I have loaded the show schedule into Spintron and put in the repeating recurrences for the shows. Each DJ does the same show at the same time each week. However, we do have some exceptions that come up over the course of a school term. For example, next week the students will go home for the Thanksgiving break. During this time, I’d like to remove the shows from the calendar only for that week without affecting the recurrence of the shows otherwise. Similar to how on Google Calendar when an event is removed from a recurrence you’ll get prompted “this event only?” or “this and future events?” or “all events”?
Likewise, sometimes if a DJ is sick, the DJ from the show before may extend their show only for that one occurrence. I’d like to be able to change the duration of only THAT episode of the show on the calendar without the recurrence being affected.
For a radio station, an exception to normal programming recurrence is usually a scheduling replacement rather than a void. So Spinitron provides two ways to schedule one-off programs that preempt an occurrence of a recurring show.
Add a one-off show to the schedule, i.e. a show with a schedule set to: Doesn’t repeat.
Create a playlist with a future date and check its Display as a future public playlist checkbox.
They both have their uses.
A DJ who has arranged to substitute for a colleague can use 2 to advertise the programming change without touching the Spinitron schedule. The sub DJ would in any case create a playlist so its quite convenient. 2 is also used by a DJ who wants to advertise something about an upcoming episode, e.g. a special guest.
As an admin you use 1 to put one-off shows in the schedule and they will replace occurrences of recurring shows with conflicting time-slots.
For a show that is taking a longer break, e.g. over summer vacation, set an End date in its schedule for this semester and add a new recurring time slot to the show when it starts again the fall semester. In this way a show that’s been in and out of the schedule for years can keep all its playlists together on one public show page.
Btw, since I mentioned ending a recurrence of a show, a note on…
Scheduling history
You can, if you really want to, maintain your station’s scheduling history in Spinitron by keeping all the ended recurrences for all the shows you’ve ever had, but I discourage it.
In Spinitron’s ontology, shows represent plans for the future while playlists represent the historical record. They are two different kinds of thing. Plans change but history doesn’t (except to correct errors and omissions).
Listeners aren’t usually interested in what was scheduled to be on the air in the past beyond a week or so. And Spinitron doesn’t even display past occurrences to the public if there’s a playlist in the same time slot. So, while historical schedules clutter up your admin UI, there’s really no practical value.
You can end the show’s schedule and start another after skipping a week, or you can create either a one-off show or a one-off advance playlist that’s suitably named to represent the absence of programming during that time slot. (As described in more detail above.)
Tom - One thing I’m still not certain. Let’s say we have a Holiday Special show airing on Dec. 25 at 4:00 pm that replaces a regular weekly Wed. 4:00 pm show. Can I just enter the Holiday Special show on that date and time WITHOUT doing anything to the listing for the regular weekly 4:00 show?