The 2024 US Presidential Election is a big news event and broadcasters are adapting to new realities with social, political, cultural, and technological changes. Calrec, celebrating its 60th anniversary, has been helping broadcasters navigate these changes, including the transition from analogue to digital and more recently the transition into pure IP and cloud environments.

The most trusted news source for American voters is television news, especially local television news. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President of Public Affairs Michelle Lehman states, “In a rapidly evolving media landscape, broadcasters remain a vital bastion of the free press in communities all across the country — an especially critical role this election year. As misinformation runs rampant on social media, journalists at local TV and radio stations continue to bring unbiased reporting, urgent emergency updates and accurate fact-checking every day. Broadcasters provide voters the facts they need to make informed decisions on Election Day.”

New broadcast technologies are helping news agencies redefine how they get content to air. More local news broadcasters are embracing remote, distributed, and centralized production, similar to how sports broadcasters generate content. Calrec has been working with broadcasters on remote workflows for several years and 2024 saw a peak in these workflows with customers like NBC Sports, Sky, and the BBC using these technologies to generate live content for their audiences. This has allowed them to cover more content with a smaller environmental footprint.

Gray Media, the largest owner of local television stations and digital assets in the United States, has standardized its audio configurations across its entire portfolio, placing Calrec’s Type R mixing console at the center of its audio infrastructure to automate workflows and minimize reliance on physical control surfaces.

Global News, operating 15 local stations across Canada, is also leveraging Type R's remote connectivity. Ralph Carstens, Systems Specialist, Audio at Global News, said, “We have the ability to adjust things like levels and dynamics remotely using VPN and the Calrec Assist GUI, if needed. The DSP cores are connected to Viz Mosart, an automation system that allows just one to two operators to control all aspects of news production such as the cameras, playout, graphics, and audio. All the cores handle live local news production. Global National is produced out of Vancouver and all three cores produce morning, noon, and evening news shows plus cover elections and other special events.”

While traditional news networks remain popular, especially with older demographics, younger audiences are increasingly turning to social media for news. This audience fragmentation creates a challenge for broadcasters who are battling for viewer attention. To combat this, broadcasters are adopting more hybrid approaches that blend linear video and cross-channel content, and manufacturers like Calrec are helping them streamline their processes.

Calrec’s True Control 2.0 and ImPulse V cloud DSP engines offer more flexible workflows, enabling news broadcasters to embrace remote and distributed workflows, generate localized coverage, and reach bigger audiences by expanding their digital reach into other channels.