BOSTON—Boston Globe Media and the New England Sports Network (NESN) are launching “Boston Globe Today,” a jointly produced, in-depth news and sports program debuting across multiple platforms this Spring. The half-hour show will air Monday-Friday at 5 p.m. on NESN and will stream on the NESN 360 app, the Globe's app, and on Globe.com.

BGM said Boston Globe Today will provide “an in-depth perspective on stories from the Globe's newsroom, offering a deeper dive of major news, politics, business, and entertainment stories and how they impact New Englanders.” 

"We are continuously improving the ways that we deliver vital news and information to our community and are excited to build a television show that will bring the Globe's award-winning journalism to a broader audience," said Linda Henry, Boston Globe Media CEO. "Boston Globe Today reflects our commitment to serve our community, invest in local journalism, and for Boston Globe Media to be an innovative news leader."

Veteran television host and national media personality, Segun Oduolowu, will host the series.

"I'm thrilled to join the Boston Globe Today team, working on this exciting collaboration between the Globe and NESN," said Oduolowu. "I look forward to diving into the stories affecting this historic city and New England at large, drawing on the considerable talents of the Globe newsroom."

Boston Globe Today—which will air from a new, state-of-the-art broadcast studio in The Boston Globe's downtown newsroom—will focus on news Monday through Thursday, while devoting Friday to sports, which will be anchored by Boston Globe sports columnist Christopher Gasper. 

"NESN is excited to partner with The Boston Globe to deliver compelling news coverage to our viewers across our television and digital properties," said Sean McGrail, NESN President & CEO.

NESN 360 is available via direct subscription or can be authenticated with the viewer’s TV provider by downloading the app or visiting NESN360.com. The NESN 360 app is available on iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Google TV and Fire TV. Globe subscribers will have access to stream the show on Globe.com and on the Globe's app, which is available on iPhone and Android

BOSTON—WCRN TV 31 Boston is reporting that it has launched the region’s first ATSC 3.0/Next Gen TV platform and is using it to deliver more personalized content and to offer encrypted broadcast datacasting services to businesses and first responders. 

NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 standard is IP based. That allows ATSC 3.0-capable TVs to act like web browsers and creates new opportunities to deliver more personalized content, the low power station noted. 

Using those capabilities, WCRN is initially using about half of its spectrum to offer four program channels to viewers in Boston: France 24, Retro TV, and Heartland TV, and Paranormal TV.  

To access these benefits, viewers will need an ATSC 3.0 receiver, now available on all new Sony TV models or through a set top box such as one made by Silicon Dust. 

The other half of its spectrum is being used for datacasting. 

“NextGen TV is only one tool in the ATSC 3.0 tool chest,” said WCRN’s CEO “SuperFrank” Copsidas. “With IP Protocol, broadcasters can now deliver public or encrypted video, audio (including radio stations), and datacasting. A broadcaster’s ATSC 3.0 signal can now be divided into different delivery pipes, each with a unique IP delivery protocol for a particular use. It is a new alternative with unique qualities for multiple encrypted data delivery services, depending on the end user’s needs, be it a first responder, remote learning, signage, or a delivery truck.”

The station said it is also working with partners to develop technologies and possible use cases for ATSC 3.0. 

On the technical side, Ateme, a global leader of video compression and delivery solutions, and Enensys Technologies are working together on a new product using WCRN for field testing, the station reported. 

WCRN is also working with Hudson, Mass.-based West Pond Technologies, the industry leader in broadcast datacasting to develop use cases for the ATSC 3.0 signal. Those include applications for first responders, education, transferring data to delivery vehicles and updating digital signage. 

“ We are excited to have this opportunity to partner with WCRN, field testing our innovative products and developing new uses in our home market of Boston,” said Steve Hastings, president of West Pond Technologies. 

The deployment also highlights growing interest in ATSC 3.0 by LPTV stations. 

Peter Saad, executive director of the LPTV (Local Power TV) Broadcasters’ Association, stated, “We are thrilled that WCRN in Boston is joining 10 other members of our Association in launching this cutting-edge technology.  The broadcast business is transitioning from a programming delivery platform to a data delivery service, given ATSC 3.0’s IP platform. With internet data demand expected to double every year for the next five years, UHF Spectrum is beachfront property and there is only a limited amount available. It is currently the most undervalued asset in the data delivery space.” 

