Grass Valley K2
WAGM-TV, the CBS and Fox affiliate in Presque Isle, Maine, is now using a Grass Valley K2 video server as part of its automation efforts.
The four-channel K2 is being used in conjunction with a Pathfire Digital Gateway system and Sundance Titan automation package to record and play out programs and spot-length material to air. According to station officials, by using this configuration it’s now possible to move Pathfire-delivered material to and from the server in only 20 percent of the time it formerly took.
"We realized that with the K2 server we could bring in more content per day, which helps increase our ability to broadcast programs," said Gordon Wark, president and GM at NEPSK Inc., licensee of the station. "We’ve been testing this new workflow process for several weeks and its running error free. I think a lot of stations will operate this way because it means the K2 server can do more to help automate the process."
The revised workflow at WAGM-TV involves entry of information by the station’s traffic department about syndicated shows purchased and commercial schedules into the Sundance traffic system. Episode number or other identifying information is moved to the automation system which then is able to query the Pathfire database in order to locate specific content for play to air. The Sundance system then informs the K2 server to record necessary files and i.d. them. Once the content has aired, information is then sent back to the traffic department in the form of an "as-run" log, with an invoice for commercials being automatically generated.
