Update: 11PM Friday night - One of the saddest comments in three seasons of TDP.
ESPN, there is nothing left to say.
I've rolled with the many changes, good and bad, in NASCAR and TV coverage since the days of clips on Wide World with Jim McKay. I married a man whose love of NASCAR was the first attraction. I've driven 1300 miles to attend a race. I cried for weeks after Daytona '01.
Friends know to never call me or invite me during race time. I've gotten up at 4am to watch a race due to the time difference. And,I have spent a lot of money supporting car and race sponsors I see on TV.
I especially remember the great ESPN coverage of years past. I don't have a problem with change or "progress". But, you do have a problem.
For all the reasons cited on this website, expecially Punch and camera work, I'm done with ESPN.
It's just not fun anymore with ESPN coverage.
Makiki
Honolulu
That is from a fan who has been with TDP since February of 2007 and NASCAR for decades. Additional fan comments can be viewed by clicking the comments button below. Here is the TDP original post-race story.
There certainly was some great racing on Friday night as the Nationwide Series took to the Bristol Motor Speedway. Whether or not that action translated to the TV is going to be the subject of your comments.
Jerry Punch called the action with Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree alongside. On pit road were Jamie Little, Shannon Spake, Dave Burns and Vince Welch. Allen Bestwick, Brad Daugherty and Rusty Wallace were in the Infield Pit Center. Tim Brewer was in the Tech Garage.
Lots of caution flags were framed by ESPN against a backdrop of tight shots of cars racing each other. The in-race reporter was out early. Punch got excited when he said "shootout style" and introduced a commercial break.
Jarrett and Petree talked a lot, but seemed to miss a lot of the action on the track as if they were watching the TV monitors and not the track itself. Jamie Little pressed Brad Keselowski during pre-race to admit he signed with Penske...no dice.
Lots of Steven Wallace TV coverage early and then he faded after multiple contact with other cars and the wall. It was a rather strange perspective on the racing and never featured any of the teams outside of the top ten.
If you took the time to watch, what did you see that you liked and disliked? What would you do to improve the telecast? Did you channel surf or watch the entire race? Please tell us if you used the radio and/or Internet during the telecast.
We appreciate your opinion. To add your comment to this post, just click the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for watching NASCAR on TV and then telling us about it.
85 comments:
JD, I think the broadcast would have been much better if Marty, Randy & Rusty were in the booth - they are the NW TV guys so let's have 'em then. It seemed like that these 3 tonight were looking at their monitors instead of out the window and were lost when something happened on the track. DJ seemed too critical of the rookies and Doc was done 95 laps in. Didn't need to see TB with 10 laps remaining either. I prefer them showing more cars on tv instead of just showing 2 cars in the shot. This really gets to me though is that ESPN seems to focus on the cup guys in the race and leave the NW drivers out of the tv action unless they are involved in a spin or wreck something like that. I would give the telecast C. Anticlimatic.
Horrible coverage- the camera work and JP have got to go.
What is there left to say? We got a green flag while looking at tail lights, no real buildup on the final pace lap for what this race was fixing to be. Analysis seemed out of sync, like DJ and Andy really didn't want to call the race. Camera work was horrid with too many tight shots, ill timed incars, and no real focus on action going on with different cars through the field. The concept was follow the Cup guys and RWI, that they did. They completely missed the Peyton Sellers/Brian Scott crash yet were right ontop of Steven Wallace's troubles.
Shockingly the pit reporters were actually the strength tonight with the always strong AB leading ship.
What is there to say about JP? HE ISN'T A PLAY BY PLAY GUY, NOR WILL HE EVER BE!!! ESPN PULL YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR BEHINDS AND UTILIZE HIM ON PIT ROAD OR IN THE STUDIO!! He sucks energy out of the booth and that was never more evident then what we saw tonight.
NW regs had a fair night, but who knew between all the Cup love and interviews. Commercials? that was some sick joke. 4 or 5 commercial breaks in the last 70 laps?! Unacceptable.
In case you just joined us...there's the 16 car... There's local driver Danny O'Quinn...(oh yeah, he was a ROTY--not just a random "local driver") This is the first double-file restart, shootout style... If you just joined us... there's the 61 car. There's the 88 of Keslowski...We'll have the first double-file restart, shootout style...(expect for the other 7 of them tonight, which would make this one the eighth, not the first-ever!)
Honestly, why is ESPN paying Jerry Punch for this? If I did my job this poorly, I'd be unemployed.
He should be, too.
Not even a full field rundown at the end?! PATHETIC!!!
