ABSTRACT
Transmission is the production line of broadcast television. Raw materials in the form of pre-recorded packages such as films, programmes and commercials are delivered to the operational centre and then sequenced together in a pre-defined order and delivered off the end of the production line to the consumer. It is the original streaming process. As much as new programmes can be freely created and scheduled by the broadcast organisation, it is only through the transmission process itself that ultimate revenue is secured. The process appears to the outside observer a pretty simple one and in its principles it certainly is. The additional complications for the unwary are defined in three aspects of the broadcast transmission operation. While not unique in industrial operations, they are each unusual and together make for a pretty challenging mix.
