The complete text book for broadcasters using StationPlaylist with a screen-reader.
For many blind people, StationPlaylist has been the broadcasting software suite of choice for decades.
It is used by people presenting live radio shows from home. It is used by internet radio stations. It is used by people who prepare voice-tracked programmes. It is used by station managers who need to schedule music, spots, jingles and programmes. It is used by broadcasters who want a professional sound without paying the enormous prices often associated with radio automation software.
StationPlaylist is not a single small utility.
It is a suite of broadcasting tools.
StationPlaylist Studio is used for live assist and automation playback.
StationPlaylist Creator is used for scheduling music, spot groups and programmes.
StationPlaylist Streamer can send audio to internet stream servers.
Remote Voice Tracking allows presenters to record voice tracks into playlists from another location.
Remote VT Server makes that remote voice tracking possible for stations.
StationPlaylist also continues to develop, with current versions adding and refining features for modern broadcasting.
But for blind broadcasters, there is another very important part of the story.
Accessibility.
The Author's Background.
I have worked with StationPlaylist for many years.
I write the JAWS scripts for the StationPlaylist product suite, and those scripts are used by blind broadcasters around the world.
I am also the Manager of Team-FM, an internet radio station which exclusively uses StationPlaylist tools for all of its output.
That matters because this book is not being written from a distance.
It is not being written by someone who has opened the software for a few hours and produced a basic overview.
It is being written from years of practical broadcasting, scripting, testing, problem-solving, training and daily station management.
Team-FM depends on StationPlaylist.
Shows are scheduled with it. Music is managed with it. Output is broadcast through it. The station relies on the product suite every day.
That long experience is at the heart of this book.
Why This Book Is Needed.
Over the years, Hartgen Consultancy has produced several audio tutorials on StationPlaylist.
Those tutorials have been valuable.
They have helped many blind people learn how to broadcast, schedule, voice track and make better use of the software.
But the training has also been spread across different courses and different years.
There was Broadcast It.
There was The StationPlaylist Workshop.
There was Let's Track It.
There was Another Hour of Music Power.
There were updates as StationPlaylist changed and as the JAWS scripts expanded.
Each course served a purpose at the time.
But there has not been one cohesive text book which brings everything together.
There has not been a single modern reference which works through the StationPlaylist suite in an organised way, explains what the products can do, shows how they can be used by blind people, and includes the accessibility tools provided through the JAWS scripts.
That is what The Ultimate Guide to StationPlaylist is intended to become.
It will be a substantial text-only training book.
It is expected to comprise hundreds of pages.
The aim is not merely to introduce StationPlaylist.
The aim is to document the whole working environment in a way that is useful, searchable, practical and accessible.
Why Text Rather Than Audio?
Audio training has many advantages.
You can hear the instructor working through a task. You can listen while doing something else. You can get a sense of pace and personality. For many years, audio was a very effective way of teaching StationPlaylist.
But audio is not always the best format when you need to look something up quickly.
If you want to know how to set up a cart, check a stream encoder setting, review a JAWS keystroke, understand a Creator rotation, configure voice tracking, or remind yourself how a particular option works, you do not necessarily want to scrub through an audio file to find the relevant minute.
You want a reference.
You want headings.
You want searchable text.
You want keystrokes written down.
You want step-by-step procedures.
You want to be able to return to the same section whenever you need it.
That is why this course is being prepared as a text book.
The format will make it easier to search, review, copy instructions into your own notes, and revisit topics as often as required.
Who Is This Book For?
This book is for anyone who wants to use StationPlaylist with a screen-reader.
It will be especially useful for:
- Blind people who want to present live radio shows.
- Internet radio station owners and managers.
- Presenters who want to voice track shows from home.
- People who already use StationPlaylist Studio but know they are only using part of it.
- People who use StationPlaylist Creator but want to understand scheduling more thoroughly.
- People who want to learn how the JAWS scripts improve the broadcasting experience.
- Trainers and support workers helping blind people learn radio broadcasting.
- Existing users of earlier Hartgen Consultancy StationPlaylist audio tutorials who want an up-to-date text reference.
- People who want to understand not only which keystroke to press, but why a particular workflow matters.
The book should be useful to people at different levels.
If you are new to StationPlaylist, it will give you a structured way into the software.
If you already broadcast with it, it should help you discover features you have not yet explored.
If you manage a station, it should help you think about scheduling, automation, remote voice tracking, streaming, library management and consistent output.
