Control Room 1Control Room 1

During any newscast Control Room 1 is a very busy place. This is where the Producer, Director, Audio Engineer, Graphics Operator, TelePrompTer Operator, and Video Coordinator work behind the scenes to bring the newscast to air.

The Producer, who organized and helped write the newscast, is in charge of the newscast content when the program goes on the air. Each newscast is planned-out very precisely by the Producer, but there is always the possibility of changes during the show. Each Newscast has to end exactly when it is scheduled to end, to the second! It is the Producer’s job to make sure this happens and to make any last minute changes to the newscast.

The Director controls everything you see in the newscast. It is their job to switch between cameras, video tapes, electronic graphics, and other video sources. You may not realize it but many of the images you see in a newscast are actually combinations of several images mixed together.
Mike Lewis
Click for larger image

The image at the right is composed of four “layers”. The shot of Mike and Marisa is one layer. The shot of Tom Clark is another. The gold border around Tom is the third layer. It is not part of the set. It exists only as a special effect generated in a computer. The fourth layer is the 16 logo in the bottom-right corner. (Click on the photo to the right for a better look.) The director makes sure all these layers fit together as they should.

The Audio Engineer controls everything you hear in the newscast. They operate a large audio board that looks like those you find in a radio station or recording studio. They can select sound from several different microphones, audio tapes, video tapes, and CD’s, often several at the same time.

lowerthirdThe Graphics Operator produces all the text you see on the screen. Sometimes the text covers the entire screen, like when we give sports scores. But most of the time the text is in the lower third of the screen like in the example at the left. Watch any newscast and pay attention to these “lower thirds” as we call them. You will be surprised at how often they appear.

The Video Coordinator (or VC) edits most of the video tape you see during the newscast. Video CoordinatorThe tapes (about 25 or so) have to be edited carefully so that the images you see match the script being read by the Anchor. During the newscast the VC “cues-up” each of the tapes in one of four tape players located just outside the Control Room. The Director can then play these tapes at the right time.

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