In 1997, TV Guide Magazine's Advertising Production department scanned approximately 15,000 ads. This accounted for 100% of all of the black and white advertising revenue at TV Guide. At the time, the scanning department consisted of four scanners, and averaged one scanned ad per scanning operator every 10 - 15 minutes. That means that in one day, the department could scan a maximum of around 135 ads.
At the time, several of TV Guide’s advertisers were pressuring the company to start accepting digital files on disk. This would allow the advertiser to save the time and money involved with printing the ads and delivering them to TV Guide. However, TV Guide’s system at the time was not set up to receive digital files. So, in 1997, Benjamin S. Waldie, now the president of Automated Workflows, LLC, started the Digital Ad Processing Department as an alternative to scanning artwork. This new area allowed TV Guide to receive digital files directly from the advertisers on disk, CD, or over the internet.
In order to make this possible, AppleScript was used to create an automated workflow. This new workflow allowed ads to come in a variety of formats, though PDF was the preferred format. AppleScripts would print the ads and convert them to the correct file format for further processing through TV Guide’s publishing system.
In 1997, 100% of all black and white ads were scanned.
In 1998, as 20% of all black and white ads were now processed digitally, ad volume increased to around 27,500. This increase in black and white ad volume by over 12,000 ads was made entirely possible because of an AppleScripted automated workflow. TV Guide’s previous methods and systems would never have been able to handle such a significant increase in black and white ad volume.
In 1999, TV Guide processed about 37,500 black and white ads, and was processing 80% of these ads digitally at this time.
Upon the completion of the automated system in 2000, in an average week, AppleScripts converted over 1500 black and white ads through the digital ad conversion system. The Digital Ad Processing Department could handle converting over 600 ads per day, virtually unattended, with 2 digital operators available to prep and troubleshoot the ads when they arrived. These numbers are amazing when compared to the department's daily 135 ad maximum just 3 years before the new system. And again, this success would not be possible without the use of AppleScript.
With the new automated workflow, TV Guide was able to extend its ad deadlines by two to three days. Advertisers could send in a revised ad the same day it went to print, and the ad would still make the book. In addition, the new system improved the quality of ads by handling fully digital files. Advertisers no longer had to worry about scan lines or scanner patterning.
|
