Well, this season FOX rolled the pre-race gang out of the Hollywood Hotel and onto pit lane. Here are the boys last weekend. Today Chris Myers, Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Hammond will be front and center again with some good storylines developing in a still young season.
Last week Myers went back into his "play the fool" routine after a strong performance in Daytona. His stuttering and stammering act isn't working on the fan base and hasn't for several years. NASCAR on FOX needs Myers as a leader like Allen Bestwick is for ESPN.
Jeff Hammond continues to just kill it during the pre-race show. This may be his best season in terms of preparation and detail. Despite some joking about his cosmetic changes, Hammond is a workhorse for FOX and SPEED. Once the race gets underway, his role diminishes and that is a shame.
Waltrip moves to the booth for the race and that is where the problems have been starting. Last weekend, disjointed was the theme. After a good start, Waltrip just started talking in circles again about topics all over the map. Larry McReynolds now is a shrinking flower who adds only pro-NASCAR comments, instead of race analysis.
Some fan comments from last week included: "I want my three hours back, FOX is killing my passion for the sport and thank God for MRN (radio)." Tight camera work, rough finish line coverage and a sloppy post-race made it tough at times to watch.
The production team chose to revert to 2007 and show only one car racing to the finish line as if the race is over when that happens. Fans of the other teams on the lead lap were not amused. At least Waltrip allowed Joy to call the finish, which he did not do at Daytona.
When Jeff Gordon crashed, nothing was said of the damage and his progress was not tracked until he was back in contention. Post-race, Gordon blew his engine and nothing was mentioned before the Victory Lane interview. Once again, TV and reality clash.
This TV team needs something to shake it up. They are delivering the exact same product and expecting different results. Despite great pit reporters, strong technical experience and good racing, the final product is flat.
It may well be that FOX is going to run out the string with live telecasts of this nature. The potential for change is there, especially with the framing of the racing on the track moving the focus on the overall racing and not individual cars. This would extend to the finish of the race as well.
There are lots of stories throughout the field and the racing should be fun to watch. Topping it all is a sellout crowd at the speedway. That should look great on TV.
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JD, nice summary of what's going on with the FOX broadcasts. Yes the "in the pits' stage is working and less boring than long shows from the Hollywood Hotel.
ReplyDeleteThey let ESPN beat them with the multi million dollar tech center with Brewer so they lost that race but good news is--
Hammond now has more time to focus on his racing knowledge about what is going on on the track instead of showing us a lug nut or a track bar again for the 1000 time.
It left him Virtualy naked on the broadcast so he is scrambling to cover it.
If someone would just take him to a speaking school like the Jarrett's did as it would give the sport a better image which is what is the communication age is all about.
Who did pull the plug on Hammond's Toy Box of gadgets and cars? Fox? Ford? Nascar Media Group?
It seems that this would be an important mention in the TV Racing news but it fell silent.
But like I said, without the props, Hammond has to study hard to keep up now and present himself in a different role. Announcer, not the prop man.
I take it SPEED is not on a 5 second delay, or somebody fell asleep on the dump button.
ReplyDeleteIt's cable, no FCC fines this time. Whew!
ReplyDeleteI like the comment someone made on twitter (Tom Jensen maybe) that JF had tigerblood before there were tigers..or blood!!!
ReplyDeleteGood RaceDay to all !!
ReplyDeletewhat did we miss?
i've had the show on and didnt hear.
I'll rewind to WHO said it.
RACEDAY had a "history" type feature comparing Cale and Jeff Gordon. Very nicely done !....but funny how the NASCAR Hall of Fame wasnt mentioned while the feature focused on the Petty's, Yarborough, and Gordon.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I have felt that the TV side of NASCAR should give more air time concerning NASCAR's past races, great drivers, teams, etc.
Imagine a weekly feature with Ken Squire intro. Admit it, veteran fans are locked in when they hear Squire.
RaceHub has the "Where are they Now" feature. Always a home run !
For those of us who have been fans for decades, it sure is nice & always gets my attention when a well produced feature is on one of the shows.
ESPN CLASSIC should be jam packed with races from the 80's and 90's.
