ALAMEDA, Calif.—Northern Michigan broadcaster WWTV recently completed a major IP-based upgrade that connects its new Traverse City studio with its control room nearly fifty miles away in Cadillac.

Spearheaded by systems integrator Key Code Media, the ambitious project included the installation of a new Clear-Com Arcadia Central Station to enable fully distributed communications across the two sites.

WWTV has served the region as both a CBS and FOX affiliate since 1954. It moved into a new, compact Traverse City studio to consolidate operations and modernize its broadcast capabilities. The station faced a unique challenge: operating a live, on-air studio with no on-site engineers while keeping all technical staff based at its Cadillac control room.

To solve that problem, Key Code Media delivered an end-to-end IP infrastructure, integrating networked cameras, audio, video routing, and control systems between the two facilities. At the heart of the communications upgrade was the Clear-Com Arcadia Central Station, which replaced WWTV’s decades-old party-line system.

“The old building was too big, too costly, and no longer served our needs,” said Ben Scripps, assistant operations manager at WWTV. “Our team made the decision to consolidate and move our studio closer to our offices in Traverse City but we had to keep the Master Control in Cadillac. That’s 50 miles apart. How do you make that work?”

Arcadia’s scalability and Dante integration were instrumental in Key Code Media’s design, helping WWTV to route intercom audio alongside video and control signals with minimal latency. This modernized intercom backbone ensures that talent and production staff remain in sync across geographically separated facilities.

“The whole setup had to be intuitive. We don’t have engineers on site,” added Scripps. “Key Code made sure we could walk in, touch a screen, and the studio would be lit for our show.”

“Clear-Com’s Arcadia was a critical part of making this distributed IP workflow possible,” added Jon Rutherford, director of broadcast solutions at Key Code Media. “It provided the flexibility, reliability, and ease of integration we needed to unify communications for a team working across nearly 50 miles of distance.”

The project also included robotic Sony PTZ cameras, Autoscript prompters, Sennheiser wireless audio, Planar LED displays, and a Ross Ultrix router, all tied together through a robust IP network architecture.

With Arcadia at its core, WWTV now operates with streamlined communications, enhanced production efficiency, and the flexibility to scale for future needs, the station reported.

OLYMPIA, Wash.—TVW, Washington state’s public-affairs network, has deployed a new playout system featuring master and redundant PlayBox Neo and AirBox Neo systems as part of an overhaul of its existing live and file-based playout workflow.

TVW—which offers gavel-to-gavel coverage of all three branches of Washington state government, as well as meetings and hearings of various state boards and commissions, original documentaries, in-depth interview programs and educational content about Washington public policy—worked with systems integration and media technology company Key Code Media to design a workflow.

The 12-channel AirBox Neo systems interface directly with TVW’s third-party trafficking system. The design also includes a TitleBox Neo interactive CG; ListBox, for schedule creation and editing; Live Ingest; and the Multi-Backup Manager (MBM) for multichannel redundancy, PlayBox Neo said.

“Anything occurring at the state level, we cover,” Marc Gerchak, vice president and director of engineering at TVW, said. “It’s an incredible volume of content. We can be covering a live hearing or floor debate from one production control for eight hours straight, while recording other hearings, floor debate, Supreme Court cases in two other production control rooms.

“All while shooting segments for our produced studio shows in the fourth production control room at the same time. There are a lot of moving parts and varied programming types. We wanted a reliable system that could accommodate a constantly changing playlist, update graphics on the fly and allow us to edit material as it is ingested. It’s a complicated list of requirements for one system.”

The system runs on the PlayBox Neo Suite, which offers centralized control, monitoring and administration of an optimized multimedia workflow. The current line of Channel in a Box products integrates seamlessly with the PlayBox Neo Suite, maximizing existing investments while providing a unified interface for future upgrades, the company said.

PlayBox Neo solutions are based on modular products that can be customized to provide the exact capability needed for any scale of channel playout management from ingest and scheduling to transmission, the company said.

