WPTV-TV Uncaps Local HD News for South Florida

WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Fla., launched its local news (NewsChannel 5) in HD last week, marking what the broadcaster said is the premiere of the first local HD commercial newscasts in the greater Miami market.

WPTV-TV Director of Engineering Dave McKinley called the conversion
“a great culmination of months of hard work by our entire team.” Brian Lawlor, the station’s GM, referred to it as “a watershed moment in South Florida Television,” according to the NBC affiliate.

The broadcaster is the second Florida station to ramp up local HD in the past couple of weeks. In late July, Scripps sister station WFTS-TV in Tampa transitioned its local news (HD Notebook, Aug. 2, 2007).

Check the September 5 issue of TV Technology for more details.