PBS Show Submission Demystified

1. The ins and outs, the rumors and the reality of a PBS program’s journey to broadcast PBS Show Submission Demystified

2. Technical Operations Specification Demystified • Panel • Wendy Allen, Vice President, Media Operations &Engineering, PBS • Tim Mangini, Director of Broadcast/Frontline, WGBH • Steve Scheel, Sr. Director of Media Operations Center, PBS • Steve Welch, Vice President, Engineering & Technology, NCPB • Ernie Neumann, Director of TV Broadcast Operations, NCPB/KQED • TOS Overview • PBS Process to Air San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

3. TOS Overview 1970 - Interconnection System was established Need for common operations -- led to PBS establishing technical guidelines. Engineering Committee assisted in TOS San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

4. TOS Overview The current TOS (2010) consists of three parts: • Submission to PBS • Distribution from PBS • Real Time Satellite Uplinks San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

5. TOS Overview The TOS serves PBS member stations. The ETAC provides advice and guidance to PBS on the TOS. The ETAC is an appointed Engineering group that represents all PBS regions. San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

6. TOS Overview The 2010 ETAC Committee includes the following members: San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

7. TOS Overview The TOS 2010 Working Group included the following members San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

8. PBS Process to Air Why does it take 6 weeks to get to air? San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

9. Flattening = Packaging all the components that make-up a show Including Containers submitted separately or bugs, v-chip, etc. MI = Media Inventory (media or contentmetadata being submitted to PBS) PAA = Program Acceptance Agreement OAC = On-Air Offer Clearance IWT = Interactive Web Tag UCC = Underwriter Credit Clearance Orion: Redbook Forms, including PAA, OAC, IWT, UCC, MI, and Cue Sheet BV = BroadView Traffic and Scheduling System Producer Over 200 producers deliver content to PBS Producer Edit Tape UCC Associate to Media Program Underwriting Policy UCC Review & Approval PUP No later than 10 days out Legal Red Book Forms Review & Approve Screening Packages Scheduled Program Scheduling and Content Services Programming MI/Cue Sheet Review & Approve BV MI Completed BV MI Approved BV Package Assembled Pass Result Decision Ingest/Tech Eval PBS Edit Media Operations Center MOC Fail Flattening Tape Arrival Tape Check In Library Pull Lists Run MTR Network Operations Center NOC Distribution San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

10. UCC Review & Approval PUP UCC Associate to Media PUP – Program Underwriting Policy • Approve funders and funding amounts • Approved funding entered onto PAA (including detail of funding amounts, legal funder names (e.g.,), term dates for funding, total production budget) • Form is submitted and approved by other departments (legal, production, rights, etc.) • Review spot creative (storyboard, script, graphics) • Review UCC form (rotations, spot rights dates per the Containerization requirements ) • Approved creative • Approved UCC form required for submission of Spot Media Inventory Process San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

11. PUP – Program Underwriting Policy UCC Review & Approval PUP UCC Associate to Media • Challenges • Funding is not acceptable per PBS Guidelines • Incomplete funding information • Funders listed do not match approved funders/funding from step 1 • Funding does not equal production budget amount • Rights dates are not actual (sometimes completed as rights for program) • Unacceptable creative • Duration of spot may be incompatible with Containerization • Form name, spot title, rights, and/or duration could be incorrect • Descriptions of audio and/or video may be inaccurate • Spots listed do not match approved PAA • Format of pod may be incorrect (spots correct, order incorrect) • Cuts on Media Inventory don’t not match UCC format • Correct files are not attached to correct records/data Process San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

12. Packages Scheduled Screen Legal Programming MI/Cue Sheet Review & Approve BV MI Completed BV MI Approved BV Package Assembled • New Package/MI Submission • Package is created/scheduled • Media Inventory is submitted • If metadata looks correct, media inventory is “approved” • If incorrect, producer is contacted and asked to make corrections • Media Inventory(ies) are associated to package • After package metadata is proofed, package is defined Process San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

13. Packages Scheduled Screen Legal Programming MI/Cue Sheet Review & Approve BV MI Completed BV MI Approved BV Package Assembled • Repack Package/MI Submission • Need for repackaging is identified (MTR, Producer generated or PBS generated) • Method is selected by Producer • PBS Fix • Producer Fix/Re-submission • Containerized repack • 4. BV Records are created • Notification is sent internally • Schedules are updated • Program Offers are issued • After new revised media is available, steps 2-5 from New Package/MI Submission are followed Process San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

14. Packages Scheduled Screen Legal Programming MI/Cue Sheet Review & Approve BV MI Completed BV MI Approved BV Package Assembled Process San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

15. Pass Result Decision Ingest/Tech Eval PBS Edit Fail MOC Flattening Tape Arrival Tape Check In Library Pull Lists Run MTR • Myth: • Tape arrives 6 weeks out and the MOC is intentionally waiting until a week out to ingest. • Reality: • The MOC is ingesting material within 4 days of Media Inventory approved status, it is on the schedule and has been pulled from the library. • Library is averaging 24 hours pull time. San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

16. PBS Process to Air System Changes being worked on: Improve Orion, eliminate duplication of data Decouple process status that are tied together: When media arrives, it will be ingested. Decouple content and underwriting spots on the same tape. All underwriters are getting approved <10 days before air which holds up the entire show from being ingested. San Francisco Public Television Quality Workshop

17. Questions