancements, and we thank our partners at BE for being a part of this innovation.

Jim Roberts (ENCO) with Joe Knapp, Laurie Knapp, Shane Finch (MusicMaster), Chris Collins (The Radio People) and Melanie Ross (MusicMaster)

Our next stop was New Orleans, where the Louisiana Association of Broadcasting and the Mississippi Association of Broadcasting were holding their annual joint convention at the Hilton Riverside hotel. Attended by roughly 250 regional broadcasting professionals, this event is a favorite for its unique networking and fellowship opportunities.

Shane Finch, Joe Knapp and Jerry Butler of MusicMaster represent our booth as a place where one will "see no evil, say no evil, hear no evil"	Jeff Wilson and Don Backus (Broadcast Electronics) with Joe Knapp (MusicMaster)	Our friend Aaron Johnson from Enco with convention guest Archie Manning, football legend and father to Peyton and Eli Manning

Joe Knapp (MusicMaster) and Patrick Thomas (of the "Big D and Bubba" show) with Melanie Ross and Jerry Butler (MusicMaster)	Shane Finch draws the winner of MusicMaster's raffle offering. Attendees were eligible after connecting with every vendor in the room.	Shane Finch (MusicMaster) and Bud Walters (The Cromwell Group) with Joe Knapp and Jerry Butler (MusicMaster)

While in New Orleans, the MusicMaster gang also made stops to check in with our local users. At Entercom New Orleans, Tom "Jammer" Naylor (PD of WEZB - B97) gave us the grand tour of their beautiful offices, and even turned the mic over to us for a shout out on the air. At the end of the tour, MusicMaster CEO Joe Knapp and Sales Manager Jerry Butler had a chance to sit down with and MD/APD Steve Guggenheimer and Bayou 95.7 PD Kat Vance to share some strategies on using Optimum Goal Scheduling.

(L-R): MusicMaster's Jerry Butler, Melanie Ross, Laurie Knapp, Entercom's Tom "Jammer" Naylor, MusicMaster's Joe Knapp and Shane Finch

MusicMaster's Shane Finch and Jerry Butler in the studio with Jammer	MD/APD Steve Guggenheimer with Joe Knapp	PD Kat Vance eagerly greets Jerry Butler and the MusicMaster team

Earlier in the day, MusicMaster Sales Manager Jerry Butler and Operations Director Shane Finch stopped by to see their good friends at the University of New Orleans station WWNO. They talked shop with GM Paul Maassen and stopped into the studio for a visit with Producer/Announcer Diane Mack.

WWNO General Manager Paul Maassen with MusicMaster's Jerry Butler	WWNO Announcer/Producer Diane Mack with MusicMaster's Shane Finch and Jerry Butler

After saying goodbye to the fine city of New Orleans, our team rounded out the journey in Austin, Texas with a visit to Classically Austin. There, we were joined by ENCO Broadcast Automation Specialist Paul Stewart. Classically Austin's Technical Operations Manager Phil Pollack and Music Director/Host Chris Johnson shared how they have incorporated the Nexus integration with ENCO DAD into their workflow. As a classical station with a massive library that maintains a great deal of metadata, they've found the integration very helpful in saving time and reducing human error. Thanks to our friends at ENCO for joining forces with us in making this possible.

(L-R) Phill Pollack (Classically Austin), Paul Stewart (ENCO), Laurie Knapp (MusicMaster), Chris Johnson (Classically Austin) and Shane Finch, Melanie Ross, Drew Bennett and Joe Knapp (MusicMaster).

A big thank you to everyone who welcomed us during our southern states roundup. It was truly Southern Hospitality at its finest! We look forward to seeing many of you again at our Dallas Genius Day this September 16!

MusicMaster Learning and Development Director Drew Bennett will launch the annual CBI convention in Philadelphia, PA with a remarkable educational opportunity. Bennett, along with several industry leading guest speakers will pass along music scheduling tips for users of all skill levels.

The official convention schedule begins on October 20, but MusicMaster and the CBI board are proudly connecting for this daylong learning session at the Philadelphia Sonesta Hotel. The CBI represents students involved in radio, television, webcasting and other related media activities. With a commitment to cooperative efforts, The MusicMaster Genius Day is just another example of how the CBI is bringing more resources to the members of the organization.

