Infinity helps show producers, reporters, and anchors coordinate live remotes with unprecedented simplicity.
CLEVELAND, OH – 17 October 2018 – The Telos Alliance®—leader in broadcast audio technology including Telos®, Omnia®, Axia®, 25-Seven®, Linear Acoustic®, and Minnetonka Audio® brands—announced today that Chicago’s legendary news-talk radio station, WGN-AM, is now producing and coordinating its 24/7 live news and talk format with the multi-award-winning Telos Infinity® networked IP Intercom system.
WGN’s Chief Engineer, Bill Murdoch, says its old intercom was no longer serviceable, and a different system wasn’t getting the job done. “It was time to move to a proper intercom system that would integrate with our audio network. It had to be reliable to support our 24/7 live and local talk and our 24/7 news and talk operations.”
In service round-the-clock since June 2018, the new Infinity intercom system was installed during WGN’s move to new studios in downtown Chicago. It allows show producers, reporters, and news and sports anchors to coordinate breaking news, live handoffs, and play-by-play updates for games.
WGN produces White Sox baseball games as well as Blackhawks hockey and Northwestern University football games. Sometimes these events are happening simultaneously. The Infinity IP Intercom’s network connectivity and drag-and-drop configuration allow quick changes in studios and workflows, easing the stress of producing multiple programs from changing venues. “Programming is easy—the Dashboard app is terrific; just drag and drop the destinations into virtual buttons and the intercom panel is programmed,” says Murdoch.
Traditional broadcast intercom systems connect with a separate layer of cabling to an expensive central matrix frame, but the Infinity IP Intercom connects to today’s Audio over IP Networks—even as an add-on to existing ones. This matrix-free design affords quick and easy deployment, plus network connectivity with both AES67 and Livewire® devices. Infinity seamlessly integrated with WGN’s Telos VX VoIP talk show system, for example, allowing it to eliminate its legacy POTS connections with the new intercom.
WGN staff say they’re getting more useful communications from the Telos Infinity IP Intercom than other systems they’ve used. They report that their favorite feature is the Last Call button. If they are busy and miss an intercom call, the last caller can be re-called easily with this feature.
“Our workflow has several requirements that are uncommon to other broadcast operations,” Murdoch explains. “Infinity is built with the flexibility we need to control third-party equipment. Commands from Infinity allow instantly switching the right headphone mixes on our existing systems.”
For more information, please contact: Krissy.Rushing@TelosAlliance.
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About The Telos Alliance
For three decades, the brands of the Telos Alliance have revolutionized radio and television by pioneering disruptive, cutting-edge audio technology with the goal of helping global networks and local stations produce better programming, improve audience engagement, and bolster ratings. The Telos Alliance is made up of six brands—Telos Systems, Omnia Audio, AxiaAudio, Linear Acoustic, 25-SevenSystems, and MinnetonkaAudio—that raise the bar for quality and innovation in the radio and television industries. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, with additional offices and dealers around the world, the Telos Alliance offers an industry-leading warranty and backs users' critical on-air needs with worldwide 24/7 round-the-clock support for all customers. A complete list of dealers can be found at TelosAlliance.com/Dealers.