This feature is in the Webmin (admin panel) of my Apache home webserver, it allows the Admin (me) to schedule downloads via the web or ftp of certain files. Let’s say the latest Low Power Hour has just come out, if i know the file name ahead of time, i can program the server to download that mp3 file to a specific folder which in our case since we run radio stations, the folder could be added to Zararadio and be ready for airplay at it’s scheduled time on the radio.
But there is the draw back, you must know the files name before you can program the server to download that file.
I wonder how this could be iplemented for our use?
Below is a screenshot.
Predicting File Names
Mr. Bucket may have posed an imponderable problem. Which is to say, a problem that will continue to be a problem after reasoned discussion.
Continuing with the “Low Power Hour” example, there is a uniform system of naming, titling and labeling for the Low Power Hour…
It starts with the lower case letters… “lph”… followed by the program number… “116”…. followed by an under-slash “_” followed by the stream-rate: “48” or “128” followed by another under-slash “_” followed by the version number “V1” or “V2” etc.
The titling system used provides potentially useful information for the radio station but is certainly not a “one-size fits all” type of title.
What can we do?
Is there really a heaven after this mess?
A good question!
This is a good question, and the very reason why the Oompah Hour is uploaded to the exact same link each and every week, specifically for the convenience of stations that use auto-downloading programs.
Every week when I upload the new show the file name is always /oompahhour.mp3 Each week I move the previous week’s show to the archive and put the show number back on the file name e.g. oompahhour127.mp3 then upload the new show without it’s number on the end. The next week, I put the number back on it, move it to the archive and upload the new show without the tag number. This way the stations using such programs can grab it automatically every week.
I use Megaseg to run my station and it too will automatically download programs and have them ready to air when called upon. I only use this feature for FSN news hourly and a weather forcast. None of the programs I air weekly keep the file names the same week after week, so I download them manually each Monday afternoon and drop them in so they’re ready for the upcoming week.
I imagine there must be some other way to do this, but if there is I don’t know what it is. At the commercial stations I work for, between both of them, we download A LOT of programs. A lot. Long form music programs for the weekends, and a lot of short shows, little 2-3 minute things, half hour sports shows, car care tips, medical programs, heck, I bet between the stations over the course of a week there are 50 different things downloaded. We have NEVER found a way to do it automatically. They all change their file names with each program. Download duties are generally done by evening and weekend staff who aren’t up to their eyeballs dealing with the daytime zoo that is radio.
I think nearly any sort of automation program has downloading capabilities, but alas they all need to know where the file is, and without a constant file name it won’t work.
TIB
Never know until we ask
We never know the answers unless we first ask the questions.
Well it does have other benefits, i have for the longest time wanted to try the linux based radio automation software called Rivendell, the ISO for that software is pretty large and will no doubt take most of the the night to download.
That’s where this function come into play, i have programmed the download to start about 2 am Eastern Time when most of the house is asleep, one or two people might be up but i won’t be. If all goes well that software should be on my hard drive in the morning when i help Stephanie get the kids ready for school. I will then create a bootable drive using a 16 GB thumbdrive and try the software on another machine.
If it is as user friendly as they say it is, i might wipe the drive clean on my netbook and run Rivendell from there.
A problem has come up with playing a game with my wife while running Windows XP in Virtual Box while at the same time streaming music. After 10 minutes the pc say’s it has had enough and logs out of everything. It even goes so far as logging me out of Linux, come to realize that all of those processes together take more ram than my machine can muster and to save itself it just logs out and returns me to the login screen.
I am going to have to figure something out here, have to balance everything so that i am not taxing my main computer with so many tasks.
Barry of Blue Bucket Radio 1620