KQED Is First Station To Receive Hd Equipment Under PBS/Sony High-Definition Production Pilot Project

Initiative to Encourage Production of HD Content by Putting Equipment and Information within Reach of Public Television Stations

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 20, 2005 - KQED Public Broadcasting in San Francisco is the first station to agree to purchase high-definition production equipment under the PBS/Sony High Definition Production Pilot, a cooperative program by Sony and PBS to cultivate high-definition television production by public television stations.

Through this initiative, KQED will replace its standard-definition television production equipment with Sony high-definition cameras, switchers and video recording equipment. KQED’s initiative will jumpstart the creation of local, regional and national high-definition programming from KQED’s studios in San Francisco.

The PBS/Sony High Definition Production Pilot allows a representative cross-section of public television stations to acquire Sony’s high-definition production equipment, with support from Sony, to ease the incorporation of HD equipment into the stations’ production workflow. These pilot stations, in turn, will share what they learn with the public television system and serve as model stations for other PBS stations considering the value of an upgrade to high-definition production.

KQED will replace aging standard-definition studio and field production equipment with state-of-the-art Sony high-definition cameras, video recorders, switchers and other equipment needed to produce high-definition programming. Steve Welch, executive director of TV engineering and operations at KQED said, “The order includes six Sony HD cameras, including three HDC-1000 and three HDC-1500 models, as well as Sony’s MVS-8000A HD production switcher.”

“This is an exceptional opportunity for KQED to complete our strategic transition to high-definition production with terrific partners who will help put KQED in the forefront of HDTV production for public television,” said Jeff Clarke, president and CEO of KQED Public Broadcasting. “It is essential that what we produce today meet the highest-quality television technology standards for broadcast while ensuring long shelf life for the future. Sony’s equipment packages, ongoing technical and software support will fulfill our current needs and protect our investment for many years to come.”

Edward Caleca, PBS senior vice president for technology and operations said, “I am thrilled that PBS was able to facilitate a program that will bring the immediate benefit of additional high-definition programming to PBS viewers, and provide models for all of public television as PBS member stations plan the completion of their transition to digital high definition broadcasting.”

Sony offers a complete line of high-definition broadcast production equipment that can enable PBS member stations to transition to high-definition production according to individual budget needs.

Alec Shapiro, senior vice president of marketing for Sony’s Broadcast and Production Systems Division said, “This pilot program with PBS demonstrates the versatility and value of Sony’s high-definition product line to the public television station community while creating compelling high-definition programming for the public television consumer. We’re excited to work with PBS stations on this opportunity. It is an extension of the outstanding relationship we’ve had with many PBS stations in the standard definition era.”



About KQED

KQED Public Broadcasting operates KQED Public Television 9, one of the nation’s most-watched public television stations during prime-time, and KQED’s digital television channels, which include KQED HD, KQED Encore, KQED World, KQED Life and KQED Kids; KQED Public Radio, the most-listened-to public radio station in the nation with an award-winning news and public affairs program service (88.5 FM in San Francisco and 89.3 FM in Sacramento); KQED.org, one of the most visited station sites in Public Broadcasting; and KQED Education Network, which brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents and media professionals through workshops, seminars and resources.



About PBS
PBS is a private, nonprofit media enterprise that serves the nation’s 348 public noncommercial television stations, reaching nearly 90 million people each week through on-air and online content. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is the leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of educational services for adult learners. PBS’ premier kids’ TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (pbskids.org), continue to be parents’ and teachers’ most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet, averaging more than 35 million unique visits and nearly 400 million page views per month in 2005. PBS is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.

Contact Information

Anne Wintroub

KQED

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