It's the PIR weekend, so we pick Sheriff Joe for our TV Police cover picture this week. This was the next to last race of the season and live on ESPN from start to finish.
Allen Bestwick anchored the coverage from the Infield Pit Studio. Bestwick tried over and over again to crank some excitement into the telecast, but that ended whenever Marty Reid took over.
The infield crew of Brad Daugherty, Rusty Wallace and Ray Evernham was chomping at the bit during the race, but was forced to sit back and watch several lengthy features during the pre-race show. Any momentum was broken as fans watched the videos.
Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree were in the booth as analysts, but it's up to Reid to provide the excitement and he simply did not deliver. As we heard from Jerry Punch in the same role, Reid began to sigh deeply about one hundred laps into the race and was totally out of gas until the end.
The script for ESPN this week was the three title contenders and they followed it. Time after time, teams appeared on camera racing for position or even being lapped and no explanation was offered of how they got in that position. Kasey Kahne was reported to have gained over twenty positions after one pit stop. It was Bestwick who suggested that perhaps Kahne has missed his pitstall. He was correct.
Reid eventually surrendered any attempt to provide information before restarts on Lucky Dogs, wave arounds, pit road penalties or even the basic restart order. ESPN eventually surrendered any attempt to update anyone in the field except the three Chasers and the leader of the race.
This is exactly the type of coverage that we talked about before the Chase began. Despite the dominant performance of Hamlin, there was racing and storylines unfolding throughout the field. They were not even visited, only tolerated.
The "Up to speed" recaps done by ESPN were listless and infrequent. The reports contained nothing more than recaps of points as they ran right now. ESPN simply had a formula and they followed it to the letter.
This was perhaps the least informative NASCAR telecast in the four-year history of ESPN. There are simply no words to try and relay just how much information was not passed along by the on-air team on the telecast. Fans of drivers and teams outside of the top three in points were hung out to dry.
If this is what NASCAR envisioned with the Chase, then so be it. They can deal with the consequences of fans whose teams were never even mentioned leaving to watch NFL football. As for ESPN, they will forever be connected with the phrase "if the race ended now" for the endless fake updates on points.
You watched this race. Tell us what you thought of the TV coverage from 12 voices on ESPN for four hours. 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. Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.
70 comments:
It was a "weekend sweep" for Carl Marty?
I didn't even know he was in the truck race...
That got my attention as well. Guess SPEED and the trucks don't count.
Are they going to interview Newman! He finished 2nd and is going to be a dad!
They did, it was brief but he got his points across.
Chase going DTTW.
Hope jimmie crashes and burns.
Denny you the man
As for the telecast only watched the final laps
He said that a few times that Carl got the "weekend sweep", even during the race. Apparently if a race is on SPEED, it doesn't count in the "weekend."
We really had no race information about anybody other than the leader, Denny, Kevin, and Jimmie. When Kasey missed his pits and they came back from commercial they said that he ended up having to pit multiple times and lost a lap without ANY explanation as to why that was the case. Why even mention it then?
But, they interviewed the entire top 5 plus Kevin, Denny, and Chad Knaus.
Well I spent the whole pre race on my laptop, therefore I only caught bits and pieces, which was intentional. Brad made himself look like an idiot today. Then I spent most of the first half of the race trying to get my MRN to sync up to the broadcast, but I couldnt do it. Then I spent the next 50 laps wanting to sleep cause it was incredibly boring. Then I watched some of the F1 race and made dinner just in time to catch the last 12 laps. That was probably the boringest race of the year along with an absolutely zero energy broadcast today. Im a lifelong fan who never misses a race, but honestly thats as close as Ive ever come to just giving up. Don't get me wrong, Im super pumped about the championship battle, Homestead is a cant miss, but today just didnt do it for me.
The coverage today was just awful. I have nothing good to say. At one point towards the end of the race after coming back from commercial Marty said Carl was "looking for his first ever win". I know he means first win at phoenix, even though he didnt say that, in the old days commentators would correct themselves, but I dont think Marty thinks hes wrong. In his world that was Carls first ever win. In Martys world commercials are a good thing and no one has any right to critisize ESPN. Im just so sick of him. I cant say it any nicer than that.
I can't imagine a casual or short time fan watching the entire race. There is no way they could have known what was going on. It would be like me when I tried to watch Australian rules football. The sponsors of 39 cars were cheated out of exposure and their advertising budget did not get value for their money. When you spend money and don't get what you pay for, you buy elsewhere. I suspect that will happen a lot as this is the time of year when budgets are done.
