September 2017

Welcome to MusicMaster!

New From the MusicMaster Blog

by Jerry Butler - MusicMaster offers so many tools to customize what you see in your database. From specific fields and colors to window layouts and more. Many programmers have the Infobar showing in their view allowing you to easily see all categories and category groups. Did you know that you can also see specific information about each category? By clicking on Tools, Options and Library Editor Options, you can choose from three different options to show in your Infobar concerning your categories.

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Using Rules to Match Liners to Music

by Marianne Burkett - I've been seeing a lot of databases lately using Special Sets in the clocks to match up liners to intro times of their music. While there is nothing wrong with using the Special Set clock element to do this, there is a way to do this without adjusting the clocks.

Using an “attribute multiple” field in MusicMaster makes this a slick, but simple method. First, go to Dataset/Library/Fields. If you have an available “Attribute Multiple” field that is Tested in the rules… rename it to whatever name you want. In the example below, I’m calling mine Intro Match.

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Quick Tip: Library Key Mapping

Are there specific features you use over and over in the Library? You can choose from over 30 options and create hot keys for those functions using the Key Mapping function. When you have opened the Library, select the Library option from the menu and then Key Mapping. You will have 10 hot keys available to you. Simply pick the hot key and then the Select button. You can then pick the process you would like configured for that key. It's another simple way MusicMaster lets you customize your experience. One more tip: While in the Schedule Editor, check out the Schedule menu where you will also find Key Mapping for schedule functions.

Raving Fans from The Netherlands

With the IBC show in Amsterdam happening this month, we're pleased to introduce you to some of our MusicMaster Raving Fans from The Netherlands. CHR formatted station Radio 538 is by far the # 1 station in the Netherlands with a 12%+ market share. This year, the station celebrates its 25th anniversary. Like many others, Radio 538 switched to MusicMaster after testing various scheduling software programs. In the highly competitive market of The Netherlands, the station's consistent sound is more important than anything else. In this video, Music Director Menno de Boer and Music Editor Martijn Biemans share some of their favorite features.

Connect with MusicMaster at CCBE

The Central Canada Broadcast Engineers will host their annual educational gathering from Sept 28 - Oct 1 at the Kingbridge Conference Centre in Toronto, ON. Contact Malcolm Sinclair to set up a meeting time, or catch him on the show floor at one of our MusicMaster Integration partner booths (including Enco, Wide Orbit, and OMT). On Friday, Malcolm will also be joining Wide Orbit's William "Dub" Irvin and Jim Hammond to present a paper on MusicMaster Integration with Wide Orbit Automation for Radio (2pm - 3pm, Room B).

MusicMaster Meeting Point at IBC

The IBC is the premier annual event for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content worldwide. This year's event will be held September 14 - 19 in Rai, Amsterdam. MusicMaster’s international partner ON AIR will host the MusicMaster Meeting Point in Hall 8, Booth E06. Kevin Hopkins and Tim Baas from ON AIR will also be joined by members of our European partner network, including Bart van Gogh from Top of Mind, Roberto Bellotti from BVMEDIA as well as Michael Buholzer and Mathieu Habegger from SwissMediaPartners.

We will be showing MusicMaster Scheduling Version 7, MusicMaster Client-Server Edition, both with Windows and web client, and answering all questions regarding the product from creative to technical. We also will be setting sail not only into the future but an actual sail, on Sunday Evening, September 17th 2017 at 6 PM. If you want to join us for a cruise, please let us know, as there are only a few seats left!

To set an appointment, please contact your MusicMaster representative or e-mail ON AIR at office@onair.de.

