New Delaware news bureau gives WHYY statewide coverage capability

WHYY TV12, which officially inaugurated its new news bureau in Dover, DE, last week, is using a pair of new Sony XDCAM camcorders and two Sony BRC (broadband remote cameras) to contribute edited packages, live shots and bureau footage to the station's main newsroom in Wilmington, DE.

The Dover Community News Bureau extends the reach of the public broadcaster, which serves southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and South Jersey, throughout the entire state of Delaware.

One crew permanently working from the new bureau and another that splits its time between Wilmington and Dover, use the XDCAM camcorders to acquire footage, which is edited into completed packages and transmitted to Wilmington via the Harris NetVX high-speed transport, said station technology manager Mitch Goldberg.

Because the station produces one daily newscast, field crews don't face the same deadline pressures typically associated with commercial broadcasters, Goldberg said. As a result, editing in the field is not part of the typical workflow; however, WHYY crews are increasingly working with proxy video and other XDCAM features, he said.

Back at the bureau, news stories are edited in two new nonlinear edit suites based on Avid Xpress Pro HD, although the station's news operations are currently SD only. Rounding out the technology lineup at the Dover bureau, which cost about $750,000 to build, is a Ross Video Synergy production switcher and Mackie audio mixer.

The new bureau is located near Delaware's Legislative Hall, which makes it easier for the station to provide on-going coverage of political stories.