Method and apparatus for providing continuous programming on a broadcast channel

1 . A method of creating continuous programming comprising:

detecting an event;

selecting content based on at least one characteristic of the event; and

transmitting the selected content through a broadcast channel.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the event is a time event.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the event indicates an end or failure of a currently playing content or event.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the event indicates a state of another specific event comprising at least one of started, terminated, completed, failed, resumed, postponed, preempted, skipped, and missed.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the event indicates a state of a class event comprising playout, capture, overlay, device trigger, and video switch.

6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one characteristic indicates a duration of content necessary to fill a gap between programs.

7 . The method of claim 6 wherein content loops until the gap is filled.

8 . The method of claim 1 wherein the content comprises at least one of a logo, a video clip, a web-page, a graphical image, a series of still images, a video switch event, an external device trigger, or a combination thereof.

9 . The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting continuous programming, where each program that forms the continuous programming comprises an associated priority and each program can be preempted by other programming of a different priority.

10 . The method of claim 1 wherein the content has an associated offset and duration.

11 . The method of claim 1 wherein the content is selected using a schedule.

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein a plurality of schedule nodes within the schedule are arranged upon the trigger being detected.

13 . The method of claim 11 wherein the schedule comprises a stack of schedule nodes that are arrangeed in sequential order.

14 . The method of claim 13 wherein each schedule node defines the content that is used during the execution of the schedule node.

15 . The method of claim 1 wherein the content is transmitted as a program through a broadcast channel.

16 . The method of claim 1 wherein the content is transmitted as an overlay upon a program being transmitted through the broadcast channel.

17 . The method of claim 1 wherein the content comprises at least one RSS feed, and the method further comprises:

identifying the content from the at least one RSS feed using metadata; and

downloading the identified content.

18 . A method of generating continuous programming through a broadcast channel comprising:

transmitting programming in accordance with a schedule;

detecting an event having at least one characteristic;

selecting content based upon the at least one characteristic; and

transmitting the content in lieu of or as an overlay upon the programming.

19 . Apparatus for generating continuity programming for transmission through a broadcast channel comprising:

a scheduler for determining content to transmit upon occurrence of an event, where the content is transmitted through the broadcast channel as an overlay or a program.

20 . The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising a dispatcher, coupled to the scheduler, for organizing schedule nodes that identify content for use in continuity programming.

21 . The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the schedule nodes are arranged into a schedule.

22 . The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising a switch, coupled to the scheduler, that couples the content to the broadcast channel as directed by the scheduler.

23 . The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising a broadcast controller for controlling transmission of programming through the broadcast channel and for generating the event.