Utah Scientific Selected by Missouri TV Stations for Complete Master Control Upgrade

Utah Scientific, a provider of routing and master control switchers, announced that colocated independent stations KMIZ, KQFX, and KZOU kin Missouri have upgraded their shared analog facility to digital using Utah Scientific equipment. Now with the ability to take HD sources directly to air, the stations have realized greatly streamlined workflows, the potential for increased ad revenue, and a better quality viewing experience.

KMIZ, KQFX, and KZOU are ABC, Fox, and MyNetworkTV affiliates, respectively, serving about 250,000 households in Columbia/Jefferson City, Mo. They also broadcast syndicated programming and live local news. The stations upgraded their analog router with a complete Utah Scientific digital master control setup, which includes two MC-4000 master control processors with built-in logo, EAS, and DVE capabilities; an MC-400 HD/SD channel branding system; a UTAH-400 V-144R frame loaded 3G HD/SD 48×40, SD 32×0; an SC-4 control system; two GS-4000 graphics systems; an MC-GUI panel; and various control panels and SoftPanel-2 GUI.

“Our new Utah Scientific equipment not only helps us improve our viewers’ experience by broadcasting a higher-quality HD signal, we can also accommodate advertisers that want to broadcast their commercials in HD, whereas before we might have had to turn them away. It helps us get ahead of the curve for a market our size,” said KMIZ Chief Engineer Eric Jones. “Plus we now have fewer pieces of equipment that do more than we were able to do before, so we save space and use less power.”

Heartland Video Systems, Inc. provided system design, integration, and training for KMIZ.

“We’ve been a Utah Scientific partner for more than five years and have specified their equipment for dozens of master control rebuilds,” said Dennis Klas, president at Heartland Video Systems. “With the current economy in television, stations require a stable product with great support. Utah Scientific equipment has proved to be a great value for our customers, and customer service and reliability has been excellent. With the 10-year warranty, KMIZ can be confident that its router and master control systems will be secure for many years.”