On the brighter side, I only fell asleep once but I did come close a few more. I feel like most of my afternoon was wasted due to the lack of information given by the bobblehead boys in the booth.
About all I can say is I'm glad there is only 1 more race to endure.
Marty's constant flow of statistics makes me nauseous ---- as well as the constantly changing camera angles.
I can't believe this was Carl's "first-ever win." *sigh*
And finally, were there more than 4 or 5 cars in the race today?
Well said, JD.
As always, thanks.
I watched away from my computer. Were there any comments during the race about the 'Start and Park' teams? I noticed none of the usual suspects dropped out until well after lap 200, two thirds of the way through.
Roland
I second your comments. I hardly watched tv & MRN was intermittent. Was on laptop a lot off and on.
I turned on 53 in tv in LR for last 5 laps. NO ENERGY in the booth. Wish I'd had my laptop with me (Thats ONLy way to get MRN)
The horrible camera work is ENDLESS. My brother is at the race & I am sure he was great live.
I hate to say it but this booth is putting me to sleep...no energy and worse, no CHEMISTRY.
FOX CAMERA WORK STINKS but the booth seems to have fun.
TNT I LOVED last year but adding AA just wasn't as good as previous years.
Why I am writing here I don't know. Same old thing.
Camera work weak/useless/not telling the story.
MRN? Painted wonderful pictures in my mind as they went from normal voice to excited with SINCERITY and spouting off details of what was happening.
I am NOT pumped up about the Chase one bit. I will watch a bit next week but got sad months ago after TNT left...cause the production value is just THE WORST
:(
Is it at all possible (and I don't want to believe this) that AB doesn't want the PXP position?
So I'm in the minority. So be it! I am proud, loud and I had to have sunday lunch with BGFE's mother!
As TV it was not sucky. If you doubt me remember Dover. Pretty good pictures (my thing) and a mediocre call from the booth and infield studio.
But what made it work for me was the company here and the fact when I had to go to the store BGFE did not notice, that what was not on her list that got home with me besides the saltines I said were on sale (they were not) was the little thing of "Red Lungfish" caviar. That WAS on sale. So, I bought it.
Looking forward to next week! I'm goin' to Homely and if possible will blog from there.
In the meantime, please remember: Be kind.
-30-
Cathy,
The Senior Producer recently dismissed by ESPN was anti-AB for years.
It should be interesting to see if AB gets another PXP shot in 2011.
They have to do something, it can't get any worse.
I just want to talk about the end of the race because if it wasn't for Pit Command and Twitter I would have no clue who was where but I still didn't know why. I wasn't paying attention to see when everyone pitted last, I believe that would have been ESPN's responsibility provide that information. Fox has it's faults but Larry Mac would have been all over this race telling us who to watch for fuel issues, the reason the 48 risked it, why the 11 couldn't. The cameras would have been focused on the right cars because they would have known who to watch. Might have been a incar camera but at least it's the right cars. We also wouldn't have gotten Brewer with 20 to go and the fuel pickup. WTF! If it wasn't for the fact that my driver is back into the hunt for the championship I was already planning on being busy for the Homestead cup race. I guess I'll suffer through another ESPN race to see who takes the cup.
How can we keep watching ESPN when all they concentrate on are the 3 chase guys. Finally in the middle of the race they showed a bit of the also rans, but during this time the broadcast got fairly boring. I'll be glad to get this season over to get away from these below-average telecasts.
@JD The Senior Producer recently dismissed by ESPN was anti-AB for years.
Was he now? So he is directly responsible for sucky picture selection and lousy booths. Erm, would "Good riddance" be too strong?
I will say again in the hope that it will add to the push for change. I did not watch. I am just tired of the poor tv coverage from fox and espn. I do wish it was different. I feel sorry for Marty. I do not think anyone, including AB, can operate under the current PxP rules. JD said this race was the last before the on-air personalities would be evaluated for next year. I do not feel this is fair. The behind the scene personalities need to be evaluated first and foremost. The producer/director could easily tell RW and BD to tone it down, camera work to zoom out, everyone follow the PxP who is watching the race out the window, etc., etc., etc. Thanks again officer for your eternal optimism and this site. MC
As I have always believed...ESPN sucks
They love to highlight the stars and not the actual action on the court, field, track in every sport they do
Ancient Racer
what is BGFe? L)
Signed
Acronym Challenged
p.s. Sorry JD. had to ask
@JD. Forgot to leave my sum up. Sorry.
