Case Study: New CHCH studio features lighting gear from Elation Professional

CHCH, a television station located in Ontario, Canada, produces unique local news content every week, positioning itself as a prominent news source for Hamilton and the surrounding areas. To enhance its broadcasting capabilities, the station recently inaugurated a versatile studio space and equipped it with broadcast-optimized lighting from Elation Professional. The lighting solution delivers superior white light suitable for broadcasting purposes and also enables full-color functionality as required.

Aaron McCormack, the lighting designer for CHCH’s newly constructed studio, has prior experience working with Elation fixtures from his time at a production company in St. Catharines, Ontario. McCormack notes that he was impressed with the fixtures’ build quality, light quality, and output. “Also, the value per fixture met our budget needs and after doing some research, we decided that Elation would be a good choice for our new studio.”

The team at CHCH demoed several fixtures from a variety of companies. “But the cost was too high for what you would actually get,” he said of the other options. According to McCormack, they were seeking basic yet high-quality lights to illuminate the television set and were confident the Elation fixtures would adequately fulfill their requirements.

After finalizing their camera selection (4K resolution), it was determined that approximately 60-80 foot candles of light on the talent was required. “The KL Panel soft light provided the output that we were looking for and the quality of light,” the designer states. “Most of the set is lit with these and we use the Elation KL Fresnel 6 CW as key lights to provide depth and also as backlights.”

In addition, the team utilized SixBar 1000 battens to furnish accent lighting around the primary area of the set located behind the two anchors. McCormack emphasized the significance of these battens as they have the flexibility to change color and are incredibly versatile. Also included in the install and used for data distribution are NETRON RDM 6XL DMX/RDM splitters from Obsidian Control Systems.

CHCH’s Kitchen Studio, which serves as a platform for local chefs and advertising partners to prepare and demonstrate their products, is yet another newly built studio that incorporates Elation lighting fixtures. The kitchen set features a combination of TVL Softlight DW and KL Fresnel 4 CW fixtures suspended on a straight bar at the front of the set and used for focused key and back lights. McCormack comments, “The primary objective of the Kitchen set is to maintain a flat design so that the talent has the freedom to move around the set as they please.”

CHCH collaborated with Jason Rose and his team from AV Shop Canada, a company that provides commercial audiovisual products to end-users and integrators nationwide. AV Shop served as a sourcing partner on the CHCH studio project, assisting with product recommendations, sourcing demo units, and ultimately fulfilling the order. The installation was handled internally by CHCH.

For the past 11 years, Jason has been procuring Elation lighting fixtures. He explained that he selects Elation fixtures because they offer a fantastic combination of value and cost-effectiveness. “As the brand has grown and evolved over time, it has consistently presented an excellent proposition as far as value of product,” he said. “It’s been very reliable and there is uniqueness to the product.”

Dave Mydlo, CHCH Special Projects Supervisor on the new build, commented on the cooperation, adding, “The team at AV Shop were superb to work with. They were able to provide quick and competitive pricing, give knowledgeable feedback on the product, and were on top of giving us up-to-date information on when the product would be shipping due to Covid delays. They are one of my go-to vendors for anything broadcast related.”

In April 2022, the CHCH TV team began broadcasting from their new state-of-the-art studio. The Elation lights are utilized for various programs, including Morning Live, Evening News at 6 & 11, and Trending Now, as well as the Kitchen Studio. Mydlo reports that the installation has been highly effective, with the fixtures operating consistently over almost a year of daily use for around 8 hours each day.

Equipment Included:

34 x KL Panel
32 x KL Fresnel 6 CW
17 x KL Fresnel 4 CW
15 x SixBar 1000
7 x TVL Softlight DW
6 x NETRON RDM 6XL
2 x RDM X6S