WFSB-TV, the CBS affiliate serving the Hartford-New Haven, CT, market, is now using eight Panasonic AG-HPX300 P2 HD shoulder-mount camcorders as part of its transition to tapeless newsgathering. The station had already begun shooting news, a daily magazine show and HD promos with Panasonic AG-HPX500 and AG-HVX200A P2 HD camcorders.
Last year, Panasonic Broadcast signed an agreement with Meredith Broadcast Group to supply P2 HD solid-state camcorders group-wide to its 12 stations producing local news. WFSB-TV is one of those stations.
Prior to upgrading to solid-state P2 HD camcorders, WFSB-TV had been shooting news with Panasonic DVCPRO tape-based models. Currently equipped with the eight HPX300s, four HPX500s and two HVX200As, the station has assigned seven HPX300s to ENG and one HPX300 to the production of “Better Connecticut,” a one-hour magazine-style show devoted to “living tips and local living” that airs at 10 a.m. Mondays through Fridays. Three HPX500s are assigned to ENG and the fourth to shooting station promos. With the addition of the HPX300s, the two HVX200As have been reassigned to the promotions department. WFSB’s complement of 16 news photographers shoots more than 30 hours of local news weekly.
WFSB edits news with Grass Valley Aurora Edit and Edius 5.1.2, and edits promotions with Avid Media Compose workstations. The station also uses Grass Valley K2 Media servers for ingest and playout.