Music Scheduling 101: November's College Genius Day

On November 2 through 4, the CBI will be hosting their annual National Student Electronic Media Convention at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk. The CBI represents students involved in radio, television, webcasting and other related media activities. MusicMaster will be kicking off the learning on November 2nd with a special seven-part Genius Day: Music Scheduling 101. The workshop will be specially hosted by MusicMaster's Founder and President Joe Knapp. Each hour-long class will cover a different area of programming, both introducing students to scheduling concepts and refreshing seasoned users on MusicMaster workflows. Session guests can also attend our catered Mentorship Lunch featuring Marconi winner Roger Allen, programmer of KONO-FM/AM. The session schedule is as follows:

9am - "Music Scheduling 101: Music Scheduling Fundamentals"
A lot of math and creativity goes into scheduling a music log against a twenty four hour day. In hour one of our MusicMaster Genius Day, we'll cover what it means to be an artist or a mathematician in a music log and we'll take a close look at which side is more important or if both sides matter equally.

10am - "Music Scheduling 101: Music Library Curation"
What goes into a music library that rotates? In hour two of our MusicMaster Genius Day, we'll go into depth on curating a music library. How are songs coded and what does that mean to the spirit and the sound of the music log? What attributes of a song should be kept in a music library? What are the best practices for maintaining complete song cards?

11am - "Music Scheduling 101: Proper Turnover and Clock Building"
Turnover and clock building is the foundation for great music logs that expose songs to a listener base in a systematic way. The success of your music log depends on the quality of your turnover. In this hour of our MusicMaster Genius Day, we'll cover clock building, turnover mathematics and working with turnover while you develop your clocks. This could be the most important hour of the day for developing great music logs.

Noon - "Music Scheduling 101: Lunch with Marconi Winner Roger Allen"
What is it like to run a radio station and be responsible for the final product? How much time is spent on music scheduling? What kind of research is involved and how is the final product produced and sent for air? During hour four, you can join us for a catered lunch with a mentor. KONO-FM and Marconi Winner Roger Allen speaks about radio and music scheduling at KONO-FM.

1pm - "Music Scheduling 101: Rules and Controlling a Library"
Once great turnover is achieved, it's time to build the sound of the radio station. How are rules set up against a library to create the spirit and the sound of a music log? How can we scale our rules to consider ideal music mixes and prevent undesirable segues? How are rules dayparted for different times of the day? In hour five of our MusicMaster Genius Day, we'll cover rules and how to control a library to create a great mix of music.

2pm - "Music Scheduling 101: Scheduling Music"
Once our clocks have been built and we have an effective rule tree in place, it's time to check schedule a log, edit music and non-music and view the final product. In hour six of our MusicMaster Genius Day, we'll cover schedule editing, advanced tips for log production, reports, reconciliations and exporting to an automation system.

3pm - "Music Scheduling 101: Zero to Database in One Hour"
Can you really go from nothing to radio station in one hour? Yes, you can! In our final hour of MusicMaster Genius Day, we'll work to build a station from scratch. We'll show you how to build libraries quickly, then move to clocks, rules and logs in no time. At the end of the hour, we'll have a working radio station to stream and listen to.

4pm - "Question and Answer Session"
Session attendees can return for one-on-one support and a Q&A with our team.

Click Here to Register

Genius Tour Down Under!

The MusicMaster team is hitting the road and heading down under! Founder and President of MusicMaster Joe Knapp, along with CEO/Chief Creative Officer Laurie Knapp, Customer Relations Specialist Melanie Knapp, ON AIR General Manager Rainer Eichhorn, and Create Consult Research’s Blair Sullivan will be touring both Australia and New Zealand in October.

MusicMaster is used by over 200 stations across Australia and New Zealand. The team will be presenting personal Genius Days for users in Sydney, Melbourne, Geelong, Brisbane, Wollongong, The Sunshine Coast and across the Tasman in Wellington and Auckland.

We will be catching up with Grant Broadcasters, ACE Radio Network, Foxtel’s Channel [V], Max and Smooth, MTV Australia and New Zealand, Radio New Zealand, fBi Sydney, 2NUR FM Newcastle and more. All will get a peek at our soon-to-be-released MusicMaster 7 in action!

