Hughes reporting Olympic events for CBS 2 in NY | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Hughes reporting Olympic events for CBS 2 in NY

Joined
Jun 21, 2003
No offense taken on my part, Dog. I do not know Sarah personally, or any other elite skater. For me, figure skating is my retreat into never-never land where everybody is sweet and nice.:)

Mathman
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
LOL...skating is like that for me too, Mathman. I like to imagine everyone is sweet as sugar....it makes it easier to root for them. But, seeing that most of us only know Sarah from interviews, news reports, etc. I can't see how she could be viewed as anything but a nice, down-to-earth girl. We have no evidence that would indicate she isn't a sweetheart.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
We have no evidence that would indicate she isn't a sweetheart.

I think there were some not-so-flattering rumours circulating concerning SH after her win at the Olympics (I use this word because I don't think there were confirmations) ...I forgot most of them, but I think one was about SH and COI (her wanting/demanding the spotlight, some negative comments from her, etc.) and she took a lot of heat from some people for that. Another was I think at some skating event where she blew off some people wanting autographs (maybe she had somewhere to go or something). Again, I say rumours because I don't know if these are true or not, but that said, I would venture to agree with you all and assume that she is very "down-to-earth" and approachable.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Can anyone in NYC give us a sort of report on her stories? I'd be curious to know...
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Red Dog said:
Can anyone in NYC give us a sort of report on her stories? I'd be curious to know...

I did just that yesterday, Reddog. It's 7 or 8 posts above this. Michael Phelps may be the American Hero by the end of the Swimming Events. Sarah is indeed a nice girl but she didn't get the drama involved in that. She willl eventually. Delivery is everything in Broadcasting. It's not for everyone. Give her a chance.

Joe
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
OK, I see your post.

Joesitz said:
She actually appeared in the NYC Channel2 CBS 5pm News. She looked nice but spoke yet like a little girl. Voice coaches can deepen her voice. However, and unfortunately, she read the fluff piece on Michael Phelps without any pizzaz.

Phelps has the burden of winning the same number of medals as Spitz. Not easy. He will be the STAR of this Olympics if he wins 7 medals and there is talk of 8.. Sarah did not get into the drama which is unfolding., but she's in a position to improve. She has many chances before going back to school.

Joe

Interesting. Her specialty isn't broadcasting/reporting, so I wouldn't expect her to deliver like a pro on the first attempt. But it sounds like she did a good job, considering what she is covering. Does she have correspondents or is she the only one reporting on the Olympics?

ETA: MM- I just saw your post count...2006...hmm...is that a sign of anything to come? ;)
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Red Dog said:
I think there were some not-so-flattering rumours circulating concerning SH after her win at the Olympics (I use this word because I don't think there were confirmations) ...I forgot most of them, but I think one was about SH and COI (her wanting/demanding the spotlight, some negative comments from her, etc.)
Here is a discussion from the USFSA site about the problems that Sarah and her dad had with the 2003 COI tour.

http://board.usfigureskating.org/default.asp?action=9&fid=3&read=4237&FirstTopic=60&LastTopic=79

As I remember the flap about the 2002 tour, it wasn't so much Sarah as Alexei Yagudin. IIRC, Sarah was the headliner (i.e, the last to skate) at all of the shows that she participated in. THe last part of the tour, sarah dropped out to concentrate on the new season, and Michelle was given the favored spot. Yagudin gave an interview to a Russian publication grousing about the fact that he, not Michelle, was the Olympic champion, and he felt that he had been dissed by Tom Collins. (Yagudin and Collins has "issues" anyway, LOL.)

About singing autographs, I think Kristi (one of the most universally loved skaters of all time) has the reputation that if she agrees to be available to sign autographs for 1 hour, that means 60 minutes and you better not come late, LOL.

Mathman
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Ah, here it is...someone's post from that board:

I believe that part of the problem was that the Hugheses expected Sarah to be the headliner on the Tour, as she had been after the Olympic season. Collins did not want to commit to that, and that became an "unresolved issue". Another issue might have been the per-show rate. The $300,000 Sarah signed for in COI 2002 was for 30 shows at $10,000/show. Maybe Collins wanted Sarah to do more than 30 shows for COI 2003 with the same payout, which would have meant a lower per-show rate.