TV Tech has been tracking all the deployments of NextGenTV/ATSC 3.0 around the country. 

As of summer 2022, ATSC 3.0 is available in 68 markets reaching half of all U.S. homes according to the FCC. The commission also noted that at least one full-power TV station has been licensed to provide ATSC 3.0 services in 54 DMAs.

The full list of deployments can be found here. 

NBCUniversal broke ground Thursday on its new multi-million dollar Boston Media Center, which will be home to its local NBC and Telemundo TV stations, NBC Sports Boston and New England Channel News (NECN).

The 160,000 square foot facility is expected to be unveiled in the fall of 2019.

“The creation of our new media center represents the forward momentum and our continued commitment to local news to serve Boston and New England audiences, regardless of language,” said Mike St. Peter, president and general manager, NBC10 Boston, Telemundo Boston, NECN. “Together with NBC Sports Boston, our teams will be able to strengthen their already strong news collaborations to super serve our audiences with quality news and information."

NBCU is working with the Boston area’s Lee Kennedy Construction, Gardiner & Theobald Construction and architecture, design, planning and consulting firm Gensler, to build the center. At unveiling, the NBCUniversal Boston Media Center will feature the most cutting edge broadcast technology and will be designed to be energy efficient.

The Boston project is part of NBCU’s investment in its local operations. Other new facilities include The Brokaw News Center in Los Angeles (KNBC/KVEA), The Studios at DFW in Dallas-Fort Worth (KXAS/KXTX), and other new modern news facilities in West Hartford (WVIT/WRDM), Denver (KDEN), San Antonio (KVDA), McAllen (KTLM), San Diego (KNSD, KUAN) and in Philadelphia when NBC10 (WCAU) and Telemundo 62 (WWSI) move to their new state-of-the-art news center within the new Comcast Technology Center, this fall.

SOUTHWICK, MA—WGBH Educational Foundation has ordered two new VHF Parallax liquid cooled DTV transmitters from Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark LLC for its WGBH Boston PBS station and the WGBY PBS station in Springfield, Mass. Both stations are in the process of a post-spectrum auction channel repack.

At WGBH, Comark will supply a multicabinet Parallax VHF band 1 liquid cooled transmitter on channel D5. The transmitter is designed for initial operation at 7.5kW TPO but allows for future power upgrades up to as high as 55kW should the station decide to maximize their ERP in the future. The transmitter cabinets will be pre-wired to facilitate a quick upgrade with additional power amplifiers and PA combiners.

In addition, Comark will supply another Parallax VHF band 3 transmitter on D13 for WGBY. The WGBY transmitter will be configured for 1+1 redundancy with a main/standby configuration. Each half of the transmitter can fully supply the required 13kW TPO with custom RF switching between transmitter cabinets. Both cabinets will be pre-wired to accommodate future power upgrades.

Comark will manage all aspects of both transmitter installations including program management, equipment delivery, on-site installation, and proof-of-performance testing. Both transmitters are fully upgradeable from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0 due in part the EXACT-V2 exciter technology.

[Read: Maryland Public TV Chooses Comark Parallax UHF TX]

“We expanded our Parallax product line from UHF to VHF band 3 and most recently to cover VHF Band 1” says Dick Fiore, President and CEO of Hitachi Kokusai Electric Comark, LLC. “WGBH/WGBY has been a long standing customer of Comark for many years, having previously purchased their original UHF DTV rigs from the transition from analog to digital. We are very pleased to be working again with WGBH Educational Foundation on this exciting project.”

“WGBH is looking forward to continuing our long relationship with Hitachi-Comark” says Emeric Feldmar, Director of Engineering at WGBH. “We have received excellent products, and support throughout the years. We purchased these Parallax VHF band 1 and band 3 transmitter systems for our WGBH and WGBY facilities that are being upgraded as a result of the spectrum auction/repack with capability to upgrade to ATSC 3.0.”

For more information on the repack, visit TV Technology's repack silo.

BOSTON—NBC Owned Television Stations are set to launch a new station in Boston, WBTS, starting Jan. 1, 2017. The station, which will be branded NBC Boston, will be available over-the-air on channel 8 or 8.2 and on cable and satellite services. NBC previously pulled its affiliation with Sunbeam’s WHDH, which has also announced that it will relaunch as an independent station in January.

To read the full story, check out TVT’s sister publication B&C.