Sunday should be an interesting day for both ESPN2 and the ABC television network.
After the recent shake-up at ESPN about NASCAR, the one hour version of NASCAR Now takes to the air at 10AM Eastern Time. Erik Kuselias will host, and the possible studio analysts are Stacy Compton and Boris Said.
It should be interesting to see if there are Truck and Busch Series highlights, and additional emphasis on the Busch winner interview. Also, the ABC broadcast crew may provide a preview of the NEXTEL Cup race directly from the track.
The NASCAR programming shifts over to ABC at 3PM with a thirty minute edition of NASCAR Countdown. This program will be hosted by Suzy Kolber with Brad Daugherty alongside from the Infield Studio. With Dale Jarrett missing the race, he may possibly join this crew as he did for the Busch Series race on Saturday.
Race coverage of the next to last NEXTEL Cup race of the season begins at 3:30PM on ABC. Dr. Jerry Punch will handle the play-by-play alongside of analysts Rusty Wallace and Andy Petree in the booth. On pit road will be Allen Bestwick, Mike Massaro, Dave Burns, and Jamie Little.
There is a very diverse field of drivers for this race, and the ESPN on ABC crew will have to make a decision about who to cover...and why. Gordon and Johnson, along with their crew chiefs and car owner may get a lot of air time, but the other stories in the field for this race might even be more interesting.
The schedule shows this race ending at 7:30PM on ABC, but both the Busch and Truck Series races had red flag periods that extended the event. ABC may find itself with this live NASCAR race running past their "hard off" time of 8PM Eastern. This would put everyone in an interesting situation, as the ABC Entertainment executives will want sports off the air immediately after the race is over. However, both NASCAR and the ESPN on ABC crew know just how important post-race interviews will be with only one final race remaining next week.
Both the 8PM Extreme Home Makeover and the 9PM Desperate Housewives programs draw bigger ratings than NASCAR. This would possibly make ESPN2 or ESPN Classic the "default" network should the race go long. ESPN2 is showing a World Series of Poker marathon, and at 8PM ESPN Classic is playing Days of Thunder. What an ironic twist if Days of Thunder gets bumped by a NASCAR race.
ESPN2 returns at Midnight Eastern Time with the thirty minute wrap-up edition of NASCAR Now, also hosted by Erik Kuselias. That program will definitely show if change is permanent for this TV series. Look for a wrap-up of the event directly from the ABC broadcast crew, and reports specifically for NASCAR Now from the ABC pit reporters. This was part of the "ESPN overall NASCAR integration" plan.
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205 comments:
1 – 200 of 205 Newer› Newest»JD, you mention ESPN "overall integration." I remember at the beginning of the season, there were near 15 minute wrap-up editions of NASCAR Now live from the track with Jerry, Rusty, and Andy, DURING SPORTSCENTER!! Where did those editions go and could they be back with these changes?
btw, I am seeing numerous promos for tomorrow's race during the multiple college football games.
Your point is a perfect illustration of how the NASCAR on ESPN effort fell apart this season due to lack of communication between departments at ESPN.
Many viewers remember not only the SportsCenter live shots, but also even before NASCAR came to the network, ESPN News used to carry the post-race press conferences from the Infield Media Centers live.
Every Monday in the one hour NN show, there should have been a wrap-up of the Busch race by the ESPN announcers who did it, and highlights and interviews from the Truck race by a reporter who was assigned to cover it.
Once ESPN on ABC started the Cup races, there should have been a total integration of resources across the board. Instead, NASCAR as a whole sport was ignored not only by the other live events, SportsCenter, and ESPN News...but often by NASCAR Now.
Can anyone forget then NN would not show the Busch highlights from their own network coverage?
Unfortunately, for this season, the damage is done. It will take a major reallocation of resources and a change in direction to finally acheive what ESPN told NASCAR it would do for them, which is use the power of the ESPN/ABC brand to grow the sport.
Here's the rub with me. ESPN/ABC is expanding its pre/post-race coverage because ratings are down. As a fan, I don't care about the pre/post-race coverage--that's not why I watch the race itself.
And about the promos, I have seen a lot of Gordon/Johnson play on Sportscenter in the last couple of days. As a fan, what I've seen is boring. I can't imagine that those uninterested in the sport would want to watch after seeing the spots.
In my opinion, if the network wants to drive ratings, they should start by shaking up the play-by-play crew in the booth. Dr. Punch is great, Andy Petre shows a lot of potential, but Rusty Wallace drags the whole thing down to muck. A bare minimum for broadcast qualifications should be a) the ability to pronounce proper names correctly on a consistent basis and b) the ability to comprehend what's going on both in the booth and on the track. Rusty fails on both counts so often that it's infuriating.
I was very much looking forward to EPSN's return, and I honestly don't think their package is too far off. Draft-View (or whatever they call it) is pretty annoying, but the bottom line is the sport is losing ratings because of what's happening on track and during the race, not because of anything the networks do before or after the race.
My prescription for ESPN going into next year would be this:
1) Get Rusty Wallace out of the booth, put him in the pits or on one of the pre/post-race shows, or in an intermediary role during the race.
2) Put someone who makes sense into the booth, someone who's been around the sport and knows it, but also has broadcast credentials. Krista Voda comes to mind, though I know she's locked in with Fox/SPEED. A win-win would be to get at least some members of the team who can work at all the networks so that the transition between networks isn't so jarring.
3) Focus on the on-track battles. People want to see cars passing cars. Even if those passes are happening for 40th position. The drivers have long complained that the TV coverage shows the leaders going single-file while the real action is taking place in the back of the pack--so let's focus on that action for a while.
If I were in any kind of management position within the network, these are the things I'd be thinking heading into the planning sessions for next year's coverage.
Nascar Now did cover the Busch and Truck races with some decent coverage of the truck race prob because of Stacy Compton. I was surprised that they did not adress why Skinner was so upset, yes Harvick's "interference" but what about Benson passing him that was the "I guess we're not team mates" quote by Skinner. Mikey and company were floored, I guess Erik didn't watch the race and Stacy missed it cause he was out by then. Those points could be big
JD,
NN today had the Busch review with the booth team doing the wrap-up and review. Is this what you are wanting them to re-run on Monday's NN show?? It seems alot of people want things shown when it is best for them to see it, but then a bunch complain if something is shown or talked about once before. Hard to win.
New twists on NN this Sunday. Angelique Chengelis stepped-in as a reporter with the track news in the first segment. No info on where Shannon Spake was located, but a refreshing change from "general assignment" reporters like David Amber, Bob Holtzman, and Wendy Nix.
Pit reporter Allen Bestwick interviewing Carl Edwards specifically for NN, even though the interview was dated (Saturday).
Tim Cowlishaw and Brad Daugherty live from the track side-by-side are still trying to define their roles and what exactly they add to this program. Cowlishaw and Daugherty are fans only, even though Cowlishaw is a columnist who has written NASCAR stories in the past. In this show, Brad and Tim proved that hard news is what fans want, and less of their style of talk is what NN needs.
As we suggested in our column, Jerry Punch and company showed-up on camera from the track to review the Busch race. This is called a "race wrap." It should have been done after every Busch Series race all season long.
Spake showed-up later to update the Petty story, and then talk with Jeff Gordon.
NN again changed and had Roger Penske and Sam Hornish from the track about the 2008 season. Unfortunately, this show will not let the on-set analyst ask the questions. The inexperienced host continues to stumble though questions with the voice of experience right there next to him.