If you use the JAWS scripts, it should help you understand the many tools which have been added to make broadcasting faster and more controllable.
Not Just StationPlaylist, But StationPlaylist Accessibly.
StationPlaylist is already known for being highly usable by blind people.
The developers have made considerable effort to make the software accessible. For JAWS users, the Hartgen Consultancy scripts go much further than simply making controls speak.
They add a broadcasting layer.
That is an important distinction.
In broadcasting, speed matters.
You need to know what is playing.
You need to know what is coming next.
You need to know how much time remains.
You may need to hear whether automation is on or off, whether the microphone is active, whether line-in is active, whether metadata is being sent, whether a track has an introduction, when a vocal is about to begin, when a track is about to end, whether a jingle cart is playing, whether a playlist is short or long, or whether a request has arrived.
You may need that information while focus is not even inside StationPlaylist Studio.
The JAWS scripts provide many of these abilities.
They include global keystrokes, Braille support, sounds, speech messages, playlist review, column browsing, introduction monitoring, track ending monitoring, jingle cart support, request notifications, metadata controls, timer functions, support for voice tracking, break note tools, Creator support, Track Tool support, and much more.
The Ultimate Guide to StationPlaylist will not treat accessibility as an afterthought.
It will place accessibility at the centre of the training.
What the Book Is Expected to Cover.
The exact structure may evolve as the book is written, but the following gives an indication of the scale and direction of the material.
- Introduction from the Author
- Why this book has been written.
- The history of StationPlaylist training from Hartgen Consultancy.
- Why a text book is now the right format.
- The relationship between StationPlaylist, the JAWS scripts and real broadcasting.
- Understanding the StationPlaylist Suite
- What StationPlaylist Studio does.
- What StationPlaylist Creator does.
- What StationPlaylist Streamer does.
- What Remote Voice Tracking does.
- What Remote VT Server does.
- How the products fit together.
- When you need one product and when you need several.
- Setting Up the Environment
- Installing StationPlaylist products.
- Understanding demos, registration and unlock keys.
- Installing and activating the JAWS scripts.
- Critical Studio settings for accessibility.
- Choosing sensible folders for music, playlists, logs and voice tracks.
- Thinking about a broadcasting computer.
- Backups and safe working habits.
- StationPlaylist Studio: The Main Broadcasting Environment
- The purpose of Studio.
- Automation and live assist.
- The main Studio window.
- The Playlist Viewer.
- The status bars.
- Players, tracks, spots, voice tracks and break notes.
- Working with checked and unchecked items.
- Understanding scheduled and predicted times.
- Keeping control during a live programme.
- StationPlaylist Studio Options
- Why the Options dialog matters.
- Understanding a multi-page options dialog with confidence.
- Working through the pages of Studio options.
- What each important option does.
- Which options affect live broadcasting.
- Which options affect automation.
- Which options affect audio devices, players, crossfading and output.
- Which options affect playlists, logging, encoders, metadata and remote control.
- Accessibility-related options.
- Sensible starting choices and when to change them.
- Playing Audio in Studio
- Loading playlists.
- Inserting tracks.
- Starting and stopping playback.
- Fading and skipping.
- Automation mode.
- Live assist mode.
- Playing single tracks.
- Using Studio as a DJ jukebox.
- Previewing audio.
- Reading and Reviewing the Playlist with JAWS
- Standard reading of the Playlist Viewer.
- Extended screen-reading mode.
- Reading column titles and column content.
- Enhanced Arrow Key mode.
- Column browsing.
- Quick Navigation mode.
- Building a list of playlist items.
- Searching for tracks.
- Viewing playlist content in the JAWS Virtual Viewer.
- Copying playlist information.
- Timing, Clocks and Broadcast Awareness
- Elapsed and remaining time.
- Scheduled times and real times.
- Predicted play times.
- Checking whether an hour is short or long.
- Calculating how much time remains in an hour.
- Hearing when a track should start to end at the top of the hour.
- Marking start and end points for music timing.
- Using timer functions.
- Braille count timers.
- Introductions, Outros and Track Endings
- Marking track introductions.
- Monitoring for the end of an introduction.
- Vocal warnings.
- Braille countdowns for introductions.
- Monitoring for track endings.
- Warning before a track ends.
- Braille countdowns for endings.
- Why timing tools matter to live broadcasting.
- Jingle Carts and Instant Audio
- What carts are for.
