The SABC starts using its new Studio 11 for live broadcasting; switches Morning Live now done from there, with the HD-enabled set that will also be used as the SABC News main 2019 election coverage studio.

The SABC today switched to using its new Studio 11 inside the SABC TV Block at its Auckland Park headquarters for live broadcasting for the first time - a new high definition (HD) enabled studio that will be used as the South African public broadcaster's main 2019 election coverage broadcast studio.

The new studio that will be utilised for SABC News as well as SABC Sport broadcasting, is now being used by the SABC to do its morning show, Morning Live, from there.

The SABC failed to respond with any information to a media enquiry made Friday last week about the new studio that would come into use, and no publicity images nor press release about the multi-million rand studio upgrade was issued by the South African Broadcasting Corporation to the media.

On Monday morning, 1 April, Morning Live on SABC2 and SABC News (DStv 404) switched from its greyscale set and studio, to the new Studio 11, complete with some shaky camerawork and blurry, out-of-focus shots.

Studio 11 was bathed in amber hues in the studio where the dynamic mood-lighting built into the set can be adjusted and configured from the control room depending on specific daypart programming and whether news or sport content is being produced from there.

Besides the mood-lighting, the back-panel screens comprising the video wall, are also integrated and controlled from the studio's control room.

Studio 11 is the first fully-HD facility for the SABC's SABC News division, although it won't exclusively be used to produce live and pre-recorded news programming, but also for sports content.

The rest of the SABC News (DStv 404) channel's shows and programming will for the time being still be done from the other available sets.

The studio has 6 digital HD cameras of which one is on a camera-crane, a digital video mixing console, a 28-input picture production monitor-wall configurable for news or sport productions, as well as a digital lighting control suite.

"This studio is not only a full sports studio but also a fully-equipped news studio, which means SABC Sport can use this studio at the drop of a hat," said James Hill, MTI acting general manager for Broadcasting engineering services at the SABC.

He was interviewed on Monday morning by Morning Live's Leanne Manas for an insert about the new studio.

"This is SABC News' first HD studio and it's part of the SABC's digitisation programme to turn all our facilities into full-HD facilities," said James Hill.

The control desk is also "structured" and placed in tiers instead of one long control desk.