NASCAR on FOX returns after a two week break with live coverage of the Sprint Cup Series race from the Bristol Motor Speedway.
Chris Myers will start the day from the Hollywood Hotel with Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond. This pre-race show has been all over the map this season. NASCAR interviews and features are mixed with comedy bits and what FOX considers entertainment.
Mike Joy will handle the call of the race with Waltrip and Larry McReynolds alongside. Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Krista Voda and Dick Berggren will be the pit road reporters.
The TV challenge at Bristol revolves around two issues. The first is keeping the viewers informed of all the changes in position. One green flag pitstop will put a car a lap down at least. One jam-up behind a slow car can cause five or more lead lap positions to be shuffled.
The second issue is the TV images chosen by the director. This track is tiny. Putting a full field out under green flag conditions means cars are racing almost all the way around the track. Making a decision to only show two cars racing or using the in-car cameras live means eliminating a lot of the action.
The fundamental job of covering NASCAR live on TV is to show the folks at home what the fans in the stands are watching. By purposefully punching buttons and using equipment just because it's there, a big chunk of what happens on the track is never seen.
During the practice sessions, the FOX production team used the in-car cameras extensively. This may or may not be a hint at what is in store for today. When BMS was a single groove, it was easy for the cameras to follow the double-wide action into the corners knowing there would be trouble.
These days, BMS is a completely different animal. Two-wide racing is the norm and the TV team is searching for passing all over the track. It should be interesting to watch the way that the NASCAR on FOX team chooses to tell the stories.
This post will serve to host your comments on the Sprint Cup Series race from BMS on FOX. To add your TV-related comment, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you as always for taking the time to stop by.
327 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 327 of 327anon @2:57 Goodyear "nothing to see here, just move along" OR "the teams are too aggressive with tire pressures and/or camber."
that's the fall back position and they're sticking to it.
Wow! PRN's kinda off today ... They're doing tons of interviews & slow on reporting stuff ...
This is like one of Montoya's bad Sci-Fi shows ...
Tires are supposed to wear down, that's what makes for good racing. They could make a tire that goes the whole race but it would make a lousy time.
Scanner is down again, tried relaunching still have silence. This sucks especially since I was using it a Twitter to find out what was happening.
JD, Mike Joy seems to have lost all his momentum now. It's just not the same as last year.
Showing a pack of cars go by using one camera does not show you racing.
All it does it show you a pack of cars.
OK, I understand now! The truck is too busy editing features to be broadcast during the race to be troubled with broadcasting the race. #whattabunchamaroons
OK, that was an annoying camera shot at the start/finish line and my audio is out on trackpass again.
The one sentence I keep listening for on Fox we have not ( & probably will not) hear is Mike Joy to DW - "Will you please shut up so I can call this race!" but I can dream...
Trackpass & pit command still silent here too
It's like Mike Joy, DW and Larry Mac are just talking randomly about topics and then yelling when someone crashes.
Can it get any weirder? Joy sounds more like Jerry Punch every day.
jojaye -- wouldn't we all love to hear that!
JD-it's like the booth is just phoning it in. Could NEVER believe in a million yrs that you would type a sentence comparing Mike Joy & JP..:(
Being told it is raining again. BTW, this is horrible TV.
and I'm reduced to having to listen to the booth today since trackpass audio isn't working right - that means no radio broadcast to fill in either. Of course, from other comments doesn't sound like PRN is doing any better than the booth. Maybe Mike Joy is staging an in booth work strike? This whole season Fox has been "off". Maybe the "gag" order from NASCAR has thrown them completely off their game -- if you can't say something nice?
I chased down that Hammond deal. No confirmation from anyone about it.
according to the queue I am #242 in line. LOL the race will be over before they ever get to my complaint.
Oh well, back outside to the sunny day.
Daly Planet Editor said...
Being told it is raining again. BTW, this is horrible TV.
i know i've been ragging on the guys today but i have really been looking for something positive and i just cannot find it today. it's just so random: talk about this, show that, point out the other and oh! there's a car in the wall!
i'm at a loss as to what to do next week, i truly am. i don't want to be turning off the tv so early in the season but i just have so little tolerance left for poor broadcasting of the sport i love the best.
I told the NASCAR on FOX Twitter guy that Hammond needs his own account.
He said DW does enough tweeting for the entire TV team....lol.
I relaunched the scanner about 10 times. I now have sound. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
red,
They are out of gas by the time Sunday rolls around. They do so much SPEED TV that the actual race is suffering.
They are tired for Trackside!
Single tight shots of one car at Bristol. You can't show racing doing that.
