Jazbox is MediaSpan’s heavy-duty content management solution with an emphasis on connecting larger workgroups and automatically publishing news to print, web and wireless. With a database-centered structure, Jazbox conforms to an individual paper’s workflow needs, streamlining them, yet allowing for change and modifications to workflow in the midst of the production cycle. Jazbox’s platform-flexible format and centralized asset management features help your publication consolidate processes saving time and money.

Control

Through Jazbox, all of your paper’s publishing components can be sourced from a single database and delivered to print or Web pages from a common set of writing, editing and design tools. The time you used to spend formatting your content can now be freed up to finesse that content. Jazbox also allows you to store any type of native file in the database, including stories, photos and pages as well as audio and video files.

Production and workflow

For print production, Jazbox leverages Adobe’s InDesign and InCopy programs. Using “Story,” “Galley,” or “Layout” modes, editor and designer options can range from minimally formatted text layouts to complete in-page-context editing.

Throughout the Jazbox workflow, users can easily group stories, captions, photos, etc. into collections or articles using “related objects.” Within any group of related objects, each component assumes a specific role such as headline, byline, kicker head, body, sidebar, etc. These roles correlate precisely with XML tagging concepts, allowing articles to assume any number of different content and style appearances such as multiple language variants of the same story and completely different presentations for print, Web, PDA, etc.

Jazbox's desktop provides each user with a fully customizable workspace whether the user is writing, editing, researching on the Web, designing pages or monitoring workflow.

Web and archive

Using Jazbox, stories can be automatically targeted by print editors to appear on the Web with simple drag-and-drop routines. Other XML-based news sources are also easily incorporated into your publication’s site. Convergence, syndication and wire feeds are just a click away.

The Jazbox database is compatible with virtually all archiving systems, making the storage of information as easy as the process of publishing it. Automation is at the heart of Jazbox, simplifying much of the work associated with updating your files through the publishing process, updating your Web site and updating your archive.

If you would like to learn more about MediaSpan’s Jazbox system, please contact us and a MediaSpan sales representative will be happy to help.

Testimonials

Claire Harris, newsroom systems manager, The Times, Shreveport, LA, on editor/paginator interaction

Pierre Turgeon, page designer, La Tribune, Sherbrooke, Canada, on how easy and fun it is, plus version histories and audits

Cilla Trenado, information systems director, The Times, Shreveport, LA, on choosing a system; meeting milestones