Friday, May 23, 2008

Jenna Fryer Returns To Trade Paint With Kyle Petty


This season, the NASCAR TV series Tradin' Paint on SPEED has been flying under-the-radar. Even an appearance by NASCAR Scene's Bob Pockrass could not raise a real issue that regular panelist Kyle Petty could get worked-up about.

This week, all that may change. Associated Press NASCAR reporter Jenna Fryer is coming back to the show and this time there are a whole lot of topics on the table to discuss. Although Fryer had been an guest earlier this season, the momentum of this show seems to build when there are issues happening in the sport that Petty feels strongly about. Humpy Wheeler is probably going to be one of those topics.

John Roberts hosts the program and had a tough time in Charlotte at the All-Star weekend where peace and tranquility seemed to be the theme of the show. When Roberts sticks to the topics picked by the Producer and allows the panelists to express their views, things happen. When he "guards" the show itself and becomes a "player" in the conversation, things do not.

It is certainly clear that the the old days of Petty losing his temper and literally yelling at the "media guest" are gone. Now, with a lot of TV time under his belt, Petty allows the guests to speak and address the topics head-on. This has proven to be much more effective in advancing his views and relating his opinion.

This program continues to be the only NASCAR TV show where a regularly scheduled discussion of NASCAR issues is permitted. The program either sinks or swims depending on what topics the Producer allows the panelists to discuss. Often, the most difficult part of Tradin' Paint is figuring out what not to talk about.

This program airs at Noon Eastern Time on Saturday. It will re-air at 1:30PM on Sunday afternoon. If you have not sampled this show, you may find it to be a refreshing change from the standard NASCAR TV fare. Roberts keeps things rolling and the thirty minutes goes-by in a flash. This episode should be interesting.

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19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have never been the least impressed with Jenna Fryer. She is one sided and not interesting in anyway.

There are so many great people they could have ashame they have chosen someone like Jenna Fryer, there is no way she will help ratings.

I will not watch anything she is involved in.

Daly Planet Editor said...

Anon 10:41PM,

I think it might make some sense if you would come back...and tell us why?

JD

Anonymous said...

I've really lost interest in "Paint". I've tired of Kyle and most Nascar columnists who couldn't find the carbruetor on a Cup car if their life depended on it. I'll be kind and not give examples and names of some recent astonishing mistakes. I have no interest in anything Jenna Fryer has to say. She strikes me as being ditzy!

Vicky D said...

I always found this show entertaining and last time Jenna was on they really butted heads.

Anonymous said...

Paris Hilton returns to NASCAR. "Like wow. Um, you know, he was wearing..."
Please, she damages the chances of any legitimate woman to become a true NASCAR beat reporter.

Anonymous said...

As a professional journalist myself and a long-time NASCAR fan, I have always found Jenna Fryer's reporting to be top-notch. It is unbiased and that is, I think, the reason fans don't like her work. As an AP reporter, she doesn't express opinions, she just reports.

That's uncommon these days in media covering stock car racing.

Anonymous said...

Why....WHY....would anyone listen and/or watch any presentation of which Jenna Fryer is a participant. The columnist / writer who can't string three words together without saying..."you know"...followed by..."whatever"...followed by anther: "yah know" -- Jenna, stick to writing, go to public speaking class and stay off the radio and TV.

Anonymous said...

I had thought that with the excellent television work of Wendy Venturini and Krista Voda, misogynist opinions like some of those above were a thing of the past.
Sadly, some still believe that gender is an indication of one's knowledge and ability.

Anonymous said...

Stop throwing around big words lis misogynist. The fact is that there are about 10 chicks in race broadcasting. Contrast that to the 150 or so "other" involved with it. I worked in it, as a lady, busted my butt, and I always heard, "No broads in broadcasting." I think they may have stopped showing WV full body shots, and started framing and showing her just like the other dudes. It ain't an easy business, vagina or not, but you have to have thick skin to even think about working in it if you happen to be a girl.

Anonymous said...

Stop throwing around big words like misogynist. The fact is that there are about 10 chicks in race broadcasting. Alot of them work in the office, or graphics. One is actually overdue a shot to direct and produce, like she used to when TNN had Cup. Contrast that to the 150 or so "other" involved with it.

I worked in it, as a lady, who thought like a man, and worked like a dog. Even when I busted my butt, and I always heard, "No broads in broadcasting."

