CFP National Championship 2022: SEC Network Offers Studio Programming at Multiple Sites, Dual Hometown Radio Calls Content will be generated from Indianapolis and Charlotte By Kristian Hern ndez, Associate Editor Monday, January 10, 2022 - 1:54 pm
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In what has become something of a tradition, ESPN's SEC Network will take part in yet another College Football Playoff National Championship, and its participation in the 2022 title game is multifaceted. Not only is the production crew providing a bevy of studio shows from Indianapolis and its broadcasting hub in Charlotte, NC, but fans watching the matchup between No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia tonight can enjoy Hometown Radio calls of the action at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Everybody that's working on this game is incredibly fired up, says Tom McCollum, senior coordinating producer, ESPN. We'll be working to deliver viewers the best experience that we possibly can, but we'll also be enjoying the culmination of another great football season.
Studio-Show Slate: Fans Get Nearly 20 Hours of Programming With the college-football world descending on Indianapolis this evening, the SEC Network will be covering every possible angle of the proceedings for supporters of both programs. All storylines will be covered from three locales in Indianapolis - the upper concourse of Lucas Oil Stadium, field level of the venue, the nearby Convention Center - as well as from Charlotte. Decisions on where each set goes and how long it will be there will based on numerous factors.
The on-air team of SEC Now on the set located in Section 401 of Lucas Oil Stadium
During the regular season, says McCollum, we have the luxury of having a sprawling footprint when SEC Nation travels to each campus every week. In Indianapolis, we don't really have that because our shows are leading directly into the game as opposed to starting early in the morning.
We're also coordinating with ESPN and what they're bringing to the game, he continues, so we have to figure out how to efficiently fit everything together. It's a big puzzle, but our operations team plans it all out so we're ready to go by the time my team shows up onsite.
Beginning at the top of the weekend on Saturday, Jan. 8, the first piece of the programming puzzle kicked off with SEC Now from Media Day at the Convention Center, anchored by showings at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday and two on Sunday: press conferences with Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban and Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart at 9 a.m. and another at 11 a.m. The on-air team comprised Dari Nowkhah, former Alabama safety Roman Harper, 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, 2010 National Champion and current University of North Carolina head coach Gene Chizik, former Georgia tight end Benjamin Watson, Marty Smith, Ryan McGee, and Chris Doering.
Monday's schedule of more than 14 hours of content got started early at 8 a.m. with SEC This Morning from Charlotte. Hosts SEC Network anchor Peter Burns and Doering, along with former Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship, will dive deep into the latest news from around the conference. Next up at 2 p.m. is Marty & McGee, with Smith and McGee entertaining such guests as Watson, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, and comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Starting at 3 p.m., the bulk of the day will be given to The Paul Finebaum Show. Emanating from Section 401 at the stadium, the three-hour edition will feature Cincinnati Head coach Luke Fickell, Commissioner Sankey, the cast of SEC Nation, and more. Nearing kickoff, SEC Nation will take viewers to the grass at the main set at 6 p.m. Host Laura Rutledge, former Vanderbilt quarterback Jordan Rodgers, Tebow, Harper, and Finebaum will set the table with pregame analysis amongst the atmosphere of the biggest college football game on the calendar. After the last whistle blows, SEC Football Final with Rutledge, Harper, Tebow, Rodgers, Smith, and Watson will break down the events of the game.
Out in the compound, Game Creek Video Webby, Maverick, and Peacock One are onsite to handle these shows, which are using a total of 11 cameras. In addition, technology from TVU Networks provides connectivity between locations in Indianapolis.
Personalized Listening Experience: Universities Get Involved With Hometown Radio SEC Network shifts gears from studio programming to game coverage with a special presentation for both Crimson Tide and Bulldogs fans. Hometown Radio - a MegaCast offering that superimposes the radio feeds of Alabama Crimson Tide Sports Network Powered by LEARFIELD and Georgia Bulldog Sports Network on top of the main broadcast feed - can be experienced in different ways throughout the night.
From left: Dari Nowkhah, Tim Tebow, and Jordan Rodgers at the Convention Center set at CFP Media Day on Jan. 8
On the linear channel, the broadcast will be split into halves: Alabama's Eli Gold, John Parker Wilson, and Rashad Johnson in the first and Georgia's Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, and DJ Shockley in the second. Full feeds will be available exclusively on the ESPN App. Operationally, the production crew will tie these elements together before shipping it off as the final product.
We'll be getting the discrete audio feeds here at the stadium and compile that with video, says Brian Hegner, supervising director, ESPN. When it arrives in Bristol, they'll have a clean feed with nat sound and effects. They'll be using Grass Valley's Ignite platform for a dual feed with Alabama graphics and cameras and Georgia graphics and cameras, including Skycam and Coach Cams.
Year-to-Year Changes: How Content and Logistics Adapt to New Challenges Since the SEC Network has become a familiar entity at this annual game, the team is doing
