by Sarah Smithies | Apr 19, 2016 | Press Release
Toronto, Ontario – April 11, 2016 – Centralized radio station operations was what leading Canadian broadcaster Group Attraction Radio, was looking for to increase the efficiency of its operations. The Quebec based company found the solution in an innovative, unified broadcast management system provided by Specialty Data Systems (SDS).
Group Attraction Radio has installed SDS’s flagship broadcast management software, SDS Symphony, at all of its radio stations. The software centralizes information, across all departments and all markets.
“We had been working in a semi-manual system previously which made it very difficult to work efficiently”, explained Marc Thibault, Director of Finances, Radio Division. “Redundancy of data entry and effort was commonplace, so we needed a better way.” Thibault said.
SDS Symphony provides broadcasters with the ability to instantaneously share information between various markets, stations and departments – from CRM, sales, traffic and programming to operations and accounting – eliminating the need for data re-entry and cross-verification.
“Now with Group Attraction joining SDS, over 425 stations across North. America have partnered with SDS and we are proud to have the team from Group Attraction as a customer. With our bilingual support team, the users at Group Attraction have been able to learn SDS in their language. This is another commitment that SDS has to our partners in French Canada. I am confident that our SDS Symphony product will yield better clarity and control of their business,” said Dave Cole, President of SDS, explaining that the result is a more efficient and streamlined operation.
“Now, with SDS, we have streamlined administration, simple and efficient enterprise reporting and rapid process improvement,” Thibault said.
Established in 1993, SDS is a leading North American provider of broadcast management software, specializing in the development of a proven, unified approach to broadcast sales, traffic, programming, operations and accounting. A mid-sized company with more than 425 television and radio station clients representing a billion dollars in advertising revenues, SDS is independent of broadcaster ownership and remains an agile and customer-focused company. For more information, visit www.sds.ca.
by Sarah Smithies | Apr 18, 2016 | Press Release
Toronto, Ontario – April 18, 2016 – Specialty Data Systems (SDS) Inc., a leading North American provider of innovative broadcast management software, continues to extend its market presence with the announcement of additional station launches in both television and radio throughout North America
“I’m pleased to announce the following additions to the SDS family,” said Dave Cole, president of Toronto, Ont.-based SDS, adding that the company is on target to increase its installed base to more than 500 radio and television stations across North America by fourth quarter 2016.
The new accounts include:
Corus Entertainment Inc. (3 stations) and the launch of Disney, Disney XD, and La Chaine Disney in November 2015. Corus Entertainment has been using SDS since 1993. Proving that SDS understands the Canadian marketplace better than anyone else.
Accessible Media Inc. and the launch of AMI-Tele in January 2015 in Quebec. Launch in January 2015, AMI serves more than five million Canadians who are blind, partially sighted, deaf, hard of hearing, mobility or print restricted. AMI has been part of the SDS family since 2008.
Roundhouse Radio launched in January 2015. After reviewing all the choices available in the marketplace, Roundhouse Radio selected SDS Symphony to assist in reaching its mandate of hyperlocal content and urban presence.
“American General Media (6 stations), Summit Media LLC (8 stations), Results Radio (2), Harvard Broadcastings (2) also expanded with ease” Cole noted. “The process is not intrusive to the users at all and stations can be added and launched within a matter of weeks with no additional costs!”
In addition to station launches, SDS also has expanded its VOD offering to Canadian television clients. “As the BDU offer more options to the viewer, this has required additional features within the VOD spectrum, often at a moment’s notice. We have been able to deliver these modifications to our clients with ease” said Sarah Smithies, SDS’s Project Director. “That’s why they chose SDS. We have been there for them every step of the way. From changes in the reporting system at the CRTC to the Numeris Program Names Collection Solution. We add these features at no charge to the system so our clients are not using Excel or manual reports.”
“Over the past year, SDS has been working on a new feature we call SDS IM or Inventory Management,” commented Jim Anderson, COO of SDS. “As the industry changes, so too does our software and the ability to see as much or little information as the user demands. SDS IM allows them to do that. It allows them to see as far into the future as they dare to look and manage the inventory as they want.”
Sherri Clark, the Corporate Traffic Director from Summit Media says this about SDS IM. “I’m able to handle the logs for 15 stations across the country from wherever I am. I travel from site to site, we have 6 in total, and everyone thinks I’m sitting in their location doing the logs, moving spots, etc. I couldn’t live without it!”
Equipped with a common database to integrate sales, traffic, programming, finance and operations data, SDS Symphony gives broadcasters the ability to instantaneously share information between stations and across departments, regardless of location. Its automated approach eliminates the need for re-entry and cross-verification of data, and formats information according to specific user needs, whether they’re programming airtime, booking orders, scheduling promos or producing sales and commission reports.
About Specialty Data Systems
SDS, established in 1993, is a leading North American provider of broadcast management software. More than 450 television and radio station clients have unified sales, traffic, programming, operations and accounting with the SDS Symphony suite of products. It is independent of broadcaster ownership. For more information, visit www.sds.ca .
by Sarah Smithies | Nov 16, 2015 | Press Release
Toronto, Ontario – November 2015 –Specialty Data Systems (SDS) announced today the release of SDS Sales’ fully integrated access to Numeris audience data in Canada. The latest version of SDS Sales taps directly in to the Numeris data engine to dynamically update sales proposals and bookings with Numeris audience data.
