How many of you would care...

[Eeyora]

I would be upset. I would cry for days. It is the only figure skating coverage I get..Although I can download some Figure Skating Videos. I still can't figure out rinkside.

There is worse than Terry Gannon, that guy who covered Cup of China, Dick Enberg, Tom Hammond, That Women who used to do Fox, Al Trautwig

 

[iluvtodd]

I would be very upset if there were no more figure skating coverage on TV. It bothers me that most of it was on ESPN, since that's unfair to people who don't have cable service for whatever reason. Better that it be on ESPN than not at all, but I really long for the days when ABC covered it more fully. Case in point - my favorite Worlds to date is still Worlds 1996. I was watching the men's finals, & ABC showed the top two flights of men live! That's the way I want to see competition!

I missed Dick Button at Worlds. I know he can be caustic at times, but he cracks me up with his "Buttonisms," & I've learned a lot from him. I don't mind Terry Gannon at all. In fact I like him, & he's easy on the eyes.

 

[Doggygirl]

Having figure skating on TV is the best way the American audience has to see the sport. The problem is in the programming of it.

There are several types of viewers who may or may not watch the sport:

1. Don't like it viewers. Over and out.
2. Viewers who like it for the children in their household
3. Viewers who get caught up it in but would not watch it religiously
4, Viewers who really like the sport and know the contestants, but never know when it is being shown.
5. Hard core fans of figure skating.

Given the above how would you program a contest in order to bring in the most viewers to satisfy the advertisers?

I'm sorry but this is a business question - not a skating question.


Joe

These are just my questions / speculations:

First and foremost, I'd be interested in what the USFSA is doing to promote FS in general. At the end of the day, driving the popularity of a sport isn't really the job of the media, it's the job of the head of the sport. I know the USFSA is involved in developing events, media contracts, etc. but I don't know any details. And I also have NO clue what is going on at the local level to promote participation and interest in figure skating. Do little girls still clammor for Santa to bring them a pair of skates for Christmas? How are sales of skates? How are lesson programs going? I'm just curious about whatever trends someone may know about at the grass roots level.

1. This category of people I wouldn't even worry about for now if I was the USFSA and media.
2. This seems to call for market research - is there an audience worth capturing, and what kind of promotion, programming, time slots would it take? Since Disney is in the mix here, they should know a lot about how to understand and capture this audience.
3. On the surface, this might be a group where airing competition re-runs at a prime viewing time not in conflict with other major sporting events would work. Of course for a "take it or leave it" crowd, advertising would be important I think.
4. This sounds like an advertising problem.
5. The die hard fans are the folks like us I think. We don't want to miss a thing. ESPN missed our mark this time around due to long delays in airing the events.

At the end of the day for ABC/ESPN it's Advertising income minus production costs = profit. IMO the format for presenting FS on TV hasn't changed much over several years. It's the top handful of skaters in each event + Fluff + commentary. Is the format and coverage still valid? Are there ways that production costs could be decreased while maintaining a size of audience to increase profits?

I'm not a TV producer, but I'm guessing one of the reasons ESPN can make a profit showing a poker tournament is that production costs are substantially lower than covering a FS event, therefore less advertising income is required (so lower viewership is OK) and they still make a profit.

Is ABC/ESPN doing 100% of their own camera work? (don't know) If so, could they reduce costs by purchasing the TV feeds from the local TV station to the event, and commentating from home? (rather than sending Peggy, Dick, Kimmie, Terry and the whole gang to the actual event?)

More questions than answers on the business side.

DG

 

[Jhar55]

I'd care very much if there were no skating on TV.
As for Terry I like him give the man a break his background is basketball.
As for ESPN, come on yeaterday they had Curling on now how big of a viewer ship was that??? About the only time you ever hear of curling is during the Olympics. So ESPN, ABC and all the other networks who don't think we care about skating GIVE US A BREAK!!!!!! I don't think other sports would put up with their game being showed 2 or 3 weeks afterwards..

 

[R.D.]

I'd care very much if there were no skating on TV.
As for Terry I like him give the man a break his background is basketball.
As for ESPN, come on yeaterday they had Curling on now how big of a viewer ship was that??? About the only time you ever hear of curling is during the Olympics. So ESPN, ABC and all the other networks who don't think we care about skating GIVE US A BREAK!!!!!! I don't think other sports would put up with their game being showed 2 or 3 weeks afterwards..

But do you know if that curling event was shown live? I have this weird feeling skating is not the only event that is shown with a delay. I hardly know of the tons of other sports ESPN shows. A lot of them are repeats and I'm sure that other than the football, basketball, baseball and racing games/tournaments that much of the stuff they show is delayed coverage (I could be wrong though).

