Coyotes, D-backs Team Up for FOX Sports Arizona Broadcasts

Hockey is taking center stage at Chase Field this week.
COVID-19 restrictions have forced numerous changes to Coyotes broadcasts this season. Wednesday night's telecast came out of left field. Or, from behind home plate, if we're being literal.

The Wednesday broadcast by FOX Sports Arizona -- soon to be rebranded Bally Sports Arizona -- was produced and called from the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Conflicting events at Gila River Arena, where road games are being broadcast from this season due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, forced the Coyotes to make a change on the fly for three games this week.
Tonight and Sunday's games against the Minnesota Wild also will be broadcast from Chase Field.
The Chase Field hosting highlights the great relationship shared by the Coyotes and Diamondbacks, both of whom also hold annual theme nights promoting the start of their respective seasons.
While also being able to watch on monitors in their respective booths, the Coyotes' television crew used the 136'x46' high-definition LED video board 475 feet away in center field, a.k.a. "Diamondbacks TV," to watch and call the game. The production team also aired graphics "DBTV" during the pre-game, intermission and postgame.
Viewers could see the outfield grass and home run wall in the backdrop during announcer cameos, but the audio and video presentation of the game was indistinguishable from other Coyotes broadcasts.

FOX Sports Arizona Executive Producer Craig Ritchie, who has been with the network since 2014 and with the FOX family 22 years, lauded his staff for a splendid job. It took a team of more than 40 personnel. Many were aided by their familiarity with previous experience on Diamondbacks broadcasts.
"Unless Matt (McConnell) and Tyson (Nash), or Todd (Walsh), Jody (Jackson) or Paul (Bissonnette) said they were at Chase Field, you would not have known the difference, and that was our goal," said Ritchie.

Coyotes TV play-by-play voice Matt McConnell and color analyst Tyson Nash used the Diamondbacks' home television broadcast booth, located behind home plate. McConnell sat in (Diamondbacks play-by-play analyst) Steve Berthiaume's seat and Nash sat in (Diamondbacks television analyst) Bob Brenly's seat. They observed social distancing.
"It was fun doing something different by calling a hockey game in a place I never imagined would be an option," McConnell said. "We had fun with the baseball references and we got to see a great performance from Antti Raanta. A big thanks to our FOX Sports Arizona crew which did an incredible job getting us ready for the broadcast from a technical standpoint. And thanks to the Diamondbacks for their hospitality."
Jody Jackson and Paul Bissonnette sat in the visiting broadcasters' booth. Todd Walsh was

alongside.
As Executive Producer, Ritchie is responsible for logistics, staffing, visual and audio presentation of all aired events on FOX Sports Arizona. He noted the Diamondbacks were quick to agree to hosting the broadcasts.
"I can't thank (Diamondbacks CEO) Derrick Hall enough, as well as VP of Broadcasting Scott Geyer and VP of Communications Josh Rawitch," Ritchie said. "They have bent over backwards to help us pull off these events."
The Diamondbacks' hospitality allowed the Coyotes to hit the "curveball" they'd been thrown, Ritchie noted.

"I think we pulled it off," Ritchie said. "We had dozens of people running around Chase Field (Wednesday) to make sure everything went smooth, and I think the group did a great job."
Chase Field was a perfect fit, technologically," Ritchie said, "Because all we really had to do was unplug our (equipment) from Gila River Arena and plug it back in at Chase Field."
Ritchie summed up the overall effort thusly: "Just really, really proud of the production team, the broadcast team, our operations staff, the Diamondbacks. Everybody chipped in and worked together. And the Diamondbacks helped out their television partner and FOX Sports Arizona; they helped out another professional sports team here in the Valley."

Lead Photo Credit: Brett Hansen - FOX Sports Arizona // Second Photo Credit: Screenshot - FOX Sports Arizona // Second Photo Credit: Brett Hansen - FOX Sports Arizona // Third Photo Credit: Brett Hansen - FOX Sports Arizona // Footer Photo Credit: Brett Hansen - FOX Sports Arizona