- Studio cart players.
- Cart slots.
- Cart Learn Mode.
- Jumping to a specific cart.
- Hearing whether a cart is playing.
- Knowing when a cart has stopped.
- Editing cart content.
- Practical use during live shows.
- Microphone, Line-In and Live Presentation
- Microphone status.
- Line-in status.
- Record to File status.
- Global microphone commands.
- Fading music while speaking.
- Speaking over music.
- Managing confidence during a live show.
- Requests, Notes and Presenter Tools
- Request notifications.
- Storing a request.
- Hearing request details.
- Viewing requests in the JAWS Virtual Viewer.
- Deleting one request or all requests.
- Using notes and break notes during a show.
- Using the break note creation dialog.
- Saving and loading favourite break notes.
- Metadata and Streaming Information
- What metadata is.
- Why listeners and directories need it.
- Enabling and disabling metadata output.
- Checking metadata status.
- HTTP Request outputs.
- DSP encoder output.
- Disabling stream metadata automatically when needed.
- Practical situations where metadata control matters.
- StationPlaylist Creator: Scheduling the Station
- What Creator does.
- Music categories.
- Spot groups.
- Rotations.
- Schedules.
- Generating playlists.
- Daily and weekly scheduling.
- Artist and title separation.
- Tempo, mood, energy and other scheduling values.
- Creating a consistent station sound.
- StationPlaylist Creator Options
- Understanding Creator's multi-page Options dialog.
- What each major option does.
- Playlist and log folder settings.
- Music library and database options.
- Playlist generation settings.
- Separation and scheduling behaviour.
- Voice tracking options.
- Integration with StationPlaylist Studio.
- Network and multi-computer considerations.
- Sensible defaults and options which should be changed carefully.
- Building a Music Library for Creator
- Folder and file methods.
- File types.
- Tags and metadata.
- Song database concepts.
- Track properties.
- Categories and category design.
- Avoiding common library mistakes.
- Planning a library before building schedules.
- Playlist Editing and Voice Tracking in Creator
- The Playlist Editor.
- Editing generated playlists.
- Inserting tracks and spots.
- Replacing items.
- Recording voice tracks.
- Voice track markers.
- VT and song overlap.
- Working with hour duration.
- Preparing shows before they air.
- Remote Voice Tracking
- Why remote voice tracking matters.
- The Remote VT Editor.
- Connecting to a station.
- Choosing a playlist log.
- Recording voice tracks.
- Multiple voice track recording.
- Auto save.
- File formats such as Ogg Vorbis, MP3 and FLAC.
- Remote workflow for presenters.
- Remote VT Server
- What the server does.
- How it connects presenters to station playlists.
- Users and permissions.
- Local and remote access.
- TCP ports and router considerations.
- TLS encryption.
- Allowing or restricting editing.
- Managing a station with multiple remote presenters.
- StationPlaylist Streamer
- When Streamer is needed.
- Soundcard input.
- RTP input and output.
- Encoding to internet streams.
- MP3, AAC+, Ogg Vorbis and other formats.
- Icecast and Shoutcast-compatible servers.
- Metadata input.
- Compressor and limiter processing.
- Choosing sensible encoding settings.
- Sound Processing and Broadcast Quality
- Why consistent sound matters.
- Crossfading.
- Gain and normalisation.
- Compressor and limiter concepts.
- Stream encoding quality.
- Avoiding distortion.
- Making a station sound professional.
- Global Keystrokes and Fast Control
- Controlling Studio from any application.
- Playing the next track.
- Stopping and fading.
- Skipping.
- Pausing and restarting.
- Microphone commands.
- Hearing listener counts.
- Hearing remaining time.
- Why global control is essential in broadcasting.
- Braille, Speech and Sounds
- Braille output from script messages.
- Braille timers.
- Muting speech while keeping Braille support.
- Sounds to indicate events.
- The sounds tutorial.
- Choosing speech or sounds depending on the broadcast situation.
- Reducing unnecessary speech while staying informed.
- Advanced JAWS Script Tools
- Playlist bookmarks.
- Temporary cues.
- EveryHit website tools.
- Hash tags.
- Dropbox notifications.
- Track details text files.
- Scanning a music library.
- Creating Windows shortcuts.
- Backing up JAWS script settings.
- Checking for script updates.
- Real-World Broadcasting Workflows
- Preparing a live show.
- Running an automated hour.
- Voice tracking a programme.
