IP: Time Machine

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2001 14:36:23 -0500
> From: Matt Murray <mattm () optonline net>
> Subject: Time Machine
> To: Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>
> X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4807.1700
>
> Prof. Farber:
>
> More than a month ago you had a small post about time compression of the 
> on-air broadcast network feeds (specifically KDKA). Here's something a bit 
> more recent from Electronic Media 
> <http://www.emonline.com/>http://www.emonline.com/ that covers the 
> compression of commercials, too (unfortunately, not to the benefit of us 
> consumers).
>
> Matt Murray
>
> <mailto:mattm () optonline net>mattm () optonline net
>
>
> Time Squeeze Probe Widens
> By MICHELE GREPPI
> Electronic Media
> The American Association of Advertising Agencies is
> expanding its investigation into the use of Time Machines to
> create unauthorized extra local ad inventory on TV stations.
> After several weeks of exploring the ramifications of the
> issue, the Local TV/Radio Committee of the AAAA, chaired by
> Initiative Media Executive VP Kathy Crawford, will take its
> concerns nationwide.
> "This issue has been turned over to the National Broadcast
> Committee at the 4-As," said Ms. Crawford.
> In addition, Ms. Crawford will be reaching out to the
> Television Bureau of Advertising for help in reaching its
> nearly 500 members. "We will be asking the TVB to please
> spearhead a letter with us to their member stations that
> pretty much reflects the same stuff we asked the CBS owned
> stations," Ms. Crawford said. That message: "We paid for 30
> seconds and we expect to get 30 seconds," she said.
> Furthermore, Ms. Crawford voiced concern about a new device
> in the works from the same people who make the Time Machine.
> It's called the Trimmer, and using technology similar to the
> Time Machine, it will enable TV stations to trim time from
> commercials that come into a station too long to fit the
> available pod slot. In other words, if a commercial meant
> for a 30-second slot arrives with a running time of 32
> seconds, the Trimmer could be used to reduce the running
> time by two seconds. Putting such a device into the hands of
> local TV stations, with its potential for abuse, is very
> "worrisome," said Ms. Crawford.
> The Time Machine, manufactured by San Jose, Calif.-based
> Prime Image, allows stations to add extra spots by analyzing
> successive frames of a TV signal and looking for two that
> are enough alike that one can be tossed out. Nine hundred
> frames have to be thrown away to create a 30-second hole.
> Ms. Crawford had expressed her concerns to CBS about use of
> Time Machines on the CBS owned-and-operated stations after
> the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote that KDKA-TV had used
> the device during a live NFL football game on Oct. 14, and
> Electronic Media followed with reports that the practice was
> widespread on other stations as well.
> "We want you to know that program compression is
> unacceptable," the ad executive wrote in a Nov 9. letter to
> Fred Reynolds, president of the CBS TV stations group, on
> behalf of the AAAA. "Our clients' commercials are already
> running in a 'cluttered' environment. Stations should not
> compress the program and add more time to the commercial
> pod, which increases the cluttered environment further."
> More important, Ms. Crawford wrote, "This [Pittsburgh]
> incident also causes concern that this same technology could
> be used to compress commercials for the same purpose." Mr.
> Reynolds, who like the network has addressed only the Oct.
> 14 KDKA incident, replied to Ms. Crawford with assurances
> that "Your commercial message has never been tampered with."
> Dimitri Vassilaros, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist
> who broke the original story, told EM last week that KDKA
> and CBS were being "stupid" and "dishonestly stupid" by
> pretending that the only time KDKA used the Time Machine on
> NFL games was Oct. 14. "One of the reasons I kept after the
> station for an explanation of why they were delaying a live
> game by 30 to 60 seconds when I saw it on Oct. 14 is because
> it was the second or third game in which I had noticed they
> had done it," he said.
> The revelations of widespread Time Machine use sent shock
> waves through the advertising world and through the local
> broadcasting community. Networks strictly forbid affiliates
> from manipulating network programming to add local
> inventory. Such a breach of the network affiliate contract
> could result in the local station losing its affiliate
> status.
> "This is not about KDKA," Ms. Crawford said, further
> explaining why the AAAA is broadening its investigation.
> "This is about 120 [Time] machines out there. At the
> national and local level, it is cause for concern."

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