Though you could technically plug in an RS-422 control panel to almost any server and get a clip (spot) to play, the likelihood is that either a full-blown automation system, or a simple playlist manager, is used to cue up spots and play them to air. It is fair to ask why many stations have not gone to lights out, unmanned operations. For the most part, exceptions and late additions to the schedule make unattended operation risky, or perhaps less than a career-enhancing decision. Content must be ingested and trimmed before it is used for air. In an era where file-based workflow is becoming mainstream, one might conjecture that passing metadata directly to automation and traffic will take away a primary function of the MCR operator. But someone still needs to take responsibility to make sure the content has been reviewed and noted as correct and ready for air.
I recognize that this might seem a bit contrived, but as we move further into file-based workflow, such issues beg for human solutions.Ĭonsider for a moment an error in the file domain, which might render content at best embarrassing. One of my clients is actively considering what might seem counterintuitive - eliminating master control as a department and moving it into the traffic department. This is not just window dressing, because who can better judge if a spot is the right one? Indeed who can gauge a program to be sure it matches the log? The schedule starts in traffic, and in this era, MCR can be run entirely from (or even on) IT hardware, eliminating the need for a different type of technical space for MCR. This raises many questions that are not so obvious. Is this combining traffic with MCR or creating a more natural broadcast operations department? It is arguable that from a business perspective, this is a potential way to improve operations. If a log problem is spotted, it can be corrected by the people best equipped to understand the ramifications.
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