ESPN threw everything at this show they had, including Tim Brewer in the Tech Center, the in-studio ESPN "Garage," and the Truck Series highlights.
Wouldn't it have been nice to see an effort like this from ESPN that began in February? Its been a very long season of very little information from NASCAR Now.
I wouldn't be surprised if they move this race up 10 minutes again. In the past (before last week) if a race time was moved up 10-15 minutes or so - usually because of weather - they would announce it on the prerace show. So if today's race gets an early start and the TV folks are aware of it, they should let us know towards the beginning of Countdown. If it's like last week when they scramble, then NASCAR likely hasn't told them about it until last minute again.
John, they may also push the post race for America's Funniest Home Videos at 7:30. Primetime TV (and ratings tracking) on the East Coast on Sundays begins at 7 PM, not 8 PM; on ABC they've simply cut AFHV by a half hour to accomodate NASCAR these last three weeks.
As I mentioned at some point last week, the end of the last Sunday's race (from 7-7:30 PM) did come close to matching ANFV's average ratings, so they may have gotten a breather for this week. The Friday "NASCAR phone call" may help too.
However, if ABC thought that ratings number was an oddity (while the end of the race ratings compared to AFHV, the overall race ratings were down 14 percent) they may not be as flexible this week or next week as they were last week.
Brian France says in an interview today: "We're still, week-in and week out, the No. 1 or No. 2 sport on television."
Uh-huh. You tell 'em (falsehoods), Brian.
If they don't get into the mid-high 4's for ratings, which they are not, even wrestling beats them in ratings. Then we can go to stick and ball. And make sure to look at playoff numbers to compare, since that is what the Chase is after all...right?
The big issue today will be if cautions or a red flag push this race past 8PM.
I assure you ABC is worried about ad revenue and logistics before ratings.
Extreme Home Makeover vs. NASCAR is going to be one very interesting on-air decision.
Anonymous said...
Brian France says in an interview today: "We're still, week-in and week out, the No. 1 or No. 2 sport on television."
November 11, 2007 11:52 AM
that is true actually. on a week with NASCAR and Football, NASCAR will be the #2 sport on TV.
I caught the first couple of minutes of NASCAR Now this morning, but it sure didn't live up to Eric Kuselias' proclamation when he signed off Friday of this being "the best pre-race show on TV" (or words to that effect).
As for "total NASCAR integration", during last night's ESPN College Football Primetime game (Florida vs. South Carolina) the Bottomline tracker alternated between NCAA football scores and NASCAR. Except during their 18/58 Updates, there were no basketball scores. No NFL. No hockey. Nothing on the Bottomline but NCAAF and NASCAR. This lasted until about 12 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, which may have been when the game was scheduled to end and SportsCenter was due to start.
In the past, I believe the Bottomline during this game has been exclusively NCAAF.
The two NASCAR items on the Bottomline were the top 5 Busch finishers, and Edwards' Pole win followed by the starting spots of Gordon and Johnson for today's Cup race.
Also, during the first quarter of the game the announcers did a live promo of the Phoenix race, and had on-screen graphics of Chase News & Notes. They didn't poke fun at it, but they claimed Gordon only has two Championships (the announcers were reading what the graphics stated). I could say at least they're trying, but this is elementary stuff that they should be getting right. Todd Blackledge (referred to as a "gear head" by Mike Patrick) did know that Gordon owns Johnson's car. (This can be seen on the replay of the game on ESPN360.com, about 39 minutes in.)
Toward the end of the game, after the umpteenth airing of the Phoenix bumper coming back from commercial, Todd Blackledge also called Suzy Kolber a "gear head".
"that is true actually. on a week with NASCAR and Football, NASCAR will be the #2 sport on TV.
November 11, 2007 12:43 PM"
Hasn't been true for a while now. It's semantics, which NASCAR skillfully uses to its favor. NASCAR has said it is #2 based on average weekly ratings for its one Cup event. But for MLB and NBA, when you combine all of their local/regional/cable broadcasts over the course of a week, the viewership is much bigger.
Example: 7 million people might watch the weekly Cup race and it outranks a national MLB Game of the week with 4 million viewers. So NASCAR says it's #2 in the ratings.
But they don't factor in that average *total* viewership of baseball in a week - on all its available broadcasts - is around 30 million viewers. Even with viewership of Busch and Trucks added in, NASCAR doesn't come near that.
And if we're going solely by single week ratings, NASCAR has dropped behind college football, too.
"Sunday's Dickies 500 received a 3.7 rating on ABC, down from a 4.3 the race received last season on NBC. The race ranked No. 7 among the top 10 sports programs of the week, behind four NFL games and two college football games."
Personally, I think as long as Brian France keeps pontificating all is well for the sport and makes a plethora of excuses for why ratings are down, the more he alienates the fans.
And he proves once again how OUT OF TOUCH he is with the sport his grandfather started.
Shame.
I still will not watch NN because after ENJOYING it for two days (where I saw Marty Reid) they flip flopped back apparently, to Erik.
I told you I thought it was all bait and switch and it was.
Almost everyday I read on here how today's Nascar Now was better/worse than yesterday. For me personally, they lost me the week after the Daytona 500. Since then I think I have watched a total of 15 minutes of the show all year (I look at it for a minute before switching to Judge Judy everynight).
From what little of it I have seen and from everythign I have read on here this year, Nascar Now reminds me of Entertainment Tonight on 4 wheels.
The only way I think I will ever watch that show next year is if they totally scrap the whole concept and start over.
BillWebz
Oh no, BillWebz, I have to respectfully disagree.
NASCAR Now is NOT Entertainment Tonight on 4 wheels.
Speed's NASCAR Nation was ET on 4 wheels!!
NASCAR Nation had the synthesizer theme music that blared much too loud, plus fancy graphic labels for everything. Just like ET they spent more time telling you about what was coming up on the show than actually showing it. And their stories were all fluffy feel good sound bites and pics of the drivers and sometimes crew with no actual real news ever.
I've seen green flag listed at 3:35 and 3:40. Be prepared.
One thing I was happy about this morning's show was that Erik called attention to the other "races", going on in Cup. He and Stacy talked about the importance on being in the top 35 and how that means million and millions of dollars to each team. They mentioned only the top 10 and the race not to be 12th. They also mentioned the race to 13th. They did miss completely the rookie standings, but I'm glad they included some of the sup-plots I follow each race.
I don't remember who it was, maybe Rusty, anyway, the fact that Johnny passed Mike, was seened as not being a team player. Just a week ago the HMS team was being criticsized if Casey or Kyle did they same.
Brad and Crusty and they're 'believe us, Jeff and Jimmie will be hating each other before this is over' crap has me turn to Raceday faster than you can say 'brad & crusty'.
Um just cause you would have hated your team mate crusty, doesn't mean Jeff and Jimmie aren't better men than you and can make it through this with friendship intact. See they enjoy being team mates. Something you seemed to be incapable of...
And I don't even care if its a commercial over there on speed..
I like the fact the ESPN has stepped up the promos of NASCAR. They know that people channel surf and they also know that people that don't follow the sport might not remember when it is. They do that for all the sports they cover.
As has been the worst thing for the promos last week, was the Pats/Colts game. They got 50% more that ever, and the most for a regular game in 20 years. I'm shocked that NASCAR only went down 10%.
I am stuck in the hospital this weekend. That being bad enough they don't have cable,hence no SPEED this week yuk.
