WFLA Tampa, Florida
Situation
WFLA’s parent company, Media General, wanted the station to make the transition to an all-digital facility, and combine WFLA’s production and operation centers with that of their newspaper, The Tampa Tribune, and their online company, Tampa Bay Online (TBO.com), to create a “media campus.”
This combination of three media outlets in the same facility was a first, and demanded total flexibility in design and implementation. The challenge was to develop a facility and system design that would allow all three media outlets to benefit from the use of shared personnel, newsgathering resources, data transmission, and archives.
Solution
From the very beginning of the project, PCS worked closely with the clients, their architect, Rees Associates, and their construction manager, DPS Construction, to best meet the needs of all three media outlets in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible.
PCS was able to integrate much of WFLA’s existing equipment into their new facility to reduce new equipment costs. We designed the facility’s master control and rack room as a mostly tapeless environment, with simultaneous multiple video and information streams accessible by several users simultaneously.
Results
Thanks to the close cooperation and detailed planning by all of the project partners, WFLA is now a fully digital broadcast operation. The media campus is an extremely user-friendly and scale-able facility that meets the technological challenges of today and the future.
A unique shared communications hub and intranet allow all three media outlets to share newsgathering sources. News people are able to manage content from acquisition through delivery. And, PCS put it all together.
Equipment Highlights
- Florical Automation Systems
- Pinnacle and Pluto Servers
- Grass Valley Group Server Platforms
- AvStar Content Management & Editing Systems
- Crystal Systems Interfaces & Displays
- Panasonic DVCPRO VTRs