Special Events Coverage/Breaking News

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

How breaking news was handled in the SOSS/Comstream System

In the previous PRSS system, breaking news operations are a combination of manual and automated functions. NPR handles real-time notification to stations of breaking news events via a leased audio "shoutdown" or "squawk" channel that is fully under NPR's control. This squawk channel also carries signals to station equipment that can interrupt audio going to a local transmitter and switch to a designated satellite receiver tuned to the breaking news channel.

The actual audio programming destined for broadcast was provided to the Network Operations Center (NOC) from program producers via the same routing resources in use for other live news programming. The audio was delivered to stations using the switched PRSS system.

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.

1. To receive breaking news programming in the ContentDepot, stations must subscribe to the designated "Special Coverage/Breaking News" programs created by the program producers.
2. 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.
3. When breaking news occurs, the program producer schedules the news event with the PRSS for satellite transmission.
4. Additional messaging via the ContentDepot portal will announce the breaking news event and contain operational informational. NPR News may activate the squawk channel.
5. 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.
6. 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.