Atlanta-based Cox Television has chosen Harris Corp. to provide HD graphics delivery platforms and traffic management systems for its group of television stations.
Cox is buying the Harris IconStation SD/HD on-air branding system, as well as the ADC Playout Automation application for logo insertion and other graphics-related tasks. OSi-Traffic was selected for management of station traffic, sales, accounting and reporting applications.
In announcing the purchase of the IconStation package, Cox's vice president of engineering, Sterling Davis, said that one of the reasons the product was selected was its ability to interface with other devices.
"Harris has eliminated the restrictions that can exist among automation and master control/branding device interfaces," Davis said. "The flexible and highly configurable interface between the Harris branding and automation system provides Cox with a high level of control over our channel branding."
IconStation has the ability to combine logo insertion along with multiple real-time data crawls and squeezeback functionality.
The OSi-Traffic application will allow Cox to tightly integrate other Harris products, such as ADC Playout Automation, to provide better control of inventory utilization selling and optimization of available spots closer to airtime.
"The synergy of Harris systems with our stations is unique and gives us confidence that we'll not only operate better but more efficiently -- all with a focus on better serving our viewing and advertising customers," said Bruce Baker executive vice president of Cox Television. "The team at Cox feels with OSi-Traffic, we're moving to a provider who understands the demands of the television business today and into the future with an emphasis on greater speed and access to information."
Cox has been using a Harris BMS traffic system and expects migration to the new OSi-Traffic system to proceed smoothly, with full retention and availability of historical data.
Cox Television operates 15 television stations in 11 U.S. markets and is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc.
