Technology is creeping into Kansas City's overworked TV newsrooms, slowly but surely.
Most viewers have had a look at the new "NBC Action News" set -- at least those viewers who weren't bleary-eyed and ready for bed after NBC's nightly marathon Olympics coverage. That set is optimized for high-definition television, which KSHB-TV began broadcasting in last April.
And this week, viewers of Fox 4's top-rated morning news will begin getting traffic updates as they happen, rather than a few minutes after they happen. That's because WDAF is introducing a new real-time system that reports changes in roadway conditions directly from the electronic monitors set up by the government's KC Scout network.
The real-time system, from Philadelphia-based Traffic.com, is in use in more than 40 markets around the country but is a first for Kansas City.
"Every station has been getting information from KC Scout fed to them every six to eight minutes," explained Fox 4 executive producer Jana Calkins. "This is hooked up to the sensors, so when speeds go from 58 mph to 20 mph, you can see it as it happens."
Or in the case of the monitor a few feet from where we were standing, we could watch speeds fluctuate between 16 mph and 18 mph on an I-35 bottleneck near Bartle Hall. While those animated car symbols were illuminated in red, the lights in the Grandview Triangle alternated between green and yellow, as KC Scout detected brief slowdowns. Those are the situations -- when commuters aren't sure whether a highway will or won't grind to a halt -- when a delayed system is practically worthless and Fox 4's system could shine.
And there's more ahead. The new real-time system uses Navteq technology, which also allows a station to take viewers from the flat metro traffic map into sweeping, animated "fly-throughs" that show exactly where traffic is bogging down with 3-D overhead closeups of the affected area. Fox 4 has been working with the map company to highlight familiar landmarks, from the Sprint Center to the Belton water tower, so the overhead views are not only sexy but useful.
The real-time traffic updates should be on the air by the time you read this; the animated fly-throughs are coming "in a couple of weeks," said Calkins.
Meanwhile, high-def TV users throughout Kansas City have had two questions throughout these Olympics: When are the other two stations in town going to get on the HD bandwagon? And did Gary Lezak really make those shots?
For five years, KSHB-TV has been crowing about the "most accurate" designation it receives from WeatheRate, an Arizona-based company that compares weathercasters' predictions in markets across the country. In fact, that designation spans the entire lifespan of the WeatheRate awards, which are currently being used by nine TV stations from Honolulu to Lynchburg, Va.
I have probably written more about WeatheRate than any journalist in the country, which is less a testimony to my dogged reporting than the fact that this company's product really never caught on. Only about a dozen stations at any given time choose to be "certified," which is to say, are willing to pay WeatheRate a hefty fee for the privilege of using that certification in promos.
UPDATE 8-27-08: I spoke with WeatheRate creator Bruce Fixman this morning and he answered some of my lingering questions about his system. The post will appear Thursday on TV Barn.
Be that as it may, Lezak really did finish as the highest-rated weathercaster in KC five years in a row and he really did make … the blind, over-the-shoulder basketball shot. (And missed several others.) The behind-the-back baseball throw sailed way left, but was redirected into a catcher's mitt through some nifty computer work overseen by KSHB's promo director, Randy Thurman.
The promos were the first the station has done in high-def, and accompany the studio's recent HD conversion. Jack Harry's "38 Sports Spot" program will be going HD in a couple of weeks, news director Rick Iler said.
All of which leads to the question: When are KCTV-5 and Fox 4 getting into the 21st century?
"Late September," is the response from KCTV-KSMO general manager Kirk Black. As for Fox 4, it will be biding its time, just as it did in waiting to carry network shows from Fox in HD. So I guess we'll just have to put up with looking at fuzzy, standard-definition 3-D flyovers of the Belton water tower until then.
KCTV-5 wins Plaza Lighting rights
KCTV5 / MyKSMO-TV SECURE EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST RIGHTS FOR TIME-HONORED KANSAS CITY TRADITION
August 26, 2008 (Fairway, Kansas) – Kirk Black, Senior Vice President for Meredith Broadcasting and VP/General Manager of KCTV5 / MyKSMO-TV and Gayle Terry, Director of Marketing for Highwoods Properties, today announced a 3 year partnership for KCTV5 and MyKSMO-TV to exclusively televise the “KCP&L Plaza Lighting Ceremony” starting this year.
KCTV5 and MyKSMO-TV will carry on the Kansas City holiday tradition this Thanksgiving, with more extensive live coverage and added features than ever before. Kirk Black said of this partnership, “We are very excited to bring this landmark Kansas City event to KCTV5 and MyKSMO-TV. Being involved in the community and celebrating the holiday season with our friends and family will take on new meaning for our team this year. We look forward to expanding and enhancing an already great local event.”
Live news coverage from the Plaza will begin at 4pm leading up to the hour long special from 6-7pm. To enhance the on-site experience, a giant big screen will be added to provide people a clear view of the actual broadcast, while they enjoy the festive atmosphere at the Plaza.
Other exciting and new additions will be the “KCP&L Plaza Lighting Behind the Scenes special”, which will air in the week leading up to the ceremony. This unique special will take viewers behind the scenes of the incredible and lengthy process involved in preparing for this spectacular lighting display. “Midwest Living” a magazine published by KCTV5/MyKSMO-TV-owner Meredith Corporation, will highlight the Plaza Lighting Ceremony with an article in their November/December issue.
Also DOT2 Network/RTN Affliate and maybe 24/7 Local News Channel sre coming soon.
Posted by: Matt Galvin | August 28, 2008 at 05:05 PM