Yes, people! Finally, 7News will end stretchovision madness and launch real HD.
Here’s what I learned:
- rehearsals were happening Friday evening
- the plex will/receive(d) subtle changes, nothing major
- anchor desk has grown a bit. The 7 logo at the front was replaced
- the blue duratran between the floors is going back to
how it was before, small. Or at least smaller than it is now.
- flat screens will be added to it?
- monitor wall may or may not change. WHDH replaced theirs
with almost a dozen large flat screen tvs
Graphics
- “very ESPN-sportscenter ish”
- “LOTS of swooshes and flying 7s”
- “everything looks like its flying out of the screen”
- the new opens are much shorter
- color scheme is blue, black, red with chrome
Music
no info but I’m working on it. My guess, something original
by Chris Crane, naturally
Field photogs will be shooting in 16×9 SD which will be upconverted
to HD. NO stretchovision and as few sidebars as possible.
Don’t expect any more major changes after this. Even with holding nearly 20% of the local tv ad market WSVN is still pinched by the bad economy.
They like every other station are having budget problems and allegedly won’t be filling open positions.
Doesn’t appear like they’ll acquire the WTVJ building at this point in time. Of course you never know but at the moment it doesn’t appear likely (maybe it never was?)
Sunbeam is still in litigation with the company that wants to build condos right next the studios.
7News HD will swooshhhh in with a bang sometimes during the first or second week of December.
And now you know. Thanks to the tipster for the info.









More Details on WPLG’s Move and DTV Transition
A TVnewsday article today details WPLG’s DTV transition plans (reg. required) and move to a new studio.
The interesting bits are that Channel 10 bought Ikegami SD/HD cameras and those are going to be one of the few things that will be moved to the new studios. But it looks like there will be no Local10 News in HD until the move and live reports will be in SD for some time due to the costs associated with upgrading live news trucks.
WPLG and WSVN will have their digital transmitters on the same tower, a new one, both stations will be putting up soon.
WPLG GM Dave Boylan expects the new building to be done by December of this year. Equipment will be installed during the first three months of 2009 and the first staff will be in the new building sometime in April 2009. All staff will work from the new location by June 30, 2009.
/img Reese Associates/