Disks, broadcasting, automation and the demise of tape

There have been changes in the television broadcasting industry brought on by politics, commercial pressure and technological advancements. Whereas it was the norm for a television company to be a self-contained programme producer and broadcaster, many operations are now centralising on the concept of being multichannel programme publishers, with the majority of production being acquired from independent sources. Today´s broadcaster looks to its management to provide highly cost effective solutions to programme production and transmission. Inevitably, this has led to radical changes in the way television facilities are designed, staffed and run. This paper describes the technical and operational problems encountered by large, multichannel facilities, and looks to new technologies to provide solutions. It draws on the experience of the author in the start up to three such facilities, Star TV, Orbit Communications and Channel K TV