Firstly, thanks to Nascar and ESPN for making a web stream available to us in the UK could see the race. I repeat, for the record, I WOULD PAY FOR THIS. Throw in Nationwide, Trucks, Raceday and Victory Lane (none of which we can see in the UK), and you would have a mega package to sell to fans. Bundle with your existing web stuff if you like.
Secondly, telecast. Same old same old. AB sounds so much more awake and full of life than the booth, he HAS TO BE IN THE BOOTH IN 2011. Also, show the director how to select a camera with a wide shot, and hide all points tables from those who produce a race. Make "the chase" be 5 bucks in a charity box. Watch old Nascar ESPN telecasts from the 90s. I can throw in a VHS of BTCC if they need to see how to cover all runners in a race, even if they are at the back.
Glad to be able to see the race to be able to voice an opinion. For the record, this is only the third race I watched some of live in 2010. All others have been DVRed.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
The race at the track may have been great, but it was one of the most boring races I think I've ever seen on TV.
I just know ESPN is going to muck up Homestead. You know they're writing the storylines already for the Wednesday briefing.
The telecast was saved last week by the quality of the Texas race. The focus on the points leaders wasn't so bad because the points race was close, constantly shifting, and dramatic.
Until the very end of today's race, that wasn't the case. The first 290 laps of the race today were a bore and I'm nominating Phoenix as the worst racing on the calendar. The broadcast didn't help any. The wider shots sometimes showed three-wide racing, but the focus always seemed to be somewhere less exciting.
I follow the race via Twitter updates, Face Book and Track Pass. I do record the race but usually end up erasing it unless there's something specific I want to review. You mention 'tv police' which I understand but what about the scanner police? I pay $8 and some change each month for Track Pass so I can listen to my driver and his crew. I expect to hear everything unedited in the privacy of my own home but if anyone on the team drops the F-bomb or anything, the audio is cut off real quick.
Anon, several years ago NASCAR responded to criticism from families and censored the scanners.
@ JD - I know that the "Sr Producer" (or whatever) was released (or "shot his toes off" as Marty has been saying) but I just wondered if maybe AB didn't want the job. But he is the only one who I can listen to without cringing.... DJ is ok (not as good as his father) and, MAN, I miss Benny!!!! (RIP) HE was a "personality"! But never a jerk.
I don't watch any of the prerace. Listening to Rusty and Brad blather makes me want to pinch their heads off.
Race broadcast was mediocre at best, once in a while the booth would throw in a random comment about someone other than the 3 chase cars, but as others have pointed out, if you were a casual fan and did tune in by accident, you'd have no clue as to what was going on in the race. The camera work was a little better, but no context.
Useless stats, who cares? The chase, who cares? Doesn't matter until the end as Hamlin found out when he ran short on gas. Show the race, the rest will fall into place. If Marty is bored or lost, replace him. Allen is capable, heck, AB can call it from the seat where he is.
Allen in the booth next year, please, and someone in the truck who has a clue about racing so that we get decent camera shots. Reset the field after cautions and pit stops. Basic, basic stuff.
The surprise of the day was when they caught Rubby Gordon's spin LIVE. Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut.
I was following my driver on trackpass using pit command. As the race broadcasts get worse, this application is the main way that I follow the race. I tend to flip channels because I can't stand the commercials or the useless yakking with no information for long stretches of time.
The best thing about the race today -- the company here on TDP.
AR- have fun at the track next week -- hope that Team Eminem kicks butt in Nationwide - maybe a miracle will happen and the 24 will win the race at Homestead.
Sophia -- I think and AR will correct me if I am wrong that BGFE would be best girl friend ever.
One thing I forgot to say - I am glad that they don't censor the scanners at the track, I would be ticked. If you are offended or fear for what your children will hear, do not listen to the scanners. Personally, I would prefer the unedited version on trackpass since it is a paid for service.
I felt there was good coverage of what I wanted, that is the championship contenders. I wouldn't have been happy if time was spent on a battle for 23rd place, unless a chase contender was there. The race winner, and those drivers in contention was where the focus should be.
Gina
Thanks for the BGFE answer :)
John I think you are naive if you think the senior producer really has a say about who is calling the race. It goes much higher than that I am quite sure.
Not naive.....informed.
