Running an on-air session

The idea

This is the page you run the show from. It takes over the full screen, walks you through your segments one beat at a time, and keeps the clocks running so you always know where you stand. Going on air publishes as you go — each segment unlocks publicly the moment you reach it. Start recording session runs the same timers and capture pad, but stays private the whole time; nobody sees it unless you tell them to.

Before you start

• Auto-advance decides what happens when a segment's countdown hits zero. Off (the default) means you stay on that segment until you press Next yourself — nothing moves without you. On means the page advances for you automatically.
• If a segment shows a warning about a missing time budget, its countdown will just be a guess — worth fixing before you go live if timing matters.
• Go on air starts a public broadcast. Start recording session starts a private run-through with the same tools. Either one leads into a short lead-in countdown you can Skip if you're ready.

The three columns

The run page is three resizable panels: your script on the left, the segment companion in the middle, and the show map on the right.

• The script (left) is the cue you're reading, in the largest text on the page, with what's next pinned at the bottom.
• The segment companion (middle) holds everything prepared for the current segment — see below.
• The show map (right) lists every segment in the episode, flags continuity warnings, and holds your capture pad.

Drag the thin divider between any two columns to resize them, or press Tab to focus a divider and use the arrow keys (Home and End jump straight to its narrowest and widest). Each column remembers the width you set it to, in this browser, the next time you run a show.

The segment companion

The middle column carries what was prepared for whichever segment you're on: overall segment talking points, likely pushback, and likely caller questions. It updates automatically as you advance through the episode.

• Overall segment talking points stays open by default, so it's on screen the moment you land on a segment — no click needed. It fills whatever room the column gives it and scrolls internally if there's more than fits.
• Pushback (they say/you say) and Likely callers (caller asks/you say) start collapsed. Open the one you need — a caller pushes back, or you want to glance at what they might ask — by tapping its header or pressing its number key.
• Every section returns to its default the moment you move to a new segment: talking points reopens, Pushback and Likely callers close again, so nothing left open from a prior segment reads as still-current.

The controls, once you're running

• Back / Next — moves one beat at a time through the current segment, then into the next segment when you reach the end. You can also click the left ~20% or right ~80% of the screen to do the same thing without reaching for a button.
• Pause / Resume — freezes the segment countdown and the total show clock. Nothing advances while paused.
• +1 min — adds a minute to the current segment's displayed budget when you're running long. It only changes what's shown, not anything published.
• Mark moment — flags a moment in the session for later (for editing recordings, or just remembering what happened). It flashes briefly to confirm it registered.
• Tones / Flash — optional alerts near the end of a segment: a short audio tone, and/or a visual flash across the screen. Both are off by default and remembered between sessions.
• Text size (A− / A+) — five steps, from compact to very large, applied to the script, the segment companion, and everything else you read on the page. Useful for reading from a distance, or for making the companion denser so more fits without scrolling.
• Full screen — expands the page using your browser's fullscreen mode; the same button collapses it back.
• Theme toggle (sun/moon icon) — switches the page between light and dark, independent of the rest of the app.
• Show map — lists every segment with its status, and holds a capture pad ("save for after the show") for notes you want to remember without breaking flow.
• End the show / End the recording — asks you to confirm, then closes the session for good. You'll see a recap of how each segment actually ran before you leave. There's no resuming once you confirm.

Cold open and going back

If you press Back while you're still on the very first cue of Segment 1, the page takes you back to the cold-open / intro screen instead of doing nothing — useful if you started the segment before you meant to.

Near the end of a segment, the "Next" preview at the bottom of the script switches to the scripted transition line into whatever comes next, when one was prepared for that segment.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts are inert while you're typing in the capture pad, or while a column divider has keyboard focus.

Key	Action
→ or Space	Next beat
←	Back one beat
Page Up / Page Down	Same as ←/→ — mirrors a presenter remote
P	Pause / Resume
F	Full screen
M	Mark moment
A	Auto-advance on / off
− / =	Text size smaller / larger
1	Toggle Overall segment talking points
2	Toggle Pushback
3	Toggle Likely callers