Electronic news gathering

As one cameraman of the era tells it,[3] One of the very first examples of reliable, news-style video was revealed at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

I was a 16mm cameraman at that convention and turned in the street violence one day to eye the first portable "Portapak" video package from Sony in Japan.

The Sony Portapak was a two-piece, battery powered, self-contained video tape analog recording system that could be carried and operated by one person.

[3] By the time videotape technology advanced, the capability for microwave transmission was well established (and used in the 1960s by the BBC's ill-fated Mobile Film Processing Unit).

But the convenience of videotape finally allowed crews to more easily use microwave links to quickly send their footage back to the studio.

[2] During the mid-to-late 1970s, several companies, such as RCA, Sony, and Ikegami released portable one-piece color television cameras designed for ENG use.

These cameras utilized vidicon tubes to capture video as solid-state imagers (such as CCDs) would not be practical in broadcasting until the late 1980s.

The technology was still in its developmental stages, and had yet to be integrated with satellites and microwave relays, which caused some problems with the network's early transmissions.

These devices are often more compact than previous technology and can aggregate multiple mobile data lines to deliver a high definition-quality content live.

This monitor fits on the back of a broadcast video camera and allows photojournalists to live-switch a multi-camera production in studio or on location.

Longer-form stories about the same topics are covered by national or international broadcast news magazines such as Dateline NBC, 20/20, Nightline, 48 Hours, 60 Minutes and Inside Edition.

However, there is no sunset date to the grandfather rights, and continued use of A10 remains on a protected, co-primary basis with Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) use of 2483.5-2495 MHz.

In Atlanta for example, there are two channels each for the four news-producing television stations (WSB-TV, WAGA-TV, WXIA-TV, WANF), one for CNN, and another open for other users on request, such as Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Traditionally, the Federal Communications Commission has assigned microwave spectrum based on historic patterns of need and through the application/request process.

A common set-up for journalists is a battery operated cassette recorder with a dynamic microphone and optional telephone interface.

With this set-up, the reporter can record interviews and natural sound and then transmit these over the phone line to the studio or for live broadcast.