WTSP automates key station functions

WTSP-TV, the CBS affiliate in St. Petersburg, FL, began using the Crispin System 2000 suite of applications earlier this month for asset management, satellite recording, media ingest, device control, traffic translation and control of four channels for on-air playback.

The system includes five workstations, each focused on a specific workflow task.

Station operators use TurboBrowser, a companion application to RapidPlayX, to retrieve video clips from their system. Once located, operators can drag and drop clips into the playlist for immediate playout or into a user-definable on-screen file cabinet. With about 100 file cabinet entries per channel, WTSP operators have the flexibility to insert alternate events, including interstitials, commercials and evergreen material, or entire blocks of material to accommodate last-minute changes in the schedule.

WTSP selected Crispin’s RecordScheduler to execute consecutive daily schedules of program acquisition events. Operators can manually record events or create a complete daily schedule generated via program templates in AssetBase. With RecordScheduler, WTSP can record parallel events, which allows for overlapping or simultaneous record events.

WTSP uses Crispin’s Dubber application to control multiple-source devices, allowing operators to acquire and prepare video assets for air. Dubber provides all of the tools needed to expedite and simplify the acquisition and preparation of material for fully-automated, on-air playback.

RapidPlayX provides playlist monitoring and control for the station’s on-air channels, which lets operators create and load playlists, edit events, issue playlist commands and monitor event status.

Crispin’s Mapper application converts WTSP’s daily Wide Orbit traffic schedule into an automated playlist, ready for on-air playback by RapidPlayX.

The station uses AssetBase to monitor and track specific video assets through metadata, such as house numbers, ISCI, comments, durations and cue points on various video servers and videotape inventory.

For more information, visit: www.crispincorp.com.