Starting with Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, ESPN returns as the television source for Sprint Cup action for the remainder of the 2008 season schedule -- including the Chase for the Championship.
Last weekend while at Chicagoland Speedway, ESPN invited yours truly to take a look at just what goes inside an at-track television production for the sports broadcaster and to say the least, it briefly reminded me of mission control for a NASA space shuttle launch.
Now before you accuse me of drinking the company Kool-Aid when it comes to ESPN, let me remind you that its my job to look at things with an open mind. Sure, I've criticized ESPN's NASCAR coverage in the past, and I'll likely do it again. With that, however, I will now be able to take into account how the entire operation works and better understand how a mistake is made here or a gaffe happens there.
The tour that we (I was accompanied by Valli from The Fast and the Fabulous blog) occurred during the Friday afternoon broadcast of Nationwide Series qualifying. The first stop was inside of the ESPN tech center where Tim Brewer originates his segments on the technical side of the sport.
Brewer's home for the weekend is really a single trailer with expandable sides that allow for all of the tools you see on the broadcast to be stored in a ready-to-use position -- including a race car (ESPN brings both a Sprint Cup and a Nationwide car to each race), pit box, and a plethora of tools and spare parts. Because we were inside the "studio" during the broadcast, Brewer was cordial but had to listen in to the broadcast in case the guys in the booth needed an explanation. In other words, none of what Brewer does -- and yes, he is stationed at the speedway for every race -- is pre-planned and he's only used when the broadcast needs a thorough look at a technical element.
The next stop we made was in a trailer two or three doors down from Brewer's set. Both spots were located inside a TV compound that is designed to support an army of 200+ ESPN workers at each event, and they have the trailers, tents, and space to prove it.
That next stop? Inside the control room for the whole operation where senior producer Neil Goldberg calls the shots. The production truck is a custom-built piece made for ESPN by company out of Pennsylvania, and more specifically, tailor-made for the network's NASCAR broadcasts.
The wall is decked out with at least nineteen 32" flat screens that show the crew inside the truck everything that can possibly go on the air including the live feed, available graphics, replays that are ready to roll, 60-75 camera views depending on the size of the track, and of course the live feed of every other ESPN channel in one corner. In all, the number of different things you can see on the screens easily stretches into the hundreds.
And that's where Goldberg comes in.
He's the guy solely responsible for bringing everyone in the crew together from the guys in the booth, to the pit reporters, to the replay truck, to the audio truck, to the stats people, to the network people back in Bristol, Conn., and of course, the action on the track. Each of these areas -- and a few more I'm missing -- pitch what they have to Goldberg to try to get it on screen, whether its a driver interview or an interesting stat.Imagine trying to talk on the phone with 30 people at once, watch TV, and land an airplane and you're getting near the level of components that go into an ESPN NASCAR production.
And all of this, mind you, occurs while Dr. Jerry Punch, Andy Peetree, and Dale Jarrett are all up in the booth, trying to keep track of what is happening on the track.
The technology in the broadcast is simply fascinating. As the ESPN representative who led the tour told us, the television package for a NASCAR race is bigger than the one putting on the Super Bowl each year, and it moves from track to track each week.
The logistics part of the equation is all the more fascinating, too, as roughly 12 hours after the checkered flag falls, the entire unit is packed up and ready to head to the next event directly, where it will run cables, position cameras, and put together what is seemingly the world's largest home entertainment center (with full HD, of course) in less than two days.
The ESPN package is truly incredible, and I'm sure both FOX and TNT have similar setups that allow them to show NASCAR racing at a high level. And because of the amazing amount of bells, whistles, and buttons to push, it takes the staff some time to learn not only how to use it effectively, but to also get a grip on issues that can crop up while covering NASCAR for a content-heavy network like ESPN and ABC.
To me, it seems like that learning curve was 2007, and now, ESPN has tightened the reigns on the NASCAR coverage and cleaned up some areas that needed improvement. With that, they should be ready to hit the ground running with Sprint Cup coverage this Sunday at the Brickyard.
And if you do catch them make a mistake (as I'm sure I will), take a moment to look past the screen of the TV and think about how many variables it takes to make a NASCAR race successful on TV and doubly realize that the people working in the truck and in the booth are there for one reason.
To bring us, the fans, a quality NASCAR production to the comfort of our own home.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-23-2008 @ 7:27AM
El said...
The coverage last year by ESPN was poorly managed. I got so frustrated because most of the racers were not covered and action on the track, except for the front runners, was ignored. There are stories everywhere on the track, during the race. This is what Fox handles so well. Fox commentators concentrate on the race instead of mostly personal stories, told ad nauseum, and their knowledge of the drivers and races within the race make it exciting. I hope ESPN has stepped up and can match Fox this year. I love watching the races but got so bored last year that it became "nap time" instead.
