Here’s a piece of information that could fall into the good news/bad news category. On the one hand, anything that makes live reporting less expensive is appreciated – especially in these tough economic times, but a new live reporting technology might also make it even tougher for television stations to hold on to their dominance in the area of breaking news.
According to TVNEWSDAY, “Pioneering work on adapting WiMAX for ENG is now underway at KIFI, News-Press & Gazette’s ABC affiliate in Idaho Falls, Idaho.”
So, what does this mean? It means that KIFI is broadcasting a useable live video signal with $12,000 worth of equipment in a Toyota Highlander vs. the $200,000 it takes to outfit an ENG truck.
The technology isn’t perfect – for example, right now there is a lag of about 3 seconds between the studio and the live reporter, so KIFI compensates by giving the reporter an early cue.
Still, you can bet with cost savings like those noted in the article, there is motivation to work around the issues.
Filed under: 09. Producing for TV, 12. Getting Ready for the Real World |
Advancing the Story 
[…] pressing need to cut costs have led some local TV stations to try new options for going live. We recently wrote about KIFI-TV’s use of WiMAX technology. The latest buzz is about TV live shots via Skype, […]