Surprise, Surprise! Who knew that ABC had robotic cameras this early?
On September 3, 2012
- TV History
Surprise, Surprise!
Who knew that ABC had robotic cameras this early? The cameras I think are Ikegami HK 312E models, or another early Iki, so this would be in the late 80s maybe. The center camera is on a Fulmar ped and there’s a human running it, but the other two…well, I’m just amazed at how big the robotics are, and the fact that they’re in use on the Evening News with Peter Jennings.
After seeing this post, Kevin Magee, former executive producer of ABC’s Good Morning America, told us this is Mike Schneider doing the 8 AM news cut-in on GMA and Mr. Schneider has been good enough to confirm that this is him on the set in studio TV 3 in 1989. These peds were made by Radamec/ECO and Vinten and in the US, sold by Listec.
I have always been fascinated by what Jennings called his “eyes”, the multiple monitors he wanted around him. Notice that on the three monitor towers, the top is a direct feed from the camera it is next to. I remember during the big California quake Jennings asking how Brokaw always had “eyes” wherever he was on a remote. It was back in the days when C-band satellite dishes were all the rage and I assume that was the source, or a back-haul from NY on the satellite they were feeding on.
NBC attempted a robotic system for Nightly News in the same era. Three cameras were mounted on X-Y tracks in a ‘well’ in front of the news desk. No one was allowed within that area. It was quite dangerous. TMK, no one was ever hurt, but the idea was abandoned after a short period of experimental use; less than a year, I think.
Chuck, the center camera has no robotic equipment, as compared to the other two cameras. See the bulkiness of the peds on the left and right, plus the giant box on the side of the left camera? None of that is installed on the center camera.
The “human” is the floor manager.
We had Evershed robo heads on Marconis at WFLD Chicago in 1965. Never used them remote on live shows, but did use them for the ID board (large board with weather cards and a digital clock). The fun came when one of the shots would escape (started on a CU of a promo card then widened out for the full shot). Had a lot of live shots of the studio grid. They were also a pain to run manually.. no locks or drag adjustments.
The robotic pedis were made by TSM (the company was bought by Vinten several years ago) @ WMAQ in Chicago, we used the same model from 1989 to 2007.
As that Peter became sole anchor of “World News Tonight” in September 1983, the photo was likely taken sometime after that. Prior to that, he was part of the Frank Reynolds and Max Robinson troika, co-anchoring from the ABC News bureau in London.