Technical Operations and Such..
The ABS-CBN Broadcasting Network, similar to big companies, has a systematized workflow in its operation.
I guess we can start with the...
TRANSMISSION PROPER
Transmission of the network is done at Very High Frequency (VHF), 54 to 60 MHz to be precise. This refers to Channel 2 in TV frequencies hence their name Channel 2. Much like what we have learned in class, there are several parts in the transmission process of a network station. We first have the antenna tower, which would most likely standout out of all the structures in the ABS-CBN compund. As shown below!
I guess we can start with the...
TRANSMISSION PROPER
Transmission of the network is done at Very High Frequency (VHF), 54 to 60 MHz to be precise. This refers to Channel 2 in TV frequencies hence their name Channel 2. Much like what we have learned in class, there are several parts in the transmission process of a network station. We first have the antenna tower, which would most likely standout out of all the structures in the ABS-CBN compund. As shown below!
Transmitters are the very equipment that lets the stations broadcast their material and media to the public. Without these powerful machines, no network could run their operation, that is why maintenance is crucial! There are a lot of transmitters in use for the system and this s because they always have to have a back-up in cases where one would cease to operate. However, not all their machines are uniform as some are much older than the others. They have newer solid state systems that make it easy for them to function and operate. Much like how a consumer would feel to a solid state drive in a laptop or computer system.
Before the signal gets to the antennas, it first goes through the STL or the Studio to Transmitter Link. This serves as the pathway of all the different signals that the station wants to broadcast. A majority of the network stations use facilities like these where their antenna towers are located at a different location as the studios. This is their solution to the urban expansions of the cities where the environment would cause different interference to the broadcasting signals. The system is also significant in the operation since it receives the signals from the studios. It's as off limits as the transmitter itself.
The next part is....
TOC - Technical Operations Center
The Technical Operation Center is the department where all the materials would undergo for ingesting and such. This is the next step after all the shots from the studios have undergone their finishing touches and editing and is ready for public viewing.
The first stop we had was the On-Air Media Handler. This office serves as the media tape reception area where media in tapes are submitted for broadcast. As much as the company wants to migrate to tapeless workflows, it is inevitable that there are late submissions that do not undergo the ingestion process and have to be aired from the tapes themselves. Anyway, this area also receives the tapes from the different companies that want to air their commercials. Yes, the advertising comes through this area where we have found out is the source of income for the network. Time is crucial in this area of business as 30-second commercials can cost up to 400,000 PHP and above depending on the time of broadcast. Primetime which has more audience density has the priciest tag.
The next stop was the Ingest Station. This station takes care of taking the finish materials from the different production staff of the network and convert them into the files. The material they usually receive are the tapes from which the shows have been recorded on. They are the actual tapes from the cameras, similar to the Betacam and VHS tapes in appearance but far more superior in quality (and price). It usually takes a while to ingest material so it is actually preferred by TOC that the material be submitted ahead of time, the earlier the better. For the networks in the USA for example, their workflow is much easier and the final product seems higher of quality because most of their shows only air once a week unlike ours which airs daily. Because of the time constraint, there are times when material is not ingested and even bypass the quality control of the media. The picture below shows an ingest station. It's more of a re-recording of material from tape to data so sometimes the people just leave the computer to do its work.
The last few stops of the tour was in the Scheduler areas and Switcher stations. These stations take care of the program assignments, the show queue and commercial time slots. The area is large since there is a station for each channel the network handles, like for the main channel, Studio23, the regional channels and even the cable channels like Lifestyle, Balls and the others. The job they do here is quite simple but is pretty important as what they do can be reflected live on national television, and concerns the advertising side of the station too. They also handle the antenna positioning for the crew that do live feeds like for the news or live sport events. It's pretty bad-ass work and only takes a few skilled people to operate.