Blue Ridge Communications (BRC), a regional cable television, Internet, and VoIP provider serving northeastern and central Pennsylvania, is using two Hitachi SK-HD1000 native 1080i HDTV studio/field production cameras to produce programming for its local origination channel, TV13.
Located in Lehighton, Pa., BRC TV13 serves roughly 175,000 subscribers throughout the Pocono Mountains region with a variety of local programs, including three live newscasts per day; “Valley Report,” “Pocono Report,” and “Night Report.” TV13 also produces news reports that are inserted on CNN Headline News in the Blue Ridge community that can be seen at the top and bottom of the hour, 24 hours a day.
“In the fall of 2008, we completed construction of a new news set that we’re especially proud of,” said Frank Stanek, director of technical services for BRC TV13, a division of Pencor Services, in Palmerton, Pa. “To ensure that our viewers see on-air what we see in person, we chose the Hitachi SK-HD1000 HD camera, outfitted with Fujinon HD lenses. We’re also very pleased with how well our chromakey works with these cameras,” Stanek said. “We employ a standard green screen in our studio, and the Hitachi cameras key exceptionally well, rivaling anything you’d see on the major networks.”
Besides local newscasts, BRC TV13 also uses the Hitachi cameras in its studios to produce a wide range of live shows with a local flavor such as: “Health Images,” which features local experts speaking about health and well-being; “More Than Money,” a live call-in show that features Host Gene Dickison answering viewers’ questions about personal finance; “ComputerWise,” hosted by George Roberts who focuses on a wide range of computer and networking issues; and “Friday Night Football,” a weekly sports show featuring highlights, interviews, and analysis of football games at every high school in the viewing area. The channel also provides coverage of local college and high school sporting events, parades, telethons, and community events.
“As we migrate towards HDTV, we plan on purchasing more SK-HD1000 cameras. With the SK-HD1000’s, we’re able to future proof our facility for hi-def with a great camera while staying within our budget,” Stanek said.
