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TV Station Airchecks and As-run Logs Made Easy
A case study of KHOU-TV, a CBS affiliate and Belo TV station
KHOU-TV, Houston’s CBS affiliate and a Belo TV station, uses SnapStream’s
DVR technology to reduce the use of VCRs and VHS tapes for its station airchecks,
making them dramatically more convenient.
The Situation
Airchecks (also known as 'as-run logs')are a TV station’s record of what is broadcast on the air.
Houston-based KHOU-TV, like most TV stations, maintains airchecks for a variety
of purposes, such as ad verification and legal protection. Meanwhile, the
station also records news broadcasts by other Houston-area TV stations for
competitive intelligence purposes.
In the past, KHOU’s airchecks were done using VCRs and VHS tapes. The
station maintained an around-the-clock recording on a time-lapse VCR to produce
a single aircheck tape every day. These tapes – which were 24 hours
long each! – were the only way to visually confirm to advertisers that
their commercials had run. These aircheck tapes were stored for up to a year.
Additionally, the station used a large number of tapes for ad hoc recordings
of its own news broadcasts and those of competitors. All these VHS tapes were
cumbersome, bulky and inconvenient, they delivered low-quality video, and
they were difficult to browse since they required time-consuming fast-forward
and rewind operations.
The Solution
KHOU implemented SnapStream’s DVR technology in order to make airchecks
easier to use. SnapStream’s simple, all-digital solution gives KHOU
on-demand access to recordings which are easily available over the TV station’s
LAN. It is no longer necessary for KHOU to use VHS tapes for ad verification
or competitive intelligence. SnapStream’s digital recording and storage
also makes it possible for KHOU to maintain regular recordings of news broadcasts
on competing stations, greatly expanding its pool of information about them.
The most important aspect of SnapStream’s DVR technology is that it
puts the power to manipulate recordings directly in the hands of users. Advertising
sales and marketing staff can easily edit clips digitally and email them directly
to advertisers for delivery verification and competitively study advertising
on other networks. Programming and news staff can access multiple recordings
back to back, allowing quick comparison between newscasts by KHOU and its
competitors.
KHOU General Manager, Peter Diaz, shared one recurring use of SnapStream’s
DVR technology during sweeps season. During this time, Mr. Diaz personally
reviews broadcasts recorded by SnapStream, extracts promotions from other
local TV stations, and puts them on a shared network drive for KHOU staff
to review.
The move from analog VCRs to digital recording and editing has made monitoring
the airwaves far more convenient for KHOU.
KHOU SnapStream Configuration
KHOU’s SnapStream-powered appliances capture KHOU-TV from 5 AM to 12
midnight every day, along with all news broadcasts on two additional channels.
The IT team administers these appliances remotely from their desktop PCs.
Then, KHOU staff are able to stream live TV or previously recorded TV from
their client PCs and extract clips to be emailed or burned to DVD.
About KHOU
Houston CBS affiliate KHOU-TV is part of Belo, one of the nation's largest
media companies with television, newspaper, cable and interactive media
assets. KHOU was started in 1953 and, over time, became one of the most
highly decorated local stations in the nation. CBS News Anchor Dan Rather
is just one of many former KHOU-TV reporters who went on to the CBS network.
Rather worked as KHOU-TV's news director from 1960 to 1962.
Figures
Figure 1: An IT manager at KHOU uses SnapStream’s DVR technology.
Figure 2: A member of the sales department reviews a recorded program at his desk,
on his laptop.
