South Carolina Stingrays

Background

Brendan Reilly is the play-by-play voice of the South Carolina Stingrays, calling all 72 home and away games each season in the ECHL.

For Brendan, success means creating a broadcast that’s engaging, exciting, and educational. Whether fans are listening online, tuning in remotely during away games, or walking the concourse inside the arena, the goal is the same: make the experience immersive and fun while helping listeners better understand the team, the players, and the league.

In addition to calling the action, Brendan self-produces every broadcast. He manages commercial breaks, integrates pre-recorded interviews and features, and ensures the stream runs smoothly from puck drop to final buzzer. He works closely with the Stingrays’ marketing team to promote upcoming games, merchandise, and franchise initiatives, using the broadcast as a direct channel to connect with fans.

The Challenge

Like many teams, the Stingrays previously relied on traditional radio partnerships. That model limited creative control and introduced outside dependencies for production and advertising.

Today, Brendan calls every game - home and away - often producing remotely using the league’s broadcast infrastructure. His audio feed runs simultaneously to league partners and to Mixlr. At home games, his call is also played throughout the arena concourse and common areas, keeping fans connected even when they leave their seats.

Over the course of a typical broadcast, there are around 16 breaks built into the game. Brendan uses these moments to run commercials, interviews, sponsored segments, and promotional features. Since he’s calling the game while simultaneously producing the broadcast, the system needs to be intuitive and reliable - leaving no room for technical friction or second-guessing in the middle of live play.

He needed a solution that would reduce stress, simplify workflow, and give the organization full control over its broadcast.

The Solution

Mixlr provides a streamlined, reliable setup that allows Brendan to manage every aspect of the broadcast from a single system.

As both commentator and producer, he uses the platform as a central hub to control live audio, trigger commercial breaks, and play pre-recorded interviews and features in real time, without needing to switch between tools or workflows.

This simplicity is critical in a live game environment, where timing is everything and there’s no room for technical friction. Whether broadcasting remotely or in the arena, Mixlr ensures the entire production runs smoothly from start to finish, allowing Brendan to stay focused on the action rather than the mechanics behind it.

Seamless Implementation & Key Features

Rolling out broadcasts on Mixlr for the South Carolina Stingrays was straightforward. The platform integrates directly into Brendan’s existing setup, allowing audio from his soundboard to feed seamlessly into the live stream while he calls the game.

Once live, the broadcast is easily accessible for fans. Listeners can tune in through the team’s website or directly via Mixlr, giving them a simple, reliable way to follow the action throughout the season.

Professional Setup, Simplified

The Stingrays use a professional broadcast configuration:

• Soundboard connected to a laptop running Mixlr
• Simultaneous output to league broadcast partners and the Mixlr live stream
• Remote setup for away games
• In-arena audio integration for concourse listening

Despite supporting a full season of broadcasts - both in-stadium and remote - the setup remains simple and easy to manage for a single operator.

Key Features Include

• Live Broadcasting - Real-time play-by-play coverage of every game
• Playlist Functionality - Easy insertion of commercials, interviews, and intermission content
• Instant Recording - Broadcasts available within minutes for review, clipping and publishing
• Remote & In-Arena Flexibility – Works seamlessly across different broadcast environments

The playlist feature in particular allows Brendan to manage around 16 breaks per game - including commercials, interviews, and sponsored segments - without disrupting the flow of the broadcast.

Game-Changing Impact

• Complete Creative Control
  The Stingrays manage their own advertising, features, and sponsored segments without relying on external radio stations or producers.
• Reduced Game-Day Stress
  With multiple breaks and live commentary to manage, an intuitive system is critical. Mixlr minimizes risk and allows Brendan to stay focused on what matters, the game.
• Reliable Remote Broadcasting
  Calling all 72 games - many remotely - requires consistent performance. Since adopting Mixlr in 2015, the organization has experienced smooth, dependable broadcasts.
• Instant Access to Recordings
  Recordings are posted within minutes of the broadcast ending. Brendan uses them as source tape for highlight cuts and content repurposing.
• A Direct Connection with Fans
  Supporters can tune in through the embedded player on the Stingrays’ website or listen directly on the team’s Mixlr page. The live stream gives fans an easy way to follow the action and stay connected to the team, with listenership often rising during big moments and close finishes.

Conclusion: Why Mixlr?

For the South Carolina Stingrays, the broadcast is more than play-by-play - it’s a core part of the fan experience and a direct marketing channel for the organization.

By simplifying production, ensuring reliability, and enabling full creative control, Mixlr allows Brendan to deliver a professional, engaging broadcast every single night - home and away.

If the team had to return to older, more complicated systems, it would mean added stress and reduced flexibility. Instead, they’ve built a modern, self-sufficient broadcast operation that supports both their fans and their brand.

For the South Carolina Stingrays, the ideal broadcast solution needed to be simple, reliable, and flexible enough to support a one-person production setup throughout an entire season.

Mixlr stood out because it allows Brendan to manage every part of the broadcast - from live play-by-play to commercial breaks and pre-recorded features - from a single, intuitive interface. The platform integrates easily with the team’s existing broadcast setup, works seamlessly for both in-arena and remote games, and ensures recordings are instantly available after every broadcast.

Just as importantly, Mixlr gives the Stingrays full control over their broadcast. The team can manage advertising, promotional content, and game coverage entirely in-house, without relying on external radio partners or production teams.

For a high-volume, self-produced sports broadcast like the South Carolina Stingrays, Mixlr isn’t just a streaming platform - it’s the reliable backbone that makes every game broadcast possible.