case study

CUSTOMER:

WFSB
WFSB, Meredith Broadcasting

background:
WFSB: Hartford-New Haven,
CT DMA (29) CBS Affiliate
Meredith Broadcasting Eyewitness News:
Primary channel—38.5 hours
Automated & Robotic News Production live news per week
Secondary channel—24/7
(Channel 3 Eyewitness News
Now)

Bureaus: New London and

New Haven with Connecticut
Science Center (downtown
Hartford) scheduled for 2009

At WFSB, the Thomson Among all of the equipment currently

installed in the new facility are two
Grass Valley HDC robotic Grass Valley Ignite™ automated produc- “The biggest advantage is con-
cameras get it right tion systems and a Grass Valley HDC sistency of shots. As a director
every time. robotic camera system (which was you know what you’re going to
recently upgraded from SD to HD). The get every time. You know where
Meredith Broadcasting’s WFSB, the CBS cameras, eight in all, are mounted at
various locations throughout the WFSB the camera is located and where
affiliate located in Rocky Hill, Conn. and
news set and are controlled by an it’s going to go at any moment
serving the Hartford, Conn., market has
been a longtime proponent of producing operator running the Ignite system. The during the newscast. That
its newscasts more efficiently through highly integrated system, which includes allows you to plan the news-
a Grass Valley Kayak HD video produc-
the use of automation technology and
tion switcher, helps produce more than
cast precisely and makes it run
robotic camera systems. As far back as smoother, which brings a huge
the late nineties, the station, then in a seven hours of local news per weekday
smaller facility, understood that cutting (four on weekends), virtually error-free comfort factor to the staff.”
down on technical errors while adding and with minimal resources. This is Victor Zarrilli
new production values got viewers’ in addition to several Webcasts every Director of Engineering, WFSB

attention and improved ratings. day, a secondary digital weather and

traffic channel, and another secondary
digital channel with live 24/7 news—all last-minute changes and tweak the cam-
In June of last year, the station moved
produced cost-effectively with the HDC era positions quickly if an anchor should
its digital operations into a new 60,000
robotic camera system. move or if they might want to focus on
sq. ft. plant in Rocky Hill, where it has
a new element of the set in a breaking
installed a comprehensive HD-SDI infra-
While being able to map out entire news situation. All camera set up data
structure from which they produce their
newscasts ahead of airtime is very is saved and reused for each newscast,
newscasts in high-definition (HD). The
empowering—and reassuring, with every or can be changed for different types
facility includes miles of fiber-optic and
camera move precisely preprogrammed of shows, like the local talk shows the
coax cabling to distribute standard-def-
into the HDC system’s JSC-2300 SHOT station produces in its studio. This cuts
inition (SD) and HD signals via a Grass
Director controller, an operator can make down preproduction time significantly.
Valley™ Trinix™ router.

www.thomsongrassvalley.com
 “The HDC system allows
me to program each cam-
era and get the right focus
on each venue of the set.
The Grass Valley HDC
robotic camera system is
very efficient. I never have
to worry about taking a
camera to air and it won’t
be there.”
Marney Elliott
Production Supervisor & Technical
Producer, WFSB

With the HDC robotic camera system, One of the things that have become
the staff at WFSB can do steady zooms, easier for WFSB’s production staff is fast
“We know that the shot we smooth pans, and can replicate any of camera movements which were often
want is going to happen exactly the camera moves that previously were problematic to get right every time. The
as it should, at exactly the right performed with a moving pedestal, even result with a robotic system is a much
time, every time. Our goal is to though almost all cameras are mounted more professional looking production.
on locked tripods (one camera is hung
keep the production as consis- from the lighting grid in the studio). In Not only are robotic cameras ideal for
tent as possible.” this way, the production staff doesn’t stations looking to improve their on-air
Victor Zarrilli feel they’re compromising in any way by look, but also it helps improve a station’s
Director of Engineering, WFSB using robotically controlled cameras— internal operation.
and the audience never knows the
difference.

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Specifications subject to change without notice. IPS-3055M