Radio Computing Services

Radio Computing Services (RCS) is a broadcast-technology company focused on software and services for radio, Internet, and television stations. Founded in 1979 by Dr. Andrew Economos, the company originated from a practical problem he encountered while overseeing computing activity at NBC: radio stations needed a more efficient way to automate music scheduling and move away from paper-based processes. Economos proposed developing a dedicated scheduling system, but NBC executives did not consider the project sufficiently important to receive network funding. After leaving NBC following 15 years with the company, he developed the product independently and established RCS. The company's first major product was Selector, a music-scheduling application intended to help stations organize playlists and automate parts of their programming workflow. Early adoption was difficult. Personal computers were expensive, and many broadcasters were reluctant to replace established paper-based scheduling practices. Over time, however, the operational benefits of computer-assisted scheduling helped the product gain traction. By 2006, Selector was reported to have approximately 6,000 client stations in 100 countries, giving RCS a substantial international presence in broadcast software. RCS later expanded beyond music scheduling into a broader portfolio covering station automation, audio playout, commercial traffic and accounting, news production, streaming, audience research, airplay monitoring, and media intelligence. Its principal software products have included Selector and its successor GSelector for scheduling; MasterControl, NexGen, and later Zetta for playout and automation; Aquira for commercial booking and accounting; and RCS News for news-reading workflows. The company has also operated or been associated with specialist businesses and services such as Air Check, Florical Systems, Hit Predictor, Mediabase, Media Monitors, Test All Media, RCS2GO, and Revma. A major ownership change occurred on January 26, 2006, when Clear Channel Communications acquired RCS as a subsidiary. Clear Channel had previously acquired Prophet Systems, another automation-software company, in 1997. In January 2007, Clear Channel announced that RCS and Prophet Systems would be merged, bringing related broadcast-automation capabilities under a combined organizational structure. Clear Channel was later renamed iHeartMedia, and RCS became part of that broader media and technology ownership context. RCS has maintained an international operating footprint, with offices and regional operations across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. Its products serve broadcasters that need to coordinate programming schedules, playout, commercial inventory, newsroom operations, and digital distribution. At the NextRadio conference in London in September 2018, RCS president Philippe Generali announced that GSelector and Zetta would be offered as cloud services, reflecting the industry's movement from locally installed broadcast systems toward hosted and subscription-oriented infrastructure. RCS is therefore positioned not simply as a music-scheduling vendor, but as a specialized workflow and operations platform provider for broadcasters adapting to automation, centralized management, digital audio, and cloud delivery.

RCS began in 1979 when Dr. Andrew Economos developed the idea for a computerized radio-music scheduling system. While responsible for computing activity at NBC, Economos recognized that company-owned radio stations were still relying heavily on paper-based methods to organize music rotations. He proposed a software project to automate the process, but NBC executives did not regard it as sufficiently important to fund. Economos subsequently left NBC after 15 years and pursued the concept independently, founding Radio Computing Services. The resulting product, Selector, entered a market in which both hardware costs and user habits constrained adoption. Personal computers were expensive, and many stations preferred familiar paper systems. Sales nevertheless grew as broadcasters became more receptive to computerized scheduling and the operational consistency it offered. By 2006, Selector reportedly served about 6,000 stations in 100 countries, establishing RCS as an international specialist in radio software. The company broadened its activities as broadcast operations became more integrated. Its portfolio came to include music scheduling, playout and automation, commercial management, news workflows, audience research, airplay monitoring, television automation, streaming, and digital media services. Selector was later succeeded by GSelector, while the company's automation products evolved from MasterControl and NexGen toward Zetta. Other offerings included Aquira for commercial booking and accounting and RCS News for news-reading operations. RCS also developed a family of related companies and services. These included Air Check for real-time analysis of songs and commercials; Florical Systems for television automation and integrated playout; Mediabase for monitored airplay information; Media Monitors for local media monitoring; Test All Media for digital-media research; RCS2GO for mobile use; and Revma for streaming solutions. Hit Predictor provided listener feedback on popular songs before being discontinued in 2023. On January 26, 2006, Clear Channel Communications acquired RCS. Clear Channel had earlier acquired Prophet Systems in 1997, and in January 2007 announced that Prophet and RCS would be merged. This linked RCS's scheduling and broadcast-software activities with another established automation-software operation within Clear Channel's media group. Clear Channel later adopted the iHeartMedia name. RCS continued to operate internationally through a network described as including 23 offices and regional presences in the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East. The company increasingly addressed the shift from station-based software installations to hosted infrastructure. In September 2018, at the NextRadio conference in London, RCS president Philippe Generali announced cloud availability for GSelector and Zetta. This marked an important strategic development because scheduling and playout are central systems in radio stations, and cloud delivery can support centralized administration, remote access, and distributed broadcast operations. RCS's history reflects the computerization and digitization of broadcasting. It began with a narrow effort to replace paper music logs with software, then developed into a broader provider of integrated tools for programming, automation, advertising, news, research, monitoring, and streaming. Its continued relevance rests on serving the operational infrastructure behind radio and related media rather than competing as a consumer-facing entertainment brand.