I agree about AB.. put him in the booth!
wow what a terrible camera work wreck by the director or who ever was in charge. tigh shots and the use of bumper cam to show side by side battle? what elso can go wrong.It will be the same story for tomorrow. so no hope that espn will get it right.
All of the above, with one more point - Toss the "script" and cover the "race!"
That's all for tonight - I'd like to continue to have the privilege of posting here.
Good night all.
I really hope that our voices are being heard over these issues or else, it will be worthless.
Seems like everyone else here has already said it! It was boring and I quit watching, I stayed on twitter and just read updates and listened (1/2 way) to the telecast... Even THAT was rough!
Another disappointing race coverage from ESPN. The totally inappropriate use of in car cameras and bumper cams once again leaves viewers totally baffled about what is happening on track. The Nationwide regular drivers were almost universally ignored, even though several of them finished in the top 20. No wonder the teams are having trouble getting sponsors. Since TV insists on covering ONLY the Cup drivers, what chance does a Nationwide team or a young driver have? Keeping your eyes glued to the ticker is the only way to find out how your driver is doing.
Anon 10:27 - DO'Q sorry he got taken out - good to see SunDrop colors on screen even if for the wrong reason - is producer in the ear of JP reminding him of "shootout style" or does he genuinely think that's the thing to say? So weak. For the upside - Edwards is simply amazing at how composed he is when he's "on air". But I gotta call foul on ESPN/producer/DJ for putting him on the spot with GWC looming.
OMG! You should see the email I am getting about the finish and no rundown at the end.
NASCAR fans are teaching me new words....
The broadcast started out well, but it slowly deflated. Dr. Jerry Punch ran out of gas when the #11 and #77 wrecked in front of the booth & we got silence. He went back to calling out numbers, stats & promos. The energy was gone. The weak call at the checkered flag summerized the downward spiral the broadcast took.
Several teams got great top 20 runs that were not covered. Danny O'Quinn was having his best effort of the year, but he wasn't focused on until the front of his car was bent up.
There is still no excuse to not show the entire field complete the race.
Pit Reporters had a mixed night. Jamie has certainly ruffled some feathers this season & has not found her limit yet. Pushing Brad about 2010 did not suprise me. This season Jamie, Shannon & Vince have had their credibility issues. Mike Massaro & Dave Burns continue to respect the drivers & give the viewers relevent information.
Otherwise, it is still the same issues every week: Tight shots remain a problem. Bumper cam timing was still a problem. Full throttle with 15 people talking over each other is still annoying. Tim Brewer's NASCAR 101 is still annoying & unnecessary.
Im honestly so livid I am speechless. I actually feel like crying in a way.
It wasn't the BEST Bristol race ever, but good lord there were GREAT feel-good stories going both during the race and in the final results. I think my ex girlfriend in her first year of college studying television could have put on a better broadcast than what we got tonight.
Thank you SPEED even more for that excellent Truck race Wed. night and talking about the stories that DEVELOPED during the race like Jason White and giving us a great post-race to boot! Sure, it had its share of tight shots too but when you nail every other fundamental one sin is forgivable.
I don't know what race you people were watching, but I thought it was another solid broadcast. The camera work was great. The announcing team was very professional. While not perfect, I'll give it a solid B.
I just reviewed it. The ticker got through the top 25 one time before it was removed for one page of points and then goodbye...sweet.
I thought the purpose of the broadcast was to show the race to the millions of people who could not get to the race.
Please show us what a fan in the stands is seeing. I seriously doubt a fan would focus on one car at a time going around, and around, and around.
Fans see the action all over the track. We, at home, would like to see the action, also.
Why, oh why, would a bumper cam/roof cam be used on restarts? It does NOT show us what is happening in the field.
When the pit reporters did a run-down of the leaders --- why did you find it necessary to focus on that one car? I assure you, I can listen to the reporter and watch the race at the same time.
Since I don't have radio(PRN) access, I'm forced to watch the TV broadcast. Please show me the race.
I've been to Bristol -- row 63 in the Waltrip grandstand. I know what I'm missing by having to watch TV.
It is what it is. If bitching paid the bills we would all be rich. ESPN does not and will not care what the fans think. They paid the fees to show the races so they can show them anyway the choose.Every race the crying and whinning is the same.Get a clue. If you are gonna cry about something do it for something that you can change and that matters in the world.I have been a NASCAR fan longer than most of you have been alive and I remember the day when if you got to see it on TV you liked it not matter ehat was shown. now we set and critize every little thing.I agree the race cars are bad,not enough points for winning and many other changes that would work.I do not waste my valuable time crying about it because it is NASCAR's game and there rules. you have 2 choices.Watch it as it is or watch a movie and read about it in the paper tomorrow.Hope I made someone mad. At least you are mad at me for a reason and as with the coverage there is nothing you can do about it. Get my point !!!
