Telemundo Refurbishes Former NBC News Truck Into New REMI-Powered Mobile Unit

The truck has become an extension of the IP-enabled Telemundo Center in Miami

In an age where remote production has gradually become the norm, broadcasters around the country are always trying to refine their workflows and operations for the best possible approach. At Telemundo, the Spanish-language network is leveraging their relationship within the NBCUniversal family to acquire a truck previously owned by NBC News and turning it into their new Surf Boy mobile unit used for a plethora of remote productions.

“We built the truck in two months and we wouldn’t have been able to get it done in the timeline that we did if we didn’t have our carpentry shop,” says Vanessa Sabatier, director, field operations, Telemundo. “It was truly a labor of love.”

Engineering gear inside of the truck will connect the onsite team with Telemundo Center.

Corporate Collaboration: Broadcaster Works With NBCUniversal to Obtain Truck

With an increased number of productions throughout the year, including recent tentpole events like the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and numerous championships in between, Telemundo Deportes saw a need to enhance their remote production capabilities. With a high-quality facility in Telemundo Center in Miami as their main hub, the operations division knew that they needed to bolster their IP-powered headquarters with a roaming mobile unit. Tapping into the resources available to them underneath the NBCUniversal umbrella, the broadcaster noticed the perfect opportunity to grab a truck that was looking for a new home.

“NBC News was retiring one of their ENG trucks that they used to use, so and we were able to get it from them,” says Sabatier. “We decided to gut it and refurbish it into a REMI production truck.”

First developed by NBC News in 2008, NBCUniversal’s VP, News Field Operations & Engineering, Marc Weinstock, was able to hand over this 15-year-old mobile unit to Sabatier and her team. Needing an extensive redesign in its interior, the crew tapped the expertise of Telemundo Deportes’ in-house carpentry team. Led by a team including Director, Scenic Fabrication Services, Darien Delgado; Scenery Technical Designers Angie Riserbato and Isidro Jimenez; Shop Operations Manager Hugo Zapata; Shop Operations Coordinator Mauricio Alvarez; and Carpentry Supervisor Pedro Acosta, the truck was broken down to its bare necessities.

The truck can hold five staffers, including an audio mixer.

“It was a gift for us because it had the power and everything that you need for a good truck,” adds Sabatier. “Since we had a blank slate to work with, our carpentry shop customized it, and now, it’s completely our truck designed for us.”

Two-Month Turnaround: Crew Completes Build During 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup

For a massive project like this, broadcasters typically take their time putting these together. In the case of Telemundo Deportes, their work was finalized in a compressed timeline of two months. With Sabatier focused on the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand from late July to late August, the carpentry team and engineers put the finishing touches on before the conclusion of the month-long tournament. Luckily, some of Sabatier’s operations colleagues remained at home to assist in this process, including Field Broadcast Engineer Oscar Mendoza, who led the project; Field Technical Manager Juan Carlos Aguila; Field Technical Associate Aiante Carro; and Satellite Operator Jose Rodriguez.

“I didn’t have the entire team traveling to the Women’s World Cup, so for the team that stayed, it was perfect because they didn’t have other remote [productions] going on and were able to focus on this new truck,” continues Sabatier. “We got lucky that they were able to take this project on [and complete it] in the time that they did.”

As for the actual technology inside of the truck, the truck’s smaller size at 10 ft. by 30 ft. didn’t provide much of a footprint. Seating five technicians comfortably, the only pieces of equipment inside are audio and camera shading. The rest is controlled by a facility-based team in a control room back at Telemundo Center.

“We don’t have a switcher, graphics, or EVS in there,” says Sabatier. “We just have the engineering components and keep all of the production back at Telemundo Center. We’re following the same kind of model that we did for FIFA Men’s and Women’s World Cup, where everyone’s back home and we’re just sending the signals back in a package.”

Telemundo Deportes’ Field Operations team was the lead on this project.

A Versatile Vehicle: U.S. Open Cup Final Begins Mobile Unit’s Live Sports, Non-Sports Journey

Back in late September, Telemundo Deportes was in the middle of producing the semifinals and final of the 2023 U.S. Open Cup. After Inter Miami advanced to the final after defeating FC Cincinnati in a dramatic penalty shootout, the Spanish-language broadcaster was granted a localized production of the final played 50 miles southwest at DRV PNK Stadium. Since the timing of the mobile unit’s completion lined up perfectly with this match in Miami, it was the perfect chance to use Surf Boy in its first live production of any kind.

“It was a huge help because the last truck we had wasn’t necessarily customized to our needs,” says Sabatier. “Everything worked flawlessly and [the U.S. Open Cup Final] was a clean show.”

Surf Boy will be tapped for major sporting events, but with its previous experience on news-related and other non-sports productions, Sabatier is more than willing to have this mobile unit used by any division. For instance, after the U.S. Open Cup Final, the truck produced Telemundo’s coverage of the Billboard Latin Music Awards at Miami’s Watsco Center on Oct. 5. The truck’s next responsibility will be a simulcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade later this month.

“The idea is to try and diversify our resources,” she adds. “On top of having a truck, we also have a flypack that we’re also able to deploy and send out. Depending on the client and what they need, we’ll be able to customize a solution for them.”

A Production Gamechanger: Truck Proves Pivotal for Future Success at Telemundo Deportes

Moving forward, the broadcaster knows that they have a sturdy and reliable mobile unit for any use case. In years past, the operations team would need to work with a mobile-unit provider for an onsite truck, but now, these workflows can be achieved in house at any given moment.

“It’s a gamechanger because we’ve never really had something that was a 100% ours and customized to our needs as well as our client’s needs,” says Sabatier. “This gives us a whole new base to jump from.”

In addition, as technologies evolve, Sabatier aimed to make this truck as future proof as possible.

“We kept the design simple to keep up with the times and make it very easy to make upgrades,” she adds. “As the team grows, the truck will grow with it as well.”