Live from Final Four: Compound Shuffle Gives CBS/Turner's Titanic Production a Tech Shot in The Arm With return of TeamCasts on TNT and truTV joining main telecast on TBS, resources expand By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Saturday, March 31, 2018 - 3:47 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
In Year 8 of the March Madness partnership between CBS Sports and Turner Sports, operations at the Final Four are running smoother than ever. Camera resources have been advanced, IP infrastructures are at full tilt, and in-compound (and nation-wide) file sharing networks have talent from across the country contributing to the overall production of this year's championship.
An on-site set in the fan section of the south end of the Alamodome anchored Turner Sports' pre, halftime, and postgame coverage at the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four.
Here in San Antonio at the Alamodome, the most notable change comes in the form of a major presence from Game Creek Video. Five mobile units, four of which are supporting the main game production in some capacity, anchor the compound with the new '79 which just debuted six weeks ago serving as host to the main production on TBS being run by director Bob Fishman and producer Mark Wolff at the front bench.
'79 is Game Creek's (and one of the industry's) most advanced IP trucks to date and is helping take this event's IP backbone to new heights.
The whole IP routing infrastructure [of 79] is exciting, says Chris Brown, Director of Technical Operations for Turner Sports. It changes the workflow a little bit, but not drastically. It also makes things like distribution easier. So its a great addition to what we have been doing.
Chris Brown, Turner Sports' Director of Technical Operations
According to Brown, the refreshed IP backbone has helped both expand the compound's capabilities while reducing its footprint (though the compound here is still impressive). What may have taken four or five trucks in previous years, now is down to three. NEP also has a robust collection of mobile units on site supporting both the TeamCasts and other needs. Chromium is the home for TBS's pre, halftime, and postgame on-site studio coverage.
CBS and Turner have again deployed an IP-based asset-sharing EVS network. Connectivity between the compound and broadcast centers in New York City and Atlanta allow for more editors to churn out content for everything from the telecast to social and digital platforms. There's also added facilities being utilized at CNN's Los Angeles facility. Content being cut there was being dropped across the public Internet as early as hours before opening tip.
Back inside, there's 50+ cameras here at the Alamodome (59 total if you count the five at Turner's special set on San Antonio's iconic Riverwalk) covering action for the main game, supplementing the TeamCasts (which are back), and shooting the on-site studio set positioned on the south end of the dome.
The popular Rail Cam has established itself as one of the most useful and captivating camera angles in the entire Turner/CBS arsenal.
Back in the mix are Skycam Wildcat, a collection of Sony HDC4300 high-speed cameras, Bexel's Clarity 800 camera (which, for the second year, is positioned at the base of the basket stanchions), and the popular Rail Cam system, which has become a popular shot of choice for Fishman and Wolff since its implementation in 2015.
Robotic 4K cameras affixed to the top of each backboard, this year, have gotten a lens upgrade with CJ12x4.3B Canon lenses.
The Rail Cam, right now at the Final Four, is just as important of a camera as any other of our primary coverage cameras, says Brown. Continually bringing it back every year is really exciting.
The move to Game Creek Video trucks supporting the main game broadcast has also brought with it a shot in the arm on the lens front. Canon is out in full force with two CJ12x4.3B lenses on the robotics affixed atop each of the backboards. There's a Canon HJ15x8.5BKRSE-V Image Stabilized HD Lens on the Rail Cam, and a pair of pedestal cams boast Digisuper 95 Super Telephotos. Those are covered up with protective materials for player safety.
Industry vets return as the brainpower behind the massive ioperation. From the CBS side, Patty Power, EVP, Operations and Engineering, Mike Francis, VP, Remote Engineering and Planning, Tom McShane, VP of Remote Operations, and Ken Aagaard, EVP, Innovation and New Technology. Joining Brown from Turner Sports is Tom Sahara, EVP, Technology.
Other notable firsts on the personnel end include Janis Murray, who is running the main game camera, taking over for George Graffeo, who manned the position for 30+ years. Wendell Stephens is also capping his first NCAA Tournament as CBS Sports' A1.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Grass Valley has entered into a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadcast Solutions as the Singapore-based company expands its live production oper...
19/05/2026
Clear-Com supported Musikal Perahu Kertas, a large-scale musical theater production in Indonesia adapted from the acclaimed novel by Dee Lestari, through the d...
19/05/2026
Actus Digital, a LiveU company, and a leading provider of intelligent media monitoring and broadcast compliance platforms, announced today that METEO CONSULT ha...
19/05/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of managed services for the broadcast and media industry, today announced the completion of a major renovation of its Singapore fa...
19/05/2026
Following a major upgrade to its Connecticut remote production centre with the installation of three 60-fader Argo S consoles in 2023, RPS has switched one of t...
19/05/2026
PlayBox Technology today announced the launch of Celebro Play, a browser-based media orchestration platform designed specifically for broadcast facilities and p...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/05/2026
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions for broadcast, post, and professional AV will showcase its latest signal processing solutions at B...
19/05/2026
Media Links, a leading developer and manufacturer of IP media transport solutions, has announced the integration of its Xscend platform with Skyline Communicat...
19/05/2026
Collaboration expands regional partner ecosystem as Media Links showcases IP media transport solutions on stand 4M4-4 and alongside Clearcast Asia on stand
Me...
19/05/2026
Company Highlights Labor-Saving Control and Custom Branding Opportunities Designed to Increase Integrator Profitability
LynTec, a leading manufacturer of ele...
19/05/2026
Mago Studio Moves AI Video Beyond Prompts with New Production-Focused Tools
Brie Clayton May 18, 2026
0 Comments
New Capabilities Bring Controllable, ...
19/05/2026
It May be Time to Stop and Take an AI Breather
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
If the rock you stay on starts to roll, jump clean. Or you'll...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
Agentic AI inference at one-tenth the cost per token with NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL7...
18/05/2026
18 May 2026
Dubai and New York, May 18, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a glob...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
Live from Final Four: Compound Shuffle Gives CBS/Turner's Titanic Production a Tech Shot in The Arm With return of TeamCasts on TNT and truTV joining main telecast on TBS, resources expand By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
