KCET Plans Automation With Pebble Beach System


KCET, an independent non-commercial public television station licensed to Los Angeles, will be automating operations equipment supplied by Pebble Beach Systems. The station is relocating its facilities to nearby Burbank, Calif. and the new facility there will include a Pebble Beach Marina system to replace an older automation package now employed by KCET.

“Moving away from our legacy automation system was a big decision for us, but we have had an entirely positive experience with Pebble Beach Systems since we first engaged with them earlier this year as we researched our options. Marina was the stand-out solution for our operators,” said Gordon Bell, KCET senior vice-president of engineering and operations.

The Marina system will ultimately control eight channels, provide fully redundant databasing and control, and interface with the station’s ProTrack traffic system. The facility relocation project is being handled by the New York-based integration firm, The Systems Group. KCET operations in the new Burbank facility are expected to commence in April 2012.

“KCET is moving the entire ingest, playout and post-production operation across to this new greenfield site over the next few months, and the new automation system will sit at the heart of this significant new installation,” said Scott Griffin, vice president of engineering and technology at The Systems Group. “Pebble Beach Systems’ Marina solution proved extremely popular with the KCET’s operational staff and was selected following a detailed competitive evaluation,”