“TVW needed the flexibility of changing their playlist at a moment’s notice, as well as scheduling programming in advance, and they didn’t want to wait until a session ended in eight hours to edit a feed,” Mark Siegel, vice president of business development at Key Code Media, said. “And playout needed to interface seamlessly with their trafficking system. With a tight timeframe and a lot of multivendor communication required, it was a big ask. Thankfully, we’ve got a long history of collaboration with PlayBox Neo and were confident they could provide exactly what TVW was looking for under such a short deadline.”

The PlayBox Neo complement replaced TVW’s existing automation and server set up in master control. The new workflow uses the AirBox Neo servers for playout. The PlayBox system also controls the network’s NVision 9000 router.

AirBox Neo can easily mix a variety of media files and live inputs in one playlist. Any changes to the playlist while on-air are possible. Media can be trimmed, edited or repositioned while on-air. Live productions are streamlined to allow the insertion of live streams into the playlist. For automated playout, AirBox Neo enables playlist scheduling weeks ahead of time.

More information is available on the TVW, Keycode Media and Playbox Neo websites.

BURBANK, Calif.—Key Code Education, a provider of instructor-led postproduction training, is growing its curriculum with new programs for beginner and intermediate training for Ross Video Carbonite and XPression, Vizrt TriCaster, EditShare EFS and SNS EVO.

The coursework offers in-person, online and on-site training that goes beyond the basics of self-paced eLearning. The courses are designed to give students the real-world knowledge needed to operate systems efficiently with confidence, Key Code said.

“For many companies, onboarding new staff or adopting new tools is a steep climb,” Key Code Media President Mike Cavanagh said. “Our instructor-led classes help teams quickly get up to speed, accelerating workflow transitions and improving performance.” 

Key Code Education has long offered advanced training in Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, DaVinci Resolve and engineering certifications like Avid ACSR. The new courses are designed for production professionals and those switching careers to receive a strong foundation with widely used tools, Key Code said.

California-based media organizations that qualify for the state’s Employment Training Panel (ETP) program can receive discounts on the training for their staff.

More information is available on the company’s website.

For more than 60 years, Austin PBS has been a central part of the cultural fabric of Central Texas, bringing powerful storytelling, trusted journalism and shows like Austin City Limits into homes across the region. As broadcast standards advanced and audience expectations changed, though, Austin PBS realized the station’s infrastructure needed more than a technical upgrade. They needed a transformation.

That vision took shape as the Austin Media Center: A bold, multimillion-dollar facility purpose-built to serve as a production hub, community resource and training ground for tomorrow’s media makers.

The Challenge: A Big Vision
The new Austin Media Center was designed to do it all: support multi-studio broadcasts, enable remote productions, host concerts and community events and give students hands-on experience in real-world broadcast workflows.

The new facility would include three studios, three control rooms, a centralized machine room and a fully integrated postproduction environment. But turning that dream into reality meant navigating more than just blueprints. There were real hurdles—pandemic delays, equipment shortages, and even a brutal Texas freeze that caused significant flood damage to newly installed gear.

Austin PBS tackled it all with the right partners by their side: Key Code Media as the lead systems integrator to guide the technical vision and Ross Video and other vendors to bring the puzzle together—one cable, console and control room at a time.

Ross Video: Tech That Plays Nice
Ross Video didn’t just provide gear—we brought a whole philosophy to the table. Reliable, powerful tools that connect easily to other devices.

Ross equipment played a central role in live production, graphics and media playback, working alongside systems from Clear-Com, Evertz, Sony, Telestream, Adder and Calrec to create a unified, high-performance environment.

But what really stood out was how easily it integrated with other key technologies—everything clicked into place.

Ross gear in action at Austin PBS:

• Carbonite Ultra switchers that power live shows from any studio.
• XPression graphics systems for real-time visuals.
• Tria Express Duet media servers that handle playback like a dream.

