WESH enhances newsroom efficiency with integrated software strategy

WESH, the Hearst Television-owned NBC affiliate in Orlando, FL, has installed Bitcentral’s Precis 4.0 integrated with Adobe video solutions and AP’s ENPS news production system to improve newsroom workflow.

Precis is nonproprietary, so station management has the ability to choose among other technology brands, such as Adobe’s crossplatform software solution for video and post production including Adobe Premiere Pro, to create a broadcast news production platform.

“Technology and newsroom standards are changing so fast, so we wanted to make sure that we future-proofed and integrated the best-of-breed solutions together,” said Joe Addalia, director of technology for Hearst Television. “Budgets are tight, so we have to utilize solutions that will meet the simultaneous production needs for broadcast, website, mobile and whatever other platform our viewers next adopt.”

Hearst Television, one of the nation’s largest station owners with 29 TV and two radio stations, reaches 18 percent of U.S. TV households. In addition to WESH, the broadcast group will install Precis at eight more stations this year. Two stations also will install Bitcentral’s Oasis content archiving and management solution.

The Precis workflow solution breaks down newsroom walls, extending content creation to broadcast journalists in the field. It enables editing on any authorized computer in the newsroom’s network, allowing the producers to build more robust story packages and get to air faster. It is also nonproprietary, so stations can pick the hardware that works best for their specific markets, easing the transition from tape-based workflow to IP file-based production systems.