There are a new group of TV/Media stories out recently, click on the title to read the entire story. Comments can be left below.
Little And Spake Make TV History As Broadcast Duo (tricities.com)
Dr. Jerry Punch, The Voice of NASCAR (Tricities.com)
Jarrett Follows In Father's Footsteps to Broadcast Booth (Mlive.com)
Why did ESPN air "the worst" characterization? (Thatsracin.com)
ESPN Disses The NASCAR Fan One More Time (NASCAR-bits.blogspot)
DW: I Just Don't Get It (Foxsports.com)
Are We There Yet? Is Anyone Paying Attention? (Frontstretch.com)
ESPN Is The Mark of Inconsistency (Frontstretch.com)
We will continue to add some more media and blog stories as the build-up to Richmond continues. To add a comment, just click on the COMMENTS button below and follow the easy instructions. The rules for posting are located on the right side of the main page. Thank you.
16 comments:
JD, I nearly fell out of my chair when I read that TriCities article about Dr. Punch.
I had a hard time comprehending his statement that he's had to "temper his enthusiasm" so his booth mates could add their comments.
My gosh, if his enthusiasm gets any more "tempered" he'll be sleeping on the job.
He also states that he "trys to let the emotion shine through" --- well, he does --- when going to break.
So how much did ESPN pay tricities.com? Good lord, I haven't gotten thru the rest but I had to comment after I got thru cleaning up the drink I choked on.
From the Punch story:
"However, as sports television coverage of NASCAR on major network television has evolved, grease pits and the inner-workings of drivers and their crews has been replaced with graphic-heavy images that focus on driver’s faces and the products they pitch; not their cars.
It’s a movement Punch said he and his ESPN crew are trying to counter."
So ESPN is trying to counter the overuse of graphics? Aren't we complaining WEEKLY that ESPN is the network that is constantly filling the screen with graphics?
Unbelieveable. I am certain ESPN paid for the tricities.com articles.
I read 2 of the tricities articles.
I agree with the 3 before me.
Brian T. Smith could not be watching the same NASCAR coverage we have. It's great that Jamie and Shannon are in the sport, but please don't lead us to believe they know what their doing.
I believe the "Voice of NASCAR" is MRN.
Texasracelady, I almost spit coffee on my screen when reading the TriCities article on Spake and Little. Who are they trying to kid? These two, calling themselves hard hitting journalists is like Bill Clinton calling himself faithful to Hillary. Their questions to the drivers are embarrassing and silly. At least it provides a commical aspect to the race when one or the other of them shoves a mike in a driver's face and then asks the stupid question. Look at the driver's face and you can read what they're really thinking. Just like when one of them asked Jr why he's having so many problems lately. He responded by saying "Well thanks for pointing that out". Spake and Little are there for their looks and not their knowledge or hard hitting journalism
Criticism of ESPN is NOT something I have found in newspapers this year or before - except for very, very mild comments, such as noting that some fans are dissatisfied. I believe most newspaper writers are much more scared of angering ESPN than of NASCAR.
FYI- Jerry P. does radio ads for the largest septic tank contractor in eastern Tenn.
JD, Do you know if any ESPN Executives acutually reads your Blog? If they do, do you ever get any feedback from them?
Moving on with the subject of this blog. I have read all the articles in your peice and find that the Tricitis.com article written by Brian T. Smith to be incredible. Incredible, meaning can Dr. Jerry Punch be this "Clueless"? With all due respect for Dr. Punch's coverage career in NASCAR, does he read this blog? Can he really have this " So Off Base " view of his Race PXP commentary? It is obvious to most viewers, let alone any TV production professionals, that Dr. Punch is so far out of his element and is just not capable of doing PXP commentary. It is even Sadder that ESPN Executives let him go embarrassing ESPN, not to mention himself.
Moving on to the Frontstrech article. I actually clicked on the link to ESPN comment. What a joke!! There you can only enter 500 characters in the comment section. Due to the lack of space, I sent two Comments. One on how Poor Dr. Punch is and one on how bad ESPN NASCAR Race coverage is. I stated due to the lack of space to comment, I refered them to read this blog to get a sense of why Dr. Punch must be replaced and how their coverage of NASCAR races should be changed and improved.
