Michigan

Get a first look at the new video boards at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor

Published

1 year ago

August 2, 2023

Get a first look at the new video boards at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – The new video boards at Michigan Stadium are nearing completion one month before the start of the football season.

The project is four years in the making, with construction beginning in November 2022.

The boards were last upgraded in 2011, and officials said the technology was outdated.

“We decided to replace the video boards at Michigan Stadium because it was time,” said associate athletic director Kurt Svoboda. “‘Planned obsolescence’ is the term in technology. Video boards and the underlying equipment that supports them are really only meant to last 10 years.”

The new video boards at Michigan Stadium are nearing completion one month before the start of the football season.

CBS Detroit

The new boards are 70 feet wider and 11 feet taller than the previous screens – expanding the screen size by 118%.

On the inside, 135 video cabinets house the lights that operate the board. Each cabinet weighs between 400 and 800 pounds.

The new columns supporting the boards are 12 feet in diameter, weigh 60 to 70 tons each, and are anchored 65 feet underground.

The $41 million project was funded privately by the athletic department.

“One of the things that we’re usually trying to proactively message is the fact that we’re a self-sustaining athletic department,” said Svoboda. “We receive no revenue from the University of Michigan, no revenue from the state of Michigan. Everything that we do, we have to raise those funds or generate them on our own. And so the money spent on this project was specifically earmarked as such.”

To date, a total of 35,000 work hours have been put in by three construction teams on the project.

Once complete, they will be the third largest boards in college football after Auburn and Purdue – both of which only have one board.

“So much work has to still be done on the infrastructure as well as the training of our staff with learning how to operate that equipment, to understand where the different keys are, to zoom in, how to change the screen from one type of screen to another type,” said Svoboda. “So, staff are spending a lot of time learning the system right now.”

“We enjoyed the old ones, but the new ones are going to be much bigger, much better,” said Michigan fan Kel Bennink. “We just love them. I tend to watch a lot of the game on the screens, not the field.”

Officials said the screens will be up and running in time for the home opener at East Carolina on Sept. 2.

Meredith Bruckner

Meredith Bruckner joined CBS News Detroit in May 2023. Prior to joining CBS, she was the managing editor and senior producer of All About Ann Arbor by WDIV Local 4 News and ClickOnDetroit.

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Michigan

Michigan basketball signee enrolls early, will practice with team

Published

2 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Michigan basketball signee enrolls early, will practice with team

A member of the Michigan men’s basketball 2025 recruiting class is already on campus.

Oscar Goodman, a 6-foot-7 forward from New Zealand, is enrolled for the winter semester, which started on Wednesday, a team spokesperson said. Goodman will not appear in games this season but will be allowed to practice and participate in other team activities.

The spokesperson said this was not a typical “reclassification” — when an athlete graduates early and competes in college a season ahead of a typical schedule — but a byproduct of New Zealand’s school calendar.

Goodman will be listed as a freshman on the roster (he wasn’t listed on the online version as of Thursday morning) and a redshirt freshman next season. The rest of the Wolverines returned to campus on Wednesday after a week-long stay in Los Angeles, where they beat USC and UCLA.

“Oscar arrives in Ann Arbor as an accomplished international player and prospect, who was just named to the New Zealand senior national team,” Michigan coach Dusty May said in a statement upon Goodman’s signing in November.

“He comes from a tight-knit family that values everything that we want our program to be about. His training at the NBA (Global) Academy, as well as his eagerness and ability to compete, will allow him to affect our program positively from day one.”

Goodman, from Opunake, is ranked as the No. 75 player in the 2025 class according to the 247Sports composite. He was an all-star at the 2024 FIBA under-17 World Cup after averaging 17 points, 6.3 rebounds, and three assists per game.

Michigan’s 2025 class also includes Orchard Lake St. Mary’s guard Trey McKenney, the No. 1 player in Michigan and No. 19 prospect nationally, and wing Winters Grady (No. 82), an Oregon native currently playing for Prolific Prep in Napa, California. They figure to arrive in Ann Arbor in the summer.

BETTING: Check out our guide to the best Michigan sportsbooks, where our team of sports betting experts has reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.

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Michigan

Arrest made in disappearance of Michigan mother

Published

10 hours ago

January 9, 2025

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Arrest made in disappearance of Michigan mother – CBS Detroit

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A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the disappearance of 30-year-old Ashley Elkins, who was reported missing on Jan. 3, Roseville police said on Wednesday.

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Michigan

How bird flu is impacting poultry farms in Michigan

Published

18 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

How bird flu is impacting poultry farms in Michigan

Michigan officials say two more instances of bird flu have been confirmed at commercial poultry farms in Ottawa County.

“We’ve seen six commercial organizations confirmed positive with highly pathogenic avian influenza in the past few weeks, two since the start of the year,” said Dr. Tim Boring, Director of the Michigan Dept of Agriculture and Rural Development.

A multi-layered approach is underway to limit the spread.

That includes a disinfection process, robust surveillance, and heightened surveillance at neighboring poultry facilities.

But it’s not just commercial facilities that have seen cases of the virus.

Within the past couple of weeks, bird flu was confirmed in a backyard flock in Jackson County.

He has this advice for anyone keeping poultry in their yard.

“Isolating your birds from wild birds they may be exposed to, making sure they stay in a coup, if possible, locked up at night, segregating food and water system from wild birds,” Dr. Boring.

Handwashing after handling birds is important, too.

The outbreak here in Michigan mirrors what’s happening elsewhere across the country.

Nearly 100 commercial livestock operations have been impacted, affecting more than 17 million birds.

More than 60 people have become infected nationwide, with one reported death associated with the virus this week.

If there is any good news, it’s that the outbreak shouldn’t have an impact on the food supply.

“Food system is safe, pasteurizing is an effective step to kill the virus and any dairy products here, make sure you wash your eggs and cook your meat,” Dr. Boring.

If you keep poultry and notice a sick animal, your first call should be to a vet or the MDARD directly at 1-800-292-3939.

You should also use PPE when handling the animal and wash your hands well. As for any wild backyard bird visitors, Dr. Boring says it shouldn’t be cause for concern; however, if you do notice a sick bird, give the DNR’s Wildlife Disease Laboratory a call at 517-336-5030.

Click here to find more information about the outbreak.

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