So, I start the day with a compliment to SPEED & NMG for that Yarborough & Gordon piece.
Keep it up !
last week an overhead shot showed Hammonds "gadgets" sitting beside the Hollywood Hotel. are they just not using them until there is a real need to put it on air?
ReplyDeleteTime to make the donuts!
ReplyDeleteFew folks around because of college hoop and other sports today.
ReplyDeleteWorst sports TV weekend for NASCAR in a long time!!
I really liked that opening segment, great job by Fox so far. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteThe "new" Kyle Busch sure is different on TV.
ReplyDeleteI will second the good opening segment! Nice start!
ReplyDeleteWell, here we go Planeteers. Off to a slow start. Nascar Now was totally useless. Ninety percent of what they showed could have been taped in January. What little I saw of Race Day wasn't much better. I never thought I'd see the day where the phrase "race fans" was a perjorative thanks to Kenny Wallace. Chris Myers just doesn't belong behind the microphone at a Nascar event. Now that I've gotten all the negatives out of the way, hopefully I'll be able to report on a long list of positives. Not likely to happen,but here's hoping!
ReplyDeleteJD - College basketball's big day was yesterday. And aside from a few spring training baseball games, not much else on in the way of sports from what I can see.
ReplyDeleteMaybe people just haven't shown up, yet, since it's a 3:00pm start.
terri, we have NBA, hockey and golf to name a few.
ReplyDeleteThat Stewart/taxi thing was, ummmm, interesting? I laughed though.
ReplyDeleteStill waiting for the Heat to lose another one! Grr....
ReplyDelete@terri on CBS is college basketball, NBC has Golf, WGN has baseball, ABC has Pro Basketball and FOX has Nascar all at the same time.
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot the spring training thing. Baseball!
ReplyDeleteWow...and I thought having the hockey gold-medal game at last year's Olympics was tough for NASCAR.
ReplyDeleteGood work on the prerace show by Fox today.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you like about it best, Anon?
ReplyDeletewhen you hear someone is 'revved up'
ReplyDeletedont you expect them to NOT like something instead of gushing over how much they like it?
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ReplyDeleteNice anthem and flyover. Sold out track. Nice day. All we need is some good TV and this is going to be a WINNER!
ReplyDeleteCharlier Sheen reference.
Takes all kinds to make a world.
ReplyDeleteI admit I have not seen much of the pre-race shows this year, but am I correct in saying the real Chris Myers has started to appear regularly?
ReplyDeleteYea, he want back to his act last week. I don't think things are all rosy with that little crew.
ReplyDeleteEditor, I liked the Gordon interview a lot, I saw a different side to him than I remember before. I thought Chris Meyers played it straight much more then usual, which I liked. He wasn't as serious as in Daytona, but much better than most of the time. I liked the Busch brothers interview too. The Stewart/taxi thing was a little weird, but not terrible like some other stuff FOx has done, and I got a good laugh out of DW and Hammond making fun of Meyers command yesterday. I didn't like the Revved up thing though.
ReplyDeleteMan, I would love to do that Thunderbirds deal like Carl Edwards, Jamie Little and Hermie Sadler.
ReplyDeleteThey got the full show ride, not just the media tour.
Missed an opportunity for John Force to give the command to start the engines!!
ReplyDeleteWith all this promotion of the Sunoco E15 ethanol, I assume that Sunoco is paying for promotional consideration now.
ReplyDeleteDoes that mean we need a disclaimer about Mike Joy now?
Nascar has had 2 pace cars for years...and DW needs to explain it today?
ReplyDeleteDirecTV Hot Pass choices:
ReplyDelete18-29-48-88
Just turned it on for green flag. Hope it's an interesting race.
ReplyDeleteI thought JF was going to do it too!
ReplyDeleteJoy has always been upfront about his NE Sunoco distribution deal. Even before they came on board.
Bevo, that called stylishly late?
ReplyDeleteRats! forgot to mute the TV for the green flag.
ReplyDeleteAlso just arrived after church, lunch, and a little bit of yard work. Looking forward to a good one today.