Also that ticker/sound and scores...they do that for EVERY sport BTW.

I hardly see ESPN changing their ways now. A petition will have to be started to have any kind of impact on their coverage, IMO.

 

[Vash01]

I'd care very much if there were no skating on TV.
As for Terry I like him give the man a break his background is basketball.
As for ESPN, come on yeaterday they had Curling on now how big of a viewer ship was that??? About the only time you ever hear of curling is during the Olympics. So ESPN, ABC and all the other networks who don't think we care about skating GIVE US A BREAK!!!!!! I don't think other sports would put up with their game being showed 2 or 3 weeks afterwards..

I would not give Terry a break just because his background is basketball. Either his employer needs to find a replacement that has the right skills or train him in FS (I don't mean getting on the ice; just understanding how a viewer enjoys the sport) - or Terry needs to train himself, using all his contacts. There is no excuse for talking endlessly during a skating program. The Canadian announcers don't do that, so why should the US viewers be subjected to this?

All he has to do is limit himself to what is happening at that point on the ice, and talk about silly things that have nothing to do with the program. That does not take a lot of background or training.

I agree he is not the worst color commentator, but that is not saying much.

Vash

 

[R.D.]

Didn't someone mention that it's not Terry's doing, it's the producer who is whispering in his ear to say something? IIRC, the producer(s) is/are to blame for this, not Terry.

 

[Ladskater]

...if ESPN just stopped showing skating altogether?

I hear many people on this forum and other forums who live in the U.S. complaining about ESPN's skating coverage this year, and searching for other broadcasts. So, I just want to ask, in the future would you just prefer to search online, and have/let ESPN stop showing skating? If no one wants to watch their coverage, will anyone care if they don't show it AT ALL?

Just a question...some food for thought...

I am not sure that I receive the ESPN channel or not. I always watch skating via the CBC which is fantastic coverage or CTV which used to be great coverage, but has somewhat paled over the years. Anyway, as long as CTV and CBC keep broadcasting it does not matter to me.

 

[dizzydi7]

Would you care?

Yes, I would care. Count me among the people who say "better ESPN than no coverage at all". I'll admit I'm desperate for any coverage of competitive figureskating. I'll gladly watch it two weeks after the competition takes place.

I don't know what happened to the popularity of figureskating. I'm hoping that the upcoming Olympics might help to jumpstart new interest. My fingers are crossed.

Dizzy

 

[nicole_l]

Terry's awesome. He isn't a figure skater so he can't give all sorts of technical knowledge to the audience, but he has a basic understanding of what's going on and he's a great commentator.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Terry's awesome. He isn't a figure skater so he can't give all sorts of technical knowledge to the audience, but he has a basic understanding of what's going on and he's a great commentator.

Terry does as good a job as anyone of those fans who have never done any figure skating in their lives and yet post their opinions on figure skating boards. He is a gentleman and never puts a skater from any country down. My problem with Terry and this could be the networks fault is that his voice should be more in a whisper like those two blokes who do the golf.

Joe

 

[Mathman]

The more I think about this, the more clear it becomes that this year's television coverage has pretty much completed the job of destroying figure skating as a televised spectator sport in the U.S.

A warmed-over rehash of a contest that has been over and done with for a week -- that is not a competition, that's a show. And frankly, the Kristi Yamaguchy and Brian Boitano "Salutes" are better.

I did not watch the Worlds coverage at all on ABC. What would have been the point? I am not really into pretending not to be spoiled just to trick myself into thinking that a figure skating competition was actually being contested, when it wasn't.

Do you know what the hottest "sport" on TV is right now? Poker. That's because the contest really does hang in the balance at each turn of the card. It's exciting. We don't know who is going to win. Its got that thrill of victory, agony of defeat thing going on.

The only fun I have had with figure skating this year is going to live contests. I guess that's why I like the December cheesefest so much. I get to go to it. It's exciting. Victory or defeat depends on the next Salchow, not on something that happened last week. TV coverage has been so boring that I have sought out lower level shows and competitions at local figure skating clubs that I can go to -- they have been great.

With the ESPN and ABC coverage, there has just been less and less to tempt anyone to turn on the TV, in my humble opinion.

Mathman

 

[Vash01]

Terry's awesome. He isn't a figure skater so he can't give all sorts of technical knowledge to the audience, but he has a basic understanding of what's going on and he's a great commentator.

He has a terrible habit of incessantly talking during a performance, about things that are totally unrelated to the performance. For example, during B&S's skate in the 2002 GPF he went on and on and on about what B&S must be thinking......I know he cannot read minds. Why not let the viewer watch the program? There are plenty of other examples. You can't blame everything on a producer. I agree he is not the only one; Verne Lundquist (CBS) was equally bad. Tom Hammond on NBC was worse. He even sounded bad when he did not say anything.... LOL

Vash

 

[Tonichelle]

I would. I enjoy watching skating, I don't care how old it is.

