News12 Unveils New $20M Studio and Newsroom
The new 40,000 square foot facility at the Altice USA hyper-local news operation features a host of new technologies
BETHPAGE, N.Y.—News12 has officially opened a new 40,000 square foot $20 million state of the art studio and newsroom.
During a grand opening on May 1 with local businesses and political leaders, executives at Altice USA’s News12 operation said the project is a major $20 million investment into Long Island journalism. The build was part of a multi-year effort beginning in early 2020.
"It just shows our commitment to local, hyperlocal news, to this community," Altice USA CEO Dennis Mathew said in a News12 story on the opening. "We have the best team. This shows that the best team should have the best state-of-the-art studio, and so we're excited."
Altice News senior vice president and chief content officer Kristin Malaspina explained that the upgraded space with larger monitors will enhance our visual storytelling.
"I'm so excited to be here and to open this new studio and continue to bring the best hyperlocal news coverage to the tri-state area," Malaspina said.
Notable features in the studio include:
- Flash Camera for breaking news coverage.
- Multiple spacious Production Control Rooms with advanced automation and technology for high- quality broadcasts, graphics, weather and more.
- Crew vehicles equipped with power inverters to enable the teams to work out of mobile “offices” from any of the News12 communities. This allows the team to shoot and edit news packages to go live to air within minutes.
- Thunderbolt 12 mobile weather and storm tracking vehicle with live reporter capability.
- Editing and Technical Operations Center with numerous fiber connections to pull in news feed, breaking news and video from across the region and nation.
- Massive Broadcast Equipment Center featuring the latest news production technology and backup and redundant systems to ensure high quality video signals and continuity of broadcast in the case of a system failure.
- Five broadcast studios of varying sizes. These include a small Weather Hub studio, two midsize studios and two large studios which feature newly designed and modern sets.
- The large studios consist of multiple large seamless monitor walls, an anchor desk, a working Weather Center, an Alert Center and additional monitor areas for Anchors to “walk and talk” as they deliver and visually illustrate local news coverage.
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George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.