
ACC Network Launch Day: Packer and Durham Morning Show Will Anchor Daily Programming - From Mark Packer's Basement Remote set is ESPN's first multicamera permanent studio installed in the home of an on-air talent By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Thursday, August 22, 2019 - 12:35 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
Although much of the hype building to Thursday's launch of the ACC Network has been centered on the thousands of live events that will be produced by ESPN and the conference's 15 member institutions, the network has a flashy lineup of daily programming to fill in the day-to-day.
The studio for ACC Network morning show Packer and Durham was built in the basement of the home of one of the show's hosts.
One of the crown jewels of the network's daily schedule will be its morning show, a simulcast of Packer and Durham, a popular radio program hosted by Mark Packer and Wes Durham, airing on SiriusXM, and talking exclusively college sports, specifically ACC sports.
You won't find the studio for this show under an ESPN Radio tower or tucked away in the halls of DC2 in Bristol, CT, however. Instead, you'll have to ring the doorbell of Packer's Charlotte, NC, home and head down to the basement. That's right. The basement.
MORE:
ACC Network Launch Day: Inside ESPN's New Sleek, Modern, Colorful ACCN Studio
ACC Network Launch Day: With Buy-In From ESPN and All 15 Schools, Newest College Sports Network Is Poised for Success
ESPN is certainly no stranger to having its reporters video in from home, since the days of NFL Insider John Clayton, but, according to ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer Amy Rosenfeld, the Packer and Durham studio marks the first time ever that ESPN has set up a multicamera permanent installation of a studio in the home of an on-air talent.
Packer and Durham, hosted by Mark Packer (left) and Wes Durham, premieres Friday, and will air on the ACC Network weekdays at 7-10 a.m. ET.
Although the show's control room will be in Bristol, its studio set in Charlotte features four Panasonic AW-UE150 robotic PTZ cameras, which feed 1080p video via independent streams to Bristol's PCR D8 over a 1-gig fiber circuit, according to Kristy Higgins, supervising director, ESPN. There are also a return feed for talent and Lawo encoders in the studio for when the two hosts communicate with guests or producers in Bristol. The Charlotte studio also features 20 Fillex lights and two built-in LED elements on the scenic walls, plus a DiGiCo Area4 audio core.
Higgins notes that ESPN will staff an operations manager at the Charlotte set for the first handful of weeks to help get the show going but the goal, ultimately, is to have Packer and/or Durham flip a few switches and run their end of the show's workflow themselves.
The set showcases conference and school memorabilia and colors. There are movable bookshelves, a fake brick wall, and a desk at the center will seating for four, allowing for in-studio guests. There's even a special place for Packer's dogs, Chester and Fuller, to complete the at-home feel.
The dogs are entirely worth it, cracks Higgins. They're adorable. They're really, really cute. I mean, we're going to get ratings right there.
Packer and Durham premieres Friday, Aug. 23 and will air weekdays at 7-10 a.m. ET on the ACC Network.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
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...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia backs audience-led filmmaking with new insight-driven initiativ...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia refines guidelines for Narrative Content Development and Docume...
02/07/2026
Maxon Autograph: Introduction to working with Tables
Simon Ubsdell July 1, 2026
0 Comments
An overview of Autograph's ridiculously powerful tables...
02/07/2026
Boston Conservatory's Soir e Breaks Records to Fund Student Scholarships The event achieved 127 percent of its fundraising goal in an evening celebrating ...
02/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Med Tech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might thin...
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
New AI Assistant, Multi-channel Audio, ARA2 improvements & more
Tracktion's DAW software has just received its latest major update, gaining a selection ...
01/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
01/07/2026
Exclusive run of limited-edition modelling pedals
Sweetwater and Andertons M...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Groundbreaking First Nations Screen Business Accelerator launched through nation...