By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital, Sports Video Group
The broadcaster expands its campus-production model as the university handles two national productions
As the Big 12 Conference continues to lean into campus-based production, CBS Sports is becoming an increasingly active participant in the model.
This season, the broadcaster partnered with the University of Cincinnati’s athletic department to produce two Cincinnati men’s basketball games — the Bearcats’ Feb. 8 matchup against UCF and Feb. 28 contest against Oklahoma State — for CBS Sports Network directly from the school’s on-campus control rooms. The effort marked the second time CBS Sports has used a university control room for a linear broadcast after a similar initiative at Kansas State last season.
“After having great success in this model with Kansas State and in working with Kauri Black [associate VP, broadcast and emerging platforms, Big 12 Conference], we were excited to branch out further and work with Cincinnati in their control room this season,” says Todd Keryc, VP, remote production, CBS Sports.
Blending Network Production With Campus Resources
For the two broadcasts, CBS Sports deployed its traditional front-bench production team while relying on Cincinnati’s staff, students, and local freelancers to handle many of the technical roles.
CBS staffed the key production positions: producers Bill Thayer and Jason Ross, directors Chris Burns and Cory Fishman, associate directors Michael Millstein and Nick Marabeti, and broadcast associates Patrick Chambrovich and Ryan Lacker. Technical roles — camera operators, replay operators, audio engineers, utilities, broadcast engineers — were filled primarily by Cincinnati personnel and local freelancers.
The production workflow largely mirrored Cincinnati’s standard approach for digital and linear basketball broadcasts, with one notable adjustment involving graphics. Cincinnati’s control rooms typically run Ross Xpression graphics systems, and CBS Sports uses Chyron graphics paired with an SMT clock-and-score system. To maintain its broadcast look, CBS shipped its graphics and telestration systems to campus and integrated them into Cincinnati’s engineering core.
Despite emanating from a campus facility instead of a traditional mobile unit, the production looked no different to viewers at home.
“These games have all looked and sounded like CBS Sports college basketball, which, in our minds, has made it a great success,” says Keryc. “That’s in large part due to the work of the schools to make us feel comfortable and the efforts of our entire production and operations teams at CBS to help situate everything.”
A Busy Day for the Bearcats Production Team
Since a day in college athletics is rarely about a single job, the Feb. 28 broadcast offered a snapshot of Cincinnati’s growing campus-production operation and the ability to handle multiple shows simultaneously.
While CBS Sports Network coverage of the Oklahoma State game was being produced from the school’s newest control room, Cincinnati’s staff was producing the arena videoboard show from a second control room. At the same time, a third control room staffed entirely by students was producing a baseball doubleheader.
The university’s broadcast operation is supported by a full-time staff of seven producers, directors, associate producers, and engineers, along with a large pool of student crewmembers.
“I thought both broadcasts went really well, and our staff and students loved working with the CBS crews,” says Trevor Towle, associate AD/executive producer, University of Cincinnati, noting, “We learned a lot during the first broadcast and were able to make a few upgrades and changes before the second one, which made the day go even smoother.”
Inside Cincinnati’s Production Infrastructure
The broadcasts were produced via the University of Cincinnati’s campus production infrastructure, which includes two interconnected production-control rooms designed to support live sports television.
One control room is located in the press box at Nippert Stadium; a second facility opened in 2025 in Emery Hall, adjacent to the university’s College-Conservatory of Music. The two rooms are connected by nearly 200 fiber paths, allowing audio, video, and control signals to be shared across the facilities and throughout campus venues.
Both control rooms are based on Ross Video infrastructure, including Ross Ultrix routing systems and Carbonite Ultra switchers. Audio is handled by Calrec Brio consoles, and replay capabilities include Evertz DreamCatcher systems with multiple operator positions. Graphics are typically produced using Ross Xpression engines.
Basketball coverage at Fifth Third Arena features eight Grass Valley LDX cameras with Canon and Fujinon lenses, with additional POV cameras positioned throughout the venue.
Proven Training Ground for Future Broadcast Talent
Cincinnati has steadily expanded its role in linear-television production in recent years. The school has produced ESPN linear broadcasts since 2021, primarily for men’s basketball but also for volleyball and postseason NIT games, and plans to add football broadcasts from campus facilities beginning this fall.
The experience gained in those efforts helped prepare the Bearcats’ production staff and students for the collaboration with CBS Sports.
“I am so proud of our entire UC staff and student workers,” says Towle. “The number of nights and weekends they choose to work in broadcast shows their dedication, and they are some of the most talented young people I’ve ever met.”
Several CBS staffers also took notice of the student crew’s professionalism during the two productions.
Growing Model for Big 12 Broadcasts
For CBS Sports, the Cincinnati broadcasts represent another successful example of how campus facilities can integrate into the broadcaster’s production ecosystem.
“Our partnership with the Big 12 sparked the discussion for this model,” says Keryc. “Our operations team worked well with the schools in the lead-up to tackle logistical challenges, and our production teams were very communicative throughout to ensure success.”
For Cincinnati, the early returns suggest the approach is working.
“This partnership is off to a great start,” says Towle, “and we hope to do many more CBS Sports games in the future.”
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