Transmission Controller at eMedia Investments

Performance Outputs

Interpersonal and Team Relationships

• Build, support and maintain interpersonal and team relationships to ensure stable working environment and achievement of team objectives

Personal Development

• Complete Individual Development Plan. Attend learning and development courses. Participate in peer and team learning initiatives.

Budget Compliance

• Comply with work rules, standards and methods. Take care to minimise waste.

Playlist Administration & Checks

• Ensuring that all aspects of the playlist are double checked prior to transmission.
• Appending/cleaning and checking the accuracy of the playlist against the printed schedule including all primary and secondary events.
• Correcting schedule discrepancies in communication with Presentations.
• Inserting new events in the playlist based on schedule and commercials requirements.
• Inserting secondary events in the automation system.
• Ensuring that all scheduled media events are available for playout, and if not, to alert the FCC Senior to communicate this information with urgency to the Missing Media DL group.
• Ensuring that all events within live timeslots are double checked and corrected before the live event commences.  This includes but is not limited to ensuring that:
  •   The correct video source is routed, for live events only.
  •    Live and media events have the correct start type and end type.
  •    Verifying the: start time, the number of segments and the break durations with Studio.
  •    Advising Studio of the planned end time.

Transmission Control

• Assuming responsibility for all aspects of the daily transmission.
• Monitoring video and audio quality of all content for transmission to ensure the best outcome.  This pertains to, but is not limited to:
  •   Monitoring and supervision of media during transmission, and
  •   Checking that the video source for live events carries the required content before cueing the live event.
• Controlling the playlist manually during live events and in case of faults with the automation system.
• Monitoring the health of the automation system and the continuous communication with the housekeeper server. 
• Reporting issues to the Senior Controller in order to escalate to Engineering.
• Operating the automation system and transmission equipment in the correct manner.

Communicating & Reporting

• Reporting all discrepancies to the Senior Controller to resolve, and if necessary escalate to the relevant departments.  If there is no Senior Controller on duty, raise urgent issues directly.
• Recording the times of all technical problems, and report to the Senior Controller, as soon as possible, to escalate to the Engineering department.
• Reporting all issues affecting the broadcast and transmission equipment in the FCC Report.
• Ensuring FCC Reports are: correctly dated; to list the time of incidents, the title of the affected events, the media or logo ID’s, as well as the time that transmission returned to normal.
• Communicating clearly with production teams to coordinate transmission during live events.

Shift Scheduling

• (relevant when fulfilling the runner shifts A & B)
• Ensuring that your mailbox is not full.
• Ensuring all e-mails are checked throughout the shift on a regular basis until the shift ends for any updates to the schedule.  (commercial, programme or promo changes)
• Familiarising yourself with the Schedule Hand-over Report for every schedule. This will be provided daily by the Presentations Department. 
• Checking that the Front Page lists standby material for every live event, and that the duty Transmission Controller has inserted it on a standby playlist to ensure that it is available on the server when needed.
• Cross checking the e.tv and the eNCA playlists against the printed schedule for the following day’s transmission, from start to finish, to verify the following:
•    Media ID’s and segmentation running order for all media.
•    Media SOM, Duration and EOM.
•    Commercial media ID’s match the printed log, and flighting code durations match the media durations.
•    Promo media ID’s and media titles match the printed log.
•    Age restrictions scheduled are correct according to the daily internal report.
•    Tonight combos are not scheduled after the time listed in the title description.
•    Placement of sponsorship stings are correct – specifically the opening and closing stings.
•    Checking for programmes downloaded with estimated/standard durations and ensure that these are replaced on the printed log and              playlist with actual durations before broadcast for all channels.  If the media timings are not included on the Schedule Hand-over Report,      then they will be emailed by Media Operations.
•    Action manual changes made on the printed log, in the playlist, with the Senior Transmission Controller.
•    Double checking that break durations, match the break duration schedules for all live events that these are provided for, across channels.
• Checking all other channels for outstanding material.
• If there are discrepancies: The relevant people should be notified immediately. Discrepancies should be corrected before transmission [See Schedule Hand-over Report for contact details]
• Preparing to action emergency strap text requests by ensuring that you know how to update the Bug Strap in FCC.  [See the SOP – Loading the Bug Strap in FCC]

Special Live Events

• Refer to the Schedule Shift Duties & Procedures for the Runner shift A & B.
•   CTS should be informed immediately and in all instances that scheduled commercials do not play as planned.  Only CTS can authorize           that these be rescheduled.

 Powerball Procedure: 

•    Always have the Powerball Emergency Procedure readily available on nights that Powerball is scheduled.
•    Always have contact numbers for the GM: On Air Operations and the Presentations Manager. The GM: On Air Operations (on Tuesdays)          and the Presentations Manager (on Fridays) must be informed immediately if there were any issues with Powerball as the client needs to      be informed immediately.
•    Refer to the Schedule Shift Duties & Procedures for the Runner shift A & B, for details on the Powerball Procedure. 
•    A detailed explanation must be provided in the Schedule Shift Report regarding any Powerball issues experienced.

 Balancing the playlist & commercial changes:

•    The playlist must be balanced immediately after every live event, making sure that all programmes which follow, start as close to the            planned schedule start time as possible. This is to avoid any issues with the commercial hour to hour report.
•    The above is with reference to channels with intermittent live events.
•    Ensure that all changes are captured on the printed log.
•    Commercial changes must be actioned as per the Schedule Shift Duties & Procedures for the Runner shift A & B.

 Cordless Landline:

•     The cordless landline, dedicated to the Runner Shift, should be with you AT ALL TIMES during your shift.  

  Schedule Shift Reports:

•     A Preliminary Schedule Shift Report must be sent by 16:30 Mon-Fri, and by 12:00 Sat and Sun, highlighting all discrepancies in the               following day’s playlist until 11:00, across all channels. 
•     A detailed Final Schedule Shift Report must be sent before the end of every shift.
•     Refer to the Schedule Shift Duties & Procedures for the Runner shift A & B which lists requirements for the Schedule Shift Reports.
•     Always ensure that information reported is comprehensive and accurate.

Requirements

• A National Senior Certificate
• A minimum of 1 years experience within Video & audio monitoring