Anon 10:40PM,
You HAVE to give more than just that baloney. Come on....this was a train wreck.
What team were you pulling for? Do you know who finished where? How?
If you feel that way, back it up.
JD
anon 10:42PM,
I do not get your point at all, what is it?
I am probably older than you, been around more than you and I thought it was absoutely horrible.
If we performed at our non-TV jobs like ESPN performed tonight on this race we would be fired!
They mailed this in totally and completely and are now out the door and gone.
Remember when this sport was treated royally by people we respected and we watched it because of that?
This is a TV nightmare and like one fan said earlier...why can't they just make one or two changes to solve these problems?
JD
The camera work and ill-timed commercials were pathetic. We really WOULD like to see other cars on the track beside the leaders!
I disagree w/putting Rusty up in the booth. He was awful up there last year. He can't help showing his favortism and dislike of certain drivers.
Alan Bestwick should be up in the booth instead of stuck in the pits. He's a great pit reporter, but he'd do a far better job than the others in the booth.
Here was a fast-paced race and I actually started dosing off. That's not a good indicator of my attention being held.
Focus on some more Nationwide drivers other than Steven "crash" Wallace. I did find humor in them trying to give him props and he ran into another car just as they were doing so. OOOPS! LOL
Maybe I should make a recording of Jerry's voice for when I can't sleep.
NASCAR & their insistance on the use of "Shoot out style" is pretty pathetic and the fans are sick of hearing it. I think they gave the reporters a zap to get them to say it. It's not like we don't know they're being "made" to say it.
Copied from the in-race comments:
I'm glad I took an hour off to watch Eureka on SciFi...this wasn't just a train wreck, it was a dinosaur-killer asteroid impact of a broadcast.
How can ESPN believe that after 2.5 years that Punch is a PxP guy? His legacy from pit road is completely lost...he will now forever be "that lousy PxP guy" to me. And I know that some will diasagree with this, but DJ and Andy are almost as bad as Punch. They are both just as lost in the broadcast, but that may just be because there is no leader in the booth and no direction from the truck.
JD, if we're shaking things up, the shakeup must be starting from the bottom; did they fire that intern yet? ;)
Person with the 'tude @ 10:42:
We have made an impact and changes have taken a place as a result of our "complaining" as you call it. I guess if you want to sit back and just take what's being dished out that is your opinion and you have every right to feel that way but I feel as if what we are seeing right now is a true travesty we are being subjected to weekly. Worse than Digger, worse than DW's bro-mance on Kyle Busch, worse than the tired Hollywood Hotel shtick, or Bill Weber's feuds with Wally on NBC a few years back. This tops it ALL.
I'd rather sit through the gophercam 500 because at least there someone is looking out the window and has a clue what is going on and can get excited. Heck, with FOX you could at least just listen and pretend its not radio and still have some clue whats going on. Not perfect but tolerable. This was a disjointed mess.
They missed a 2 car wreck at BRISTOL! WHO DOES THAT?! EVER?! Right in front of them!!! They had no clue what had even happened until they saw the yellow caution banner on the ticker and the camera had panned to the wrecked cars at rest. How do you excuse or "accept" that?!
Suffice it to say that mid-race I turned down the volume and made a phone call to discuss plans for going to the first-ever truck series race in Chicagoland next Friday, can't wait. Sure would like to know how Justin got wrecked (again) on the last lap.
I'd like to see some tight shots of the ball on this tennis broadcast, I want to see the seams up close and personal.
But no, ESPN doesn't disrespect tennis fans like that, only us NASCAR fans.
Beautiful overhead shots but ground shots were lackin.
the booth seemed a step behind the action at times or at bristol it just could happen too fast.
DJ & AP usually have their gameface on but seemed slightly distracted. DrP needs a double espresso at the 10 lap mark. pump him up somehow!
Always makes me laugh yet confuses me re: # of anonymous blog posters - here and elsewhere. You don't even have to create a Google account. Just pick a name (3rd option)- real one, fake one, race related one, etc. - SOMETHING to distinguish you from the myriad of other anon posers ('t' intentionally omitted).
To close: I think they are getting worse. 4th straight race AP and DJ have struggled between NW and Cup. Something is amiss up in the booth and needs to be fixed in a hurry or at least addressed.
It makes perfect sense that BSPN didn't show the finishing order, etc. They were pressed for time for the (D) Tennis coming up. This is the main reason we need less prerace and more postrace coverage. I know the red flag messed them up but, they really should allow for that.
