Vatican Television Centre marks 30 years of service

(Vatican Radio) Preparations are underway at the Vatican Television Centre, CTV, to provide 3-D coverage of the upcoming canonisations of Blessed Pope John XXIII and Blessed Pope John Paul II. This was just one of the new initiatives that CTV’s Director General, Msgr. Dario Viganò, discussed with Vatican Radio on Tuesday, in the context of the Television Centre’s thirtieth anniversary. Listen:

“There are many innovations,” explained Msgr. Viganò, including a video content management platform completely in HD that CTV is designing with Sony. The Centre has also signed an agreement with Argentina’s Canal 21 for the acquisition of footage of the then-Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ, who became Pope Francis on March 13^th of this year. CTV is also preparing to complete its phase-out of tape and its transfer to digital production, editing and archiving.

It was thirty years ago on October 22^nd that Bl. John Paul II juridically erected CTV by papal rescript. The Centre’s principal mission is to contribute to spreading the universal message of the Gospel by using television to document the Pope's pastoral ministry and the activities of the Apostolic See. CTV offers live broadcasts, production, archiving, and daily assistance to other broadcasters – all with a very small, tight-knit and highly professional staff. “The team of CTV consists of only twenty-two people, who achieve together extraordinary results,” said Msgr. Viganò. “It is really easy for me to lead a team of such skilled and competent people.”