Richlyn Marketing
Broadcast Sports, Inc. Featured on Cover of TV Technology Magazine For Work in Broadcast of the Carrier Classic on ESPN
Hanover, MD. . . Broadcast Sports, Inc. (BSI) was featured in the cover story of the December 7, 2011 issue of TV Technology. BSI played a key role in ESPN's broadcast of the historic inaugural Carrier Classic basketball game played on the USS Carl Vinson Aircraft Carrier in San Diego on Veterans Day, November 11, 2011.
The match-up between the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball teams from the University of North Carolina and Michigan State University was played on the flight deck of the ship that carried Osama Bin Laden's body to sea. This was the first college basketball game to be played in this type of extraordinary venue. Approximately 7,000 were granted permission to come aboard the nuclear-powered Nimitz Class Supercarrier. The game was broadcast live on ESPN. President Barack Obama, accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama, attended and addressed the crowd of military personnel at the tribute game.
A world leader in RF camera and audio systems for over 25 years, BSI provided the wireless audio and video for both the Game broadcast as well as the SportsCenter shows which originated from the event including 2D and 3D camera systems, RF camera systems, and RF sideline, anchor, and player microphones. Logistics for an event of this significance and broadcasting scope meant meeting a set of complex requirements including coordinating secure frequency spectrums with the US Navy and managing back-up location equipment needs throughout the USS Carl Vinson and on shore. The command and control of all of this gear took place in a 53-foot BSI trailer located over 300 yards from the aircraft carrier. 5 BSI professionals were on site to service the game.
"The location for this game was amazing," said Lou Meyers, Core Plus Supervisor for BSI. "What made this event so unique for us were the challenges associated with security. We were escorted by US Navy personnel everywhere we went which added a layer of coordination. In addition, we managed radio frequency access with the US Navy, the US Secret Service, and ESPN throughout the coverage."
Clay Underwood, BSI's Technology Development Manager went on to explain, "We had to be agile enough to switch frequencies when necessary. We obtained temporary access to a band of spectrum reserved for aeronautical and military telemetry and testing. In addition to our wireless RF camera systems, BSI is the only vendor of RF broadcast mics capable of operating in this military band."
Camera positions and locations shifted as the exceptional setting for the event created an additional need to manage a variety of lighting demands. The game began in the bright sunlight of the afternoon, moved through dusk into the moonlit evening which made for changes in lighting from natural sources to the four lighting towers set up for the game. BSI was there to help ESPN through the event with all of its production and logistics nuances.
Meyers went on to affirm, "BSI is proud to have been a part of an event of this scope that recognized the commitment of our US Armed Forces."
The cover story article can be read in its entirety in the December 7, 2011 issue of TV Technology.
About Broadcast Sports, Inc.
For over 25 years, Broadcast Sports, Inc., an L-3 Communications company, has been the leading provider of wireless technology and communications systems for television broadcasting. Headquartered in Hanover, MD, BSI provides HD on-board cameras and wireless audio for a wide range of entertainment events around the world including the Olympics, NASCAR, NFL, the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, the Indy Racing League, the Breeder's Cup, the X-Games, the Kentucky Derby, the US Open, and the MTV Video Music Awards, and the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. Broadcast Sports' cameras are also used by NASA in the astronaut's helmets.
For more information on Broadcast Sports, Inc. visit www.broadcastsportsinc.com