All it took for TNT to finally walk away from Sonoma with a good telecast was a little help from NASCAR. The change in the restart rules had the field nervous from the start of the race and that got TNT the one thing they love...drama.
Marc Fein may be relatively new to NASCAR, but his performance as the pre-race host for TNT this season has been stellar. In the first of the two pre-race shows, Fein hosted a live discussion with Kyle Busch that may have been his best interview in a long while.
Kyle Petty and Larry McReynolds are Fein's panelists and this trio has proven to be a hit. In addition to quality features like the Pride of NASCAR, TNT allows for real conversation about NASCAR topics and lets Petty and McReynolds shine.
One key for TNT has been their use of the pit reporters in the pre-race. Away from the live event, Lindsay Czarniak and Matt Yocum both offered quality features that let fans see them working without the headset and the firesuit. Despite her limited NASCAR schedule, Czarniak has hit the ground running this year and never looked back.
Bill Weber and Wally Dallenbach have hit on a good combination for their thirty minute Countdown to Green program this season. Weber keeps the pace quick and Dallenbach offers his often unique views on various NASCAR topics. Dallenbach is another on-air personality who is only seen for six events, but seems to have really come alive due to the presence of Kyle Petty in the booth.
On this Sunday, the big topic was the new restart rules. It allowed TNT to start the event with more anticipation than usual and then let the drivers do the rest. Weber set a loose and relaxed tone early which has been an issue for him at this track in the past. He did a great job staying focused, even when the action required a lot of patience.
The road course layout challenged the TNT production team with a classic question. How to deal with local yellows while keeping viewers updated on the green flag racing on the track. The producer often decided to stay with the racing and replay the incident in question. Several times, a full course yellow flew and then the various replays followed.
Kudos to TNT for listening to the fans and showing the debris on the track when the caution did wave. Petty went out of his way to explain what happened without having to defend NASCAR. Things are very different on a road course and the explanations really helped.
Once the new restarts began during the race, it was clear that the entire complexion of the event would be changed. After years of teams trying to battle by lapped cars on this tough-to-pass track, a new style of racing emerged that was perfect for TV.
The use of in-car cameras right after the restarts was very different for this crew that normally favors wideshots. Although it did allow viewers to see the elevation changes, several moments of racing may have been better served by seeing the entire field.
Petty and Dallenbach continue to offer the kind of enthusiastic and yet irreverant approach to racing that really clicks with fans. At times, those two sounded like buddies at a sports bar yelling "whoa" when something happened on the track. A little less "whoa" and a little more of letting Weber call the action might have helped. Nothing wrong with enthusiasm, it just sometimes needs an explanation for TV viewers not at the track.
With the unique pits at this road course and the green flag pit stop strategies, the pit reporters were put in some brand new situations and made the best of it. This foursome has been quietly solid for TNT since the package began. Despite being from varied TV backgrounds, they have meshed to provide a solid foundation of news and interviews.
TNT finished the telecast with a nice wideshot and a drop-down graphic that allowed viewers to watch their driver race to the line and instantly see where he wound-up on the day. Unlike last week, the network provided a good amount of post-race interviews and paid-off the stories viewers had watched develop over the past several hours.
All of this is just what NASCAR needed. A good race with solid TV coverage on a nice day with a popular winner. Throw-in that it was run in California in front of a good crowd and that Richard Petty wound-up in Victory Lane and it all made for a very nice day of racing on TV.
One special TV mention goes to Hermie Sadler, who filled-in for Kenny Wallace on both NASCAR RaceDay and Victory Lane on SPEED. Sadler has come a long way and proved on these telecasts he is an informed analyst with good people skills. It should be interesting to see where he winds-up on TV next season.
For those fans who emailed, the Sunday morning version of NASCAR Now on ESPN2 was moved from 10 to 11AM so the network could show one hour of SportsCenter. Apparently, the information was made available on Saturday.If you were one of those people wondering why muddy golf highlights were on your DVR, that was the reason.
