About six years ago, a booming student population and the changing face of journalism led William Hanna, Dean of the School of Media Studies at Humber College, to begin thinking about major changes to Humber’s media programs. In the past, Humber had used separate rooms for each of its media disciplines. But with the Web causing broadcast, radio and print journalism to blend together, Hanna thought a change in Humber’s teaching philosophy was required. For example, stories that were once created for TV broadcast only are now often re-purposed and re-formatted and posted on the Web. Students who at one time needed only writing and layout skills, now require experience in video and audio editing, as well as Web posting abilities.

What Hanna envisioned was a digital newsroom and broadcast centre well equipped with leading edge technology that would offer students a TV studio, FM radio station, print newsroom and Webcast facility in a single location. All students would be able to work in one space and share and repurpose stories, whether their major was in broadcast journalism, radio, or print.

With assistance from technology partner Sony of Canada, Hanna was able to achieve his vision. More than 600 students are now using a next-generation digital broadcast centre and newsroom that helped Humber win a prestigious first place Apple Award at North America’s College Media Convention this year. Challenges

Humber required a new journalism facility that would give students access to video, audio and Web production equipment in a single location. "Today’s journalism students are looking for educational institutions that provide not only first rate curriculum, but also access to real-world tools and facilities," Hanna says. "I found there was more and more overlap between areas that were once distinct. We decided to address where we thought the communications industry was going. With everything in one place, students could focus more on the story and that story could then be easily repurposed for other mediums." Hitting timelines was a big issue for Humber. The school wanted its new facility to be ready to handle students at the beginning of the 2006 school year and to be fully complete in time for the official launch of the broadcast centre on October 15.

Solutions

Humber issued a request for quotation for the new broadcast facility in February 2006. There were many factors to consider including the quality of the equipment, the reputation and reliability of the supplier and, of course, the cost. After examining several proposals, Humber selected Sony of Canada and reseller Precision Camera Inc. as the supplier and integrator, respectively. The total cost for the new centre came to just over $2 million. "It was clear Sony had the most comprehensive bid, including all the equipment we needed with competitive pricing, along with a full package of services," Hanna says. "The Sony broadcast team sets the bar for this kind of installation, so we knew we were selecting the most reputable team in the business, with everything we were looking for."

Sony was responsible for the entire project, including equipping and installing a production control room featuring a monitor wall, front and rear production desks, an integrated central equipment area, a separate audio control room, a non-linear editing suite and a small television studio.

Students use the Sony equipment to produce segments suitable for TV and radio broadcast programs. With the cameras and switcher, students are able to incorporate different camera angles, fade in and out of segments and add special effects consistent with a professionally produced TV news program. The audio console gives them the ability to create professional-quality content for Humber’s 96.9 FM radio station.

Key equipment supplied for the installation included:

• Four DXCD50WSL video cameras
• A DVS-9000 video switcher, which allows producers to add content, including special effects, to a video production
• Four rack-mountable DSR1500A recorder/players designed for studio editing
• Luma LCD monitors
• A Leitch Panacea 32 x 32 SDI Router with Ethernet Control
• A Yamaha 32-Channel Digital Audio Console designed for audio mixing
• An Avid Liquid Chrome HD Elite System editing suite

With the vendor on board and the equipment selected, the first phase of building began in April with what Hanna coined the "destruction phase." In order to establish a large enough footprint to handle all the requirements, existing spaces in the school had to be reconfigured. By the end of June, the space was ready for the Sony team to install the broadcast equipment. In just four months, the installation was 90 per cent complete and the school was able to start classes. The finishing touches were completed in time for the official launch of the broadcast centre on October 15, 2006.

"The Sony broadcast team had a very tight completion target, which they hit," Hanna says. "All the equipment was installed and functioning in time which, in this day and age, is marvelous. I can’t speak highly enough about the Sony team - they were competent, responsible and did great work."

After the installation was complete, Sony trained Humber staff on the new equipment. There was a four-day training session for people who would be using the equipment with the students. Humber is also receiving ongoing support, both on- and off-site.

According to Hanna, the reaction of students has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly returning students who had worked in the old facilities and classrooms. With the new broadcast training centre, students who were once spread across the campus are now centralized, allowing them to collaborate and share news content easily and efficiently, no matter the media or form of distribution.

"The students just love it, and the faculty think they’ve died and gone to heaven with all the upgrades and professional equipment at their disposal," Hanna says. "We had a very workmanlike, functional newsroom before and a broadcast studio in the basement. We came back to what can only be described as state-of-the-art facilities that are better than the majority of television stations in Canada."

In March 2007, Humber’s journalism program won its first-ever Apple Award in the Radio Broadcast category at the annual College Media Convention in New York City, beating out schools such as Harvard and Stanford. Criteria for the Radio Broadcast award included shard sound audio and good production values, which Humber’s new Sony equipment delivered, Hanna says.

"It’s a real honour to take first overall when you’re competing against top-flight U.S. schools," Hanna says. "The equipment in our new broadcast centre helped us go head-to-head with some of the best journalism programs in the world."

The new media centre has impressed even professional broadcasters.

"We had people from some of the major Canadian news programs here and one of them said it was better than what they had," Hanna says. "It really is cutting edge. We’re delighted to be able to give our students access to ’professional’ tools and resources -making our journalism program one of the best in the country."

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