ContentDepot pre-recorded programs are delivered as files and live programs continue to be delivered as program streams. Pre-recorded program files are delivered via the file transfer system to station storage receivers. During the initial rollout in 2006, each station received two storage receivers—one primary receiver to capture all of the ContentDepot-delivered files and a second receiver that can be used as a hot backup.
Live programs in the ContentDepot are received on a streaming decoder. Satellite interconnected stations were sent two decoders for live streams. Each decoder provides two stereo audio outputs (or ports) to support a total of four simultaneous live feeds that a station can receive at any given time.
While the ability to receive four concurrent live programs is sufficient for many of the stations in the PRSS, some stations with complex programming needs or those originating multiple program services may need more outputs. Your station should consider its live programming requirements, including regular series and news programs, breaking news, and multicasting for HD Radio, to evaluate if you may need to purchase additional decoders.
Scheduled Live Programs
In the ContentDepot, every station will subscribe to the programs it needs. For live programs, the subscription process includes assigning the specific decoder port to which the audio will be routed. Once a subscription is established, the station will receive every episode of a live program as it is transmitted.
A station may assign the same feed to a second port on a different decoder (maximum of two ports) for backup purposes or to service additional network feeds.
While we previously advised against trying to assign adjacent programs to the same decoder and port, our testing has demonstrated that adjacent programs can be assigned to the same decoder port back-to-back. The major producing networks such as American Public Media, PRI, and NPR have been reviewing their programs to include a five-second silence at the end of a program to accommodate program switching. However, we do NOT recommend that you try to "hot switch" back and forth between a program and insertions on the same decoder and port (e.g., from a program to a newscast or from Morning Edition to Marketplace).
Live Programs in the ContentDepot
The following is a list of representative programs that remain live in the ContentDepot.
Scheduled Programming
A Prairie Home Companion (live with subsequent file)
All Things Considered
As It Happens
BBC World Service
Beethoven Satellite Network
California Report
California Report Evening
Capital Report
Classical 24
Democracy Now
Democratic Response
Florida On the Line
Fresh Air (live with subsequent file)
Here and Now
Le Show
Live From Lincoln Center
Marketplace I
Marketplace II
Marketplace III
Marketplace Morning I
Marketplace Morning II
Marketplace Morning III
Marketplace Morning IV
Marketplace Morning V
Marketplace Morning VI
Marketplace Morning VII
Met Opera Performance
Morning Edition
Native America Calling
National Native News
Newslink from Deutsche Welle
NPR Newscast Service
On Point (live with subsequent file)
Only A Game (live with subsequent file)
Open Source
Opera Stage
Pacific Time
People's Pharmacy (live with subsequent file)
Performance Today (live with subsequent file)
President Bush Radio Address
San Francisco Symphony
Talk Of The Nation (live with subsequent file)
Talk Of The Nation/Science Friday (live with subsequent file)
The Diane Rehm Show (live with subsequent file)
The Global Maestro
The State of Things
The World
This American Life (live with subsequent file)
To the Point
Weekend All Things Considered
Weekend America
Weekend Edition Saturday
Weekend Edition Sunday
Weekend Radio
West Coast Live
Whad'Ya Know (live with subsequent file)
With Heart & Voice
Special Events Coverage/Breaking News
NPR News
Multicasting
BBC Mundo (PRI)
XPoNential Radio (NPR)
Folk Alley (NPR)
Groove Salad (NPR)
Special Events Coverage/Breaking News
Special events coverage is often not scheduled with much advance notice. NPR and PRI are planning to provide a Special Events Coverage program that can be subscribed to by stations that wish to receive breaking news from NPR or the BBC whenever it occurs. To receive NPR or BBC special news coverage, a station must subscribe in advance to the breaking news program and assign and dedicate a decoder port to either or both of those services. Stations should not expect to handle subscription/decoder assignments at the time breaking news or special events occur. The Squawk channel and SquawkNet will remain outside of the ContentDepot for the time being.