Some good camera work, but they missed alot. I again listened to the radio-it was an exciting race, according to them! I could see it in my mind, BUT I should be able to see it on my TV!! I am just tired of this season-never said that before. I know the chase is close, BUT I JUST WANT TO SEE A RACE!! Guess that's too much to ask at this point. Hate the story that BSPN won't deviate from.
Thanks JD for keeping alot of us fans sane w/this blog. God, I hope for BIG changes next yr.
This was the first time I ever moved NASCAR into second & replaced it with a NFL game. Congrats to espn if that is what they wished to accomplish with the so called coverage.
Boring booth yappers, and more wide shots, less Tim, more accurate info.
Same old complaints here.
I'm so glad when the season finally ends. Each year its the same old thing. Unless your driver is in chase contention little is said. I wonder if the 3 vying for champion combined has anywhere near the number of fans of lets say a Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart let alone Dale Jr. So espn every year opts to talk only about those in contention with little or nothing about the drivers with large fan bases. Espn chooses to alienate those fans. Why? It's obviously not what people want since the viewing numbers are way down. I just don't get it.
But I do think they did a better job this week than in the past weeks of calling the race. Well really they called 3 cars only for the most part so how difficult can it really be?
I saw the first 50 laps live, and set the DVR to watch the rest later. Johnson, Harvick & Hamlin got a lot of attention, but I figured it would die down. The broadcast had signs of hope...and then turned for the worse. The tight shots were painful, Marty's gloss has vanished and the results are not good.
Same old mess from Texas. Many changes need to be made in the offseason. The mess behind the camera has to be solved first. As for the people in front of the camera...
Third time is a charm for play-by-play, lets try Bestwick. Nicole Briscoe, Ricky Craven and Ray Evernham would be welcome full time additions to the Cup broadcasts in 2011. ESPN would only need to bring 10 people to the racetrack. 4 people would be cut.
Thumbs up for the NASCAR.com feed, they even blacked out all the commercials! Good stuff and I loathe NASCAR.com.
I'm convinced ESPN's over-preparation and over-analysis of things set up the booth to fail in the energy department. All three of those guys seem reluctant to talk for fear of saying the "wrong" thing. Like anything off-script. I've caught both Dale and Petree tentatively mentioning something happening off-screen and the director scrambling to find a shot. Improvisation seems unwelcomed by the truck.
They need to fix that.
I had to watch today's race outside of my home and miss the live blogging again. I don't think I can add much to Mr. Daly's assessment as it seems to cover exactly what I would have said about today's atrocious coverage. What I will add is that it is nice to have a little glimmer of hope for next year after reading the comments above regarding AB and the producer that is no longer there to stand in the way of taking his badly-needed place at the helm of the ESPN NASCAR booth.
Other than that...
GinaV24 said...
Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut.
Classic! XD
Did anybody watch WT tonight? A lady called in to say the tv only shows same 2 or 3 cars during the race. That could be why less are watching.
Then Mike Joy compared it to golf where they show the lead golfers?! SAY WHAT? They show way too much Tiger Woods and I LOVE it when he is not on the tournament. but comparing RACING to golf. I love Mr. Joy but not that example to excuse the coverage.
He said NASCAR is thinking about that everday.
NO I disagree as NOBODY on tv EVER says tv coverage stinks. Its all over blogs, and websites though. sigh.
Nobody gives a darn WHAT we think or how we feel.
It's just like Bengals owner Mike Brown. He and his family make MILLIONS every year on a lousy, losing team due to multiple layers of revenue. It's quite sad.
Yes a profit is important but when the almight dollar rules the sport above EVERYTHING including tv broadcasts and enjoyment, the sport will fade like Indycar :(
So some body tried to bring it up and I give props to the lady who did. A few were criticizing NASCAR and we really needed Despain on there!!
I don't really have a problem with ESPN covering the 48/11/29 to the exclusion of everyone else. It's one of those three for a championship, and all are deserving for different reasons. I don't like the Chase, but they got their wish and have manufactured the ultimate three-man battle royale for the big trophy. I like Montoya and Logano plenty, but even under the old points they are also-rans, and I am more interested in who will be named one of the rarest accomplishments in NASCAR: the title of champion.
I just wish they could get someone better than Marty Reid and Dale Jarrett to call the race. Andy is growing on me, but that booth is a dreadful team.