Considering it's a job I wouldn't mind having sometime in the future I HOPE THEY KEEP IT.

Whether it meets certain people's standards or not, Doug Wilson works his BUTT off during this coverage. And I would be very disappointed if ESPN went and got even more stupid and got rid of it all together!

 

[Kasey]

I would care. Simply, because then we would have nothing, but occasional figure skating shown every four years (yes, at the Olympics). I'm old enough to remember "Wide World of Sports" on the weekend, and they would show a variety of sports, different and interesting (or not so interesting) things like bobsled, cross-country skiing, triathalon, etc. How often do you see any of those on television now? I don't want figure skating to go the way of bobsled and triathalon on the television! I would love for them to expand their coverage, of course, and show more skaters, and more events (like, SHORT programs, and Compulsory/Original dance).....but they sure as heck won't be doing that if we have nothing.

Besides, I still like to actually SEE a competition, even if it's two weeks later, so I can see for myself whether the "wuzrobbing" crap is true...most of the time I think not!

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Besides, I still like to actually SEE a competition, even if it's two weeks later, so I can see for myself whether the "wuzrobbing" crap is true...most of the time I think not!

Have you seen any competitions where there were or was a few cases of wuzrobbed? If you have and it doesn't matter to you, it does hurt the skater(s) in question. They work very hard all year to skate their best. If the judges overlook what they did, it hurts! Much of this takes place in the lesser tier groups but there have been a few that I've seen in the top tier groups.

Skate Dance, of course, is a complete farse,imo.

Joe

 

[Mathman]

I don't think Kasey is saying that she doesn't care, only that most of the time the judges do their jobs in a competent and professional manner. I agree with this, for the most part. Most of the Internet wuzrobbin' is by partisan fans letting off steam because their favorite didn't win.

It's funny what we see, or think we see. At a football game the fullback crashes into the line and is stopped right at the goal line. Fifty thousand people on one side will swear to their dying day that he scored, and fifty thousand fans of the other team absolutely, positivelty saw him down at the one inch line. Showing a dozen replays from various angles only cements each side's prejudice.

What is a poor figure skating fan to do? My girl skated beautifully. Didn't you see that wobbly edge your girl had on the landing of her triple Salchow?

Mathman

 

[Doggygirl]

On the news this AM...

I heard that the Miss America Pageant is having trouble finding a network to air it. I don't know if there are any similarities to the popularity, or lack thereof to FS or not. But I just found it interesting that years ago every little girl and her mother on the planet (well, I'm sure not EVERY one) was glued to the set for this American Dream. Not so any more.

Any similarities?

DG

 

[Kasey]

Have you seen any competitions where there were or was a few cases of wuzrobbed? If you have and it doesn't matter to you, it does hurt the skater(s) in question. They work very hard all year to skate their best. If the judges overlook what they did, it hurts! Much of this takes place in the lesser tier groups but there have been a few that I've seen in the top tier groups.

Skate Dance, of course, is a complete farse,imo.

Joe

Wow, thanks for the attack!

FOR THE RECORD, since it seems I have to greatly define my comment...I was talking about the fan/fanatics of certain skaters who will cry "Wuzrobbed" any time someone else happens to do better....God forbid someone BEAT their favorite. That is the "Wuzrobbing" I was talking about, from FANS, not skaters themselves. I have great respect for every skater, of any level who is able to compete internationally, or nationally even, because they sure as hell are doing better than me. Please keep off my butt. I feel like I've just been FSU-ed at Golden Skate! Yikes.

 

[Mathman]

Oops, I meant "Kasey" on my previous post. (Edited now.)

Doggygirl, that's such an interesting observation about the Miss America contest. (Did you know I was in the Miss America pageant in 1963? This is true.)

I think that Title Nine (the law that says schools have to give equal opportunities to women's and girl's sports programs), combined with the feminism of the 1970s, has done its work. If you look at women's sports, there is no "powder puff" football any more. Women's tennis, basketball, volleyball, etc., play almost by the same rules as men, and with just as much muscle and vigor.

The sport of cheerleading, for instance, has progressed from eye candy to serious team gymnastics over the last 40 years.

Maybe we are seeing the same thing happening in figure skating. The days are numbered when its major appeal to (male) fans is a micro skirt that flips up with every turn.

But the downside is that now figure skating has to compete with other serious sports for its fan base. Look how thrilling the Master's golf tournament was yesterday, with Tiger's ball hanging on the lip of the cup through two or three verses of the Hallelujah Chorus, before dropping in for a birdie. That's what figure skating has to be able to match.

Mathman