Glossary A–ZLetter E
Editorial calendar
An editorial calendar is an overview that defines which content runs on which screens and when, and who prepares it by when.
It turns individual ideas into a process that can be planned.
For screen networks, an editorial calendar typically includes recurring occasions such as public holidays, seasons, promotions, trade fairs, events and internal dates. Each entry includes a period, target screens, the people responsible, a deadline for material and approval. An annual plan shows early on when a lot of work is coming, for example before Christmas, and where gaps threaten. It can be kept as a spreadsheet or calendar.
The editorial calendar is not the same as the technical schedule in the management program. The editorial calendar describes what is planned in terms of content and who supplies it; the schedule implements it on the devices. Operators should align the two so that planned content is set up in time with a run time and disappears after the occasion. A plan that nobody maintains soon becomes outdated; clear responsibility and a regular look at it help more than a sophisticated tool.