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Getting Started

What is Nexus?

Nexus is NPR's replacement for NewsFlex. It moves us away from aging infrastucture and obsolete code; it's usable from a PC and a Mac; it's accessible from mobile; and it puts all production tools (Cardboard, Dex, Rundowns, etc.) in one place.

Before you start, there are some things you need to know, get and do.

NPR Nexus Support Slack Channel

🎫 Submit a ticket to report a bug or request a feature

Hub and WBUR users

Please email hubsupport@npr.org to create a support ticket/bug report.

Helpful resources

Watch a video of a full Nexus General Training.

This User Settings guide will get you set up when you fire up Nexus for the first time.

The Getting Started Quick Reference Guide is both pretty and printable!

Terms to know

Card: In NewsFlex, this was the Story Collection.

ID: In NewsFlex, this was the Intake Number.

Logging into Nexus

On your computer

You can log in from nexus.npr.org — you'll be directed to Okta — or directly from your Okta page:

Hub and WBUR users

Use only nexus.npr.org.

On a shared workstation

NPR Users

This option appears only on the shared MTE, PC-1 and Rundown PCs in studios, SOPs, booths, and ATC/ME/ST32/ST42 physical Rundown Boards.

You can bypass the Okta login for Nexus on booths and SOPs by:

  1. Right-clicking the Media Tray icon (the red "X") in the system tray
  2. Selecting "Open Nexus (as STUDIO/RECORD/RUNDOWN)"

Like NewsFlex, this bypass will take you to the generic Nexus page, where you can then navigate to your own cards.

Workspace layouts

A workspace is the column layout of your Nexus window. You have four layout choices.

At the top of the Nexus window, you’ll see Default Workspace. Click the arrow on the right.

Choose Edit Current Workspace. You can edit the Default Workspace, or give the workspace a name in the Workspace Label field; this creates a new workspace. Save it.

Hot(key) tip: Press W then L (not W and L at the same time — it's a sequence) to toggle through the four workspace layouts.

User settings

Newscast users

Please note: Newscast has its own page for this and other processes.

Click your name in the upper right, then choose User Settings from the dropdown menu. Scroll to Card Creation Actions, and make sure only Digital Story and Broadcast Story are checked:

There are many, MANY other user settings. Play around!

Basic navigation

If you are confused or lost: Click the Home button:

The Home screen contains many Quick Links — the green and blue buttons — plus favorites that you add yourself:

The green button with the plus sign opens a dropdown with many options, including New Card.

The Search button searches for content:

It also lets you perform various tasks if you start typing, say, "new card":

The three-dot icons — there's a vertical and a horiztonal version — reveal many options. If you're looking for something and don't see it, click a three-dot icon, they're everywhere:

and

You can drag to reorder tabs pretty much anywhere in Nexus. Drag them into another column, or drag them within a column:

Assignments

You can open Assignments with the Assignments button on the Home screen and from the green plus sign (choose Browse, then Assignments).

You'll probably want to customize what appears for each item in the list.

  1. Click the Column Chooser icon in the upper right of the column. It looks like a four-pane window:

  1. Toggle the fields you want to show, or to not show. Blue is "on."
  2. If you want to reorder the fields, drag them.
  3. Click the X to close the menu.

This works in any list that can be ordered.

You can sort the list by clicking any header.

You can filter the list using the filter field in the upper left. It says Enter filter…

Archived assignments

Use the Archive icon to show your archived assignments:

To look at someone else's assignments, click the icon of the two people:

Start typing a name where it says Search for a user…

To add an assignment to your Pinned List, use the three-dot icon and choose Pin:

To view your Pinned List, where the pinned items appear, click the green-box-with-plus-sign, then choose Browse, then choose Pinned List.

MTE

Using MTE integrated with Nexus

User must be on VPN and have all of the settings/prerequisites listed here.

Launch MTE from Media Tray or from the MTE icon on the taskbar. MTE will open with four audio tracks and have various Save Database options under the File menu. Database means Nexus.

When saving an MTE clipboard, project or mixdown in a Nexus Card, user will get a pop-up menu asking what card they’d like to save it in.

Using MTE-Remote

MTE-Remote is meant to be used as a stand-alone application for editing audio in the field or in remote areas with no broadband.

Users do not need to be on the VPN.

Launch MTE-Remote from the desktop shortcut. MTE-Remote will open with two audio tracks with no Save Database options under the File menu. That’s because all your audio, clipboards projects and mixdowns are saved locally to your computer.

When saving an MTE clipboard or project into a Nexus Card, user must first save an Embedded EDL by going to File > Save Project with Options.

When ready to upload local audio to Nexus, establish a high broadband connection and drag & drop the embedded file directly into the Assets pane of a Nexus Card.

MTE Training Resources

Note: Please substitute any reference to NewsFlex in these docs/videos with Nexus.

NPR's MTE Basics Guide

MTE Training Videos

Unable to record off the web / Web dubbing also records your microphone

Troubleshooting Dub audio quality

Workflows

Here, find guides for different roles.

Filing for Newscast?

Here are those instructions.

Reporters and editors

User Settings

For the User Settings you need, look here.

Creating cards

Here are all the ways to create a Card. Go create one.

  1. Type your Title and Description and click the checkmark to save:

    • The Description automatically becomes the DACS and Teaser.
    • You can edit the DACS and Teaser, and see their character counts (by choosing Edit Field), in the Presentations. DACS will be in the Broadcast Story Presentation and Teaser in the Digital Story Presentation.
    • You will see both the DACS and Teaser on the Metadata tab:

  2. A Planned Date is automatically added in the Metadata tab for the day you create the card.

    • If the story is for a different day, edit that date.
    • Planned is a target date. It’s fine if it’s not definite.
    • A Publish Date is auto-added when the card goes onto the show rundown.

  3. Add reporter, editor and producer to Users on the Broadcast Story Presentation and/or Digital Story Presentation:

  4. Move your Card (if needed). During reporting, make sure the card is where you want it on your planning Cardboard.

  5. Upload audio elements to the Assets pane.

    • Note that the producer will put the final mix in the Broadcast Story Presentation.

  6. Choose Add Document in the Broadcast Story Presentation. That’s under Presentation Documents. Choose Document, Script or Cover:

    • Your document will also show up automatically under Metadata. (Metadata is a catch-all for every item in your card.)
    • If you have a document in Metadata that you want to transfer to a Presentation, click on the three-dot icon for the document and click Share with ....

  7. To assign the card to a show, add the show planning board to the card under Metadata.

    • Add the show under Groups so the Card is also in the show folder.

  8. Final steps!

    • Make sure the DACS is correct and the final script is in the Broadcast Story Presentation.
    • Include the reporter’s contacts at the top of the script.
    • Edit Planned Date (if needed) in Metadata to reflect the latest plan.
    • Move your card to the lefthand column on the desk planning Cardboard.

Encores

With the increasing number of encores on the news magazines, the encore workflow (as of 9/18/23) has been revised as follows:

If you want to encore a story, please do not drag the Card onto your board until after the original piece has aired. Add a Hole as a placeholder on the board instead.

Once you’ve confirmed the story has aired, select Tag For Encore on the original card.

Then Create an Encore card before dragging the Card onto your board.

The Encore Broadcast Story presentation will be added to the Card and you’ll manage all audio and text documents in that tab.

Lastly, as a matter of editorial practice, we will only encore a story once. There may be rare circumstances where a story may merit a third airing but nonetheless, the latest version of Nexus is now designed to support one encore of a story.