Had to sit through the Aerosmith screaming fest. Didn't ESPN remember how much grief Tony George and ABC got when Aerosmith did the National Anthem at the Indy 500 a few years back.
When and why did Brad D. start screaming his opinions? Seems like he started doing this a while back and I can't figure out why. He and Rusty were at extra high volume a few minutes ago and I had to change the channel to RaceDay. Maybe he's been watching Terry Bradshaw on the NFL preshow as training.
it does not look like NASCAR will start early this time. this is good for SPEED.
Just heard on the officials channel 5 minutes to start.
The countdown clock just showed 20 minutes left, so 3:50 for green flag?
Apparently NASCAR is just daring ABC, with its new Sunday shows beginning at 7:30, to mess with them today.
PammH said...
Just heard on the officials channel 5 minutes to start.
November 11, 2007 3:31 PM
how do you get the official's channel online?
Wow, that was a rough version of Countdown with Brad and Rusty. Those two guys just do not mesh.
Did anyone get the feeling that both Brad and Suzy were really trying to "sell" the pre-race show with extra enthusiasm and volume?
Oh yeah, when I was on ABC pre-race, lots of FORCED excitment extra volume commentary.
anon 3:35-in the last few weeks, they've added the officials channel to the raceday scanner from Nascar.com. You hear some pretty interesting stuff!!
Billy Delyon said...
Oh yeah, when I was on ABC pre-race, lots of FORCED excitment extra volume commentary.
November 11, 2007 3:41 PM
you were on the show? what did you do?
Um, when I was on the CHANNEL abc pre-race, as in not on Raceday....
mercy...
I thought it was nice how sporadic the in-race-reporter interview was. RC was listening and just jumped into the interview. that creates a good flow for the broadcast.
Billy Delyon said...
Um, when I was on the CHANNEL abc pre-race, as in not on Raceday....
mercy...
November 11, 2007 3:47 PM
sorry, you made it sound as if you were ON the show in person.
JD-it really came thru today how much Rusty & Brad don't like each other. Rusty's "I've never backed down from anything in my life" was a throw-down if I've ever heard one! I guess coming to blows during pre-race WOULD liven things up abit-LOL!!
I like how the reporters are doing the intros back from commercial. it allows the information to get out quicker.
Rusty is the same with Andy. They disagreed during qualifying about some strategy or tech matter. Andy: "Rusty I'm going to have to disagree with you on that." (and explains why)
Rusty: "Well I'm going to disagree with you right back!" He laughed, but you know he meant it.
Not sure about that preshow. I think the drivers are tired of answering the same questions over and over again and are just showing some natural fatigue here near the end. maybe pretaped features would have been better.
I noticed Carl Edwards removed his sunglasses before his interview. I read the thread yesterday with the mention of his rated consumer appeal and I have to say that guy has got some good media training. I don't like like interviews with the drivers wearing sunglasses, and I don't like it when drivers put on their sunglasses before they get out of their cars in Victory Lane to be interviewed.
Brad did the Busch race yesterday and saw Dale Jarrett from the Infield Studio gently "push" himself into the announce team during the race by adding his thoughts.
Once the guys in the booth got comfortable with that, DJ was basically the fourth announcer on the race. Somehow, I just don't think that Rusty and Andy are going to allow that to happen with Mr. Daugherty
Rusty-Jeremy isn't in that car, Johnny Benson is.
I noticed this whole weekend that Rusty is pushing other people around in the booth. Also someone mentioned Carl taking his sunglasses off before the pre-race interview. I can see Carl making movies after his racing career is over he's got charisma.
Daly Planet Editor said...
The big issue today will be if cautions or a red flag push this race past 8PM.
I assure you ABC is worried about ad revenue and logistics before ratings.
Extreme Home Makeover vs. NASCAR is going to be one very interesting on-air decision.
November 11, 2007 12:11 PM
I thought TV November "sweeps" ratings determined the advertising rates the networks can set through next February. Wouldn't that affect ad revenue?
anonymous said...
Primetime TV (and ratings tracking) on the East Coast on Sundays begins at 7 PM, not 8 PM.
November 11, 2007 11:52 AM
That's always been my impression. 60 Minutes counts in the Sunday ratings. Football games that pre-empt 60 Minutes count too and are often higher rated than regular programs. so Americas Funniest Home Video may be important to ABC too. Especially with the writer's strike -the reality programs are all they're going to have left after next month!
this seems like the most solid coverage i have seen so far.
anyone get SAP to work today?
Anonymous said...
anyone get SAP to work today?
November 11, 2007 4:14 PM
still nothing in San Diego. why do they keep saying it works?
that makes my heart patter.
DRAFT TRACK!
ugh
Did Andy just get a little dig in on Rusty about how he is different than JJ. Listening to the actual words was ok but I'm not sure the tone wasn't a dig. And the good old downforce tracker is back during a green flag run no less. Will they ever learn. I know cars are being passed somewhere
JD - Not everybody has Espn Classic or News ... That is something that Disney needs to have pounded into their skull ...
With the WGA strike, they should let Nascar run as late as the race will go ... and hold onto the new eps of DH, EMHE ... It's gonna be a long strike ...
Disney also needs to learn that they more they talk about the 24 & 48, the more people will switch channels out of sheer frustration & utter annoyance ... As it is, I'm about ready to kill it and watch Skate Canada (that Disney tape delayed from last weekend) ...
This is why G....because I'm fly.
that is interesting. after the booth talks about Carl and leaves for commercial, we get 2 commercials with Carl. one after the other.
Anonymous said...
With the WGA strike, they should let Nascar run as late as the race will go ... and hold onto the new eps of DH, EMHE ... It's gonna be a long strike ...
November 11, 2007 4:28 PM
good idea.
Lots of cars a lap down already, and we haven't seen Carl's mom yet either. I guess it's been a long weekend and the guys in the booth are getting snippy with each other.
they are mentioning the free pass car. this is good.
as to the impact of the writer's strike, that would not affect a show like EMHE as the 'reality' programs are not being impacted by the writer's strike.
Does anyone remember when during a race you only heard the pit reporters when the cars were pitting and most the race was done by the people in the booth? Now it is about 50/50 for the entire race. The people in the booth should not need that continued support of the pit reporters to make the race interesting.
My spy told me that at 8PM they were done, regardless of what was going on in the race. That is why I made that comment.
As for all this ratings stuff, it is all hindsight. When it comes to NASCAR, this is the first "go round" for ABC and this could get interesting later.
Charlie said...
Does anyone remember when during a race you only heard the pit reporters when the cars were pitting and most the race was done by the people in the booth? Now it is about 50/50 for the entire race. The people in the booth should not need that continued support of the pit reporters to make the race interesting.
November 11, 2007 4:39 PM
the booth cant keep track of all the stories. not even fox did that. did you see the gas man injury just now? how is the booth going to get the information needed for that report w/o the help of the reporter?
nice timing of restart coming out of local break at lap 90 - nice job ESPN
Have they said anything about Hamlin and why he's back in 19th place?
I agree - pit reporters needed to be more in the broadcast and they seem to be now.
again, ESPN mentions the free pass. I like this.
Whats this? Thru the field and not only chase drivers. ESPN seems to be trying - perhaps listening?
Again pit reports getting into the broadcast
That's the third free pass wow now I'm impressed. Hopefully all will be over by 8p cause of not and JD is right it will be big
Good job of coverage so far. I'm really happy about the return of regular use of the intervals ticker instead of the Chase ticker 24/7. I don't mind the chase ticker sometimes but the constant scroll of it last week was appalling.
