TV channel 2M was set up to provide the Moroccan audio-visual scenery with a second TV channel, to promote competition and diversify the country's TV offer. 2M officially started broadcasting its programmes in March1989. Seven years later, SOREAD (ONA group), the major shareholder, withdrew from the management and the Moroccan state took over control as part of the Moroccan Broadcasting Network, broadcasting in several languages, including Arabic, French, Spanish, English and three Berber dialects. Currently, 2M reaches 70% of the Moroccan population and employs approximately 500 people.
Standby power
Since its inception, 2M has always chosen to invest in Cummins Power Generation generator sets to deliver reliable standby power supply. It was therefore entirely appropriate that when the newly constructed 1200m² STUDIO 1200, Africa's biggest TV studio, reached completion, the channel turned to local distributor SOBERMA for a solution.
Since STUDIO 1200 is predominantly used for live broadcasts, it was absolutely vital to identify a standby power resource that would guarantee an uninterrupted transmission of TV programmes in the event of a power outage. 2M therefore specified a Cummins Power Generation C1675 D5 generator set with KTA50 series engine to provide 1,340kVA of standby power.
The TV studio environment demands no external sound interruptions that could potentially interfere with a live broadcast transmission. The engineering office in charge of sound effects at the station therefore elected to install two series-connected silencers to the KTA50 series engine exhaust. In addition, a specific sound trap was designed and the base of the generator set was mounted on springs in a double walled room to minimise any disruption caused by vibration.
With 2M enjoying a 20 year heritage with Cummins Power Generation, and SOBERMA, the distributor, boasting an incredible 60 year association with Cummins Power Generation (becoming the official Cummins Power Generation distributor in 1948), confidence in the C1675 D5 was never in question and the final installation has met with high praise from Mr Ahmed Moummou of 2M.
Mr Moummou says, “We operate in an unforgiving environment, a loss of power and the potential impact it might have on our programming schedule is simply not an option. It was therefore imperative that our choice of standby power was able to demonstrate an impeccable track record of 100% reliability. Cummins Power Generation generator sets have always lived up to our expectations and we have absolute confidence that the C1675 D5 product will play a vital role in the ongoing success of STUDIO 1200.”
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