The Downtown Studio

The University of Kentucky’s (UK) Downtown Broadcasting Studio is an innovative initiative that bridges the gap between education and professional broadcasting environments. Overlooking Triangle Park at Rupp Arena, this 20,000 SF studio is designed to immerse students in real-world media production. The facility, a collaboration between the UK College of Communication and Information, UK Athletics, and JMI Sports, provides students with hands-on, experiential learning and the opportunity to work alongside professionals producing sports programing, broadcast news, and other digital content. CMTA provided MEP engineering and technology design for the state-of-the-art production center.

Equipped with cutting-edge resources, the facility features two broadcast studios, two control rooms, a video podcast studio, and flexible newsroom and classroom spaces. The building’s professional control room allows UK Athletics Broadcasting teams to produce men’s basketball games from Rupp Arena for ESPN and the SEC Network. CMTA and the project team designed a duplicate control room with nearly identical equipment to allow students in the College of Communication and Information program to train on the same equipment used by ESPN professionals in adjacent workspaces. Students and professionals alike can take advantage of features like a 24-foot LED wall, a cyclorama wall for seamless video production, and robotic cameras that enhance operational efficiency.

One critical aspect of the project was the extension of the UK Athletics SMPTE2110 network, linking Memorial Coliseum, Kroger Field, and other sports venues on campus. This new network setup enables UK to produce any event from any control room on the network, offering unparalleled flexibility. However, network coordination presented challenges during the construction phase. For example, fiber connectivity between Rupp Arena and an existing control room on campus had to remain intact to broadcast events relocated to Rupp Arena during the Memorial Coliseum renovation. This effort, accomplished through collaboration with Lexington service providers, involved leasing existing city fiber and managing the transition process between old and new systems.

CMTA also faced spatial challenges due to the existing 2nd-floor shell structure. Low deck heights made MEP coordination particularly difficult in the large TV studio housing the LED backdrop and lighting grid. Efforts were made to optimize installation despite height constraints, with designers and UK staff working together to raise equipment as close to the structure as possible. Overcoming logistical and technical challenges, the Downtown Broadcasting Studio stands as a testament to strategic planning, expertise, and the commitment to bridging academia with modern media production.