TDP welcomes your comments on these topics. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and share your NASCAR TV opinions.
Just wanted to say "Thank you" to TNT for a truly fascinating broadcast. It was entertaining and informative. I particularly loved KP's explanation about the gearing making leaving pit road difficult -- he used imagery that I could understand.
ReplyDeleteThe finish was fantastic. Being able to see the cars, through 20th, was really nice.
Thanks, again, TNT. 2 thumbs up.
I thought TNT did okay today. Not spectacular in my opinion, but certainly nowhere near the train wrecks Fox produced earlier this year and light-years ahead of the disaster this same group had at this track in '07.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the positives, the finish line camera work with the real-time vertical results drop-down was great, Larry Mac did a great job trying to keep up with the strategy mess road course racing produces, and I appreciated them staying around past their scheduled off-time to do a few post-race interviews.... though the lack of an extended post-race show on any TV network to tie up the loose ends continues to be a complete joke.
To be fair and balanced though, they were also very late to cover a few incidents, the lack of a split-screen for replays during green flag racing was difficult to deal with, and there was way too much of an obsession with the footcams / in-car cameras for extended periods of time during the event, in my personal opinion.
In my opinion this broadcast would rank in about 2nd or 3rd place among 2009 Cup race broadcasts, right there with Pocono. Not as good as Michigan but certainly far better than any 2009 Fox production.
While TNT had some holes today, watching that broadcast was still far more enjoyable than spending 3-4 hours watching screaming caroon characters, ads for cartoon character ringtones and wallpapers, green flag "halftime shows" (Race Breaks), Bites of the Race, Rookie Profiles, videos of flaming network logos, videos of drivers playing drums and screaming the network's name into megaphones, Safety Reports, Salvation whatevers, Crank it Ups, Radio Remixes, NAPA whatevers, yellow flag pit stop 4-boxes, finish line blur cams, and whatever other Fox-exclusive junk I've actually been lucky enough to remove from my memory bank since the checkered flag fell at Dover.
Thanks to everyone involved in the NASCAR on TNT broadcasts. You have provided a much needed breath of fresh air after the fall 2008 ESPN and spring 2009 Fox messes.
TNT is bringing the heat....
ReplyDeleteI really wish NASCAR would consider adding a road course to the chase. The double file restarts have absolutely added a level of drama to these races and I found myself glued to the race today. Compound that with the pressure of the chase and I think the race would be must watch TV.
I would like to see them add a split screen to show the racing as well as something that was happening back in the pack at the same time.
STLFAN
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning the in car sponsor commercials I DO NOT MISS ONE WHIT! LOL.
I knew the wide shots would not be as good today with it being a road course..and once you get those foot cams going, directors tend to go overboard and there was a couple of things where they covered up racing (IRL did the same thing so I am now racing fatigued and forget who did what with annoying camera work)
Still, overall, TNT was so much better than FOX's MEGA PLUGGING RODENT RANTINGS & Pitching.
And I won't even start with BSPN ugh.
ALL RACES should be mandatory to have the good camera of the finish line and a stead DROP DOWN LIST that is there for more than 7 seconds.
NASCAR could really do so much to make the broadcasts better rather than sitting around shrugging "well we have no control over how the networks broadcast the shows". Well you darn well better think about making some things in writing.
We can see what letting the inmates run the asylum has done. Push 20 lbs of ads/excessive graphic nonsense into a 10lb bag.
And a bad selection in the booth can make for a cricket echo chamber.
Then again good guys in the booth with no chemistry...
or great guys in the booth choked against their will to plug movies/and other junk.
All on tv need to keep their jobs but NASCAR TRULY needs to think at how to KEEP THE FANS WATCHING ON TV.
It is NOT going to be FOX/ESPN.
TNT has proven LESS JUNK on screen is better. And more enjoyable. If they can get some little things tweaked, they'd be darned near perfect.
