This article is from the Satellite TV FAQ, by Gary Bourgois flash@lopez.marquette.mi.us with numerous contributions by others.
What we term "Wild Feeds" on the internet would actually be more accurately
called "Recurring Feeds". These are TV shows which are indeed sent out well
before they air on your local or network channel. The answer as to why they
exist is quite simple: This is how the programs are distributed, as it is
cheaper and faster and more reliable to use satellite than the old method of
sending the shows on VIDEOTAPE or FILM. There are two main types of wild
feeds:
(1) Feed from Production House to the NETWORK
In this instance, The studio that makes the original show is in
Los Angeles. The program is shot on film or videotape, and is
then edited by a "Production House". When the program is done,
it is then transmitted from L.A. to New York City (Network
headquarters) where it is picked up and recorded by the network
(CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX) that will be later broadcasting the program.
In almost all cases, these shows are fed with NO COMMERCIALS.
Instead there is a 10 second space where the network will later
put the commercials in. Of all the wild feeds, this is the
dish head's favorite.
(2) Feed from Syndicator to Local Station
This type of feed is used for Talk Shows, some Kids Shows,
and a few Comedy/Drama/Adventure shows that are played at
your local station. Again, your local station will record the
show for later broadcast. In this case there are always the
Syndicator commercials, but there are long black spaces where
your local station will run their own commercials. In the old
days of Television (Your FAQ author worked in TV in that era)
the shows were actually sent on film or tape by UPS. Satellite
delivery is faster and cheaper.
There is a listing that the FAQ author distributes over the internet at the
first of every month called THE INTERNET WILD FEEDS LIST, which is available
by EMAIL from flash@lopez.marquette.mi.us, or can be grabbed at:
http://www.nmia.com/~roberts/robert.html
This listing usually has between 600 and 800 shows that are available on TVRO
satellite as wild feeds. There is also a mailing list designed for those
involved in the work of feed finding, though it is a closed list and is for
workers only. If you are really into wildfeeds and would like to join this
work group, write the FAQ author for details. Note: If you are not really
dedicated to wild feeds, you will soon tire of the mailing list as it
consists of work related messages, and the completed end result is never
posted on the mailing list.
 
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