A new campus-wide communication system at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, uses Riedel’s Artist, Bolero and SmartPanels for communications and audio transport for live broadcast production of Pitt Athletics events on the ACC Network for ESPN. As well as clear and reliable communications, the decentralised wired and wireless intercom systems offer flexibility of configuration at sporting complexes and multiple studios.

Using multiple Artist digital intercom matrixes, 1200 and 2300 Series SmartPanel user interfaces, and 24 Bolero wireless beltpacks across the campus, the Pitt Athletics production team coordinates centralised 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 not only facilitates communication between team members at each venue, but also ties into ESPN’s intercom system supporting remote talent, including directors and producers.

Working with NEP Integrated Solutions, Pitt Athletics deployed the Riedel Artist system in a fibre-redundant hub-and-spoke configuration. This enabled communications at the Petersen Events Center (basketball), where the university’s broadcast production facilities are located, as well as at the 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 across all four venues and Trees Pool (swimming and diving), providing comprehensive coverage and supporting 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 Pitt Athletics Department Director of Broadcast Engineering, Liam Sporrer. ‘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.’

The Bolero beltpacks have introduced new opportunities to Sporrer and 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. 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 rely on Dante to makes the broadcast production team’s ability to interface with Dante directly within Artist to move audio signals – from a hot mic for a director or producer to program audio – essential.

Riedel also gives Pitt Athletics the scalability to extend intercom across more of its game-day operations and, as the university completes upcoming building projects, to tie in new venues and expand broadcast production operations to include competition at those sites.

More: www.riedel.net