Three New Stations Sign on to PBS/Sony High Definition Production Pilot Program

Three New Stations Sign on to PBS/Sony High Definition Production Pilot Program

'The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer' to Become PBS' First Daily Series in HD

WETA in Washington, D.C.; WQED in Pittsburgh and WYCC in Chicago are Latest to Make Transition to High Definition Production with Sony Broadcast Technology

LAS VEGAS, April 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NAB Booth SU107 -- The PBS/Sony High Definition Production Pilot is moving forward as three PBS member stations have confirmed plans for their transition to high definition program production. The cooperative program, which was created by Sony and PBS to cultivate high-definition television production by public television stations, will greatly enhance the HD services provided by public television - - including the production of "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" in HD and the construction of a state-of-the art educational facility in Chicago.

Three stations -- WETA in Washington, D.C.; WQED in Pittsburgh and WYCC in Chicago have recently confirmed that they are moving forward with their projects; KQED San Francisco contracted with Sony in December 2005 and is almost finished with their facility upgrade for high definition production. Each station is installing a range of Sony high-definition broadcast and production technology, including multi-format cameras, switchers, VTRs and displays.

In addition to being a PBS member station, WETA is also the production home of the highly acclaimed series "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." For that program, WETA will be implementing Sony's new XDCAM(TM) HD system of optical camcorders to acquire material. For its full line-up of programming, WETA is installing several Sony products, including the HDC-1000 studio camera, which can handle both 1080i and 720P signals, an MVS-8000A multi-format production switcher and professional LCD and CRT displays.

"Converting our cameras, switcher and display technology from standard definition will enhance our production capabilities and help build a strong technology infrastructure for the future," said Joseph B. Bruns, executive vice president and chief operating officer at WETA. "It will also improve the quality of the product that we put on the air and the value of the national programs we distribute, such as 'The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.'"

With its transition to HD scheduled to be completed in spring 2007, "The NewsHour" is set to become PBS' first daily series available in that digital format. This is the latest way the icon series is using technology to strengthen its service to viewers. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2006, The Online NewsHour (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/) is a comprehensive resource that offers video of the newscast and allows viewers to search for stories and segments by keywords even e-mail clips. In September of last year, "The NewsHour" debuted as a podcast on iTunes. Since then, the program has consistently ranked in the top 100 of iTunes' offerings.

Building on its strong commitment to community education, WYCC-TV20 in Chicago is relocating its operations to a brand-new, all high-definition facility. The station, which is licensed to the City Colleges of Chicago, will construct a $250 million multi-purpose complex on the campus of Kennedy-King College in the city's Englewood neighborhood. The new project will not only enhance WYCC's programming and production capabilities but also serve as a cornerstone of the neighborhood's economic growth and development.

"It is an exciting time in Chicago to introduce Sony HD television on WYCC-TV20," said Maria Moore, general manager of WYCC-TV20. "At the new station, area residents will have the opportunity to learn in an educational facility that is second to none, via cutting-edge technology. We look forward to working with Sony and Diversified Systems, our systems integrator, in bringing this exciting new opportunity to our PBS station and our community."

WYCC will build three studios, five non-linear editing suites and two graphics suites, employing an array of Sony HD technology throughout the facility. Five Sony HDC-1000 studio and five HDC-1500 field cameras, will be installed as well as six of Sony's new XDCAM HD camcorders. These optical cameras will be used for field production, B-roll inserts and ENG. Sony's MVS- 8000A and MFS-2000 production switchers will be installed in the new complex.

The station is also building a "working studio" environment for students to get hands-on experience and to produce community programming, as part of a New Media teaching center. This area will include a studio, production room and master control room. In fact, the campus will offer a course in master control as part of its broadcast curriculum.

In Pittsburgh, WQED Multimedia will develop its high-definition production facilities and build on the success of its first-ever high-definition production, the widely acclaimed film, The War That Made America, which aired nationally on PBS in January.

WQED will replace its decades-old television production equipment with Sony high-definition cameras, switchers and video recording equipment. The new equipment will greatly enhance WQED's production capabilities for local and national programming.

"This equipment will enable us to be ahead of the curve in production capabilities and will enhance our local and national programming efforts," said Deborah Acklin, executive vice president and general manager of WQED Multimedia. "We have already produced some programming and films in HD using rented equipment. This project will allow us to greatly expand our capabilities."

Source: Sony Electronics Inc.

CONTACT: Tom Di Nome of Sony Electronics Inc., +1-201-930-6357,
tom.dinome@am.sony.com; or Jan McNamara of PBS, +1-703-739-5028,
jmcnamara@pbs.org; or Rob Flynn of NewsHour/MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, +1-
703-998-2174, RFlynn@Newshour.org, both for Sony Electronics Inc.

-------
Profile: intent