- Handling requests.
- Replacing a track at short notice.
- Checking whether an hour is correctly timed.
- Managing jingles, spots and speech.
- Recovering when something unexpected happens.
- Managing a Station
- Thinking beyond a single show.
- Building a station sound.
- Planning categories and clocks.
- Creating reliable schedules.
- Supporting presenters.
- Remote contribution.
- Keeping the station on air.
- Lessons from Team-FM.
- Troubleshooting and Good Practice
- When audio does not play.
- When a file cannot be found.
- When a playlist is short or long.
- When metadata is not sent.
- When a stream does not connect.
- When a presenter cannot connect remotely.
- When JAWS seems too verbose.
- When timing does not sound right.
- How to diagnose problems calmly.
- Appendices
- StationPlaylist Studio keystrokes.
- JAWS script keystrokes.
- Creator concepts.
- Streamer concepts.
- Remote Voice Tracking checklist.
- Suggested settings.
- Glossary of broadcasting terms.
That outline alone shows why the book is expected to be substantial.
StationPlaylist is capable of far more than simply playing a list of songs.
It can be the centre of a complete station.
It can support live presenters, automation, scheduled programming, remote voice tracking, internet streaming, metadata, carts, requests, break notes, sound processing and more.
It also contains detailed Options dialogs, particularly in Studio and Creator, where many of the most important decisions are made. These will not be skipped over. The intention is to explain what the options are, what they do, and why a broadcaster or station manager might want to change them.
The book is intended to bring that whole picture together.
Why Experience Matters.
Broadcasting is practical.
It is one thing to describe a menu option.
It is another thing to explain why that option matters during a live show.
It is one thing to list a keystroke.
It is another thing to explain when that keystroke saves the programme.
It is one thing to say that Creator can generate playlists.
It is another thing to explain how categories, rotations, separation rules and hour timing affect what listeners actually hear.
That is where long experience matters.
This book will be informed by many years of working with StationPlaylist, writing and maintaining the JAWS scripts, supporting users, preparing training, and running Team-FM.
It will not simply say, "This feature exists."
It will aim to explain how to use the feature in a real broadcasting situation.
Why the JAWS Scripts Matter.
The JAWS scripts for StationPlaylist are not cosmetic.
They are a major part of the blind broadcaster's working environment.
They provide direct access to information which is needed quickly.
They reduce the need to search the screen manually.
They allow broadcasters to hear key information from anywhere.
They provide sounds and Braille output for important events.
They add fast navigation through playlists.
They provide ways of monitoring introductions, endings, metadata, requests, carts and timers.
They include tools which go beyond the standard application interface because real broadcasters asked for them.
The Ultimate Guide to StationPlaylist will explain these script features as part of the overall workflow, not as a separate afterthought.
That is essential because a blind broadcaster does not use StationPlaylist in isolation from the screen-reader.
The software, the scripts, the keyboard, speech, Braille and the broadcast itself all work together.
What You Will Receive.
When you purchase the course, you will receive access to a secure area of our web site where the training is provided as a downloadable text book in Microsoft Word and HTML formats with no audio.
The book will be designed so you can read it at your own pace, search it, return to individual sections, and use it as a reference while working with StationPlaylist.
This is especially important for a product suite of this size.
If you need to remind yourself how a particular feature works, a text book is much faster than searching through hours of audio.
Release and Pricing.
The Ultimate Guide to StationPlaylist is scheduled for release in September 2026.
The cost of the training course is £60 or $80 US.
Alternatively you can send an Email to brian@hartgenconsultancy.com whereupon an invoice will be sent to you.
Conclusion.
StationPlaylist has helped many blind people enter the world of radio broadcasting.
It has made it possible for people to present live shows, manage internet stations, schedule music, voice track programmes, stream output and work with professional radio concepts from home or from a studio.
Hartgen Consultancy has supported that journey for many years through JAWS scripts and audio training.
Now it is time for something more complete.
The Ultimate Guide to StationPlaylist is intended to be the most detailed, cohesive and practical StationPlaylist training resource we have produced.
It will bring together the product suite, the JAWS scripts, the real broadcasting workflows and the experience gained from managing a StationPlaylist-based station every day.
If you want to use StationPlaylist properly with a screen-reader, this is the book being written for you.
Hundreds of pages.
Years of experience.
One complete text-based guide.
The Ultimate Guide to StationPlaylist is coming in September 2026.