Now, when building an order in SDS Sales, line-level edits directly query the Numeris data to automatically update rating, audience, CPM, CPP, and reach/frequency numbers. As hours and days are narrowed and spot times are adjusted, the audience data reflects the changes in real-time. This version of SDS Sales also includes a comprehensive and fully customizable Ranker, which allows the inclusion of spill markets, the creation of station groupings, and dynamic printing options. The introduction of these features makes SDS Sales a one-stop solution for building pitches, estimating audience reach, and entering buys, eliminating redundant data-entry and the need for multiple systems. Harnessing the power of Numeris’ data engine is yet another example of SDS’s dedication to help clients save time and make more money by maximizing every spot and every dollar.
“SDS is committed to continuously enhancing our products with time-saving features to streamline the user experience. We strive to constantly deliver the tools broadcasters need to stay one step ahead in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace,” says Dave Cole, SDS President. “SDS’s decision to integrate the power of the Numeris data engine speaks directly to our commitment to providing effective, powerful business software to our clients.”
Established in 1993, SDS is a leading North American provider of broadcast management software, specializing in the development of a proven, unified approach to broadcast sales, traffic, programming, operations and accounting. A mid-sized company with more than 400 television and radio station clients representing a billion dollars in advertising revenues, SDS is independent of broadcaster ownership and remains an agile and customer-focused company. For more information, visit www.sds.ca.
by Sarah Smithies | Jan 31, 2014 | Press Release, SDS News
Specialty Data Systems (SDS) unveils new website
Toronto, Ontario – January 28, 2014 –Specialty Data Systems (SDS) announced today the release of its new mobile-friendly website, featuring a more contemporary design and user-friendly menus that allow visitors to easily navigate through each section. The updated pages at www.sds.ca contain the latest information on the SDS Symphony system, the company, team members, product news and recent press releases.
Many new enhancements have also been made to improve the user-experience for all broadcasters; radio, TV and internet. The site details the many advantages of partnering with SDS to save time and make more money by maximizing every spot and every dollar with the SDS Symphony system.
The mobile version of www.sds.ca resizes to each user’s screen, regardless of the device, to deliver the same user-experience as a Web browser on a PC.
“SDS is committed to expanding our market share with an optimized end-to-end approach of doing business and a second-to-none dedication to our customers. We strive to constantly deliver the tools broadcasters need to stay competitive in today’s changing marketplace,” says Dave Cole, SDS President. “Our newly enhanced website is part of our commitment to do just that.”
Established in 1993, SDS is a leading North American provider of broadcast management software, specializing in the development of a proven, unified approach to broadcast sales, traffic, programming, operations and accounting. A mid-sized company with more than 400 television and radio station clients representing a billion dollars in advertising revenues, SDS is independent of broadcaster ownership and remains an agile and customer-focused company. For more information, visit www.sds.ca.
by Sarah Smithies | Jan 23, 2014 | Press Release, SDS News
For Immediate Release
Summit Media Chooses SDS Broadcast Management System to Unify its 23 U.S. Radio Stations
Toronto, Ontario – January 27, 2014 – One-stop access to all the data at each of its radio stations was what leading U.S. broadcaster Summit Media, LLC was looking for to increase the efficiency of its operations. The Birmingham, Alabama-based company found the solution in an innovative, unified broadcast management system provided by Specialty Data Systems (SDS).
Summit Media has announced that it has installed SDS’s flagship broadcast management software, SDS Symphony, at all 23 of its radio stations, based in Alabama, Virginia, S. Carolina, Hawaii and Kentucky. The software centralizes information, across all departments, in real time.
“The SDS system completely eliminates the information silos that are so prevalent in radio,” said Darryl Grondines, CFO of Summit Media, explaining that the company previously had separate databases for each of its stations and each market it services. “Now, with SDS, all our stations are in a common database which enables simple and efficient enterprise reporting, rapid process improvement and streamlined administration, which will play a vital role in the growth and development of our company.”
“We wear a lot of different hats around here and we needed a software vendor that would help us work smarter, not harder”, Grondines explained. “SDS is a long-time, privately-owned company that very much resembles our own, so cultural fit played a large role in our partnering decision.”
SDS Symphony provides broadcasters with the ability to instantaneously share information between various markets, stations and departments – from CRM, sales, traffic and programming to operations and accounting – eliminating the need for data re-entry and cross-verification.
“Now with over 400 stations across N. America partnered with SDS Symphony, information is always up-to-date and broadcasters have better clarity and control of their business,” said Dave Cole, President of SDS, explaining that the result is a more efficient and streamlined operation. “The technology’s two-way flow of data allows for faster implementation, and reduces redundancies and costs, enabling the system to grow and adapt as broadcasters grow and the market evolves.”
Established in 1993, SDS is a leading North American provider of broadcast management software, specializing in the development of a proven, unified approach to broadcast sales, traffic, programming, operations and accounting. A mid-sized company with more than 400 television and radio station clients representing a billion dollars in advertising revenues, SDS is independent of broadcaster ownership and remains an agile and customer-focused company. For more information, visit www.sds.ca.
