TSL installs Sky News Arabia broadcast centre
Published: MEA
UAE: The Dubai office of TSL is in the final stages of its project for Sky News Arabia’s new studios in Abu Dhabi. ‘We are creating a brand new broadcast facility with all the supporting infrastructure that you would imagine a major news broadcaster in the Middle East requires,’ explained Martin Dyster, audio business development manager for TSL.
The new site in the Abu Dhabi Media Zone is a fast turnaround broadcast facility aimed at the delivery of live news and handling multiple outside circuits. The studios are being expanded to offer more studio and post-production space for the news channel, but with the basic premise that some elements of the control rooms would remain the same. ‘We were able to bid for the project with the knowledge that some of the facilities could be retained if we felt they were appropriate for the project,’ recalled Mr Dyster. ‘The control rooms are being expanded to offer the facility something that is more in accordance with live news broadcasts.’
The project has seen the installation of what Mr Dyster describes as ‘one of the most advanced and comprehensive call handling systems at any news facility in the world’. In broad terms, this custom-built system, which involved the software departments from a number of companies, gives Sky News Arabia the ability to receive and establish calls from any one of 80 different circuits which vary from ISDN to Skype to iPhone from the field. ‘It’s a good example of what can be achieved if companies cooperate,’ said Mr Dyster.
The company has also installed its own PAM1-3G8 and PAM2-3G16 audio monitoring units across the facility. ‘They were specified by the customer during the tender process, and more than 30 units have gone in.’
The installation at the facility is ongoing and the TSL team will be on the ground until the launch date set for spring 2012.