A Dumb technical question..

[BobSacamano]

I watch all of these cable channels and I wonder "where does the programming originate"? is there a giant master control at Viacom-Turner etc? are they seperate from corporate offices?

 

[davect]

Depends on the Network. All of the various networks owned by AETN (A&E, History, Biography, etc.) have master control in Stamford, CT along with some office staff while corporate has offices in New York. Discovery Channel has technical and office space in Maryland. I believe most of Turner's programming originates from Atlanta.

 

[Sammi Brie]

Then there's the upload space. A few years back Ascent Media Group, which uplinked A&E HD, History HD, and NFL Network HD to a satellite for cable downlink, had a bad fire at their Idaho transmissions center, and the channels were off the air for a short time.

Some local stations depending on the station group are also hubbed. The defunct Equity Media Holdings controlled all channels from Little Rock. Meredith has hubs at KPHO (KPTV/KPDX, KVVU) and WGCL (everything else). All of the Four Points Nexstar stations are run from KUTV – including (last year) WTVX's newscast. (Imagine news for Florida being delivered from Utah!...yeah.)

 

[KML0224]

WTNH-TV (ABC) channel 8 and WCTX-TV (MY) channel 59 of New Haven, along with CBS and FOX of Providence, RI, are switched at LIN Broadcasting's WWLP-TV (NBC) channel 22 of Springfield, MA. The WWLP studio is presently located in Chicopee, MA.

 

[radiolives]

Isn't Viacom out of Times Square NY or near CBS

 

[notalkallstatic]

TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network (also Adult Swim,) TCM, NBA TV, TruTV - Midtown, Atlanta, GA

CNN, Headline News, CNN Airport - Downtown, Atlanta, GA

Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery Health Channel, Science Channel, Discovery Kids Channel, Military Channel, Investigation Discovery, Planet Green, FitTV, HD Theater - Sterling, VA

HBO - Just outside of NYC.

Just some brain food... some companies call their MCR, "Broadcast Operations." Either term, Master Control or Broadcast Operations, is correct. Unfort., it's actually the least known about department in at a television network. It's manned 24/7/365. So, when you are home during the holidays, on weekends, during a snow storm, even in the middle of the night, there is someone working, to make sure these channels stay on the air.

 

[Bengalsfan]

It's manned 24/7/365. So, when you are home during the holidays, on weekends, during a snow storm, even in the middle of the night, there is someone working, to make sure these channels stay on the air.

Speaking of someone who used to switch...yes. However, with the computer age, more and more master controls are going unmanned for some, or all, of the day. At one time, you needed to switch between breaks and shows, having a tape operator load the shows for you. Now, with everything loaded in a server, all you need is a playlist. Much like what we have in radio now. There is no switching between elements anymore. The only real switching that goes on is between network and local and even that can be automated now.

I know all of the Disney networks originate out of Burbank now, are there any other cable networks that originate out of Los Angeles?

 

[alg2468]

Bob Scaramano titles this thread a Dumb Technical Question, however, I really disagree. This is one of the most interesting questions ever posted on this board. Great thinking Bob!

 

[notalkallstatic]

It's manned 24/7/365. So, when you are home during the holidays, on weekends, during a snow storm, even in the middle of the night, there is someone working, to make sure these channels stay on the air.

Speaking of someone who used to switch...yes. However, with the computer age, more and more master controls are going unmanned for some, or all, of the day. At one time, you needed to switch between breaks and shows, having a tape operator load the shows for you. Now, with everything loaded in a server, all you need is a playlist. Much like what we have in radio now. There is no switching between elements anymore. The only real switching that goes on is between network and local and even that can be automated now.

I know all of the Disney networks originate out of Burbank now, are there any other cable networks that originate out of Los Angeles?

That is true... but I can tell you, that at Discovery and Turner, there are many people on duty 24/7/365. At Discovery, I believe they have 1 person for every 2 networks, and Turner is 1 person per network, don't quote me on that though. It's mainly the local stations that are going unmanned, or being HUB out. When I use to switch local, I know our competitor's MC was HUB out. They were the only one in the area that was HUB'ed, every other station was still manned. It was interesting though watching the HUB'ed station, because it sometimes looked very nasty on air, lots of black, or trouble slide. I remember once they sit in black for about 15 minutes, and a trouble slide until the end of the "show" that was suppose to be on.

 

[nathannah]

Isn't Viacom out of Times Square NY or near CBS

I think it's out of Queens or western Long Island; I remember a few years back when CMT's tech ops were moved from Nashville to New York that the video tags for all of the MTV and VH1 networks came out of a facility near there.

Some local stations depending on the station group are also hubbed. The defunct Equity Media Holdings controlled all channels from Little Rock.

And there's your example of where master controlling way too much can backfire. The only contact point between those Equity stations and the main stations if there was a problem was a toll-free number a viewer would call if they couldn't get a picture. Add to that the pulling of RTV two years ago in the Luken dispute and you had a system that was bound to fail in some way.

