Savannah Bananas Turn to Calrec For Expanded Banana Ball TV Broadcasts

The Savannah Bananas have installed Calrec audio consoles and networking gear to expand production capacity for Banana Ball TV, the team’s streaming and broadcast arm, the companies said.

Banana Ball TV has added three 36-fader Argo M consoles, three Type R systems and Calrec’s True Control 2.0 to support remote production and flypacks across a growing schedule that now includes the Banana Ball Championship League.

The equipment supports remote-integration, or REMI, workflows and a mix of analog, SDI, MADI and Dante audio formats, allowing BTV to perform first-pass mixes at event sites and complete broadcasts from its control rooms. That approach can speed production, preserve lip sync and let operators work remotely without re-creating mixes on arrival.

The consoles are deployed across two main control rooms at BTV’s Savannah facility and in mobile units and flypacks in the field. Calrec’s Assist web GUI and True Control 2.0 protocol provide remote access to consoles for on-site adjustments and off-site support, said Matt Webster, head of technology for the Savannah Bananas.

“We ensure lip sync is correct on-site, so when it comes back into the control rooms, we just focus on mixing the broadcast as if we are doing it at our home stadium,” Webster said. He added that the web interface lets staff make changes from inside a stadium or from home, speeding fixes and reducing the need for physical presence.

Webster said the gear helps BTV manage a busy season — the Banana Ball Championship League will cover games across 75 stadiums in 45 states — by making workflows consistent and simple for local audio mixers who may be more familiar with entertainment and film than with broadcast operations. “It means all our production staff are able to move from room-to-room and from site-to-site and not have any compromises or workflow limitations,” he said.

Rob Lewis, Calrec regional sales manager, said the company’s consoles fit BTV’s hybrid production model that combines entertainment and traditional live game coverage.

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