WDBJ Installs Crispin, WideOrbit BXF Interface

Schurz Television’s CBS affiliate WDBJ Roanoke, Va. (DMA 66), has installed a new full-featured, real-time BXF interface between Crispin master control automation and WideOrbit traffic systems. The BXF interface provides an automated and dynamic information exchange between WideOrbit traffic and Crispin automation that replaces the manual exchange of files with a real-time data interface.

In addition to replacing some of the previous manual tasks with automated messages, the BXF interface adds new functionality such as live playlist editing from traffic to automation and real-time frame-accurate meta data exchange.

“This is a much needed step forward,” said Alan Novitsky, the station’s director of engineering. “It’s saving a lot of time for both engineering and traffic.”

Previously when spot changes are made by sales and traffic, they had to be made manually by master control operators using a printed report, or a phone call, which was both time consuming and potentially prone to error. “Now when traffic wants to change something, the message is received right away in master control with a pop-up message,” Novitsky said, “and the operator can choose to accept the change and the list is changed automatically.”

Novitsky also said that the real-time AsRun and reconciliation feature is saving traffic managers a lot of time. Before BXF the full day of AsRun was sent as a file back to traffic and reconciliation was often arduous and very time consuming. Now the AsRun information is sent after each executed event, providing the traffic system and users real-time feedback and the ability to respond more quickly with programming changes in response to discrepancies, unexpected time shifts due to live events, and so on.

“The dub list and purge lists are much more accurate now, too” said Novitsky. The BXF interface allows Crispin to send all correct frame-accurate media timings after prep to traffic so that the WideOrbit system always has an up-to-date picture of the material present in master control. These frame accurate timings help traffic users to schedule a complete, frame-accurate playlist initially that requires fewer edits and corrections by master control operators after it has been loaded into automation.

Both Crispin and WideOrbit are preparing for additional installations of the BXF interface in the near future for both single-station facilities and large networked, hub-and-spoke operations.