Classification Program (Canada)
How to find assignments, review the queue, and classify ads in AEMM for Canadian stations.
Classification Program
This page covers the Canadian classification workflow — how to find your daily assignment, review the AEMM queue, classify ads, and handle different types of audio content. US stations follow a separate classification standard not covered here.
For the full rules on how to classify each ad category, see the Classification Guide (Canada).
Understanding Assignments
Before classifying, you need to identify what you have been assigned for the day.
- Open the Canadian Assignment Google Doc and locate your initials in the Radio/TV tab.
- Open the Media Completion Log Google Doc.
- In the Media Completion Log, identify your assigned market in Column B and the date and time range in Rows 3 & 4.
- Mark your initials in your assignment to indicate you have claimed it.
Loading your stations
When loading stations, confirm the following details match your assignment:
- Country, State/Province, and City
- Language (English or French)
- Start and End Date and time range
Covered time ranges are: 05:00–09:00, 09:00–12:00, 12:00–15:00, 15:00–18:00, 18:00–24:00.
Reviewing the Queue
AEMM presents a queue of audio segments that have been recorded but not yet classified. Records in the queue are drawn from the stations assigned to you for the day and remain there until they are classified or marked as Non-Ad.
- Open AEMM and navigate to your assigned queue.
- Click a record to load the audio segment in the player.
- Listen to the clip to identify what is being advertised.
- Cut the segment as needed — adjust the start and end points so only the ad is included.
- Search for and select the correct advertiser and product using the product search bar.
- Apply any relevant themes (e.g., Billboard, Live to Air, Station Contest).
- Save the record to remove it from the queue and submit it for processing.
Repeat for each record in the queue until all segments for your assigned markets and time ranges are classified.
Classifying an Ad
Each unclassified segment requires three steps: cutting, allocation, and themes.
Cutting
Cut the ad by adjusting the beginning and end of the segment in the player, either by gliding the handles or using the cutting arrows. Ensure the full ad is included and that any extra audio outside the ad is excluded.
Allocation
Use the product search bar to select the correct advertiser and product. When choosing the correct product, ask yourself: who is paying for this ad? Allocate to the company, service, or product being advertised.
Themes
Select any theme that is relevant to the content of the ad. For the full list of available themes, see the Themes page.
Billboard
A billboard follows the format: "The weather / traffic / news / program is brought to you by [product]." Allocate the billboard to the mentioned product.
Types of Ads
Real Ads
Allocate to the mentioned company (services, retail, associations) or advertised product (apparel, auto parts, food, drink, pharmaceutical, etc.).
Promotions
- Station Promotions — any ad that showcases the station itself.
- Program Promotions — any ad that showcases a program that plays on the station.
- Station Contests — any ad that presents an opportunity to win something through the radio station. If an outside party is mentioned, allocate to the mentioned advertiser rather than Station Contest (e.g. Win a trip to Toronto with Porter Airlines → allocate to Porter Airlines).
New Product
Use the New Product product for any ad you cannot identify, or if the product does not yet exist in the system. Before selecting New Product, do a quick Google search using any mentioned website, phone number, or address to try to identify the advertiser.
Non-Ads
Use the Non-Ad function for any audio that is not an advertisement or promotion. Common non-ad content includes host talking, weather or traffic reports, and music.
Handling Unknown Records
If you cannot identify the advertiser after listening to the clip:
- Search for any website, phone number, or business name mentioned in the audio using Google.
- If an advertiser is found but does not yet exist in the system, use New Product as a placeholder — it will be reviewed and added by senior staff.
- If the audio is not an advertisement (e.g., host talk, music, weather), classify it as Non-Ad rather than leaving it unresolved.
For detailed rules on how to classify each type of advertiser, see the Classification Guide (Canada).