PRODUCER PROGRAMMING GUIDELINES 2014

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PRODUCER PROGRAMMING GUIDELINES 2014

EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

PURSUIT CHANNEL is a national cable television network which strives to uphold the highest possible editorial

standards. We reserve the right to refuse to air any program as a result of any producer’s failure to follow our

published and pre-disclosed editorial requirements. With this in mind, we require the following:

• PURSUIT CHANNEL strives to maintain a family friendly environment. Activities and language should be appropriate for all ages at all times.

• Producers should at all times promote good stewardship of the outdoors. Ethical hunting and fishing practices should be encouraged wherever possible.

• As television personalities, we have a responsibility to promote safety. PURSUIT CHANNEL reserves the right to reject content deemed to ignore or omit necessary safety practices.

The International Hunter Education Association’s published Code of Ethics is to be used as a basic hunting ethics

guideline. In addition, practices that may be deemed unethical include, but are not limited to: failure to clearly

identify a target and anything beyond it, shooting at a running animal, shooting at bedded animal, improper

baiting of game, hunting on private property without permission. High fences may not appear on screen at any

time. All activities must be conducted in full compliance with the laws and regulations of the prevailing

jurisdiction. Citations or convictions for violations of prevailing fish and wildlife laws or obvious depiction of

activities found to be in violation of such laws may be construed as grounds for immediate termination of the

program.

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RESTRICTIONS

The following are strictly prohibited:

• 900 numbers

• Psychic services or products promoting a belief in the efficacy of other occult pursuits such as mind reading, fortune telling, predicting the future, etc.

• Sexually explicit products or services such as web sites or 900 #’s • X -rated films or home videos

• Wagering opportunities not licensed in the United States • Any tobacco products, distilled spirits

• Anti-law enforcement devices or literature • Illegal drugs or paraphernalia

• Excessive blood or animal suffering • Replays of kill shots or graphic kill shots

• skinning, butchering or field dressing of animals in a commercial or show content

A demonstrated pattern of unresolved complaints against an advertiser may result in termination of advertising

privileges for that advertiser.

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ADVERTISING STANDARDS AND PRACTICES

All advertising must be deemed appropriate for PURSUIT CHANNEL. The same technical standards that apply to

program content also apply to commercial content. PURSUIT CHANNEL reserves the right to reject any

advertisement submitted to PURSUIT CHANNEL, at its sole discretion.

SHOW SUBMISSION

SHOW FORMAT

•

½ Hour show format: (Total Run Time is 30:00:00)

• Half hour shows should contain twenty-one (21) minutes and thirty (30) seconds of show content split into four (4) segments with three (3) internal breaks for commercials.

• Total commercial time should contain eight (8) minutes and thirty (30) seconds. • Each break should be filled in order from the beginning.

MINIMUM SEGMENT LENGTH

• Due to the requirements of our Automated Master Control, please be sure that each show segment has a running time of at least four (4) minutes.

RATINGS

• Do not burn in ratings information (i.e. TV G, TV PG, etc).

BRANDING

• Individual show corner bugs may be placed in the lower left hand corner of the screen.

• The bug may only be visible for twenty (20) seconds and appear no more than two (2) times per segment. • Bottom right is reserved for the PURSUIT CHANNEL corner bug only and is integrated into all PURSUIT

CHANNEL programming during air from our broadcast facility.

PURSUIT CHANNEL has implemented a tapeless workflow which allows for shows to be submitted digitally.

Acceptable media formats (media refers to the physical means by which your episode arrives to us) are Hard

Drives (USB 3.0, must include power and data cable) and Flash Drives (3.0). PURSUIT CHANNEL will accept shows

through Dropbox. PURSUIT CHANNEL will, however, accept commercials via digital means of delivery from our

Producers and Advertisers. All physical media, hard drives and flash drives, must be labeled to identify ownership.