Watch our newsletter and website for complete event and registration details.

MusicMaster’s Drew Bennett and Malcolm Sinclair joined hundreds of Canadian radio professionals at the 34th Annual Canadian Music Week in Toronto. Founded in 1981, CMW is a radio industry conference and music festival held over ten days in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As is always the case, MusicMaster utilizes the visit to CMW as an excellent training and outreach opportunity with our many Canadian clients. Drew Bennett was also thrilled to be invited to answer questions at the annual Bell Media PD Summit. We appreciate the thought-sharing process that we enjoy with Program Directors and Music Directors. Congratulations Neill Dixon, Greg Simpson and the entire CMW team for another successful Canadian Music Week!

MusicMaster rep Malcolm Sinclair of Sinclair Media/Toronto visits with old chums about crazy days.	Malcolm tries to get some fashion tips from keynote speaker Michael Wekerle of the CBC’s Dragons’ Den

In May, the MusicMaster office welcomed Mike Oakes from WRR in Dallas and John Bradley of Custom Channels for a special Genius Day Intensive. Mike and John had the chance to dive deep into MusicMaster down with our Learning and Development Director Drew Bennett, CEO and Founder Joe Knapp, and CTO/VP Scott Wirt. When asked to sum up his experience, Mike Oakes shared: "Genius Day. Time well-spent? Definitely. Perhaps more appropriately, time well-invested."

Be sure to mark your calendars for future Genius Day sessions. The next event at our headquarters will be a big one! The entire worldwide MusicMaster team will be gathering in Dallas on September 16 for a special Genius Day during our annual meeting-of-the-minds. Everyone is welcome to join in this unique opportunity, and hear perspectives on scheduling solutions from around the world! Click here to register!

Drew Bennett and Scott Wirt (MusicMaster), Mike Oakes (WRR), Joe Knapp (MusicMaster) and John Bradley (Custom Channels).

Howard and Ingrid Christensen

Many international broadcasters might not know the names Howard and Ingrid Christensen, but Canadian broadcasters are all too familiar with the couple and their impact on media over the last 24 years. As the owners of Broadcast Dialogue, a weekly digital radio publication, the Christensens have watched the changes and reported the stories. At the end of June, Howard and Ingrid will walk away from day-to-day operations of Broadcast Dialogue and enter a season of rest and retirement.

Howard Christensen, who enjoys his private plane as often as possible, took time away from reporting and flying the beautiful skies near their home in Lagoon City, Ontario to reflect on 24 years of successful publishing.

Q – What was your inspiration for starting Broadcast Dialogue?
A – My inspiration for starting Broadcast Dialogue came in 1992 when my friend Barry and I were sitting around my office discussing the state of the Canadian broadcast publications. The publications in vogue at that time were all monthly print-based publications, which usually caused a six-week delay. The whole process of writing, editing and printing a publication created a huge delay. We determined there was a huge hole for a weekly fax, based on shorter content. We didn’t need to offer New York Times length stories, just the basic information in a paragraph or two.

Q – Did you send the fax version on Thursday morning as you currently do with the digital edition?
A - At the beginning, we were using a simple fax system that would start at 8:01pm Wednesday and generally fax through the night ending on Thursday at 6:59am. Even though we were delivering the fax in the off peak hours, our phone bill was astronomical.

Q – Were you bi-vocational when you started BD or did you take a leap?
A – No, I had a company called Christenson Communications. I was busy doing corporate videos, voiceovers, and writing corporate scripts, so Broadcast Dialogue was just a natural add-on to what I was already doing. Eventually these other projects were just overwhelmed by Broadcast Dialogue.

Q – Obviously Ingrid is a special part of what you do. When did she become active with you and Broadcast Dialogue?
A – Ingrid was a business consultant for a number of years and really kicked-in with me around 2000. She started handling things which freed me up for more creative aspects.

Q – Is there one story that received more attention than any other?
A – I find that BD readers want news about current happenings and photographs, but they also love pieces written by guest editorials who express a personal point of view. When my friend Tom Rivers, a highly popular Toronto broadcast legend, died from cancer, I wrote a piece based on my friendship with him and his professionalism as a disc jockey. That, by far, elicited the most feedback ever. I very clearly shared my feelings and many were touched by it. I just found that things that touch people’s heartstrings are always very popular.