 

[Bengalsfan]

They were the only one in the area that was HUB'ed, every other station was still manned. It was interesting though watching the HUB'ed station, because it sometimes looked very nasty on air, lots of black, or trouble slide. I remember once they sit in black for about 15 minutes, and a trouble slide until the end of the "show" that was suppose to be on.

That's why you always have somewhere to go. At one station I was at, I always had a Family Ties 3/4" tape ready to go in case something took a dump. And in the summertime, we dialed up NBC's C-band feed in the afternoons since south Georgia rain would wash out the Ku feeds. Nobody wants to plan ahead like that anymore.

 

[azumanga]

The defunct Equity Media Holdings controlled all channels from Little Rock.

And there's your example of where master controlling way too much can backfire. The only contact point between those Equity stations and the main stations if there was a problem was a toll-free number a viewer would call if they couldn't get a picture.

And even then there were no guarantees that the problem would be resolved in a timely manner -- some folks from the New England TV board know about a translator in Rutland, Vermont that repeated Equity station WGMU from Burlington; the translator showed nothing but a text saying "alarm mode" for several months until it was actually remedied.

In fact, in some markets, an Equity station's only physical presence was its transmitter and tower, such as the case for WMQF in Marquette, Michigan, which at the time was the Fox affiliate there -- no studio, no sales office, not even a mail drop.

 

[fybush]

The HBO/Cinemax master control-uplink facility is in Hauppauge, L.I., right next door to the Viacom (MTV Networks) facility.

I've had the chance over the years to visit a few of these plants - HBO's and more recently TBS. You won't see them on Tower Site of the Week, since they generally don't want pictures out there, but they're fascinating facilities to see in action. I visited HBO just before the launch of HD, and it was remarkable to see how old the technology was - tape-based Odetics servers still in use well into the era of digital servers, for instance. (The only digital servers I saw in the plant were the ones used to store HBO West for playout three hours later.)

 

[FreddyE1977]

given the scary incident that happened at Discovery Channel HQ last week, I'm not sure
that we should be talking about precise locations of uplinks and master control centers on this board.

 

[MarcB]

given the scary incident that happened at Discovery Channel HQ last week, I'm not sure
that we should be talking about precise locations of uplinks and master control centers on this board.

That guy was a couple grapes short of a fruit salad.

 

[fybush]

given the scary incident that happened at Discovery Channel HQ last week, I'm not sure
that we should be talking about precise locations of uplinks and master control centers on this board.

It's pretty common knowledge within the industry that HBO, MTV and TBS are where they are. You can drive around Hauppauge all day and you'll never find the HBO and MTV buildings unless you already know what you're looking for. TBS, by contrast, hardly keeps itself hidden - they've got huge signs right on the building, right alongside I-75/85 as it approaches midtown Atlanta. Each of these facilities is extremely well secured. You're not getting in unless you have a good reason to be there.

 

[FreddyE1977]

I've known people who were on the air when some demented individual gained
access to the building. Not a fun situation. Hopefully the security measures are
all up to date as you say.

 

[MarcB]

ESPN has big signs on both of its campuses on Middle Street State Route 229 in Bristol, CT.

 

[trapper12]

The defunct Equity Media Holdings controlled all channels from Little Rock.

And there's your example of where master controlling way too much can backfire. The only contact point between those Equity stations and the main stations if there was a problem was a toll-free number a viewer would call if they couldn't get a picture.

And even then there were no guarantees that the problem would be resolved in a timely manner -- some folks from the New England TV board know about a translator in Rutland, Vermont that repeated Equity station WGMU from Burlington; the translator showed nothing but a text saying "alarm mode" for several months until it was actually remedied.

In fact, in some markets, an Equity station's only physical presence was its transmitter and tower, such as the case for WMQF in Marquette, Michigan, which at the time was the Fox affiliate there -- no studio, no sales office, not even a mail drop.

WBLU in Lexington Ky was like that and it showed a lot of times.

 

[nathannah]

given the scary incident that happened at Discovery Channel HQ last week, I'm not sure
that we should be talking about precise locations of uplinks and master control centers on this board.

It's pretty common knowledge within the industry that HBO, MTV and TBS are where they are. You can drive around Hauppauge all day and you'll never find the HBO and MTV buildings unless you already know what you're looking for. TBS, by contrast, hardly keeps itself hidden - they've got huge signs right on the building, right alongside I-75/85 as it approaches midtown Atlanta. Each of these facilities is extremely well secured. You're not getting in unless you have a good reason to be there.

I would think that the most secured building in cable television is the Weather Channel HQ in suburban Atlanta, pretty much because of the female OCM's, and I've read a couple stories where they talk about CIA-level security to even get in the lobby. I don't blame them there, it's money well spent.