Mediaset’s Alberto Cotronei (left) with Mauro Bucchia from A&DT
Italy’s leading private TV network operator, Mediaset, has chosen a 42-fader Studer Vista 8 digital audio console for its newly-built audio production facility.
Mediaset’s TV holdings include networks Canale 5, Italia 1 and Rete 4, and it is the main competitor to the state broadcaster, RAI. Media mogul and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi owns a one-third stake in the company, which broadcasts to more than 40 percent of the Italian viewing audience.
In Rome, Mediaset is using a Studer Vista 8 console for news programming on Canale 5. A second Vista 8 was installed in a new studio block on the Cinecitta lot, marking the first time the console has been used for production. Completed at the end of 2006, the building includes all production facilities necessary for the adjoining 6,500-square-foot studio. Among other projects coming out of this location is the daily show Forum, which is filmed in front of a live audience of 80 and broadcast on Mediaset’s Rete 4 commercial channel.
The Vista 8 was specified by Alberto Cotronei, project designer for the new facility. “The installation has been completely trouble-free,” says Cotronei. “Our supplier, A&DT, was on-site to commission the console and provide introductory training, and they haven’t ever had to return. But the reliability is not the only reason why I like Studer. The consoles are powerful and easy to work, and they’re a great building block when you’re designing a project.”
Although Mediaset’s HD transmissions started this year with soccer programs, the studio’s full multichannel surround-sound capability will be implemented in the future.
For more information, visit www.studer.ch.
