New HD Sub Control

Rochester tv stations converted from SD, standard definition, to HD, high definition broadcasting in 2009. However the engineering infrastructure at WHAM was not prepared to originate HD programming quite yet. Newport eventually committed to the upgrades in engineering, control room and studio equipment to make us the first commercial station in Rochester to do the news in full HD.

The problem was that it would be difficult to refit the old sub control for HD while still doing the news in SD. Engineering suggested instead that we build a new HD control room in the location of the old master control room.  When it was finished we could move over to it on the day we committed to premier HD newscasts. This is the new control room. If you note carefully a sign that says “BUG” and a picture of a bug under the program monitor. This was to remind directors of the new procedure that identifies the station in the lower corner of the screen, the “bug” identifies us as WHAM.  The directors often had ad lib conferences to discuss problems and come up with solutions in the early days of the change over.