Testimonials - Synergy 2

Nexstar Broadcasting Realizes Potential of Ross Synergy Switchers

Lorne Earle
Chief Engineer
WJET-TV/WFXP-TV
Nexstar Broadcasting
Erie, Pennsylvania

I have been with WJET-TV for over 20 years and have worked in several positions before my most recent promotion to Chief Engineer. I've had the advantage of working through these positions and now have firsthand knowledge of what it takes to deliver our product to air -- personnel and equipment. WJET-TV is market size 142 and we are very competitive in local news.

Throughout my employment here, we have held the number one position in overall news ratings. We have also added a LMA of the FOX affiliation. We now produce newscasts for both stations which amounts to about 5 hours a day, seven days a week (I should also add that we are part of an aggressive multi-station group).

It was my job to build the new Production Control Room working within a tight budget. For this reason, we were faced with the difficult process of planning and building. The system we replaced was of 70s technologies with a few added-on pieces of more modern equipment. Believe it or not, we were able to maintain the number one status in the market with a GrassValley 1600 single effects bank switcher.

The first part of this process was to find an economical yet powerful switcher. We looked at several brands (Echolab, Grass Valley, Sony, Ross, etc...). After evaluating product vs. price, I decided that the Ross Synergy digital production switchers were the way to go. We chose the Synergy 2 knowing that expansion would not be a problem down the road (they use the same frame and swap out the control panel).

There were some features I disliked about other switchers: the need for an external PC for configuration and effects was one of them. We are in a region that is prone to power failures and surges, with Synergy, this is not a concern. (Have you ever had to reboot an NT machine?) At one of the demonstrations, the Regional Sales Manager pulled the power cord -- I expected several minutes to reboot but that was just not the case (there's no external PC).

Other features of interest were the "Squeeze & Tease" option, the ability of "Dual Aspectizers" and naturally the ease of configuration and use. As a matter of fact, our Corporate Chief Engineer has been so impressed with Synergy, he has purchased additional Synergy switchers for some of our other Nexstar Broadcasting stations.

I must also relate my experience with our Ross Representative, Steve Romain. From our first conversation, to our meeting at an SBE convention, Steve was very helpful and knowledgeable, informing me of their products, support, and pricing structure as well as a list of distributors. Throughout the whole process he maintained professionalism.

We purchased the Synergy 2 with full conversion gear for all inputs, outputs and monitoring. RossGear conversion products were purchased due to the flexibility and price. Naturally, there were a few problems but between Steve and Ross' technical support, the issues were addressed quickly and professionally. There were no problems that could not be resolved via a phone call.

Most impressive was the ease of installation and configuration. Training was another area that just went smoothly. Our directors picked it up very quickly and were doing everything after the first day.

The Synergy 2 has given us the abilities to perform and do things we thought were impossible only a few years ago. We have improved our product significantly and also saved a significant amount of money in the process. Now I look forward to possible options and upgrades. It seems as though nothing is impossible.