At the cutting edge.
“B5 aktuell” installs consoles and routing matrices from Lawo.
Live reports from sport events with legendary radio commentators are among the major strengths of “B5 aktuell”. Further signature features of the info channel, which was brought into being by the Bavarian Broadcaster (Bayerischer Rundfunk, BR) in 1991 and has played an integral role in the radio landscape of Germany ever since, are the news programmes, featuring traffic news, broadcasted every 15 minutes, and numerous background reports.
A demanding project
In the context of the renovation project of the “production and on-air complex” (PSK) used by “B5 aktuell” in the Munich broadcast house, the entire premises are being gutted and outfitted with the latest equipment and furniture.
The technical and editorial workflows as well as the operational functions of the technical furnishings are to be preserved in their original state after the renovation. Start-up, including testing and training of employees, is scheduled to be completed no later than December 12, 2010. Operations and the editorial office of „B5 aktuell“ are relocated to a temporary studio environment as a first step. Subsequently, the existing premises and the implemented technology will be fully updated.
In terms of new consoles and routing matrices, the BR relies on Lawo products. 20 crystal consoles (with 4 faders), four zirkonXL consoles (with 16, 24 and 32 faders) and a Nova17 routing matrix will be supplied by December 2009. Of the 20 crystal consoles, six will be used in the provisional solution (i.e. the temporary studio environment), while the remaining 14 are installed permanently in the existing rooms at the Munich broadcast centre. The zirkonXL consoles feature an integrated routing matrix and the Vistool visualisation software for the on-air control room. The Nova17 serves as the central program matrix with a redundant mastercard.
A fascinating technical aspect of this project was the connection of the PSK and the provisional solution to the Nova73 HD in the master control room. Another challenge: the control networking (for example, of the intercom) and the audio networking. A peculiarity, concerning all on-air complexes which were equipped with zirkon consoles, are alarm signals sent directly from the Lawo set-up to the operating center in the event of error messages.
In connection to these new installations, Wolfgang Linster, head of the group responsible for the planning of broadcast technology at BR, points out that Lawo products have been an integral part of the audio technological equipment in the production and on-air complexes in the broadcast of Bavarian Broadcaster for some time.
More projects:
Lawo and YLE at the Winter Olympics 2006
