Clear-Com is giving Mass Communications students at the University of Montevallo an education in the IP-based intercom technologies used in today's professional production environments.
The university, located near Birmingham, Alabama, is using Clear-Com's Eclipse HX Digital Matrix, Station-IC Virtual Desktop Client and the Agent-IC Mobile App as teaching tools and hands-on production technologies, helping students complete a range of broadcast and production functions as part of their coursework.
In TV production, youve got to be hands-on, said Jay Cofield, Professor. Theres no way around it.
Montevallo's Mass Communication program covers broadcast production and multimedia journalism as well as emerging media technologies. The students carry out a range of TV and media functions: live shooting, remote and studio production, editing, set design and on-camera talent. They also produce newscasts, music shows and live-streams of on-campus sports and special events: graduations, guest lectures and Founder's Day, a Montevallo tradition.
Throughout the department's control room and studios, the team now uses a mix of older Clear-Com systems (such as the Concert multi-user Intercom-over-IP and conferencing solution) combined with the newer Eclipse HX system integrated with Station-IC and Agent-IC.
The university's new studio opened in 2017 and as the program's curriculum expanded to keep pace with the broadcast industry's rapid production developments, Cofield and the department recognized the need to step up every aspect of its technology offerings, including intercoms.
Until 2017, we were mostly single channel, with everybody crowded on Channel A, he said. It was a matter of pushing a button and trying to talk over somebody. Now, having the ability to assign channels for private or targeted conversations is a night and day change. The students are able to see first-hand how comms are really handled in a professional production environment.
When it comes to intercom on a shoot or event, channels are typically allocated for a faculty supervisor, a director, producers, associate producer, graphics, teleprompter, an ENG shader or a technical director depending on the production's needs-now these roles can be managed using Agent-IC and the new Station-IC desktop client.
Station-IC is one of the latest product releases from Clear-Com. Through a computer running MacOS or Windows operating systems, users can connect natively to a central intercom system hosting such key services as audio and control, panels, beltpacks, or even endpoints from other intercom systems.
Our Eclipse is tied into our Midas Pro-X audio console and our Ross Ultrix router, Cofield said. That configuration, together with Agent-IC, makes doing remotes around campus easier.
For remote productions, faculty will give a remote engineer on-location one of its four Agent-IC licenses to be able to talk back to the control room and send return audio. The team will use a tie from the Eclipse system into the Ultrix to record party lines so students can hear what they sound like on comms or listen to someone giving show directions - another way for them to experience how communications functions are handled on a set or in a studio.
With our old system, we were tied to the studio, Cofield said. We didnt really have the ability to go out and do anything remote. Now, we can set up a remote anywhere that has Wi-Fi with Agent-IC and have instant intercom. As a faculty member and a producer, I can monitor all student communications and switch quickly to any channel to answer questions or do troubleshooting. Its super flexible and life-changing to be able to do that.
The department's enhanced comms capabilities also serve as a valuable teaching and instructional aide. From the perspective of a teaching institution, the ability to record the PLs quickly and easily lets me go back and tell the director/professor to emphasize certain techniques more to a class or to even point out when a student producer really performed well on an assignment and made the production come off much smoother.
Looking ahead, Cofield is confident the school's current comms configuration is capable enough to take the department well into the future while also providing a unique competitive advantage in attracting students who are looking for real-world experience and modern technology.
There aren't many programs like this for undergrads, especially here in the Southeast, and we're continually growing our program, he said.
The school's vision for its Mass Communications department was to have it be a campus communication hub, not only allowing remote productions, but also connecting classrooms and other learning spaces across campus, Cofield said.
What I wanted most of all was industry-standard technology to give us the highest levels of flexibility and capabilities for our budget, and that's what we get with Clear-Com.
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...
08/05/2026
For the second straight year, Miri Technologies Inc. has been honored with a pair of coveted awards at the broadcast, media and entertainment industry's pre...
08/05/2026
Nine Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards More than 20 alumni contributed to this year's Tony-nominated productions.
May 7, 2026
By
Tori Donahue
Boston Co...
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
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
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
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
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...
Clear-Com is giving Mass Communications students at the University of Montevallo an education in the IP-based intercom technologies used in today's professional production environments.
