The SABC has implemented a radio digital broadcasting system that will enable it to air real-time updates of the local government election results on 5 December, for which 18,4 million voters are registered to vote at 15 001 voting stations throughout the country. The system, which will be located at the IEC results centre in Pretoria, was provided by Sybase SA and Eminently More Suitable (EMS), a supplier of solutions to the audio recording and broadcast industries.
"All SABC public service stations will broadcast the elections results as they come in," says Theuns Nel, Radio Digital Systems manager at the SABC. "The system will streamline our operations by providing immediate and easy access to election news and results for all those involved in the production and broadcast process."
The system consists of Sybase's database server, Adaptive Server Enterprise, as well as Dalet's Digital Media Systems, a news management system supplied by EMS.
"The Sybase server is a data store that provides the productivity, availability and integration required by mission-critical OLTP (on-line transaction processing) applications," points out Sybase marketing manager, Julie Tomlinson. "Its multi-threaded architecture and efficient query optimisation makes it an ideal component of the election results broadcast system."
Dalet's system assists in the acquisition and creation of news by providing a single workspace to record, assemble, edit and produce radio news content. "Dalet's client-server architecture allows multiple users to access a common content warehouse," says Kim Beetge, software sales manager at EMS. "This enables a well-organised workflow which assists in the quick and efficient production and distribution of news. By enabling several users to simultaneously make live updates and modifications to the running order of news items, these can be made immediately available to the broadcast studio."
Material that is ready for broadcast, such as details on party leaders and candidates, and events that have taken place in the run-up to the election, has been stored in the database and can be accessed countrywide at any time. Outside broadcast units will be set up in provinces, and live interviews will be held at election centres. Recording from outside broadcast points will be linked to the database, with Dalet as the interface between the nine workstations and the system. Once content has been structured, Dalet organises the sound files in the database, and refers these to the server from where the stories are subsequently broadcast.
The database server was supplied free of charge by Sybase as it will be used for a period of seven days. "We have built a solid partnership with EMS and the SABC," adds Tomlinson. "By making the technology available to the SABC, we believe the reporting on election results will be streamlined and highly efficient. This will in turn ensure the ongoing availability of information."
The distribution of material in real-time, with a reduction in errors due to minimal human interference, is another major benefit for the SABC, as is the nationwide availability of stories for all SABC reporters, notes Nel. He adds that the broadcaster has been able to do away with bucketfuls of tape once stories have been captured, as all editing is done via the system. "By automating all technical details, the system allows reporters to focus on producing quality content, and ensures that the South African public will have access to the latest and most comprehensive news on the local government election," he concludes.
Share