Tech Focus: Radio, Part 1 - A Slow Transition to Digital Analog still rules for many sports-radio remotes By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Thursday, November 7, 2019 - 10:11 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
The seminal year for sports on the air was 1921, when KDKA Pittsburgh broadcast live radio coverage of a 10-round boxing match - the first live sports broadcast in history. In August that year, the station also aired a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies from Forbes Field and, in October, the first live college-football radio broadcast, calling the University of Pittsburgh against West Virginia University. Television, on the other hand, had to wait until 1939 for NBC's airing of a college baseball game between the Columbia Lions and Princeton Tigers from Columbia's Baker Field.
Radio has certainly made its own technology strides since then, but a network A1 from 50 years ago would likely feel right at home at the helm of most radio remotes today, where analog still tends to be the rule. Basically, all radio needs is a good microphone, someone who knows how to properly balance levels and build a gain structure, and a good connection to the plant.
Engineer Michael Dooley: The move to digital has opened up a lot more possibilities, but there's still something very comforting about analog.
Freelance engineer Michael Dooley, who has worked on hundreds of remote broadcasts for various radio stations over the past 30 years, including the ESPN LA 710 broadcasts of Los Angeles Lakers games from the Staples Center since 2004, is typical: he made the jump to digital only last year.
He replaced his trusty Mackie 1604 mixer with a 16-channel Yamaha TF1 digital desk and added five Dante-enabled, hybrid digital/analog Studio Technologies Model 205 announcer consoles. But the Mackie 1604 remains in a closet near the media table Dooley works from at the Staples Center - wired, labeled, and ready to go just in case.
The move to digital has opened up a lot more possibilities in terms of what you can do on location, and it sounds great, he says. But there's still something very comforting about analog. It still works well after all these years.
No More ISDN
For the Lakers broadcasts, Dooley has the unique ability to connect to the flagship station using fiber interconnectivity (ESPN's plant is across the street). But, for other remote broadcasts, a Comrex 2USB codec is the norm, since ISDN lines are now all but nonexistent.
ISDN is pretty much gone by now, replaced by IP and codecs, he says. That part has moved into digital, but the rest of it has remained largely analog. Using the Dante connectivity, I'm able to set up a five-position broadcast area that doesn't use any XLR cables. The combination of built-in compressors and clean mic preamps gives me superb audio from each announcer. It works flawlessly within my new broadcast workflow.
Dooley, who is also stadium engineer for the MLS LAFC team at Banc of California Stadium, uses the Model 205 announcer consoles for the two ESPN radio commentators, the producer, the statistician, and one backup position at the Lakers games; two more lines are used for the broadcast's halftime host and game-end interviews on the court. Those are done using a combination of Sennheiser headsets and wireless gear. The radio show also takes PA and effects feeds from the television trucks that put the game's sneaker squeaks and basket bangs into the radio broadcast. All this is easier with a digital console, says Dooley, noting that it lets him have processing like EQ and comp/limiting from within the mixer instead of having to rely on outboard gear.
I now have EQ for each channel, as well as noise gates, which really help keep the sound from the court much cleaner, he explains, as does the Dugan automixing firmware integrated into the TF series console. There's also a second loop I use for talkback that lets the producer talk with the station while we're on the air. Before, we had to wait until we had a [commercial] break, because there weren't enough I/Os.
Nonetheless, Dooley's digital conversion came seemingly late in the game, in an industry that traded waveforms for zeroes and ones nearly three decades ago. He cites the higher cost of some of the specialized digital gear, which hasn't benefited from Moore's Law nearly as much as more commonly used digital audio products, as well digital's learning curve: many radio A1s have been working in the field for decades and are simply more comfortable with analog. Moreover, there are few dynamics arguing against leaving the analog domain for radio remotes.
There are a lot of advantages to digital, such as putting everything on a Dante network, says Dooley, who describes himself as one of just two radio remote-broadcast engineers in the Los Angeles area who have moved to digital systems. I'm in a unique position. Analog sounds and works great, but it limits your capabilities. [Digital] can be a lot to learn, but, once you're set up, it's so much easier and better. Radio just hasn't evolved as fast as television.
Click here for Tech Focus: Radio, Part 2 - Audio-Only Consoles Meet Sports-Broadcast Needs
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Deepens Partnership with Taiwan's 62nd Golden Hors...
25/11/2025
Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, an investigative journalist from Kenya is the winner of the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2025.
The 26-year-old-sele...
25/11/2025
SVG All-Stars: Blayke Scheer, Senior Director, Creative Content, YES NetworkThe Indiana alum has turned storytelling into an artform for more than two decadesBy...
25/11/2025
Op-Ed: With FCC's C-Band Auction on the Horizon, Broadcasters Need Proven, C...
25/11/2025
Analysis: Is Baller League really the future of sport? By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:10
Print This Story
With KSI on...
25/11/2025
Platinum Whitepaper: The Growth of Broadcast in the World of Major Large Scale E...
25/11/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: SVG Women's Sports WorkshopBy Samantha Gabay
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:27 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlig...
25/11/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CacheFly's Matt Levine on the Evolving Role of th...
25/11/2025
Peacock's EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast Levels Up on Thanksgiving With SkyCam as...
25/11/2025
Mathias Broe attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Sauna at Library Center Theatre. (Photo by Michael Hurcomb/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Fes...
25/11/2025
The best playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks bring a little extra magic to your daily routine. With new features and offerings, Spotify Premium delivers even mo...
25/11/2025
Comprehensive new research confirms what we already knew: Australian music fans love the quality, quantity, and access they have to new and local music on strea...
25/11/2025
Applicable Products
Objectives The purpose of this application note is to give a brief background on 5G (NR) wireless communication an explain the reason a SN...
25/11/2025
Nielsen will now measure both Lionsgate's FAST channel MovieSphere and Movie...
25/11/2025
FREMONT, Calif. Blackmagic Design said the Associated Press has completed the transition of its global video-editing platform to DaVinci Resolve Studio....
25/11/2025
Berklees Inaugural Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole Scholarship Awarded to Paris P...
25/11/2025
NEW YORK NFL and college football coverage, the MLB postseason and the new fall broadcast-TV season contributed to major gains for traditional media companies a...
25/11/2025
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. Tower Products, a manufacturer and distributor of pro video and audio equipment here, said President and CEO Jim Veltrie will retire from the c...
25/11/2025
Following last week's disclosure that it had acquired a 8.2% stake in E.W. Scripps, Sinclair has filed papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission pr...
25/11/2025
25 Nov 2025
VEON's QazCode and MeetKai Sign Agreement to Power National LLM...
25/11/2025
UKTV has acquired a high-profile slate of US dramas from Paramount Global Conten...
25/11/2025
A symphony of genius, rivalry and vengeance, boldly reimagined from Peter Shaffe...
25/11/2025
Article courtesy of Cinematography World
Read the article
FilmLight has finalised the prestigious 2025 FilmLight Colour Awards jury and welcomed award-winning...
Tech Focus: Radio, Part 1 - A Slow Transition to Digital Analog still rules for many sports-radio remotes By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
