Now that sporting events are back after a COVID break, it’s time to talk about Zetta and sporting events. As part of another Questions and Answers During a Time of Remote Workflows, Nate Mumford was joined by Brian Willard, Field Technician Services Manager, and Jeff Ziger, Senior Sales Engineer, to discuss some of their favorite sporting event tips and tricks.
Nate, Brian and Jeff broke down the session into four parts: prepping, affiliates, network (source of the content) and the future. Starting with the prep process, it’s also important to understand what your station needs to configure in order to properly run a successful sporting event broadcast. That starts with reaching out to your Network Provider to get the broadcast schedule and perhaps double check if there were any off season tweaks to either the clocks, tones or the event structure. Also, don’t forget that RCS is here to help you with any configuration, you’re not in this alone. If you need any assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to RCS Support or your Field Technician Services (FTS) team member.
Next, we discussed implementing sporting events for Affiliates, specifically Mini-Logs and additional sequencers. Remember, the most important difference between Zetta Shows and Mini-Logs is that Mini-Logs can include time stamped assets, like Spot Blocks and Exact Time Markers, that can be implemented into the log structure. RCS recommends that users pre-define their Mini-Logs so that when they’re in season, users can simply drag and drop elements into the log as needed. Users can also pre-load their Logs to include Mini-Logs for each game ahead of time.
One of the biggest tips that RCS recommends is to purchase an additional Sequencer, which is tied to its corresponding Logs module. This will allow users to freely pivot content from the Primary Sequencer (or terrestrial output) to a Secondary Sequencer (like an online stream that cannot air certain content or another alternate source of programming, like a music log for rain delays. If you’re looking for some remote workflow solutions, if you add these audio routes and macros to Zetta’s Hot Keys, then they’re available for control via Zetta2GO. That way, users can control the on-air product via their home office! Markets with multiple stations can also get creative and have team or sport specific sequencers that can be controlled via Audio Routes to broadcast on different Primary sequencers, like on a AM one game and the FM during another.
Finally, Nate, Brian and Jeff discussed the future of what’s next for Zetta and sporting events. With the additional of the new Revma, RCS’ content delivery network, Conference App, hosts can create a cloud room to invite talent from multiple geographic locations that are mixed to a single output source. In regards to sports, think of a play by play cloud room that is fed by a Network to its affiliates. In addition to Zetta, GSelector also has a feature for a specific Clock override. Instead of a grid override, create a single sporting clock, which can include Zetta’s Mini-Logs, and program the clock to override generic programming during the scheduling process.
Don’t forget, if you want the latest and greatest, RCS is always looking for new beta users for their upcoming Zetta 5.20.1 and GSelector 4.9.0 releases. And if you’re working from home, we would love to showcase your at-home setup! Send your pictures to live@rcsworks.com or direct message us on social media and we’ll send you some RCS goodies! We have some special guests and surprises lined up for upcoming Facebook Lives, including a detailed breakdown of Zetta’s Site Replication vs. Z-Cast with Zetta Product Manager Martin Blazek. You won’t want to miss it! As always, reach out if you have any questions or looking for workflow solutions. Don’t forget to follow us on www.Facebook.com/RCSSoundSoftware for updates and we’ll see you every Thursday at 11am ET.