Oklahoma’s No. 1 Selects Calrec
KWTV Channel 9, a CBS affiliate and Oklahoma’s top TV news station, has incorporated a Calrec Zeta console and Hydra audio networking system as part of a station-wide upgrade of its news operations to a fully digital facility.
The 40-fader Zeta console and Hydra system are being used for more than seven hours of locally produced programming every day.
Randy Cassimus, KWTV director of production, lauds the Zeta console for its versatility, ease of operation, efficiency, and compact size.
“It really works as advertised in terms of redundancy and reliability,” says Cassimus. “In fact, we launched the new studio just two days before the November 2006 U.S. elections, and what could have been a stressful situation for a busy news operation went just fine for my operators on audio. No glitches.”
KWTV uses Calrec’s Hydra networking system to connect the audio input panel in the studio to the board in the control room 150 feet away, using Gigabit Ethernet. Hydra is designed specifically for use in television and radio production studios and outside broadcast vehicles. Very high bandwidth and a scalable, flexible architecture allow the system to be tailored to individual needs.
Owned by Griffin Communications, L.L.C., KWTV is Oklahoma’s main news source. Its morning and late-night news shows are rated No. 1 in its one-million population designated market by Nielsen. Griffin, which is Oklahoma-based, also owns Station KOTV and KWBT in Tulsa, as well as radio and Web operations.
