A demanding and complex company in the TV industry, is the design and assembly of a newsroom. Everything this involves, what is seen and what is not seen on the screen, determines the decisions a news station must make to create its own workspace.
A good idea, precise, combined with the help of a project manager with experience, provide the firm foundations that a task of these dimensions requires. Of course, the decision is directly involved with a feasibility study and with a previous economic investment decision.
After this, the manager has to seek the advice of a specialized engineer or an experienced consulting company. At this stage the news room project begins with the initial design of some "conceptual plans", in which the first interpretation of the basic idea will be given.
The aim of this work is to achieve a common language between the project manager and the engineers in charge. These plans allow an economic valuation that must necessarily return to the initial stage, where the final approval of investment and viability will be given.
Resources and architecture
The project, at this stage, is divided into two: on the one hand, the development that has to do with technical resources; and on the other, the execution of an architectural project that involves the active participation of the space designer from the first moment.
These are two tasks that are carried out in parallel. Design of architectural plans, definition of spaces, adaptation of areas, selection of materials, are factors that are determined in conjunction with the technical aspects, while the engineering design proposal affects the physical construction of the place.
Structural systems, acoustic adaptations, electrical power supplies, air conditioning devices, scenographic creation, finishes and each of the details that become necessary to successfully achieve the objectives of a newsroom must be observed.
The technique before the needs
With regard to the technical part, a newsroom requires some equipment that another production facility does not need. For example, an energy support system that in turn has as a backup an electric generator that fully meets the needs of the room.
This is important for a newsroom that cannot afford the possibility of a power outage. It requires immediate availability to produce information continuously. For Fernández, "each site has its special requirements and you have to put the money where it is really needed."
Technical development begins with interconnection plans, once equipment needs have been determined. These resources require precision and rigor in the planning, since at the same time the list of these is made with the information of brand, model and technical specifications so that the connection network is clear and easily accessible in the operation tasks, maintenance and repair.
The design, construction and assembly stages of a newsroom take approximately one year, from the conception of the initial idea. The projects developed by the company SEEL Ltda., in Colombia, of which Mr. Fernández is manager, have an approximate investment calculation of 4 million dollars for the entire development of a TV project dedicated exclusively to the production of news.