Many thanks to nascar.com for making the live feed available. I don't have ESPN, so it was great to catch the race online. That said, Marty, DJ, Andy and Tim just don't do it for me. My dream team in the booth would be AB, Ray E. and Ricky Craven.
I thought the pictures were ok. But a lot of the action was missed and the camera direction was a step behind all day as usual. Focus, of course, was mostly on the 3 guys with a chance to win the Chase. Too bad I'm not a fan of any of those guys.
It seemed the guys in the booth and pits got kinda lost towards the end of the race when it became obvious it would be a gas mileage finish. They weren't really prepared for that, because it didn't go along with the ESPN script. Seemed like there was a lot of guessing going on. Where's Larry Mac the with his calculator when you need him!
I don't really know what to say about the coverage overall this year. Of all the broadcast partners. There just seems to be a big disconnect as to what we the fans want to see and hear vs what the broadcasters think we want to see and hear. They just don't get it.
JD ...I couldn't even watch a second of today's coverage. will you do ESPN a favor and send them a few tapes of the SPEED crew doing a truck race!!!! I think it would help
Sophia:
I wonder why Despain had to take break now of all times too (the substitute hosts are never as smooth as he is, anyway), but look at it from this angle: Mike Joy, in a roundabout sort of way, just called ESPN's coverage as boring as golf.
Works for me :)
I saw WT and just shook my head at their lame defense of showing only 3 drivers. Imagine if they'd show only the faces of the quarterbacks during a football game.
I hope that when ESPN and NASCAR evaluate where things stand, they will really examine things like who they want to be their target audience and what they are really selling. If they're selling the championship, then go ahead and show only the leaders, but realize that the audience matching that will be small. If they're selling races, then present the whole picture to the entire fan base, making the championship secondary like dessert after a good meal.
It would seem to be pure common sense that when you want to raise TV ratings and race attendance, you need to be selling individual races, not the championship. That means each weekend, they must be focused on the whole race and all the drivers, because each and every driver has a chance to win that race and a loyal fan base who want to see it happen.
Also, it really bugs me that everyone involved knows full well that they're struggling with sponsorship. Almost every team has one or two main sponsors and it is imperative that they each get a little TV time. There wouldn't be a race at all without the sponsors, ALL OF THEM, and they need to receive something from their investment. It's in ESPN and NASCAR's best interests to help make that happen, because otherwise, the sponsors will leave and put their money toward other forms of advertising that produce better results.
Maybe the reason ESPN will never get it right is because "NASCAR is not a sport, it's a lifestyle." It cannot be treated like every other sport, and to cover it, they should put people who really know NASCAR in charge.
I refused to watch anything more then a few minutes of the pre race shows. I think I will throw up if I hear "The Chase" and "points" one more time.Or, have to endure another mindless interview with the top points leaders. Unfortunately, I did hear a few minutes of Rusty and Kenny Wallace. I, too, was surprised at the last few laps where they filled the screen with Bowyer getting gas for a LONG time, while the action on the track was on the little picture frames. Someone in the Truck must have thought that Bowyer was important??? Truth be known, I only listened/watched the last 30 laps. I did listen long enough to hear Marty Reids version of the English language. Does he ever listen to the goffy things he says?
I could run down all the things that were wrong with what I watched but I think I can best sum up ESPN's Nascar broadcast in 5 words: "There was a race yesterday?"
Mike Joy's golf reference makes sense. Coverage may be tilted in FedEx Cup play in golf towards the top four golfers since a win by any of the top four in Atlanta equals the title. NBA games involving Miami may focus more on the trio of James, Bosh, and Wade. But ESPN's lovefest of the same few drivers, and the results of the push off broadcast to cable, has been the same.
Since the regional MRN was moved off to a station I can't receive it's been horrible to be relegated to just television coverage. And when family decided watching Mandopop "singing" shows (with formats stolen from Endemol or Radio Television Luxembourg, and no licence money paid) on the computer next to the HDTV is relevant but not the race, what do you expect?
We didn't have any good NFL games to watch because Fox is relegated by mandate to a 1-7 team and CBS gave us TEN-MIA. No playoff-important games were on today. The only sporting events that I could alternate was the second half of the Conference USA Men's Soccer Championship on CBS College Sports (which Jim Hunter would probably have alternated watching too; seems his (and my own) alma mater has been "winning titles for Jim" this fall).
