ESPN's television, radio and Internet operations will have about 100 employees here when the facility opens, according to Bob Eaton, ESPN's former managing editor who is overseeing the project as a consultant.
Perhaps the most unusual need? Extra insulation.
"For street noise," Eaton said, "which we don't have in Bristol."
He also said the technology that is being added "seems to change overnight" as digital advances occur. Beyond the studios, which are now little more than big (7,500 and 5,000 square feet, respectively) empty rooms, the upper floors will have more than half a dozen editing bays where crews will piece together video and audio clips.
There also will be a newsroom that will house reporters, editors and others who feed the never-ending demand for instant updates and analysis.
As for the larger studio with room for an audience, Eaton said ESPN isn't sure it would produce such a show, but "it's better to be forward-thinking at this stage."
On the day of the tour, crews were working on the massive air-conditioning ducts, which will counter the heat generated by the studio lighting and wealth of electronic equipment. The walls have yet to be installed, though conduits are in place for the miles of wiring that are needed.
While ESPN's headquarters will remain firmly rooted in Bristol, Bodenheimer said, "We'll be moving some of our highest-potential folks out here."
The network also expects to leverage its proximity to Hollywood to create its own entertainment offerings.
The new studio and restaurant mark the latest in a series of collaborations involving ESPN, a subsidiary of Burbank-based Walt Disney Group, and AEG, which owns and operates Staples Center and theaters and arenas in the U.S. and overseas.
Next summer, ESPN will move its ESPY Awards show into the neighboring Nokia Theatre, which AEG recently opened. ESPN also holds its Summer X Games in Staples Center and at the Home Depot Center.
The new broadcast facility is expected to shorten the workday for some in Bristol, where crews now staff the overnight shifts that are necessary to keep ESPN's sports programming fresh. The West Coast facility will be linked to the Bristol studios by digital pipelines that promise to give L.A.-based staffers almost immediate access to content now stored at the headquarters, Eaton said.
