WAGA-TV and Electronic Newsgathering

WAGA-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, has now more than a year's experience with electronic newsgathering and employs two ENG mobile units and seven mobile film crews. The heart of the ENG system is the Nurad quadrupole antenna located at the 950-ft (290-m) level of the WAGA-TV combined studio transmitter plant, 5.5 mi (8.9 km) from the downtown “canyon” area. This news-intensive, downtown area includes the major portion of the business and retail district, the State Capitol and offices, City Hall and County offices, and the municipal, state and federal courts. WAGA's ENG system has proven 100% effective within the downtown area, and is estimated to be 95% effective overall out to 28 mi (45 km) which is as far away as we have attempted to use the system. Factors that influenced the design of the ENG mobile van and the ENG control area are discussed, and efforts to take advantage of the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of the various component units are described. The fact that an ENG crew is about twice as productive as a corresponding film crew is offset somewhat by the fact that ENG crews are best sent on assignments where timeliness is crucial, because videocameras, batteries, umbilicals and VTRs collectively are still much heavier and more unwieldy than film camera systems.

Print ISSN

0036-1682

Published

1976-09

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/J07566