There’s a moment in fly fishing when you spot a new bend in the river for the first time. The current moves differently here. It’s deeper, faster, with little eddies and pockets where something might be waiting. Standing there, you realize that finding success is more than just showing up. You have to read the water, pick the right fly and cast just right.
Like a river, a live broadcast is in constant motion. The pace changes from slow stretches to sudden bursts and the flow can turn without warning. Cameras have to be in position before the play unfolds. The replay team has to grab the perfect angles in seconds. Graphics have to update in an instant. The audio mix needs to capture the roar of the stadium without drowning out the announcers. A single missed cue can ripple through the entire show. As a technical manager, I’m the one watching the whole current, making sure every part of the system is moving in harmony.
I’ve seen just about everything that can happen on a live production: power failures; cables going bad; graphics systems locking up moments before going to air. The challenge isn’t just fixing the issue; it’s doing it without breaking the rhythm of the show. In fly fishing, if a tangle forms in your line mid-drift, you don’t freeze or throw your hands up. You work it out quickly and get back to fishing before you miss your window. Broadcasting is the same way.
Knowing When It’s Flowing
When a crew is in sync, the production takes on a rhythm you can feel. Everyone knows their role, but more importantly, they know how their actions affect the people around them. A camera operator frames a shot with the replay team in mind. An A1 rides the crowd noise just right so the announcer’s words cut through. The coordination is almost invisible to the audience, but to those who live and breathe production, it’s the difference between simply getting the show on air and creating something that pulls people in.
Technology has reshaped the craft in ways that were hard to imagine when I started. We’ve gone from analog boards and fixed-truck setups to IP-based workflows, 4K resolution and fully remote productions. Some of those changes have made life easier. What used to take hours of patching can now be done with a few clicks. But new tools bring new kinds of problems. The day you assume everything will work perfectly is the day you get blindsided.
Being There
Nowhere has that evolution been more dramatic than in audio. Today, it’s about creating an immersive, almost cinematic soundscape. Viewers expect to feel like they’re in the building, on the field, even inside the huddle. That means capturing more than just the obvious. It’s not enough to hear the crack of the bat. You need to hear the chatter from the dugout, the sharp intake of breath right before the pitch, and the eruption after contact.
We’ve seen a huge shift toward spatial audio and object-based mixing, where sounds aren’t just panned left or right, but placed in a three-dimensional space. For sports especially, this opens up new ways to tell the story: The mix captures the full story from the quarterback’s calls, the sideline voices and the crowd’s energy, all working together to bring the game to life. It’s not just a mix, it’s an experience.
The future of broadcast audio is going to be shaped by two competing forces: the drive for ever-greater immersion and the demand for leaner, more remote-friendly workflows.”
Microphone technology has also advanced in ways that make a difference on every show. From wireless lavaliers that give athletes mobility without losing clarity to mics that can survive being buried in ice without compromise, the tools we have now let us grab sound that would have been impossible decades ago. Wireless reliability has improved dramatically, but with that comes the challenge of managing dozens of channels in a congested RF environment. That’s a part of the job the audience never sees, but it’s as critical as any camera angle.
Flexibility Is Expected
As productions get more complex, so do the expectations for flexibility. IP audio networking has given us the ability to route and reroute sources anywhere in the world in real time. That means an A1 mixing from a facility hundreds of miles away can have the same control as they would in a truck on site. It’s efficient, but it also demands a higher level of planning. If there’s a hiccup in the network, it’s not just an inconvenience—it can take your entire show down.
The future of broadcast audio is going to be shaped by two competing forces: the drive for ever-greater immersion and the demand for leaner, more remote-friendly workflows. On one side, you’ll have technology pushing us toward hyperrealistic sound environments that rival live attendance. On the other, you’ll have budget and logistical realities pushing productions to do more with less resulting in fewer people on site, smaller crews and more automation. The winners will be the teams that can balance both without losing the soul of the show.
For me, the audio side has always been about authenticity. You can have the sharpest 4K picture in the world, but if the sound doesn’t match the moment, the emotional impact is gone. The excitement of a game-winning play comes alive when the sound matches the energy of the moment. Like reading a river, capturing that moment is a mix of skill, preparation and instinct. You can’t always predict when the big fish will strike or when the perfect crowd swell will happen, but you can be ready for it.