ReplyDeleteAlready tight and zooming. Come on man. It's early.
ReplyDeleteSorry if this was answered weeks ago, but why doesn't Larry say "reach up there.." anymore? That always got me charged up like Hank Jr. saying "Are you ready for some football!"
ReplyDeleteI can do without boogety boy.
It's very frustrating because when Fox first started their broadcasts, the team was great and it made watching the race on TV fun. Unfortunately, they have become satisfied with the same old, same old.
ReplyDeletePersonally I like Hammond and Mike Joy. DW might be better in the Hollywood Hotel since he can't seem to control his urge to be a fan instead of a commentator and Larry Mac having decided to be a combination of Pollyanna and apologist for NASCAR.
I read somewhere that the ratings uptick was NOT for all demographics but for the 18-34 which is Fox's target but I'd like to know how they were for all.
Larry seems to have been kind of muted.
ReplyDeleteYanked off Trackside and much quieter in the booth.
New prez of FOX Sports and new head honcho at SPEED, but who knows?
Hi all
ReplyDeletewould have been here sooner but got wrapped up in UConn BBall.
I hope against hope Tony wins
Robby G haveing a bad weekend
Gina, the ratings stuff was a game. Last year, we had Olympics and all kinds of stuff going on.
ReplyDeleteIt's up because it was horrible last season.
I'm surprised the TV guys did not talk about Robby's fight and probation from Friday night.
ReplyDeleteHey, NASCAR ratings should zoom this year if the NFL goes on strike!
ReplyDeleteJD
ReplyDeleteI'm not watching
Hearing about last weeks meltdown just makes me wonder why I should watch.
It's like the Los Angeles High School AV club running the production of the races.
NASCAR just needs to start from scratch with TV. It has gotten worse and worse as time goes by.
Like kicking a dead cat.
SBTF
Well, I skipped the Nationwide race, but I'm giving FOX another shot today.
ReplyDeletemissed the pass for the lead but got to see a car going to the pits so I guess that is ok.
ReplyDeleteDW needs glasses -- wasn't that the 34 car? not 38
ReplyDeleteIs Junior in 5th because he didn't pit? Could use some informaiton here.
ReplyDeleteDW can't even read numbers. He calls the 34 the 38 car?
ReplyDelete@SBTF I love that LOL & understand
ReplyDeleteI'm splitting between game & race. Last week PO'd me & so far today ain't nuthin' to write home bout.
Neveer mind. Guess the crawler was off. Again.
ReplyDeleteTwo Diggers too many (already).
ReplyDeleteKind of weird. The booth guys seem confused sometimes about cars and drivers.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe UPS Logistics of the Race was much improved this week. FOX listens!
ReplyDeleteThis time last year, the 34, 37 and 38 were interchangeable (to keep Kevin Conway and his sponsor in cars inside the top-35).
ReplyDeleteNot so this year.
JD, it's frustrating to me when the booth is confused -- heck don't they do ANY homework? Plus all he needed to do was look at the replay!
ReplyDeleteWhy bother with Dale jr in the pits, we more interested in Digger
ReplyDeleteCould be a long day with this radium camera work.
ReplyDeleteI hate to be critical but calling the wrong car number when you are looking at the car on video is just unacceptable. If you get the wrong driver for the first few weeks I will alloow a pass because it's early and a lot of drivers changed cars and sponsors this year. Come on guys! Looking at a monitor and getting the wrong number is just crazy!
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of stunned that Digger is back. Remember the anger peaked in 2009 and they dumped it for last season.
ReplyDeleteNo clue why they would bring it back. Hey, at least Pizzi is done.
Anon, either that or all the people who complained to UPS made them re-think taking up the full screen AND UPS made the call to Fox.
ReplyDeleteGood news- no guitar-playing robot. Bad news plague-carrying rodent.
ReplyDeleteIn car cams do not show the race.
ReplyDeletePeriod.
Happy Race Day Planeteers <3
ReplyDeleteI think some of the brains in the booth are past their "best if used by" date. I'm DW's age and I don't think like I did years ago.
ReplyDeleteThey are utilizing the reporters perfectly so far.
