For the 27th consecutive year, Broadcast Technical Services' founder, CEO and president Bill McKee, will be serving as de facto chief engineer of television facilities for the 2019 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo , held from February 25 through March 17 at NRG Park. This year, to make sure that audio sources are precisely fed to both front-of-house and the television production facility, McKee will rely on the Clear-Com ProGrid Audio Network Solution.
Taking place over the course of three weeks, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the world's largest livestock show and rodeo, and encompasses a wide variety of events, including concerts, a carnival, a barbecue contest, and a variety of special events.
For the 2018 Rodeo, Clear-Com provided a ProGrid system for testing, and Rodeo management was so impressed that they purchased a system for this year's event, said McKee. We use a total of three 16-channel
PG16-AUDIO ProGrid I/O boxes, two transmits (32 Channels) and one receive (16 Channels) in the announce booth and the opposite setup in the South Communication room - where the audio signals are split for front-of-house and the TV mix - all tied together with redundant duplex single-mode fiber.
We run 32 channels 1,500 feet between the announce booth and the south communication room and then 3,000 feet from the south comm to the Rodeo TV studio, explains McKee. While we're mostly using line level, the ProGrid software allows us to enable phantom power for the mics if we need it. And the software is great: we can label all our inputs, monitor inbound audio and since everything is paired together, we can see the secondary receive site. That way we can change the input or output gain on the fly. We can also remote network into the system and take control from the TV studio across the street, so if an input is clipping or overdriving, we can remotely adjust it instead of having to make on-site changes.
This is a complicated show, said McKee. There are lots of events, not just the rodeo, which is just a part of the bigger event. We've got 20-plus cameras for the rodeo, but 32 total cameras for all the events, including the concerts. We needed a solution that could deal with the variety of audio boards being used, as the TV mix board is very different from the concert board or front of house mix. ProGrid gives us the control and monitoring confidence that this event demands.
Although McKee is using ProGrid for analog mic and line level audio signals, the platform can transport, route and convert them to and from MADI, AES/EBU and four-wire intercom - independent of manufacturer or brand - as well as proprietary interfaces such as Yamaha YGDAI cards quickly, cost-effectively and easily over a fiber.
ProGrid offers mission-critical redundancy, robustness and reliability for small to very large infrastructural requirement for installed as well as portable applications, scaling up to 192 units - with an industry-leading low latency of only 41.6 microseconds. Adding BroaMan allows the addition of uncompressed SDI video transmission to any ProGrid system.
We're really glad we got that demo last year, added McKee. The ability to monitor and adjust analog signal gain without converting from digital is really nice, especially with a show that is constantly growing and improving every year. And ProGrid really makes that easier.
Categorised in:
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...
15/07/2026
Save up to 55% on software until 23 July 2026
Expressive E have just launched their Summer Offer sale, with discounts of up to 55% now applied across their ...
15/07/2026
Real-time stem-separation tool updated
zplane have recently released a new and improved version of their real-time stem-separation plug-in which they say ma...
15/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
15/07/2026
DMC Production's AR 1 and AR 2 units reverse the conventional OB workflow, keeping all production-critical processing at the venue while operators work remo...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Screeners and press pack now available: Gomorrah: The Or...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and gaming, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI - building across...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
14/07/2026
Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...
14/07/2026
Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...
14/07/2026
New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...
14/07/2026
ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...
14/07/2026
Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...
14/07/2026
Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
As broadcasters con...
14/07/2026
Modernized mobile unit combines HOME Apps, mc 56 console, and IP infrastructure ...
14/07/2026
Every match of the 32-team tournament will air across ION and Scripps Sports platforms in English and Spanish...
14/07/2026
FloHockey to stream every game of the annual international tournament under four...
For the 27th consecutive year, Broadcast Technical Services' founder, CEO and president Bill McKee, will be serving as de facto chief engineer of television facilities for the 2019 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo , held from February 25 through March 17 at NRG Park. This year, to make sure that audio sources are precisely fed to both front-of-house and the television production facility, McKee will rely on the Clear-Com ProGrid Audio Network Solution.