Speaking of RTL, don't forget today at 11 AM is the NASCAR episode of their signature show in the United States, "The Price Is Right" (CBS; cbs.com after 6 PM EST) with Clint Bowyer and Austin Dillon presenting the Showcase. Last year Carl Edwards did this. Hope CBS and RTL (which produces the show) makes this an annual habit of taping a NASCAR-themed "Price" every year.
The problem for me yesterday was that even the concentration on Chase drivers offered no solid information. No insights on strategy or tactics. If their goal is to attract new viewers how do they expect them to be interested when all they see and hear is a bunch of cars going around in circles? Since the coverage isn't targeted at long-time fans I have no idea who they are trying to attract. Do they just look at the races as time filler?
The one thing I know for sure is that it doesn't matter who they put in the booth to call the races, the directors/producers will strangle the life out of them. Remember how much energy and enthusiasm Marty had in the beginning? It's now obvious why Jerry Punch had no chance in that role. If you're a fan of Bestwick's hope that he isn't the next sacrificial lamb. He's too good of a guy to suffer that fate. I have to think that Marty wishes he had never accepted the role.
p.s. Hi there Pete!
I was totally lost. I don't watch the pre-race or post-race anymore. FOX killed any interest I had with the pre-race. And there is no post-race cover to speak of, so I'm off doing other things. I do not follow the race online. Computer and TV in totally different rooms and Not going to run back and forth. Coverage was horrible. I didn't even know that Newman came in second until I looked online this morning.
What a joke Nascar has become.
I hope Nascar knows they are litterly being laughed at in my work place by 20 and 30yr Nascar fans. Laughed at. Nascar has lost them - And they have simply found other things to do on Sunday.
Oh well, they were warned for years and now it's happened. Tons of empty seats and rating thru the floor.
Sophia - I watched part of WT last night, heard the caller you referred to and heard Mike Joy's non-answer followed up by Adam's carefully worded PC response.
Mike, it ain't golf! NASCAR fans follow THEIR driver regardless of where he is in the standings.
NASCAR needs to do more than think about it. Way past time for thinking.
At that point, I turned off WT in disgust. All these guys need to get a clue. If Gordon retired at the end of the season (which apparently he's not going to do), I'd walk away because I'm not having fun anymore, not at the track or watching the poor to bad coverage.
I'm thinking about flying to Miami for the championship race this weekend. The disadvantage of being at the track is that I won't know the "points as they run if the race ended now". The advantage of going to the track is that I won't know the "points as they run if the race ended now".
I tried to watch the prerace on
Speed to catch the Newman portion,
but gave up after 5 minutes of
K Wallace's babble and hand waving.
Tuned in the NFL at 1 and went to
Hot Pass drivers during the commercials until the last 50 laps.
It wasn't bad since my expectations
weren't to great; but I lost it
when they went to Brewer with 20
to go. It is beyond my scope of
comprehension that there is a single race fan in the world who
hasn't seen that gas pickup part
at least five times. It's all about their gadgets and props and
they could care less about the fans.
Show us the racing!
I don't want to hear from the pre-race crew during the race. I can hear the director saying ok Rusty go, Brad go, Ray go....I was yelling at the TV, Shut up already. I'd rather listen to Dale and Andy recap the race. Shut up Rusty, nothing you say is informative.
I've said it once, I'll say it again, ENOUGH with the split screen. STOP splitting my 40" tv into a 20" and 15" screen.
...anyone else wondering if Brad thinks LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan?
Really...8 championships vs 4 yet Chad is the greatest of all time? I think Chad is a genius, but that's ridiculous. The competition might not have been as tight, but Inman did it without computers, wind tunnels, 7 post machines, or engineers and all that data they were talking about on NASCAR Performance.
NASCAR just does not get it from the FANS perspective. Give us live action in the corner of the screen when going to LONG commercials during racing. This is not the NFL where live action is always there. If there is a commercial during a caution, take the entire screen as we do not care. TV coverage is KILLING NASCAR and destroying the number of fans viewing the race. TIME FOR CHANGE!
NASCAR needs to demand changes to the TV format. Have a portion of the screen dedicated to live racing when any station cuts to commercial breaks during live racing. No problem when we are under caution to take entire screen. If it were not for PRN or MRN, I would NOT continue to watch NASCAR on TV. Regardless of the poor coverage by the networks and your comments, the major problem with NASCAR RATINGS is the poor coverage and long commercials when we are left without live racing.
This is NOT the NFL where live playing is NEVER left. Always commercials during time outs or other interruptions.
