
MSG Networks Entertains New York Sports Fans With Studio Programming, Live Coverage of Islanders, Knicks Postseason The broadcaster is winding down a hectic year full of simultaneous productions By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Wednesday, May 26, 2021 - 11:30 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Since fall 2019, MSG Networks has kept steady pressure on the gas pedal, with constant action in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. With two of its five teams - the NHL's Islanders and the NBA's Knicks - in postseason play, MSG Network aims to cover the franchises' runs with multiple hours of studio programming and live coverage in a workflow linking its Midtown Manhattan facility to the teams' home venues or to other RSNs across the country.
It has been really intense for everybody since we've all basically been going since September 2019, says Jeff Filippi, SVP, programming and production/executive producer, MSG Networks. We've reinvented and accomplished a lot with other regional sports networks, and we're all going to look back years from now at this time and realize how much we pulled off.
Isles-Pens Series Brings Talent, Game Creek Video Mobile Unit to Nassau Coliseum AJ Mleczko (left) and Shannon Hogan take part in the Islanders postgame show after Game 5.
Perennial contender Islanders were expected to make it to the postseason after a stellar showing in last year's NHL bubble. The Eastern Conference runner-up has fans throughout the city and the tri-state area, and, because of that, MSG is offering ample studio and live coverage during its attempt to lift Lord Stanley's Cup.
During Game 1 of the Opening Round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Isles played game-on in Western Pennsylvania and forced the network to rely on remote workflows through its RSN counterpart, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. The production calls for a clean feed of cameras controlled by the crew in Pittsburgh, one camera dedicated to MSG's telecast, and sponsored material and other graphics implemented from MSG's control room in New York. The Islanders' on-air team takes over the studio to call the game remotely.
[Play-by-play announcer] Brendan Burke and [analyst] Butch Goring call the game over a monitor while [host] Shannon Hogan comes from our studio and [studio analyst] AJ Mleczko reports from the studio or, through vMix, from her home in Massachusetts, says Filippi. The production unit that handles the game is doing our half-hour pregame, then transitions to live game coverage, and then to an extended postgame show.
On-screen telestration helps talent break down key plays during the game.
With the positive trajectory of the pandemic, productions are returning to traditional ways for games that take place at the Barn on Long Island. During the playoffs, the entire crew is onsite except for the team that handles the shows airing before, during, and after the contest. At Nassau Coliseum, the crew runs with its normal complement of cameras; elsewhere, the production staff works in its customary onsite truck provided by Game Creek Video. With social distancing still in effect, crew members are occupying additional space in a separate B unit.
The home games are reasonably straightforward, notes Filippi. [Having] fans back in the building [has] really transformed [our broadcasts] compared to the way the season started with dark, quiet arenas with artificial noise.
Knicks' Playoffs Return Gets Courtside Reporter at Home, World Feed for Away Games The Knicks' first home playoff game since 2013 was attended by 15,000 screaming fans - one of the largest indoor events to take place since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. To capture the atmosphere and energy from every angle, MSG Network is deploying its onsite reporter at a lower vantage point than during the regular season.
Rebecca Haarlow conducts courtside interviews (socially distanced) during home games.
[Play-by-play announcer] Mike Breen and [analyst] Walt Frazier are there, but they're back near the first level to follow NBA protocols, says Filippi. [Reporter] Rebecca Haarlow has been in the building all year as well, but now she's allowed to be much closer to the floor. It looks a lot like the bubble days in Orlando: the reporter is socially distant from the player or the coach and has a mask on and can do an interview on the court.
The away-game setup is very similar to NHL productions of the Islanders. The major difference is the NBA's HSAN (high-speed arena network) workflow, which taps facilities in the heart of each team's venue for quick retrieval of camera feeds. Whereas Islanders game get a single dedicated camera, coverage of the Knicks has two dedicated cameras.
Back on 32nd Street and 7th Avenue, the on-air team of studio host Bill Pidto and studio analysts Wally Szczerbiak, Monica McNutt, and Alan Hahn produce surrounding coverage for both home and away games back in the studio.
Home Doubleheader on Wednesday, Road Trip on Friday Pose Unique Challenges Despite the daunting task of balancing live coverage of two playoff teams, this process has become customary for the folks at MSG Networks. Earlier this year, Filippi and company juggled concurrent home games not only for the Knicks and Islanders but also for the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils. With three NHL road games going on at the same time, the staff took over as much real estate at their facility as possible and housed the rest of the production crew in an onsite mobile unit at one of the nearby venues.
On any given night, there could be away games for the Rangers, Knicks, and Devils, says Filippi. [On those nights], we had productions for the Knicks and Rangers out of our 11 Penn Studio and production for the Devils from the Prudential Center
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
13/03/2025
Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...
13/03/2025
At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content Feature marks Rokus first women's league-branded zone within service By Bra...
13/03/2025
Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew...
13/03/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size ...
13/03/2025
IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036;...
13/03/2025
NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical...
13/03/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...
13/03/2025
Sky Business, Sky's B2B division, providing connectivity and content to busi...
13/03/2025
Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...