"feeding time at the zoo"? W.T.H.?
Dale Jr. too fast entering. Tail of the longest line. Duh...
dustin long twittering that 88 too fast entering.
looks as if mike david may take his headset and balckberry back now . . . .
I am glad you researched the Hammond garage rage incident story and respect that fact as you are a great journalist. But----
Do you think the Las Vegas Review Journal would print it if they didn't have the victims as a source?
Scanner just started working for me, too.
and AGAIN with the same error:
it's mike DAVIS, not mike DAVID.
MIKE. DAVIS.
(off to write it on a blackboard 100 times . . .)
Yesterday haveing Dr. JP on pit road was perfect. After that awful wreck in the 'Senior Tour' race, it was great to have him trackside to update (with intelligence) what was going on. THAT'S why he's the MAN to have on pit road. Thanks Dr. Punch!
red said
i'm at a loss as to what to do next week, i truly am. i don't want to be turning off the tv so early in the season but i just have so little tolerance left for poor broadcasting of the sport i love the best.
Cam work ran me off weeks ago but Mama Mia PRN STINKS today....how many interviews they gonna do??????????????????
NASCAR can change 'all the rules for the fans' but UNTIL WE SEE IT ON TV w/o multitasking (which I can no longer do) Ratings will jump.
Just.plain.sad. :-(
#IMissMRNToo
So, we here at home on our computerss know about Jr's speeding penalty before the booth does? Then they don't bother to mention what place then end of the longest line is? Wonderful.
It was a gossip page story that they never reprinted. No one could be found to confirm it, including Hammond.
Not exactly his style either.
I had a run in with those guys two years ago. They were totally wrong and made up things I said.
I like free speech, just not when it is made up.
Why does it look to me like Biffle came up on Mark?
Dale Jr. and Lance went at it on the radio. Expect to hear that as a story this week.
Wonder if Lance will be around next weekend.
It appeared to me, Fox was messing around just showing "whatever" while waiting for Edwards and BK to get side-by-side.
Mike, it's like they are channeling ESPN from 2007.
@jd, and i'll say it again: if driver & crew chief can't get nasty on the radio to each other w/o worrying about what "the world" will say, then there's a problem.
dale's comeback to lance of " "I don't EVER (#%###) lay down. Don't say that ever again on the radio. Don't need the whole world hearing that." has me more concerned than anything else.
It's almost like the Legends race last night, the booth guys didn't realize when the race was over they thought it had one more lap. Is there a lot of static in their earphones that they can't hear what the truck or Nascar Central is saying?
@vicky d: stupid has a way of clogging up the space between the headphones.
just sayin'. . .
And the scanner is gone again at least for the 48, so do I get a refund. THis just sucks!
Maybe this should hold for the post-race comments but...
Just like we can watch a team in any sport and know that something is really off be it problems in the locker room, during practice or whatever when they get on the field it just doesn't sync. We can sense that there's a chemistry problem or that they have given up and are going through the motions.
That very same feeling is what I'm getting in spades with Fox so far this season, Something is way off with them.
and now . . . silence from the booth as we watch 3 cars race for position.
not complaining, mind you, but speaks to bevo's comments.
Bevo, I think you are right. They clearly don't like what they are doing, who they are doing it with or both. They are only there to pick up a paycheck or honor a contract. I've worked with people like that and we called it burnout until they left by either quitting or firing.
I think DW is talking too much and Joy & Larry Mac is letting him.
this has that espn-ish feel to do: one guy dominating without saying much that's pertinent and the other two just giving up, exhausted.
twitter sources report caution out for rain.
Pouring rain I am told.
With so many leads changing you would think this would be one of the best races at Bristol.
But watching this on Tv I would not go to this track. It is boring.
OK, and thanks for the clarification on the alleged Hammond incident. I respect that you are "in the know".
But, you really don't know him very well at all. He is as fake as his tan.
Yea, he has rocked the cowboy thing a little too long.
@charlie and that is my #1 complaint with bad tv coverage. it leads folks to believe that there's poor racing at a track when, infact, what there IS is horrible tv! the two are rarely, if ever, related (well, maybe at pocono . . .)
Thank you! You got it!
How did JPM get back up to 4th? Anybody?
PRN telling their listeners "how to" sync up the tv to the radio ... IF you have tivo or a dvr ... so that PRN can be the audio ... LOL
JD, how much longer do they have in the Fox talent TV contracts? I think they renewed talent deals in 2004 for 7 years. That may mean that there are only one more season left set to expire the end of 2011. Or not?
Karen, we will probably never find out about JPM
Wow, that PRN thing is big. Remember when Hot Pass dumped the TV audio and used the radio feed?
