Radio Computing Services
Encyclopedia
Radio Computing Services, also known as RCS Inc., is a provider of scheduling and broadcast software for radio, Internet and television stations. The company was established in 1979 by Dr. Andrew Economos. On January 26, 2006, Clear Channel Communications
purchased RCS as a subsidiary company.
. The original Selector was developed on a PDP-11/03 under RT-11
and was programmed in Fortran and FMS-11. The goal of Selector is to help music directors of radio station
s to handle day-to-day operations such as daily schedule generation, maintenance of music library
and format hours (also known as clocks). Over 9000 radio stations worldwide use Selector to create their music logs.
s, promos, etc.) called Linker, a digital automation system for broadcasting from PC called Master Control, a commercial (spot) trafficking system known as Airwaves and software for radio newsrooms called RCSnews. As of 2007 RCS has approximately 9,000 clients worldwide and due to its widespread use is considered as the leader in the radio software industry.
Apart from goal-based scheduling GSelector also offers a new approach to music libraries. Unlike the previous system which maintains one library per database (whereas database usually refers to a single station), GSelector allows to operate individual stations (with individual schedules) that share one music library within a single database.
to develop a system that would run their radio stations. Prophet Systems went on to become a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications
in 1997. On January 19, 2007, Prophet Systems and RCS merged.
NexGen allows for voice tracking, remote control, and complete station automation; as well as dual redundancy, an emergency control room system, and satellite control. Alongside many other media organizations, Sirius Satellite Radio
uses Nexgen to manage some of its programming.
Introduced in 2011, RCS Remote for NexGen is the latest application in the RCS/NexGen platform of products. RCS Remote for NexGen is the first application developed by RCS for the iOS platform to allow for remote control of a station in a NexGen system. The application is designed for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and iPad2.
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
purchased RCS as a subsidiary company.
Selector
The first product developed by RCS was Selector, a music scheduling systemMusic scheduling system
Music scheduling systems are employed to sequence music at radio stations. Although these systems were originally implemented by manual index card methods, since the late 1970s they have exploited the efficiency and speed of digital computers...
. The original Selector was developed on a PDP-11/03 under RT-11
RT-11
RT-11 was a small, single-user real-time operating system for the Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-11 family of 16-bit computers...
and was programmed in Fortran and FMS-11. The goal of Selector is to help music directors of radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s to handle day-to-day operations such as daily schedule generation, maintenance of music library
Music library
A music library contains music-related materials for patron use. Collections may also include non-print materials, such as digitized music scores or audio recordings. Use of such materials may be limited to specific patron groups, especially in private academic institutions...
and format hours (also known as clocks). Over 9000 radio stations worldwide use Selector to create their music logs.
Linker
RCS also provides a scheduling system for non-musical elements (jingleJingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
s, promos, etc.) called Linker, a digital automation system for broadcasting from PC called Master Control, a commercial (spot) trafficking system known as Airwaves and software for radio newsrooms called RCSnews. As of 2007 RCS has approximately 9,000 clients worldwide and due to its widespread use is considered as the leader in the radio software industry.
GSelector
In April 2006, RCS introduced new music scheduling software for radio, satellite, DAB, HD and internet stations called GSelector. The original Selector system used Rules to determine what songs can be scheduled at given schedule positions: do not play two rock songs in a row (Sound Code rule); do not play a Beatles song in less than 2 hours (Artist Separation rule); do not play certain songs in the morning (Daypart Restriction rule) and many more. In GSelector, music director sets goals (hence the GSelector name) of what should happen; instead of rules the system provides a set of controls allowing to easily adjust (increase/decrease) balance and demand of a variety of music attributes: tempo, energy, mood, artist occurrence, etc.Apart from goal-based scheduling GSelector also offers a new approach to music libraries. Unlike the previous system which maintains one library per database (whereas database usually refers to a single station), GSelector allows to operate individual stations (with individual schedules) that share one music library within a single database.
NexGen
NexGen is a digital automation system originally developed by Prophet Systems, Inc. Prophet Systems was founded in 1989 by Ray & Kevin Lockhart of Ogallala, NebraskaOgallala, Nebraska
Ogallala is a city in Keith County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,737 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Keith County. In the days of the Nebraska Territory, the city was a stop on the Pony Express and later along the transcontinental railroad...
to develop a system that would run their radio stations. Prophet Systems went on to become a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
in 1997. On January 19, 2007, Prophet Systems and RCS merged.
NexGen allows for voice tracking, remote control, and complete station automation; as well as dual redundancy, an emergency control room system, and satellite control. Alongside many other media organizations, Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
uses Nexgen to manage some of its programming.
Introduced in 2011, RCS Remote for NexGen is the latest application in the RCS/NexGen platform of products. RCS Remote for NexGen is the first application developed by RCS for the iOS platform to allow for remote control of a station in a NexGen system. The application is designed for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and iPad2.