WETA is the flagship public broadcaster in our nation’s Capital and the third largest producing station in the public television system. Located in Arlington, Virginia just minutes from the National Mall, WETA produces local shows and two nationally broadcast news programs, The PBS Newshour and Washington Week with Gwen Ifill. In 2015 the look of The PBS Newshour was updated with a new set, graphics, music, and lighting. The new set designed by Eric Siegel and George Allison Design was lit by The Lighting Design Group. Complicating the switch to the new look was WETA’s desire to swap production activities between their two main Studios. This created overlapping schedule requirements impacting nearly all aspects of the very active facility.
Barbizon coordinated closely between the WETA staff, vendors, scenic fabrication, lighting designer, and other key contractors enabling the on-time delivery of the systems and products needed against a very rigid schedule.
After months of budgeting, planning, and equipment evaluations, WETA decided to make the investment in the infrastructure necessary to transition nearly all studio fixtures to LED. Barbizon removed the decades old dimming system in order to install ETC Echo Relay switching, two ETC GIO lighting control consoles, and network data and DMX control distribution. Barbizon furnished all lighting fixtures, accessories, grip equipment and expendables needed for the new plot. The PBS Newshour studio is lit by ETC Source Four Daylight HD, Litepanel Sola 12, and Philips PL Cyc
fixtures. The production studio augmented their inventory with ETC Source Four Lustr+, and ETC Colorsource PAR fixtures. In the production studio Barbizon provided and installed a full surround of ADC curtain track, The Light Source custom curved pipe, and a seamless leno cyc Stage Decoration & Supplies.
For additional information about this project, please contact the systems division of the Barbizon Capitol office at 703-750-3900.
