Live From 2020 Winter Classic: NBC Sports Turns Historic Cotton Bowl Into Hockey Heaven

Live From 2020 Winter Classic: NBC Sports Turns Historic Cotton Bowl Into Hockey Heaven The 90-year-old stadium presented both technological flexibility, challenges By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor

Thursday, January 2, 2020 - 7:00 am

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Roughly twelve hours into the new year, NBC Sports led off its 2020 calendar with an event that has become engrained into the fabric of American sports after one cold day at Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium in 2008. At this year's Winter Classic, the network showed off some all-out Texas flair at the legendary Cotton Bowl Stadium with the Peacock Pit Box serving as the outdoor set, new jib cameras stationed behind each net, and an inside look within the onsite NHL Replay room.

Marvin, Dammeyer, and Stuart were at the forefront of NBC Sports' efforts at the iconic Cotton Bowl Stadium.

The equipment level has always improved and gone up every year, said Matt Marvin, coordinating producer, NBC Sports Group. I think our boss, [Executive Producer] Sam Flood, did that first game and he set the tone. What he pounds in all of our heads is that you just can't cover this like a game.

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A Touch of NASCAR: Peacock Pit Box Makes Winter Classic Debut in the Fair Grounds

Nestled right outside of the main fa ade of the Cotton Bowl, NBC Sports constructed one of their three main physical sets. Straying away from typical outdoor sets visible at other events like the Indianapolis 500, they went in the direction of something that's normally seen along NASCAR's pit row.

This is a set that we use in NASCAR [telecasts], said Charlie Chuck Dammeyer, coordinating director, NBC Sports Group. We had three total studio sets and two that were new, including this main one.

The mindset of going with this structure was to cut down on a potentially large footprint. Within an area that was congested by upwards of 85,000 hockey fans, things became a little tight. In an effort to downsize, the network decided to go with this compact solution.

The Peacock Pit Box, typically seen on NBC's NASCAR coverage, made its debut within the Texas State Fairgrounds.

A 42-Camera Bonanza: New Jibs, Skycam Headline Broadcast Lineup

When the puck dropped on the ice near the 50-yard line, a total of 42 camera feeds were accessed by Dammeyer, Marvin, and the rest of the crew. At the top of the list, NBC rolled out two new jib cameras that were positioned on the backside of each net.

They were behind the goal and pretty much rolled them the width of the ice, said Dammeyer. If we liked it better on the near side, but we didn't have a lot of coverage on the far side, we slid it over during a TV break.

Other operable cameras included eight super-slo-mo Sony HDC-4300s at six times speed, seven robotic cameras including one in the tunnel, and up to three Marshall POVs with two set up on the team benches.

With manned cameras patrolling the ground, two aerial installments were above the action in Dallas. A four-point Skycam system and a fixed-wing airplane, two fixtures that have become prominent at this outdoor event, added an extra element that can't be done in any other scenario.

These are four cameras [two jibs, Skycam, fixed-wing] that you would never see at an indoor hockey game, said Dammeyer. It really let us show off the depth and scope of an 85,000-seat stadium. You had full ice coverage in addition to all the other ancillary entertainment things that they staged all around the rink. We really showed how big and grand this was.

Two new jib cameras were stationed behind both nets.

With fans sitting at a far enough distance away from the ice, camera angles were greatly enhanced without any obstruction.

At a football stadium, there were no nets behind the glass, he continued. With the jibs, we were able to get over the top of the boards unobstructed.

Take Another Look: Fans Go Inside of NHL's Replay Room

In a game like the Winter Classic, there is most likely always something that you have never seen before. The same could be said about witnessing how NHL Operations goes about making a crucial call in a game.

With replay reviews redirected from Toronto to the Cotton Bowl, the league allowed NBC Sports to show fans the inner workings for the first time.

If a [replay] situation arrives, we could certainly put them on camera, said Dammeyer, prior to the game. It's kind of a peek inside of that process, which is unique since we've never done it before.

The Compound Alignment: NBC Sports Reimagines NEP's ND4 Mobile Unit

Continuing its initiative to minimize real estate and save space, NBC Sports took the time to rethink their compound layout before executing.

Inside of the A unit of NEP's ND4, both the production of the main broadcast and the pregame show were done from this space. The B unit was used for other equipment such as an onsite tape room. As for the C unit, it was disconnected from the truck for efficiency's sake.

The NBC TV compound, led by NEP's ND4, sat on the outskirts of the stadium.

We were able to not bring the C unit by unloading all of the gear that we needed and adding it to [the A and B units] with NEP's F2, said James Stuart, senior director, operations, NBC Sports Group. We were able to eliminate a unit because we were having a delivery truck anyway if need be.

To handle all of the RF signals running in and out of the Cotton Bowl, BSI (which is owned by NEP) set up shop in their own personal truck. Also in the compound, the game was distributed to fans at home

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/01/02/live-from-2020-winter-classic-n...
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