ReplyDeleteBut tight shots are still a problem
Charlie - radium camera work?
ReplyDeleteBrad -- I'm with you, just look at the screen and no one corrected the error either.
JD -- yes, Digger is back. Time to play whack a mole again.
JD:
ReplyDeleteWhat? Didn't he make regular appearances onscreen last year? At least that's all he does now.
Tell ya what, nothing was worse than Marty Reid yesterday blowing the call on the final lap for the 2nd time in three races.
ReplyDelete"Keselowski runs out of fuel and hits the wall." OMG!
oh boy a long green flag run, so therefore Fox will do a bazillion commercials and I will switch to watch The Mummy Returns when they do.
ReplyDeleteRambo, no sir! They dumped the animation, used the logo sparingly and never over action.
ReplyDeleteWhat viewers objected to was the animation over actual race replays and then the announcers talking about Digger.
Kind of like....this race!
Atleast theres no NFL music yet. Or did I miss it?
ReplyDeleteSomeone pass the gopher kill please
Haha! JD, really? Marty has been a mess since he began calling the Sprint Cup races.
ReplyDeleteJD, yeah, yesterday that one was a classically bad example of sports calls.
ReplyDeleteYou missed it! They have been screaming at me on Twitter about the NFL music today!
ReplyDeleteRandom camera shots hurts the flow of the race.
ReplyDeleteIs that better Gina. I am a bad speller. he he.
I don't understand the logic of using on the on-car cameras sometimes. The thing that caught my eye earlier was when they went to shot from Ky. Busch's car. They went to it while he was racing side-by-side with Logano and then they threw up some graphic. With the angle of the camera panned to the right and the graphic, you could see the a-pillar of 20 and part of the roof of his car. What producer or director sees that and says "that's a great shot so lets stick with it for 20 seconds". I don't get it. Definitely better ways to show a race than that.
ReplyDeleteJD, Nothing is worse than Marty Reid. Period.
ReplyDeleteI watched Sports Center this am and the way they were making sport of yesterdays race you wonder why they bother broadcasting anything NASCAR on this network. I do not get it?
ReplyDeleteThese little "as they go to commercial" drops with the drivers selling FOX really irritate me.
ReplyDeleteIt's bad enough we have to live through all the inane commercials; I just wish Joy would take us out, run the spots, then come back! We miss enough of the race as is!
I'll stop ranting.
there has to be some racing SOMEWHERE on the track-show it!! it looks like they're showing qualifying.
ReplyDeleteThe NFL music doesn't bother me. It's better than the ESPN random soundtrack.
ReplyDeleteGood grief, the fans have been asking for side by side commercials so instead we get nearly full screens commercials with the race in the little screen, like the Bud deal in the middle of the screen, followed by that Sprint commercial just now.
ReplyDeleteAm I supposed to think that's an improvement?
@ JD dang - maybe I should un mute Fox - but then I'd have to hear DW...
ReplyDeleteGuess I'll leave mute on so Hubs doesn't look for NFL
"we're reverse-gender polygamists." Only on FOX!
ReplyDeleteHey Fox
ReplyDeleteTAKE YOUR IN CAR CAMS AND THROW THEM OFF A CLIFF!!!!!!!!!!!
As for Digger
PUT HIM IN A ZOO, somewhere, anywhere, NOT ON A RACE!
And Pizzi can go clean latrines at his school for all i care
Commercial fest early.. Geez
ReplyDeleteLOL, Charlie -- I get it now! thanks. Hey I'm typing with a cat laying on one arm so goodness only knows what things will come off the keyboard!
ReplyDeleteThe best part of this AM was that all the ESPN networks had video of Josh Wise getting big air in the NNS race yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThey all called him John Wise.
PS - The NNS is the only series ESPN carries from start to finish.
sbtf,
ReplyDeleteWe are officially switching you to decaf!
well we got a shot of jr running 28 th still no reason for the pit stop?
ReplyDeleteI give Marty a bit of a pass yesterday since the end was all about who had fuel, sure he had that at the top of his mind when he first saw him off the pace.
