Thirteen/WNET Commences Broadcasting from New Facility Designed and Built By A. F. Associates

Thirteen/WNET (New York), a PBS member TV station and one of the preeminent and most prolific producers of programming for American public television, has relocated and commenced broadcasting from a technical operations center designed and built by AF Associates, Inc. (AFA; Northvale, NJ). AFA, the nation'ss leading systems integrator, designed the facility, which occupies over 50,000 sq. feet on two floors on 33rd Street in New York, to accommodate the transition to multi channel broadcasting.

"A. F. Associates has played a vital role in Thirteen/WNET's historic move to its new state-of-the-art digital broadcast and production facility", said Carmen DiRienzo, vice president and managing director of corporate affairs for Thirteen/WNET. "When we made the decision to build our new headquarters, we knew we would be facing a host of mission-critical challenges such as integrating equipment from many different vendors, transitioning from analog to digital production and broadcast, and ensuring seamless signal switchover between old site and new. Through its expertise in design and integration, A. F. Associates has helped give Thirteen/WNET a remarkably functional facility that is fully optimized to our needs and which will certainly help us chart the future of public television."

The station is constructed around a 601 digital infrastructure with HDTV islands providing initial HD capability. It is comprised of a master control room capable of accommodating six digital broadcast channels and a path to HDTV, an equipment center, a 2,300 sq. ft. main studio/multi-purpose room, a Flash Studio, two studio control rooms, on-line and off-line edit suites, audio mixing, tape libraries, and a 1.5 Gb/s high definition island.

Key technical components include Tektronix master control, routing and Profile servers; Louth automation; Sony production switchers, digital effects, editors and Digital Beta VTRs; an SSL Alysis Ayre digital audio console; Odetics robotic playout system for program materials; Quantel graphics workstations; and Avid non-linear editing.

The new facility accommodates all studio production, both live and taped, off-line and on-line linear and non-linear post production, graphics, on-air operations, interstitial and logo insertion, transmission and electronic field production.

A.F. Associates, a subsidiary of Video Services Corp., is an industry leader in the design, engineering and fabrication of fixed and mobile television facilities. Video Services Corporation (VSC), through A. F. Associates, Inc., and its other operating subsidiaries, is a leading provider of a wide range of systems integration, production, transmission and post-production services to the television industries.

Thirteen/WNET in New York is one of the key program providers for public television, bringing such acclaimed series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters and Charlie Rose—as well as the work of Bill Moyers—to audiences nationwide. As the flagship public broadcaster in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metro area, Thirteen/WNET reaches millions of viewers each week—airing the best of American public television along with its own local productions such as City Arts and Reel New York. With educational and community outreach projects that enhance the value of its productions, Thirteen/WNET takes television ãout of the box.ä And as broadcast and digital media converge. Thirteen/WNET is blazing trails in the creation of Web sites, CD-ROMs, educational software, and other cutting edge media products. More information about Thirteen/WNET can be found at http://www.wnet.org.