Applies to: Multicast Radio. Not sure which panel you have? See Which radio or video panel do I have?

Radio Spots are special schedules for adverts, announcements, time signals or news bulletins. They don't change the playlist. They slot in between tracks at the pace you set: at specific times, every so many minutes, every so many tracks, or at fixed minutes past each hour. They work independently of your other schedules and don't "clash" with them.

Before you start

• Upload your spots as normal tracks (Uploading music). A "Spots" folder keeps them tidy.
• Don't mark them as jingles: jingles don't appear in the spot selection list.
• Don't put them in a playlist, or they will also play as songs.
• Check the Timezone in Settings.

Creating a Radio Spot

1. Go to Streaming → Schedule → + New Schedule.
2. Enter a Name (e.g. "Smith's Bakery advert") and choose Type: Radio Spot. The start and end time fields are hidden and the Radio Spot Settings appear.
3. In Trigger, choose when it plays (see the table below).
4. In Select tracks, tick one or more spots. There's a search box to find them quickly.
5. Optionally set Active hours, Days and Start Date / End Date, e.g. the length of an ad campaign.
6. Click Save.

When it plays: the "Trigger" options

For "Every X tracks", every track that plays counts: playlist tracks, single tracks, requests and the spots themselves. Jingles don't count.

Interrupt current track

For Specific time, Every X minutes and Clock pattern there is Interrupt current track:

• Ticked: the spot plays exactly at the set time and the track is cut. Suitable for news and time signals.
• Unticked: the spot waits for the track to finish. It sounds smoother but may be a few minutes late.

Several spots together: rotation and blocks

If you select two or more spots, two more settings appear:

• Play order (the list with arrows): the order of the spots.
• Rotation order:
  • Sequential (1→2→3→1...): each time, the next spot in the list plays.
  • Random: a random spot each time, never the same one twice in a row.
  • All together (block): all spots play one after another, like an ad break. You can set a Block opening ID and a Block closing ID, e.g. "Adverts" / "Back to the music".

Active hours

With Active hours the spot only plays within a time range, e.g. 08:00 to 22:00, so adverts don't play in the middle of the night. Fill in both fields, otherwise the setting is ignored and the spot plays around the clock. Overnight ranges, e.g. 21:00 to 06:00, are allowed.

Good to know

• While a DJ is live, spots don't play and aren't saved for later. If you want adverts during a live show, the DJ plays them from their own software. For "Every X tracks", the count restarts after the show.
• During a restream, the spot briefly interrupts the restream, which then continues.
• Spots play without crossfade, so they're heard clearly from start to finish.
• The station must be playing (Start) for spots to be heard.

Common problems