Recording around the clock: the compliance copy every local TV station needs
Spanish law requires broadcasters to keep six months of everything they air. Here is how we handle it without buying a server or swapping hard drives every week.
When a local TV station gets a complaint from a viewer, a request from the broadcasting authority or an advertiser asking whether their spot went out on time, the answer is always in the same place: the recording of what actually went on air. And having it is not optional.
What the law says
Spain's General Audiovisual Communication Act (Law 13/2022) requires broadcasters to keep the programmes and content they air, advertising included, for six months, and to log their details (article 156.2). Failing to do so is an offence (article 159). Six months of continuous broadcasting is over 4,300 hours of video, so a USB stick will not do.
How we set it up for Televisió de Castelló
For TVCS we wanted something that runs on its own, with nobody having to remember to press record:
- We record the signal that is already going out. A small program on cloud storage captures the broadcast 24 hours a day.
- One file per hour, in one folder per day, with the date and time in the file name. Finding “Tuesday at 9 pm” takes ten seconds.
- Good enough quality to check, not to rebroadcast, so a full day only takes a few gigabytes.
- It cleans up after itself. We keep a little over a year and the oldest files are deleted automatically, well beyond the six months the law asks for.
Why the playout computer's disk is not enough
The playout system knows what should have gone out, not what really did. If it freezes, skips a spot or the signal drops, its disk will not show it. That is why we record the real output, the one viewers see. If you also broadcast on DTT, ideally record the exact feed you deliver to the multiplex.
What to check
- That the recording includes the ads exactly as they were aired.
- That the server runs on local time, or the file times will not match the schedule.
- That someone gets an alert if the recording stops.
- That anyone on the team can find a day and time from a web browser, without calling the engineer.
How much does it cost?
Much less than you might think. Several terabytes of cloud storage now cost less per month than a morning with an OB van, and there is no hardware to buy or maintain.
If you run a local or municipal TV station and want this sorted, get in touch and we will tell you how we would do it for you. And if live coverage is what worries you, here is what we check before switching on a camera.