Q – Have you ever written a story that stirred anything up?
A – There were several embarrassing occasions when station managers passed along news about the departure of an employee before that person was terminated. The employee’s first inkling of termination came by reading “Revolving Door”. I was always embarrassed for the managers.

Q – Can you think of a Canadian media figure that you consider a kind person?
A – The most generous and kind person in Canadian media is Gary Slate of Slate Communications. The man is absolutely devoted to children’s hospitals and causes. When he sold his stations he gave everyone working for him a piece of the purchase price.

Q – What’s the best career advice you recall and implement?
A – Walk, don’t run!

Q – In what way will your lifestyle change in retirement?
A – I’ve done exactly what I’ve wanted to do and I’m content with the lifestyle I have. I won the lottery by being born in North America. I should wake up every morning and kiss the ground with gratitude. I have a house in the country, an apartment in the city, and an airplane. I’ve won the human lottery.

Q – What Canadian broadcast group do you admire most?
A – I have great admiration for Golden West Broadcasting. They have stations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. They purposefully bought stations or acquired licenses in small markets where there were not daily newspapers. He wanted his stations to be the local news source, and he’s done that magnificently. Elmer Hildebrand was the guy who started Golden West and since then the company has grown to a number of stations. I admire that they’ve stuck with the plan from the get-go. They’ve created a brand of being the place to go for everything information related in a given market. It’s brilliant!


“Howard and Ingrid have been more than “friends” to the broadcasters of this country. They have provided yeoman’s service to an industry that sometimes didn’t truly appreciate the value proposition they brought to the table. From the CAB, WAB, BCAB and OAB to the WABE, CCBE, NAB and RTDNA, the Christensen’s worked tirelessly to help promote, educate and support these associations. Broadcast Dialogue has been a “must read” for many years and there will be a noticeable void when Howard and Ingrid say goodbye to their baby. I thank them for their service, but more importantly, their friendship which they extended to everyone in the broadcast industry.”
-Terry Scott, former Director of Broadcasting, The Canadian Press

In May and June, ON AIR General Manager Rainer Eichhorn traveled throughout Asia to visit with clients and attend the Broadcast Asia conference in Singapore. Rainer first went to Hong Kong to work with new MusicMaster client RTHK (Radio TV Hongkong) Channel 4, the classical music channel for Hong Kong.

Rainer reports: "Working nearly a week with Charels, Tina and Fei was a pleasure! These people really know their stuff and the music they are programming is top notch. Beside that, they also record and produce a lot of classical live concerts in their market. We are very proud to call them our customer!

Rainer Eichhorn with Charles, Tina and Fei of RTHK Channel 4

While in Hong Kong, Rainer also visited with RTHK Channel 3 music manager Steve James to share the features of Version 6, introduce some exciting things coming up in Version 7 and showcase the possibilities that MusicMaster CS has to offer.

Rainer Eichhorn shares the latest and greatest at RTHK Channel 3

As always, Rainer and his team thank their Hong Kong partners Gregoy and Hong of BTL for their tremendous help and support in the region. Rainer adds, "Thanks guys again for taking caring of me and not hesitating to eat DimSum with me every day!"

Gregoy and Hong from BTL in Hong Kong

The MusicMaster family wishes to extend our support and love to the LGBT+ community and victims of the recent hate crime massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We mourn the loss of 49 innocent lives, pray for the 59 injured to heal, and stand with all those in the community affected by this horrifying event. If you are interested in sending direct support to the families of victims and injured survivors, you can find the official fundraising page here.

On May 19th, Paul Ziino paid a visit to WKTI-FM in Milwaukee. He met with Dayton Kane to discuss a handful of scheduling features including unique artist separations, Optimum Goal Scheduling, scheduling imaging to ramp over song intros of various lengths, and more.

While visiting, Paul and Dayton discovered they both went to school at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and actually worked at the college station WSUW-FM together. Dayton was the morning guy on-air at 6am, and Paul was the late-night metal guy on at midnight. No wonder they never crossed paths back in the day!

Are you planning to go to one of these events?
We would love to meet you there! Contact your MSC or send us an email to let us know.

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