Fiber optic connection

[ColDayNews 437]

I read somewhere on this site that Fox has an arrangement with their current and former O&Os where they are accessible via fiber optic line... I recall seeing WJW's coverage of the Ariel Castro arrest on KSAZ, they even did talkbacks with the reporters on scene, introducing them as Fox's _________. WJW did a straight simulcast of WFXT during the Boston marathon bombings, until Fox News provided a special report. Fox didn't get on the air until 4pm that day.

 

If i recall correctly, NBC had a similar arrangement with their former O&Os in Birmingham, Raleigh, Providence and Columbus. I'm not sure if they still do this.

 

Do any other station groups have a similar arrangement?

[PAnderson1 27]

Maybe Sky News is part of that arrangement as well, because sometimes due to European attacks, WTXF will carry straight coverage from them.

[PTVNews 188]

Many stations (non O&Os) have fiber connections to their respective affiliates and CNN. Usually through instantly bookable lines such as Vyvx. Some stations even have "always on" fiber connections with competing stations within the same market to share material (such as a helicopter feed).

[Weeters 1805]

Yeah, there are a lot of fiber (and even microwave) interconnections between television stations. It transcends affiliations and ownership. Someone has something someone else needs.

 

Believe it or not but there's a lot of cooperation between stations "behind the scenes".

[Eat News 4738]

Yeah, there are a lot of fiber (and even microwave) interconnections between television stations. It transcends affiliations and ownership. Someone has something someone else needs.

 

Believe it or not but there's a lot of cooperation between stations "behind the scenes".

 

There was a group of photographers for KCBA in Salinas / Monterey that were allowed to sell breaking news videos to San Francisco stations across network lines...and using the stations live gear to feed the via the ENG receive sites of the respective SF stations.

 

The photographers agreed not to charge the station overtime , if the station allowed them to provide the "service". The SF and SJ stations had no other source of video since KSBW was forced to only deal with NBC...and KNTV was too far away to get good breaking video.

The really smart part was they used the live trucks and the Santa Cruz news bureau 2ghz transmitters to feed into the SF ENG receive site...all on the same mountain.

They could feed the video for free, and the stations just picked it off the mountaintop receiver. These guys called the SF newsrooms directly .

 

KCBA only made one rule. KCBA always gets the video first.

 

They also sold to all those reality clip shows that sourced differently in those pre-youtube days.

 

Clear Channel finally ended the practice when they bought KCBA and KION.

[rkolsen 1675]

There was a group of photographers for KCBA in Salinas / Monterey that were allowed to sell breaking news videos to San Francisco stations across network lines...and using the stations live gear to feed the via the ENG receive sites of the respective SF stations.

 

You mean a station was willing to give video their photographers shot on company time to non related entities? Of course feeding video to receive sites now would be impossible with encryption nowadays.

[Eat News 4738]

You mean a station was willing to give video their photographers shot on company time to non related entities? Of course feeding video to receive sites now would be impossible with encryption nowadays.

 

They traded out the overtime...so the station got a sweet deal in return. it guaranteed that the photographers would be more than willing to cover breaking news after hours with "take home" gear.

 

There is no encryption on the 2ghz band sure it's possible...but nobody encrypts 2gh ENG except (sometimes) the cops on the upper channels.