RCS, originally Radio Computing Services, is a provider of
scheduling and broadcast
software
Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications.
The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...
for radio, Internet and television stations.
History
RCS was founded in 1979 by Dr. Andrew Economos. The idea for RCS and its first product, Selector, came to him when he was in charge of computing activity at
NBC. Economos saw a need for a way to automate the
music scheduling process at company-owned stations, and replace the existing paper-based system, and he proposed the development of music scheduling software.
NBC executives deemed the project not important enough for the network to commit resources to. Economos left NBC after 15 years to develop the product on his own. Initial marketing of Selector was difficult due to the high cost of
personal computer
A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...
s, and some resistance from stations who wanted to keep their paper-based scheduling systems. Sales of Selector gradually improved, and by 2006, the product had around 6,000 client stations in 100 countries.
On January 26, 2006,
Clear Channel Communications
iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...
(now
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...
) purchased RCS as a subsidiary company. Clear Channel had acquired automation software company Prophet Systems in 1997. In January 2007, Clear Channel announced that the two companies would be merged. In September 2018, at the NextRadio conference in London, RCS president Philippe Generali announced that GSelector and Zetta would be available as
cloud services
Cloud computing is "a paradigm for enabling network access to a scalable and elastic pool of shareable physical or virtual resources with self-service provisioning and administration on-demand," according to ISO.
Essential characteristics ...
.
Family of Companies
As RCS has grown, the company has made several acquisitions.
*Air Check real-time analysis of songs and commercials
*Florical Systems television automation and integrated
playout
*Hit Predictor listeners rate popular songs (ended in 2023)
*Mediabase monitored airplay information
*Media Monitors local media monitoring
*Test All Media digital media research platform
*RCS2GO mobile
*Revma
streaming
Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
solutions
Software Products
RCS has a range of products for different purposes.
Current
* Zetta, playout software.
* Gselector, scheduling software.
* Aquira, commercial booking and accounting software.
* RCS News, news reading software.
Former
* MasterControl, playout software replaced by NexGen.
* NexGen, playout software replaced by Zetta.
* Selector, scheduling software replaced by Gselector.
Local Offices
RCS operates in 23 offices positioned across the globe.
Americas
* United States of America (Global Headquarters)
* Canada
* Latin America
Europe
* France
* United Kingdom & Ireland
* Germany
* Scandinavia
* Poland
* Italy
* Türkiye
* Czech Republic/Slovakia
Asia-Pacific Region
* Australia
* New Zealand
* Singapore
* Thailand
* Indonesia
* Taiwan
* South Korea
* India
* China
* Malaysia
Africa
* Africa
Middle East
* Middle East & North Africa
References
External links
RCS websiteCheck website Florical Systems website Hit Predictor website Mediabase website Media Monitors website Test All Media websitewebsite
(June 21, 1996)
{{IHeartMedia, state=collapsed
Multinational companies headquartered in the United States
Software companies based in New York (state)
Software companies established in 1979
American companies established in 1979
2006 mergers and acquisitions
2007 mergers and acquisitions
IHeartMedia
Software companies of the United States