NBC NABET-CWA Members Bring Olympics Home

When NBC Sports' coverage of the XXII Olympic Winter Games began on February 6th, more than 100 NABET-CWA members were working behind the scenes in Sochi, Russia, to bring home all of the action to viewers in the U.S.

Several members actually have been in Sochi for months now, building studios at the International Broadcast Center and setting up cameras and other video equipment in arenas and on mountain tops throughout the Black Sea resort area.

These Olympic Games will mark a number of firsts for NBC Sports. For example, February 6th's coverage of snowboarding, free style skiing, and team figure skating represented the first time that a U.S. television network broadcast events in prime time prior to the traditional Opening Ceremonies. NBC Sports will also air 230 hours of Olympics coverage on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), the most hours of Winter Olympic coverage ever carried on a cable network.

Throughout the sixteen days of the Winter Olympics, NABET-CWA members will be putting their skills to work on broadcasts of figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating, bobsled, ski jumping, Alpine and Nordic skiing, biathlon and more. One of the most anticipated broadcasts from the Games will be the Team USA vs. Russia men's hockey match on Saturday, Feb. 15.

"As world class athletes gather on the Olympic stage in Sochi, world class television professionals, members of our union, will be there as well, putting their talents on display," said NABET-CWA President Jim Joyce." The contributions and talents of our members have played a significant role in NBC's success in broadcasting the Olympics the past two decades."

In addition to sports coverage, NABET-CWA members also are working on news coverage originating from Sochi, for live broadcasts of the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and local news coverage for NBC-affiliated TV stations.Broadcats will continue through the closing ceremonies on Sunday, Feb. 23. NABET-CWA Local 11 Vice President Lou Marinaro has been serving as the Union's on-site representative in Sochi.