WASHINGTON—FOX 5 DC has moved into a new 58,000 square foot IP-based facility in Bethesda Maryland that features a number of new technologies that will help WTTG-TV and WDCA-TV quickly react to breaking news and deliver more content to more platforms.
The stations began broadcasting from their new home on Saturday July 24th.
The new headquarters will give the news operation an IP-based SMPTE 2110 infrastructure that will make it easier for the news division to move content seamlessly through many sources and will provide Fox 5 DC with much greater flexibility to reconfigure systems to add new programing or digital offerings in the future.
The new facility features two fully operational control rooms and audio booths so they can produce live content on multiple platforms at the same time
The 5,000 square foot studio, which includes a fully functioning kitchen, has numerous set positions for different looks on their various newscasts. There are also numerous set positions in the newsroom that can be used to deliver breaking news or information for TV, online, mobile or social media.
There is also a full podcast studio and an AR/VR area.
Massive video walls and a portable rolling video monitor can be used to display graphics, live video, etc.
The new headquarters is located in the Carr Properties Wilson building at 7272 Wisconsin Ave. and is part of a new and high-tech complex, with a 23-story office tower and retail and residential space. It is about 2 miles from their previous location at 5151 Wisconsin Ave. in Friendship Heights where they had been located since 1966.
"Today’s debut of FOX 5’s new sleek and vibrant home has been a labor of love and an example of our commitment to keep innovating on the local news experience,” said Fox 5 senior vice president and general manager Patrick Paolini said in a statement announcing the move. “We are excited to showcase our new technologically advanced facility which we designed to enhance coverage and further connect the intersection of news and the communities we serve."