Again, too many car cam shots. I noticed that we'd see two track shots and then one car cam, two more track shots, one car cam......
Tell me why should we see cars passing via their bumpers?
Regarding the booth. There is no reason that the Three Rs can't do the NW races. Is it because we liked them? Why would BSPN go back to JP, DJ & AP? Is it their way of telling us "tough"?
Who's in the booth in Montreal?
Watching NASCAR on ESPN has improved my bilingual skills. Unfortunately the languages are english and profanity. The more I watch the more proficient I get.
Why does ESPN hate us?
Frank in Sebring
I really feel like Espn don't care other than to stick to their game plans
I worked tonight - got home in time to have watched last 1/2 or so but decided not to. I used the internet scoring radio while unwinding & getting showered. I have it taped/dvr'd or whatever the term is I won't bother to watch it tho' after reading Tweets & reports on the usual pig slop bspn served up tonight.
I just deleted/erased it. I know who won. I will not let myself get upset by another bad telecast of my sport!
Turns out ESPN got one full ticker review of the finish...during the winning crew chief interview.
The other ticker review was during the winning driver interview.
Neither was referenced by the on-air talent.
No full-screen rundown of the race results, only one page of the top ten in points.
Lordy....
Wow! You guys have gotten a bit rough since I was here last. It's been over a year. Because of an accident I was listening to Moody and learned that The Daly Planet lives. Qu'elle surpise! Last I heard it was on the critical list.
Whilst I've been watching the haunted fish tank all along and it's true that ESPN hasn't learned much in the last 12 moons, the level of vitriol is up a bit... or more.
While I'm not defending ESPN specifically, it's a very hard job to cover a race and I cannot buy into the argument that widening out the camera angles will solve everyone's issues. I happen to snag a race from a score years ago on ESPN Classic where they tried to cover an entire Zip code in a single shot. For me, it did not work. I must also say that I got feedback from someone who purchased a DVD package of one my race videos where I kept the shots fairly wide in some cases and he hated it. Not a scientific sampling to be sure but not everyone likes the wide shot.
There was a telling moment during tonight's race where JP offered a thoughtful comment on Reagan's patience as the laps wound down. It shows that the good doctor is still an analyst to his core and poorly fitted into his current position. C'mon Bristol... can't you see this yet?
This race was a mess, but I'm too old and addled and pain medicated to know where or why it all went into the bin. I'm not just referring to the finish. ESPN has done better races, even if you don't include ORP. It just left be going, "Yawn."
Someone up there in CT needs to grow a set of gentleman vegetables and blow up their current concept. Not just something different like backseat drivers but something developed "outside in", from the fans' perspective. Not "inside out", from Bristol's.
And catch me. No mention of meat at all.
That quite honestly was the worst Busch/Nationwide series broadcast from Bristol that I've ever seen. It was like watching the Blair Witch Project.
Whoever is directing from the truck and whoever is still deciding Jerry Punch is a pxp person should be sent to Siberia.
JD i will give a better rundown tomorrow. not easy to read & post via ipone. will use laptop for tomorrow race unless hubby finds somewhere neat to take me to eat tomorrow nite.
will probably see all at racetime :-(
ESPN, there is nothing left to say.
I've rolled with the many changes, good and bad, in NASCAR and TV coverage since the days of clips on Wide World with Jim McKay. I married a man whose love of NASCAR was the first attraction. I've driven 1300 miles to attend a race. I cried for weeks after Daytona '01. Friends know to never call me or invite me during race time. I've gotten up at 4am to watch a race due to the time difference. And,I have spent a lot of money supporting car and race sponsors I see on TV.
I especially remember the great ESPN coverage of years past. I don't have a problem with change or "progress". But, you do have a problem.
For all the reasons cited on this site, expecially Punch and camera work, I'm done with ESPN.
It's just not fun anymore with ESPN coverage.
Makiki
Honolulu
@Sam - re: Blair Witch - perhaps funniest comment I've read on TDP.
It would be great if the booth knew something about probability. My point? When the 18 went behind the wall we get the "here comes Carl routine".Rusty said "The 60 is only 221 points back as of now" Only 221!!??? DJ and AP tell us this is just what the 60 needed.At the end of the day what went bad for the 18 this week, was the 60's problem last week.The fact of the matter is their isn't a title race at this time.Espn won't let that fact get in the way of a good story.
Tripp, the blending of both wide and narrow would help a ton. Going wide to show 6 cars ontop of each other racing for 6th is a good thing. It shows you perspective that its not a two or 3 man race. Also going wide can show at a track like Bristol how a battle can pull a guy up from a far distance back which we saw a few times tonight too but you get left wondering "where did he come from" instead.
