Testimonials - RVS 316
Ross RVS 316 Exceeds Expectations at Sunflower Cablevision
David Severance
Production Engineer
Sunflower Cablevision
Lawrence, Kansas
Sunflower Cablevision is a cable company serving the communities of Lawrence and Eudora, Kansas since 1971. We currently have a subscriber base of over 30,000 subs. I have worked with the company for over 24 years, starting as a part time production assistant. I have served in many production areas and was recently appointed as production engineer.
Since the beginning, the company's owners, The World Company, have had a strong commitment to local origination programming. We produce approximately 30 hours of local programming each week, on Sunflower Cablevisions channel 6, with the nightly newscasts as our anchor programming. The nightly news was added to our program lineup in 1985 and at that time we were using a Grass Valley 100 switcher.
In the fall of 1997, we began looking at upgrading our production/news equipment. The GVG 100 was limited as to our growing needs. Having recently attended NAB and seeing the Ross Switchers, I began to do some research. I found several Ross users in the immediate area and contacted them. Everyone was enthusiastic about the units and the company support. I contacted a local dealer and requested additional information. Ross had several models and plenty of options available to satisfy anyone's needs and budget. The product information and ordering forms were easy to understand and it wasn't a difficult decision to go with the RVS 316 model. The hardest part was deciding which options to go with. The pre-sale brochures and ordering forms clearly explained the various options, and with the comfort of knowing we can always upgrade the process was easier.
The switcher was shipped and delivered ahead of our schedule, which allowed us time to set it up temporarily and have a training session well before we actually had to have it on-line. We tapped local directors to help us with setting up the switcher to our needs. The RVS 316 was different than the GVG 100 that we were using and the directors and technical directors had to get use to a new style. The set up was a breeze, just follow along in the installation manual, insert a few boards, make the connections and power up. The manuals were easy to read and understand. A couple of phone calls to Ross cleared up some minor questions and the support staff was excellent. When we completed the control room renovation with the new Ross in place our staff was ready to put the unit through its paces.
The switcher is used daily for two live newscasts, three a day tapings for Headline News Local Edition inserts, various studio tapings, and also doubles as an editing bay. We have three studio cameras, two remote cameras, four tape machines, still store, CG and other inputs going into the 316. The 316 met and exceeded our needs for a production switcher and has performed flawlessly over the past two years.
One night after losing power, which was restored right before news time, just a simple reading in the saved settings off of a disk and we were up and running.
The Ross 316 has allowed us to make our on-air product a lot better -- something the viewing audience has commented on