Local Clock Editing for National and Local Broadcast Scheduling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current radio broadcast scheduling systems face challenges in managing local and remote music programming due to difficulties in integrating national and local logs, particularly in ensuring that local scheduling does not conflict with remote music service schedules, which often lack timely information about scheduled songs, leading to inefficiencies and potential copyright issues.

Innovation Solution

A subscription service that generates national media logs, which can be incorporated into local clocks to create station-specific logs, with access controls and editing permissions based on trust levels, DRM considerations, and licensing factors, ensuring seamless integration and conflict-free scheduling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If remote music services provide static schedules separately from local programming, then copyright compliance and rights management are improved, but scheduling efficiency and integration capability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecopyright complianceVSAvoidscheduling efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges remote music service schedules with local programming schedules into a unified scheduling system. The system allows local stations to import and integrate national logs from remote services while maintaining the ability to make local modifications, thereby achieving both copyright compliance through proper separation and scheduling efficiency through unified management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The scheduling system provides multi-functional capabilities by supporting both automated import of remote service schedules and manual local programming adjustments within the same interface. This universal system handles different types of content (national and local) with different management requirements, enabling stations to efficiently manage diverse programming sources.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of operation

If remote music services do not provide timely information about scheduled songs, then service simplicity is improved, but scheduling accuracy and conflict prevention deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice simplicityVSAvoidscheduling accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the scheduling platform receives schedule information from remote music services and provides real-time updates to local stations. This feedback loop enables stations to see what songs are scheduled by remote services and make informed decisions to avoid conflicts, maintaining scheduling accuracy without complicating the service model.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-importing and storing schedule information from remote music services before local programming decisions are made. This advance preparation allows local stations to review and adjust schedules proactively, preventing conflicts before they occur rather than reacting to problems after they arise.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If local programming systems lack information about remote service schedules, then system independence is improved, but conflict detection and resolution capability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem independenceVSAvoidconflict detection capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The scheduling platform acts as an intermediary between remote music services and local programming systems. It receives schedule data from remote services, processes and standardizes the information, then presents it to local stations in a usable format. This intermediary role enables local stations to maintain independence while gaining access to necessary schedule information for conflict detection and resolution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12556593B1Editable clock positions in local clock incorporating national content

Publication Date: 2026.02.17 IHEARTMEDIA MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC

AI summary

A computing device includes a communications interface, memory storing a program of instructions, and processor coupled to the communications interface and the memory. The processor is configured to execute the program of instructions to receive a national log via the communications interface, wherein the national log specifies national media items scheduled for broadcast on a plurality of local media stations, and timing information associated with the national media items; incorporate the national media items into local clock positions of a local clock used to generate a local broadcast log, wherein the national media items are incorporated into the local clock based on the timing information associated with the national media items; determine whether one or more clock positions of the local clock are editable clock positions; display at least a portion of the local clock including incorporated national media items; and display indicators denoting the editable clock positions.