The Chicago Tribune learned that the U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be spread out over nine days and two weekends in 2010 to provide for live coverage of the sport on NBC leading into the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Under the new format, which will only be in effect for 2010 and other Olympic years that follow, the senior men’s and pairs competition would take place during the first weekend and the ladies and ice dance would be the second weekend. The juniors and novice competitions will take place the week in between. In non-Olympic years, the schedule would revert back to its current setup with all four free skate programs taking place on the same weekend.
The move will allow NBC to telecast the short and free skate programs of each of the four disciplines to give figure skating a bigger national TV audience and generate interest in the Winter Olympics. While I can understand U.S. Figure Skating and NBC wanting to capitalize on its recent successful coverage of the national championships in St. Paul, Minn., which increased 65 percent over last year’s coverage on ABC/ESPN, I think this plan is risky and could harm attendance. I know of few people who would be willing to attend an event over two consecutive weekends. For the diehards, it means staying an extra couple of days. For the not-so-diehard, it means choosing one weekend over the other or staying home altogether. With the sport already struggling to attract fans, it can’t afford to lose more of their in-person audience.
In related news, NBC will provide coverage of the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles next year. I would think that this development closes the door on any possible agreement between ABC/ESPN beyond this year when the current contract expires. Furthermore, if NBC’s ratings for these figure skating events continue to rise, look for a longer-term deal with the network after the Vancouver Olympic Games.
Showing posts with label TV coverage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV coverage. Show all posts
Monday, February 18, 2008
Monday, October 22, 2007
BlackHawk Home Games Back on TV?
A new era may be dawning for the Chicago Blackhawks. Rocky Wirtz, son of the late Bill Wirtz, announced today that the team has been meeting with the folks at Comcast Sports Net to air Blackhawk home games as soon as this season. This is great news for Chicago hockey fans and a huge departure for the Hawks, who for years did not broadcast the home games thanks to Bill Wirtz’s belief that if fans wanted to see the home games, they had to pay to see them. But son Rocky has other ideas, and wants to begin putting the home games on TV. Comcast already has most of their schedule set for this year, but you can bet the network will squeeze in a few games here and there, with a full lineup of home games next season.
Perhaps we are beginning to see a new era for the Blackhawks, both on and off the ice. The team is off to a good start with a 5-3 record, led by their top draft picks, 19-year-old Jonathan Toews and 18-year-old Patrick Kane.
Perhaps we are beginning to see a new era for the Blackhawks, both on and off the ice. The team is off to a good start with a 5-3 record, led by their top draft picks, 19-year-old Jonathan Toews and 18-year-old Patrick Kane.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
All Hyped Up With Nowhere to Go
Sports journalists walk a fine line. On the one hand, they are sports fans. On the other, they are required to remain objective in their reporting for the sake of journalistic integrity. But what happens when writers cross that line?
Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey suggests that the media hype of athletes is often out of line with reality. He cites several examples of how sports announcers have been guilty of “excessive gushing” over athletes they are covering. The media’s hero worship has resulted in an overly positive view of athletes to the point that fans are willing to forgive their flaws and indiscretions when common sense says they probably should exercise more caution.
As fans, we tend to believe the images we see on TV because we assume that if the media is presenting it, then it must be the truth. But how many times have we seen TV announcers and analysts forget their place and become “cheerleaders” for a particular sport or athlete? (My frustration with ESPN’s coverage of figure skating is that their broadcast team does not provide balanced coverage and often act cheerleaders.)
Both the media and fans need to take care not to get caught up in hyping athletes. I know that’s much easier said than done, and I know I'm as guilty of that as anyone. The media can certainly do a better job of presenting a more balanced view of athletes. But fans also need to be more discerning and not take what they see or hear about athletes at face value.
Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey suggests that the media hype of athletes is often out of line with reality. He cites several examples of how sports announcers have been guilty of “excessive gushing” over athletes they are covering. The media’s hero worship has resulted in an overly positive view of athletes to the point that fans are willing to forgive their flaws and indiscretions when common sense says they probably should exercise more caution.
As fans, we tend to believe the images we see on TV because we assume that if the media is presenting it, then it must be the truth. But how many times have we seen TV announcers and analysts forget their place and become “cheerleaders” for a particular sport or athlete? (My frustration with ESPN’s coverage of figure skating is that their broadcast team does not provide balanced coverage and often act cheerleaders.)
Both the media and fans need to take care not to get caught up in hyping athletes. I know that’s much easier said than done, and I know I'm as guilty of that as anyone. The media can certainly do a better job of presenting a more balanced view of athletes. But fans also need to be more discerning and not take what they see or hear about athletes at face value.
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