I recall that after the Olympics, Collins wanted to sign Sale/Pelletier, but they were demanding $25,000/show, and Collins refused to negotiate with them, saying that was far more than headliner Hughes was making.

There was a much longer thread on another forum that was much nastier than this one...people were quick to jump on Sarah for this mishap.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
"COI is like a big, happy family. No one is more important than anyone else, no one gets any special favors, and all the performers are stars of equal magnitude.

"But Michelle skates last." :laugh:
 

NorthernLite

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
All that stuff about Sarah wanting the spotlight, more money, whatever, was never credible. I think the last thing she wanted to do in the spring of 03 was skate. She wanted out of touring to enjoy her last few months of high school. But of course some haters back then had to turn it into all that nasty gossip which unfortunately keeps getting repeated.
 

guinevere

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
I will be in New York (NYC and Long Island) visiting family during most of the Olympics - I hope I get to see Sarah (on tv, duh)!

guinevere
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
That was a nice article on Sarah, but I am surprised that she was picked for the summer Olympics........wouldn't her expertise be skating and the winter Olympics? Usually, when doing "color commentating", past champs and participants are plugged into the sport they participated in, a sport they have experienced. Who would want Bruce Jenner covering synchronized swimming? 42
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Yep, big difference I guess, but she's still in front of the camera "reporting" on a sport I assume she knows less about than skating........oh well, if Terry Gannon can do it, I guess.............42
 

NorthernLite

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
When did Bob Costas play baseball? When did Phil Hersh and Christine Brennan skate? Many commentators, reporters and TV hosts have never played *any* sport at a high level, let alone the one they're covering. Tune in to a hockey, football or basketball game. At least one of the commentators is a pro broadcaster who wasn't an athlete; the other *might* be a jock who played that sport. And I can't think of any print sportswriters who played pro sports.
I've also read that for these Games NBC is using many athletes to commentate on sports they have an interest in but is not their primary sport.
So, as I've said, this "local" reporting gig is an excellent first broadcasting experience for Sarah that could lead to other (network) opportunities, if she's interested. In the meantime, she gets to have a great experience in Athens, as a followup to her great experience in SLC. If she wasn't such a nice person, I'd be jealous. :D (As it is, I'm happy for her.)
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
My point is, why the "summer" games and not the "winter" games. It seems at least they could plug her into the event she has credentials for. Bob, Phil, and Christine, I am guessing, didn't do reporting for such a big event when they were nineteen.......but then again, they didn't have an Oly medal either.... :D 42
 

euterpe

Medalist
Joined
Sep 4, 2003
Sarah is working for CBS, not for NBC, which is actually presenting the Games. So there is no chance whatsoever that she'll do any commentating. She will READ competition results and perhaps human interest stories about some of the athletes, that's all.

She may be hoping that this experience will yield an offer from NBC to do commentary for Torino.
 

show 42

Arm Chair Skate Fan
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
She may be hoping that this experience will yield an offer from NBC to do commentary for Torino.

Thanks euterpe.........that's makes more sense..........42
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Lots of comments on this thread. Let me join in with 2 more cents.

Terry has learned skating over the years as much a many posters have who have never skated in competition. Hi purpose on reporting is to represent the uninformed with his sometimes awkward comments and his questions. I think he could spot the different jumps and certainly the air rototations. Not unlike others who have never skated competitions.

Sarah looks to me as though she is reading copy. I haven't seen or heard any off the cuff remarks from her. When reading copy one must develop good delivery. or the writer will be furious. At least that is the way it is taught in Media Journaslism 102. It takes time to develop good delivery. Barbara Walters had a tough time reading the news unless she wrote it herself. So she left the anchor post and went into interviewing.

I doubt this will lead Sarah to the Olys because I believe NBC has the Olys. Am I correct?

Joe
 
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