TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA—The ability to capture breaking news—when and where it happens—is the heart and soul of any 24-hour news operation, and a key differentiator in a competitive market. As the Toronto affiliate of the CTV National News organization, we are constantly on the lookout for innovative technologies to bring high-quality video from the field and keep our two 24-hour news channels fed with comprehensive and up-to-the-minute reporting.

Although we continue to rely heavily on more traditional ENG approaches such as satellite and microwave links, systems based on the latest generation of bonded cellular transmission technology have become important tools in our newsgathering toolbox.

Improvements in mobile infrastructure such as 4G LTE,cellular bonding systems are making the transmission of high-quality video faster and more reliable than ever.

Since our first application of this technology—coverage of the 2010 Winter Games Torch Relay—Dejero products have been an important component of our live broadcasts due to picture quality and transmission reliability. Another factor is the top-notch service we’ve received from Dejero, which has led to our continued expansion of this bonded cellular solution across the CTV network.

At CTV Toronto, we’ve issued iPhones to every member of our ENG crew, as well as to many other local and national reporters, and to key newsroom personnel. Altogether, up to 60 people are in a position to submit news video from the field. For live shots, each iPhone is equipped with the Dejero Live+ Mobile App, which gives news crews plenty of flexibility to add color to news coverage and bring viewers closer to the action. In one recent example, our weather forecaster set up a live shot from a monster truck show that included not only the forecast, but some exciting live footage originating from inside the moving truck.

LIVE ACTION FOR SMALLER STATIONS
In addition, we’ve equipped several of our ENG crews with Dejero’s Live+ 20/20 transmitter, a device that encodes and transmits HD or SD video over multiple cellular networks. This allows a crew to respond instantly to breaking news in locations or situations where it might not be feasible to deploy a truck. This technology is rapidly becoming standard gear for ENG operations throughout the CTV network. It’s particularly valuable for smaller-market stations that don’t have the budget for microwave or satellite equipment, as it allows these smaller stations to now bring their viewers the same high-quality live coverage as their larger urban counterparts.

In combination with internally developed apps, the Dejero Live+ Mobile App literally puts the power of an ENG truck in everyone’s pocket, exponentially expanding our editorial reach by giving more people the ability to contribute live and breaking stories. Dejero equipment assists daily in the newsgathering process for Canada’s most-watched news.

Geoff Grant is director of operations for CTV News Toronto. He has been employed with Bell Media, CTV’s parent company, in many different technical and engineering roles since 1993. He may be contacted at geoff.grant@bellmedia.ca.

For additional information, contact Dejero at 866-808-3665 or visit www.dejero.com.