More detailed information about Special Events Coverage/Breaking News in the ContentDepot is available.
Multicast Program Streams for HD Radio
If your station is or will be multicasting for HD Radio, make sure you consider your secondary audio channel programming needs. NPR is currently offering three 24-hour multicast streams over the PRSS, and other distributors are planning to offer these services. Today these secondary audio channels are fed to existing station Comstream demodulators. After all stations have converted to ContentDepot and the existing Comstream channels are turned off, the secondary audio service will move into the ContentDepot as program streams. At that point stations utilizing the secondary audio channels will need to have decoder outputs for these streams, either from the original decoders provided by the ContentDepot project or by purchasing additional stream decoder(s). Remember that each decoder provides two program streams. The secondary audio channels will move from the Comstream demods to the ContentDepot decoders at the conclusion of dual operations.
Your station should plan to maintain a complement of the existing Comstream/SOSS equipment throughout the dual operations period for backup as well as to receive multicast channels. At the conclusion of dual operations, these channels will switch over to the ContentDepot carriers.
Purchasing Additional Decoders
The streaming decoders used by the ContentDepot are off-the-shelf devices manufactured by International Datacasting Corporation. If your station determines that it will require additional decoders, please fax your order form to us. The price of a streaming decoder is $1,685.00 per unit (two stereo audio outputs). We encourage stations to submit orders as soon as possible to make sure you have the equipment you need prior to the rollout.
For more information about purchasing decoders, please contact Business Affairs at 202.513.2618.
How Many Decoders Does Your Station Need?
If your answer to any question below is yes, please check the corresponding box.
Each of the options above requires a decoder port. If you've checked more than four boxes, your station should purchase at least one additional decoder.
If you have questions about your decoder requirements, please email prssplanning@npr.org.
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When something significant in the world is happening that program producers want to put on the air with very little (if any) advance notice, stations have to be notified and be able to switch over to the coverage.
Typically, breaking news programming is characterized by:
- Little or no advance notice
- Not necessarily starting at a typical time post
- Interrupting programming currently on local air (subject to local programming decisions)
- Few (if any) cutaways for local content insertion
- Breaking the format "clock" of the program currently being transmitted on that stream
- Unknown end time
Breaking news in the ContentDepot
During the first year of ContentDepot operations, the basic theory of breaking news will be unchanged. Voice cues and signaling will still be provided via the squawk channel and program audio will be delivered through existing resources piggybacking on existing bookings. The squawk channel's satellite frequency will change, however, to accommodate the planned expansion of the ContentDepot streaming carrier. Significant advance notice will be provided to stations about the move as details are available.
ContentDepot Breaking News Operations
The current view of breaking news support is outlined in the following steps.
- To receive breaking news programming in the ContentDepot, stations must subscribe to the designated "Special Coverage/Breaking News" programs created by the program producers.
- Since breaking news can occur at any time, a decoder audio output (port) must be dedicated by stations to receive breaking news. Depending on the amount of live programming used by a station, a station may need to purchase another decoder (two stereo audio outputs) to dedicate to these services.
- When breaking news occurs, the program producer schedules the news event with the PRSS for satellite transmission.
- Additional messaging via the ContentDepot portal will announce the breaking news event and contain operational informational. NPR News may activate the squawk channel.
- When the event coverage begins, program audio is routed by the Network Operations Center to the breaking news stream and the program start relay is activated. If it is part of an ongoing program, program audio is also routed to the existing program stream.
If NPR activates SquawkNet, the designated relay for "station routing" is activated on the breaking news channel. Transmitters switch from regular programming to the breaking news decoder. Stations that do not use the contact closures associated with the squawk channel to select the breaking news stream will need to manually switch to that decoder to put it on air.
- At the conclusion of the news event, audio returns to normal programming. On the breaking news stream, the "end" relay is activated, which signals the end of the coverage and in the event of a SquawkNet activation, releases the transmitter for normal operations.
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