I tried not to write this post. But as each day of Olympic coverages passes, like the proverbial kidney stone, I can't let this post go unwritten.
There are three types of Olympics viewer, the fanatic who has been glued to the tube since the opening ceremonies, the casual observer, and the informed sports fan who appreciates competition in any sport. I fall into the third category.
NBC's coverage of the 2010 Olympics has been a disappointment, when you compare it to coverage in the past. As Howard Cosell once opined about boxer Jerry Quarry, "You talk about mediocrity, this is a classic example."
Watching the coverage as an informed sports fan, I've been turned off by the NBC cast of characters and the excessive hyperbole, futile cross promotion, and fatuous interviews.
What qualifies me to be a critic? Well I studied Mass Communications in college, and worked in commerical broadcasting first as an announcer, then in management for over 8 years. I was taught to have certain standards.
NBC has lowered the bar. In fact, if they gave out Zinc as an Olympic Medal, NBC would be the clear winner.
Al Michaels is no Jim McKay. He's not even a Chris Schenkel or Jack Whitaker. As he yucks (this is a technical term for over the top announcing and ennunciation) in front of the camera, his banal ponticification detract, rather then enhance his persona and the telecast. His poor performance was only eclipsed on Saturday when he was interviewed by Meteorologist Jim Cantore on The Weather Channel, where Michael's expertise as a weather prognoasticator was shown for all the world to see. He can predict rain when he plays golf in Southern California.
This shameless cross promotion makes Wake up with Al (Roker) look almost mediocre by comparison.
Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick providing coverage of different events makes one wax nostaligically for the old days when they were on ESPN SPORTSCENTER, when they were at the zenith of their careers as Sports Anchors. They are lower than whale poop during this Olympiad.
Cris Collinsworth's vapid and vacuous interview of Lindsay Jacobellis before her let down performance last week had me trying to decided which of these two was the bigger bubblehead. If Jeff Zucker had been there, there would have been no contest.
I feel the need to say something about the performance of Bob Costas. I can't say anything nice about it. Is he getting Botox treatments?
With NBC proclaiming that they would lose 200 million dollars, plus another 40 or so million for cashiering Conan O'Brien, they are violating the most important tenet of former GE CEO Jack Welch, which is to fire the lowest performing 10% of your work force every year.
NBC has crossed into that zone. Now that's COMCASTIC!
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Comments
I couldn't agree more. But this is interesting coming from someone like you with a background in broadcasting.
I'm the Olympic viewer who Loves Weird Sports. I get more than enough of football basketball baseball, and I love a chance to see and learn about something different during the Olympics. I want to watch a sport I haven't seen for four years, and learn something. Show me the short track skating! Show me the curling, the ski jumping, the snowboard cross, and the luge! OK, you can skip the ice dancing. No interest there.
I watch the Olympics for the same reason that I watch the Tour de France every summer. The announcers for the Tour coverage are fantastic (Phil Liggett, Bob Roll, and Paul Sherwen). Every summer, I learn something about international distance cycling, and their announcing makes the race exciting. Instead of being a bunch of sweaty thin guys on bikes, I can start to see that the whole thing is a 23-day chess match, a carefully strategized fight played out on the roads. That's what I want in the Olympic announcing. And that's what I don't get.
The only thing that has made this Olympics bearable for me is a digital video recorder. I can skip vast swaths of dead air time (commercials, interviews, stupid pieces on polar bears, Canadian mounties, endless interviews with Lindsey Bubblehead Vonn because she is pretty and blonde), and watch the actual sports. Which there is precious little of to see.
With my digital recorder, I can reduce three hours of "coverage" into one hour of actual sports.
That's sad.
Froggy -- I learned that the best broadcasters always let the athlete's performances tell the story. I felt that was sorely missed, here.
Ann -- They are freaking paying someone to write this twaddle?
You've got to be kidding me.
During this year's Olympic hockey, I just turn off the sound.
Jeff -- They were a great crew. Now if we could get Michaels to stop yucking. Gahhhhh!
Great post and congrats not only on the EP but the cover. Well done, Andy. :-D
Rated
Walt -- Ohlemeyer and Zucker should be the ones cashiered, not Conan O'Brien. Keeping Jay Leno will come back and bite 'em.
The endless romantic back story stuff makes me want to ralph.
If I don't look at Bob Costas I don't mind what he says so much. He looks like he has a layer of burn medication on his face, like he had some laser or some kind of resurfacing done on his face and his eyes looked glassy and wild last night.
Arghhh! I feel like a grumpy pirate!
L&P -- You can't insert those fabulous commerical in live stream video.
Susanne -- when we had to listen to "Airchecks" of ourselves as announcers to self critque and get feedback from our Program Directors, we took the feedback seriously.
We should subject Al, Cris, and Costas to watching endless airchecks of their awful performances. Burn medication...hahahahaha.
AHP -- you're right about Hamilton, I was following the couples short program and enjoyed his play by play, not realizing who it was. It was genuine and fresh. A nice counterpoint to the rest of the drek.
Today I wrote about another Olympic-sized issue... BC's lagging health care thanks to the games. You can check it out if you like.
P.S. Rated!
Could the Canadian network not find someone who had a rudimentary understanding of an Alpine event?