ReplyDeleteJD
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean
Long green flag run. Opportunity to go through the field and highlight some sponsors that don't get a lot of time? No. Let's just run a pile of commercials back to back to further numb the brains of the "faithful".
ReplyDeleteOMG, Digger and his friends with KFC! Ugh!
ReplyDeleteSBTF -- LOL, go for it, man!!
JD, thanks for the reminder about twitter. i just put that on, too. Sad that i get more info on the race from twitter than from the TV.
Green flag racing in small box pits shown in large one - Really?
ReplyDeleteOr full screen of 1 car entering pit road Really good coverage
Show the race!!!
They have plenty of time to update on cars that might not be running up front, or have had to make major changes in the setup. Do we get it? No. If I can't keep track of more than 10 cars in the field, it isn't calling a race!
ReplyDeleteI think I finally understand why they like tight shots! They are trying to show us the driver inside the car! I'm not sure why it's such a good thing to focus in on the driver and miss all the action, but I think that's what they are trying to do.
ReplyDeleteI wish the crawl on the top of the screen was easier to read. It's almost impossible for me to read the place numbers.
ReplyDeleteAnd I too, didn't get to the remote in time to mute DW on the start.
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ReplyDeleteThe apparently think the excitement is in the pits of mid-pack drivers. That says something about the racing or Fox coverage or both.
ReplyDeleteHow are these pit stops different under green then they are under yellow. None.
ReplyDeleteWho cares there are cars on the track racing.
"we're reverse-gender polygamists."
ReplyDeleteFox you have really crossed the line. You have sunk to a new low, and i am not surprised at all.
reverse-gender polygamists
I am laughing at how ridiculous you broadcasts are.
Terry G,
ReplyDeleteWe asked them to change away from the team colors and also to change the green behind the lap counter.
The answer was no, it works in HD!
No it doesn't.
Did they mention any start and parks yet?
ReplyDeleteNo, it's been an old-style FOX broadcast. Hyper-tight shots and in-cars with no attention to actual racing at all.
ReplyDeleteKind of like watching practice.
I thought it was hard to read because I'm colorblind. In HD or standard (both on big screen), I have to get my 7-year-old to read the lap counter for me.
ReplyDeleteI watch FOX races on regular over-the-air in HD and there is zero difference between it and my SD DirecTV for the crawl. They are both bad.
ReplyDeletehmmm, reverse gender polygamists? Nah, that's not it.
ReplyDeleteThen we have Jamie Little yesterday who was so ridiculous in her post race interview with Danica -- kept calling her "girl". I'm not even a fan of Danica's but I wanted to take the mike from Little and smack her with it.
Tight shots. No flow to the race but the in car cam sponsors are getting air time.
ReplyDeleteFish-eye lens for that long of a shot = bad.
ReplyDeleteGina, what did you make of that as a female? Is that just casual talk or was it out of bounds?
ReplyDeleteDanica looked a bit surprised. I was told Jamie was just excited about the situation.
That's the old Formula One graphic with the pit in and pit out laps.
ReplyDeleteIn SD the colors are great. But the neon lights in HD are painful.
ReplyDeletebevo, we are having a hilarious conversation about that in private chat on Twitter. TV types just hate this NFL director who has no respect or appreciation for NASCAR.
ReplyDeletesingle car shots, in car shots, full screen ads and digger with the booth not calling the race but chitchatting about individual drivers -- this isn't a race broadcast. I'm switching to MRN so I can find out what is going on.
ReplyDeleteJD, if a male announcer had said 'girl' as often as Jamie did, it would have been just as insulting. I just makes her sound stupid. Hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteAt least we are finding out that the tight shots are not because they don't want to show the crowd at the track. It is just part of what they do.
ReplyDeleteWell from Tv I guess is just cars driving in circles. No flow at all.
ReplyDeleteAnd screen size doesn't make it any better. I'm watching on a 55" wide screen TV, and the crawl is still stupidly hard to read. Good grief.
ReplyDelete@JD-I'm glad at least someone asked them to get rid of it. Too bad they said no. But I'm not surprised. Fox doesn't seem to listen to what we want.
