CCM and UC Athletics partner on state-of-the-art live broadcast studio

CCM Media Production and UC Athletics are working collaboratively on the university's sporting events, producing video board displays and live, multi-camera sports broadcasts for the ESPN+ streaming service since Fall 2020 from the Nippert Stadium control room. Now, with the addition of the new CCM sports media broadcast control room, video teams can cover multiple events at the same time. 

Students work with UC Athletics on more than 100 broadcasts per year that air on ESPN+, as well as about 6-10 national linear broadcasts that air on ESPN, NBC and CBS. Approximately 60 students per semester are involved in the broadcasts, which are produced and directed under the leadership of Joe Brackman, Assistant Professor of Multi-Camera Production at CCM; and Trevor Towle, Associate Athletic Director and Executive Producer of Broadcasting and Production at UC Athletics. 

Brackman and Towle's combined experience and connections help make this a great partnership. Brackman is a 13-time Emmy award-winning director, with previous experience producing Ohio State coaches' shows as well as freelancing for Cincinnati's professional teams. Brackman's three most-recent Emmy awards were awarded for directing Bearcat basketball productions alongside UC Athletics colleagues and Media Production students. Towle spent 20 years with ESPN, most recently as Senior Managing Producer for the SEC Network, ACC Network, American and Big 12.

"This collaboration provides our students with experiential learning opportunities and co-op experiences as they work on UC Athletic events," said Kevin Burke, Division Head and Professor of Media Production at CCM. "It provides students with a solid resume and portfolio reel. Five of our graduates over the past three years have gone on to work at ESPN.”

Brackman teaches a class that trains students on four key roles needed during a sports broadcast — technical directing, graphics, replay and audio. Students pick two roles per semester to focus on and put their training into action during UC football, basketball, volleyball and soccer games. In the spring, Brackman also teaches a producing and directing class where students produce and direct UC baseball and lacrosse games. 

"One of my goals with students is to emphasize that we’re teaching live productions," Brackman said. "What I know with my experience in the industry is, if you can do sports, the fast-paced nature and demand of sports, then you can do any other type of live production — award shows, entertainment, anything. We’re prepping these students so they can get any type of job they want in the industry.”

After two years of planning and prepping, the sports media broadcast control room at CCM went live in fall 2025. Its first broadcast was a UC Women's Volleyball game on October 1, but it has been used to create video board displays during UC Athletic events since September. 

The space has fiber connectivity to Nippert Stadium, Fifth Third Arena, UC Baseball Stadium and Gettler Stadium. "The horsepower that this room has in terms of inputs and outputs, graphics, recording, replay and playback — we can stream or produce an event out of any venue,” Brackman said. The additional control room also allows the video team to cover two sports at the same time. 

CCM Media Production and UC Athletics will use the new control room to cover two sporting events happening at the same time on February 28 —  a nationally televised UC Men's Basketball game that airs on ESPN and a UC Men's Baseball game. The broadcasts and video board display work will be split between the CCM control room, the Nippert control room and Media Production's studio classroom. 

The CCM control room is gaining attention from national networks including ESPN, CBS and NBC. As part of his role at UC Athletics, Towle manages network partner relationships with ESPN, NBC, Peacock, Fox, Turner Sports and CBS. Staff from CBS visited the space while they were in Cincinnati working on a Bengals game in the fall. "NBC is in talks to use our facilities instead of rolling TV trucks," Towle added. Partnerships with national broadcasters would help bring in more revenue to support upgrades and equipment as well are hiring and paying staff. 

“Our next step is now we need more cameras and lenses," Towle said. "We have the facilities, now we need more tools in our tool belt.”

CCM Media Production and UC Athletics are currently seeking funding support to purchase new equipment: 

• Six broadcast camera systems, licensed for 1080p and capable of upgrading to 4K
• Six large lenses that support the capture of sports and events from a distance, with specifications to meet the standards of broadcast partners
• One RF system to support a wireless camera, to meet the needs of video board shows in UC's venues

Many of the cameras currently being used were inherited from other programs, including donations from the Bengals. The camera equipment experiences a lot of wear and tear while being moved around the venues to cover UC Athletics' 100+ events throughout the year. Upgrading the camera and lens systems will provide students with more hands-on learning opportunities using industry-standard broadcast equipment and better prepare graduates for careers in live sports, live event and broadcast television. It will give students the opportunity to work on higher-quality, more complex live productions.

“We’re well positioned now with the facilities we’ve got and the structure we’ve developed for the students to really be a unique program — primarily because of the connection between academics and athletics," Burke said. "I think we’re on the cusp of more great things to come.”

Featured image at top of Media Production students working on a broadcast in CCM's new sports media control room.