The site visit was hosted by the very welcoming John Albiston, Head of Broadcast Engineering and Development. John has been with the Network’s Operations for 30 years and during this time he has introduced and led all technology developments from project conception through to execution, including the design, installation, testing and commissioning of the Network’s broadcast centre in Docklands, back in 2002. John’s engineering knowledge and passion showed very quickly and got the group engaged right to the last minute of the tour!
This exclusive ‘behind the scenes’ tour provided a unique opportunity to the limited group of 15 engineers to see and hear about the new and exciting developments in the broadcasting space that the 7 Network is pioneering. We had the opportunity to see the technology behind the scenes; cutting-edge equipment used in television broadcasting by one of the highest rated television networks in Australia. We also heard about how systems are standardized across the Network, the technical support functions and how capital expenditure decisions are made in rapidly changing technological environment such as broadcasting.
The 2½ hour tour started with a detailed overview of the Master Control Room where the operators observe and control all feeds in and out of the Network across all of Australia, including the ‘health’ of the satellite network. This was followed by the visit and introduction to the Program Operations area where the content is sourced and prepared for broadcast including our favorite international series! After that we spent time in the Newsroom area including the Newsroom Studio. This was followed by a live description of how a Newsbreak segment is prepared and recorded to go to air. The tour concluded with a description of the impressive power back-up arrangement of generators and UPS that ensure continuous supply of power to the network’s facilities and equipment for a number of days if need be.
We had the opportunity to engage with John and his team in an interactive way. There were plenty of questions throughout the tour and all were answered quickly and with a great deal of detail with the host’s engaging style.
The consensus from all attendees was that this site visit was extremely informative and interesting. Thank you, John!
We are all looking forward to the next IET event!
