Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.
Monday, July 01, 2013
Belo Confidential | Issue 07.01.13
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.
11 comments:
Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I'm cross-posting this comment by Anonymous@10:49 from another thread:
ReplyDeleteBelo does not have a Master Control hub. They attempted to implement one in Seattle but were unsuccessful. Any word from Gannett Master Control Centralcast employees as to plans to integrate Belo Master Control operations into Gannett Centralcasting (ie: new, unexplained racks/monitors etc in Florida)? There's a lot of anxiety on the Belo end as to whether there will be Master Control layoffs after the acquisition.
Fox runs its stations from Las Vegas (even though it doesn't have a station there). Meredith runs its western stations from Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteMuch as a McDonald's franchisee might own a dozen restaurants but only uses one back-office location, master control operations are now being concentrated. If you've ever seen a modern TV master control room, you'll appreciate the McDonald's reference. You can scroll through a day's events - past, present, future. The screen is not unlike the order processing screen you see at fast-food restaurants.
I worked at a Fox duopoly until 2010. The speed of transformation from "manual" MC to local automation to off-site (Vegas) control took maybe five years. If you work at master control at a Belo station, start telling your boss how great Jacksonville is. Maybe he'll put in a good word for you.
Just be sure if you do make it to Jax that you find a place to live away from the paper mills. Have someone who's been there explain it to you.
The paper mills have been gone for many years. Please don't communicate things you do not know. Jacksonville is a great place to live. Gannett, unfortunately, is not a great company to work for. Best of luck!
Delete"Centralcast" is the word that describes a combined TV master control. For example, NBC runs its Northeast owned-and-operated stations from a hub in New York City.
ReplyDeleteThe main advantage of centralcasting is cost control. You can bring in a prerecorded program like "Wheel of Fortune" at one location instead of, say, 10 locations.
The disadvantage of centralcasting is correcting any screw-ups. Last year the Fox station in NYC cut off an NFL game to go to Fox prime time; it took 5 minutes for the station to restore the game telecast.
The phrase "Master Control" pretty much sums it up. Technology has made it possible to broaden the definition from mastering a single station's operations to a group of stations' operations. It would be an unusual business decision to choose not to use it.
ReplyDeleteAssuming the other post is accurate, Belo's attempt to institute the system at some of its stations in the past suggests an interest which likely would have properly resurfaced at some point.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteCentralizing Master Control works best when all stations slaved together are affiliated with the same network so break structures and other communications are more easily synced. If Belo tried to use a centralized master at their two Seattle stations, they were attempting to centralize master control operations for two stations with different affiliations, a far different animal.
ReplyDeleteBelo stations are far behind other station groups in automation and centralizing master control. With the exception of St Louis station, Belo stations still have not gone to an Ignite or similar system for news production.This will be a tough transition for Belo employees thinking Gannett won't save millions by implementing what every other major station group has already done.
DeleteGannett calls it centralized monitoring. Each station is still responsible for recording or downloading its programming. The centralized part comes in overnights and weekends when on person can watch all the stations and call someone if there is a problem.
ReplyDeleteseattletimes.com/html/opinion/2021291066_craigaaronopedxml.html
ReplyDeleteAs a Belo master control employee my abovious concern is what an anonymous poster refered to above as "centralized monitoring". Without giving away too many details, I work in a master control at one of the Belo stations here in the NW. Does anyone on this forum have any experience with what has happened at other Gannett stations in the past when they switch to "centralized monitoring"? What sort of staff cuts are involved with "centralized monitoring"? What sort of staff do they keep for those times that aren't overnights and weekends?
ReplyDelete