Radio Television Serbia (RTS) has had an eventful past. Established in 1929 as Radio Belgrade, RTS was expanded to a television institution in 1956 by the Serbian government. In the following decades, RTS acquired an excellent reputation with the production of documentaries, sitcoms and quiz shows.
Under the regime of Slobadan Miloevic, the broadcast station entered dark times. Journalists who did not want to be utilised as instruments of the regime were fired, and RTS devolved into the megaphone of Miloevic's propaganda. The tragic climax came when 16 people were killed during the bombing of the studio headquarters on 23 April 1999, by NATO troops.
Since then, Serbian television has been privatised. Thanks to support from the European Agency for Reconstruction, an organisation of the European Union, it will now be reconstructed and fully modernised. The contract for complete studio lighting has been awarded to ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls). The project will be managed and serviced by ETC's Holzkirchen, Germany centre.
A substantial component of the proposal was the condition that all products utilised - to closest compliance of their technical specifications - originate from within the EU or affiliated countries.
The entire project then will be composed of dimmers, network technology and control modules from the ETC, ETC Transtechnik and IES brands manufactured in Germany and Holland; pantographs, hoists, and spotlights from Desisti and spotlights from Coemar (Italy); rail systems from Lastro (Germany); as well as curtain systems from Irish manufacturer UpRight.
The 280sq.m studio will be equipped with state of the art technology in lighting consoles, automated flies together with controllers, as well as dimming and networked systems. The existing dimmer cabinets will be replaced by a decentralised 'distributed dimming' system. Pantographs will be equipped with distributed dimmers from ETC IES and control for horizontal lighting will be powered by IES PowerModules. In each case, cutting edge sine wave dimming will be employed.
For control of the fly, Belgrade opted for ETC's Transtechnik Voyager system. A wall-mounted unit controls the vertical hoists, while an additional console unit controls the x/y movements of pantographs and other hoist devices. Both control sections are integrated in the network and communicate with remote devices through the Profibus data protocol. Position signals are displayed in real time on the touchscreen monitor, so that entire shows can be comfortably and securely cleared, saved and re-opened at any time. Even for short-term contract employees, necessary under certain circumstances in Belgrade, the operation of the Voyager system can be learned quickly and easily.
The lighting system of approximately 170 spotlights (mostly fresnel lenses) is controlled by an ETC Congo console. "Congo satisfies the exact requirements of flexibility, reliability and user friendliness and at a price that fits well into the budget," says David Gray, associate regional manager at ETC. An extensive ETCNet2 network with DMX Booster ensures seamless communication between lighting system devices.
"The special challenge of this project for Radio Television Serbia is its short execution time of only 90 days between signing the contract and turning the studio over to the operator," says Michael Schepers, project manager at ETC in Holzkirchen. "Completing complex studio projects is our expertise, but the swift procurement and integration of all the components in such a short time - especially during the vacation months of June and July - is a strength not to be underestimated."
The installation of the system will be conducted by local partner businesses. After its initial launch and employee training in July, the Serbian TV station can
