Versus Taps NEP for NHL All-Star Coverage

By Ken Kerschbaumer

NEP’s Supershooter 18 will serve as the production hub for Versus NHL All-Star Game coverage in Montreal this weekend, as the network complements an NHL-supplied host feed with five cameras, a super-slo-mo system, and two CP Communications wireless mic systems that will be in use during the skills competition.

“Last year, the NFL started producing a host and world feed, so we and the other networks, like the CBC, take those feeds,” says Versus Director of Remote Operations Sandra Doerr.

For a network, the challenge in working with a host feed is to have the ability to break away and tell the story of the game its own way, but the additional cameras will provide enough coverage for original angles.

Versus will not have a pregame studio on-site and, in fact, will also not have its studio in Stamford lit up. “Last year, we didn’t do the studio show on the road and were able to save $300,000,” says Doerr, describing a move that is becoming the norm among nearly all sports networks. “By not lighting up the studio, there are some cost savings,” she adds, “but it also allows us to keep the focus in Montreal, where the Montreal Canadiens franchise is celebrating its 100th anniversary.”