News wall dynamics in the modern television newsroom

The 24-hour news cycle has greatly changed the way we view and perceive world events. That we now have the ability to not only follow breaking news live on television or radio, but also through social media like Twitter and Facebook means that we are able to access up-to-the-minute reports whenever we choose.

For the journalists and editors covering these stories, the challenge has become that much greater, as they are expected to constantly be abreast of the latest developments and come up with new and innovative ways to tackle the particular issue.

Particularly in the high-competitive world of television journalism, where the viewing public has a huge choice of channels and networks, it is essential that newsmen and women are made aware of what their rivals are doing at all times. Failure to heed a competitor's insights and angle of a news story could result in that network falling behind in terms of their own coverage.

It is for this reason that it is of the utmost importance that every television newsroom is equipped with a video monitor wall, a feature that not only is equipped with monitors for one's own programmes, how they are edited and aired to the public, but monitors displaying the coverage of other news channels as well.

It is hard to believe that prior to the first Gulf War, international news channel CNN was deemed second-rate to its competitors, yet its reporters' ability to cover the initial air assault on Baghdad as it happened propelled the network to superstardom - and it has never looked back since.

In every one of its competitors' newsrooms, journalists looked on in awe as the little station that could got the scoop of the century, emphasising that a new standard had been set for war reporting. That standard is now the norm, from Sky News to al Jazeera, ITV and eNCA.

A television newsroom is by its very nature an environment of high intensity, where dozens of people are running around to ensure they are on top of the news, and as a result, it is essential that the video monitor wall plays a central role while still allowing easy access of movement to those on the floor.

One of the most innovative products available today is Occulus Innovations' TracWall, a video wall system designed to support free-standing monitors and large integrated wall displays.

By utlising a gridwork of structural T-slotted aluminum, many variations of monitor wall arrangements are possible, as well as future modifications and upgrades. The modular system is so advanced that that it can be used in configurations from single monitors, lathe flat panel matrix and angled wall display units - able to fit in perfectly with the requirements of the television news room.

The dynamics of such systems are also of great value in that every year the ergonomics of the television news room changes.

Last year, Rupert Murdoch's Fox News caused a stir by unveiling its revamped news room - complete with massive 55-inch reporter-dwarfing touchscreen monitors, known as BATs, or Big Area Touchscreens.

It is estimated you can fit 149 new iPhones into one of the BATs.

Of course news walls have also become an excellent tool to add powerful imagery to a broadcast. The graphics that are placed on screen behind a news anchor are also highly interactive, and they are able to simply touch an element of the screen to create even better news value for viewers.

We have seen the perfect example of this in the coverage of South African rugby games, where an anchor or in-studio guests can take the viewer through a team sheet, highlighting the player match-ups of the day.

LINK:	http://www.filmcontact.com/africa/south-africa/news-wall-dynamics-mode...
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