‘SportsZone Live’ earns national acclaim

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RIT SportsZone wins 2011 College Sports Media Awards

What do ESPN, CBS Sports Network and RIT SportsZone Live have in common? They are the big winners of the 2011 College Sports Media Awards, a competition recognizing excellence in video production at all levels of college sports.

Awards were announced June 7 during a ceremony at Sports Video Group’s third-annual College Sports Video Summit in Atlanta. More than 75 schools and organizations submitted more than 150 entries for the 2011 awards. Organizers say this year’s winners represent the best in athletic, academic and professional college-sports production.

“I firmly believe that the quality of the winners is the direct result of our previous awards events,” said Tom Buffolano, conference chair of the College Sports Video Summit. “By exposing the best of the best, we have, in effect, raised the bar on all college sports-video production. The competition this year was so fierce that it was extremely difficult to separate the winners from the other nominees. Our judges had a very hard task.”

The XOS Digital Award for College Athletics – Live Event went to Rochester Institute of Technology for its production of RIT SportsZone Live, which featured a men’s hockey game against the Air Force Academy.

“RIT SportsZone Live is an offshoot of our sports magazine show,” says Mark Fragale, who produced and directed the game for RIT. “Three years ago, it was a natural transition to move the show to live broadcasting. We produce the entire show in-house and with great success so far. We have a tremendous amount of support from the university as a whole.”

RIT SportsZone Live is dedicated to providing viewers with live, high-definition coverage of RIT men’s hockey through the dedication of professional and student crewmembers, editors, producers and directors.

“RIT SportsZone Live is passionate about giving students the opportunity to grow and showcase their talents, while bringing competitive collegiate athletics into your living room,” says Steve Wunrow, director of Media Production Services at RIT’s Educational Technology Center.

Completing its third season, RIT SportsZone Live showcases games from a state-of-the-art, high-definition production truck (the first of its kind outside of New York City). RIT SportsZone Live has also expanded its coverage with the addition of women’s hockey, men’s basketball and men’s lacrosse—all in HD, along with interactive media outreach to keep viewers up to speed with Tigers athletics. For more information and to view RIT SportsZone Live episodes, visit the RIT SportsZone website.

The awards, which are presented by SVG and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, were divided among three classifications: college athletics, college academics and professional. Three categories were awarded within each classification: live game or event, promotional video or marketing campaign, and special feature. To view all award winners, go to the "Winners of 2011 College Sports Media Awards Announced at CSVS" article.