Label your media with the show name, PUR # (s) and return address. Considering flash drives are small, a

business card may be attached to flash drives that contain the information. If Pursuit Channel receives files that

are not labeled correctly, you may be charged a relabeling fee and Pursuit Channel will not be held responsible if

your show segments air out of order. SEE CONTACT INFORMATION for mailing addresses.

Submitting shows in a file-based format requires files to be sent ready to air, meaning that there should not be a

slate, bars and tones, or countdown in any segment. Also, there should not be any BLACK included for indicating

where NETWORK COMMERCIALS would be. In the event that PURSUIT CHANNEL receives a file with black, slate,

countdown, bars or tone included, Pursuit Channel, at its own discretion, will either correct it by editing it or

choose to repeat the show. If, in the event, that Pursuit Channel chooses to edit the show, the producer of the

show will not hold Pursuit Channel responsible for the loss of quality and the producer will incur an editing fee

from Pursuit Channel.

All file names must start with the exact PUR # used in the Commercial Log supplied to Traffic and have the letter

corresponding to the correct segment. (Example … PUR45559A.mpg)

All Media (logs, episodes, captions, etc.) must be sent to meet the delivery deadline. All media must be received

by the Traffic Department no later than Monday, two weeks prior the beginning of the air week of the episode.

Ex: If the episode airs 2014 Q1 Wk4 (starts on Jan 20th) then the media is due to us by Jan 6th.

(Deadlines are subject

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You will submit four segments which include NO COMMERCIALS. Outlined below is exactly how your show

segments should be exported:

• From beginning of program to the beginning of the first break would be exported as PURxxxxxA.mpg (segment A) • After end of first break to beginning of second break would be exported as PURxxxxxB.mpg (segment B)

• After end of second break to beginning of third break would be exported as PURxxxxxC.mpg (segment C) • After end of third break to end of program would be exported as PURxxxxxD.mpg (segment D)

PURSUIT CHANNEL reserves the right to refuse to air episodes that arrive after our Published deadline. PURSUIT

CHANNEL accepts no responsibility for loss of revenue claims for episodes that do not air as intended due to late

arrival or Quality Control Issues. Pursuit Channel reserves the right to air a repeat of our choice as a replacement

until the issue can be resolved.

COMMERCIAL SUBMISSION

When sending spots, you will send the file with an ISCI code. These files need to be in the same format that is

required for your show episodes. We will also need the spots to be without any slates, tones, or countdowns.

Once your spot is received, we will enter the spot into our system and send an updated inventoried list, complete

with individual PUR assignments. You will use this PUR number on your commercial logs for us to use for

trafficking purposes.

Example: If I had a: 30 Pursuit Channel spot, it should labeled “PUR#####”

VIDEO/ AUDIO SPECIFICATIONS

TIME CODE

• Time code should be Drop Frame, recorded on the Time code track, continuous throughout the show, with first program audio/video on posted shows starting at 00:00:00:00.

• If VITC is supplied, it must match LTC.

• Audio and Video must be referenced and consistent to SMPTE color bars and tone (0 VU) recorded at the head of the tape.

• Program video subcarrier horizontal phase (SCH phase) should be in close relationship to SMPTE color bars.

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VIDEO

• All content should be acquired using professional HD cameras. Industry standards and accepted norms of professional camera work shall be exhibited at all times.

• All content should be acquired in color, and properly exposed.

• Black levels should be set to 7.5 IRE, and video levels should not exceed 100 IRE.

• Chroma levels should peak at 75% saturation. Phase must not deviate more than +/- five degrees of reference point per color.

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NTSC VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS

Video program material shall be produced using industry standard and accepted norms good practice and

workmanship. With respect to analog to digital media transfers, there is to be no setup on the digital tapes.

• Master and source videotapes must meet industry standard or industry accepted standards for tape format interchange.

• Master and source videotapes must not have any visible video impairments.

• Vertical blanking should fall within SMPTE specifications. (10.9 plus or minus 0.2 microseconds, with the front and back porch 1.5 and 4.7, respectively)

• Composite video white levels should not exceed 100 IRE and program black levels should not extend below 7.5 IRE units. Neither the program luminance whites nor blacks should be clipped excessively. • Composite chroma levels should not exceed 75 % saturation and may be clipped to prevent transmission

over modulation.

