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Control Room 1
Fall 2020 was an exciting time for University of California San Diego as the school began a new era in NCAA Division I. As part of the transition, UC San Diego partnered with Anthony James Partners (AJP) as the university's Owner's Representative and Broadcast Consultant to develop a cutting-edge broadcast technology solutions that set a new bar for Mid-Major D1 live broadcast production.
UC San Diego's move to the Big West Conference has earned unprecedented national exposure for its 23 intercollegiate athletic teams and nearly 600 athletes. In preparation, AJP worked closely with the Department of Athletics on a redesign of the existing Dana Chaiken Production Studio, as well as the design and implementation of a new, second production control room in LionTree Arena. The department will annually produce an estimated 160+ home events for distribution on various platforms including ESPN3 and the Big West Network, while still maintaining the in-facility board shows.
The state-of-the-art facility features three control rooms connected via Fiber backbone to all UC San Diego sporting venues (LionTree Arena, Triton Soccer Stadium, Triton Ballpark, Canyonview Aquatic Center, and Triton Softball Field). Each sporting facility has also undergone the addition of a complete Broadcast Cable package to connect them to the new production facility, centralizing control from the production studio and enabling full utilization of the newly expanded capabilities at each venue. Â The upgrades will allow the department to produce as many as three simultaneous live, multi-camera events.
"For the control room design, our intention was to use the same caliber of equipment you'd find in a professional sports venue or television studio," explained Michael Martin, Director of Broadcast Services for Anthony James Partners. "We employed cutting-edge switching, CG and replay, and designed a centralized control build-out that effectively manages workflow for all sporting venues, which is the same advanced approach used by ESPN's SEC and ACC networks."
Upon joining the project, AJP worked closely with UC San Diego to redefine the early project direction and parameters that were limiting what was possible. For instance, fiber connections were initially expected to come in at 10 times higher the cost. By switching gears and taking a highly collaborative approach across campus departments, institutional resources were able to come together and drastically reduce the cost of implementation. Key bridging efforts such as these resulted in the school achieving a facility and a build-out that far exceeded stakeholder hopes and expectations. Moreover, the unified fiber infrastructure will benefit a variety of UC San Diego departments.
"AJP served a significant role in the development of our broadcast and in-venue display production capabilities," said Richard Kilwien, UC San Diego's Senior Associate Director of Athletics. "From the design and oversight of facility construction to the selection of equipment, engaging various campus stakeholders and shepherding the procurement process, our investment into a partnership with AJP has allowed us to both maximize our limited resources and execute a first-class broadcast solution."
Not only has UC San Diego been able to accomplish big things on a limited budget to accommodate the transition to D1, the upgrades have set the new standard for Mid-Major in-venue and linear broadcast production capabilities. The technology upgrades also represent key value and opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in assisting high-caliber broadcast sports productions while shadowing professional directors and producers contracted by the university.
