WCBI Taps Orad Maestro for News and Production

WCBI-TV Columbus, MS, has gone live with Orad’s Maestro graphics system for news and production. WCBI has incorporated a dual-channel Maestro system with MOS newsroom interface to replace three aging graphics products and to give the station a new, sophisticated 3D graphic look. The upgrade is part of a phased rollout of new technologies designed to streamline the station’s workflow and deliver news in a more dynamic and efficient manner.

“When we began our search for a new graphics system, our goals were high – we wanted a system capable of giving us a “network look” that was within our budget and technical expertise” says Bobby Berry, GM of WCBI. “With Orad’s Maestro we were able to accomplish all of our goals, and then some. The system is capable of doing just about anything you see on television and we’ve just begun to tap the power that it offers, but the beauty is that our staff has wholeheartedly endorsed what we want to accomplish.”

Berry says the system has done a great job with breaking news, elections, and in areas where the system is simply easier to use than previous systems.

“But our on-air look with real-time 3D graphics sets us apart from the competition,” he adds.

Maestro, Orad’s comprehensive on-air enterprise graphics suite, provides a complete workflow that meets all the graphics needs of TV stations – all on a single graphics platform and integrated with the most commonly used newsroom, automation and editing systems.

“One thing we couldn’t afford was to buy into a system that we didn’t have control over: we wanted to be able to determine our own destiny in terms of when we created graphics and how they were presented and not have to rely on expensive, specialized expertise,” adds Berry. “With Maestro’s drop-down menus and advanced GUI, we can do just about anything without scripting or programming.”

Shaun Dail, Orad, VP of sales and marketing for North America, says the install shows the versatility of the system, both with price and performance, even though it is not one of the company’s large network installs.