• Horizontal and vertical synchronizing pulses, where applicable must be recorded in the program tape at a level of 40 IRE. Control track (CTL) pulses must be continuous and contain color frame pulses. The control track must be properly phased to the recorded video vertical interval. Each program shall be preceded with a minimum of 30 seconds of SMPTE or EIA color bars (75% chroma amplitude) and a reference tone of 1000 or 400 Hz, followed by a 10 second slate, a countdown and 1 second of black before start of program. The program material must be representative of the audio and video reference signals.

AUDIO

• Audio must be mixed on both channels in stereo. • Stereo audio must be fully mono compatible. • The audio channels must be in proper phase.

• Audio levels should be consistent throughout the show and should peak at 0 VU on analog meters. • Digital levels should be referenced to -20 dB with an audio meter using the true peak ballistic set. • PURSUIT CHANNEL reserves the right to reject tapes if talent audio is unintelligible.

• There should not be any perceptible errors in synchronization of sound to video, specifically in lip movement.

NTSC AUDIO SPECIFICATIONS

Audio program material shall be produced using industry standard and accepted norms good practice and

workmanship.

• The Audio Portion of the master and source audio and videotapes must be produced so that no noise, pops, static, dropouts or extraneous distortion is recorded in the audio. Improper use of noise reduction can cause audio to be overly bright or muddy. Tapes cannot exhibit either of these audio defects.

• Audio Channels- Stereo audio must be fully mono compatible. The audio channels must be in the

proper phase. NOTE: Fully Mono Compatibility means that when the left and right stereo channels are

actively combined to mono there is no discernible change in audio level or fidelity.

• Time code- SMPTE Drop-Frame timecode is mandatory. Program start time must read 01:00:00:00. • All time code references, i.e. vertical interval time code, (VITC), longitudinal time code, (LTC) or audio

sector time code on Digital formats (ASTC) must match exactly.

• Program audio must reflect reference tone level. Audio levels must be consistent throughout the program. • Headroom: Transient audio peaks must not exceed +14dB above reference tone. When mastering to a

digital format and/or using and Absolute Scale or Peak Meter, where “0” is at the top of the scale and reference tone is at -20dBfs, Audio should sit at -12dBfs for average speaking and voiceover. When using an analog meter, though the ballistics of analog VU meters vary greatly, the average program audio level of -2 to -5 dB will roughly equal 10 dB of headroom and not exceed specifications for peak limits.

• Audio compression: Program audio should have good dynamic range, within the parameters listed above, but not be overly dynamic. While some compression may be needed to control they dynamic range of the program audio, excessive audio compression and the final mix should be avoided as this reduces the perception of audio quality by the listener.

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ACCEPTED FILE FORMATS

PURSUIT CHANNEL will now only be accepting delivery in HD. We will no longer accept SD submissions. Below are

the specifications pertaining to delivery of HD files. Also, make certain to mono submix or "center" all spoken

dialog in your audio. In the event Pursuit Channel receives an incorrect format and the files have to be converted,

Pursuit Channel will not be held responsible for diminished / loss of quality.

File Specifications

HD Specifications

Video

Format: H.264

TV Standard: NTSC

Frame Size: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)

Frame rate: 29.970 fps

Scan type: Interlaced

Display aspect ratio: 16:9

Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square Pixels (1.000)

Chroma subsampling: 4:2:2

Bit rate: Constant 25 MBPS

Audio Channels: 2 (Stereo) Bit rate: 224 Kbps

Sampling rate: At least 48.0 KHz

CLOSED CAPTIONING

We require all programs to be Closed Captioned. The Producer, at its sole expense, shall be responsible for the

closed captioning of each episode of the program. Any episode of a Program supplied without closed captioning,

at the discretion of Pursuit Channel, is subject to not being aired. Closed Captions must comply with the

captioning key produced by the Described and Captioned Media Program. Upon request, Pursuit Channel will

provide Producer with an additional copy of the DCMP captioning key.

