NFL Draft Reflections: Intercoms Keep the Back Channels Open Clear-Com's IP gear helps a complex production go truly at home' By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Wednesday, June 3, 2020 - 9:38 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
There were about three weeks to go before the kickoff of the NFL Draft, scheduled to take place live in Paradise, NV, the last week of April. Then came the pandemic, locking down the country one state at a time. By the time it reached Paradise, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had decided that the event would take place virtually, from the homes and other lockdown locations of every player, coach, owner, and technician involved - and the basement of Goodell's own home. The decision would have far-reaching implications for the one platform that connected every person involved in getting the show online: intercoms.
All production communications were to be handled by a combination of national event-production vendor Freeman; Buffalo, NY-based comms-systems supplier Sound and Vision Entertainment (SAV); and Orlando-based consultant Show Machine - all of which have done this task for the NFL Draft for more than a decade. Suddenly, a year's worth of planning had to be completely revised in a matter of weeks.
We usually start thinking about next year's Draft production right after the current year's is done, if not during its last few hours, recalls Show Machine owner Dave Ragains. This year, we had to go in a completely different direction in less than three weeks.
For the first time ever, the annual meeting of the NFL's football franchises to select newly eligible players for the upcoming season was held via video conference, April 23-25, as a result of worldwide travel restrictions.
Hybrid Approach
Key to making this radically altered event work was implementation of a hybrid intercom system that uses both conventional and IT-based components. Specifically, a Clear-Com Eclipse HX digital matrix system along with LQ IP Series - which integrates into existing workflows and connects securely over 3G, 4G, LTE, or Wi-Fi networks - was the chosen intercom solution to support the large network of remote Agent-IC intercom app clients required for this virtualized broadcast.
When the decision was made to virtualize the Draft broadcast, we were tasked to come up with a reliable and secure remote-communications solution that would enable a large number of production staff to operate from their homes while still being able to communicate on the production intercom freely over many channels, explains Brady Belavek, who runs the comms audio for SAV. What turned out to be one of the biggest challenges was managing ISP connections in individuals' homes and offices, not to mention the security requirements from the league, who were understandably concerned about cybersecurity threats.
Clear-Com Agent-IC mobile app was downloaded and connected to Eclipse and LQ systems.
The wide dispersion of the principals and the technicians on the event was a huge challenge. In fact, the need for additional licenses for LQ units grew to the point that Clear-Com offered to help directly.
We had an AE Lab Eclipse HX system in our Alameda [CA] headquarters that we use to run remote demonstrations across our product range, says Justin Emge, applications engineering manager, Clear-Com, so it already had the required software licenses installed and the IP infrastructure set up to handle large numbers of remote Agent-IC client users.
Members of Clear-Com's IT department were brought on to ensure that the required ISP data connections were operating properly and that the firewall could facilitate all required connections. Freeman and SAV were already familiar with our equipment, Emge notes. When we offered it as an emergency fix, they were happy to accept.
More than 80 members of the production crew downloaded Clear-Com's Agent-IC mobile app to their iOS and Android mobile devices, which connected primarily to the Eclipse HX system or, alternatively, to an LQ system set up at SAV in Los Angeles. Both Eclipse and LQ systems were connected to several phone-conference lines for communication between Agent-IC and various control rooms.
It was the first time that many of the crew had used Agent-IC, Ragains explains, but, since it looks and feels like a regular intercom panel, the learning curve was very small. We gave them a one-page instruction guide for how to navigate the app, and that was all they needed. Each crew member was able to listen and talk to as many conference lines as they needed to, as well as conversing point-to-point with specific staff, with the option to turn different audio streams on and off as required.
In total, there were nearly 100 endpoint connections: around 80 Agent-IC connections, up to nine conference lines for meetings of 10 people, and seven audio trunks running to backup equipment in Los Angeles. Ragains says no backbone-level problems were encountered; rather, glitches tended to be highly localized and often the result of a home internet router.
Homes often had broadband dead spots. He remembers having users run dozens of Ookla tests to check their connection speeds and, in some cases, asking some users to relocate routers or move to their mobile carriers' data plans. It was also common to ask those participating from their homes to ask their family production team to limit use of Netflix and other online entertainment portals during the three-day event - not an easy request when everyone was home under lockdown.
A Flexible Future
In the wake of the, at times, hectic event, the folks who assembled its comms system think it will have various degrees of influence on future productions. Belavek notes that, although pulling in a remotely placed participant had been done on the NFL Draft in
North America Stories
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
03/06/2026
Liverpool FC and Wasabi Technologies have announced a multi-year extension of their partnership, with Wasabi continuing as the club's official cloud storage...
03/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Australian News Channel (ANC), operator of Sky News Australia, has deployed Grass Valley AMPP as part of the relocation of its n...
03/06/2026
The Riedel Group has announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel Networks. She succeeds Michael Martens, who has led Riedel Networks since 201...
03/06/2026
Clear-Com has announced the deployment of its intercom solutions at Itaka Arena ...
03/06/2026
Scott Coker has announced six senior executive appointments for his new global MMA promotion, which launched earlier this year with $60 million in financing. Ad...
03/06/2026
Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the FIFA World Cup 2026, has announced its digital and social media programming for the tournament, running Ju...
03/06/2026
The Bundesliga has announced the launch of Captain, an AI assistant built into t...
03/06/2026
Anthony James Partners (AJP) is serving as technology consultant for a moderniza...
03/06/2026
Audio-Technica has announced the recipients of its annual sales rep firm awards for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The awards were presented by Jim Schanz, Executive ...
03/06/2026
iodyne will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 alongside RED Digital Cinema and Adob...
03/06/2026
The broadcaster will deploy 39 cameras for game coverage, six cameras for studio...
03/06/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is providing a great opportunity for not only Fox Sports...
03/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p compatible PTZ Auto Framing camera that uses Sony's proprietary AI to automatically recognize and tra...
03/06/2026
Game Creek Video's Flagship A, B, C, and D unit will wind up its first year ...
03/06/2026
According to Caretta Research, the sports-rights market may be hitting the brake...
03/06/2026
Retrieval still courtesy of Tribeca.
By Jessica Herndon
This year, the Tribeca...
03/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/06/2026
For more than three decades, Re-recording Mixer Andrew Wilson, AMPS, CAS, has helped bring the natural world to the screen with exceptional audio enjoyed by mil...
03/06/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will showcase its latest innovations for modern AV production environments at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N...
03/06/2026
DPA Microphones will present a comprehensive portfolio of integrated audio solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of today's professional AV environm...
03/06/2026
Lightware announces the GVN-HC-TX220AP, a new transmitter in the Gemini GVN 1G AV-over-IP family that introduces full-featured USB-C for professional 1Gb AV-ove...
03/06/2026
Evergent, the customer management and monetization leader for streaming and digital subscription businesses, and Minno, the global leader in faith-based content...
03/06/2026
Alfalite, Europe's only LED display manufacturer, has completed a new broadcast installation with the deployment of two UHD Finepix 1.5 MATIX AlfaCOB LED di...
03/06/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is completing a contract to build eight...
03/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
NFL Draft Reflections: Intercoms Keep the Back Channels Open Clear-Com's IP gear helps a complex production go truly at home' By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
