KEYE Deploys Utah Scientific Graphics Station

Four Points Media-owned CBS affiliate KEYE Austin, Texas (DMA 48), has deployed a Utah Scientific GS-4000 graphics station to add to its branding capabilities and to simplify master control workflow. KEYE master control operators use the GS-4000 to display HD time and temperature, an Associated Press news crawl and sniping during live programming. Because the Utah Scientific graphics station has made it easier for KEYE to add new ticker crawls, it has also helped the station attract revenue through their sponsorship. 

“The Utah Scientific GS-4000 dramatically simplifies workflow for our master control operators, provides a more readable HD image for viewers, and also enables us to deliver more up-to-the-minute and accurate news and time and temperature information,” said P.L. Laird, KEYE engineering manager. “Our previous system required separate boxes for the bug and the crawl, limited the amount of text we could use, and required several precious minutes for every setup. You shouldn’t have to be a shuttle pilot to put a crawl on the air, and with the GS-4000, you don’t.” 

Utah Scientific’s new GS-4000 works with the company’s MC-4000 master control switcher to support graphics, including fixed text, multiple text crawls, still and animated logos, sniping, and time and temperature displays. With it, text and branding graphics can be created and saved using a simple composition screen — no sophisticated coding skills required. 

For KEYE, the Utah Scientific GS-4000 solved another problem with the previous system: Master control operators couldn’t input school closure updates fast enough to keep the ticker crawl current. This year when unusually snowy weather hit the region, the GS-4000’s simplified workflow enabled KEYE to provide timely, accurate information to students and parents. More advantages include the system’s automated retrieval of local temperatures from the National Weather Service and news from the Associated Press.