I ask you, what is the point of having 43 cars on the track racing when TV only shows us one at a time? Does some idiot think this works? I find this especially frustrating after ESPN made some obvious fixes to their coverage yesterday.
ReplyDeleteJD, as a female, I was offended by it. Maybe referring to celebrities that way is in style, BUT Little was supposed to be doing a post race interview as a professional. It's fine to be excited, but I didn't hear anyone in VL or on pit road call Jeff Gordon "dude".
ReplyDeleteI've spent too many years working too hard to earn respect in the workplace as a woman and "girl" is not appropriate in that situation.
The crawl is even worse when you try to read the 'time behind the leader' numbers!
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line is the race has been boring so far.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are all right on top of it.
ReplyDeleteThe FOX issue is the director will not work to find the racing and show it regardless of position.
This team follows the leader and then just cuts to one or two other cars, updates them and moves on.
It makes no sense at all, especially when we see SPEED's truck series coverage doing the opposite.
Anon, to borrow a line from Allen Bestwick: Anytime you have cars running 200mph on the same track, it's not boring IMHO.
ReplyDeleteYou just have to work to develop the stories and updated the battles.
Click on the radio, Doug Rice and his PRN guys are doing that.
Tight camera shots are the way to go with FOX. If they miss anything while doing their tight shots they always have replay to see the whole race.
ReplyDeleteSally, if a male reporter had done that, he'd have been called out for it, big time. Danica looked surprised, I'll bet if a male had done it, she might have said something.
ReplyDeleteJamie looks and sounds stupid most of the time. Her interviews are terrible. "Your car was wadded up on the first lap -- how do you feel?"
I desperately wanted the drivers to tell her EXACTLY how they felt. I thought Ryan Newman was going to but he bit his tongue just in time.
I must say the crawl is fine. on the 20" with regular cable it is a bit grainy but on the 55" in HD it is crystal clear. Having said that, if I change the picture settings I can make it awful. With a little fine tuning it is great.
ReplyDeleteI thought Jamie Little's comments yesterday were foolish and unprofessional. A fourth under those conditions with the leaders dropping out or having to pit for gas was nothing to crow about. That car should always finish in the top ten. The booth continues to get the drivers and car numbers confused. I'm just getting caught up on today's posts. I agree, the Star Spangled Banner is getting the respect it deserves. Personally, I'll be glad when Robby Gordon leaves Nascar. His temper is his worst enemy. Nascar doesn't need it.
ReplyDeleteWe're back in replay mode. You guys are right, this race is presented like a practice session.
ReplyDeleteWhy should we have to watch KB one lap ago? Do your job and show the racing on the track as it happens.
ReplyDeleteSo...Fox can't tell the difference between a race and practice except they don't spend as long on pit road. Great. This is who Nascar is depending on to boost their ratings? Clueless.
ReplyDeleteJD, the problem with that theory though is perception is reality. If TV doesn't show the fans at home the racing, we perceive it as boring and tune out.
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten how much I enjoy the mummy returns
JD, So I guess is TV thats making the race boring to watch.
ReplyDeletehey look at that, someone OTHER than Jr is the Pizza Hut fan favorite and it's MY favorite.
ReplyDeleteFans are asking on Twitter what the problem is with FOX? I got no answer!
ReplyDelete@Gina24...always love those 'Mummy' movies! More action than Fox is showing at Vegas...and more amusing...and wittier!
ReplyDeleteUhoh. JJ is lapped, Kyle crashes, and we get a replay. Yesterday ESPN broke out of commercial for something that big. And who can DW talk about with Kyle wrecked!
Anon, a good TV team works to pass along what is going on inside an event.
ReplyDeleteWe think this is boring because that is the way it is being shown to us on TV.
These guys are flyin and racing hard. Passing like at Martinsville is not what happens on these style tracks.
JD- Wasn't the whole pitch by FOX before the season about how the drama in NASCAR is between the drivers? Wouldn't it logically follow that your camera work would emphasize that by using wider angles and reduce in-car shots except for contact?
ReplyDeleteAm I missing something?
