Broadcast Continuity

Broadcast continuity is the set of practical measures that keep the station on air when something unexpected happens. It combines playlist preparation, audio storage, backups, plugin behavior and operator routines.

Prepare Ahead

For automated operation, generate enough playlists to cover the next operating period. Include weekends, holidays and any period where technical staff may not be available.

Keep a small set of known-good emergency content available in the library. This can include long music blocks, station imaging, generic promos or other approved fallback audio.

Protect Audio Access

If on-air audio is stored on a server or NAS, use the Local Asset Cache where appropriate and monitor available disk space. Cache behavior should be checked after changing storage paths, replacing a workstation or moving audio to another server.

Do not rely on the cache as the only copy of station audio. The central audio library still needs a normal backup strategy.

Dynamic Content Fallbacks

Dynamic content can fail for reasons outside Power Studio, such as an unavailable download, missing file, expired program, network outage or invalid stream.

For each important dynamic item, define what should happen if the normal content is unavailable:

• Play the previous valid download.
• Play a generic fallback item.
• Skip the item and continue the playlist.
• Alert an operator for manual action.

Document the chosen behavior for news, traffic, syndicated shows, commercials and live streams so operators know what to expect.

On-Air Computer Care

Treat the on-air workstation as a broadcast device. Avoid unnecessary software, background tools and automatic restarts. Schedule Windows maintenance outside broadcast-critical hours and confirm Power Studio starts correctly after maintenance.

After hardware or driver changes, check audio routing, PFL, recorder inputs, control-surface plugins and any GPIO or mixer integration.

When Something Goes Wrong

If a problem occurs during broadcast, the operator should first keep audio on air and then investigate.

Useful first actions:

1. Start a known-good cart or playlist item if silence is imminent.
2. Return to Automation Mode if Live Assist Mode is no longer under control.
3. Replace or skip a failed macro item.
4. Switch to a fallback stream or local item if an external source fails.
5. Note the exact time and workstation name for later log review.

After the broadcast is stable, collect logs and review the playlist, plugin and storage behavior.