ADD162 Equipment to support the City Hall Broadcasting Service

The Greater London Authority has a statutory duty under section 58 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to be transparent; this is assisted by having the facility to record, transcript and broadcast certain public meetings and committees involving the Mayor and London Assembly.

The broadcasting equipment was installed as part of the commissioning of City Hall in 2002 and has been in weekly use since then. To ensure that this statutory capability is maintained and because of the complex nature of the equipment the principle of progressive updating and replacement of equipment and components has been adopted.

As a result of its age and usage over the last 11 years some essential items of equipment that make up the City Hall broadcasting system are becoming less reliable and prone to failure. In addition, advances in media and communications technology mean the key clients served by the broadcasting service, namely the Mayor and London Assembly, are looking for improved functionality and compatibility with the new technology that they are using to conduct their official business.

To address both issues it is proposed to purchase of a Vision Mixer and ancillary equipment that will provide improved functionality and compatibility that supports the latest developments in media technology so ensuring that the broadcasting service remains fit for purpose. At the same time it will improve the resilience of the broadcasting system in the event of the failure of one of the original critical components, the Matrix, which is at the heart of the broadcast system. The Vision Mixer will effectively have the capability of acting as a mini-Matrix and allow the business of the Authority to continue until a repair or replacement of the Matrix is completed.