Wireworks Custom Panels Give Broadcasters Direct Connection at Prudential Center

Wireworks are connecting
broadcasters with its custom-created panels at the Prudential
Center, in
Newark, New Jersey.
For the project, Wireworks specially manufactured more than 400 panels, making
it simple for broadcasters covering events at the arena to patch directly into
the house system.
The Prudential
Center, home to the NHL’s New Jersey
Devils, opened in October 2007 as part of Newark’s
$2 billion effort to transform its downtown core into Northern
New Jersey’s top entertainment destination. In addition to
Devils games, the venue hosts other sporting events such as regional basketball
and soccer, along with live music performances. This diverse array of events
requires paneling that is flexible enough to meet multiple broadcast and media
needs, including both television and radio, over a short time frame.
“Due to the sheer number
of connectivity points required by this project, it was essential that the
panel design was managed down to the very last detail,” says Mike Panico,
Systems Engineer at Diversified Systems. “The coordination with Wireworks was
excellent. We provided them with our drawing documentation and schedule, and
they did a great job of providing specifically identified and individually
packaged panels so that the actual installation was well-coordinated and
completely organized.”
The facility is outfitted
with close to 90 broadcast service junction boxes, located in key camera
positions through the arena. Each junction box contains four to six Wireworks
custom panels, which are labeled by function, including Junction Box Television
(JBT), Junction Box Audio (JBA) and Junction Box Control (JBC). Broadcast
trucks can interface directly into the system through Wireworks custom panels,
which all connect back to a main patching room.
The major New Jersey and
New
York television and radio stations, along with the
major regional sports media outlets, have personalized panels specifically
catered to their audio and video needs. The Arena also provides several
guest panels for the visiting teams’ media to easily patch into the system, as
well as for those outlets catered to the entertainment/performance side of the
arena.
For audio, Wireworks
created custom panels including intercom panels, mic and line level I/O panels,
volume/select panels (used in the broadcast booth to select sources) and an I/O
panel behind the digital console that connects to the rest of the system.
In addition, Wireworks provided a custom analog system for use as an
analog backup for front of house, along with custom snake boxes for the
announcer booth.
“For Wireworks, it’s not
enough to simply create and deliver our Custom Panels to the customer,” says
Gerald Krulewicz, president of Wireworks Corporation. “We go the extra mile to
make sure that all panels are delivered exactly how the customer specified –
the first-time and most importantly on-time. It’s this dedication that
has made Wireworks the number-one brand in custom paneling.