Newington, VA – Dec. 17, 2007 – “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” program will be broadcast in high-definition format for the first time today, signaling a major step for WETA and PBS and the on-time completion of a key phase in the comprehensive HD upgrade of the WETA Production Center by Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI), the company announced today.
The new HD facility at WETA, located just outside Washington, DC, was designed, planned and integrated by CEI. The project, featuring new HD control rooms and edit suites, was begun in the second quarter of this year with a target date of Dec. 17 for the first live HD broadcast of “NewsHour,” which has been produced at WETA for many years. “NewsHour,” seen five nights a week on more than 315 PBS stations across the country, is the first live, regularly scheduled PBS program to be broadcast in HD. Careful planning and coordination with WETA allowed CEI to complete this phase of an extensive upgrade for the WETA Production Center, as well as conduct testing and training, in time for the first scheduled live broadcast.
WETA is the flagship public broadcaster in the nation’s capital and the third-largest producing station in the public television system. It was one of the first stations in the country to broadcast high definition in 1999, and four-channel multicast digital broadcast in 2002. In addition to the regular evening broadcast, the “NewsHour” and PBS will produce about 24 hours of live, HD primetime coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention from Denver (Aug. 25-28) and the Republican National Convention from St. Paul, Minn. (Sept. 1-4).
The state-of-the-art production facility includes many upgrades: a new HD video control room featuring a Sony MVS8000A switcher; a new digital audio control room featuring an SSL C100 5.1 surround sound console; six new Sony HDC1000LW HD studio cameras; Fujinon lenses; three upgraded Avid HD edit suites; an expanded Avid Unitystorage system; four Sony XD-Cam HD field camera systems; two Sony XD-Cam HD studio decks; expanded Grass Valley HD routers; a Barco multiple rear projection display wall; and QC/QA workstations.
“The WETA HD upgrade has special significance for us, not only because it enabled the first HD broadcast of the ‘NewsHour’ but also because we are able to successfully complete this critical phase ahead of the scheduled deadline,” said Lawrence Brody, president and CEO of CEI. “A tremendous amount of detailed planning, hard work and cooperation from WETA made it happen, and we are excited to be able to see the results of those efforts.”
Background:
CEI, located in Newington, VA, is a leading, award-winning broadcast and multi-media systems integrator. The company also offers complete equipment service, support and training, and supplies products and services to federal agencies and organizations through GSA. CEI has helped to define the leading edge of systems engineering and implementation for the communications industry since the mid1980’s.
About WETA
WETA Washington, DC, is the third-largest producing station for public television. WETA’s other productions and co-productions include Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal, In Performance at the White House, The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and documentaries by filmmaker Ken Burns, including The Civil War and The War. Sharon Percy Rockefeller is president and CEO. More information on WETA and its programs and services is available on the Web site at weta.org.
