Category New studio technology
— station Submitted by The Systems Group Design team
Ideastream: Jerry
Wareham, president/CEO;
Kathryn P. Jensen, chief op. offi cer; Tom Furnas,
sr. dir. of tech.; Gary Blum, dir. of eng. WVIZ;
Jim Young, dir. of eng.
WCPN TSG: John Meusel, sr.
proj. mgr.; John Zulick, sr. sys. eng.; Jared Miller,
proj. eng.; Bruce Lilly, proj. eng.; Anton Mittag,
integration supervisor;
Dillard Rice, integration
supervisor
Technology at work Andrew 5.6m Ku steerable antenna
Barco OverView cDR+67-DL
Comsat 6 940MHZ to 960MHZ grid dish
Comtek 3.8m Ku antenna
Grass Valley
Apex audio router
Concerto port router
Trinix router
Harris
AirMonitor
AirClient
MediaClient
KLOTZ DIGITAL VADIS
Miranda Kaleido-K2
WVIZ-TV joins radio station and performing arts center to create the Idea Center
The Idea Center in Cleveland is the result of a unique partnership between three longtime Cleveland institutions: WVIZ-TV, WCPN-FM and performing arts center Playhouse Square Foundation (PSF).
By renovating one of Cleveland’s historic landmarks, the group created a single space to house all three diverse operations. The building, originally built in 1912, required extensive interior and exterior restoration to transform it into the 90,000sq-ft technology, arts and education complex called the Idea Center.
The Systems Group (TSG) provided systems design and architectural infrastructure planning and consulting support as well as turnkey broadcast, A/V and distance learning system implementation.
TSG studied the operations of each media entity, including radio, TV, educational services, theatrical reinforcement, online Web delivery and A/V branding. It then worked to dovetail connectivity and operational subsystems for each entity to support current operations and long-term expansion of programming initiatives.
All signal routing, processing and transmission activities are monitored in the technical monitoring center. A pair of Barco OverView cDR+67-DLs driven by Miranda Kaleido-K2 display the more than 40 incoming and outgoing signals. This allows the operational staff to monitor and access all mission critical systems for troubleshooting and repair.
The technical equipment room required more than 90 racks to house core systems including Grass Valley Apex, Concerto and Trinix routers; RTS/Telex intercom systems; and Evertz reference generators. An Andrews 5.6m Ku steerable antenna and Comtek -3.8m Ku antenna were installed on the roof to receive both PBS and NPR programming. Studio 1 features 300 retractable seats, dual lighting systems and custom fl oor covering, making it ideal for theater and TV production. Town hall meetings and live musical performances can be broadcast by WCPN with the help of KLOTZ DIGITAL’s VADIS facilitywide audio networking solution.
WCPN’s radio and streaming facilities are housed in three control rooms and three performance studios, which allow for simultaneous set up and production of mutable programs. Studio 4 houses WCPN’s primary production location during the morning and evening drive times. Studio 5 serves as a recording and packaging studio, with voice tracking and multitrack editing for more elaborate pieces aired throughout the day.
The Idea Center marks the continued growth and evolution of Playhouse Square, as a performing arts center and as part of a successful downtown revitalization project with demonstrated economic impact.
