START YOUR OWN
CABLE TV NETWORK

START YOUR OWN
INTERNET TV NETWORK
Tutorial 1: The Chronology of Starting a Network
The outline below provides you with a sequence of activity in building your network...
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Tutorial 2: Glossary of Technical Terms
Industry Terms and Definitions that you will need to be familiar with...
more info
Tutorial 3: Guidelines for Producers
This information has been prepared to provide basic guidelines and procedures for producers...
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THE CHRONOLOGY OF
STARTING A NETWORK
The outline below provides you with a sequence of activity in building your network.  The information applies to either a cable network or a broadband (Internet) broadcaster.  Although some items happen simultaneously, this list indicates the steps that need to be taken, in pretty much the order of priority.  And, like most every other documents in this Kit, it is only meant to be a template that provides you with various options.

 

I.          THE IDEA
                a)  Establish a Niche
                b)  Develop a Concept
                c)  Create a Mission Statement
                d)  Form a Business Entity

II.         THE CORPORATION
                a)  SubChapter S or C-Corporation;
                     Limited Liability Company (LLC)
                     Purchase a “shell corporation”
                b)  Staffing
                c)  Establishing Budgets
                                1)  Staff Salaries/Benefits
                                2)  General & Administrative
                                3)  Capital Purchases
                                4)  Advertising/P.R./Marketing
                                5)  Original Production
                                6)  Program Acquisition
                                7)  Network Operations
                                8)  Consulting Fees
                                9)  Contingency
                d)  Business Plan/ProForma
                e)  Financial Projections
                                1)  Revenue  (5 Years)
                                2)  Expense  (5 Years)

III.        FINDING THE MONEY
                a)  Investment Bankers/Venture Capitalists
                b)  Foreign Investors
                c)  Cable Operators/Joint Ventures
                d)  Friends, Relatives
                e)  Deferments

IV.        PROGRAMMING & PRODUCTION
                a)   Program Schedules/Grids
                b)  Original Programming
                                1)  Studio-based
                                2)  Location Production
                                3)  In-House Promotions
                                4)  Post Production Facility
                c)  Acquired Programming
                d)  In-House Staff/Independent Contractors
                e)  In-House Post Production
                                1)  Equipment/Space
                                2)  Editor/Engineer
                f)  Computer Animation/Graphics
                g)  Original Music/Music Libraries 
                h)  Tape Stock/Storage         
                I)   Format Conversions
                j)   Talent/Hosts/Announcers
                k)   Sets/Props/Miscellaneous

V.          NETWORK OPERATIONS
                a)  OpTape Assembly
                b)  Satellite Services/Uplinks/Teleports
                c)  Encryption/Compression/Encoding
                d)  Traffic Department/Logs
                e)  Master Tapes/Program Library
                 f)  Servers

VI.         DISTRIBUTION
                a)  Channel Capacity
                b)  MSO’s/Systems/DBS/L.A./DSS/TVRO
                c)  Cable vs. Broadcast
                d)  Analog vs. Digital
                e)  A la carte/Video On Demand/The Internet
                f)   C-Band/Ku-Band
                g)  Affiliate Relations
                h)  Grass Roots/Community Support
                i)   Local Municipalities
                j)  Cell phones / iPod’s / Other

VII.       ADVERTISING SALES
                a)  Sales Presentation
                b)  Demo Tape(s)
                c)  Sales Campaigns/Strategies
                d)  Rate Cards/Establishing Rates
                e)  Contracts
                f)  Trade-Outs
                g)  Direct Response/Per-Inquiry/Infomercials

VIII.      ANCILLARY SALES
                a)  Home Video/Retail Sales
                b)  Schools/Libraries
                c)  Catalogs
                d)  Books/Texts
                e)  Foreign & Domestic Syndication
                f)   Licensing Fees
                g)  CD-ROM/World Wide Web
                h)  Direct Response/Per Inquiry/Infomercials

IX.         PUBLICITY/PUBLIC RELATIONS
                a)  Trade Advertising
                b)  Direct Mail
                c)  Consumer Press/Consumer Marketing
                d)  Press Releases
                e)  Production Schedules/Guides
                f)   Launch Promotion
                g)  Trade Show Exhibits
                h)  Letter-Writing Campaigns
                i)   Press Conferences
                j)   National Cable Television Association
                k)  Affiliate Sales & Marketing