In 2013-2014, NBCUniversal’s West Coast operations—KNBC, KVEA (Telemundo), NBC News, CNBC and MSNBC—moved to their new headquarters on the Universal Studios lot. The new space consists of 150,000 square feet in two buildings now called The Brokaw News Center.
Each station needed to remain on-air throughout the relocation and KNBC needed to broadcast the 2014 Winter Olympic games. This meant Diversified had a very rigid deadline with no room for error.
The newsroom system integration of the central equipment room had to start before completion of interiors, without power and HVAC availability, and without clear access to the room.
With several projects happening in parallel, a phased approach to installation, integration, and launch was implemented, each tightly coordinated with NBC staff and the construction team.
The General Contractor built-out the equipment room early and sealed it off with a hallway for the Diversified crews to get in and out. Every piece of gear was hand-carried into the building, including almost 300 racks.
The success of this project is summed up by Matthew Braatz, Senior Vice President of Broadcast Operations, NBCUniversal. “The infrastructure is very forward-thinking. It allows us to adapt the facility for whatever technology changes may come.”
