WTHR, the Dispatch Broadcast Group-owned NBC affiliate serving Indianapolis, has integrated the Diaquest Products QueManager Web-based graphics order management system (OMS) with an ENPS newsroom computer system.
According to Randy White, WTHR operations manager, the station needed to replace its aging Proximity Artbox software, which was having operating issues and was no longer supported by the manufacturer.
During the installation, Diaquest was able to extract all of WTHR's Artbox environments and metadata and incorporate them into QueManager without disrupting station operations. The station put the new system online in February.
QueManager is an OMS software add-on for Apple Final Cut Server 1.5 that can be integrated with ENPS or iNEWS via plug-ins. Through a simple GUI, it provides an easy way to search and browse assets, generate orders, assign projects and deliver finished graphics for broadcast.
At WTHR, QueManager is used by 10 producers to produce over-the-shoulder news graphics. Producers access the software through ENPS and use it to find graphics that can be used for specific stories. If no graphics are appropriate, they can request the design of a new one. When the graphic is complete, a producer can add or update CG text through QueManager so it is ready for air.
The QueManager interface is almost identical to Artbox, so WTHR producers did not need to be retrained. Each of the producers adapted to the new system very well, said White.
