Q G The ins and outs, the rumors and the reality of a PBS program’s journey to broadcast

Q G T echnical O perations S pecification Demystified  Panel Wendy Allen, Vice President, Media Operations &Engineering, PBS Tim Mangini, Director of Broadcast/Frontline, WGBH Steve Scheel, Sr. Director of Media Operations Center, PBS Steve Welch, Vice President, Engineering & Technology, NCPB Ernie Neumann, Director of TV Broadcast Operations, NCPB/KQED  TOS Overview  PBS Process to Air San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

Q G TOS Overview  Interconnection System was established  Need for common operations -- led to PBS establishing technical guidelines.  Engineering Committee assisted in TOS San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

Q G TOS Overview The current TOS (2010) consists of three parts:  Submission to PBS  Distribution from PBS  Real Time Satellite Uplinks San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

Q G TOS Overview  The TOS serves PBS member stations.  The ETAC provides advice and guidance to PBS on the TOS.  The ETAC is an appointed Engineering group that represents all PBS regions. San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

Q G TOS Overview The 2010 ETAC Committee includes the following members: San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop Alan Popkin, KLCS Bill Schwartz, WCEU David Felland, MPT Helge Blucher, WTVS James Klas, Wisconsin PTV Kevin Crane, WNPT Ron Kain, WITF Russ Abernathy, WKNO Stacey Decker, Nebraska ETV Steve Welch, NCPB (Chair) Terry Harvey, WSIU Joe Tymecki, VPT

Q G TOS Overview The TOS 2010 Working Group included the following members San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop Terry Harvey, WSIU (Chair) Bill Schwartz, WCEU Bruce Jacobs, TPT David Felland, MPT Gerry Field, APT Greg Tillou, NETA Kip Campbell, UNCTV Mike Norton, Wisconsin PTV Russ Abernathy, WKNO Steve Welch, NCPB Ernie Neumann, KQED/ NCPB Jim Kutzner, PBS (TOS Lead) Steve Scheel, PBS Wendy Allen, PBS Steve Wynn, PBS Stephen Francis, PBS

Q G San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop PBS Process to Air Why does it take 6 weeks to get to air?

Legal UCC Associate to Media Program Underwriting Policy Program Scheduling and Content Services MI = Media Inventory (media or content metadata being submitted to PBS) Flattening = Packaging all the components that make-up a show Including Containers submitted separately or bugs, v-chip, etc. BV = BroadView Traffic and Scheduling System PAA = Program Acceptance Agreement OAC = On-Air Offer Clearance IWT = Interactive Web Tag UCC = Underwriter Credit Clearance San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop Programming PUP Producer MOC NOC Orion: Redbook Forms, including PAA, OAC, IWT, UCC, MI, and Cue Sheet MI/Cue Sheet Review & Approve Tape Tape Arrival Tape Check In Library Pull Lists Run BV MI Completed BV MI Approved BV Package Assembled Packages Scheduled Ingest/Tech Eval Flattening Distribution PBS Edit Producer Edit UCC Review & Approval MTR Screening Result Pass Fail Decision No later than 10 days out Media Operations Center Network Operations Center Over 200 producers deliver content to PBS Red Book Forms Review & Approve

Q G San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop PUP UCC Associate to Media UCC Review & Approval Process 1.Approve funders and funding amounts 2.Approved funding entered onto PAA (including detail of funding amounts, legal funder names (e.g.,), term dates for funding, total production budget) 3.Form is submitted and approved by other departments (legal, production, rights, etc.) 4.Review spot creative (storyboard, script, graphics) 5.Review UCC form (rotations, spot rights dates per the Containerization requirements ) 6.Approved creative 7.Approved UCC form required for submission of Spot Media Inventory PUP – Program Underwriting Policy

Q G San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop PUP UCC Associate to Media UCC Review & Approval Process PUP – Program Underwriting Policy Challenges 1.Funding is not acceptable per PBS Guidelines 2.Incomplete funding information 3.Funders listed do not match approved funders/funding from step 1 4.Funding does not equal production budget amount 5.Rights dates are not actual (sometimes completed as rights for program) 6.Unacceptable creative 7.Duration of spot may be incompatible with Containerization 8.Form name, spot title, rights, and/or duration could be incorrect 9.Descriptions of audio and/or video may be inaccurate 10.Spots listed do not match approved PAA 11.Format of pod may be incorrect (spots correct, order incorrect) 12.Cuts on Media Inventory don’t not match UCC format 13.Correct files are not attached to correct records/data

San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop Legal Programming Process MI/Cue Sheet Review & Approve BV MI Completed BV MI Approved BV Package Assembled Packages Scheduled Screen New Package/MI Submission 1. Package is created/scheduled 2. Media Inventory is submitted 3. If metadata looks correct, media inventory is “approved” 4. If incorrect, producer is contacted and asked to make corrections 5. Media Inventory(ies) are associated to package 6. After package metadata is proofed, package is defined

Q G San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop Legal Programming Process MI/Cue Sheet Review & Approve BV MI Completed BV MI Approved BV Package Assembled Packages Scheduled Screen Repack Package/MI Submission 1. Need for repackaging is identified (MTR, Producer generated or PBS generated) 2. Method is selected by Producer PBS Fix Producer Fix/Re-submission Containerized repack 4. BV Records are created 5. Notification is sent internally Schedules are updated Program Offers are issued 6. After new revised media is available, steps 2-5 from New Package/MI Submission are followed

San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop Legal Programming Process MI/Cue Sheet Review & Approve BV MI Completed BV MI Approved BV Package Assembled Packages Scheduled Screen Challenges 1. Late delivery of media 2. Late delivery of Redbook forms UCC OAC PAA Producer format 3. Late delivery of Traffic info GA Embed Grid Kids Embed Chart BMP Monthly filler list Break/Filler Chart Misc. initiatives from PBSd and Interactive 4. Inaccurate metadata Bad cut timings Missing or inaccurate audio metadata Missing or inaccurate aspect ratio 5. Tech Eval failure Requires new record creation and approval/definition Producers often disputes impairments and associated cost 6. Missing billing info (should be populated in PAA.) We can’t approve MI until this is correct

San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop MOC Tape Arrival Tape Check In Library Pull Lists Run Ingest/Tech Eval Flattening PBS Edit MTR Result Pass Fail Decision Myth: Tape arrives 6 weeks out and the MOC is intentionally waiting until a week out to ingest. Reality: The MOC is ingesting material within 4 days of Media Inventory approved status, it is on the schedule and has been pulled from the library. Library is averaging 24 hours pull time.

Q G PBS Process to Air System Changes being worked on:  Improve Orion, eliminate duplication of data  Decouple process status that are tied together: When media arrives, it will be ingested.  Decouple content and underwriting spots on the same tape. All underwriters are getting approved <10 days before air which holds up the entire show from being ingested. San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

Q G Questions