[quote="Bob Ennis"]However, you need to have experienced people to run the equipment - there's a huge difference between being able to build effects that get called up by computer-driven macros and being able to organize and play back effects at the switcher during a live newscast. Even the best TD or audio opertor will find their skills atrophying if they don't use them on a regular basis or for a long while, and switching news is vastly different from hitting the space bar on the APC computer. As all of these stations put in automation systems & get rid of operators, the pool of people who can operate competently in a live environment is shrinking. As I have stated in similar threads; because TD's and audio operators "cut their teeth" at the local station level before acquiring the necessary skills to venture out to do Sports and then move "up the food chain" to the Entertainment level, the choice of stations to go the APC route will eventually cause, in my opinion, a lack of qualified operators in all levels across the entire spectrum of live television production.[/quote] you are absolutely correct about this. i've seen it first hand, where experienced td's have come to me after a few months on overdrive and they have completely forgotton how to do some fundamental things on the switcher. i try to spend time on the board every day, building new effects, or just playing or whatever, because i find myself starting to forget things too, not so much concepts, but which buttons are where, and how the synergy differs from all the different gvg switchers i've worked on over the years. i've wondered about the shrinking pool of td's also. at least at the local news level i think it will just get worse and worse. thank goodness for all the legal pads full of notes i've taken in your classes bob, they might come in handy as my own skills start to atrophy. the group that we have doing apc at my station right now are all very qualified and experienced td's and directors but we are much more focused on a different type of production style now. and just to clarify a little, running overdrive (at least on our shows) is a lot more than just hitting the space bar. if our news shows were linear events that stayed on track from point a to point b, it would be pretty simple, but when the changes and breaking events start happening, there is a lot of dancing, on a keyboard, touchscreen, mini audio board, etc. as much as it frustrates me, i realize that in the current environment, with layoffs, etc., it pays to know and learn this system the best i can. it can't run itself completely. yet.

[quote="KenM"]it is also nice having a full sized switcher, full sized audio board, and robo controls in the control room, just in case something crashes you can send the apc op to the switcher and the assist to the audio board.[/quote] You are right that having the equipment as a back-up is good. However, you need to have experienced people to run the equipment - there's a huge difference between being able to build effects that get called up by computer-driven macros and being able to organize and play back effects at the switcher during a live newscast. Even the best TD or audio opertor will find their skills atrophying if they don't use them on a regular basis or for a long while, and switching news is vastly different from hitting the space bar on the APC computer. As all of these stations put in automation systems & get rid of operators, the pool of people who can operate competently in a live environment is shrinking. As I have stated in similar threads; because TD's and audio operators "cut their teeth" at the local station level before acquiring the necessary skills to venture out to do Sports and then move "up the food chain" to the Entertainment level, the choice of stations to go the APC route will eventually cause, in my opinion, a lack of qualified operators in all levels across the entire spectrum of live television production.

chris, just to clarify, at most of the nbc o&os who have switched over, the control room is staffed with three production people. an apc operator, an assist, and either a camera or audio operator. some stations have let overdrive automate the audio, others have kept an audio operator. the stations that have kept a camera op have done so tweak the shots. even if the cams are automated, the shots are never exact, anchor leans over, too many venues, etc. so having someone sitting at the robo controls is a big benefit. it is also nice having a full sized switcher, full sized audio board, and robo controls in the control room, just in case something crashes you can send the apc op to the switcher and the assist to the audio board.

KNTV is switching over to the Ross OverDrive automation system in a couple of weeks. NBC chose OverDrive for it's O&Os instead of the Ignite system which is already being used at KGO and KTVU. It's sad to see major markets switching to automation, but it's pretty much inevitable at this point.