Digital Broadcast has completed installation of its SafetyNet disaster recovery system at WJAC-TV in Johnstown, Pa., allowing the Cox-owned station to broadcast from an off-site location if it is ever unable to maintain on-air operations.
The system allows WJAC-TV to broadcast directly from their transmitter site in the event the station site becomes inoperable due to an emergency situation such as storms, communications interruptions, mandatory evacuations, etc. SafetyNet provides automated master control functions at the transmitter and enables control of the play-out from a portable computer located at a completely different site.
During normal operations a communications computer located at the station communicates with Digital Broadcast's MediaFire server located at the transmitter. The communications computer regularly updates the disaster recovery system with new content over the network. A MediaFire remote client provides complete control of the recovery system from a different location.
In the event the station site is disabled, the WJAC-TV schedule plays automatically from the disaster recovery system. The play-out schedule can be loaded from traffic or from the remote client. The remote client can edit the schedule as well as control a switcher and a server.
