The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is employing a campus-wide communication system utilizing Riedel Artist, Bolero, and SmartPanels to provide flexible communications and audio transport for live broadcast production of Pitt Athletics events on the ACC Network for ESPN.
The decentralized wired and wireless intercom systems offer reliable communications while also providing exceptional flexibility of configuration across campus at all sporting complexes, and multiple studios. Utilizing multiple Artist digital intercom matrixes, 1200 and 2300 Series SmartPanel user interfaces, and 24 Bolero wireless beltpacks scattered across campus, the Pitt Athletics production team coordinates centralized live sports production for broadcast and streaming.
Riedel Director software coordinates configuration and management of all the matrixes into one, providing the coverage, performance, and functionality essential to orchestrating multiple simultaneous productions across different venues and control rooms. The system also ties into ESPN’s intercom system supporting remote talent, including directors and producers.
Working with NEP Integrated Solutions, Pitt Athletics deployed the Artist system in a campus-wide, fiber-redundant hub-and-spoke configuration. This enabled communications at the Petersen Events Center (basketball), where the university’s centralized broadcast production facilities are located, as well as at Charles L. Cost Field (baseball), Vartabedian Field (softball), Ambrose Urbanic Field (soccer), and the Fitzgerald Field House (wrestling, gymnastics, and volleyball). The Bolero wireless intercom system relies on 18 antennas distributed across all four venues and Trees Pool (swimming and diving), providing coverage and allowing the use of the Bolero beltpacks at any venue.
“Riedel offers the depth of functionality required to meet every user’s communication needs and preferences, as well as the ease of use essential to effective communication and collaboration during production,” says Liam Sporrer, director of broadcast engineering for the Pitt Athletics department. “I can be confident that when I program a button on a panel or beltpack, it’s going to do what I want it to do the first time around — and that people working with those systems will understand how to use them. I might be juggling three or four different productions in one day, and all the little efficiencies I gain with the Riedel intercom system not only save me time, but also help prevent small issues from becoming larger problems.”
He adds that the Bolero beltpacks have opened up new opportunities for his team to simplify equipment and logistics and to save time. Sporrer programmed the Bolero beltpacks to be used for IFB and talkback for sideline reporters.
“It used to be a heavy lift to set up a separate wireless transmitter and wireless receiver, each on their own frequencies, and manage that along with wireless IFB and talkback,” Sporrer notes. “Now we just hand off the beltpack, and it gives reporters the functionality and control they need, plus the reliability and range of the Bolero network.”
Pitt Athletics productions also relies on the use of Dante networking, making the broadcast production team’s ability to interface with Dante directly within Artist to move a variety of audio signals essential.