At least it's nice not to have angry Elvis shoot the tv moments repeatedly during the broadcast.
Thanks TNT and those we see, and those we DON'T see.
:)
The next three races will pass much too quickly then it's back to the excess of unsuccessful broadcasting of a race. :(
Hate to say it, but I've gotta agree with stricklinfan about the replays. For some of the nudging and spins on the track they were a little late to say who was involved. I understand that this is a road course and all, but isn't there someone in all corners of the track for TNT telling them who got spun? I remember ESPN had the three booth announcers (Bob, BP, and Ned) in different sections of the track.
ReplyDeleteI wished for the replays of spins that they still showed a live shot of the many battles that were seen all race long. It was a very enjoyable race to watch and TNT's coverage is 100 percent better than any FOX race this year or even last year, for that matter.
I get like Kyle and Wally when something happens on the track, with the "whoa"s and "oooohhh"s, but as a fan watching the race on TV, it gets somewhat annoying to not hear someone saying what is happening, whether it's Weber or the other two. That said, it is a very minor gripe compared to all the FOX jokes this year. They've done a great job of incorporating sponsored segments in non-intrusive ways and some of them are pretty cool to see (Coors Light Cold Hard Facts).
Loved the finish and the camera angles/finish ticker as well. Very smart to keep the camera at the start/finish, especially at a track where it is very easy to spin and get lost among the many battles that occurred in the GWC finish.
For TNT's third broadcast: A-
Talk about unbiased announcers. It never even dawned on me until 10 laps to go or whenever it was that Kyle said RPM had three drivers in contention for the top 10 or that the King would be in victory lane and I think Weber may have even said that part.
ReplyDeleteI kind of thought the race was too long but maybe that's just me. It was very exciting the last 20-30 laps. Liked the drop down at the finish line. Didn't mind the whoas and oohhs at all.
I have to admit, I have never liked road courses. My prior favorite driver DJ just wasn't good on them. Now that Marcos is my driver, I like them. I was on pins and needles all race long. Those DFRs were killing me, especially at the end.
ReplyDeleteI liked when Bill, Wally & Kyle oooh, oooh, ooohed during the race. I like excitement in the booth. Bill even mentioned that they would show the incident of cars off the track "in a minute". That acknowledgment meant a lot, instead of leaving us to wonder what the dust/smoke behind the leaders was about.
TNT's coverage was the best so far today. You could tell by the low comment count on TDP that we were watching. I was amazed that they ran past 5/8:30 to show post race interviews after they bailed early in MI & PA.
BSPN needs to take race broadcast lessons from TNT, from the booth, to the race coverage, and to the pit reporters. Lindsay needs to teach Shannon and especially Jamie the finer points of pit reporting. I love how the pit reporters are shown climbing up the pit boxes.
FOX could be this good if Hill and Digger weren't involved. It's nice to watch a race without a certain driver love fest either.
I wish TNT could do all the races. I'm already dreading July when they're gone. DJ & AP are the only reasons I'm going to watch BSPN. Plus, posting on TDP, the crack of the internet with my e friends. You guys make the races fun.
Forgot to mention how much I like Marc Fein. He's really getting the hang of this stuff. And Gymmie's YumYum was good, along with Czarniak. All of them better watch out for Ford Martin though.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention, yes the oohs and the ahhs should come with information and Dot, I remember Bill saying they would show it to us in a minute. But you know, there is something to be said for passion and excitement, and let's face it, they only get to do this 6 races, so I forgive them.
ReplyDeleteand I swear there was one time or more it sounded like the TRIO was oohing and ahhing.
Actually I found myself getting a kick out of the excitement. It sure beats PROMOTING something.
I also don't miss the bromances, Dot.