Going all wide wouldn't fix anything at all. just the opposite of where we are now. My issue is not so much the type of shots they use, but their poor mix and timing of shots.
I enjoy in-cars, but they must be used in moderation and properly. Jumping on for a lap or two of telemetry in a long green run to show the speeds and RPM's is a plus in my book. I like that kind of thing. Showing a bumper shot on a restart when two guys are slugging it out and 1 takes the other out? Not so good. The second that contact happens, you cut to the wide shot before they reach turn 3.
Maybe its too easy to sit here and backseat produce but looking around I see a bunch of people not happy with the current product as it is now. Therefore, alls not well in Oz for the ESPN bunch.
JD, maybe many of the "tight" shots this year are a direct reflection to the lack of attendance at the tracks? ORP was a small track that had people in the grass therefore the mix went smoother since they weren't trying to "look" fuller then what they were...
David,
I don't think anyone is trying to backseat produce. NASCAR is a huge sport with four TV network partners and a multi-billion dollar TV contract.
Many fans have been with the sport for decades. Athletes here last a lot longer than in most other major sports.
This homogenized, buffed and scripted approach to the sport has failed for ESPN totally and completely.
Between radio, the Internet and other information sources, fans can get a very different view and feel of exactly the same product that ESPN is offering at exactly the same time. The results have not been pretty.
I don't want Jerry Punch telling me the car numbers and the hometowns of drivers who I have watched since February on two other networks long before ESPN came along.
I don't need Tim Brewer and his creepy fingernails to point at a shock, fuel cell or anything else for the rest of my life on the planet earth.
Thankfully, Draft track is gone. Music videos are gone. Celebrity interviews are gone. Theme music is gone. Brent and Suzy are gone.
Now, it's time to make some changes that involve key production people and right this ship before the embarrassment becomes even greater.
Let me tell you one thing. This has the potential to get ugly quick between NASCAR fans and ESPN.
Maybe I should start posting some of my email.
JD
has started trying to hang out with friends just to skip these races because of all this ridiculousness(don't think it's a word unless Larry Mac is around)but all ESPN cares about is money and promotion instead of actually covering the sport event and JP basically sits in sleep mode the whole race. My friends that did PGTV in school last year could do a better job
This was great coverage, if it was qualifying! Tight shots of front few cars, stupid in-car camera shots, and a tired, worn out, old guy acting like he's a play-by-play announcer.
Punch is done, he is just not working out as P X P and MUST GO!
It's the same each week and we're getting tired of saying the same thing week after week.
Sad, very sad coverage.
For the love of L. Ron Hubbard, what the hell is happening here?
Is Jaime Little chasing governors selling senate seats? No? Then why would she be so aggressive with the interview subjects she should be building a rapport with week in, week out?
I thought the race started out with a bit of intensity and emotion we haven't seen from the good doctor this year and was oh, so hopeful. This quickly deflated that by lap 95, he was repeating "in case you just joined us" twice in a matter of less than 2 minutes. I can understand this quaint little phrase at the top and/or bottom of the hour when programming on other channels change, but this was at 9:15.
Dr. Punch has proven over the years that he is a great reporter. His pit reporting was some of the best. But now, the current situation is at risk of shadowing the summit of his resume.
The camera choices are chosen by the most myopic being ever. PLEASE, STOP using the on-board cameras, unless they actually have something to enhance the action, something that helps tell the story or on a replay. It should NEVER be in the normal cycle of camera changes. AND, it should NEVER be used within the first 5 laps of the green flag dropping.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again:
1. Put Allen Bestwick in the booth as the play-by-play announcer for Cup races.
2. Put Marty Reid in the booth for NW races. Pay him enough that he won't want a vacation during the season.
3. Put Ray Evernham at the cut-away car and kindly say 'goodbye' to Tim Brewer.
4. Keep DJ and Petree in the booth for the Cup races.
5. Let Randy LaJoie do the NW races. Don't need anyone else, don't even think about Rusty (he just wants to hear himself talk or talk about his boy that couldn't get a ride from anyone but daddy).
6. What purpose does Brad Daugherty serve? The fan perspective? Hey, I'm a fan. And I a pay attention to this sh....shift in quality.
7. Use camera angles/choices that tell the story on the track. The story writes itself every week. Don't have a production meeting and try to predict where you need to focus. The action wil tell you. IF, you pay attention.
The commercials at the end of the race were insulting. I think ESPN broke FROM commercials to show less than 3 minutes of racing, then 2 minutes of racing with less than 75 laps to go. This is when the finishing order is defining itself the most.
