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Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Video feed services

[updated]

I feel like saying a few words about the network video feed services out there.
There is one for each of the major networks and then some:
• NBC Newschannel
• CBS Newspath
• ABC News One
• Fox News Edge
• CNN Newsource
• Network News Service
• Associated Press Television News

The last, NNS, is a sort of consortium between CBS, ABC and Fox's feed services to share video. I guess they feel they needed it more than NBC did. (Actually, NBC was never let in on it, if you read an AP wire story cached at Google.)

Another feed consortium, called CONUS, is defunct, and now only licenses its archived video. It was designed to be a small, elite network of stations -- only 100-150 were allowed in. The first station I interned in, back in 1999 or so, was a CONUS affiliate. Still, I guess it didn't work because the parent company, Hubbard Broadcasting, shut it down.

How do video feed services work?

The video feed service is a service of the network, but not specifically associated with the network's news department itself.

1. Video feed service calls all its stations every day and says, "So what stories are you guys working on today?"
OR
Looking at the Internet, newspapers or other sources, video feed service calls individual stations and says "So are you going to cover this story? We'd like to put it on the feed if you do..."

2. When the affiliate station has compiled its story/video/material and is willing to release it to the network, the affiliate feeds it out via satellite "uplink" or video fiber "uplink" connections (AT&T or VYVX are names associated with this). In a rare case or two, depending on the story and the source, some video has to be couriered or shipped to an uplink. Not every station has the capability to feed video out; some have fiber but not satellite, for example. Or, the only satellite uplink the station has is its sat truck, perhaps.

The affiliate also emails or faxes the script or information associated with the video to the video feed service, including what the reporter's name is, the names of the interview subjects, the locations pictured in the video, etc. Sometimes, the reporter's package verbatim script is included -- if the reporter typed it into the station's computer, that is.

3. The video feed service takes the video and information and reformats it for station consumption; re-writing the information or news story to be sent out. Some feed services take the reporter package they receive and cut out the reporter's track, leaving the interviews and "natural sound." Others may throw the reporter package on the feed as is, which may include the reporter's "sig-out": "In Stevenson, Anna Katayama, KOIN News 6."

The video feed service can make a special request to the local reporter to feed a sig-out for the network: "In Stevenson, Washington, Anna Katayama, CBS News." This would generally be for a story that would have wide interest across the network. That way, a smaller station can throw the package on the air as is. (The network news shows, usually in the morning, might also use a package like that.)

4. The video feed service sends the video out on a satellite that's constantly monitored and recorded by affiliates, or on a video server that collects all the video clips at each affiliate. The server is far better than the satellite, you'll find, because if you forget to roll tape on the satellite it usually costs money (the service's resources) to have it re-fed. With the server, you can re-request something from the service's coffers with the click of a mouse and no human has to do anything about it.

5. The affiliate looks at the list of all the stories on the feed or server -- the video, the text, the story. They then can re-package the materials they like how they like -- have a local reporter front a story, use the video or interview in a "VO" (anchor voice over) or "VO-SOT" (anchor voice over plus sound on tape).

This is essentially how I can have a story from Portland or Seattle in my newscast in Providence. It's also the reason why the panda becoming violent video pops up not only on your Fox station, but your ABC and CBS affiliate too.

The video feed services also employ their own reporters to go across the country and cover stories for the affiliates. So, if Arthur Dent was a Newspath reporter doing today's Iraq developments package from Washington, DC, he would be occupied in a few different ways:
a) Arthur compiles a story along with a field producer, records his "track" (his voice) and has an editor edit the video and sound together
b) Arthur records an oncamera close wrapping up the story and saying "In Washington, Arthur Dent, CBS News."
c) Arthur then does this for stations who are okay with him looking like he's on tape: "Arthur Dent, Channel 3 Eyewitness News." "Arthur Dent, KOIN News 6." "Arthur Dent, WZZM News 13." "For The One To Turn To, Arthur Dent." "Arthur Dent, CBS 4 Boston." "Arthur Dent, KOMO 4 News."
d) But Arthur isn't finished yet. He then has to be live in newscasts for anybody who wants THAT, or live-on-tape. "Jane, we're here in Washington..." "Charlie and Denise, we're here in Washington..." "Jeff and Julie, we're here in Washington..." "Kurtis and Kim, we're here in Washington..." This, of course, costs the station a little more.

The video feed services also have weather graphics, daily health and business features, entertainment segments -- anything the service thinks you'd want or need to cover in the local newscast.

---

There's more out there about feeds:

CBS News's Public Eye: The 411 On NNS -- Brian Montopoli also brings up a good point: in a certain market, video is embargoed from going to its competitors. That means WBZ's hot video of the man biting the dog can go to the network, but WFXT and WCVB are not allowed to use it.

From Why War? Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News:

Several major television networks play crucial intermediary roles in the [video news release] business. Fox, for example, has an arrangement with Medialink to distribute video news releases to 130 affiliates through its video feed service, Fox News Edge. CNN distributes releases to 750 stations in the United States and Canada through a similar feed service, CNN Newsource. Associated Press Television News does the same thing worldwide with its Global Video Wire.

From News Hounds: News Corp. Breeds & Feeds:

Just to clear something up, Uncle Rupert may own some of the Fox affiliates (known as "O&O's") but other companies own most of them. I worked for one in Lansing, MI and known first-hand that Fox and Sinclair don't always get along. When we wanted to get video from the Fox affiliate on San Antonio, I was told by a producer for Fox News Edge (the affiliate feed service) that they would not take a satellite feed from that station because it was owned by Sinclair. So to make a long story short, NewsCorp and Sinclair may have similar aims, but don't like each other very much.

News Hounds: Fox News Admits It's In Bed With Karl Rove:

...Fox News' output is not necessarily seen on Fox affiliates, outside of "Fox News Sunday." The affiliates that do news are encouraged to take Fox News Edge for their national/world footage but are not required to--there are some who still subscribe to CNN Newsource. And there are many Fox affiliates, mostly in smaller markets, who do not have a news operation. All of which means that "Fox News Sunday" and events coverage are the only FNC products that are broadcast on the public airwaves.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 1/04/2006 11:40:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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