The Daily Show Leans on Networking During DNC

Wuppertal, Germany (November 11, 2024)—When Comedy Central’s The Daily Show broadcast live from Chicago during the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC), Riedel’s MediorNet supported its live and post production needs.

The Daily Show faced tight setup times at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture in Chicago for the DNC. The historic venue, built in 1911 for opera, dance, orchestral and dramatic productions, presented some unique space considerations. MediorNet’s distributed routing capabilities allowed the production team to overcome these challenges, with the network providing access to content sources across dispersed locations within the facility, including basements, main studio floors and production offices on upper floors.

“The two most obvious benefits of MediorNet were reliability and flexibility,” said Sean Kelley, technical manager for The Daily Show‘s convention coverage in Chicago. “It turned out to be incredibly flexible and reliable. Due to the way the show is produced, we ended up using the MediorNet for the main transmission of the show throughout the week. It’s my new favorite toy!”

The show typically records at around 5 or 6 p.m. EST Monday through Thursday, with edits made primarily to adjust interview lengths before airing on Comedy Central at 11 p.m. EST. On the final night of the convention the show produced live broadcasts.

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The MediorNet deployment—provided by East Shore Sound—included one MediorNet Modular frame, nine MediorNet Compact Pro frames, one MetroN signal distribution platform, 10 software-enabled MicroN high-density signal interface nodes and 16 RCP2300 panels with the MediorNet Control App. Reportedly, pre-configuration of the routing panels cut setup time significantly, from several days to about one and a half.

The Riedel system facilitated 24/7 access to content for post-production teams without requiring broadcast trucks and engineering crews to remain on-site overnight.

“Due to the road-produced content and show edits, we travel with a heavy post-production team. MediorNet allowed us to establish a separate facility for post that was not dependent on the TV truck. This freed up the truck engineers to focus on show needs and helped the show manage overtime,” said Eric Zeller, lead technical supervisor for The Daily Show.

The production also used Riedel’s Bolero wireless intercom system, deploying 56 beltpacks, 18