KFMB has installed a two-channel Observer system with 180 days of total storage. The Observer provides a fully digital, file-based replacement for the station‘s previous VHS-based system, which did not provide the recording capabilities that KFMB requires to meet broadcast compliance needs.
“It only took one demonstration of the Observer, and we were sold right away on the power, functionality, and simplicity of the system,” said Rich Lochmann, director of engineering at KFMB. “In the short time that it has been up and running, the Observer has already caught the attention of other departments that can see its value for such functions as verifying to customers that advertising aired as contracted, or monitoring and evaluating newscasts for quality control.”
Now, within a single system, KFMB is able to record and monitor video from its HD broadcast on one channel and SD off-air content on the other channel. The Observer records the aired audio track as well as the director‘s private line intercom track, enabling operators to determine later whether a transmission fault is due to a technical error or a missed cue from the director. When a fault occurs, the system automatically notifies operators via e-mail with an attached clip of the video displaying the fault. In addition, the Observer provides the video documentation KFMB needs to demonstrate to performance rights organizations ASCAP and BMI that the station is paying the proper licensing fees.
“KFMB is among the growing numbers of broadcasters who recognize the vast benefits of switching to digital, file-based technologies such as the Observer to raise quality levels and streamline operations,” said Julius Perl, vice president of marketing at Volicon. “The fact that KFMB is already considering broader uses for the Observer after such a short time speaks to the system‘s versatility and flexibility in the broadcasting environment.”
More information about Observer and other Volicon products is available at www.volicon.com.
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About KFMB-TV
KFMB-TV is San Diego‘s oldest television station and the only major station to remain with its original network affiliation, CBS, since it first began broadcasting in 1949. Owned by Midwest Television, KFMB is currently San Diego‘s most watched television station based on Nielsen share sign-on to sign-off. Some famous KFMB alumni include former weather girl Raquel Tejada (later known as Raquel Welch), talk-show host Regis Philbin, TV host Sarah Purcell, CNN and former CBS anchor Paula Zahn, and NBC correspondents Don Teague and Dawn Fratangelo. In January 2007, KFMB became the first station in San Diego to broadcast its news in HD.
About Volicon
Volicon develops and markets turnkey digital video archiving and streaming solutions, including the award-winning Observer® multichannel video monitoring and logging system, for the television broadcast and telecommunications industries, cable programmers, cable MSOs, and corporate and government markets. Volicon‘s proprietary video processing system, comprised of a video encoder and streaming engine, gives a large number of users simultaneous access to multiple channels of video content over a network. More information is available at www.volicon.com.