Generating Playlist from Clocks

Section 4.2: Generating Playlists from Scheduled Clocks

The recommended method for building multiple playlists in NextKast OnAir is by using the Generate button. This feature allows you to create separate playlists with random selections for specific hours, up to 24 for specific days.

Steps to Generate Playlists:

1. Press the Generate Button: Select the start date, start hour, and the number of hours you wish to create.
2. Playlist Generation: NextKast will generate playlists organized into Date Folders (indicating the date for the playlist to play) with files named by hours (e.g., 1-24.pls), representing the specific hour each playlist should play.
3. Automatic Scheduling: The generated playlists will start automatically when the Enable Schedule checkbox is checked on the Playlist/Rotation screen. NextKast uses the rotation schedule to determine which rotations are applied to create the playlists. More details about this process will be provided in the Scheduler Section later in the manual.

Merging Advertising/Traffic Logs:

• Merging Logs: Advertising and traffic logs can be merged, provided they are saved in a category named ‘Advertising’ with files formatted as dates. Currently, NextKast accepts files from ‘Natural Log.’ For other formats, please contact support for more information (refer to page 48).

Managing Generated Playlists:

• Sub-Icons: Once generated, these playlists will appear on the icon bar at the bottom of the screen as sub-icons of a single icon marked with the day, month, and year digits ID. These sub-icons can be used in the Scheduler, which will be covered later in the manual. To navigate back to the top-level icons, click the Home icon.
• Playlist Generation and Playing: To play a generated playlist, go to the Playlist/Rotation Mode and click the icon at the bottom representing your playlist. It will appear in the playbox with a playlist sign indicating that it is a playlist playing and not a rotation. If set to AUTO, the playlist plays automatically. When Enable Schedule is checked, the generated playlists will start automatically on the specified date and hour.

Printing Logs to PDF:

• After generating playlists, you can right-click on the date folder in the bottom section of NextKast and select “Print Log to PDF.” A dialog will display with “Simple” and “Advanced” buttons. The Simple PDF includes only the artist, title, and time, while the Advanced PDF includes additional information such as the category name. You can also adjust the date range of the PDF report and select the number of hours or hour range to print to PDF.