The Genius Tour Down Under kicks off in Melbourne on October 13th, where MusicMaster is once again proudly partnering with Commercial Radio Australia to support Radio Alive 2017. The show will also feature the first RAIN Summit in Australia at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, followed by the Australian Radio Industry’s night of nights – the ACRAs on Saturday, 14th October. Radio Alive 2017, Rain Summit and ACRAs is where over 1200 of the industry’s leaders gather and is a celebration of the talent that drives the Australian Commercial Radio industry. Good luck to all the ACRAs finalists from the local Australian Team at MusicMaster!

MusicMaster Goes To Washington

The 2017 PRPD Conference in August in Washington, D.C. was an opportunity for the public radio community to discuss topics that ranged from how millennials use public radio to format specific issues to expanding the station's reach through all the digital avenues now available. One of the highlights was celebrating 30 years of Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

MusicMaster's Jill Sorenson visited with many users who are making their stations sound great with the software. She even brought back a few suggestions to make it even better. Events around Washington, D.C. included the opening reception at the new Newseum and a tour of NPR Headquarters. We know a few even managed to get over to the National Mall to see our historic momuments. Just as it was for the participants, it was an energizing visit for us to hear what is top of mind for public radio. We look forward to seeing you in Austin, Texas at the PRPD in 2018.

Good To See All Y'All!

During a visit to our Dallas headquarters, members of the MusicMaster management team had the chance to visit with local users and tour some of our home city's finest stations. Our first stop was at the soon-to-be-former studios of Service Broadcasting (the group will be moving into their new and expanded building next month). Station owner Hyman Childs graciously welcomed our team with great conversation and insights. We swung by the studios to see Smooth R&B 105.7 and Hip-Hop giant K104 in action. MusicMaster superuser Geo Cook then took the team over to their new building, where we could see the impressive new studios under construction. We're thrilled to see this MusicMaster Raving Fan celebrating continued success at a state-of-the-art facility in a stunning highrise location.


Tony Scott (Smooth R&B 105.7 Host )and Geo Cook (K104-FM Dir. of Operations, Brand Manager and Program Director) with the MusicMaster crew.	President/Owner Hyman Childs (center) with Geo Cook (right) and the MusicMaster team.

Next, MusicMaster visited the legendary Texas State Fair grounds, which also happens to be the home of historic WRR-FM. This municipal-owned commercial station is truly one of its kind. It began broadcasting in 1920 after a fire disaster in Dallas, providing a means for city-wide communication during future emergencies. In 1948, the station received an FM license and began broadcasting its Classical format on 101.1. Today, the station continues to be a mainstay for the format in Dallas and is celebrating new audience growth. Program Director Mike Oakes led the MusicMaster team on a tour through the building's historic hallways, where cutting edge recording equipment stood beside radio's ancestral relics. The station's great legacy could be felt in the air.


Mike Oakes, MusicMaster's Shane Finch, Joe Knapp, Laurie Knapp, Melanie Knapp, and George Landis, General Manager	Afternoon host Nancy Brunson and MusicMaster's Melanie Knapp.


MusicMaster's Joe Knapp is nostalgic over this old tape cutting machine.	WRR's historic archives include this award for "Exceptional Service in the Crusade Against Aggressive Communism".

Keepin’ It Country 40 Years Strong: Momentum Broadcasting

Just a few miles west of the beautiful Sequoia National Park in the lush agricultural San Joaquin Valley rests Visalia, California. This is KJUG Country, and has been for 40 years.

Boasting just two local owners in the 40 year history - Larry Woods and Don Groppetti - KJUG is known for stimulating the California country lifestyle with the annual Jugfest event held each summer.

MusicMaster recently caught up with KJUG Operations Manager Rik McNeil to discuss the 40th Anniversary celebration and ongoing success of 106.7 KJUG.

MusicMaster: Tell us about the recent celebration at KJUG.

McNeil: It was really a special time recognizing the achievements of so many who’ve been a part of this brand for 40 years. We were thrilled to have the original owner, Larry Woods and current operator, Don Groppetti join us. Just as special was hearing from longtime morning host, Dave Daniels and many of country’s greatest artists. It was a magical day.