NASCAR got dealt some more bad luck with the NFL game airing now on FOX, New York vs Dallas. Tony Romo vs. Eli Manning might not be Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, but it is Cowboys-Giants and it is tied at the end of first quarter. FOX just showed a Tony Stewart Subway commercial before the beginning of the second, so that was kind of cool.
More positive than negative so far - lets hope it doesnt revert to old form in last 100 laps. So far good job by ESPN today.
dr. punch saw jr's crash before we did.
I've been listening to Tony's scanner and all I hear is "3 wide", "4 wide". Why aren't they showing this instead of single file racing?
I must say I'm feel bad for Carl. Nice interview with AB.
A Petree watching track and not monitor and saw cars coming to pit road.
What a nice surprise to be ESPN positive today.
i don't believe they have been 4 wide for that long. probably just now. you know the TV can't show everything at once.
Spoke too soon no free pass= it was Vickers
Really nice job of going to D Burns with Letarte after talking about Gotdon getting tires. In Sept they didnt do this.
It is not Aric's first cup race.
While watching with the TV on mute and listening to MRN, the coverage from my perspective is that this is really similar to how they cover the Busch series.
We've mentioned for most of the last 10-12 races that there was such a major difference between the Busch and Nextel Cup coverage from Saturday to Sunday, and with things as bad as they have been on ABC, this is all we've been asking for. There are some small nitpicks which I am sure we will mention, but for the time being, this does seem like a drastic change in philosophy for ESPN.
Coverage is better so far, came back for caution when in commercial and the first thing we same was the crashed car. Hopefully they will reset the field as promised
ABC acted like no one ever pits outta sequence when Jeff did on the last caution ... It's SOP ...
Primetime TV (and ratings tracking) on the East Coast on Sundays begins at 7 PM, not 8 PM.
East Coast primetime is 8p-11pm.
7p-8p is access.
I see we've got some Annon's on here again to day praising ESPN. More ESPN/ABC/Disney employees?
Coverage looks the same as in past weeks. I don't see any improvement. Maybe some on here have gotten used to the sorry coverage and have lowered their standards.
The guys in the booth still don't mesh. Rusty is still annoying and a know it all. I lasted 50 laps until I muted the TV and turned MRN on. Too much Jimmy and Jeff. There are 41 other guys racing ESPN. We are getting pretty tired of you not showing the racing back in the field. Don't show us the leaders going single file. We need a Director in the truck that is actually a race fan and knows how to call a race.
Thank god for MRN........and the Internet.
Not on Sunday.
CBS has 60 minutes - NBC has Dateline and ABC has something - that silly we'll rebuild you home show or americas stupidest videos - but not local.
That was pretty rude of ABC ...
Kasey wrecks and they flip to a single shot of Jeffy ...
Bodenheimer & his entire crew (sans AB & Burns) need FIRED!!
Driver error or COT OMG Jamie please stop listening to those voices in your head
Dammit, Rusty, stop saying "Car of Tomorrows!"
Can someone at ESPN please explain this to him?
Vince...I agree that we may have lowered our standards. Like you, I have the radio on and FoxTrax to keep me posted on the race. Aside from that, I have Yahoo's GameChannel on the computer to keep track of what's happening during the NFL games. With all of these things, the TV coverage is the most minor of the ways to follow the race action.
I would LOVE to be able to not sit at my computer and keep the radio off and just sit down and watch the race, order a pizza, and throw down a few brews while watching the race, but...
the TV coverage does not allow me to do that (at least not until Fox is back covering Nascar or I'm watching a truck race on Speed).
Vince said...
I see we've got some Annon's on here again to day praising ESPN. More ESPN/ABC/Disney employees?
Coverage looks the same as in past weeks. I don't see any improvement. Maybe some on here have gotten used to the sorry coverage and have lowered their standards.
The guys in the booth still don't mesh. Rusty is still annoying and a know it all. I lasted 50 laps until I muted the TV and turned MRN on. Too much Jimmy and Jeff. There are 41 other guys racing ESPN. We are getting pretty tired of you not showing the racing back in the field. Don't show us the leaders going single file. We need a Director in the truck that is actually a race fan and knows how to call a race.
Thank god for MRN........and the Internet.
November 11, 2007 5:22 PM
I thought you were the one complaining about too much bashing in these posts not too long ago. No, I am not an ESPN employee but I do see a change. I think it is insulting that just because I like the coverage, I am basically being called an ESPN apologist. I think some people just hate the coverage now because they don't like rusty or Hendrick.
I have switched between radio and tv today....I thought today was better but as I type this the AUDIO is going in and out 5.23pm
I thought Jamie ONCE AGAIN asked cringe worthy questions to Kasey. HE OBVIOUSLY felt bad and had a HORRIBLE DAY and car and she had to ask "was it driver or COT error" ??????????????? OUCH.
No common sense with her.
ON spare computer so will probably be anon SOphiaz
Soph
I guess Kasey's new hair color didn't help his race effort this weekend. Next week maybe he'll be a redhead! I couldn't tell whether he was upset with the questions Jamie was asking him or just upset with this car/driving.
Vince I am not an ABC employee and take that personal as I generally hate disnet corporation - will not set food in a disney park nor watch ESPN if I can avoid it but todays broadcast is a major improvement.
Use of pit reporters - covering cars away from the leader - thru the field - good use of replays although Phoenix is an easy track to cover - you could do it with a camcorder. Rusty is not hogging the broadcast - Andy is getting his comments in.Dr Punch is in his game - not falling asleep or losing concentration. Major improvement by the guys in the booth. I listened to MRN and personally cannot listen to it.
I was going to joke and say did ESPN hire Neil GOldberg cause I believe todays broadcast is an improvement but apparently you do not agree.
stupid keyboard
I thought KK took blame and JL asked a valid question. He said that he screwed up and crashed. What was wrong w/question?
Another problem...the radio guys are talking as if Jimmie Johnson is doing some really aggressive racing and there is a lot of action between the 4-8 spots, yet ESPN was showing something completely different on the racetrack and only picked up Johnson after he had grabbed fourth place.
The problem with radio and TV mixing is that the radio guys are exciting and covering the best action on the track most times, so I turn around to check the TV and they are showing something less important (and sometimes are simply at commercial while all of this is going on).
Newracefan said...
Driver error or COT OMG Jamie please stop listening to those voices in your head
That was just a bad interview!
I am not an ESPN employee. What a weird thing to say if I or others are writing something nice (like I am below). This is not a bash board last time I checked.
Thanks to ESPN for showing multiple replays of the accidents.
Thanks to ESPN for following up with drivers out of the race because of accidents (sensitively handled by Allen Bestwick.)
Thanks to ESPN for showing drivers after hard hits, like Kasey Kahne's.
OK now comes the rant. I just talked about Allen's sensitivity with the drivers. One of them (JR) he only really asked one question because he could judge his mood, but he got the answer we need: "I lost it" (the car).
Now comes Jamie Little interviewing Kasey Kahne. Like Jr, he answered her question (quite vividly) in the first question, yet she persisted with two more - which he answered politely though you could tell his frustration level from the first question - until he finally started walking away. Just clueless on Jamie's part. Is she going to get better by next season? If not, ESPN needs to give her the boot.
