Fiber Gives Comcast SportsNet Chicago Flexibility During Stanley Cup Final

The Chicago Blackhawks may have hoisted the Stanley Cup only three years ago, but for Comcast SportsNet Chicago news director Kevin Cross, the experience this time around couldn’t be more different.

CSN Chicago has access to three fiber lines out of the Uniter Center. One is used on the arena concourse for the “Blackhawks Pre/Post Game Live” team of Pat Boyle (left) and Steve Konroyd.

“In 2010, it was truck this, truck that,” he says. “We had trucks everywhere.”

Now with the help of three fiber lines out of the United Center and the Dejero Live+ 20/20 Transmitter, Cross and his team have added versatility to better cover the drama of the Stanley Cup Final.

As the series returns to the Windy City for Game 5 on Saturday, CSN Chicago is primed to deploy its comprehensive home production set up. The network’s surrounding coverage of the game (which will be broadcast nationally on NBC) utilizes all three of those fiber lines (two of which are HD). Typically during the regular season, one of the lines is used for the game production. With that open and available, Cross had the freedom to try things he wouldn’t be able to on a regular night at the United Center.

The primary set, which is home to CSN Chicago’s Blackhawks Pre/Post Game Live, is positioned on the concourse area among the fans. There, hosts Pat Boyle and Steve Konroyd host a one-hour, two-camera pre- and post-game show around the game. The two cameras are plugged into a NewTek TriCaster 300 where an operator cuts between shots. While the TricCaster 300 is capable of producing its own graphics, CSN Chicago chooses to send the clean feed back to its studios where graphics are than overlaid.

Cross also deploys a camera out in the lower bowl where a reporter can give live shots overlooking the ice. A fourth camera is also set up down in the media room to capture pre- and post-game press conferences. The fiber line down there also gives the production crew the freedom to move that camera into the hallway for a new-look setup for a reporter.

“The fact that we have those three fiber lines back to us is really, really helpful when it comes to doing anything from the United Center,” says Cross.

On Monday, when the series returns to Boston for Game 6, all programming will be hosted out of CSN Chicago’s studios, but the network will also leverage its partnership with CSN New England, which has offered up one of their fiber lines out of TD Garden to their sister station.

Also for road games, Cross’s team rents a small dual path uplink truck to get another feed out while also utilizing the Dejero Live+ 20/20 Transmitter. According to Cross, the Dejero unit is intended primarily to be a feed source but he’s also able to plug an Ethernet cable into it and rent an ISDN line, allowing the production crew to do talkback with about a one-and-a-half second delay.

“It’s changed how we do a lot of our coverage because in the past we’d have to use a truck for everything, now Dejero gives us that extra option,” says Cross. “It gives us the opportunity to have a more versatile and quick moving unit.”

Perfect for covering the fastest game on ice.

Remaining Programming Slate
The series can go no shorter than six games now and CSN Chicago is prepared to chronicle it all.

Here’s the programming plans for the remainder of the series, including a potential Game 7 in Chicago (all times listed are CT):

Game 5: Saturday (Blackhawks vs. Bruins)
10:30 AM – Blackhawks Morning Skate Live – Live morning skate practice coverage from the United Center featuring a Game 5 preview & player interviews (also to be streamed live on ChicagoBlackhawks.com)
6:00 PM – Blackhawks Pre-Game Live – Special, ONE-HOUR edition pre-game show LIVE from the United Center hosted by Pat Boyle & Steve Konroyd with special reports from Blackhawks “Insider” Tracey Myers & Blackhawks beat reporter Chris Boden
9:30 PM – Blackhawks Post Game Live presented by Hawk Ford (time approx.) – Complete Game 5 post-game recap/analysis, plus live post-game press conferences and player interviews featuring hosts Pat Boyle & Steve Konroyd live from the United Center (also to be streamed live on CSNChicago.com)
11:00 PM – GMC SportsNet Central – Full Game 5 recap/analysis, along with the latest news/highlights from the day in sports

Game 6: Monday, June 24 (Blackhawks at Bruins)
5:00 PM – SportsTalk Live presented by Captain Morgan – Pre-game discussion & analysis with special guests and host David Kaplan featuring live reports from the TD Garden in Boston
6:00 PM – Blackhawks Pre-Game Live – Special edition pre-game show hosted by Pat Boyle & Steve Konroyd with special reports from Boston provided by Blackhawks “Insider” Tracey Myers & Blackhawks beat reporter Chris Boden
6:30 PM – SportsNet Central presented by AT&T U-verse – Expanded Blackhawks-Bruins Game 6 preview and much more from the day in sports.
9:30 PM – Blackhawks Post Game Live presented by Hawk Ford (time approx..) – Complete Game 6 post-game recap/analysis, plus live post-game press conferences and player interviews featuring hosts Pat Boyle & Steve Konroyd with live reports from the TD Garden in Boston (also to be streamed live on CSNChicago.com)
11:00 PM – GMC SportsNet Central – Full Game 6 recap/analysis, along with the latest news/highlights from the day in sports

Game 7: Wednesday, June 26 (Blackhawks vs. Bruins)
(if necessary)
10:30 AM – Blackhawks Morning Skate Live – Live morning skate practice coverage from the United Center featuring a Game 7 preview & player interviews (also to be streamed live on ChicagoBlackhawks.com)
5:30 PM – SportsTalk Live presented by Captain Morgan – Pre-game discussion & analysis with special guests and host David Kaplan LIVE from the United Center
6:00 PM – Blackhawks Pre-Game Live – Special edition pre-game show LIVE from the United Center hosted by Pat Boyle & Steve Konroyd with special reports from Blackhawks “Insider” Tracey Myers & Blackhawks beat reporter Chris Boden
6:30 PM – SportsNet Central presented by AT&T U-verse – Expanded Blackhawks-Bruins Game 7 preview, along with a Cubs-Mets game preview (airing at 7:00 PM on CSN) and much more from the day in sports.
10:00 PM – Blackhawks Post Game Live presented by Hawk Ford (time approx. following Cubs baseball coverage) – Complete Game 7 post-game recap/analysis, plus live post-game press conferences and player interviews featuring hosts Pat Boyle & Steve Konroyd live from the United Center (also to be streamed live on CSNChicago.com)
11:00 PM – GMC SportsNet Central – Full Game 7 recap/analysis, along with the latest news/highlights from the day in sports

Strong Regular Season
During the Blackhawks President’s Trophy winning campaign, Comcast SportsNet posted the highest Blackhawks final regular season TV ratings average in the history of Chicago regional sports television — a 5.38 household season average rating (approx. 187,482 households watching per game) — a 73% increase over last season’s 3.11 previous record final average (or an increase of 79,183 more households tuning in per game this season).

Comcast SportsNet’s record-setting 5.38 Blackhawks regular season household average in the Chicago market this year is a 94% increase from the final season average two years ago (2.78) — a 121% increase from the final season average three years ago (2.44) — a 327% increase from the final season average four years ago (1.26) — and an astounding 754% increase from just five years ago (0.63).

In addition, the top 33 highest-rated Blackhawks regular season games in Chicago regional sports network history have all occurred this season (ComcastSportsNet carried a total of 39 regular season games this year) with the all-time high posted on March 5 vs. Minnesota (7.86).

For its four total first round Blackhawks playoff game telecasts this season vs. Minnesota, Comcast SportsNet averaged approx. 322,000 Chicago market TV homes tuning in per game (9.24 household average), which was an 18% ratings increase from a last year’s first round series vs. Phoenix.