NBC or ABC, Who is the Better U.S. Broadcaster?

Sorry, but you're wrong. Killing ALL the fluff is bad for skating, as I've outlined repeatedly. Incomprehensible scoring + no insight into the competitors = continuing decling in ratings. Someone mentioned putting them on Icenetwork. That's interesting, but 2 problems:

- Icenetwork has never done any kind of well-produced backstory piece like ABC
- Icenetwork makes you pay for most of the videos. If someone subscribes to IN, they are already fans of skating.

Here's an interesting new article talking about the continued ratings slide. He implies that the "barebones" NBC coverage of Nationals, sans fluff, was because they just don't care to spend the money on producing it, since the money isn't coming in. Makes sense to me. Actually he suggests NBC may dump skating after 2010. Looks like we might be in an unrecoverable nosedive...

Well, to be fair, in the current economic situation everyone is scaling back. Fox Sports, for instance, is dumping its pregame show for the 2009 MLB baseball season and will just begin its MLB telecasts with the opening pitch. ESPN, I believe, is dumping some WNBA and MLS coverage as well.

I agree with Hersh on dumping skating post-2010, and I even suggested it myself earlier in this thread. If US ladies' skaters continue to struggle into Vancouver, and don't win any medals, non-Olympic skating coverage could very well disappear completely from US TV. Or, NBC may choose to keep the contract but air fewer hours of Nationals, maybe only 2 hours like they're doing for Worlds and SA.

As for ratings, NBC needs to get all its affiliates to actually show the event if it wants the highest possible ratings. It may not have turned out to make that much of a difference, but still. Pre-empting a smaller event like Skate America is one thing, but if US Skating Nationals is considered a "prime time event", one'd think that all major affiliates and most small ones would bother to show it. I think that says a lot right there. On that topic...does anyone remember any major ABC affiliates pre-empting prime-time Nationals coverage? (please note, I'm not referring to technical difficulties here...I'm referring to outright dumping it to show another program in its place)

Strangely enough, the ratings for the ladies' event aren't all THAT much higher than those for the other disciplines. Luckily, there seems to be the emergence of Universal Sports which might take on skating, which would be great for those who actually do get that channel.

Fluff pieces aren't going to boost ratings. As RD pointed out - NBC needs to do a better job at getting everyone to show it, for one, and they need to do a better job of hyping it up in their ads leading up to it.

Their ad with Mirai saying "Will the champions of old repeat, or will there be a new generation" was just stupid. She IS the new generation.

NBC needs a better understanding of how the sport works NOW. Not 15 years ago when they last broadcasted a World championships - ie get to know the CoP. You don't have to love it, or even like it, but you should get to know it. And quit pushing the disipline that isn't delivering and hasn't been for some time - this is another part of getting to know your sport. The US is making a splash in Ice Dance in a big way and it's a footnote in the broadcasts?? And since Tanith Belbin isn't on the ice it's not worth coverage, I don't think so.

If NBC would take the sport seriously as a sport and not a bunch of pretty people on the ice we might get somewhere. Fluff pieces aren't the way to accomplish that.

Their ad with Mirai saying "Will the champions of old repeat, or will there be a new generation" was just stupid. She IS the new generation.

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wait...they had HER say that?? I missed it. Anyone got a link to a video?

If NBC would take the sport seriously as a sport and not a bunch of pretty people on the ice we might get somewhere. Fluff pieces aren't the way to accomplish that.

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I think they COVER it more like a "sport" than ABC did. More straight-up coverage and less filler time. I must agree about the ads, but hey, it's more promotion than ABC or ESPN ever did.

no not Mirai saying it *facepalm*

Still though...video?

P.S. an aside but is that you in your avy and sig?

I don't think they're on youtube, and I don't have the ability to put that type of stuff up there, but I'll try to find it... I know I paraphrased/misquoted what they really said, but it was what they implied that was just so innane.

and yes the ugly fat chick in the sig is me.

They both suck, but at least ABC had Dick & Peggy over Sandra and Scott, so I'll give it to them.

What stations should do is not chop up the competition into incomprehesible pieces, but rather show the whole skate and include RELEVANT commentary. The judging system is not new anymore, and they are commentators - it's their JOB to have insight about it and be aware of how to explain it. Paul Wylie & Tracy Wilso are very good at this; other commentators should follow their lead. If it has nothing to do with the performance - shut up. Tracy did some fluff piece on base value and GOE on Evan's and Jeremy's 3A that was brief, useful and informational. During last year's TEB, I remember Paul doing some very good commentating - he was soft spoken enough to not ruin the performance but not enough to be boring and he had great knowledge about the judging system.

COP is here to stay, whether we like it or not - so why not educate the audience about it instead of whining and blathering on about not understanding it (Sandra & Scott!)?

I don't think fluff is a bad thing - I watch a lot of tennis and they always have fluff bits - but show it during the warmups or ice resurfacings rather than cutting out performances.

I don't think fluff is a bad thing - I watch a lot of tennis and they always have fluff bits - but show it during the warmups or ice resurfacings rather than cutting out performances.

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it's not necessarily bad in itself; in fact, it can be informative if used correctly. They just need to know when to show it and what to show.

As for commentators, maybe NBC should start looking for a new skating broadcast team. Problem is, those commentators that are knowledgeable about the system are doing Canadian TV. Of course, you can always tell your current team to learn more about the system, but I don't think it would help as much as some would think. As long as your team thinks the old system was better, or less confusing, it won't matter how much they know about the new system- it'll show in their commentary.

Another thing I prefer about NBC is that they don't talk during exhibition performances. ABC did this and it really bugged me because there's nothing to talk about if it's not being judged. It's for the audience's entertainment for COL.