CLOSED CAPTION FILES

• For each show segment, we require a matching Closed Caption file which will be used to embed captions into your video file.

• Each caption file for each segment needs to start at 00:00:00:00 • We will only accept .SCC caption files.

• The captions must be embedded by Pursuit Channel's uplink facility in order to ensure they are embedded at the proper specifications. These specifications will not be met if you attempt to embed the captions yourself.

• The caption files will need to be named exactly the same as each segment. Example: Rusty Faulk Outdoors submits PUR45544A.mpg and PUR45544A.SCC, PUR45544B.mpg and PUR45544B.SCC … etc.

• Submitting the wrong caption files with your show segments will cause delays that may result in your episode not being aired.

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COMMERCIAL LOGS and MUSIC CUE SHEETS

Our deadline for Commercial Logs AND Music Cue Sheets is the Monday, two weeks prior to the week of air.

All commercial logs and music cue sheets MUST be sent to [email protected] by closing on the Monday,

two weeks prior to the week of air. Your logs also have to be filled out completely and correctly.

All spots scheduled MUST have a PUR number attached or IT WILL NOT AIR. All producers will be sent a new,

blank commercial log to use. If you are planning to repeat an episode, you are still required to send a commercial

log filled out correctly. If we do not receive a commercial log, we will pick a repeat and air your commercials the

way they aired the week before.

Please make sure your Commercial Log includes the following information:

• Show Series Title • Episode Title

• Episode Specific Description • PUR Number

• Quarter and Air Week. Use the Quarter and Week and the Monday’s date of the Air Week. Example: 1st

Quarter, Air Week 1, 12/27/10

• Total run time, location of all ad breaks with sponsor Identification

Completed Music Cue Sheets are required and must include the Song Title, Composer, Publisher, Duration, and

Label i.e. ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc.

PURSUIT CHANNEL will supply standard forms for you to complete. Please use these forms when supplying your

Commercial Logs and Music Cue Sheets.

NAMING YOUR COMMERCIAL LOG / MUSIC CUE FILE

Before you email us your Commercial / Music logs to [email protected], please rename your file before

attaching it to the email message. The PUR# goes first followed by Program Name. (Ex:

PUR45509RustyFaulkOutdoors.doc and PUR45509RustyFaulkOutdoorsMUSIC.doc

If you require any program to be Re-Aired / Repeated

• You must e-mail [email protected] a new commercial log by the due date for that air week. • Change the log itself to reflect the new quarter and air week you wish that submission to play, and mark it

as a Repeat. REPEATS DO NOT GET A NEW PUR#

• We require a commercial log for every week you are contracted to air, whether it is a new episode or a “scheduled” repeat. If our Traffic Department hasn’t received a commercial log by the due date, your show will be repeated!

How we choose what to repeat if episode and/or log is “late” and no direction is given from Producer

• We will repeat the 1st PUR that aired during the current season, unless that PUR has already been

repeated, in which case we move to the next PUR from the current season.

• We will then air the “late” PUR the following week if we have received all the needed materials to proceed.

E-Mail Communication

• Please note [email protected] is only for attached Commercial Logs / Music Cue Sheets. Please do not add any comments, directions or questions to this address.

• For all traffic comments, directions or questions please e-mail to [email protected] and please add the PUR# in question if needed to speed up the process. This address is accessible by all members of

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PUR NUMBERS

• PUR numbers are assigned by the Traffic Department.

• Each episode must have a unique PUR number attached to it and include a Commercial Log

• Do NOT reuse PUR numbers unless you have been contacted by the Traffic Department and told to do so. In this event, you may reuse the same number and label it REPLACEMENT.

• Re-mastered episodes with show content that has previously aired should receive a new PUR number. • PUR numbers should always be submitted in sequence. If your episodes are numbered out of order or if

you skip numbers this may cause your show to air incorrectly.