Annon@5:28,
Nope you've got me confused with someone else. I haven't been complaining on here about too much bashing going on. ESPN deserves all the bashing they are getting for their sorry coverage. Of all sports. But in this case, especially Nascar.
If ESPN's coverage of this race is a big improvement, you're watching a different race than I am.
Anonymous said...
I thought KK took blame and JL asked a valid question. He said that he screwed up and crashed. What was wrong w/question?
November 11, 2007 5:31 PM
what was wrong was that a pro (which Jamie is not) would have realized that the driver had given a complete answer and would have judged the driver's body language to see if they should "push" more. See Allen's previous interviews today. He pushed a little with Carl Edwards because Carl can maintain that cheery attitude better than most to a point, but the moment Carl started dropping that attitude (repeating his thanks to the fans instead of answering the question), Allen ended the interview.
disclaimer - NOT AN ESPN or ABC EMPLOYEE but here is a positive ESPN comment.
No scroll on bottom of screen - No overuse of Chase leader but instead intervals which is nice to see.
Interviews (at least one) of Villenaeu by the Care Center.
So maybe Jamie Little needs work.
Vince said...
Annon@5:28,
Nope you've got me confused with someone else. I haven't been complaining on here about too much bashing going on. ESPN deserves all the bashing they are getting for their sorry coverage. Of all sports. But in this case, especially Nascar.
If ESPN's coverage of this race is a big improvement, you're watching a different race than I am.
November 11, 2007 5:36 PM
Vince, I clearly remember you saying you would not participate in a "in-progress" board a few weeks ago because of people sniping at each other, not nessecerly ESPN.
Lets just agree to disagree on today's coverage.
No, Kasey was royally ticked off ... and was ticked at Jamie ... He's ticked at Jacques ...
Please get rid of Jamie Little ... and Shannon Spake ... and Suzy ... and Brad ... Those people are just WRONG WRONG WRONG ...
If Jamie had asked a fluffy question you would have bashed her for not asking the tough questions. Kasey is a veteran who should know how to deflect. A veteran, when asked a question he doesn't want to answer changes it to another question or talks about how they had a top ten car. How many times have veteran drivers done that? C'mon - decide if you want JL to be barbie or a pit reporter.
A scroll at the bottom is foolish for this coverage...I understand that they want to cover all sports, but it's just one more way for viewers to see something like Dallas and NY are tied at halftime and that they could flip over to FOX and watch that game. It's different when ESPN shows it for college football or many other sports because they usually have 2 games on their channels (or more), but if they want to keep as many viewers as possible, it's probably a better idea to keep them focused on this one sport (not to mention that whoever is watching Nascar is watching it because they like it more than the other sports).
"Busch Series Fan! said...
I couldn't tell whether he was upset with the questions Jamie was asking him or just upset with this car/driving."
At first I think Kasey was just upset with himself and the car. His first two seasons he would often say on TV that either he as a driver or his cars "sucked". I assume Ray had a talk with him because he usually doesn't criticize the cars,(or does it very tactfully) anymore. But as Jamie kept pestering him, I think he got irritated. I mean the dude took the blame for his bad day and called himself an idiot on national TV, what else does she want from him?
Back on MY Laptop.
NO, Jamie is NOT going to improve. She was bad in IRL and even worse here imo.
She just makes me CRINGE with her thoughtless questions. Kasey's demeanor and words SCREAMED BAD DAY and I screwed up.
Get a clue reporters.
Let's not start getting snarky on here with each other folks...it's why many of us do not comment as often here. It's "opinions" about the coverage, not to call names to one another.
To anon in the hospital, I hope you get better soon. Hospital channels always stink and I am glad you get the race on ABC today.
I have MRN back on but the tv "looks" like it is better today..aside from Rusty being bully again. :(
Rusty
Needs
to
so
go.
JD, ABC keeps saying the SAP audio works but I don't know a single person that has got it to work. I think that needs to be addressed.
Annon@5:41,
Yup, that's the great thing about this blog/board. We can all post our comments. If we agree or not. Everybody's got an opinion.
I can't comment on the audio from ESPN anymore today. MRN has been great, though. ESPN's video? Still too much showing the leaders and not enough racing back through the field. A lot of us have favorite drivers that aren't up front all the time. So, MRN and FoxTrax (or what ever it's called) on the Internet are the way I go. I wish I had HotPass on DirecTV like some on here have.
When I turned the race on this afternoon I was pleasantly surprised to see an in-camera shot of Kyle Petty. Assumed he had wrecked (or avoided a wreck). Yep, it was the Good Hands Move of the Race. But then Rusty mentioned Petty had gotten the lucky dog and then Jerry started talking about him trying to stay in the top 35. Wow! I was stunned. Good job, ESPN.
In the little I've been watching they seem to be throwing it to the pit reporters a bit more than usual. Well, at least to AB. Nice to see that as well.
Better is a relative term. The race coverage coverage can be better than it has been, even a lot better than it has been, and still not be very good.
Did anybody notice that next Sunday is the American Music Awards live?
You can bet everything you own that ABC is NOT going to delay going to the start of that.
NASCAR had better start praying for good weather, no red flags and even move the start time up earlier. The only way NASCAR will not get booted off the air at 8 pm eastern time is if something has gone wrong with the feed from the AMAs!
They just showed us Jimmie Johnson's next projected pit stop is lap 225. But the graphic on top shows 94 laps to go. So how many laps until he pits? I'm so confused.
Nevermind, he's pitting now.
If I hear Babblehead Rusty say "That's for sure" one more time, I'll go nuts and "That's for sure.
The SAP option sure looks appealing, at least those announcers would make more sense
WOW!!! Interrupted mid-commercial for coverage...
Vince
You are so correct about MRN. I had to drive a few minutes for a quick in and out at the Grocery and stuck in a tape and had MRN on the radio. When I got in the car from the store the green flag dropped. I only had a 5 minute drive (through ONE long red light) and hated to get out of the car in the garage.
just a few laps into the race and the guys on MRN speak with excitement.
GENUINE and not hyped up rubbish.
How can you not like guys with names like Barney and a guy with the last name Moody.
MRN
guys
Rock!!
I can not get SAP to work either. Last year I know it worked in Mexico and it was a HOOT to listen to..they speak very fast and animatedly and to hear TONY STEWART in the middle of a language I did not understand...well, it was funny.
Dave Blaney wrecks during commercial and MRN tells details..>ABC breaks in for 2 seconds to show Blaney, then back to some commercial THEN BACK TO BLANEY??
How does that happen? JD..somebody just hit the wrong switch...TWICE?
I would love to know what was said or who said what or any other details that came from Nascar to ESPN...they had JUST gone to commercial and Johnson was getting a bit closer to Kenseth for the lead and I was pissed that they went to commercial, but right away after the caution for Blaney spinning ABC comes back on the air to show what happened.
While it still stinks that I heard it from MRN first, I would love to know what happened or what was said to make them change their coverage so drastically with only two races left in the season.
didn't they just come back from commercial? As I type they came back because of a caution.
Everybody has been talking about the race running over. What happens if it ends early? There's less than 80 laps to go and it's not supposed to end until 7:30. What does ABC do then? I'm almost sure I read here that the producer doesn't like to stay on the air for postrace very long after the checkered b/c the longer they stay, the more the ratings drop.
Maybe the possible early end is why they went to commercial so quickly before coming back for the Blaney caution. maybe they have to get them all in.
SophiaZ123 said...
Dave Blaney wrecks during commercial and MRN tells details..>ABC breaks in for 2 seconds to show Blaney, then back to some commercial THEN BACK TO BLANEY??
