Long-time cable financial analyst Tom Wolzien’s Video Call Center, a technology that enables programmers to manage live video call-in shows with viewers via their smartphones, laptops and tablets, has struck a partnership with Major League Baseball, integrating its cloud technology and computer systems within MLB Network’s headquarters in Secaucus, N.J.

“As one of the world’s great sports brands, MLB has an exceptionally active fan-base and engaged viewers, who want to interact one-on-one with their heroes,” VCC CEO Larry Thaler said in a statement. “The Video Call Center is very proud that its video calling platform has been chosen by MLB as the foundation for building next-generation engagement experiences for its fans.”

The technology will address several production requirements for MLB, according to VCC, including: 

• Expanding the number of fans that can participate with the flexibility to enable callers from anywhere in the world to connect from smartphones, laptops and tablets using a variety of native IP video calling apps including Apple FaceTime and Google’s Web-RTC format (via Gruveo), which require no downloads for callers, as well as Skype; 
• Dramatically improving call quality using patented technology from the VCC that delivers proven call reliability in excess of 99%;
• Meeting MLB’s highest quality production requirements with the VCC’s caller acquisition technology, including proprietary audio processing that cleanly interfaces with MLB’s existing control rooms; and
• Providing support for multiple simultaneous callers.

In addition to technical support, VCC also is providing training services to MLB personnel.

Video Call Center, the live call-in video technology developed by veteran cable analyst Tom Wolzien, has been accepted as a Facebook Live media solution and broadcast partner.

The first Video Call Center produced show for Facebook Live – OMGOSS!P – began airing on the platform in July 2016.   

The VCC enables producers to receive remote video call-ins from smartphones, laptops and other devices, connecting reporters, celebrities and Facebook members in broadcast-quality programs. The VCC provides comprehensive editorial control and in-depth call moderation to ensure that only the most compelling and appropriate callers make it to air. This interaction between the host and callers is accomplished without the need for an expensive control room.

“The combination of Facebook Live and the Video Call Center creates a remarkable opportunity for media companies to quickly and easily create compelling, live, programs for delivery to Facebook’s millions of members,” said Video Call Center CEO Larry Thaler in a statement. “The partnership will help to ensure seamless integration within Facebook Live so producers can focus entirely on creative content, rather than technology, and Facebook Live viewers have one click access to engage with show hosts. This is a major step forward for truly Social TV.”

The integration with Facebook Live works with any video call application, meaning callers can join live from anywhere using any device. VCC has successfully tested more than a dozen IP video calling services, including Facebook Messenger, Skype TM, FaceTime® and Gruveo (WebRTC). New apps and new distribution platforms such as support for Facebook Live are being added all the time.

With the VCC, callers become part of broadcast quality television programs for Facebook Live that combine video calls, video clips, graphics and web content, all under the direct control of a host who can be located anywhere in the world. The exclusive Caller Queue™—the world’s first “Green Room in the Cloud”—allows show producers to welcome video callers into their live caller-based television programs or video events. Scalable to support the audience of live TV programs, producers have complete creative control to bring the right people to air at the precise moment when they would contribute to create the most compelling program.

Former Wall Street analyst Tom Wolzien’s Video Call Center, a technology firm that enables television shows and networks to conduct live video call-ins much like talk radio programs, has named industry veteran Larry Thaler as its new CEO.

Thaler, a former technology vice president at NBC Universal, will be responsible for day-to-day activities at VCC. He will report to VCC founder and executive chairman Wolzien.

“For nearly three years, Larry has been crucial to the development of The Video Call Center, and its creation of a new type of efficient television content and the enabling technology,” Wolzien said in a statement. “Larry has a unique understanding of what we are trying to build – the professional broadcast technology and a new programming genre based on IP video that enables our customers to engage millennial audiences in every show using remotes-by-smartphone.  He has been crucial in perfecting our host-driven approach to live content creation that allows customers efficiently to open up new live content hours without the need for a production control room.  I look forward to continuing this dynamic relationship as Larry takes over line management of our company.”

Thaler most recently headed up his own consulting firm Positive Flux, which included customers like HBO Latin America Group, NBC Sports, Univision, Hearst Digital Media, Canoe Ventures, WAPA-TV and Clear Channel Media.

Thaler had served as an executive at NBC Universal, where he and his tech team were responsible for several business acquisitions, the build-out of Today’s street-level glass-enclosed studio, NBC’s Cable Network Operations Center, MSNBC’s production facilities, and the overhaul of NBC’s 30 Rock headquarters into a state-of-the-art HD production and distribution center.  He also led the establishment of new infrastructure for NBC’s digital media delivery platforms including technical leadership of the 2008 Olympics @Home effort. 

Thaler’s work has been honored with three Emmy awards for technical innovation -- for the 2006 and 2008 Olympic Games as well as a National Technical Emmy for NBC’s implementation of AFD technology.

Wolzien founded Video Call Center after receiving patent for the technology in 2014.  In the past several months the company launched its own over-the-top video service – TalkCenterAmerica.tv –  and introduced expanded capabilities for callers to use different IP video applications.  

Former cable analyst and TV news executive Tom Wolzien has been issued Patent No. 8,767,031 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the Video Call Center, a technology that enables television shows and networks to conduct live video call-ins much like talk radio programs.

 Wolzien has been working on the Video Call Center from his home in Upstate New York for about two years and has logged in about 50 hours of programming over the past two years with Talk Center America, a call-in show hosted by long time TV personality Diane Dimond that also has served as a test-bed for the technology.

The Video Call Center is different from traditional web conferencing technology in that it allows for an extremely democratic, anyone-can-call-in approach to the genre; and it gives total control to the host, who can switch between callers at will.

“VCC is right at the intersection of social and mass media, TV and the web,” Wolzien said in a statement. “What’s unique is that the system doesn't just handle a single IP video call, but it’s designed to handle multiple video calls simultaneously, each with the power of its own computer--essential for any live caller-based TV program.”

That means that with the Video Call Center, a talk show host can operate a call-in show without a control room. Wolzien explained that automation assists the video switching and audio mixing so that the host can focus on the content of the conversation without having to worry about changing cameras. VCC handles multiple video callers at the same time, with many screened and simultaneously ready for the TV host to select for air.

The technology also makes typically low cost call-in shows even more economical – Wolzien estimates that with VCC, live shows can be produced with just five to six people – the host, a show producer, two call screeners, and one or two video/IT technicians.

 “The ability to produce fresh, always-new content not only resets the bar on live TV costs but actually becomes competitive with reruns,” Wolzien added.  “This works economically in any time slot, and that means it opens up live content for secondary networks that are increasingly being criticized by cable and satellite distributors for not providing much original content.”

Wolzien knows of what he speaks – before serving as Sanford Bernstein’s top cable analyst for 14 years, he spent 16 years at NBC News and was in on the introduction of early computer graphics, global computerization and studio robot cameras.  The VCC patent is just one of several Wolzien has been awarded over the years.