Accessibility Made Accessible: Broadcast to Digital Captioning Workflows

Web streaming is radically changing the way online distributors are thinking about captioning. As the FCC passes stricter guidelines for web captioned content, viewers—many without hearing impairment—have also begun to... [ view full abstract ]

Web streaming is radically changing the way online distributors are thinking about captioning. As the FCC passes stricter guidelines for web captioned content, viewers—many without hearing impairment—have also begun to change their online behaviors. Now, nearly 80% of Facebook users keep their devices on silent when consuming video.

WGBH has had years of practice at perfecting captioning workflows for broadcast television, and now those lessons are being extended to digital content creation. FRONTLINE’s Brenna Verre and Miles Alvord show how the broadcast workflow can be adapted to digital videos—both at the highest level and on the cheap—and why the unique qualities of broadcast journalism have helped the team learn how to respond quickly and adapt to new changes in accessibility technology.

KEY POINTS DISCUSSED

• What are the benefits to captioning your content?

• How can you adapt captioning for the web? What are the tools and options at all price points and for all team sizes?

• How can you stay ahead of the ball when it comes to changes in FCC regulations?

• How does archival help us make changes on the fly? What organization systems are most conducive to working as a small team?