GET IT RIGHT NASCAR to save the sport. Until then, we will lose more and more fans to the NFL!
Southern Conservative--it's *NASCAR* who won't allow the side by side commercials, saying it hurts their corporate sponsors. So someone needs to convince them first.
ESPN's coverage yesterday was another one to please, attract the casual and the stick and ball fans. The core fans that just want to see racing have been forgotten about. It will be better if Nascar just park the other 40 drivers for the homestead race since they don't exist to ESPN and let the 3 drivers go at each other. That way we know the there are only 3 drivers on the track racing.
JD you got more patience with E$PN than I do.
I only watch a race when convinent and that time i watch i only watch a few laps and little else. I wont watch NA$CAR or E$PN for that matter until thay get their heads out of their hine parts and make changes the fans truly want. The fans are the ones that matter or should matter to both NA$CAR and E$PN.
As for the announcers. Marty, I like you and you are a great guy, but you are killing fans with your cliches. Send him packing or demote him to the studio. As for Dale and Andy keep them they are a breath of fresh air, as with Dr. Jerry Punch on pit road. I want Bob Jenkins in the booth. I could care less if you do not like him, or he pooped in your soup. Race fans love him and he knows what he is doing. Put Bob in the booth and Marty out to pasture.
Once again, sorry Marty but your time has come and gone. Go back to NHRA or to the ESPN infield studios. You would be great at that.
I think E$PN and NA$CAR as a whole needs a complete overhaul. They are lick two peas in the pod. They do their business as they see fit, with no rhyme or reason. Brian France and Disney Co. has no business running NA$CAR and E$PN respectively, yet they do. Some shows on E$PN are not fit to watch and have well deserved low ratings and they hype sports uncontrollably.
E$PN needs to go back to their archives and watch the telecasts and they will see what we expect from sports telecasts.
As for NASCAR, don't get me started that is for another post.
Sorry for the long post, but your stories sum up well what we are experiencing. Again, thanks JD for providing fans to vent frustration about TV.
Oh, BTW E$PN and NA$CAR thinks our expectations are unrealistic.
I THINK NOT
If your favorite driver is Johnson, Hamlin, or Harvick, you liked the telecast. If your favorite driver was someone else, you didn't like the telecast.
I have been a NASCAR fan for 23 yrs. and I can honestly say this was the WORST RACE COVERAGE I have ever seen/heard. They really need to replace Marty Reid. They also need to realize that there was an entire field of cars out on that track, not just 4 (Carl Edwards wouldn't have been featured if he had not been the leader) . My driver was coming up thru the field very quickly but it wasn't until Rusty Wallace made mention of it that anyone even acknowledged it.
Come on now, there was probably a lot of good racing going on, but us folks at home, who had to rely on the TV coverage and never got to see any of it. That was the first time, I had come very close to changing the station. Instead, I left the room and just listened. I was furious. I know what the 99, 48, 11 and 29 cars look like. How could I not, that is all that was drilled into my head on Sunday.. BORING!!! TERRIBLE COVERAGE.. SICK OF LISTENING TO MARTY'S VOICE.
I am also sure that the sponsors on the other cars (who were never shown) are wondering if it is in their best interest to sponsor those cars in the coming years. NASCAR and ESPN better get their stuff together and start catering to the race fans or less people will be tuning in to the races on TV.
Sure there is a Championship going on but there was also a race which every TRUE race fan wants to see. I hope that the last race of the season (Homestead) will not be a repeat of this major screw up of Phoenix.
I'm a JJ fan and I still hated the coverage. I watch TV to see the race, I buy Pit Command to hear what goes on with the 48 specifically. It shouldn't be TV's responsibility to give me all JJ all the time, it is their responsibility to show me the race.
Also count me as someone who dislikes the sensoring of the scanner. I pay for this give me what I pay for. If you're worried about you kids turn it off until they are older or put on headphones.
I am sorry but this has been bugging me for a while now.
The site claims to be in touch with the insiders, but none of the suggestions are ever taken.
The site owner says he knows the Sr producer was the one calling the bad races. Well, he is gone, they still suck.
When Kenny Wallace said, you don't know the behind the scenes stuff, I can't tell you but trust me he iwas crucified.
The site owner hear says the same thing almost daily now and gets a free pass.
Sorry, something needs to change and I think it is us believing this site has any impact at all.
Anon,
You are pretty far off the mark. I don't "claim" anything.
