WETA Washington, DC, working between PBS and Sony, will add new production gear that will help The Newshour with Jim Lehrer make the move to HD in the spring of 2007.
“We’ll be converting the cameras, production switcher and display to HD, a move that will enhance our capabilities and improve the quality, and value, of the programs we distribute” says Joe Burns, COO of WETA.
Lehrer says the move will give a whole new meaning to the Newshour’s reputation for depth and breadth. “It will give our viewers a sharper, broader picture of the world around them and we can’t wait. We’re looking forward to delivering a picture that is as wide as the points of view our program represents and a picture with the clarity of thought our program aims to deliver.”
The WETA announcement at NAB was one of many HD customer deals announced by Sony as HD steps front-and-center in its booth. Another PBS station, WYCC Chicago, is also moving to HD as part of a new facility, it was announced at the show..
“We’re fully invested in supplying audiences with intelligent, visually superior programming,” says Dr. Wayne Watson, chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago. “This effort is about much more than taking WYCC into the future: it’s equally about showing highly visible change, economic growth, and development in a poverty-striken area.”
