SWISS MADE: Three GY-HM790 for ZAMBO

The Tri-Medial Children’s Television Programme from Switzerland is OnAir

Children are not intimidated by trying out the so-called “New Media” especially when unique and new possibilities for communication attract their attention. They discover the Internet without being hampered by preconceived notions and will create their own TV-programme with confidence and a high level of professionalism that is also evident when managing their own radio show. This puts a lot of pressure on adults faced with the task of creating child-oriented multimedia programmes. Children are not interested in boring knowledge transfer and trivial jokes à la “sports-game-excitement”, but rather they demand clear information, cool action and lots of fun.

With the children’s programme “Zambo” the creative people of SF Schweizer Fernsehen (Swiss TV) and Schweizer Radio DRS (Swiss Radio) have discovered an innovative way to combine TV, radio and Internet into one exciting communications package for children. With this first tri-medial offer the SRG SSR charts a new course into the digital future. “Zambo” is produced in the newly built “tri-medial” studio at tpc (tv productioncenter zürich ag), a subsidiary of SRG SSR.

The 2 hour TV show runs from Monday to Friday and goes on air from a central production facility. The studio is divided into four areas: the first of which is the “Zamborium” for the younger audience, where children can tinker, cook, experiment and perform magic. The second area called the “Zambooster” is a game area with a green/blue box; here children can create their own avatars on the web site allowing them to take part in the games online via internet or by texting (SMS). Area number three is the community corner “myZambo”, for the older children. In this area topics inspired by the children themselves are discussed. Normally this TV programme consists of three 10-minute live elements as well as pre produced contributions.

The fourth area: the radio programme usually lasts 1 hour and airs without a director. The radio corner which makes up the fourth area, has a DJ desk that makes it television friendly. The television cameras record the radio programme; this enables the audience to follow the action in the studio while listening to the radio show on the Internet.

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Equally innovative as the programme production itself is the technical concept behind the tri-medial studio. Budgetary restraints made it necessary to find a technical solution built with equipment that offered the highest possible level of quality at an affordable price. At the centre of this infrastructure the studio utilizes the powerful “Open Media” newsroom system which enables the organisation and the production of all three vectors.

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For the studio cameras three GY-HM790 cameras from JVC were chosen, two of which are mounted on tripods, the third one is used for mobile shooting from the shoulder for extra flexibility. These cameras deliver broadcast quality images, are easy to use, and offer all the professional features needed in a typical production studio environment at a very attractive price point as Thomas Wochner, the technical project manager and planner of tpc, confirmed. “The reason we chose JVC cameras is the unbeatable price-quality relationship and the opportunity to work with only a single camera cable. The cameramen are delighted to work with the JVC cameras and are really pleased with the quality and performance they deliver. They offer the best results for our needs.”

As the audience (both young and old) is really enthused by the programme and its modern concept, there is a great level of confidence that goes beyond the Swiss borders that the process of media convergence will become even more important in coming years and will strongly influence the medial evolution.

JVC Professional

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