R
OE, and by extension Andy -- my favorite McCarver/Gibson story. Gibby was struggling one game. McCarver walks to the mound to have a word. Gibson stares at McCarver as only Gibson could stare. Gibson says, "The only thing you know about pitching is that it's hard to hit." End of conversation.
r.
And what's this business where people who are doing snowboarding or skiing and fall from several stories, risking a deadly injury, up end up with a score like 5 ... might as well be zero ... while people who are on skates and fall with usually no personal injury at all (yeah, I know, there have been occasional exceptions) but still get substantial credit. This is absolutely uncritical coverage, and seems a bought-off part of the presentation. (Maybe it is.)
Johnny Weir reminds me of SH, in the sense that Hamilton never skated strictly for the judges--he always skated for the audience as well, and not in a whore-y way. More of a "I'm an artist and I'm here to entertain as well as compete" way. A generosity that ensures that, whatever happens score-wise, the audience is always left with a delightful memory. I hope Weir continues his wonderful performances.
Robin Cousins had a similar quality that made him a joy to follow.
Back to the topic at hand--would it kill NBC to showcase ALL the winning athletes, not just the gold medal winners and Americans? Sometimes they omit the awarding of the bronze medal completely. Yeah, it's not as good as gold, but it's 3rd best out of ALL THE ATHLETES IN THE WORLD. Shouldn't that achievement rate at least 30 seconds of air time?
Was it George Carlin who suggested spicing up the Winter Olympics by the inclusion of the "involuntary luge", where unsuspecting passers-by are swept off the streets and flung down a chute at 90 miles an hour? Now THAT would be entertaining!!!
It's sad to see how far Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann have fallen. Costas, as well, was once funny and relevant (I think nostalgically of the days he did baseball with Bob Ueker).
While I disliked NBC's coverage of these games it is better than the sappy job CBS has done in the past. NBC has held a reign on the human interest stories. For the most part they have been relevant. When CBS had the games it was hard to believe it was a sports program. For the most part they have focused on the sports which have been pretty awesome: I have the coverage from Wed. the 17th on my dvr and it will never be erased; Shani Davis 1000m final, Women's downhill final; Men's half-pipe final.) that was a day to be remembered and there was nothing NBC could do to ruin it for me. (I can fast forward past Chris Collinsworth whom I hate more than Sarah Palin and sauteed liver)
Visually the coverage has been great. I'm a big winter sports fan and watch all the alpine events during the World Cup. The camera work is far superior to anything I've seen. So the coverage has been pleasing to the eye at least.
Anything will pale in comparison to ABC's perfect coverage of the games. I attribute this to the genius of Roone Arledge. Sports coverage has not been the same since he left the scene.
Is there anyone who can fill his and McKay's shoes? I think not. Their formula was simpler than today's; just show what's happening. Tha athletes will make the story themselves. It's the reporters now who long to be the stars, to get the scoop, to make us cry. They forget they are parasitic by nature and do best to let the athlete shine. Unfortunately over-produced nationalistic coverage seems to be where the money is. I too long for the days of live coverage and the chance to witness an athlete's moment in the sun. I'm afraid the days of innocence are gone.
K Manky -- Kathie Lee...eek!!!
Catherine -- You can develop play by play skills on different sports. It just requires hard work and effort.
John -- If I had Stewart's writers even I wouldn't be boring.
allen thomas -- don't sugarcoat how you feel.
Jeff -- Ok I see your point.
Stim -- Since we're living in the past, I remember a Gibson - Seaver pitching duel that lasted for one hour and forty five minutes. Complete games for both pitchers. I don't remember who won but the score was 1-0.
Sactogator -- Very true.
manhattankid -- You're visual learner.
abrawang -- I had to overcome much person adversity just to write this post.
Kent -- Thanks for your comments and the NPR link.
Morrigana -- I think elected officals should be selected for the involutary luge.
Greg -- I think you are spot on with no heirs to Arledge and McKay. ABC's programming was always superior, and they had better on-air talent than their competition. Now that ABC is owned by Disney, it's drek just like everyone else.
Cindy -- You're not missing anything.
Since the definition of hyperbole is "extravagant exaggeration" the phrase "excessive hyperbole" shows that you don't write too good. You claim that the cross-promotion was "futile" - a claim you failed to demonstrate ... or explain. I wonder if you know what "futile" means.
I will assume that "yucks (this is a technical term for over the top announcing and ennunciation) in front of the camera" was meant to be a joke. God, I hope so. But "his banal ponticification" demonstrates that yoo kant rite English no gud at tall, sonny. Though you earn a Zinc medal for making up words.
Ditto "Lindsay Jacobellis before her let down performance".
Have you tried ESL classes?
Exactly WHY is cross-promotion in commercial broadcasting "shameful"?
Other than your saying so, what EXACTLY made "Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick providing coverage of different events ... lower than whale poop during this Olympiad?" Are they not sports broadcasters? Just what was the problem ... if you don't mind sharing that with us?
Since you claim to be "an informed sports fan who appreciates competition in any sport" as well as bragging about having studied Mass Communications in college (apparently without earning a degree), and "working in commercial broadcasting first as an announcer, then in management for over 8 years", and telling us that "I was taught to have certain standards", please explain your remark about Bob Costas - "Is he getting Botox treatments?" I would like to know whether or not such a remark is within your standards or is lower than whale poop.