I think they MAY have stopped showing WV full body shots, and started framing and showing her just like the other dudes.

It ain't an easy business, vagina or not, but you have to have thick skin to even think about working in it if you happen to be a girl.

ESPN switches the female talent out to suit the producer's tastes. The men are lifers, they get old, slow, lazy and a new contract every year. Same for Fox. Does anybody know what happened to the Gibb's Racing motor during the broadcast of the All-Star yet? Just wondering....

Anonymous said...

I have nothing to add to this post but I am shocked at some of the comments and verbage?

I prefer NPerf to TP as the latter has become the same old same old with giant graphics covering half the lower tv screen and the use of news type split screen. Also the crowd on TP can get rowdy like on the other live shows and it's not worth trying to hear the talking heads over the screaming peeps.

still i have no problem with JF like many here do.

Lisa Hogan said...

I am not a fan of Ms. Fryer. I have read some of her columns but find her thinking to be jumbled. The last one I read, it appeared that she had watched a totally different race than the one which I watched.

I try to watch each episode of Tradin Paint. I enjoy John and Kyle.

Anupam said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Jenna is one of the worst in the business at interjecting her opinion into what should be unbiased race reports. The paper in my hometown has even gone to labeling her pieces that run in Tuesday's editions as "commentary" or "analysis."

But as to the comment that "... damages the chances of any legitimate woman ...", well, that's just ignorant. If Jenna's not a "legitimate" woman, there's one helluva transgender surgeon at work out there somewhere, LMAO.

Daly Planet Editor said...

With the current state of the NASCAR print media in flux, it certainly is interesting to see the former "deadline media" becoming totally Internet driven.

Ms. Fryer is fearless, and her interesting approach to television has resulted in the same type of feedback that we get about Michael Waltrip.

NASCAR fans either love MW or simply cannot stand the guy. Some hang-on every word and others think he is just full of it.

Fryer's appearance, because of all the hot topics going-on, should be a good measure of just how well she has learned the transition from print to TV since her last appearance.

JD

Anonymous said...

For the record, when Ms. Fryer was on Trading Paint very recently (the week after Danica won) she and Kyle were very pleasant and joking with each other. I think people expecting a dogfight like the appearance previous to that one will be disappointed. They even joked about the expectation they would fight at the beginning of the show.

But I also think Ms. Fryer's stories should often be labeled as commentary and am glad to hear some newspapers are doing that. I read her story about Kasey Kahne's win last week the night it came out, and it was incredibly biased in the beginning section (basically saying he had no reason to be in the race, he was only in it because he's cute, and suggesting he'd never won before when she knows full well he has).

I said to myself, an editor is going to change that story before morning because it was too "over the top" for a race results news story going to hundreds of newspapers. Sure enough, Sunday morning the top part of that story was completely rewritten to be more neutral.

On the other hand, her regular printed Q&As with Juan Pablo Montoya (which have been appearing since last season) are extremely entertaining. She gets more out of him than anybody - very personable. If he ever does a long TV interview, it should be with Ms. Fryer. It's a continuing series so they'll refer back to something in that she asked him previously and it's very funny. I notice the regular contact with Montoya seems to help her get the basic news stories with him first (like all the crew chief changes). To Ms. Fryer's credit, those have been good stories with no opinion thrown in.

Anonymous said...

It seems that a few of the drivers have little use for Ms Fryer. She speaks her mind, which rankles the males of the sport. I think a lot of the negative comments by men are gender-related, rather than full on objective. I've heard Tony Stewart disparage Ms Fryer on his Sirius radio show. While I don't agree with many of Ms Fryer's commentary pieces, I just wish they would publish her material as such, commentary rather than hard facts. At least she's better than Raygan Swan, who's only claim to Nascar fame is a broken engagement to AJ Foyt's grandson. Now that's a woman who really doesn't belong making any comments on Nascar, with her childish antics and very poor journalistic skills. I still wonder how Nascar journalists such as Dave Caraviello and Joe Menzer tolerate her in their weekly Track Smack feature.

Karen said...

Anonymous said ...

On the other hand, her regular printed Q&As with Juan Pablo Montoya (which have been appearing since last season) are extremely entertaining.

Where could I find such articles?

Anonymous said...

Jenna Fryer: Is the most Bias Earnhardt Jr. fan you could have recruited. She make me sick. I will not watch her.