This non-commercial blog was started in 2007 to follow the exploits of the new NASCAR TV partners as they entered into a multi-billion dollar contract.
We have documented the support programming, the live races and the news about those same NASCAR TV partners since that time.
Not quite sure if you remember some of the folks who did not get good reviews from the fans in the comments section so let me refresh your memory.
Erik Kuselias: Original NASCAR Now host. Removed from the show.
Doug Banks: Original NASCAR Now hosts. Dropped by the network.
Tim Cowlishaw: Original NASCAR Now studio analyst. Moved to other sports.
Brent Musburger: Original NASCAR on ESPN program host. Moved to other sports.
Suzy Kolber: First year infield studio host. Moved to other sports.
Chris Fowler: First year infield studio host. Moved to other sports.
Rusty Wallace: Original booth analyst. Moved to infield studio.
Dr. Jerry Punch: Original play-by-play broadcaster. Moved to pit road.
Jimmy Spencer: Original RaceDay on SPEED panelist. Moved to other projects.
The fans have pushed for a daily NASCAR news show on SPEED. That is on the air and called Race Hub.
Fans have pushed for social media access to more content. Most TV shows have Facebook and Twitter accounts and interact directly with fans.
Topics still in discussion: Streaming Sirius 128 online. Streaming TV coverage online. A new Monday NASCAR show on SPEED. A NNS support show on ESPN. A NCWTS support show on SPEED.
The current NASCAR TV partners have been supportive and continue to provide timely answers to any issues along with all the media relations support and news release material.
NASCAR has been great with news access, invitations to all media events and online access to the website for journalists.
I think that's pretty good for one guy and a band of fans who will simply not give up on the sport.
As for ESPN, they have lost both of their line producers and are clinging to a script that has produced nothing but lower ratings and angry fans.
As for Kenny Wallace, I am in touch daily with SPEED and have a blast with the information and news that they provide.
I have never passed along serious NASCAR TV network information without confirmation from my designated network source.
Since 2007 I have worked hard to make sure fans know when I am offering an opinion and when I am passing along news on a NASCAR media topic.
The premise of this site is simple. If you talk about something, it has the potential to change. If you pretend nothing is wrong than you can never affect change of any kind.
I'm going to keep offering NASCAR TV and media topics to get the discussion started. I hope you keep stopping by. That's kind of what makes this site work.
JD
JD
Sorry you had to take the time to respond to that most recent comment, but at the same time I was really glad that you laid out everything all of your efforts have led to over the past several years. It served as a reminder to how great your work has helped either the networks make changes or provide some sanity to us race fans who feel like we deserve the best coverage possible.
While I always post anonymously, I am proud to tell you that this is one of only a handful of bookmarked links that I make regular visits to. Just wanted to pass that along to let you know there are many people out here that you don't know as regulars that support and appreciate your efforts.
Unfortunately, I don't see any significant changes coming from the networks for the season finaly at Homestead. They havn't a clue as to which way to turn. Same old stale scripts. Same old stale hype. Not much more could be said that hasn't been already.
I'll throw this out there for what it is, but I believe significant change won't come until it comes from the man at the top.
Nascar, Espn, Fox, Speed all need to clean up there act. You don't get a lot of negativity about TNT becasue you only have them for 6-7 races a year. Not enough time to rub you the wrong way.
I don't think BZF has the stones his father or grand father had. I'm not real sure he even wants them, aside from $$$$$$$.
It's just a damn shame that it was peeking when he took over. Rode it for a couple years and has since then, taken it to where it currently is. Insisting on New York and Fortune 500 companies until he was almsot run out of town along with his race track. Almost same deal in Washington. You would think after the failed experiment in Fontana, somebody would have had 2nd thoughts.
You say what does this have to do with Network broadcasts? He brokered this current gazillion dollar networks contract that he uses as his propaganda medium to shove the Chase, COT, and the rest down our throats.
He alienated the blue collar folks, then the boomers along with their living parents. Here comes the Chase, the COT, dates lost at traditional venues. 2nd dates at other un-proven venues. I don't go to race tracks because a casino is close by. Some of the attendances I've seen this year, there was probably more people in the casino than the race track.
I apologize for standing on the soap box too long.
I have only recently started visiting this site, via the links on Jayski.
I find a large amount of people that have similar opinions, want to see and have things covered the way that I like.
Perhaps if we insist long enough, we might see some more positive change. At some point in time Nascar and the media should recognize that race fans like to be treated as people and not sheep.
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