How does that happen? JD..somebody just hit the wrong switch...TWICE?
November 11, 2007 6:09 PM
I think that was your local station. I did not see that. I saw them break from commercial, cover the spin, cover pit stops, then later go back to commercial.
thanks anon...curious as to how my LOCAL station could over ride what ABC did...
up oh, Nemechek wrecks again.
Anonymous said...
didn't they just come back from commercial? As I type they came back because of a caution.
Everybody has been talking about the race running over. What happens if it ends early? There's less than 80 laps to go and it's not supposed to end until 7:30. What does ABC do then? I'm almost sure I read here that the producer doesn't like to stay on the air for postrace very long after the checkered b/c the longer they stay, the more the ratings drop.
November 11, 2007 6:11 PM
Last time the race was short ESPN stayed on the air until the end of their time slot. we got a 40 minute post race show. I can't remember if that was a cup or a Busch race.
Seems to me they're backloading commercials this week. Way too many right now. Not so much at the beginning like they usually do.
There is no Spanish language feed on the SAP channels, and has not been. Why it continues to be promoted is unclear.
About the off time, there were red flag periods in both the Busch and Truck races this weekend. This track is narrow on the front stretch, and gets blocked easily.
Right now, things look just fine...but its racing.
SophiaZ123 said...
thanks anon...curious as to how my LOCAL station could over ride what ABC did...
November 11, 2007 6:16 PM
the ESPN on ABC signal goes through your local station before it gets to you. Your local station COULD do anything to that signal before you see it but that might be against the contract.
The NN show this morning was extemely hard to watch. It was disjointed and had little "flow" for lack of a better word - it was here there & everywhere. As for the race (68laps to go)- you can spend more time watching commercials than ever before - its also very easy to see who is crustys' buddies ( Joe Nemecheck is for sure he has been a victim all race) and at least the draft tracker hasn't been the main show all day. I just timed it 3 mins commercials, 5 mins of the race. Not a good ratio -btw does crusty know there are alot more cars on the track than just JJ & Jg? Someone tell him please
Harvick bumps Gordon and takes the 8th spot...gives Kyle Busch a chance to possibly move past Gordon too...and a tire bump to Gordon which could be a problem - all with 54 laps to go.
If you watch ESPN's coverage you wouldn't know because they went to commercial.
Illpolo,
patience...ESPN just showed it.
Anon at 6:21 I don't believe anyone can tell Rusty anything.
Is it me?
I don't see a tire rub.. Maybe for one lap..
You're being told there's a caution? You can't SEE the flagman waving the yellow?
Idiots.
Illpolo said...
"Harvick bumps Gordon and takes the 8th spot...gives Kyle Busch a chance to possibly move past Gordon too..
"
Nothing would make me happier than to see Kyle Busch sweep Phoenix. How ironic would that be?
Anonymous said...
You're being told there's a caution? You can't SEE the flagman waving the yellow?
Idiots.
November 11, 2007 6:31 PM
that is uncalled for. this is not a bash board...make up your mind, do you want Jerry watching the flag man OR THE RACE!!! The flag is small compared to the rest of the track.
Anon at 6:28 - I am watching the race for live coverage, not for replays of what happened 3 minutes ago. If I was to do that, I might as well wait until the race highlights afterwards and keep myself in suspense.
By the time ESPN showed a highlight of Gordon's tire getting tapped by Harvick, I had heard about it from MRN, saw the end result in race position on Fox Trax, posted on The Daly Report about missing it, and yelled down to my wife who is watching on the big screen about it before ABC/ESPN showed it.
The TV is the first place you should find about something happening during a live race, not the last place. Otherwise, what is the point of watching it live.
Lotta commercials........
@anon 6:01--that definitely would be interesting! I remember back in 2K3 during the October Charlotte race where they did the "ZOMG (insert tenny bopper screams) Justin Timberlake is hosting SNL!!!!!!!!!111..we gotta go so the news can have their full 30 minutes and SNL start without issue...kthxbai!" And they felt that since they had interviewed Coach that they did their job!
I think it is easier for MRN to cover everything. They have announcers all the way around the track. and those announcers have to be more exciting because there is not picture. ESPN does not have all those announcers watching the whole track.
Advertising with 28 laps to go?!! Way to go ESPN. Geez........
More COMMERCIALS with 28 laps to go.
THANK GOD MRN is still on for now.
WAY TOO MANY COMMERCIALS
ESPN is supposed to have spotters watching instead.
Did ESPN come back after Johnson took the lead? I left the TV area and could listen to it on MRN but didn't see if they showed it.
Otherwise, they missed the entire time of Johnson going from 2nd to 1st and making his late charge to win and come close to clinching a title. How sad is the coverage that they would choose to go to commercial during that important move.
Anonymous said...
ESPN is supposed to have spotters watching instead.
November 11, 2007 6:42 PM
but then the spotters have to relay to the producer, and the producer to the announcer. meanwhile MRN has already said what has happened. its not the ESPN crew's fault its the production technique.
Get rid of the IN THE CHASE LINE please.
Sigh
I need to get out my voodoo doll to fix this race
:-)
Illpolo, would you rather then insert the commercial closer to the finish? I think ABC wanted another commercial and the crew just had to put it in a soon as possible.
looks like ESPN will have over 35 minutes for post-race coverage.
bottom line is back too
Anonymous said...
looks like ESPN will have over 35 minutes for post-race COMMERCIALS.
November 11, 2007 6:48 PM
Let me fix that for you.
Closer to the finish for the commercials? Are you kidding? What's the point of covering the race if you aren't going to show it?
Why can NFL games or MLB games show extended drives or innings and why can these sports "happen" to avoid going to commercials during action?
Please do not defend the poor decisions and coverage by ESPN when it is not appropriate.
The broadcast booth guys are more animated and enthused at the end of tonight's race than previous races.
IF the 48 wins, I am NOT watching Nascar Victory Lane ...
I'm soooo tired of them ...
Anonymous said...
bottom line is back too
November 11, 2007 6:49 PM
where?
gone now
Illpolo said...
Why can NFL games or MLB games show extended drives or innings and why can these sports "happen" to avoid going to commercials during action?
November 11, 2007 6:52 PM
um... because there is more non-action than action in those sports. in case you have not noticed NASCAR does not stop unless there is a red flag.
Busch Series Fan! said...
The broadcast booth guys are more animated and enthused at the end of tonight's race than previous races.
------------------------------
Have you now or in the past worked for ESPN, ABC or one their affiliates? Inquiring minds want to know. Because no one posts positive comments about ESPN who doesnt work for them or imagines they work for them - no names needed.
Anonymous said...
IF the 48 wins, I am NOT watching Nascar Victory Lane ...
I'm soooo tired of them ...
November 11, 2007 6:53 PM
come on...your just being a hater. you should respect the ones who are better don't hate on them. I think that is what is effecting the ratings. too many people are hating on Hendrick.
I echo your victory lane commment...how much can we hear the same ol' same ol'.
Well, I even held the voo doo doll over the gas stove but race didn't turn out the way I wanted.
;-)
p.s. I will be glad when we get a message board to weed out the trolls.
This used to be such a nice, pleasant board in the earlie weeks of open comments.
*sigh*
Anon at 6:56pm - Please do not talk to me as if I have watched 3 races and wonder why they need to go to commercial when the eventual winner makes the key pass to get the win.
