LOUDONVILLE, NY – An exciting new chapter in Siena Athletics history commenced Sunday with the department's first-ever internally produced ESPN broadcast from the brand new Frank '85 and Sheila Ambrose Media Center. The inaugural broadcast aired on ESPN3 and featured Siena Volleyball hosting Fairfield at the Alumni Recreation Center.
 
"We are excited to join our fellow MAAC members in this important initiative to advance each of our schools and the conference as a whole," said Siena College Vice President and Director of Athletics John D'Argenio. "The broadcasts that are done with the Ambrose Media Center will be a collaborative effort between the athletic department and the College's new communications program. A thank you to all who donated to this project and to Frank and Sheila Ambrose for their lead gift."
 
The roughly half million dollar project which featured a lead gift from Frank '85 and Sheila Ambrose fulfills Siena College's obligation to a conference-wide initiative which tasked all 11 current Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference institutions to complete production facilities capable of delivering live event streams to the ESPN Family of Networks by the 2019-20 school year.
 
Siena's ESPN broadcasts will be a collaborative campus-wide effort overseen by the Siena Athletic Communications Office and under the direction of digital media manager Doug Cannon. Production crews of roughly a dozen individuals per broadcast will include a mix of athletic communications personnel, professional contractors, and Siena College students. 
 
The launch of the Ambrose Media Center coincides with Siena College's new emerging communications major which debuted in the Fall of 2018 featuring four tracks including sports communications. Siena College students will have the opportunity to take what they learn in the classroom and apply those skills hands-on in the field with all productions.
 
The 27-foot custom built VPTR-24 production trailer was assembled by Audio-Video Corporation in neighboring Menands. The Ambrose Media Center trailer wrap was designed by the Siena College Communications Office, and was wrapped by the AJ Sign Company in nearby Burnt Hills. The Ambrose Media Center is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment including Ikegami cameras, Ross Expression graphics, a Carbonite Ultra Switcher, Tria Video Server, and a Mira Replay System, as well as equipment from other leading broadcast vendors.
 
The Siena Athletic Department plans to produce a total of six ESPN broadcasts to kickoff coverage from the Ambrose Media Center this fall which will air on either ESPN3 or ESPN+. In addition to Sunday's match on ESPN3, volleyball's tilt with crosstown rival UAlbany on Oct. 22 will air on ESPN+. Men's soccer (Oct. 5 vs. Iona on ESPN3, Oct. 30 vs. Quinnipiac on ESPN+) and women's soccer (Sept. 28 vs. Saint Peter's on ESPN3, Oct. 9 vs. Monmouth on ESPN+) will also have a pair of broadcasts each from the Ambrose Media Center this fall. Siena plans to broadcast men's and women's basketball games this winter, and baseball, men's lacrosse, and women's lacrosse contests to round out the first season of productions in the spring.
 
About ESPN3
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The network is currently available at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. The network is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel on computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.
 
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the first-ever multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company's Direct-to-Consumer and International group, in partnership with ESPN. It offers fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. This includes hundreds of MLB, NHL and MLS games, Grand Slam tennis, Top Rank boxing, PGA Tour golf, college sports, international rugby, cricket, the full library of ESPN Films (including 30 for 30) and more. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.
 
Launched on April 12, 2018, ESPN+ is an integrated part of a completely redesigned ESPN App. Already the leading sports app, the new ESPN App is the premier all-in-one digital sports platform for fans and a showcase of the company's culture of innovation. With a richer, increasingly more personalized experience, the new ESPN App curates all of ESPN's incredible content into an experience unique to each fan's individual tastes. ESPN+ is also available through ESPN.com.