WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WPTV NewsChannel 5 is South Florida's first television station to broadcast its local news in High Definition (HD). With High Definition, viewers see a high resolution broadcast with a notably sharper, crisper and clearer picture and enhanced audio, regardless of what type of television (HD or standard) they watch.
"This is a watershed moment in South Florida Television," said WPTV NewsChannel 5 Vice-President & General Manager Brian Lawlor. "WPTV has a long history of being recognized as one of the top-rated stations in Florida and one of the top 5 NBC stations in the country. Our viewers have come to expect a tradition of leadership, innovation and excellence from our station, and our launch of the first HD newscast in all of South Florida is another example of our commitment".
All NewsChannel 5 newscasts will now be produced and transmitted in HD. Viewers with HDTV sets will see the newscast in a 16:9 wide-screen format and will enjoy a distinctly better picture. Viewers can receive the HD broadcast signal for free through their antennas, or, if they subscribe to cable, fiber, or satellite service, through those providers as well. Viewers with standard TV sets (4:3 ratio) will notice improved pictures too.
WPTV's Director of Engineering Dave McKinley says "the planning and work behind the scenes to convert our newsroom studio and control room is an all- consuming task, and we are proud our team of engineers and station staff are the first to serve South Florida viewers in HD. This is a great culmination of months of hard work by our entire team."
WPTV -- NewsChannel 5 is the NBC affiliate serving the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast with most of NBC's news, prime time programming and sports already being presented in High Definition. WPTV is the first television station in West Palm Beach, Miami or Fort Meyers to broadcast its news in HD. It now joins Scripps sister station WFTS in Tampa as two of only three stations in the state of Florida broadcasting local news in HD. WPTV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company.
The E. W. Scripps Company (http://www.scripps.com/) is a diverse and growing media enterprise with interests in national cable networks, newspaper publishing, broadcast television stations, interactive media, and licensing and syndication.
The company's portfolio of media properties includes: Scripps Networks, with such brands as HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living and Great American Country; daily and community newspapers in 17 markets and the Washington-based Scripps Media Center, home to the Scripps Howard News Service; 10 broadcast TV stations, including six ABC-affiliated stations, three NBC affiliates and one independent; Scripps Interactive Media, including leading online search and comparison shopping services, Shopzilla and uSwitch; and United Media, a leading worldwide licensing and syndication company that is the home of PEANUTS, DILBERT and approximately 150 other features and comics.