The simple fact is that ESPN once again missed that key point of the race.
MRN is on their third post race interview before ESPN even does one.
Jerry reverting to sticks n balls with "Clock is ticking" analogy. Knew it couldnt last.
Jimmie Johnson & Chad Knaus are not very excited about the win. Yawn!
Anonymous said...
Busch Series Fan! said...
The broadcast booth guys are more animated and enthused at the end of tonight's race than previous races.
------------------------------
Have you now or in the past worked for ESPN, ABC or one their affiliates? Inquiring minds want to know. Because no one posts positive comments about ESPN who doesnt work for them or imagines they work for them - no names needed.
November 11, 2007 6:57 PM
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT!!! I did not post that comment but i am tired of people saying STUPID things like "just because you said something positive, you must work for them." I AM TIRED OF THAT. TODAY WAS A BETTER BROADCAST. If you don't like it because you hate rusty or Hendrick say so. Just don't tell me that I'm am saying something positive because I work for ESPN.
someone said:
The simple fact is that ESPN once again missed that key point of the race.
=========================
I guess you have a crystal ball that lets you know when a wreck or pass is going to happen but apparently ESPN nor FOX nor TNT has one cause they have no idea whats gonna happen in commercial. How many times has Fox missed a pass - plenty .
Commercials are a necessary evil.
After all the money that ESPN on ABC paid for the first exclusive live interviews, to have Jeff Gordon mobbed with Fox and NBC mic flags live on ABC...not good.
That is a big mistake by the security gaurds and NASCAR staff.
why is everyone talking about teams and drivers here??? this is about ABC only.
reference comment
Have you now or in the past worked for ESPN, ABC or one their affiliates?
IT WAS A JOKE STUPID. DOn't you read the posts.
It was Vince that said
Vince said...
I see we've got some Annon's on here again to day praising ESPN. More ESPN/ABC/Disney employees?
if you want to post jokes go somewhere else. I get fed up with some on here and let anger get the best me.
I was hoping Jeff would win...he is pretty much conceding the Championship!!
Wow. You can tell he is so disappointed but he was so professional.
I am a bit of a Happy fan but wondering what the deal with Harvick is after his behavior at the truck race zooming thru the pit in front of his a few times.
I did not used to be a Jeff fan but he is growing on me...I was hoping he would get the championship over JJ
p.s. If things are a JOKE, please use a little smiley thing or something.
it is IMPOSsIBLE to detect tone of voice, tongue-in-cheek, gleam in eye, or smile on face over such comments. Especially since so many enjoy coming on here to bait people. I am glad you clarified things...not that I am the board police or anything...I just liked it when folks were always nicer and more respectful HERE to EACH OTHER.
On behalf of the anonymous posters who managed to behave themselves (i think that's most of us), I apologize to you guys for
whoever(s) posted those last few posts. Just trying to get a rise out of people, I guess.
I really like Jeff and Jimmie (I like Jeff much better though) and ususally watch them on Victory Lane, but I haven't watched the last two weeks because I've seen so many VL interviews with them recently of them. (But the one with Jeff where he had his whole family at the track for the first time for a win was terrific, and I would have hated missing it.) Four Jimmie/Chad interviews in a row may be too much and the VL people probably secretly aren't happy either, though I'm sure they'd never show it.
I can see where people who don't like them see it as overkill. But who knows, maybe next year it will be Dale Jr or Matt Kenseth winning four in a row, and people will complain about that too.
Sorry to respond like a message board JD, but when Johnson made the pass to get into second position he was set to run down Truex, Jr. and win the race. That was the point where ESPN/ABC cut to commercial with 28 laps to go.
By the time they came back from running ads, Johnson was in the lead and Truex had fallen back to the 2nd position.
I don't think it takes a crystal ball to know that the driver who won the last three races and could win the title next week is about to make his charge for the win is going to make a move in the next 5 laps while the TV coverage is gone.
To me, this site is to point out the negatives of the coverage in order to improve it (and missing a major point of the race is a problem) and so that is what I am doing.
Justifying the reason why we don't get to see a key point of the race does not help fix a problem.
And that is MY OPINION.
:-)
;-)
I predict a huge drop in the ratings for next week at Homestead ... People are tired of the Hendrick dominance ... Just look at the poll on RacingOne ...
The COT has not leveled the playing field ... It's widened the gap between the haves and have nots ...
MRN giving us a complete field rundown with more interviews. ESPN/ABC is doing more commercials.
People, this is not the place to point fingers. just critique. this is why JD was considering closing the "in-progress" board.
Odds of Getting out by 7:15 eastern for news?
I say thats the plan.
Overall coverage was better. Got sloppy at times missing lucky dogs and why cars off the pace. Covered more cars but still left me guessing about some guys. The booth was obviously watching the race most of the time, catching action, Punch even delayed a commercial break because Nascar was looking for debrie, that was hugh for ESPN. Jamie Little needs work and at this point I am not sure she is fixable. JG is such a class act with his interview thank goodness it was AB asking the questions. Would still prefer DJ in the booth but I didn't want to run over Rusty this week which I guess is a step in the right direction. Just think where we would be if this was how ESPN performed when they started this year.
ESPN must be paying attention or today was a fluke. It could be better with some of the changes mentioned here. Still need to swap some people around. Compared to the other ESPN races I can live with this one. Still could be better.
Glenn
Vince give it a break - you hate ESPN for whatever reason but they did a good job today and apparently will go to 7:30 ET so whats the rush?
I can't give props to ABC for staying on air because it is completely obvious they're only doing it to run the rest of the ads.
Interview. Ad. Interview. Ad. Inteview. Ad. do they think they're fooling anyone?
If it was a normal postrace with more than one driver interview before yet another ad we'd stay. But it's not. So we're already gone.
Oh, Tony's going to talk to ESPN today. Wonder what the occasion is? :)
In a way, this is exactly the thing that will naturally help ABC to get to Homestead with some dignity intact after a tough season.
Having this time for extended interviews is showing exactly what we have been asking for since Daytona. This is what should be on ESPN News after every race live.
Finally, the stories that have been building for the past four hours are being paid off.
quote:
I can't give props to ABC for staying on air because it is completely obvious they're only doing it to run the rest of the ads.
==============================
Last I checked commercials pay the bills. I do not agree with the statement although ESPN is filling time they are doing it with interviews. You don't remember when BP and Weber used to fill time by just talking. Or Fox going to Chris Meyers to gill time. At least this is productive time.
Who cares if there is ads. Speed runs ads during Victory Lane too. Should we complain about that?
1)Regarding NASCAR TV programs and NASCAR TV ratings....no matter how you view ESPN/ABC coverage, or, lack of coverage, decreased ratings may be affected by the Johnson/Knaus show.
2)Perhaps credibility here would be helped by "anonymous" posters signing their posts with a name or nickname.
Makiki
Wow interviews with top five finishers and ABC is still on the air. What is MRN doing now? (um not kidding)
As I type this, ABC/ESPN is still on the air with interviews etc. I have beefed often about the lack of follow up all year by ABC/ESPN. Therefore, I feel compelled to congratulate them for today's effort. Maybe they have truly seen the light.
Annon@7:12,
My version of reality, ESPN did their usual job. Still too much JG and JJ, still too much watching the guys up front play follow the leader. They are missing a lot of the action on the track back in the pack.
It's not that I don't like ESPN, I just hold them to a higher standard. I remember when they were the best with Bob Jenkins, Ned and BP calling the races.
