Case Studies

Switching and consolidating traffic systems with no disruption of EDI communication

One of the largest multimedia groups in Canada, CanWest Global Communications , was using multiple, disparate and old traffic systems for their network, cable (specialty) and spot stations. One traffic system was tightly integrated with the traffic system vendor’s EDI process. Their goal was twofold:

Get off the current expensive, inefficient EDI solution from the traffic vendor as quickly as possible, and switch to a new, centralized traffic system for all their broadcast properties without disrupting EDI communications with their agencies.

Both goals were realized through LAMBediSM. First, WLA was able to develop an interface into Global’s BIAS traffic system that enable them to transmit electronic invoices directly from their local offices to the agencies and avoid the system vendor’s EDI charges for generating the electronic invoice data file at the ASP site in the US. WLA estimates that Global has conservatively saved $300,000 a year in direct EDI costs alone after implementing LAMBediSM for their legacy systems.

Then Global began to gradually migrate to a new traffic system across their network, spot and cable properties. LAMBediSM simultaneously continued to support Global’s two broadcast legacy systems and handled the electronic invoicing out of the new system without error or disruption to Global’s EDI relationship with its advertising agencies. In fact, the cutover to the new system was not even commented upon by their agencies. They did not know which invoice was from which system at Global.

Corus Entertainment was slightly more ambitious in their desire to move all their broadcast properties including network, cable, spot and radio from multiple traffic systems and multiple installations (radio had over 50 traffic system installations) to only two centralized systems- one for TV and Cable and one for Radio. In this case, WLA worked with Corus to plan and roll out two centralized LAMBediSM systems (one for TV/Cable, one for radio). LAMBediSM was installed and actively exchanging EDI with Corus’ advertising agencies prior to the consolidation of any of Corus’ broadcast properties. This was so that Corus could immediately gain centralized control and reporting of all their EDI processing across all their broadcast stations at any time through the reports generated on demand through LAMBediSM. Never before had Corus known exactly the status of their electronic invoicing specifically in radio. As with Global, Corus’ advertising agencies did not see any disruption in Corus’ weekly radio invoicing and monthly TV/Cable invoicing during this consolidation.

Improving relationship with agencies and streamlining EDI processing

Fox Cable Group had a problem. Their business relationship with their advertising agencies was being harmed directly by their traditional EDI system. The system was arcane, difficult, complex , inflexible and slow. Many times, supporting differing requirements by each agency required manual intervention by a dedicated, full-time EDI manager. Sometimes contracts or invoices did not go out in a timely manner and errors were difficult to interpret or even receive in a timely fashion. After the installation of LAMBediSM for all their cable networks, Fox Cable Group was able to eliminate the EDI department, minimize IT support and roll out the use of EDI directly to the sales assistants for contracts and the finance group for invoices. Fox Cable’s response times to agency requests for EDI were drastically reduced. Not only that, but Fox Cable cutover to a new in-house proposal and traffic system while continuing to use the same LAMBediSM installation without any effect to their relationship with their advertising agencies.

Support of Dual-language, and Dual-systems Integration

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and their French language counterpart in Quebec, Societe Radio-Canada (SRC), needed an EDI process that supported dual traffic systems and dual languages. At one point, there were three systems in use with one of them supporting only the French language. LAMBediSM was customised so that it was fully independent of any standards, systems and language constraints. Once installed LAMBediSM worked flawlessly in its support of CBC’s English and SRC’s French invoicing to all of their advertising agency customer base. Since that time, CBC and SRC are now converting to a new joint traffic system – Sintec – and, once again, LAMBediSM helped ensure a trouble-free transition from two incompatible traffic systems to one. CBC and SRC continue to deliver electronic invoicing from the newly installed Sintec system to their respective agencies each month without error.

New Transactions

For the first time in Canada, a new electronic transaction was launched in the industry since electronic invoicing 15 years ago. Corus Entertainment and CTV began delivering electronic confirmed contracts to their advertising agencies this year. No industry meetings or industry standards were necessary. WLA worked with these broadcast groups’ system vendors and their advertising agencies system vendors to design a robust strategy that minimized system vendor development time and cost. Because of LAMBediSM’s flexibility to map all types of format architectures, the system vendors designed their own individual format for the contract transaction that met their requirements and was straightforward for them to build. Implementation and testing was quick and cutover to production occurred without any problems. Now more broadcast groups and agencies are rolling out this capability in Canada.

But it doesn’t stop there. We worked with these system vendors and the broadcasters and agencies in Canada to design a strategy for pre-empts and makegoods. Development has started and testing is expected to start very shortly. In the US, our advertising agencies and a few networks are working with us to delivery electronic As-Run/Post logs to the agencies on an overnight basis.