Thank you to all the commenters here for all your comments. Hopefully, some ESPN Executives will read this blog and make some changes. I encourage all commenters here to go the ESPN comment link and register a comment, even if it is for ESPN Executives to read this Blog.
Anon 7:47PM,
ESPN is actually a pretty small bunch of folks where NASCAR is concerned.
Disney has a policy that prohibits the VP, Coordinating Producer, Senior Producer and Producer from contacting me or leaving a comment on this blog directly.
That being said, the ESPN PR guys have been nothing short of fantastic. We disagree about things, but the changes they made during the last off-season can only be called dramatic.
The NASCAR Now gang is great, they read TDP and the grief filters down to me. This season, they have been having a great year other than the Petty Special.
There are plenty of freelance folks and support people who are nice enough to drop me a line and fill me in on what is going on when you guys ask a question or raise a good point.
It is basically the same army of technicians almost all season with just the network folks changing at the NASCAR TV compound. Some services like Hot Pass and RaceView run all season, it is only the TV networks that change.
Big companies move slow, so I would expect that any ESPN changes that are on the horizon are going to come in the off-season.
It has been a blast having a lot of very diverse media types read your comments and my columns and respond.
JD
Thanks for the links JD. I gave my $00.02 (what happened to the cent sign on the keyboard?) to Vito. I like that site, but yours is the best.
Have you noticed that the criticism is aimed at JP and not at DJ or AP on the other sites? You don't read anybody saying that they need to do something else.
Can't ESPN give JP a vacation weekend so we can see if it's "him" or the "car"? Team owners do it all the time.
I have yet to read the PAID FOR BY ESPN articles y'all mention, but have enjoyed the other ones. Especially the one on Front Stretch about NASCAR missing the boat, jumping the shark...or whatever other colloquialism one wants to use, LOL.
JD,
I just want to THANK you for gathering these links to put here. I find myself not surfing the net for articles much these days due to lack of interest. As mentioned, I have stopped "watching races" except for a handful of laps in the last couple of weeks.
For some reason Jayski's site is no longer a must lurk...I do on the headlines but the newsapaper sites seems more cluttered..or video's added. I appreciate your putting links here to make it easier to find stuff I will agree of or want to come here and vent over. :)
Appreciate all your new twists. AND hope the next crop of storms spares your home.
Soph
p.s. I can NOT BELIEVE somebody is PRAISING LITTLE and SPAKE. Geez...
?????????????????
Just read the tricities article.
Those have to be parody or satire bits!!
WOW. Who would believe Punch has to "temper" his enthusiasm? Guess he can only show it for promos and commercial breaks.
And the girls may be nice people but hard hitting journalist, they are not.
I'm sorry but I have to post before I finish reading all the articals cuz I can not believe what came out of Doc's mouth. One question. Wouldn't you want to know who the F---King lucky dogs are? He is a great man I understand and bow down to his accomplishments, but he is delusional if he actually believe the garbage in that artical.
As for Spake and Little, DID YA NOTICE WENDY AND KRISTA ON SPEED? Hard nosed reporters my A**!
Completely unreal.
Lou said...
Hi JD,
Thanks for this blog that gives us the the choice to see other NASCAR TV/Media stories in a one stop non surf place. Just another improvement to an already great site.
Anyway I read them all. The one that moved me most was DW:I just dont get it.
The tricities.com articules speak for themselves. No need to repost the comments of the first five or six comments. They were generally how I feel also.
I've never really come up for air at times from my many blogs, but someone left a comment on my NASCAR blog (NASCAR Bits and Pieces) and then I noticed that you guys found my post worthy of mention...
A: Thanks.
B: I know sometimes I stretch my legs in my own direction when something peeves me and I go an a rant, but it's great to have read all the different articles you reference and as a whole, point to an issue from different angles.
I've been complacent and tolerate the issues from the Cup coverage, but I just had to vent about the Nationwide coverage from Saturday.
I beat my head wondering not only what's happened, but what will happen as long as advertising dollars control the sport we watch.
And yet, from the other side of the coin: At least it's coverage of our beloved sport. What's one to do?
bruce,
It was a great column and made a lot of sense for my site.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
JD
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