Broadcast Interactive Media Launches New Distribution Feature for MediaStar 3.0

Online, September 22, 2011 (Newswire.com) - In response to the growing demand for a streamlined solution that offsets the operational complexity associated with station-hubbing, Broadcast Interactive Media (BIM) is excited to announce the launch of its newest MediaStar 3.0 scheduling feature, Distribution. A robust add-on component to the MediaStar 3.0 program schedule management system, Distribution enables broadcast stations to select programming from a source schedule and simultaneously distribute across multiple channels.

As more broadcast groups make the move to hub their operations, program managers are witnessing their workdays being absorbed by the multitude of program schedules they must maintain. This coupled with the rising number of digital sub-channels and the emergence of mobile DTV (digital television) means that program managers often shoulder the responsibility of 10 or more schedules.

Until now, these additional broadcast schedules have been individually updated in a repetitive, inefficient manual-process. Frequently however, a significant portion of those schedules will contain common programming. With the Distribution feature now available, this redundant data-entry has been eliminated and replaced with a quick, yet sophisticated solution.

Barb Monroy, Programming Director for Intermountain West Communications, was one of the first users to go live with the new scheduling feature. Responsible for 20 individual channels, she needed a unified approach to managing her program schedules. After using the new feature she remarked, "The MediaStar Distribution tool is such a time saver. It makes programming multiple stations a breeze!"

The multifaceted Distribution feature allows program managers to work within the familiar MediaStar 3.0 web-based system. By establishing customizable, field-level distribution rules, program managers are able to set specific parameters as to the desired Distribution relationships they want to occur. Once these parameters are set, the managers can select program events from a chosen source channel and distribute the events to the corresponding destination channels. As a built-in scheduling precaution, these changes can be viewed in a staged, schedule or displaced grid before being published to the stations' PSIP streams and TitanTV Program Guides.

A Multi-Channel Publish component also comes as a part of the new Distribution feature. The Multi-Channel Publish gives managers the option to publish all of their program schedules at once, from a single-access screen.

The combination of the source-destination Distribution and Multi-Channel Publish functionality will significantly decrease the time spent updating schedules and empower program managers with more freedom in their workday. Because these components are seamlessly integrated into the MediaStar 3.0 system, station groups can also expect to profit from the centralized system and uniformed reporting across their channels.

Mick Rinehart, BIM's SVP of Products and Data Services comments, "The Distribution feature is a huge step forward for program management, and we are thrilled to be the first to offer our local broadcasters this type of intuitive and efficient functionality. Distribution was derived from customer feedback which remains the mainstay to the MediaStar Suite evolution and its continual feature development."

For more information on the MediaStar Suite, or to receive a demonstration of MediaStar 3.0 and the Distribution feature, please visit www.broadcast-interactive.com or call 800-365-7629.