
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
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...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
07/05/2026
Strategic three-year partnership marks delivery phase of BFBS' next-generation media vision
Media organisation and military charity BFBS (British Forces Br...
07/05/2026
Amagi, the agentic industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced the availability of its In-Content Ads offering v...
07/05/2026
Lightware Visual Engineering has developed Rack Taurus for rack-based environments such as education and corporate training spaces. It enables clean and simple ...
07/05/2026
Jigsaw24, the UK's leading media equipment supplier and systems integrator, will showcase its expanded end-to-end workflow capabilities at MPTS 2026, signal...
07/05/2026
Ease Live, an Evertz company, today announced that it has been granted a US Patent for its proprietary graphical overlay technology, the foundation for interact...
07/05/2026
Test & measurement innovator Leader Electronics of Europe will present an extensive range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement solutions at...
07/05/2026
At Broadcast Asia 2026 (Stand 5H3 8), LiveU is redefining live production with its most powerful IP-video EcoSystem to date built to help broadcasters and con...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Recreating the 1974 Doctor Who Time Tunnel in After Effects
Graham Quince May 6, 2026
0 Comments
The Time Tunnel from Doctor Who titles is one of th...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
07/05/2026
Less typing, more tanking.
Faster logins mean more time in the gaming action - and this week provides GeForce NOW members with a smoother path straight into th...
06/05/2026
Gravity Media Chief RF Communications Engineer Glenn Willems uses Wisycom RF over Fiber and wireless solutions across major cycling events and international mar...
06/05/2026
A Sennheiser Spectera module is now available in Bitfocus Companion and Buttons, enabling direct integration of Spectera with the two software platforms. The mo...
06/05/2026
Ted Turner, the visionary media entrepreneur whose appetite for disruption helpe...
06/05/2026
Peacock is going all-in on the beautiful game - streaming all 104 FIFA World Cup...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...