Working the Super Bowl in Broadcasting

[TN_Mike]

Many of you know that I work in the Broadcast TV field (at least for now anyway). I've done this work for 17 years now. I am a Broadcast Engineer, which is basically a fancy way of saying I am an electronics technician and work at a TV station. The station i work for is in Indianapolis Indiana, and last Sunday was the Super Bowl.

You may not have noticed it but I wasn't on the site for over a week except for a couple of brief pop ins to look at the site. I was just too darn busy. For the 2 weeks leading up to the game we had to build and wire 3 locations to broadcast and feed content back to the stations. This included the main location in the IPL building on the Circle right down town, a site at Georgia and Capitol streets and another at the Domestic Media Compound near Lucas Oil Stadium. To say it was a busy 2 weeks wouldn't do it justice. To give you an idea, my paycheck this Friday will have almost 75 hours of over time on it. And yes, I do plan on buying something with part of that money. I feel I deserve a treat.

Here are a few pictures for anyone interested in what it looks like behind the scenes to get a special broadcast like this on the air and into your home. It may or may not be what you expect.

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Construction of the Roman Numerals on the Circle

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Finished Roman Numerals

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JW Marriott Down Town all decked out for the big game.

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Indiana State Police APC there for the game

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Switching the show from the IPL Studio

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Anchors at IPL

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[TN_Mike]

Continued.....

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On the street interview with a vendor at the game

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Me at the Domestic Media Compound on Game Day

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Behind the scenes at the Domestic Media Compound. Lots of crews there.

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Got to meet General Ray Odierno and Brian Kilmeade of Fox News.

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Satellite trucks at the Domestic Media Compound

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where I spent most of my Game Day...

[4my son]

Cool,

It's always nice to see the "behind the scenes"

[TN_Mike]

Just a couple more...

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My official credentials. Did not keep me from being frisked a few times though....

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Homeland Security air patrol that was constantly orbiting the city on Game Day...

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The one honest beggar in Indianapolis for the whole week.

[mcp1810]

See what you would have missed out on if you had gone back to Tennessee like six months ago? Glad you got through it OK. Enjoy that overtime check!

[Rock and Glock]

Thanks! Your OT check must be why the Ads are so expensive.

[TN_Mike]

Thanks! Your OT check must be why the Ads are so expensive.

Actually, that is factored into it. Mine and 5 other Engineers and a whole lot of News Department personnel.

[kapnketel]

Very cool, thanks for sharing. My former brother in law was the head engineer for the big talk radio station in Chicago, I used to tag along to remotes. Always was fascinated as to how it all happens.

[Hiram25]

Nice photos!

[zamboni]

I’ve been a journalist working “J” for … going on 39yrs … damn; that hurts to think that far back. I’ve covered about 48 shuttle launches, Presidents back to Carter and 3 National Presidential-Nominating Conventions, World Series games, 3 NHL All-Star Weekends a few playoff games and 2 cup final series, countless college games and bowl events, other pro and prep sporting events, natural disasters, civil unrest, 5 Super Bowls, and my share of check-passing chicken dinners, spot-news, and tear jerking feature stores too. For newspapers, magazines, and wires.

And that great stuff you posted from behind the scenes only scratches the surface of the work that goes into events like the Super Bowl. The public's eye has no idea of the hard work and long hours that people like us that work in this industry put into evens like the Super Bowl behind the scenes.

The longest hours and hardest events I’ve worked are shuttles, the Augusta Masters, and Super Bowls. But the day that check hits your bank account, you forget about all those sleepless hours of exalting work, and think how it was all worth the effort. It can be fun at times but, it is also some VERY relentless work at times too, as editors and producers can be very ... at times!!

were live in 3 ... 2 ......

There’s an old saying in the “World of working J”: You get to park where-ever you want, you get the best seats in the house, and sometimes the free food you get is not only recognizable but it’s edible too!

[dukalmighty]

I didn't watch the game.....did anybody win

[357and40]

Pic #5 is that a mackie 1604? Surprising to see such a small mixer.

The honest beggar is a hoot, I would have given him a buck.

[SIXTO]

Very interesting, thanks for posting. By all accounts from people who went there, Indy did a fine job across the board hosting the super bowl.

[JoJoGunn]

Good pictures and thanks for sharing. The beggar pic is a hoot. I bet he gets more for his honesty than lying about it.

You look all serious and business-like in the Tenessee Vols hat.

I'm sure now with the pending move back to TN, the folks in Indiana are going to miss you.

[TN_Mike]

I’ve been a journalist working “J” for … going on 39yrs … damn; that hurts to think that far back. I’ve covered about 48 shuttle launches, Presidents back to Carter and 3 National Presidential-Nominating Conventions, World Series games, 3 NHL All-Star Weekends a few playoff games and 2 cup final series, countless college games and bowl events, other pro and prep sporting events, natural disasters, civil unrest, 5 Super Bowls, and my share of check-passing chicken dinners, spot-news, and tear jerking feature stores too. For newspapers, magazines, and wires.

And that great stuff you posted from behind the scenes only scratches the surface of the work that goes into events like the Super Bowl. The public's eye has no idea of the hard work and long hours that people like us that work in this industry put into evens like the Super Bowl behind the scenes.

The longest hours and hardest events I’ve worked are shuttles, the Augusta Masters, and Super Bowls. But the day that check hits your bank account, you forget about all those sleepless hours of exalting work, and think how it was all worth the effort. It can be fun at times but, it is also some VERY relentless work at times too, as editors and producers can be very ... at times!!

were live in 3 ... 2 ......

There’s an old saying in the “World of working J”: You get to park where-ever you want, you get the best seats in the house, and sometimes the free food you get is not only recognizable but it’s edible too!

Very true Zamboni. I was telling my wife that one of the things I will surely miss about this job is driving a marked vehicle that I can park just about anywhere and the police don't even bat an eye and the station branded clothes that always seem to get you treated better. Even though I am a behind the scenes guy, with that coat on with the FOX logo on it, you'd think I was the mayor sometimes.

Pic #5 is that a mackie 1604? Surprising to see such a small mixer.

The honest beggar is a hoot, I would have given him a buck.

Yep, that is an old Mackie 1604. All we had to run into it was 2 talent mics, a guest mic and one nat sound camera that was out on the street. That old Mackie did a great job just like always.