TNT LOVES DRAMA
(but hates a bromance)
:-0
I've been a TNT "booster" in the past and all I'll say is that I'm continuing to enjoy every race they telecast. They are doing the best job in the Nascar TV empire these days (with the possible exception of the trucks).
ReplyDeleteWay to go guys. I wish Fox and ESPN would take a lesson.
Double-file restarts are simply excellent. I've attended races at Sears Point (now Infineon) and sat in the seats at the top of Turn 2. I didn't think they would be able to pull off late-race double-file restarts without repeated cautions, but they did --- and it was SO exciting. At least 10x as exciting as anything that usually happens at this track.
ReplyDeleteI would have liked a little less commentary about the restarts before they happened (they beat it to death before the first caution ever flew) and a little more commentary about the restarts when they happen (instead of "ooooooh oooh oooh ooooooooooh").
Here is something that I really LOVED -- when they showed the starting grid, they listed crew chiefs' names under the driver names. I thought this was not only a really classy thing to do, but something that really should be adopted by every network.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I loved how they showed the field finishing real-time with the vertical ticker (well, the top 25ish). Excellent feature.
I'm no fan of KP, but have to admit that he did a credible job yesterday, Wally and Weber,to me, are useless. There can be some outstanding racing at the end of the race at Infineon,but yesterday's race was goofy from start to finish,or at least after the first pit stops started. As an aside,I thought Herme Sadler did an outstanding job on Raceday and VL given that Kenny Wallace wasn't at Infineon.
ReplyDeleteI think the entire TNT team did a fine job. I am soooo not looking forward to BSPN taking over at Indy in late July.
ReplyDeleteThe comment about the enthusiasm being like some friends sitting in a bar watching the race is a good description. I far prefer that to the obvious, (to me anyway), acting and forced enthusiasm I see from Daughtry, R. Wallace, and Punch, (the few times he gets enthusiastic).
I too wish that TNT had a larger slice of the NASCAR TV pie.
I thought TNT did an excellent job with what they had to work with. With pit strategies and other things, I have no idea who has the advantage until the last 20 or 30 laps. The last 20 laps or so were good racing to me (I'm sure it all was to others)but the earlier racing action wasn't clear as to who was really winning.
ReplyDeleteTo me, roadracing is what my uncle did back in the 50s and 60s. He transported liquid corn through Grayson County. He was frequently chased by the sheriff of the county. If my uncle made it across the Virginia line into North Carolina without being caught, he won.
The key isn't whether TNT makes people who show up here happy or not. It is whether they draw viewers generally. On that front ratings wise they have been equally as much of a failure as FOX.
ReplyDeleteThe obsession on this board of showing the entire field at the end of the race is quaint. It is a minor point of the whole broadcast. The bigger picture is if people are tuning in by then (which they aren't).
Multiple story lines are what keep people watching until the end. Following the leader at the end of the race for the last 10 laps doesn't. Jumping off of the air after a race early doesn't. 'Broadcasting' the race on a cable network doesn't either.
Come on NASCAR, your ship is sinking. Get the broadcasters to do their homework about multiple drivers (they do have hours of coverage after all), tell stories, cut down the prerace show and add it to the end. Don't let them ask ridiculous questions like "How does it feel to win?". Have them ask something I don't know. Stop pathetically blaming a rodent for your woes, TNT has proven that your problems are bigger than that.
Overall a very good production, but
ReplyDeletetoo much foot cams. I'm turning
on TV to catch VL replay since I don't have to listen to Kenny Wallace.
Kudos to TNT. They have had three of the most traditionally boring races (Pocono, Michigan and Sonoma) and yet they have done an excellent job of making them watchable and interesting.
ReplyDeleteI hope Fox is taking notes because, compared to the job TNT is doing, they sucked.
Fox should put Larry Mac in the tech garage, as TNT has, where his skills and input add to the broadcast.
ReplyDeleteThe dynamic amongst the TNT "booth crew" is second to none. I look forward to their six races every year.
