WRAL Archives – Revolutionizing Media Archiving with AI

Introduction

In an era of rapid technological advancements, the media industry continually seeks innovative solutions to manage and leverage its vast content libraries WRAL-TV, a leading Raleigh TV station under Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC), in partnership with Eon Media, has embarked on a groundbreaking project to redefine archival management and accessibility.

Background

WRAL-TV has been a frontrunner in broadcasting innovation, being the first to broadcast in HD, 4K, and ATSC 3.0. Building on this legacy, WRAL partnered with Eon Media to create an AI-powered media store, WRAL Archives, to make decades of news content and local programming easily accessible. The project aligns with CBC’s vision of harnessing technology to enhance content discoverability and utility.

Objectives

The primary objectives of the WRAL Archives project include:

• Industry Innovation: Establish the most advanced AI-powered archive solution, offering unparalleled access to archival content.
• AI-Driven Metadata Extraction: Utilize state-of-the-art AI to generate dynamic metadata from over 50 years of content, enhancing searchability and analysis capabilities.
• Community Resource: Create an online video museum of North Carolina’s history, accessible to researchers and the community.
• AI Dashboards: Develop analytics dashboards for real-time insights, supporting decision-making and strategy formulation.
• Reduce Employee Workload: Streamline content discovery and licensing, minimizing operational overhead.
• Offer digital memorabilia creation through NFTs, introducing new monetization avenues.

Implementation

Led by Pete Sockett and Jon Accarrino, the WRAL Archives project integrated Eon Media’s AI technology to process and catalogue WRAL-TV’s extensive content library. This involved:

• Metadata Extraction: Employing AI to identify facial expressions, transcribe audio, and recognize logos, demographics, and objects within the archive.
• AI Dashboard Development: Building intelligence dashboards to provide near-real-time analytics on content value and news insights.
• User-Friendly Interface: Designing a platform that facilitates easy access to historical and recent content for professionals and the public.
• NFT Capability: Implementing technology to convert archive content into NFTs, enhancing content value and engagement.

Results

The deployment of WRAL Archives has yielded significant outcomes:

• Enhanced Searchability: AI-driven metadata extraction has transformed content discoverability, making it feasible to locate specific clips within seconds.
• Strategic Insights: The AI dashboards offer CBC leadership valuable data on sponsorship values and content trends, influencing strategic decisions.
• Community Engagement: The platform has become a treasured resource for exploring North Carolina’s history, attracting researchers and public interest.
• Operational Efficiency: The AI-enhanced archive reduces the need for manual content searches, freeing staff for other tasks.
• NFT integration opens new revenue streams by turning archival footage into collectible digital assets

Challenges and Solutions

One significant challenge was processing half a century’s worth of video content. The solution involved selecting a capable AI partner, Eon Media, whose technology could automatically extract and organize complex metadata. Another challenge was ensuring the platform’s user-friendliness for diverse user groups. This was addressed through iterative design and user feedback, ensuring accessibility and ease of use.