ASK: Slow push of a button causes flash of an ad

By Mike Rudeen, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Originally published 03:00 p.m., May 20, 2008
Updated 06:13 p.m., May 20, 2008

Slow push of a button causes flash of an ad

Mark asked about a very brief - less than a second - flash of an HIV/AIDS public service announcement he had seen several times on CBS4 News, just before 7:30 a.m. He wondered where it came from.

In addition to the programs, the network "feed" sent to affiliated stations generally fills the commercial breaks, sometimes with PSAs. The local affiliate "covers" the feed with its own commercials.

An operator has to hit a button to trigger the local commercial, and sometimes he's a fraction of a second off, said Robert Garibay, operations manager for CBS4 News. So what Mark is seeing is a sliver of that PSA from the network feed.

The phenomenon isn't limited to that PSA or station. Having once worked at a radio station with national and local programming, I remember how tricky such a dance can be.

Recently, the CBS4 News operator's job has become even more difficult. On April 21, the station began broadcasting in digital high definition while maintaining the standard analog channel - in effect, two channels at once. The dual signals will continue until analog disappears in February. Until then, the operator will have to hit two buttons simultaneously to trigger the local commercials on each channel.

Try this question:

I work in a high-rise downtown. In the beginning, the recycling program was just for certain types of paper. Now it takes paper, plastics, newspaper and cardboard. What breakthrough allows combining all these items? My sister thinks they really take it to the dump! - Gary

Know the secret? Post your answers on the Ask! blog, blogs.RockyMountainNews.com/denver/ask, or e-mail rudeenm@RockyMountainNews.com. While you're on the blog, check out the other questions on the Ask! home page, or post one of your own by clicking on the link to the left on the page.