Spotlight: New Year’s Eve At Times Square Celebrated

Broadcasters seeking to show scenes of New York’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve will have free access to two satellite feeds on the 100th anniversary of the celebration. The Times Square Business Improvement District and Countdown Entertainment are providing two free satellite feeds that will feature the use of 11 cameras – including exclusive panoramic views of Times Square and the famous ball from locations on rooftops and the street. The coverage is intended to convey the event’s festive ambience.

Featured attractions include the lighting and raising of the New Year’s Eve ball, with accompanying music and pyrotechnics. Cyndi Lauper will lead a Times Square community sing-along, while the traditional ball lowering at midnight will be followed by a blizzard of colorful confetti, capped by a “spectacular” Grucci pyrotechnics show.

In addition to the “live” New Year’s Eve feed, a feed on Dec. 29 will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Times Square 2004. The feed will include footage of the fabrication and installation of the “2004” sign at the top of One Times Square; the new Waterford crystal triangles for the New Year’s Eve ball; and the rigging of the 77-foot pole from which the ball descends.

Both of the uninterrupted feeds will be provided free of charge on a non-exclusive basis for television programming about the event. For details about the satellite feeds, including times and coordinates, visit http://www.timessquarebid.org/new_year/TSTV.htm . –Paul Dykewicz

(Les Luchter, Trylon Communications, 212-725-2295, ext. 13)