Patent ID: 7814526

Claim:
A method of controlling a receiver station including the steps of: programming a processor at the receiver station to control scanning of a sequence of channels; detecting one of a presence and an absence of a signal in a first transmission transmitted over a first channel of said sequence of channels; selecting a second channel from said sequence of channels for reception of a second transmission based on said step of detecting, said second transmission being transmitted over said second channel; and tuning a first receiver at said receiver station to said second channel based on said step of selecting; detecting an instruct signal embedded in a television program being transmitted in said second transmission; automatically activating a second receiver at said receiver station in response to detecting said instruct signal; tuning said second receiver to a predetermined channel for receiving content related to said television program in accordance with said instruct signal, wherein said television program and said content related to said television program are received at said receiver station from separate communication networks; playing said television program and said content related to said television program at said receiver station in accordance with said instruct signal, wherein the step of playing comprises overlaying a graphic of said content related to said television program on a television.