t
52
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ISSUE 2 2015
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THE CHANNEL
usterity across Europe
means that most
broadcasters across
the continent are
facing similar
production challenges.
Money is tight. Yet
there has never been a greater need
for impartial news coverage,
especially at a national and regional
level. International networks rarely
cover events in this Nordic country.
Regional news coverage is an
important part of YLE’s mandate,
especially as the national commercial
TV sector is concentrating more
and more on entertainment. While
it is true that Finnish regional news-
papers are also starting to make
more video for on-line use, most of
their stories are text-based,
illustrated with a still image.
Most of YLE’s news output
originates from its broadcasting
centre in Pasila, a suburb of Helsinki.
TV, radio and online bulletins are
produced in the country’s two
official languages Finnish and
Swedish; there are also newscasts
in Russian, English and Sign-
language. In total, around 1,200
people are involved in news and
current affairs production in
Helsinki, with approximately 350
others working in the regions.
Regional news coverage is
integrated within the national
public TV networks. YLE HQ in
Helsinki feeds its signal to seven
regional studios. There are regional
opt-out windows of between three
and ten minutes clustered around
the early evening transmission
schedule. The length of these
regional windows is fixed.
SEAMLESS LOOKAND FEEL
“In late 2013 we decided to invest
in improving both the look and
content of our regional output,”
says Petteri Sopanen, YLE Systems
Manager in Helsinki. “Viewers
should understand they’re
watching one uniformly branded
channel. That means an identical
look and feel in both studio design
and on-air graphics.”
“We expect the demand for
regional news to grow, especially
online with the introduction of all
kinds of portable devices. To meet
tight budget targets, this means far
less operational expenditure – as
well as capital equipment outlay.”
They selected YLE Tampere, with
studios in the heart of Finland’s
second largest city, for the pilot.
SIMPLERWORKFLOW
The standard level of journalism in
YLE regional stations has always
been high. Journalists are often
asked to make an interview in
Swedish as well as Finnish, and
often they need to think of both the
national and regional angle to the
story for both radio and TV. Having
such a small population scattered
over such a vast area means multi-
skilling is second nature to
successful broadcast journalists.
There are three news galleries at
YLE Helsinki, spread over five
floors. Several complex news and
current affairs programmes originate
from here, including a three-hour
rolling news morning show.
The main studios in Helsinki use
a top end solution (Mosart) to
handle studio automation. But that
solution was seen as “overkill” for
the regions. The software would
require complex integration with
(legacy) hardware. So they were
looking for a single, modular
solution that could integrate
seamlessly with Avid iNews and
expand when needed, since this is
also used for radio and online as
well in YLE news production.
DIGITAL FIRST
Broadcaster Antti Eintola of YLE
Tampere explains the changes
implemented in March 2014: “The
A
RESHAPING
REGIONALNEWS
The challenge: How can pubcaster YLE
increase both the quality and quantity of TV
news output from its seven regional news
gathering centres with a very tight budget?
In 2014 YLE selected the VidiGo production
platform and started a process to fully digitize
the regional news production workflow. Media
specialist Jonathan Marks visited Tampere and
Helsinki to take a closer look at the project
“
”
Multi-
skilling is
second
nature to
YLE’s
broadcast
journalists
t
YLE’s Helsinki
headquarters
Technology
designed tomake
life easy for the
non-technical
THE CHANNEL
|
TECHNoLoGY BUSINESS
