Tony Vivian, Production Manager at Miami Dade TV, describes life before the WIFE: “Prior to the marriage, our station was one large “post-it” note. We utilized a large rock on which we carved the monthly calendar and events that needed coverage. When staff needed emergency last-minute notification, we attached a scribed leaf onto a Pterodactyl and flew the bird to the staff member. In actuality, the station operated mainly through the use of a Microsoft word template, two large whiteboards with the current and following month’s events, and email. This ___(insert large number) step process of scheduling was very susceptible to events falling through cracks, and staff being left uninformed of last minute changes, and impossible to track. Tracking the progress of events, tapings, meetings, and production was typically limited to the amount of space left in the small square of that day’s grid on the white board and/or the email logs of the 3 or so people involved in a specific event. Without a central area to view all aspects of each production or a constant meeting of the minds, communication was imperative, but rare.

Another challenging operation within the station prior to meeting the WIFE was calculating and tracking assets involved in each production. Private industry stations revolve around revenue and advertising. Miami-Dade TV is non-profit and, until recently, did not operate in a pay-for-service fashion. Proving our worth during the annual budget preparation was a very challenging task. Estimating hours spent on meeting coverage, PSA production, studio tapings, etc. was similar to cleaning out the pig’s pen the end of each week – no fun! The process typically involved searching through hundreds of emails, interrogating staff, and reviewing air logs to miraculously come up with a number that seemed “about right.”

As a government entity, Miami- Dade TV is constantly called on to prove the service it delivers to its constituents. Prior to the marriage with the wife, tracking production, associated costs and man-hours was extremely difficult and an estimation at best. We can now efficiently and very effectively pull reports showcasing the amount of service delivered to our main stakeholders, the citizens of Miami-Dade County. In addition, our scheduling has improved enormously. Prior to the marriage, staff was given a weekly schedule printout and was forced to walk to the whiteboards daily for any updates. Now, each staff member has customizable and easy to read views of The Farmers Wife Advanced at their own desktops. They are able to see updates instantly and adapt their schedule accordingly.

Another and very useful way the wife has improved our facility is through the use of the media order module. Before the Farmers Wife Advanced was introduced, duplication requests were handwritten on a three layered carbon copy notepad. Each copy was then stored in a different file folder for seven years according to public records statutes and ended up filling countless cabinets down every hallway of the station. The module also allows us to track the request’s progress through user-specific timestamps and dialogue, turning stick-its into a thing of the past. This module alone has placed Miami-Dade TV into much “greener” pastures – pun intended!

“The Wife” understands our needs! Our engagement with “the wife” was a phenomenal experience. As is common in a relationship, we were encouraged to dig deep and develop a sound understanding of our workflow and needs. Once that was accomplished, we could work together to customize the farm to meet those needs.

As the person in charge of technology for the station, I am very aware of the frustration involved with support or sales personnel passing the question – “Gee, I’m not sure about your question, but I can get you an answer.” I’ve been amazed at the level of knowledge each individual contains within the Farm. I really believe that every person knows every aspect of the program. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be able to understand our needs and help us customize the software to fit them so perfectly –and they have done just that.