Frequently asked questions

AdMaster is a software tool that schedules and maintains the commercial breaks playlists (traffic) for radio and television stations. It creates the traffic log for the entire day, or separate playlists for each commercial break, depending on your settings and preferences. Then, these playlists are imported to your main program playlist in your main program scheduler, or executed by your playout software while in playback mode.

AdMaster Workstation is a stand alone application with the user interface identical to the “full” version. It can set up or edit a campaign using the same procedure, but it cannot combine the campaigns into a common traffic log. Instead, it saves each campagin to a small xml file, to be sent to the full version of AdMaster in one or more broadcast stations. The campaign files can be sent via local or remote network, e-mail, removable drives or using AdMaster’s own file sync server. At the recipient side, AdMaster can be configured to import the campaigns automatically, or to wait for the user to confirm the import manually.
AdMaster Workstation is free, but you need a full version of AdMaster to be able to use it (because it cannot generate the campaign files compatible with any other software except AdMaster).

Without the paid version to receive and process the scheduled campaigns, the Workstation acts like a handsfree unit without a phone: you speak, but nobody can hear you.

Yes, if your current automation/playout software can execute the commercial break playlist created by another software. Most of them can, and all major automation platforms are already supported and available in the output format presets for the quick selection and setup. The list of available output formats is here. We routinely add the new output formats, when requested by our users.
IMPORTANT:  In AdMaster’s output configuration settings, you can configure the custom output format, by setting the the filename structure, the extension, and the structure of playlist/log content. Check the screenshots here. Feel free to download the trial version, and check if you can integrate AdMaster with your playout system. It’s easier than you think. Contact us if you need help and support on this.

Yes, you can manage as many stations as you want from a single installation of AdMaster, or you can set up one installation per station and export/import the campaigns between your stations, so that you don't need to set up the same campaign more than once. You need to purchase a separate license for each station. Multi station discount applies. Check our purchase page for more information. 
In addition, you can install the unlimited number of AdMaster Workstations, so that each and every sales agent that works for you can manage his/her own campaigns from any remote location.

You do not need a separate computer. Anything will work: running AdMaster on the broadcast PC, on the sales manager's office PC, on the computer in another town, or on your home computer. In case there is no direct local network connection between the computers, you can use the file-sync services to deliver the traffic logs and the spots to your broadcast PC. Many of of our customers have installed AdMaster on the sales agents’ laptops, giving them the opportunity to set up and activate the campaigns immediately after the deal with the customer is made, while still being at the customer’s office. The feedback from the field is outstanding: the advertisers love this very much.

You need a Windows based PC, which you may later configure to be accessed through remote desktop from Mac, Linux, tablet or smartphone.
The customers have reported the successfully usage of AdMaster on Virtual Machines running on Mac.

Yes, you can. You'll needto connect AdMaster to the AdBiller account. AdBiller is our own browser-based invoicing tool. It's free for everyone (no purchase of AdMaster is necessary).

Yes, the multi-station discount is calculated automatically on our Purchase page.

Yes, of course.
By default, AdMaster will create two commercial breaks per hour (the maximum is 12 breaks per hour). The setup can be separate for each hour throughout the week, and there are hundreds of combinations that you can create. In an example, you can have 3 breaks per hour from Monday to Friday, 2 breaks per hour on Saturdays, 1 break per hour on Sundays. Also, you can have breaks in the morning hours, 3 breaks in the afternoon, and a couple of commercial free hours on any given day.
Each commercial break can have its own intro and outro jingles included. The advanced scheduling options are also available for the jingles, so you can have something like "Thanks for listening. Stay tuned for the Top 20 chart, coming up at 4PM" used as a commercial break outro only for the break at 3:45 PM.

All changes are quick and effective immediately: in case you want to instantly add and play a pre-recorded show, or you need to switch to the emergency programming for whatever reason, with only a few clicks, you would be able to exclude the commercials from as many hours (or days) you need, and the updated the traffic log will be created in seconds.

Yes. AdMaster can create up to 12 breaks per hour. Each of them can be set up to include the separate intros or outros. In an example, you can schedule something like "Good morning, thanks for listening" as a commercial break intro in the morning, and something like "Good evening, thanks for listening, let's go back to the music" as a commercial break outro in the evening hours.

Yes. You can specify the starting hour for the first, and the ending hour for the last day of the campaign. And you can also use many of other campaign fine tunings, so that your campaign is scheduled exactly according to your (or your client’s) wishes.

Yes. You can set the duration, and AdMaster will make sure that the break is topped-up with the active spots (thus providing the bonus free plays to the paying customers), or with the separate top-up files of your choice. The advanced settings are available. In an example, you can select to top-up the breaks on Saturdays and Sundays, if they are shorter than 3 minutes.

Yes. We've gone even further: AdMaster can monitor the network of your stations, and adjust the commercial breaks dynamically, leveling the durations to the longest running break in the entire network. In case your playout supports the unattended commercial breaks playlists update, the entire thing works automatically, and keeps your network in sync. 

Upon creating a campaign, you would be able to set up a single station, a multi-station, or a network campaign. A single station campaign, as the name says, runs on one station. A multi-station campaign is created for the first station, then copied to another station(s) of your choice, and then it's treated as an independent campaign on each station (allowing you to e.g. start the campaign with the unique spot on all stations, and have them replaced later with the localized versions for each region or station). A network campaign is created for the first station, then copied to the entire network, and any further campaign change on any station is automatically replicated on the entire network.

Yes, you can, although we suggest avoiding this if possible. AdMaster will always try to provide the equal service level to all your customers, by trying to find the best available slots for each and every campaign. To send the campaign in advance, you need to fix the slots for the entire campaign, which creates a domino effect, affects the entire schedule and reduces the possibility of finding the better alternate positions for the spots.

Yes, it can, and AdBiller, our free invoicing browser-based tool can create the invoices and broadcast affidavits based on the log reconciliation. 

There are hundreds of combinations to automate any pattern (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc.). If the schedule is too complex and there's no pattern that you can rely on, you can always select the Manual schedule, and tick/untick each and every repeating of each spot throughout the campaign, to create the exact schedule that you need.

You can use Backup/Restore feature, or you can manually copy the database file to the new computer. The detailed guide is available here.