TVN Webinar: Making Gains In 5G & Television Production

Leading TV news and sports technologists will frame up where 5G is having a growing impact on their production in a TVNewsCheck Working Lunch Webinar, 5G and Television Production, on May 18 at 1 p.m. ET.

Executives from Fox Sports, BBC, Sinclair Inc. and Ross Video will speak to the pace of 5G’s worldwide rollout, how it’s being used to split the contribution load with LTE and the use of different 5G bands in production, among other facets of its implementation.

“There’s no question 5G is playing a growing role in TV production, and this webinar will drop a pin on where that’s happening among groups that have been keener to adopt it,” said Michael Depp, chief content officer for NewsCheckMedia, LLC and TVNewsCheck’s editor. “The panelists will consider such uses as a backup for satellite and fiber transmissions, the potential of 5G and network slicing and how it’s aiding REMI-style productions.”

Register here.

Speakers:

Brad Cheney, VP, Field Operations and Engineering, Fox Sports — Brad Cheney manages technical and operational planning for Major League Baseball, college sports and boxing along with transmission operations along with advanced-technology projects for Fox Sports. As a leader in new technology approaches, including IP-based live and post-production centers, IP over RF, UHD, HDR and UAS systems, his work includes innovative production approaches and executions for in-ground audio, robotic cameras and home run productions.

Cheney is a six-time Emmy winner and previously worked for MLB Network, the Late Show with David Letterman, Game Creek Video and Cox Sports.

Ernie Ensign, Senior Director News Technology, Sinclair Inc. — Ernie Ensign has held the position of senior director of news technology at Sinclair since 2020 focused on the effort of optimizing and advancing news technology across the group. Prior to that position he was director of engineering for WJLA Washington where he was responsible for the technical operations of Sinclair’s largest television station including supervising the design, build and launch of The National Desk studios and control rooms, a daily news show that is broadcast in 70 markets across the country. He holds SBE certifications of CBTE and CBNE and has 25 years of television experience spanning news, operations, and engineering.

Ian Wagdin, Senior Technology Transfer Manager, BBC — Ian Wagdin has worked in production at BBC since 1997 and has been at the forefront of many changes including the move from SD to HD and from tape-based to file-based workflows. He joined R&D in 2015 having previously worked in the News, Television, Children’s and Technology departments. His current areas of focus are the transition to IP and cloud infrastructures as well as general production workflows and 5G.

Wagdin was also chair of the EBU 5G in Content Production working group and the 5G MAG working group on commercial content production. He has contributed to several works on 5G use cases for media as well as standards bodies in both the telecoms and broadcasting environments and is active in a number of tests and trials exploring the boundaries of wireless IP production. Wagdin is currently deploying the largest private 5G network of its kind to support coverage of the coronation of King Charles III in Central London.

Glen Dickson, Contributing Editor, TVNewsCheck (moderator)