It is so nice to watch a race without being constantly reminded that there is some sort of commercial (DW and whatever he is hawking)or political (NASCAR is great) agenda! I know TNT does this for their own promotional purposes, but it didn't really feel that way! A few problems, but in my mind those paled when looking at the fact that we actually had a broadcast that was enjoyable! I think TNT is the one organization that has actually paid attention to comments in places like here, and it has paid off!!
ReplyDeleteTom
Inverness, FL
Mr Daly
ReplyDeleteI think what we witnessed yesterday was a clear example of how an engaged, knowlegable and passionate production crew and talent team can take what is arguably the WORST race venue in NASCAR and create an entertaining and enjoyable telecast.
Where ESPN is so obsessed with its appearance rather than its content and FOX is all about arrogance, TNT is all about telling the story as it is. No "hype". No self-congratulatory "aren't we great?" attitudes. No dozens of announcers falling over one another . No animated jerky characters forced down fans throats. Just a smart analytical presentation, by fans, for fans.
Well done, TNT
Bray Kroter
anon at 7:45 wrote
ReplyDelete"The key isn't whether TNT makes people who show up here happy or not. It is whether they draw viewers generally. On that front ratings wise they have been equally as much of a failure as FOX."
Sorry old chap, but you are wrong on this point. Fox's portion of the NASCAR schedule begins in the Winter, when homes using television are much more numerous than in the Summer for TNT's short season. Th fact that TNT can match Fox ratings is a victory for TNT
TNT did a nice job, I agree the chemisty between Kyle and Weber is good and I like Dallenbach's point of view in the races. I thought there was too much foot cam and in car stuff when wide shots were a better idea for this type of track and I agree that the coverage of "incidents on the track" could have been better.
ReplyDeleteI was using Racebuddy most of the day and was very glad it was there since it meant I didn't miss anything during the usual long commercial breaks. I know, it pays the bills, but it is also annoying to see 2 laps of racing, 3 minutes of commercials, then 3 laps of racing and another break.
That said, TNT is definitely showing the way it should be done - less graphical junk on the screen and better race coverage.
I am NOT looking forward to having ESPN take over -- if Jerry Punch is still doing the PXP when they come on, I'll be following the race via computer, not the TV.
well, i only caught the last 20-ish laps so i was late to the party. i had logged RB up before starting to play catch-up with everyone but i soon completely forgot that i had that window minimized! the coverage was so interesting and informative that i had little reason to switch over to RB at all!
ReplyDeletei think the combination of petty and dallenbach is wonderful: as has been noted (and i think i might have commented on last year), they sound like a coupla guys, hanging out with us and watching the race. i really like their "oohhhs" and "aahhhs" b/c it serves 2 purposes: it lets me know that something interesting has happened AND it raises the excitement level of the broadcast. i don't want that passion to overwhelm the broadcast but having folks in the booth who actually love racing enough to be awestruck is a positive event!
i also appreciated their open admiration of some of the driving being done at the end. both dallenbach and petty were quite vocal about how hard some guys were racing and repeatedly brought it to our attention. for example, their comments about ambrose just "sticking it in there and holding it" made me watch more carefully and increased my appreciation of the racing.
larry mac has found his perfect niche on these broadcasts: his contributions are timely and interesting, i like that they don't always cut away to show him as he talks (as it's not necessary) and i really appreciate that petty asks him questions all the time, questions that i know i'm pondering.
weber continues to work on instilling "law and order" into the booth and handles the PxP well. he moderates the traffic and he seems to understand that the dallenbach/petty combination works best when he lets them go for a while and then takes the reins to recap and get us informed. "herding cats" is a tough assignment and he seems to be getting better at it with each broadcast!
from the production side: as someone noted yesterday, it was great to see the interval between the 9 and 14 sit at the top of the ticker. i must have missed all the "foot shots" but i saw a bunch of great wide-angle shots. agreed that the replays lagged but i guess i'm used to that from irl. it was a nice move for weber (?) to tell us that yes, they knew something had happened further back on the track and they'd get to that for us. THAT was respectful of the fans.
after the mess that was the n'wide broadcast, i had intended to turn away from cup this sunday. my desire to be part of TDP and my e-aquaintances made me turn on tnt at the end and i'm glad i did. so, next weekend: trucks, no n'wide, no pre-race and then settle into tnt for cup. these guys have earned my time and participation -- and have given me a glimmer of hope that racing broadcasts CAN be compelling tv! my thanks to the entire tnt team!