Speaking of finishing order. Did we see a finishing order. The ticker you say? It never runs through the entire order before it is interrupted by either a commercials or (for some reason) a different camera makes it disappear. When the race is over, don't remove the ticker for a damn thing, except the commercial. And, if you ask me, you didn't have time after the race was over to run commercials, because you had tennis to get to. tennis? really? can't even go another ten minutes to get a couple more interviews? Tennis needs its time? How many viewers does this minor tourney get?
Does ESPN wonder why ratings are down? I give them a hint. Interest in the sport isn't waning. Our tolerance to abuse is.
I've said enough. If you give a damn, look back at the last two "Your Turns..." and search for "Patrick". I'm a broken record, at this point.
Good night.
I'll miss you planeteers tomorrow night. I'll be watching and thinking of you. If you care why, go back to live blog (near the end).
Definitely feeling like it's Ground Hog Day!!
Or as a friend used to say "same song, second verse".
Totally taking away all the enjoyment I used have watching the races.
I've been to Bristol twice, for the famous race in 2006, when it snowed! But, the first time was just to visit the track for a tour. We got to go up to Bruton's suite. You felt like you were on top of the track and could see the entire track. I know this is exactly the view the booth has. There is no excuse at a short track to not look out the windows!!! (Actually no excuse at any track, but especially a short track).
We know you can broadcast a great race...TNT did for 6 races!
What a difference between the NW Quals and the Cup Quals, today. First totally fun and informative, latter...a total bore.
OT on the IRL - arrived at track Thursday looking forward to a fun
"3" days. Well the Sears Pt race is now 2 days. So today we got Vintage F1 cars from 70's/80's for an hour practice (cool, but we have raced in events with them many times), Jim Russell Driving School practice and....drum roll please.....Formula D Drifting. After you see them once or twice you've had enough. Great car control?...Yes. Waste of a lot of good rubber?...husband says definite yes! We won't be back next year.
Thank God for y'all here at TDP. Was gonna stay up and watch the replay, but after reading this discussion, Mr. Sandman it is!
Just got through watching it on my Tivo; well part of it. I'm so glad I didn't watch the race live. The incompetence by ESPN is staggering. You have to really try to be that bad. I can understand missing action on a large track occasionally but this is Bristol - you can't point a camera randomly and not see something happening.
As for the booth it is clear that JP has dragged everyone down with him. Up until now DJ and AP could rally and save what remained of the race but it's obvious to everyone that the pressure is getting to them. I get the distinct impression that if they had a chance to go back there is no way they would have signed up for this mess.
As for Jamie I have no idea what her problem is. I thought she did a fine job back in the IRL coverage and I was the one saying give her a chance to transition to a new series and she will do a good job. I have given up on her. She doesn't do any homework and hasn't developed any rapport with any crews or drivers.
Unless new directors and/or producers are brought in, a change made in the play by play position and a couple of pit reporters replaced immediately the rest of the ESPN season is going to resemble the Bataan death march.
I am getting worried about DJ and AP. What has happened to them? Have they given up?
I am left wondering how bad this can get? At some point, it will hit the bottom, and get no worse. I hope.
Well, I had some time to expend between my favorite news program and the beginning of the NNS race, so I took in my first NASCAR NOW.
What a bunch of over produced happy "Horse Crap".
Their little round table in the boxing ring was simply stupid manufactured opinion.
Maybe next year I will try it again......then again, maybe NOT.
Sorry if this has been reference already, but did anyone catch Vince Welch with Mark Martin at the end of qualifying coverage?
Welch asked Mark about the bonus points he would get for winning the Pole, wtf??? Of course Mark politely corrected Vince Welch.
Where is JPM when you need him ;?)
Sorry if this has been referenced already, but did anyone catch Vince Welch with Mark Martin at the end of qualifying coverage?
Welch asked Mark about the bonus points he would get for winning the Pole, wtf??? Of course Mark politely corrected Vince Welch.
Where is JPM when you need him ;?)
JD-
Perhaps if the phone number or e-mail address to the VP of Broadcasting at NASCAR was posted they might just understand why so many fans are folking for the doors.(the get me out of here doors) All I watch is about the last 20 laps of any race then turn to Victory Lane and TWIN to get the highlights.
Not that I would like to see anyone loose their job but the Producer and Director should be fired....Punch needs to go too!
Do you think ESPN is getting back at NASCAR for kicking them out of the track a few years ago. Remember the driver interviews from the Helipads?
My favorite non explanation of the night...when Harvick spun the 99-he was getting ready to lap the 10th place car. When we went back to green-16 cars on the lead lap.
Hello-that is why some of those guys were having a good race - did not pit, recevied the wave around, when the next yellow came out - they pitted.
