International Weather Coverage

BTW, here's the YouTube live stream:

Here's a video on how KHOU is using KUSA to get on air.

Essentially the staff at KHOU is sending a studio video feed, via satellite, to KUSA. Reporters air either sending their signal via bonded cellular or satellite. The program is being switched in a small control room with graphics added (the graphics look off especially as KUSA is the graphics hub for TEGNA) and sent via satellite to the transmitter.

Also KHOU got a WSI Max system sent to them so they can do weather and do a chroma key.

Are reporters sending their output to KUSA then to be mixed in with the KHOU studio output? I can't watch the video yet.

Also, their service has been very plain (seems like it from the video mixer boxes templates etc) but completely appropriate given the circumstances and they've been doing incredible work.

CNN crew just saved a mans 10 minutes ago.

"I want to thank these guys for saving my life." CNN crew just rescued a man who accidentally drove into floodwaters https://t.co/1seWI3jYuc

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 30, 2017

Fascinating, and quite remarkable. I had no idea the graphics, direction and transmission were all coming from Denver. Now I feel bad for not watching them because the temporary set doesn't look as nice as the other Houston stations...

Yes, everything is sent to KUSA. Someone mentioned that it seemed like KUSA put together a control room pretty quick using older equipment - which may explain the lack of typical TEGNA graphics.

Apparently there was some satellite switching at the top of the 4PM CT hour. The feed went to black. There explanation was that they were switching to a CBS satellite. I assume it's so they can eventually air CBS programs. I imagine the KHOU team at KUHT uplinks the studio feed to KUSA which switches the remotes and graphics which is then uplinked to CBS. CBS then I assume would take the switched KUSA produced KHOU feed and send it via satellite to the KHOU transmitter and adding CBS shows to the mix.

Something similar happened when WMAR had there studio evacuated (after someone drove a gardening truck into their lobby) and went to dead air after a live ABC program ended. Eventually they were able to use a LiveU to send a signal to a station in Phoenix which added graphics, sent it to ABC and ABC put it on the satellite and WMAR was back on air after an hour of dead air. Luckly they went back to their building a few hours later and could do the 11PM news.

What's the bandwidth of a liveU these days?

Here's a report from KUSA about this arrangement:

Thats the example I was thinking of. I couldnt remember which station. I was wondering why Pheonix kept coming to mind. But I wasnt sure. When that happened to WMAR Baltimore I was amazed how quickly they were able to get back up and running that strange day.

A LU600 has video bit rates of 20 Mbps. However from the field they seem to use TVUs.

But I imagine since you brought it up they could save money on satellite if they used a hard wired TVU to send the studio feed to KUSA. I've read a case study (from one of those bonded companies) where they up a bonded receiver at the transmitter site so they could go live.

KHOU swapped to what they called an 'NBC satellite' last night. Most likely permanently leased space elsewhere, so will be a cheaper.