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WBOC-DTpresents HD news in the round

Dec 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Michael Grotticelli

News in the round

Some stations use a news wheel to play out programming. At WBOC, the news is presented literally on a wheel. The FX Group-designed anchor desk is located on a platform rotated by a programmable, motor-driven gear system similar to those used to rotate cars at auto trade shows. It's a motor-driven gear system that moves a circular platform, much like a carousel operates.

The new weather studio, designed by the FX Group, features the latest in HD forecasting technology and ample space for the presenters to walk around the set.

When the production teams want to change backgrounds, as they do three times each day, the riser rotates on its center axis with its fixed, trellis-like lighting grid above. Eric Haugen, FX lighting designer, populated the grid with De Sisti Magis 650W fresnels for keys/backlights, as well as Delux 2 and Delux 4 fluourescent soft lights for fills. The set is accented with ETC Source Fours, and the dimming and control consists of Dove grid-mounted shoebox dimmers controlled by an ETC SmartFade 2496 console.

The only equipment that has to be physically moved to new corresponding positions are the cameras. After they are repositioned to precise floor marks, station directors quickly tweak the TMEs sent to the Ignite system to fine-tune framing and focus.

The NewsPlex design uses true working areas as backgrounds. They include a state-of-the-art weather set, frosted background set where editors can be seen working on the other side, the assignment desk (made slightly higher to soundproof the reporter area behind it), a working control room set, and a production/standup area featuring two Sanyo SD rear screen projectors masked for 16:9. The newsroom is often seen on screen during newscasts, with reporters presenting stories from their desks.

In the studio, the station employs Lectrosonics wireless mics on its news talent and Sony ECM76 hard-wired microphones for backup. The station uses a 13:9 aspect ratio for the Kayak switcher's internal upconversion, which fills the screen on most HDTV sets.

Achieving their hi-def goal

After years of working with legacy equipment in various stages of functionality and age, the new building gave Panichella and his team a chance to start from scratch and build a 21st-century facility that gets news to air faster and eliminates many manual and redundant processes.

The studio is at the center of the facility, and the edit and control rooms feed off that. The assignment desk serves as a buffer between the studio and the newsroom. This concentric nature of the new studio facilitates a smooth workflow that has made the staff more productive.

In the end, the station has made the most of its available resources, and management could not be more pleased with how smoothly the transition occurred. Ratings are up due to HD broadcasting. Broadcasts are watched in Maryland, Delaware and parts of Virginia on cable (Comcast, Charter and Mediacom), telco (Verizon) and over the air, with an Axcera single-tube IOT transmitter (maximized at 635kW ERP) located in Laurel, DE, about 10mi away. Not bad for a station in the 144th DMA.

Michael Grotticelli regularly reports on the professional video and broadcast technology industries.