
ESPN Doubles Up Production Efforts for MLB in Omaha The network is keeping a majority of the same staff for the College World Series By Kristian Hernandez, Assistant Editor
Friday, June 14, 2019 - 1:05 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
The world of sports gained two historic moments last night. As Toronto captured its (and Canada's) first NBA title, MLB placed its trademark on Omaha, NE's TD Ameritrade Park before the College World Series begins tomorrow. ESPN broadcast the first major-league game in the state of Nebraska with the same crew that is producing college baseball's crown-jewel event.
From a remote-operations perspective, it just made perfect sense. Early on in discussions with production and the College World Series management/ops team, as well as the timing and nature of the event, it was clear that the MLB game would mesh very nicely with the set schedule, says Paul Horrell, remote operations manager, MLB, ESPN. For that reason, we looked to adjust the truck and crew schedule to accommodate the MLB game needs while minimizing impact to the College World Series prep. Our College World Series remote-operations team members that were already assigned [to the tournament] took the lead throughout.
Two-in-One: Meshing a Pair of Productions
With two major events clashing, ESPN has deployed nearly 150 onsite staffers to facilitate game coverage and studio programming. The network needed to bolster their infrastructure in order to accommodate two productions in a short-time.
With the synergy between having a regular-season MLB game and the Men's College World Series in the same venue just days apart, we have been able to add a few extra facilities to the standard MLB broadcasts, says Dick Mullen, operations manager, ESPN. We'll be using NEP ND7 for both events at TD Ameritrade, with over 30 cameras utilized in the broadcasts.
Comprising more than two dozen cameras, the complement includes a Sony HDC-4800 with HFR and super-slow-motion at 960 fps. On the audio side, ESPN placed an on-field mic on Kansas City Royals lead-off hitter and right fielder Whit Merrifield. With the venue being only a 3 -hour drive from Kaufmann Stadium in Missouri, a wave of Royals fans behind the outfield wall had some fun with their fan favorite.
.@WhitMerrifield: man of the people.
(MLB x @GEICO) pic.twitter.com/EuqlExtobC
MLB (@MLB) June 14, 2019
The Bristol Connection: ESPN HQ Supplies File Transfer
With 1,423 miles between Bristol, CT, and the onsite compound, ESPN leveraged a file-transfer system that bridged the distance.
With [NEP's] ND7, we had a full REMNAS [remote near-access storage] file-transfer system, says Horrell. We also arranged for fiber connectivity this year for both the MLB game and the College World Series.
The studio was also a reliable source during the first couple of innings. During a brief truck outage, ESPN made a quick adjustment by displaying whip-around coverage of other MLB games in progress. With the help of the TD Ameritrade Park staff, ESPN used the feeds of the in-venue videoboard cameras and provided audio commentary via in-studio talent. After the truck regained power, the on-air broadcast continued as normal.
No one likes when mechanical failures happen, and we regret we went off the air, says NEP U.S. President Glen Levine. I'm really proud that our field- and engineering-support staff immediately jumped on the problem and worked together to bypass the failed regulator to recover and get us back on the air as quickly as we could.
For the broadcast, Horrell and his team tapped a graphics setup that has become customary for all MLB on ESPN productions.
Specifically for the MLB game, we implemented our GREMI workflow, he says. [In addition,] we had Viz Graphics and EVS operators in Bristol integrated with the truck.
The compound hosted a handful of onsite technicians and gear that handled the GREMI (graphics remote integration) aspect of the broadcast.
Lastly, a Bristol, CT, staple, Baseball Tonight, traveled to Nebraska to provide on-field studio programming during the pre/postgame.
Bringing MLB to New Frontiers
The hometown Royals' 7-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers isn't ESPN's only project with the MLB. As the league strengthens its relationships with entities like the NCAA, ESPN is the backbone of such operations.
With the first-ever MLB game in Nebraska, especially in concert with the College World Series, it generates a whole new experience. [It's] very similar to the MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA, that MLB has introduced with Little League and ESPN in recent years, says Horrell. These efforts serve to capture the nature of the sport and [also] this particular event.
North America Stories
05/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
05/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
03/01/2026
A still from OBEX by Albert Birney, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance...
02/01/2026
Freezing Florida: NHL's EVP, Entertainment Bob Chesterman on Taking the Wint...
02/01/2026
NHL Winter Classic 2026: TNT Sports Prepares for First NHL Outdoor Game in Sunsh...
02/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
02/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...