“Ross products gave us power and flexibility. Even more impressive was how well they integrated with everything else—making our system feel like one seamless environment.”
—Chris Ostertag, CTO, Austin PBS

The Impact

Key Code Media: More Than Integration—True Collaboration
Key Code Media was more than a technical lead. From day one, they were a true collaborator. From the start, their team worked hand-in-hand with Austin PBS—troubleshooting setbacks, mapping out signal flow and guiding every piece of the project with precision and care. When the flood hit, they rolled up their sleeves and reinstalled over 100 miles of cabling without missing a beat.

Beyond the physical build, Key Code Media made sure the PBS team—and their education partners at Austin Community College—knew how to run the show. Training, support, and teamwork were part of the package.

“Key Code Media didn’t just deliver specs; they stood side by side with us every step of the way. Without them, this facility would not be what it is today.”

— Chris Ostertag, CTO, Austin PBS

Inside the Austin Media Center: Technology That Tells Stories

Production Control & Backbone

• Three switchable control rooms that can manage any studio.
• Clear-Com intercoms, Adder KVMs, Evertz routers, and Telestream monitors.
• A machine room designed for power, redundancy, and remote control.

Studio Magic

• Studio A: A 6,600-square-foot venue for concerts, audience shows, and big moments
• Studio B: A 2,200-square-foot green screen space made for education and virtual sets.
• Studio C: A cozy 1,800 square-foot home for community programming.
• MT Fiber links all three studios for quick reconfiguration and camera swaps.
• Full UHD HDR workflows with Sony cameras, Calrec and DiGiCo audio consoles and professional lighting rigs.

Postproduction, Leveled Up

• Adobe Premiere Pro editing, backed by a 1-PB Facilis storage system.
• Avid Pro Tools with S4 console for immersive 5.1 audio mixes.
• Telestream Vantage for file-based workflows and CatDV for media asset management.

The Big Picture: What This Means for Public Media
The new Austin Media Center does more than produce great content. It empowers Austin PBS to take on bigger, more ambitious projects, collaborate with partners in education and culture and bring new voices and stories to life.

Austin PBS has built more than a studio—it’s created a community hub, a training ground, and a creative canvas for voices that matter. It’s a shining example of what public broadcasters can achieve when they have the right tech—and the right partners behind them.

Broadcasting. Powered by Partnership
When it came time to reinvent its future, Austin PBS didn’t settle. It built something bold—something lasting. Austin PBS had the vision. Key Code Media had the road map. Ross Video and a strong network of technology partners filled in the rest by delivering flexible, well-integrated tech.

Together, they built something bold, resilient and ready for what’s next. And in doing so, they’ve raised the bar. This station is no longer just keeping up. It’s leading the way.

Want to see it in action?

LOS ANGELES–Key Code Media, a Los Angeles-based provider of system integration and training for broadcast and media has acquired Denver-based Burst, a Rocky Mountain and Southwest region integrator.

With coverage in Colorado, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and Southern California, Burst Communications will operate as a new division of Key Code Media, maintaining their existing team. Burst Communications will also add additional competencies with large integration vendors, such as Crestron, Barco and Grass Valley.

Key Code said Burst Communications will continue under its current brand name and its existing locations, maintaining the full Burst team.

“Strategically Key Code Media and Burst Communications have substantial synergies which will drive more value to our clients” said Mike Cavanagh, founder of Key Code Media. ”Burst Communications has a 27 year legacy of excellence in Broadcast Engineering and AV, which directly compliments Key Code Media’s leadership in editorial, storage and asset management.”

“This acquisition is a huge opportunity for Burst Communications, giving us access to new markets, new products, and new offices while maintaining our core brand competencies that our customers know and love,” said Kirk Basefsky, CEO and Founder of Burst Communications.

Burst Communications was founded in Denver in 1991 by Kirk Basefsky, along with a core team of sales and technical experts. The company handles broadcast integration for TV stations, sports, churches, local government and education. Burst also has a strong presence in the Corporate AV space, designing conference rooms, classrooms, lobbies, and large-scale digital signage installations.