Easy solution for a radio station program grid document?
February 24, 2020 1:23 PM Subscribe
Hey, I think I'm hot stuff but I missed a lot of info regarding creating particular types of documents and I'm seeking your help. I am charged with creating a program grid doc for a 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, fixed program schedule for radio shows. Days along the top, hours along the side. Editable. Easy to read.
This is probably very very simple, but I am tired and old. I looked at templates online and couldn't find something that felt right. I can create something in excel but it will be basic and awkward, which is fine I guess, but I am sure there is an easier way. Any ideas?
This is probably very very simple, but I am tired and old. I looked at templates online and couldn't find something that felt right. I can create something in excel but it will be basic and awkward, which is fine I guess, but I am sure there is an easier way. Any ideas?
You really do want a spreadsheet. When I worked in TV, I had to create these 24/7 schedules (and actually merge fields if certain days in M-F had different programming) to get this to print on one page. It was eons ago, and my boss was pulling his hair out trying to do this in Word. I did it in Excel while he went off for lunch and for the next year, he looked at me as though I were a goddess. (I also created comparagraphs, which showed all network programming, night-by-night, side-by-side. If you need to show competitive programming, this will expand easily to do that.)
You can use columns in Word, but an spreadsheets are SOOOO much easier. If the 9a Saturday show is repeated on Sundays at midnight, it's a quick copy & paste. You can make Excel programming schedules look very pretty. You can color code. Pick an attractive font. If you need to accommodate the schedule for transmitter maintenance or delete a show to run paid programming for a particular week, it's a snap. And you can re-arrange it much easier than with columns in Word because you can adjust your print area with one stroke.
Perhaps if you told us why you think it would be "basic and awkward" in Excel (which is the standard for grids), perhaps we could make alternative suggestions.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 8:45 PM on February 24, 2020
You can use columns in Word, but an spreadsheets are SOOOO much easier. If the 9a Saturday show is repeated on Sundays at midnight, it's a quick copy & paste. You can make Excel programming schedules look very pretty. You can color code. Pick an attractive font. If you need to accommodate the schedule for transmitter maintenance or delete a show to run paid programming for a particular week, it's a snap. And you can re-arrange it much easier than with columns in Word because you can adjust your print area with one stroke.
Perhaps if you told us why you think it would be "basic and awkward" in Excel (which is the standard for grids), perhaps we could make alternative suggestions.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 8:45 PM on February 24, 2020
100% agree about Excel. For anything more than basic columns it is much better than Word for tabular data.
posted by argybarg at 10:00 PM on February 24, 2020
posted by argybarg at 10:00 PM on February 24, 2020
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posted by theora55 at 3:19 PM on February 24, 2020