86th FSS fine-tunes TV system

Executing the mission efficiently is key in maximizing capabilities of Air Force members. Airmen from the 86th Force Support Squadron have done just that by revamping their TV update process.

The purpose of the TVs is to inform Airmen of different activities and classes happening around base from the fitness centers to the community center. These events can boost
morale and give Airmen the opportunity to interact in the community; however, the process for ensuring these TVs were up-to-date was inefficient.

Bret Helenius, 86th Force Support Squadron marketing director, said the TV update process needed to be revised in order to save several hours of work and allow more frequent updates.

“We currently have 15 TV displays at various locations on Ramstein,” Helenius said. “Previously, we had to send out one of our staff members to physically go and change the
displays with external drives or CDs.

“Because they’re spread out throughout the different facilities, it took hours to make a quick change,” he continued. “We identified this as a way to become leaner and meaner, because that’s taking away time we could be promoting events and services to Airmen.”

Keeping these updates relevant is important when informing the public. The new system will allow for the most up-to-date information to be displayed.

“We were only updating the displays every month, because it took so long to do — about 16 to 20 hours to go out and update them each time,” Helenius said. “Essentially, it’ll take less than half an hour to update them with the new system. We are able to centrally manage the TVs through a Web-based server. The system will auto-refresh after six to eight hours, so we don’t have to send people out to update the information.”

Though the changes may seem minimal to some, the opportunity for bigger and better things are in the near future.

“Eventually if we have, for example, a concert on base, we’ll be able to broadcast it live on the FSS TVs throughout the base,” he said. “The system can provide more than just static advertisements. We can have commercials and more interactive programs. This is really just the beginning of where we’re going.”

By using this new system, more manhours can be put into bettering our Air Force and supporting the mission.