Ground breaking court broadcast service in action again

The two companies teamed up to cover the verdict on two of the three original defendants, as the jury announced its decision on 4 April.

Although WordWave has worked with the BBC before in this way (on the Deepcut Inquiry in March) it’s the first time News 24 has used the ground breaking technique to report on the outcome of trial proceedings.

Over the last 12 months, WordWave has teamed up with several broadcasters to perfect the live transcript service. First, a highly trained stenographer captures what’s said, sending the information to the broadcaster via the Internet. The broadcaster then uses specialist software to convert the stenography code into text, so it can be shown on screen.

The whole process takes just a few seconds, allowing viewers to hear and read breaking news, as it happens.

The BBC was delighted with the outcome of this latest joint venture, as Guy Pelham, Live Editor BBC News explains:

“Our collaboration with WordWave on the Damilola Taylor case was very successful,” he says. “WordWave worked closely with our software development team in the weeks running up to the trial verdict. Having live text on screen meant a faster, more informative service for our viewers on News 24 and brought an extra dimension to our traditional court reporting.”

For WordWave, court broadcasting is a natural development of two of its other innovative services: real-time reporting (where live transcripts are sent using the Internet to those taking part in proceedings, either in court or at a remote location) and speech to text, in which transcripts of a meeting are made instantly available via a laptop, allowing people with hearing impairments to play a full role.

Says Jamie Pearce, WordWave’s Business Development Manager for Media, Broadcasting and Communications:

“Over the last year, our court broadcasting service has begun to transform the way court proceedings are reported. Although its use is still subject to permission from the judge, as the service proves its worth we expect it to become a standard feature of news coverage of any event where there’s a high level of public interest, whether it’s a trial, public inquiry or inquest.”

To find out more about WordWave’s court broadcasting service, contact Jamie Pearce on 020 7421 4006 or at:
jamie.pearce@wordwave.co.uk

To see it in action, visit:
www.wordwave.co.uk/broadcast/broadcast1.htm