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7-23-2008 @ 7:44PM
Mike said...
Maybe this year the producer will learn what the one lap to go light means. If that is too hard all he has to do is look at the pace car and when the pretty blinky lights go out, there is one lap to go. Ok, now that you know that, before the race even begins, time one or two of the laps they turn under caution and you will know how long it takes to go around the track ONCE under caution. Alright, now for the important stuff. if it takes 90 seconds to turn a lap under caution, and the one lap to go light comes on, you have 80 seconds to cut away to a commercial and get back to the action in time for US, THE FANS, to see the restart. After all, in case nobody told you, WE are the reason you are broadcasting the show.
MBL
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7-24-2008 @ 2:04AM
anna seitter said...
GEEZ ,soon we got to put up with the football player again and that lady on the job training that comments like she knows it all
but instead she makes up the news by listening to the other reporters and than changes the words a little.
One thing positive: we won't have to listen to CRUSTEY W. crap.
I THINK THE jarrett dude will be much better.
NAZCAR reporting it's in his family.
MIKE / SUSAN , Please go read my last 2 posts in the file:
TOYOTA PACKAGE GETTING CHECKED BY NAZCAR. Not sure if i owe you 1 but you got it anyway. Hasta la vista.
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7-24-2008 @ 7:14AM
Mike said...
Yes, Anna. I was going to comment on yesterdays news on the Toyota engines but Geoffry has not yet put up an article on it. His real job must be getting in the way of our fun.
There is much to talk about in that news and you managed to bring just about all of it up. Why 15 HP when the tests are showing more than that? Is that extra the freebie some have mentioned they were allowed? Why is it that GM has a new motor with more HP but Nascar will not let them run it?
I am sure fans and foes of Toyota will be watching the Nationwide race this weekend to see what the results are. Once side of the issue is going to be pointing a finger at the end of the race saying "see, I told you."
MBL
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7-24-2008 @ 11:37AM
Susan said...
Mike,
I was waiting on Geoffrey to put up the article as well. I thought that they were saying 15% less HP and not 15 HP.
I'll have to go read about it again.
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7-24-2008 @ 1:40PM
Susan said...
It was 15 hp and not 15% so sorry about that.
Anna, Everything is great. Some day I want to hear your pilot stories. They have to be amazing and I love those stories.
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7-24-2008 @ 5:57PM
anna seitter said...
Yeah mike, tony is not winning now in the best team today's days.How is he going to do it next year while he is rebuilding those new HAAS team?? And JEFF, maybe he is loking at early retirement, i seen an article about that on yahoo or aol sports. We have to wait and see but soon or later both tony/jeff will get some more wins i think and hope.
SUSAN, are you sure you want to hear about flying experiences. I warn you: those flying toys are beautyful and fun toys to admire, play with and fly them but when they are caught in the line of FIRE, it's HELL COMES LOOSE. And i saw
hell few times black/orange hell.
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7-24-2008 @ 7:39PM
Susan said...
Anna,
I love those stories. I was blessed to be on a flight with a lady that was a WAC & flew transportation flights. I don't really like to fly. But when I was much younger I hung out at our local airport.. My best friend worked there and I knew the family that owned it. I observed one thing that you never want to do. People should not fly ultra-lights next to where planes are landing or taking off. The downforce dropped the ultralight straight to the ground.
I think Tony is going to do well at Stewart-Haas. Haas is going to do whatever it takes to win. He has deep pockets and Tony knows the people that he needs to to turn the company around. I have faith.
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7-25-2008 @ 2:39AM
anna seitter said...
Last year there was a story on abc news SUSAN about this ultralights flying where they should not to.
I remember the story even caught the attention of the FAA. iT IS a good probability that by now something has been done about this illecit flying, but honestly i do not know for sure because i haven't followed the story anymore. Oh and that WAC lady, i'm sure she gave you an earfull. Some of them they go on,on and on but i don't think she has ever seen the dark side of flying because usually transportation (cargo planes) hardly ever engadge in combat or airborne duels.
That's usually the job of fighter jets and bombing planes.
Most of my flying days were in the APACHE chopper. The f-14
i flew it only 3 times for play and placer because my husband
knew many USAF and NAVY pilots.The defference from the chopper to those jets, it's astonishing and was my dream if i had stayed in the military permanently.WOW there you really see speed galore and acrobatics The helic. flying is fun too but much more dangerous to be shut down cause, they are low flying crafts.
Another story much more dangerous than the ultralights acts
was people in various USA areas were shining high power laser lights to incoming or low flying airplanes and that was blinding the pilots on landing route and was tought to be attempted terrorism but later found out to be irresponsible bored kids and adults.Some got arrested for.
About STEWART, I KNOW HE CAN DO IT and will be competitive eventually. What i fear is how long it's going to take him.
Have a great day.
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