Why Jeffy Punch is back? Didn't they do a great job on Michigan race without him? He is just.... not good.
Mr Editor -
Got home from work around 930p, but had followed race on radio since green flag ...tuned into ESPN and caught latest episode of 'Lost' ...didn't know it had been moved from ABC
West Coast Diane, it's "Second verse, same as the first." from "Henry the VIII" by Herman's Hermits.
I agree with all of Patrick's points, especially all the in-cars and Full Throttle crap on restarts.
I think their stick and ball director hasn't been able to adjust to NA$CAR racing. With the stick and ball sports, you follow the action by following the ball and the "stars". The "ball": in NA$CAR are the lead cars and the "stars" are the cup drivers. Out of habit, they follow them. They don't show wide shots fo the whole field in ball sports so they don't in racing.
I had no idea what was going on during the race with the in-car and closeup shots and didn't get the Bristol "feel". It could have been anywhere.
Moisture overnight in Bristol:
There are four traffic cams in Bristol area that get updated every few seconds. Scroll NE from Knoxville and look for the clickable blue dots at:
http://www.trafficland.com/city/TYS/index.html
You will see single-file restarts at half-throttle on the interstates
I can only repeat, too many bad camera angles, not enough of a mix. To be honest, my main reason for turning to MRN often is a lack of finding out where the whole field is and what happened to guys. I haven't listened to as much Punch as you guys. And now I hear his obsession with car numbers, home towns, and 'if you just joined us' and I see how irritating it is. And I appreciated him so much as a pit reporter, and also when he does college football. The booth is strained and it feels like they're trying way too hard; especially in comparison to the ease of Wally and Kyle on TNT (and I was not ever a big fan of Wally's...) Fox has some annoying things, but again, Joy keeps things moving and it's comfortable banter (I still have issues with them ignoring the rest of the field, but at least they do better analysis & pxp.) ESPN is just painful. I know there is racing going on, and we're not seeing it.
I chose to watch my DVR of NW practice and qualifying on Speed instead of a live race. I used Twitter and Racetrax to keep track of the race I knew where everyone finished and who wrecked and why before those watching the race (I was following this blog too). This is a really sad state of affairs. EPN needs to fix thing quick before these teams lose anymore sponsers an we have, more than half the field doing start and park.
I personally want to "THANK" ESPN for their coverage of the Nationwide race. They helped me make a big decision! Do I want to watch the Cup race tonight or go on a blind date with an elderly gentleman? After the Nationwide coverage, I'm opting for the blind date - it's bound to be more exciting! And at my age, that's going some....
I had high hopes for Dr. Punch - he evidently has been reading your columns and was really flying high at the beginning of the program. But alas, his fire went out and we were left with the same old cold briquets. And it seemed like that pretty much dampened the spirits of the rest of the booth.
The camera work was the same as before - nothing new, same old in-car camera work, and showing little of the battles on the track except by way of replays.
ESPN just doesn't get it - you can't teach an old dog new tricks and they're definitely proving that they're old dogs. Off to the rendering pot for the lot of them.
SrRaceFan
With Tv ratings up for espn at Michigan, wouldn't they think that they are doing a great job with the coverage? If so we are screwed then.
APP@8:22AM
Yes, I heard Vince saying that about points for winning the pole.
He said the same thing last week at Michigan.
Wonder why he hasn't bothered to learn there are no points awarded?
Could it be he doesn't care?
TexasRaceLady said...
He said the same thing last week at Michigan.
Wonder why he hasn't bothered to learn there are no points awarded?
Could it be he doesn't care?
August 22, 2009 10:58 AM
--
B-I-N-G-O - give the participant the Large Prize! We have a winner
There was a brief blurb from Andy that several cars did the wave around, but that was it. That would have been an excellent time to delve into one of the neater twists to the new restart rules and how Cup teams would be watching to see how that played out in relation to their race tonight. But no, just a quick mention then move on since it didn't include Harvick or Carl or Kyle.
@sicklajoie...I know that saying...mine is what I said...from a southern girl that was full of them.
Also WCD, don't feel bad cuz I've heard the saying same as you have lol
@ David...not feeling bad.
Same song, second verse is a saying.
Unfortunately, I am old enough to remember the Herman's Hermits...LOL :-)
Or how about a twist on:
Same circus, different clowns.
For ESPN:
Same clowns (producer, director, JP, TB JL, etc), different circus (race).
I just want to watch my race!
ESPN is not allowing that to happen.
Camera shots: It looks like “take your child to work day”. A five year old child is just pushing buttons.
Booth: The people who are supposed to be describing the race are not.
