
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
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
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
North America Stories
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
07/05/2026
Strategic three-year partnership marks delivery phase of BFBS' next-generation media vision
Media organisation and military charity BFBS (British Forces Br...
07/05/2026
Amagi, the agentic industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced the availability of its In-Content Ads offering v...
07/05/2026
Lightware Visual Engineering has developed Rack Taurus for rack-based environments such as education and corporate training spaces. It enables clean and simple ...
07/05/2026
Jigsaw24, the UK's leading media equipment supplier and systems integrator, will showcase its expanded end-to-end workflow capabilities at MPTS 2026, signal...
07/05/2026
Ease Live, an Evertz company, today announced that it has been granted a US Patent for its proprietary graphical overlay technology, the foundation for interact...
07/05/2026
Test & measurement innovator Leader Electronics of Europe will present an extensive range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement solutions at...
07/05/2026
At Broadcast Asia 2026 (Stand 5H3 8), LiveU is redefining live production with its most powerful IP-video EcoSystem to date built to help broadcasters and con...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Recreating the 1974 Doctor Who Time Tunnel in After Effects
Graham Quince May 6, 2026
0 Comments
The Time Tunnel from Doctor Who titles is one of th...
07/05/2026
AI will help build the energy it needs.
That's the case U.S. Energy Secreta...
07/05/2026
Back to All News
Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix Present the Trailer of ...
07/05/2026
Less typing, more tanking.
Faster logins mean more time in the gaming action - and this week provides GeForce NOW members with a smoother path straight into th...
06/05/2026
Gravity Media Chief RF Communications Engineer Glenn Willems uses Wisycom RF over Fiber and wireless solutions across major cycling events and international mar...
06/05/2026
A Sennheiser Spectera module is now available in Bitfocus Companion and Buttons, enabling direct integration of Spectera with the two software platforms. The mo...
06/05/2026
Ted Turner, the visionary media entrepreneur whose appetite for disruption helpe...