Wally, & Kyle do work well together. Larry Mac really has a chance to show his expertese. The only things missing from the TNT broadcast are Digger, & DW. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat would David Hill have to say about our positive comments here? Let me guess, we're just not intelligent enough to enjoy his brand of NASCAR TV.
ReplyDeleteI love the TNT broadcasts. Give me Lindsay Czarniak over the ESPN ladies any day. I'll take the whole gang over almost all the FOX and ESPN crews.
I would rather have TNT for the last six races rather than in the middle because going from TNT to ESPN is a huge downer. Seventeen races called by the Doctor. Ugh.
I thoroughly enjoyed TNT's coverage at Sonoma - from the camera work to the announcers, it was by far better than anything that FOX or ESPN has done with their opportunities to shine. Makes watching the NASCAR races so much more enjoyable! WTG, TNT!
ReplyDeleteOne thing that wasn't the same for all tv race fans - the post-race interviews. Those of us in the Seattle area saw the interview of Kasey, but that was it - "one and done".... On to the movie scheduled to start 5 minutes previously. But I'm not blaming TNT for that - obviously it was a local affiliate that thought a dumb movie was more important than a NASCAR driver's comments. My loss....
SrRaceFan
TNT needs more than 6 races. Fox is over the top with their ESPN-type self-promoting and ESPN's coverage is just plain boring.
ReplyDeleteNot bad, TNT.
ReplyDeleteIf you could move faster on showing replays of crashes, it would be better.
Once, they even broke out of a commercial for a wreck! Amazing and appreciated...but they never showed the replay before going back into the break.
Bit overall, not too bad, really.
As usual, I had the tv on, but was focused on Raceview and other online things. The ooh's and ahh's made me glance up from the computer to see what was going on at different areas of the race track, which was a good thing.
ReplyDeleteAs for the replays of incidents, I'll give TNT a pass. Most of those incidents involved a lot of dust. The crew probably wanted to correctly identify who was involved instead of speculating. I wish that they had use of a telestrator or something. They should pause the feed before the incident. Point out which cars are which, especially when they are jumbled up. And tell us who and what to look for. I know that may be dumbing it down. But if I know that someone is in a white car and can't see the sponsor or number, it's hard to differentiate them from other white cars that are running near them.
From what I paid attention to, Great job TNT.
BTW JD- ESPN did mention that NN was on at 11am during the NW race. I remembered noting that.
TNT continues to surprise me this summer. They obviously read some of the criticism from last year and took it to heart. Too bad David Hill, E$PN, and Brian France don't do the same. Now if only TNT could do split screen coverage, that would probably put them over the top.
ReplyDeleteGreat coverage of a difficult track. The announcers were enthusiastic and knowledgable. They love racing, as we do, and I felt like I was sharing the day with favorite buddies at the track. I also learned so much from the back and forth talking in the booth. TNT has set the bar quite high. I dread the return of ESPN and the Rusty months.
ReplyDelete@ Anon, 9:57,
ReplyDelete"Seventeen races called by the Doctor. Ugh."
Couldn't agree more. Give TNT the Chase and I'd be thrilled! Won't happen, however.
