Panasonic To Sponsor Launch Of First Regularly-Scheduled HDTV News Broadcasts

Digital News Programming To Begin At WRAL-TV On Super Bowl Sunday

25-Jan-01

In a move designed to encourage the further acceptance of digital television, Panasonic announced it will sponsor the launch of the nation's first regularly-scheduled news broadcasts in high definition television (HDTV) format. The broadcasts, slated to begin on January 28, 2001 at WRAL-TV (the CBS affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina), a pioneer in digital television broadcasting, will feature news stories acquired, edited and played back on Panasonic DVCPRO HD high definition equipment. The broadcasts will be supported by a series of Panasonic-sponsored promotional announcements designed to draw attention to the broadcasts and the HDTV format.""The future of television is clearly digital,"" said Bill Mannion, Vice President and General Manager of Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company's Television and Network Systems Division, ""and the benefits of HDTV are not limited to movies and sports. HDTV can provide the clarity, detail and sound that will help bring the drama and importance of local news to viewers.""""Panasonic is pleased to support WRAL-TV in the launch of its HDTV news programming. They are not only bringing the benefits of the new format to their viewers - they are once again leading the way for other broadcasters, demonstrating the viability of over-the-air HDTV broadcasting.""In commenting on the debut of WRAL's groundbreaking HDTV newsroom operation, Bill Peterson, Vice President and General Manager of WRAL offered, ""This conversion to HD has, quite frankly, never been done before. Virtually every piece of equipment we use in putting together a newscast, from field cameras to editing to the control room, has been completely changed. What viewers will see, even those with standard sets, is truly a one-of-a-kind news operation. They'll see a clearer picture, more detail and a greatly enhanced newsroom designed to function at the highest possible technical standard.""Panasonic has assumed a leadership role in encouraging the acceptance and awareness for digital television. The company sponsored the first public broadcasts of HDTV in New York, Chicago and Boston, and has held numerous demonstrations for consumers across the country. To encourage the growth of HDTV broadcasts, Panasonic has also sponsored HDTV broadcasts of ""Monday Night Football"" and SuperBowl XXXIV and entered into an agreement with CBS Television to underwrite the conversion of 17 prime time shows to the 1080i HDTV format during the 2000-2001 television season.Panasonic has been a technology leader throughout the development and launch of digital television - from the HD cameras which capture the images, to HD VTRs used for recording and playback, to universal format converters and set-top DTV decoder boxes, to the DTV monitors that bring the incredibly brilliant digital images to consumers' homes. Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company was the first to bring an HDTV television monitor to the U.S. market (a 56-inch projection television) and now offers the broadest assortment of consumer digital television products in the industry.WRAL was the first station in the country to broadcast in the Federal Communication Commission's new digital television standard. It was granted the nation's first high definition television (HDTV) experimental license in 1996. WRAL continues to broadcast HD on a daily basis on WRAL-Digital and has accomplished a number of firsts in the industry, including broadcast of the world's first stand-alone, all-HDTV newscast on October 13, 2000, which originated live from the North Carolina State Fair.For more information about Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Company, visit www.panasonic.com/broadcast.

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