News
08/04/06
PRSS Satellite Switchover on August 14, 2006
At approximately 3 a.m. EDT on Monday, August 14, 2006, the satellite used by the PRSS will be replaced. On June 18, Galaxy 16 was launched to become our replacement satellite. In a carefully planned maneuver, Galaxy 16 will transition into proper orbit to take over Galaxy 4R transmissions as a scheduled upgrade. As with the previous transitions, this switchover is expected to be largely transparent to PRSS stations and producers.
Intelsat (formerly PanAmSat), the satellite operator for Galaxy 4R and 16, anticipates that the transition could result in satellite outages of a few seconds to a few minutes. The exact time of the transition is variable as each satellite user is moved by Intelsat in succession. In the unlikely event of a problem, programming would remain on Galaxy 4R.
To facilitate a seamless transition, we encourage stations and producers to take the following steps:
- Producers: Program producers of live shows scheduled to transmit between 2 a.m. - 4 a.m. EDT on Monday, August 14, 2006, are encouraged to load evergreen versions of their programs into the ContentDepot Catalog. These evergreen episodes could be used by stations as a backup in the event of any service outage.
- Stations: Stations should consider their operational requirements for the hours of 2 a.m.- 4 a.m. EDT on Monday, August 14, 2006, and have alternative programming sources identified to cover a satellite transmission outage of up to five minutes. The ContentDepot Catalog will have programming available for download as provided by program producers. If your station needs a login to the Catalog, please contact our PRSS Help Desk.
NPR Distribution looks forward to beginning the next phase of its distribution services using Galaxy 16. Please stay tuned to the DACS system for any updates as the switchover draws nearer. If you have any questions or concerns about the transition, please contact our PRSS Help Desk at 800.971.7677, or prsshelp@npr.org.