A little OT...if Speed shows the Camping World West Series from Sears Pt...oops Infineon, not...DVR it then give it a watch (hopefully TV does it justice). On the spur of the moment we drove up Saturday (90 minutes away) and were glad we did. That race was fun. We were in turn 2. My husband races there twice a year and it is his favorite track to race at...very technical (He's also given me rides on track at about 90% full speed!). We have never been there for NASCAR, too much traffic hassle, but it worked out great..except it was freezing and windy until we went to Turn 2.
ReplyDeleteWith that said. Thank you TNT! We enjoyed the race immensely. TNT is just heads above FOX & ESPN.
Yes, would have liked wider shots especially on DFR's. Oh..THANK YOU NASCAR. What a difference, DFR's make. The lead cars racing each other...I'm with Dot...on pins and needles every time.
I like the whoa's, but I believe it was Robyn who said use the telestrator to point out cars before showing the replay. Very difficult to follow lots of cars with lots of dust.
Wally and KP did a good job of trying to explain the difficulty of driving the course. However, because my husband races there he was able to point out some neat aspects of how the different drivers were approaching the turns and setting up for passes.
I am praying that FOX/ESPN are watching the races and reading this blog. Not hopeful. I like not yelling at the screen every 5 minutes because of some promo or off racing topic or monotone announcing when some exciting is happening. I should only be yelling for he exciting racing or my driver doing good or bad!!! With TNT it's like I'm at the race, not watching on TV.
Oh...big fan of Lindsay C....can't she go to ESPN!!
Good job TNT.
ReplyDeleteI heard ESPN announce the time shift for Sunday's Nascar Now during Saturday's race also.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that info. Shame to move a big show like that but every network has priorities.
ReplyDeleteThe TNT broadcast was SO much better - and my absolute favorite thing about it, is that they are not obsessed with Kyle Busch like the guys over at Fox. If I heard "he can go 3 wide all by himself" one more time, I was going to scream!! Yes, they did have to obligatory interview with him yesterday, but we didn't have to hear how well the boy could "wheel a car" anytime he so much as passed a car!
ReplyDeleteFor once I tuned in to NASCAR Now Sunday morning only to find ESPN2, ESPN, and ESPN News all talking about the US Open at the same time with different personnel at 10:00. I understand the Open was a big story, but I would have appreciated at least a crawl on ESPN2 of the delay for N-Now.
ReplyDeleteI have found TNT this year to be much better than I expected, but I don't think any better than FOX, just different - and I do really enjoy Kyle P.
This is a comment for the last part of your article: Kenny Wallace needs to be dumped off of Raceday. His fake "fist pumps" and constant "Woooo.!" and halting speech drives a stake right through my intellect. It's as if the dumb producer is constantly in his ear telling him to fist pump, wooo, and he can't walk and chew gum at the same time, thus. the. halting. speech. Iv'e seen him fist pump for no apparent reason, so that definitely tells me the producer is ordering him to do it. Please, Speed, dump him NOW!
ReplyDeleteDoes Everyone know that is same production team that does TNT and FOX
ReplyDelete"Th fact that TNT can match Fox ratings is a victory for TNT"
ReplyDeleteActually anon June 22, 2009 8:46 AM, old misinformed chap, you are wrong. It is the decline in ratings that is similar, not the overall rating. Fox's averaged higher.
And anon 7:13 PM, don't burst their bubble. None of them have ever been to the TV compound. Let them believe it is really 2 different teams.
Anon 7:13PM,
ReplyDeleteThe same producer works for TNT who produced the Fox events.
The director, management and announcers are obviously different.
Thanks for your comment.
Anon 9:14PM,
ReplyDeleteThe philosophy of TDP is not to mention the names of those who choose to remain behind the scenes.
This is the third season of this new NASCAR TV contract and the players are familiar to those who have been with TDP since that time.
Each of the four NASCAR TV partners are in regular contact with TDP and have been great at providing regular updates and information.
If you have a problem with any content on this blog, please feel free to drop me an email at editor@thedalyplanet.tv anytime.
Thanks,
JD