Jewish Life TV
Jewish Life TV (JLTV) is a young and quickly growing Los Angeles-based broadcast channel that reaches nearly 25 million viewers in the continental United States. In delivering high-quality programming to this expanding audience, JLTV faces two constant challenges: producing professional-grade presentations for its viewership and offering attractive advertising opportunities and a high level of visibility for program sponsors.
To meet these challenges, JLTV worked with systems integrator and consultant Jonathan Landman of Newcast to design and implement a facility with an emphasis on reliability and functionality at an affordable cost. One of the key requirements of the project was the ability to display information from the Web as a live ticker on the screen plus the simultaneous integration of viewer and sponsor messages into these tickers.
The resulting installation features the ProTrack TV scheduling traffic system and NVerzion automation system. The ProTrack system feeds the JLTV schedule to the NVerzion automation software, which then automates the control of the 360 Systems Maxx video server for continuous spot, interstitial and program playback.
NVerzion also controls Compix Media’s branding, logo, ticker and text overlay system, which employs template-based branding and automates data entry to provide current, targeted graphical messaging with the polished, professional look JLTV demands.
When the system went live at the beginning of October 2009, it gave JLTV a very powerful tool for boosting ad sales and attracting new viewers. The Compix CynerG2 enables the JLTV staff to insert sponsor branding along with continuously updated news crawls at the bottom of the screen during regular programming, thereby bypassing the growing issue of viewers using DVR recording to skip interstitial, spot-based advertising. The facility is also using the CG system to insert custom messages from viewers in a secondary crawl, and this personalization of on-screen content — birthday wishes, congratulations, etc. — along with programming and sponsor-driven content helps to engage and build JLTV viewership.
The ProTrack, Compix, 360 Systems and NVerzion systems interoperate smoothly, and the short learning curve for the CG, with its easy-to-use template-based designs and drag-and-drop interface, was key in enabling rapid installation and commissioning of the system. In fact, it took just a month to install and take the system live. As a result, JLTV operators were able to add logos, create graphics and take their custom ticker information to air quickly.
By incorporating personalized and sponsored message elements into programming, JLTV is able to leverage the emerging strategies of the music and entertainment channels in attracting and retaining viewers and advertisers. The robust functionality and affordable pricing of today’s broadcast technologies have empowered JLTV to take an innovative approach to marketing and sponsorship, allowing it to make an impact with viewers and compete alongside much larger broadcasters despite its youth and relatively small budget.
- Station automation
Submitted by Compix MediaDesign teamJLTV: Adam Blazer, COO
Newcast: Jonathan Landman, sys. integrator and consultant
Technology at work360 Systems: Maxx multichannel video server
ProTrack TV: ProTrack traffic software
NVerzion: NControl Gold automation software
Compix Media: CynerG2 CG
© 2009 Penton Media, Inc.