It's nice they're doing all the interview now, but I wonder what would have happened if the race ended at 7:33pm. Would we have gotten zapped straight over to America's Funniest Home Videos?
Showing Jimme with the Speed mic was pretty funny. Someone wasn't paying attention. It will be interesting to see how crowded it is around JG when Dillner does the interview for speed.
I thought the coverage has "improved" but the same things still drag the broadcasts down. Rusty and Jerry Punch. Both need to be put in new positions in order to get ESPN's coverage above average.
I think today was much better. I also want to tell people that just because I said that it does not mean I work for ESPN. This is a great site. the only problem is the finger pointing. if we can be respectful of everyone's comments this site could be even better and may even provide more ideas to make the broadcast better. Remember, JD says the crew at ESPN is reading this. They may not care what we say if they see we are just finger pointing at each other.
"Who cares if there is ads."
It's nice to see a postrace but I agree that ABC is being blatant with the commercials. The past half hour they've been on the air for three minutes or so, then go to break. (With Stewart and Hendrick combined, maybe it was five minutes).
Rinse, lather, repeat. Disappointing. It's almost better when they don't have much time because there's a sense of urgency in trying to grab the top finshers as quickly as possible.
JD, will all of this year's races be replayed on SPEED or ESPN during the winter?
I'm glad ABC stayed to interview the top winners. I'm also glad the cameras caught Jeff congratulating Jimmie in victory lane.
They may not care what we say if they see we are just finger pointing at each other.
November 11, 2007 7:28 PM
Which is why I wish JD would go through and delete those posts on the days he's on site. Why waste people's time when they read this tomorrow? He's probably writing now, but I hope he thinks about going back through here and cleaning up some of the "bicker" posts.
Anytime you get a bunch of people together, there are going to be conflicts. All we are trying to do is manage them by inserting reality and not letting "what should be" affect "what is."
ABC had good weather, a good race, solid graphics, and nice audio.
The normal issues with the announce team will continue until the changes are made off-season. Trust me...change is coming.
One thing we know in here is that we all like NASCAR, and want the broadcasts to be better focused on the product on the track.
I appreciate everyone taking time today to join us.
JD
Problems with sound & video in Seattle and Dallas markets ...
Well, congratulations to ABC/ESPN for scheduling more than enough time for the race and for sticking with the postrace wrap-up until 7:30et. They could have easily(?) dumped out at 7:15 for another in-progress rerun of America's Favorite Home Videos. It'll be interesting to see the ratings for this half-hour of NASCAR in Primetime.
It's 7:30 and they just ran an announcement that they're joining AFHV in progress. But it was scheduled as a 1/2 hour show, right? So how does ABC join a show in-progress when they join it at it's scheduled start time? Shouldn't they have prepared a 1/2 hour version of AFHV to fit its allotted time slot?
Also, as for the SAP, I remember the original NASCAR Now press releases touting the fact that the ESPN Deportes announcers would be regular contributors. Have they been silenced on NN like they are on SAP?
JD, please address the SAP issue.
J.D. Why is it the responsibility of Nascar Staff/Security to run interference so espn reporters can get first interview w/specific drivers.
Shouldn't espn reporters or espn staff handle this?
During a post race interview on Fox we saw someone reach around Matt Yocum with a mic and without changing his tone, Yocum grabbed the arm holding the mic and held it down out of camera range until he finished his interview. Evidently it isn't SOP for Nascar to run security for any of the networks.
Is it even logistically possible for Nascar to do this? Is it in the contracts they're to handle this?
I believe the TV network gets the first live TV interview with the winner. Jeff was not the winner so the other local stations can join in on the interview as long as none of them carry the interview LIVE. I don't believe any of the cameras around Gordon were live except for the ESPN camera.
Maybe someone has already said this but it seems like ESPN is trying too hard to make the race look like Monday Night Football with the music video at the start of every race. Too many gimmicks for me, just show the race. Almost every announcer and pit reporter makes me want to turn the volume off. They're all annoying to me. Except Shannon Spake. She is adorable. With all the cash ESPN has spent for the Nascar tv rights you'd think they would spend money on research and development before going live with the terrible coverage they have at times.
Anon,
Great question. Each pit reporter has a "posse" with them that consists of a tech crew that handles the camera and the RF transmitter that sends the video and audio signals to the TV compound.
There are also production folks, and security. If you watch the races, especially in Victory Lane, you see that the live TV is first and exclusive, and then the live radio is next, and also exclusive.
Then, there is a pecking order that NASCAR puts together for media. On pit road, like Jeff's interview, the TV network live on the air has the total and exclusive rights to move the other media out of the way. Actually, they are all used to it.
It appears that the ABC reporter may have joined a press gaggle already in progress, and there was just no way to move that group.
Think about if from an ABC perspective. They are live on ABC and there are reporters from Fox, NBC, and SPEED among others who are actively violating the copyright that exists until ABC leave the air. It does not end when the race ends.
This has always been a tough thing to manage, and NASCAR is usually very pro-active in "helping" the local and network news crews to understand that if they step into a live TV rights holder interview, they will enjoy the remainder of the race from the parking lot.
I am sure that if they had it to do over again, ABC would have kept Jeff away from the gaggle, and interviewed him exclusively. If Jeff had said something memorable that ESPN and NASCAR Images wanted to use in a future ESPN show, they would now have a gaggle of press and mic flags in that footage forever.
As I always say, isn't TV interesting?
JD,
All the non-ABC/ESPN reporters and crews probably figured that ABC had dumped coverage for news or whatever. No one expected them to do post race interviews with the history they have had this year.
The SAP feed worked in NYC.
I totally agree Rick. It was just what ABC needed though. The drivers were actually talking, and they even got Tony Stewart.
Kevin in NY said...
The SAP feed worked in NYC.
November 11, 2007 9:13 PM
well it worked were I was too, but it was the same thing as the ESPN English broadcast. We are asking were the Spanish version is and who was announcing. Was your version in Spanish?
Terrific broadcast today. I loved that they stayed on air until 7:30 and didn't rush off. They had plenty of extra time. Maybe it was sorta like a dress rehersal for next week. No matter what, they have to extend the post race next week for when the trophy is given out. It will be interesting to see what happens if the race does run long next week.
Kudos to ESPN for fixing the Full Throttle. We now only hear one spotter at a time and now its actually a useful feature. I loved that they showed the full field crossing the finish line. They didn't ubsess over the draft tracker or pit studio.
They kept us up to date on some stories. Like they told us when debris was possibly on the track and the yellow might come out during green flag pit stops. Thats the kind of information us fans want to hear.
All in all ESPN gets a A for todays broadcast. Hard to believe next week is the final broadcast already. Maybe they will make a video recaping the whole season. Seems like ESPN at the Brickyard 500 was just yesterday.
Good Job ESPN!
WHERE IS THE WRAP-UP EDITION OF NASCAR NOW!!!! I THOUGHT IT WAS A 10pm!!!!
JD, there is poker on ESPN2 and basketball on ESPN with a scoreboard show right after. where is NASCAR Now? You said Sunday at 10 right?
ESPN2 returns at Midnight Eastern Time with the thirty minute wrap-up edition of NASCAR Now, also hosted by Erik Kuselias.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND!! JD said ESPN would have a 1 HOUR edition of NASCAR Now AT 10PM!!! and it is no where to be found. this was a recent change so it is not on any program guides. JD, I want to know what happened or is this just my misunderstanding?
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