1. A method for outputting an alert indicating a functional state of a back-up media-broadcast system, the method comprising: a computing device determining first bitrate-data associated with a first compressed media-stream generated by a primary media-broadcast system, wherein the determined first bitrate-data associated with the first compressed media-stream indicates a first average bitrate-change over a first temporal-portion of the first compressed media-stream and wherein the first temporal-portion of the first compressed media-stream corresponds to a time period; the computing device determining second bitrate-data associated with a second compressed media-stream generated by the back-up media-broadcast system; the computing device making a determination that the determined first bitrate-data and the determined second bitrate-data lack a threshold extent of similarity, wherein making the determination that the determined first bitrate-data and the determined second bitrate-data lack the threshold extent of similarity comprises determining that the determined second bitrate-data associated with the second compressed media-stream does not indicate (i) a second average bitrate-change over a second temporal-portion of the second compressed media-stream, (ii) where the second temporal-portion of the second compressed media-stream corresponds to the time period, and (iii) where the second average bitrate-change is within a tolerance range of the first average bitrate-change; and responsive to the determination that the determined first bitrate-data and the determined second bitrate-data lack the threshold extent of similarity, the computing device outputting an alert.