KenzoDB: Content management system for radio stations

About KenzoDB

KenzoDB is a content management system (CMS) designed especially for radio stations. It enables sophisticated automation of playlists, audio archives, program schedules, special events, podcasts, RSS feeds, news items, and more, all from an easy-to-use web-based interface. The entire system was designed and built by Ken Garson, created in 2000 and continually enhanced through 2009 (and still ongoing). The application is available for licensing to interested radio and internet-based stations.

Features, with examples
('Example' links open in new windows, and point to live pages on WFMU-FM's site.)

Powerful and easy to use:


• Basic and advanced controls are displayed separately, so DJ's who don't want to use advanced features never have to be distracted by them.
• All use and administration can occur from anywhere in the world with a web browser.
• Configurable access controls per user, so users can be given varying levels of administrative access.
• Built-in online help system, especially useful in learning about many of the advanced options of the system.
• Entire system runs very quickly (using a sophisticated custom-built caching system), never making a DJ/staff member wait after submitting a change, nor ever giving outdated information on the site to listeners. All pages maintain themselves (i.e. no need for somebody to remember to "publish" various pages when a relevant piece of data changes).

Integrates fully with your site:

• Runs with URL's in your own domain, and can be precisely tailored to fit into your own site's design.
• Fully supports UTF-8/Unicode, for maximum data interoperability with other information sources.

Audio archiving:

• Audio archiving, including allowing playlists to automatically display links to listen to individual songs within shows. (Example)
• Flash-based pop-up audio archive player (see AccuPlayer), which displays the name of the current song playing in the MP3 archive of the show.
• Archives can be uploaded in multiple simultaneous formats (for example, one for dial-up and one for high-speed).
• Archives can be configured to expire after a certain age (to save space), or remain indefinitely.
• Each archive begins playback exactly at the beginning of a given show.
• Special Archives page to collect specific archived shows, or even subsets of specific shows. (Example)
• Random Archive page (Example) and Random Audio Playlist Generator (Example), to give listeners a taste of programs they don't normally listen to.
• One page that collects the last week's worth of all audio archives and playlists station-wide, an ideal place for listeners to keep up with their favorite shows each week. (Example)

Playlists, reporting, and searching:

• DJ's can create playlists live during their shows, or later when their shows are finished, and can always go back and update existing playlists.
• Listeners can post live comments to playlists during shows, or afterwards while listening to archives. (Example)
• During live playlists, various site features display what song is playing right now, including inside audio players listening to live station streams.
• Different programs can have differently designed playlist pages, while still all being maintained from the exact same web-based system. (Examples: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
• Playlists can be exported into text format, useful for sending playlists by email, or into "tab-delimited" format for importing into other programs.
• Playlist Search pages: Search by various playlist columns (Example); browse all artists ever played (Example); search by program genres (Example); search by date/time (to identify the song you heard when you were listening at a particular time) (Example).
• Logging of playlists to satisfy reporting requirements, i.e. for SoundExchange webcasting / Copyright Office rules.

Podcasts and RSS (news) feeds:

• RSS feeds for new playlists and archives, station-wide or per program. (Example)
• Podcast feeds for new archives (for designated programs). (Example)

Scheduling:

• Scheduling of upcoming events (for fill-in DJ's and special events), which will then be listed on an upcoming events page (Example), on DJ playlist pages (Example), and daily in a "what's playing today" box. (Example)
• Individual show archives and podcasts can be scheduled to appear at future dates and times.
• Ability to manage changed program schedules, while maintaining history of past schedules. (Example)
• Community events calendar page for advertising non-station activities. (Example)

DJ pages:

• Off-schedule DJ's are automatically moved into their own section of a main Playlists & Archives page. (Example)
• Staff Directory page provides e-mail contact for all station members (via web forms instead of publishing email address, to reduce spam DJ's receive). (Example)
• Other pages list DJ's and programs and DJ's custom homepages. (Example)

Contact, licensing inquiries, etc.:

• There are many other features, not all directly related to playlists and archives.
• Please contact Ken Garson with any inquiries (licensing requests, custom software solution requests, suggestions, etc.).

Related pages

• AccuPlayer (Flash-based pop-up MP3 player for radio show archives)
• Ken's Last Ever Radio Extravaganza (Live improvised sound collage experiment: Playlists, archives, podcasts)

Contact

E-mail Ken regarding KenzoDB, radio, software, support, etc.