Getting a piece of the action

The climate is not the only thing linking London to Beirut these days. On an unusually hot and humid August afternoon in Stockwell, broadcast service provider Ken Suckling explains the surprising portability of a large satellite dish that sits on top of a van, more technically known as a flyaway terminal. Operations manager Kate Ivens is on hand to translate Suckling’s expertise into layman’s terms, while engineer Adam Simmons has no such qualms and launches into an intricate explanation of the input, conversion and transmission process. The Beirut Media Center (BMC) was founded by Suckling and international television journalist Brent Sadler in 2001. While based in Beirut, it is supported and partnered by Suckling’s London-based Satellite News Gathering (SNG) Broadcast Services, which provides technical support from its office and warehouse in Stockwell. The BMC provides satellite transmission and production equipment for independent and national networks and broadcasters all over Europe,