TORONTO, ON., Jan. 14, 2015—The announcement that Rogers Sportsnet had won the Canadian broadcast rights to NHL hockey, including the venerable Hockey Night in Canada, sent shock waves through the broadcast industry. With the nation’s eyes upon them, Sportsnet knew they had no room for error in delivering exceptional hockey programming right from the start.
To ensure success on the production side, Sportsnet contracted with RP Dynamics of Toronto to act as audio consultant for its new studio complex. The primary consultant on the project was Wireless and Broadcast Specialist John Christie of RP, responsible for designing and installing the systems needed to meet the network’s ambitious production goals, which required that all on-air talent be wireless. For Christie, there was no doubt that the best product choice for microphone and IFB (interruptible foldback) in-ear systems would be from Shure.
“To have all the studio talent on wireless all the time made product selection of paramount importance,” says Christie. “On a typical broadcast day, there are about 340 radio frequencies active within the facility. That leaves no room for compromise in product selection, which is why I recommended Shure Axient® for all microphone channels and PSM®1000 personal monitors for IFB systems. Both are designed to thrive in difficult and challenging RF environments.”
Shure Axient® is the only wireless product proven to detect and seamlessly switch away from interference before it can be heard. Using the system’s AXT600 Spectrum Manager for scanning and analysis, it literally keeps a “best available” list of backup frequencies active at all times for this purpose. According to the logs automatically generated by the Axient® system in the NHL Studios, there were five frequency changes deployed automatically during the first three weeks of the season, as the system smoothly prevented audible wireless problems during HNIC and other hockey broadcasts.
Another key feature of Axient® is that all transmitters can be fully remote controlled through Shure’s ShowLink® Access Point. “Not only do we have the ability to mute, sleep, and change frequencies, we can also change the transmitter’s output power and fine-tune the gain structure,” notes Christie. “As we change on-air personnel over the course of the broadcast day, that capability has proven to be incredibly powerful.”
In total, Rogers Sportsnet purchased 28 channels of Axient® wireless for its studio operations, 24 of which are bodypacks, along with five antenna distribution systems, the Spectrum Manager, and Shure AXT900 battery chargers.
As critical as its microphones are for the on-air talent, its IFB system is every bit as important. Christie notes that the PSM®1000 offers several design features that make it ideal for use in IFB applications, most notably the system’s diversity bodypack receivers, which is a huge advantage in a crowded RF area like the studios. The Shure MixMode® feature is also exceptionally broadcast-friendly.
“Using MixMode®, we can seamlessly send two separate signals from our digital intercoms, broadcasting in two channels but being heard as one. It’s almost like having an extra input,” Christie explains.
To monitor and control all the wireless traffic, each of the three control rooms is equipped with a computer running Shure Wireless Workbench® software, all networked into the main system. “I prefer Wireless Workbench to other systems because it accommodates all RF products and lets me manipulate all the Shure gear in real time,” says Christie. “That just makes life so much easier. Rather than having to take a list of frequencies over to a device and program it manually, all I do is push one button and all the devices are programmed. The advantage of having all your wireless gear working together on the same network is hard to overstate.”
“There has been a lot of interest in this project, which is only natural. Not only is it NHL hockey, but it’s Hockey Night in Canada—a national institution for 60 years. The technical challenge of creating an all-wireless studio of this size, and, in a building with so many existing RF channels, made it critical that we have the best equipment, properly deployed,” concludes John Christie of RP Dynamics. “Now, with the new season underway, we’ve proven that Shure Axient® and PSM®1000 are the right products for the job. There have literally been no wireless issues on air, and the team at Rogers Sportsnet is ecstatic. We couldn’t have asked for a better result.”
To learn more about Shure Axient®, please visit http://www.axient.net.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
