Live From Super Bowl LIX: Fox Sports' Rod Conti on How Fox Sports Will Turn Bourbon Street into a Super Bowl Pre-Game Studio

Live From Super Bowl LIX: Fox Sports' Rod Conti on How Fox Sports Will Turn Bourbon Street into a Super Bowl Pre-Game Studio By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director

Friday, February 7, 2025 - 6:39 pm

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Over the years Rod Conti, Fox Sports, VP of Remote Studio Operations, and Fox Sports have tackled some pretty challenging locations in an attempt to find the perfect studio location for big events like a World Cup or a Super Bowl. Each required some out-of-the-box thinking but nothing has compared to what Conti and the team have pulled off for Super Bowl LIX: getting a studio show on Bourbon Street. Not only is it only 21-feet wide but Fox had to ensure that the sidewalks would be clear and things like deliveries and street cleaning could proceed as normal.

Rod Conti at one end of Fox Sports' Super Bowl Boulevard on Bourbon Street.

We knew those complications between street cleaning and all the dynamics and deliveries that happen in this small quarter that make this near impossible, he says. And when we found out this hasn't been done before the team got excited and we put our challenge hat on and said, let's figure this out.'

Yes, as crazy as it sounds there has never been a pre-game show done on Bourbon Street. As iconic as it is, it poses a number of challenges that have made it impossible, until now. First, the narrow streets prevent parking a 53-foot production truck for a number of days. And Bourbon Street is, after all, a street that has to be open to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic so shutting it down for a week or two to build a set is a non-starter.

The desk was the easy part as the challenge is Bourbon Street is a moving ecosystem and one needs to be sensitive to pedestrian flow and vehicle traffic has to have a way to deliver to the bars and restaurants, says Conti. There's this ebb and flow and if you cut off one artery here, it affects the whole quarter.

Being on Bourbon Street means that the effort has to be almost stealth in nature, with minimal rehearsal and set-up time. So, for the Fox Sports team that means one day of rehearsal and a super-quick set up in the wee hours of the morning.

Having a Super Bowl show with one day of rehearsals is hard and nerve wracking, says Conti. Our guys really won't see this a 100% built until Sunday morning. So, we really have one day to set that up; to bring the float and carpet in, build the scenics and build the lighting.

What is in store for Super Bowl viewers this Sunday when they tune in for the pre-game show beginning at 12 pm local time? A studio show that will take place on top of a float built by Kern, the legendary float maker for Mardi Gras parades. The float will be home to the studio desk and will be located in the intersection of Bourbon and St. Peter Streets and nestled between two bars that are serving as production and technical support spaces (the show's production control room will be in Game Creek Video Prime One which is parked at the Superdome compound).

Getting to that point begins the day before with a rehearsal on Saturday. Then at 4 am on Sunday morning the float rolls into place, a massive purple carpet will be unrolled down Bourbon Street from Toulouse Street to Orleans Street, a demo field will be installed on Bourbon Street, the FlyCam which runs from Toulouse to Orleans will be ready to go. All video and audio signals will be managed upstairs in the Krazy Korner bar before being sent to a production truck at the Fox compound at the Superdome. Also, no cameras will be located on the float. Instead, all cameras will be located in the intersection of Bourbon and St. Peter with additional coverage coming from the 40-foot Scorpion crane, the FlyCam, a robotic mounted on the second floor of a building on Mason Street. Drones from Beverly Hills Aerial will complete the coverage.

Greg Pfeifer, Fox Sports, director, remote studio engineering (left) and Rob Mikulicka, Fox Sports, director of operations, remote studio, on the balcony of Krazy Korner on Bourbon Street.

When the Pre-Game show starts at 12 pm local time it promises to capture the true unique heart of a city that has been through so much recently and in times past but always knows how to celebrate even in the darkest of times.

While the plans and tone of coverage from Bourbon Street has changed in the wake of the terrorist attack on New Year's Day, Conti says the original goal, to make it very clear to viewers at home that the show was in the middle of Bourbon Street, remained. Symbolizing New Orleans resiliency.

Conti says everyone expects big crowds on Sunday and with Fox having access to not only the street but the balconies it promises to be an exciting production. And, ultimately, a tribute to all of those working on the show but also to the 14 people who lost their lives, and the 57 others injured during the terrorist attack on the early morning of New Year's Day.

After that happened people from the city came to us and said we're going to help you pull this off, says Conti. This is a resilient city and this city bounces back. And this is also a city of hospitality and a city of known for good cheer and celebration. More than ever, it needs to be reminded that terror is not going to erupt the heartbeat of this city and we've all been empowered to bring this to this city and have a celebration right in the heart blocks away from where the tragic event happened. And we're proud to be the lucky steward to do that.

A Week-long Presence

Historically Super Bowl Sunday sets have been in use for most of the week prior to the big game. And while this set will only be active on Super Bowl Sunday that hasn't stopped the Fox Sports family of networks and content creators from producing shows on Bourbon Street.

In order

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/02/07/live-from-super-bowl-lix-fox-sp...
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