I have little hope that the situation is going to get any better.
I just want to watch my race!
PATRICK Said
Does ESPN wonder why ratings are down? I give them a hint. Interest in the sport isn't waning. Our tolerance to abuse is.
Truer words were never spoken.
APP
Thanks for the JPM link. HILARIOUS.
Lather, rinse, repeat same comments. Nothing changes.
re: Herman's Hermits
Actually it's the second verse, same as the first. :-)
I CHECKED this time before posting FAKE info.
Unlike last night.
p.s.Manga is my word veri! LOL
(I bet were are typing in different languages and don't know it )
oops. hit wrong button, now it's Baffe
Unfortunately Hurricane Bill wiped out my cable but looking at the above comments it would appear the coverage was more of the same. Sad. Guess I won't hope too hard I get cable back for tonight.
Okay, its my turn. I should have brought some cheese to thise whine festival. The fast majority of NASCAR fans that I talk with have no problems with the coverage they are getting. You can nit pick anything to death. There still is plenty of bitterness directed mainly towards ESPN when NASCAR barred them from covering races.
I watched the truck race on SPEED on Wed and it was the exact same thing. No difference at all. Same camera angles throughout and everything. Slap an ESPN logo on it, and amazingly the perception of the race would change.
A 'vast majority' of people keep shows like 'Wipeout' on TV, that doesn't mean I have faith in their taste. Yes, I watch some stupid shows too, but when I'm watching some shows, I'm not a passive viewer...I actually *think* about what I'm watching. I'm sure fans of the Cup drivers (note....not necessarily 'race' fans) are perfectly happy because they know where their favorites are running. And much of the problem is, they're not thinking about what racing they are missing. All you need to do is compare to MRN/PRN broadcasts and it's obvious. Perhaps I want to know where Mike Bliss or Jason Leffler are running, and I'm not going to find it on ESPN. I suppose compaining about some of the expressions could be considered nitpicking, but it's the repetitiveness that's irritating. Some people hated John Madden's 'bam!' for the same reason. Complaining about them not showing racing is not being picky....and many of my non Planet friends feel the same way I do.
I have to agree with most of the comments here..The coverage was horrible!! Even in qualifying,you dont go to a break while Dale Jr is on the track!
Annon @ 1:06
I had already mentioned most of the camera angles were the same in the truck race. One the things that was primarily different was the use of excessive onboards. SPEED kept it to a minimum where ESPN overused. They were not the same broadcasts. Also, there was no case where SPEED missed an entire wreck that happened, nor did they rush off the air like ESPN did.
It wouldn't surprise me a bit if you talked to several fans who had no problem with the races, those could also be the very same people who think the racing is boring and that there is no excitement out there.
Jeff,
Happy to have your comment about the race. Not happy to have your comment about the TDP readers.
Please feel free to repost.
Anon 1:06PM,
Your theory here is that fans are mad that NASCAR and ESPN had a falling out years ago about paying for footage and that has something to do with TDP comments?
Well, that's original.
JD
I think Patrick says it best:
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again:
1. Put Allen Bestwick in the booth as the play-by-play announcer for Cup races.
2. Put Marty Reid in the booth for NW races. Pay him enough that he won't want a vacation during the season.
3. Put Ray Evernham at the cut-away car and kindly say 'goodbye' to Tim Brewer.
4. Keep DJ and Petree in the booth for the Cup races.
5. Let Randy LaJoie do the NW races. Don't need anyone else, don't even think about Rusty (he just wants to hear himself talk or talk about his boy that couldn't get a ride from anyone but daddy).
6. What purpose does Brad Daugherty serve? The fan perspective? Hey, I'm a fan. And I a pay attention to this sh....shift in quality.
7. Use camera angles/choices that tell the story on the track. The story writes itself every week. Don't have a production meeting and try to predict where you need to focus. The action wil tell you. IF, you pay attention."
And might I add getting pit reporters who respect the drivers and actually know a thing or two. How about a pit reporter line-up like Dr. Jerry Punch, Jack Arute, Mike Massaro, and Dave Burns? Yeah, I know Jack works on the IRL telecasts on VERSUS (which are absolutely awesome), but Jack is one of the best pit reporters in NASCAR history. Who would love to see both Doc and Jack on pit road, like the old days?
Anon's from last night & 1:06--sockpuppetry might not be the way to go when addressing the folks who post here--they are a very sophisticated and passionate audience who, along with the advertisers paying good money, deserve 100 per cent of ESPN's best efforts. So too, do the people who toil in the garages and stay up nights trying to keep the teams afloat.
@ Dr T....a toast to you...so eloquently put.
Lesley agrees with Leslie!!
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