WFLX, the Raycom Media-owned FOX affiliate serving West Palm Beach, FL, and WPEC, the Freedom Communications-owned CBS affiliate servicing the same market, have launched a cross-group file-sharing system based on the on the Bitcentral Oasis news system.
The goal of the joint sharing is to allow both broadcasters to benefit from sharing news content while increasing revenue. Raycom’s WFLX newscast is produced by Freedom’s WPEC station.
To continue improving the news product for the WFLX brand, Raycom invested in the Oasis technology and installed it at WPEC, said Charles Gray, director of new media content for Raycom. The move also gives WPEC access to video used by the other 30 Raycom Media stations, he added.
The Oasis system is a broadcast-quality news video distribution and aggregation system that integrates into both stations’ existing workflows. The result is the ability to move media quickly and efficiently in nonproprietary SD or HD formats.
As competing stations in local markets look for ways to shave operating expenses, this type of implementation of Bitcentral’s Oasis system allows local content producers to pool resources and content as well as share content production resources among their own group of stations.
Bitcentral’s Oasis installation at WPEC will archive only the news produced for the Raycom station. As a result, other Raycom affiliates will be able to access the same content to use for their broadcasts for regional distribution when necessary.
For more information, visit www.bitcentral.com.