• 2023

  Hit Predictor ends

  [1]Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  The Hit Predictor listener-feedback service ended in 2023.

• 2018

  GSelector and Zetta move toward cloud delivery

  [1]Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  RCS announced that its GSelector scheduling and Zetta playout products would be available as cloud services.

• 2007

  RCS and Prophet Systems merger announced

  [1]Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Clear Channel announced that RCS and Prophet Systems would be merged.

• 2006

  Clear Channel acquires RCS

  [1]Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Clear Channel Communications acquired RCS on January 26, 2006, making it a subsidiary.

• 2006

  Selector reaches broad international adoption

  [1]Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  By 2006, Selector was reported to have approximately 6,000 client stations in 100 countries.

• 1979

  Radio Computing Services is founded

  [1]Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Dr. Andrew Economos founded RCS after developing the concept for automated computer-based music scheduling while working in computing at NBC.

• 1979

  Selector is developed

  [1]Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  RCS's first major product, Selector, was created to replace paper-based music scheduling practices at radio stations.

Specialized broadcast-workflow and media-operations technology provider

• Music scheduling software · 1979

  Selector

  Selector was RCS's original flagship product and was designed to automate the organization of radio music schedules. It addressed the industry's reliance on paper-based programming systems and became the foundation of the company's international growth. The product was later replaced by GSelector.

• Music scheduling software

  GSelector

  GSelector is the successor to Selector and provides computerized scheduling capabilities for radio programming. It represents the continuation of RCS's original focus on helping broadcasters manage music rotations and related programming decisions. RCS announced cloud availability for the product in 2018.

• Broadcast automation and playout software

  Zetta

  Zetta is RCS's current playout and broadcast-automation platform. It evolved within the company's automation portfolio after earlier products including MasterControl and NexGen. The system is intended to support the operational playback and automation needs of radio broadcasters, and cloud availability was announced in 2018.

• Commercial booking and accounting software

  Aquira

  Aquira is designed for commercial booking and accounting functions within broadcast operations. It extends RCS's portfolio beyond programming and playout into the management of advertising-related station workflows.

• News-reading software

  RCS News

  RCS News is software for news-reading operations in broadcast environments. It belongs to the company's broader set of tools intended to coordinate station content and production workflows.

• Broadcast playout software

  MasterControl

  MasterControl was an earlier RCS playout product. It was part of the company's historical automation portfolio and was subsequently replaced by NexGen.

• Broadcast playout software

  NexGen

  NexGen was a successor within RCS's playout-software line. It replaced MasterControl and was later itself replaced by Zetta as the company's automation portfolio evolved.

• 2018

  Introduce cloud services for GSelector and ZettaStrategy

  Background

  Broadcast operators were increasingly adopting hosted and remotely managed technology rather than relying exclusively on locally installed systems.

  Action taken

  RCS president Philippe Generali announced that GSelector and Zetta would be available as cloud services at the NextRadio conference in London.

  Aftermath

  The announcement positioned RCS to support more centralized, distributed, and remotely accessible broadcast operations.

  Source

• 2007

  Combine RCS with Prophet SystemsM&A

  Background

  Clear Channel Communications owned both RCS and Prophet Systems, having acquired Prophet in 1997 and RCS in 2006.

  Action taken

  Clear Channel announced that the two broadcast-software companies would be merged.

  Aftermath

  The announcement consolidated related scheduling, automation, and broadcast-technology capabilities within Clear Channel's media group.

  Source

• 2023

  Hit Predictor service ends[1]Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Hit Predictor audience-feedback service is identified as having ended in 2023.

• 2018

  RCS announces cloud availability for GSelector and Zetta[1]Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  At the NextRadio conference in London, RCS president Philippe Generali announced plans to make GSelector and Zetta available as cloud services.

• 2007

  Clear Channel announces merger of RCS and Prophet Systems[1]Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Clear Channel announced that RCS would be merged with Prophet Systems, an automation-software company acquired by Clear Channel in 1997.

• 2006

  Clear Channel Communications acquires Radio Computing Services[1]Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Clear Channel Communications purchased RCS and operated it as a subsidiary, expanding its portfolio of broadcast-automation and media software capabilities.

1. 1Radio Computing Servicesen.wikipedia.org