In a digital broadcast communications system, a higher priority component (11) and a lower priority component (10) are broadcast from a transmitter to a receiver. Each of these components generates a main (13, 30) and a supplemental (12, 20) signal, and each supplemental signal (12, 20) is advanced in time with respect to the corresponding main signal (13, 30). The main and supplemental signals for both the higher (11) and lower (10) priority components are combined (40) into a single signal, which is broadcast to a receiver. In the receiver, the time advanced supplemental signals are stored in a buffer (136, 150) to time align them with their corresponding main signals. Both main signals (133, 132) are processed in the normal manner in the receiver, and are also monitored (121) to detect a fading event. When a fading event is detected, the corresponding buffered supplemental signals are substituted for the faded main signals and normal processing continues.