Ask any engineer how much power it takes to operate the TV station, and you’ll probably get what it costs to operate the transmitter. Dig deeper and ask what it costs to operate the studios, and you’ll probably get a blank stare.

What most engineers don’t realize is that there’s an even larger power hog in the broadcast and content producer space. Today’s video production facilities require huge amounts of power from the nation’s electrical grid. If there’s a positive side to these facts, it’s that such power consumption is continuous. Broadcasters draw the same power from the electrical grid 24 hours per day. The consumption doesn’t drop at 5 p.m. and stay low all night, again peaking at 8 a.m. the next morning. more…

As if broadcasters don’t already have enough to worry about, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 supporting the FCC’s sanctions against Fox for a pair of live Billboard Music Award broadcasts containing the swear words s*** and f***. The obvious words were uttered respectively by Cher and Nicole Richie way back in 2002 and 2003.

Those broadcasters over the age of 40 may remember the famous 1978 case where the FCC charged the Pacifica Foundation with indecency because George Carlin spoke his famous “ Seven Dirty Words ” in a radio broadcast. The case ended up in the Supreme Court, which ruled in support of the commission, saying that the FCC could sanction the station. more…

In the first three parts of this series, we examined some of the key components in broadcast centers related to efficient operation. While the goal was to emphasize “green,” the practical results are to save money. Being green and being efficient are not divergent principles. more…

KickApps , a provider of on-demand social media, video player and widget platforms, announced an agreement with Hearst-Argyle Television to power user-generated content (UGC) and social-media functionality on the company’s nationwide network of television station Web sites . KickApps will provide the infrastructure and front-end, enabling the company’s Web sites to create and manage hyperlocal Web experiences with social, interactive, dynamic, distributed and data-informed features. more…

The previous column introduced you to the cooling requirements of some broadcast spaces. Now we’ll look at the most important television space ? the machine room. This is the heart of all content production centers. If this room goes down, so does all production and transmission. more…

As part of the FCC’s nationwide DTV transition assistance effort, hundreds of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members will be part of a $90 million project to help viewers get their DTV boxes running. AmeriCorps NCCC members will focus on groups the FCC has targeted for special attention, including low-income individuals, minority communities, non-English speaking consumers, senior citizens, consumers with disabilities and individuals living in rural areas or tribal lands. more…

The previous column reviewed the basis for this series of articles called “It’s not easy being green.” We continue now with a discussion of a video facility’s most important operating spaces, the master control room (MCR) and the machine room. more…

It was time for my regular dose of unreality.

For that slap against the head with Washington speak, I headed to the transcripts of the March 26 hearings on the DTV transition. Reading a few dozen pages of bureaucratic drivel usually sufficiently dulls my senses.

Reading the words (hearing them is even worse) of bureaucrats often tests the bounds of one’s credulity. I’m not saying all bureaucrats lie. They don’t. However, bureaucrats when taken as a whole more resemble politicians than normal humans. Bureaucrats are quick to deny responsibility for any failure, but equally as quick to claim credit for anything positive that’s happened. more…

Not so long ago, a TV station’s rack room was an area housing multiple racks filled with a dozen chassis-powering graphics, intercom systems and signal distribution equipment. These devices consumed perhaps 10A per rack, generated little heat and were generally ignored.

The real broadcast action was in the master control room (MCR). Here one would find multiple tape machines, perhaps a library tape machine for automation, gulping enormous amounts of power. Also there would be the master control switcher and film chain, each with an additional operator and perhaps a dozen or so video monitors located around the room. One operator was responsible for handling several tape decks. The area was abuzz with activity. more…

According to many, okay some, the NAB convention will highlight mobile TV applications, showing live demonstrations (again). Lest those in the broadcast industry think we are the only ones pushing mobile TV, it is worth a bit of effort to see what other giants in this space are saying and have planned. more…