Case Study: Weigel Broadcasting achieves cost-effective mass digitization of 28,000-episode tape archive with Telestream Pipeline Quad

Weigel Broadcasting Co. Picks Pipeline to Cost-effectively Mass Digitize Tape Archives

Weigel Broadcasting Co., a family-owned group that operates ten stations including Chicago’s WCIU and the Me-TV classic channels, faced a massive archiving challenge: roughly 28,000 television episodes stored on tape needed to be digitized by a single operator and made available to stations across three cities, all on a tight budget that ruled out six-figure digitization systems.

Weigel implemented Telestream’s Pipeline Quad to capture four Betacam streams simultaneously, feeding real-time transcoding via FlipFactory, quality checks with QuiC Analyzer, and storage to a 50 TB SGL archive. The streamlined workflow lets one operator load four tapes and automatically archive about 75 half-hour episodes per weekday, with centralized master control serving all stations over fiber — delivering large-scale access and a low-cost $9,950 price point for mass digitization.

Weigel Broadcasting

Kyle Walker

Director of Engineering/Operations