For a sold out race, there are a lot of empty seats in the first grandstand in-between turns 3 & 4.
ReplyDeleteIf everybody associated with the broadcast were forced to watch a replay of each broadcast in a locked room every Monday morning, I bet the coverage would improve.
ReplyDeleteThat might be classified as cruel and unusual punishment.
Dear Fox
ReplyDeleteWhile cooking sloppy joes & reading here, I noticed HORRID CAMERA work again/incar Mania/bumpercams/Tight shots.
Also the GRAPHICS of dayglo is most difficult (impossible for the World that still does SD) AND on my housemates 52 INCH HD TV.
It may be colorful to capture attentions of babies but not practical for viewing.
Thanks for robbing us of viewing an actual race again. (Insert sarcasm)
Off to see the dam after heavy rams.
will DELETE off DVR but may catch last 2 laps if you don't clustermuck it up too much.
Signed,
Sophia
JD, the only thing I can offer about the Fox crew is you can't stay together forever. Other sports have had broadcast teams busted up to keep the coverage fresh and relevant. Maybe 10 years is long enough without a "face lift" so to speak.
ReplyDeleteNY Yankees won
ReplyDeleteUConn W BBall win
The Heat were ice cold & Foxfail
50/50 day
What a difference a decade makes
ReplyDeleteFox takes over NASCAR TV in 2001 and has record ratings.
Fox is in its 10th anniversary and ratings are at an all time low.
Amazin Isn't it
Sophia, too funny.
ReplyDeleteJD - is Fox trying to screw the pooch and just phone it in for the next 4 yrs?
Bevo, what they said in the FOX pre-season press conference has not come true in any way.
ReplyDeleteThis is a complete recycle of 2007 coverage, including Digger.
I feel bad for Mike Joy, Hammond and the pit reporters.
Sophia
ReplyDeleteVery nicely said.
Did you see them cut to a tight shot instead of going wide as the field came through?
ReplyDeleteWe missed EVERYTHING as it happened. That sums this stuff up.
Shoot it tight and then replay it.
Just think what this broadcast would be like if they couldn't use replays and had to rely on real time camera shots.
ReplyDelete@bevo...actually, we're ALL missing something because of Fox.
ReplyDeleteso the 22 spins, we see in the background that another car (the 4) begins to spin but we get to watch the 22 finish it's lock-down before we finally get to see the end of the 4 car's spin.
ReplyDelete(open sarcasm) yeah, that's what i call "outstanding" call by the producer (end sarcasm.)
SBTF -- yes, that is my observation as well. In 2001, Fox was great, in 2011, stale and useless coverage.
ReplyDeleteAs always JD thanks for the forum. I am going to back out of the blog and tv coverage today and do something unproductive around the house. Maybe next week will improve something.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason they like the replays is that each one of those replays has been sponsored. So each time they show one its a sponsor who pays or there is pressure from the sponsors to find different ways of saying said sponsors name. This is madness!
ReplyDeleteFox lives for the replays now. Especially since they can show off their X-Mo crap.
ReplyDeleteJD, you said it best.
ReplyDeleteThe director is not willing to show the best racing on the track regardless of position.
All Fox's director does is follow the leader and use useless in car cameras and roadkill cams constantly. Once in a while they show racing through the field but that is not often though.
And it is a sad state of affairs for NASCAR on TV.
It is very sad and disgusting.
OK Fox you win I quit Uncle already
ReplyDeleteI'll check back at 10 laps to go or if something sounds good on radio I want to see a replay of..
I get better from radio
osbornK -- The broadcasters AND NASCAR's management should both do watch the broadcasts following the races. Then they'd understand what the fans are complaining about instead of just thinking they "know" best.
ReplyDeleteAs we miss every incident due to incar cameras....
ReplyDeleteThis is really hard to take. I really want to enjoy this race, but FOX's presentation drains the life out of the event.
I'm not watching the tv. There is no race there. The race is on the internet for me. All single-car and in-car on tv...if there is a race, I have to read about it. Yeah, I get the replays.
ReplyDeleteTerrible coverage of that last yellow.
ReplyDeleteAnd you thought they couldn't get any worse.
