ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES—Located near the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake, this 40,000-square-foot broadcast facility is owned by Dole Food chair David Murdock. Universal Sports channel has leased the studio and is currently televising a nightly news show called “Countdown to Vancouver Update.” JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers Apparently the Canadian sports scene goes beyond ice hockey, drinking cans of Molson and excessively using the phrase “ya know?”

Universal Sports channel, a cable affiliate of NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, will put Canada on the grand stage next month with extensive coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The road to the Great White North starts in Westlake Village, of all places.

Universal Sports, a cable network channel available in more than 56 million U.S. homes, is producing its prime time Olympic news show—“Countdown to Vancouver Update”—at the Westlake Village Studios next to the Four Seasons Hotel.

CALLING THE SHOTS—David Michaels, a Westlake resident, serves as the executive producer for Universal Sports. JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers Who knew that home base for Olympic news coverage could be found in this neck of the woods?

“This is the most technologically advanced studio in the United States,” said Gene Warshawsky, vice president of engineering, operations and marketing for the Westlake studios.

“It really is. You come in here to look at the place and jaws drop to the ground. It’s beautiful.”

Universal Sports is finalizing its move to the more spacious 40,000square-foot facility in Westlake— which is owned by Dole Food chair David Murdock—from its former home in Glendale.

A familiar name in the sports television world is running the show for Universal Sports’ Olympic coverage—executive producer David Michaels.

“Having an Olympic news network is huge for us,” said Michaels, who’s been a Westlake Village resident for the past seven years and who previously lived in Agoura Hills.

Michaels, whose brother Al is the renowned sports announcer, will also serve as senior producer for NBC’s Olympic coverage out of Vancouver.

He directs Notre Dame football games and the Kentucky Derby on the network. No, he’s never worked with his brother on a major event, although each is at the top of his game.

Universal Sports, which formed in 2006 and was originally called the World Championship Sports Network, is the central news hub for Winter Olympic sports this season.

Think of it as the CNN of bobsledding.

Melisa Mowry, senior manager of marketing and public relations for Universal Sports, called the network’s ambitious Olympic coverage “groundbreaking.”

“This is an extensive news program,” Mowry said. “No one’s done a full-time news desk.”

The channel plans on showing more than 1,500 hours of preVancouver coverage, including highlights, analysis, previews, features and interviews.

“Countdown to Vancouver” will continue until the first day of the games on Feb. 12.

Although Universal Sports will not televise any events, it will be on the air for breaking news.

During the event, the channel will run Olympic content—everything except the games—from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Events taped in Vancouver or Whistler, British Columbia, will be sent to Westlake for editing.

“We have a main studio in Vancouver,” Michaels said, “but the total operations are out of Westlake.”

Universal Sports will call the studio home for a while after the cable station recently signed a three-year lease.

The studio, control rooms, editing bays and administrative offices were originally intended by Murdock to be the home of a health and wellness television network, but nothing consistent ever panned out.

“We’re very happy with the place,” said Keith Manasco, vice president of operations for Universal and a former Tennis Channel executive.

Michaels, who started working for Universal Sports in March 2008, said the network did not have to make many adjustments upon arriving at its new state-ofthe-art Westlake home.

Following the construction of a set and several software updates on existing equipment, the sports network was up and running.

The studio opened for business in April 2007 and has been home for multiple television shows, including the “U.S. Poker Championship,” “The Fashion Show” and 131 episodes of “Jury Duty,” Warshawsky said.

Facilities include a production studio, audio control rooms, editing rooms, a sound stage, a master control room, an audio sweetening room and an armada of high definition cameras.

Michaels hopes the audience for Universal Sports will expand, although he acknowledges it is a niche network geared toward fans of eclectic sports such as cycling, rowing, swimming, gymnastics, triathlons, volleyball and track and field.

“I’m looking forward to getting more distribution,” Michaels said. “I want more people to get the network and see us. . . . There are (people) who can’t get enough of it. They love watching.”

Universal Sports can be viewed in the Los Angeles area on the following channels: Charter (305), Cox (805), Time Warner (226), Verizon FIOS (464) and NBC over-the-air (digital 4.4).

For more information, visit www.universalsports.com and www.wlvstudios.com.