Does anyone at NASCAR ever listen to this stuff?
Anon, my guess is everyone is inked through the end of the current TV contract.
They need a shake-up in the TV truck first. We know Mike can do it, he has the best pit reporters and the tech folks are great.
The producer and director are just out to lunch this year. Out to lunch.
karen and vicky: only a guess but i'm thinking JPM stayed out as did the 3 in front of him.
red, makes sense.
Sure they watch the broadcast.
NASCAR doesn't mind so much that the broadcasts are bad with red neck announce teams. All the combined screw ups and fewer viewers will make Media group look better when they take over in 2012.
jd, agreed in re:PRN "thing" it's not as if fans haven't been doing that on their own but to have the network actually TELL folks how to do it is major. and it's not impacted/driven by the economy or the weather or the cot or anything other than really bad tv work.
reallllly bad tv work.
I heard PRN comment about synching up DVR to them :)
Some reason I can't log in and am suddenly anon. I commented earlie w red quote & mama mia comment. blogger hiccups...don't see my name listed
I'm ready for a nap but THANKFUL for radio even if it is via puter :-D
Sophia
@anon@4:03: heck, if nascar media group is taking over in 2012, i may just stick around until then!
but jd's spot on: the problem STARTS in the truck, NOT in the booth. booth is just more visible to most folk.
They still have to figure out a way to drive revenue if NMG gets in the picture.
Told that is a big topic right now. What to do on a strategic level.
Once upon a time, you listened to the TV broadcast instead of the radio because you could see the action on the track as it was being described. Now, the talking heads are not talking about what is on the screen so the radio is now a better option.
Yes, they will need to sell to sponsors but NASCAR is good at it. They will do as always and hire some folks from other media like Fox that has the connections.
They probably will hire David Hill also to run it as he is tight with Mike Helton.
anon@4:07: the truck provides the visual flow of the broadcast and, it is to be hoped, the booth will follow.
today, neither is happening for me.
@JD- Just a thought but with ABC bailing out and shifting races to ESPN because of ratings do you think Fox is trying to do the same thing? A little benign neglect so they can argue with NASCAR about moving races to Fx, SPEED because of ratings?
Feel free to jump in the TV discussion today about race coverage.
The truck in this case doesn't have the power or authority to run the announce team.
Arte has never been the same since his demotion and probably doesn't give a crap.
Barry cannot control what is perceived as old pros in their minds.
No one is in charge. Really!
anon @4:14 said in part:
No one is in charge. Really!
and THAT is the best synopsis of today's broadcast as i've seen yet. outstanding!
How many different ways can they pronounce Brad K's last name?
Hell, I can't even spell it.
Too many syllables for the rednecks. LOL
anon@4:17 they seem to be able to pronounce it every way EXCEPT the correct way -- and it's really not that tough!
Anon 4:14 said in closing
"No one is in charge. Really!"
And it shows!
Red, they should take the time to learn how to pronounce it - BK has been on Race Hub telling folks how to do it. Like my maiden name, it was really hard and I spent my young years spelling it and pronouncing it for others.
Unbelievable ... 4 of 6 races Hornish has been bit by engine / ignition issues ...
Roger needs to FIX the problem STAT !!
So boring, I can't comment.
It's true.
I have been on the set and the only time anyone acts like there is anyone in charge is when David Hill shows up.
He comes to maybe 4 or 5 races a year.
He is the only one that the announcers kiss up to and the broadcast team shapes up when he is around.
The rest of the time there really is no one in charge. No one.
So, you see what you get!
Well on the bright side there shouldn't be any traffic problems for the few fans at the track today.
Remember when Mike Joy would have us on the edge of our seats right now?
This new tired version is much more of a Jerry Punch knock-off than the Mike Joy of old.
This type of telecast just drains all the excitement out. Imagine if this was the end of a close football game?
JD, why did you leave?
Well, good thing for today, we haven't really had a lot of the bumper cam today.
That's a new way to annoy us with the animated Go Daddy banner at the top of the screen
I second that, Vicki! Trying to watch it yesterday I almost needed Dramamine! enough to make anyone motion sick!
JD, maybe everyone in the booth is watching the other channels which are broadcasting the debate in Washington.
Tight camera shots on one car during green flag racing.
Is this what FOX feels is the best way to show Nacar?
Leave where?
Hey! Junior picked up spots on pit road! Now, if he wasn't speeding....
David Hill missed the race today. He thought it was Bristol England, not Tennessee.
Why did you leave NASCAR? Were you not a part of the show?