I've concluded that FOX's goal is NOT to broadcast the race but to show moving billboards one by one.
ReplyDeleteMakiki
Honolulu
Folks are bailing out of this broadcast left and right here and on Twitter.
ReplyDeleteWhat a daggone shame that a good season is being ruined by the same old TV problem!
Talk about frustrating.
soooo, the booth actually calls it correctly & the truck can't find the button to push so we can see it as well? this is such basic tv production work that's being mangled, i'd be embarassed if my local high school team effed up like this!
ReplyDeleteWell, there goes my fantasy team. Thanks, Kryle.
ReplyDeleteWOW....that Tums commercial is disturbing!!
ReplyDeleteDon't think I'll ever buy another TUMS.
ReplyDeleteI agree with @jojaye...I check the tv if I read here that something happened...the single-car stuff is stupid.
ReplyDeleteI heard Mikey thought that commercial was a great idea. If Mikey wasn't enough to turn me off of Tums, then an aggressive rib certainly is.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this is a result of the dyno problems Joe Gibbs had before Daytona. Not being able to properly test their engines the way they normally do..
ReplyDeleteOne thing I noticed last week and also this week is when they restart and get the green flag the voices in the booth don't show any excitement.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I would be doing something else under yellow but knew when to get back to the Tv because the booth would raise their voices as the green flag dropped. Not anymore.
So apparently Johnson got the lucky dog
ReplyDeleteOkay, I have to say I like DW in the booth. Don't everyone throw rocks until I get my helmet and shield on.
ReplyDeleteToo many ads. No flow.
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ReplyDeletehey JD
ReplyDeleteI'm with you all the way man
It is just a shame we keep giving multiple chances to someone who is not willing to change.
Until they get quality producers and directors on board i will not be on board viewing.
Like i said they need to start from scratch. New announcing and production crew.
Fox needs to look at tapes of old CBS/TBS races and look at Ken Squier's play by play and with Ned Jarrett at color. Then maybe, just maybe they'll get the idea of what we expect from a weekly Nascar telecast.
@ Brett728 yes that was very disturbing indeed. Spookey could also be used but, disturbing made me laugh till I had tears in my eye's.
ReplyDeleteTracy D -- Shields up!! LOL
ReplyDeleteDyno problem - the quarters fell out from under the throttle pedal...
ReplyDelete@TracyD- DW's been tolerable today. MJ is trying to get the producer/director to get the action. Obvious the booth is trying.
ReplyDeleteI really don't believe fox is interested in improving their coverage. It's not their fault...it's our fault for not watching.
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ReplyDeleteFox
ReplyDeleteFull
of
X- as in radioactive waste
This is a four hour NASCAR infomercial interspersed with sponsor messages interrupted by commercials.
ReplyDeletePoor Mike Joy is doing everything but pushing the buttons to try and get the director to show the action and not these endless in-cars and single views.
ReplyDeletePretty good practice. When is the race? Is it later today?
ReplyDeleteanon 4:43
ReplyDeletethat's why I don't care who wins anymore...I really don't care. I used to be a serious fan.
Would that be Dale Jr. in 9th? Hello!
ReplyDeleteJD, yeah, I really do feel bad for Mike Joy. Not his fault that apparently there is a monkey (and a stupid one at that) controlling the buttons in the camera truck.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the fuel can situation, did everyone here see the report this morning on ESPN2 about the 48 actually switching the fueling man mid-stop?
ReplyDeletelarry - That's like saying Sprint is not interested in making better cell phones since more people use Verizon. They would be out of business. In NASCAR, there are other sources to get information. If FOX does not care and ratings fall, they get to face NASCAR.
ReplyDeleteI think they are showing more in car cams and bumper cams then ever before.
ReplyDeleteCharlie, it's like hyper-directing.
ReplyDeleteEndless jumping from one thing to another. Never letting racing develop or stories unfold.
All rushed and off-balance.
So weird when the truck guys are laid back, show the racing and update the info with no sweat.
When Fox has problems finding single cars to isolate on they switch to an in-car camera, Problem solved.
ReplyDelete