Canon helps HMG/BCN meet the new challenges

HMG (Holland Media Group) is another famous Hilversum-based company, servicing the RTL4, RTL5 and Yorin Dutch TV stations; and the RTL-FM and Yorin-FM radio stations - with the backing of its technical facility house, BCN, which has one News and two Production studios. HMG / BCN Technical Manager, Hank van de Loo says “ We’ve been using Canon lenses since RTL Veronique started up in 1989. But last year we decided to replace them together with our cameras - not because they didn’t work anymore but  because nowadays the News Environment and Talk Shows are making different demands on such things as lighting and scenery.” “For our News studio, we bought 4 LDK100 cameras with three Canon J11x 4.5BIASD and one J21x 7.8BIASD. We use Radamec remote control camera heads for almost all our news bulletins. Having to bring news to the viewer all day long, different scenery sets are installed - which leaves us with very little space to move the cameras around. Nevertheless, our lenses enable us to make shots look impressively big.”

“Both production studio’s are equipped with Thomson LDK 200 cameras. Three Canon Digi Super 25s are placed on large lens adapters; and the handheld camera’s use J11x 4.5BIASD and J21x 7.8BIASD lenses. This set-up provides us with the flexibility to broadcast two or even three different live talk shows and sport programmes out of the same studio every evening, seven days a week.”

“ As our senior cameraman Justus Croné  says ‘even with eight people on a desk and a large audience behind us we are still able to make razor-sharp close-ups and large wide angle shots despite the fact there isn’t room to swing a cat!’ “.  

“Of course the after sales service was another important reason for buying Canon lenses -  since all our programmes are broadcast live, even a small problem can causes a lot of stress. Shortly after installation we did experience a problem; and it was quickly resolved by the two Canon service engineers who arrived within half an hour.”

“Right now we are moving our premises to the Media Park on the other side of Hilversum, where we will be installing a new production studio. Needless to say the lenses will be Canon.”