Williams Vyvx Services Distributes Fox's Digital Television Signals

Fox Broadcasting Co. picked Williams Vyvx Services to distribute its digital television (DTV) nationwide. Television programs originate at the Fox Network Center in Los Angeles and Vyvx carries the DTV signals from Los Angeles to the Fox-affiliated DTV stations over Williams Communications' 19,000-mile fiber-optic network.

Vyvx will deliver point-to-multipoint transmissions every day for a total of about 15 hours per week. Fox affiliates are currently broadcasting the DTV signals over the air in several markets, including Dallas, Philadelphia, Detroit, and San Francisco, with plans to increase the number of cities that air DTV to as many as 30 by the end of 1999.

"In the past, broadcasters have utilized fiber as primarily a backhaul solution, but because of new compression technology and the great demand for capacity, many of today's broadcasters are looking at fiber as a reliable solution to the demands that digital is placing on the marketplace," Laura Kenny, president of Williams Vyvx Services, said. "It's a forward transmission solution that adds flexibility to broadcasters' transmission requirements."