So, been listening with half an ear, doing other stuff as the race progresses, and I have to say, I'm not upset with this coverage. (Except how hard is it to pronounce KEZ-LOW-SKI, Larry Mac?) For me, it's been pretty good coverage. It's better than I remember at Bristol in the past, at least.
But dear heavens, an ad NOW? My main gripe, per usual, is ads in the wrong spots. And for Digger? OMG.
Sorry Red, et al.
David Hill just had his duties expanded to be directly in charge of SPEED and the other Fox cable sports properties.
Gonna be an interesting year on SPEED.
@vicky d: and that's my frustration! someone needs to sit them down and slap some sense into them about it. it's not as if they haven't been talking about him for two solid weeks!
i volunteer: (ahem):
dear announcers,
his name is pronounced as follows: kez-LOW-ski.
thank you.
NASCAR never had any involvement with TV during my time. None!
How things have changed.
Speed? David Hill? What happened to Rick Minor and Muscles? They still around?
Get the caution flag ready...
Sorry, I thought you were with Media Group.
Minor is in charge of several projects, including the HD change over. Rick is a great guy.
I was the VP of Production for Sunbelt Video. NASCAR bought it shortly after I left to go and work on a racing series project in Tampa.
I really miss the Fox broadcast that used to be. They used to be the reason I tuned in every week from qualifying, for trackpass, for pre-race, for everything NASCAR related. Now, I have to use my computer to follow what's going on and it's like nails on a chalkboard to have to listen to anything the booth is saying. Since TV doesn't show me the race any more, all the babbling is useless.
Plus right now, the 48 just took the lead. Boring!!
OH NOOOO!! The crew chief cam in the last 4 laps?
So, they were one lap early on the graphic. Details!!
We saw what...4 cars cross the finish line? Rideiculous. as if we haven't seen lots of JJ and Chad celebrating a win?
To bad they didn't show the cars finishing at the line. They would have had to hold that camera at the line for no more then 16 seconds but that is asking to much.
They are not showing us a race.
@jd: and they held it long after they showed the top 5 cross the line and then cut to the in-car of the 48, ignoring the balance of the field.
what. a cluster.
(nrf: congrats! again.)
yawn - JJ wins again yawn
well won't bother to watch Victory Lane tonight
Congrats to JJ fans
Horrible TV at the end. Flashing the Go Daddy crap on the top of the screen, popping over to Chad then nothing tight on the finish then away again.
Sucked.
And NASCAR still does NOT get it WHY ratings / attendance / fan interest are DOWN ...
Yeah yeah, he's great, the team's great, but I'm tired of Johnson getting all the luck on top of all that.
Wow! That was an ordeal to get through. Can't imagine how bad it was for those who endured the pre-race stuff.
Thanks JD for the info on Minor, he is a great and very unique individual.
PLUS, thanks for the fun today and providing us this forum.
Thanks
sigh - now I have to decide if I'm really going to waste my time going to Martinsville next weekend. If it's another 48 snoozefest, I'll be sorry I spent the money.
Of course, the good thing is that being there BEATS watching it on TV.
Congrats to those of you who are 48 fans, but really this same old same old is getting old.
How about jumping back to the main page before you leave and giving us a wrap-up comment on the race coverage today from FOX?
I certainly would appreciate it!
I like the flashing ESPN-style of showing the finishing order as they crossed the line. Good job on that part.
Gina, you need the hot dogs. Go and have fun.
Just curious, was there a ratings/attendance drop when Gordon was winning everything in sight?
Gina, I'm wondering the same thing - about going to M'ville. Half the fun is the crowd, however.
The coverage of this Bristol race almost guarantees a small crowd at the night race. I would never consider spending my money to attend what we saw today. Perception is reality and the perception from this broadcast does not make people want to come to the race or even watch it on TV.
Gina, besides, Martinsville is still one of the coolest tracks on the circuit. And, they need the support of they don't lose a date to the casino in KC! DO YOUR PART!
Thanks Red been a bad week (mom in hospital but much improved) so this is great for me. Sisters actually at the race and got upgraded to suite.
Please jump to the main page for Bristol TV comments.
Thanks everyone for stopping by and chatting today!
Gina - go to Martinsville & enjoy it!
No matter who won we loved it - even in "bad" weather LOL eating large pink hotdogs in a rain poncho is fun LOL
gina and tracy d: PLEASE do not let the crappy tv broadcast stop you from going to martinsville! yes, the 48 may win -- or not! -- but you know that's one heck of a track and i would sacrifice my left thumb to get there! go for planeteers everywhere and report back on what actually happened on the track!
please?
Post a Comment