Pictured, (L-R): Morning traffic reporter Chad, midday goddess Rose Ortega, PD Rik McNeil and KJUG morning hosts Tory and Drew.

MusicMaster: What’s the secret formula that keeps KJUG fresh and vibrant in the San Joaquin Valley?

McNeil: KJUG is a community-focused station, built, programmed and operated exclusively for this area. Before joining KJUG, I worked in this radio market for another group and I was horribly jealous of the KJUG/listener relationship. The listeners have a bond with KJUG that’s amazing. So just imagine how the listeners responded to our anniversary celebration. We continually meet listeners who’ve been to every single Jugfest since that event began.

MusicMaster: Looking back on your history is always fun, but tell us about KJUG moving forward.

McNeil: We’re very excited about our current morning show, Tory and Drew. I needed to secure talent and found this duo working together in Burlington, Iowa. What a find and just perfect for our area. We’re building around this fresh duet with some of today’s hottest country. There have been so many great people who’ve proudly protected the KJUG torch over the last 40 years, I’m just the guy who happens to be here for the celebration.

Drew and Tory

Dave Beasing - Program Director - 100.3 The Sound (KSWD), Los Angeles, CA

Dave Beasing is known for bringing fresh ideas and innovation to radio. As the architect of Entercom’s classic rock “100.3 The Sound” KSWD/LA, Dave and his team have proven that new radio players can still get noticed and compete with heritage brands. After working in radio in his native Nebraska, Dave learned media branding strategies at Dick Ferguson’s legendary NewCity Communications, at Viacom’s major market AC stations in the 90s, and as the program director of the first “Modern” AC station, LA’s Star 98.7. During a 12 year run as Senior Consultant at Jacobs Media, Dave provided advice and counsel about media trends to hundreds of brands, including Chrysler, MTV, and Vh1. His new column, “21st Century PD” debuts in the September 15 issue of Radio World. Dave shares this advice: "Radio programming strategy is rapidly shifting from ‘avoid tune-out’ to ‘create tune-IN or else.’ This is about to get interesting."

As a fan of MusicMaster, Dave says: "OF COURSE I love the software itself. It’s stable, logical, and versatile. I’m old school about thoroughly editing the logs every day, and – with MusicMaster – I’ve cut my editing time in half. But what I love even more about MusicMaster is the people. Whenever I have a question, I call Marianne Burkett, my own designated support person. She knows me, my station, my philosophy, and usually finishes my sentences before I do. Everyone at MusicMaster makes me feel like I’m their only client."

Tim Christoph Baas
Product/Project Engineer
Frankfurt, Germany

Tim Baas may be one of the newest members of the MusicMaster family, but he has quickly become an integral part of the team. Tim began working for MusicMaster's global partner ON AIR just six months ago as a Product/Project Engineer. He describes his role as "making the MusicMaster experience for our users a little better every day and trying to solve problems, even before the user knows they will get into them."

Tim's radio career began in high school when he worked as host for different formats and stations in Germany. He "changed sides" about fifteen years ago and has since worked as a promotions director, music director and program director for different local and regional stations in Germany. Tim's first contact with MusicMaster came when he was working as an evening-host for a regional station in southern Germany (the same region where Mercedes Benz is produced) and he was asked to schedule the music for his show.

Tim shares, "Outside of the MusicMaster family, I have my own small family - my wife, Sara, my 8 year old son, Max, and my golden retriever, Bruce. Also from time to time, our family has an au pair from South America (Peru, Columbia)"

When he's not working, Tim says: "You will find me on the soccer court watching my son play and visiting amusement parks (Disneyworld in Orlando is still my favorite. If somebody has a lot of time, look for my legacy in Epcot). And every house owner knows it: there is always something to do."

When asked for his best advice for people in the radio business, Tim says, "Get in contact with your listener, use every source of data you can get (e.g. research), ask good questions, stay curious and have a life outside radio."

To connect with Tim online, visit his LinkedIn and Facebook profiles.