Two Women Run NBC's Olympic Broadcast From Connecticut

When you watch the Olympics unfold perfectly on your TV screen at 8 p.m., you're witnessing the work of two women coordinating an ocean away from the action.

Betsy Riley and Rebecca Chatman lead NBC's Olympic broadcast from Stamford, Connecticut, managing hundreds of staff members who transform raw competition footage into the primetime show millions of Americans watch nightly. Riley serves as senior vice president and coordinating producer, while Chatman holds the vice president role, and together they're pulling 18-hour days to make sports magic happen.

Their job is organized chaos. Weather cancels events, athletes surprise everyone, technical problems pop up, and the entire show might need reshaping with minutes to spare.

"We plan something for three years, and then every day we have to react," Chatman explains. The team works around the clock in their Connecticut hub, constantly solving problems so seamlessly that viewers never know anything went wrong.

Riley oversees everything from tape editors to graphics to on-air talent. When Olympic bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor celebrated her gold medal using sign language with her children, Riley's team made a quick call to subtitle that exchange for viewers at home. That split-second decision transformed a personal moment into something millions could fully experience.

The pace demands athletic-level preparation. Chatman starts her days at 3 or 4 a.m. and works until evening, while Riley's schedule runs roughly 9 a.m. to past 2 a.m. Sleep becomes scarce, but both say the incredible moments make the exhaustion manageable.

Why This Inspires

Riley treats Olympic season like an athlete preparing for competition. She focuses on fitness and health in the weeks beforehand, knowing she'll need every ounce of energy once the Games begin. During broadcasts, she relies on recovery techniques like yoga, stretching, and meditation to calm down from the adrenaline rush after each show wraps.

Chatman, normally a daily Barry's Bootcamp regular, shifts to simpler wellness habits during the Games. She stretches morning and night, takes half an hour to read before bed, and sometimes puts on a red-light mask while answering late-night emails. These small rituals become anchors when everything else is moving at breakneck speed.

Their work proves that the seamless television magic we take for granted requires extraordinary effort, calm decision-making under pressure, and leaders who know how to adapt when absolutely nothing goes according to plan. And right now, those leaders happen to be two women making it all look effortless from Connecticut.