KBTC Selects Pro-Bel to Automate Facility

PBS station KBTC in Tacoma, Wash., has installed Pro-Bel automation, central routing and master control technology for the facility's core services: four SD and one HD channel.

KBTC selected Pro-Bel's Morpheus automation and playout system alongside four TX 500 series master control units--one for each of the SD channels--and Pro-Bel's HD Masterpiece master control for the HD version. A Sirius router--256 x 256, populated 64 x 64 SD and 64 x 64 HD--has also been installed.

One key decision, the companies said, was to run separate automation and master control technologies while making full use of the communication between the systems.

"We wanted to have minimal operational staff on site, and it was important to be able to bypass the automation system and run the master control separately in the unlikely event of a problem," said Darin Gerchak, director of engineering for KBTC. "This we have achieved. I can access everything I need from home."