Well What Do You Know....

[Ladskater]

Just for the heck of it I tuned into NBC to watch their coverage of the figure skating and what do you know, there was Sandra Bezic along with Dick Button covering the pairs event!!! Of course, NBC never showed any Canadian skaters, but what else is new there? Anyway, I think Sandara did okay. I prefer the CBC coverage with Paul Martini and Barb Underhill. NBC jumps back and forth too much - too chopped up.

 

[Rgirl]

ITA about NBC's choppy broadcasting. IT DRIVES ME CRAZY!!! Please forgive the yelling, but I guess NBC thinks this will keep people watching three and a half hours that includes 45 minutes of the sport you like scattered among sports you don't. I'm sure speed skating and skiing fans feel the same way about having to sit through figure skating. As I said in another post, I kept flipping back and forth every five minutes between the movies I wanted to watch and NBC.

I think networks could get away with chopped up coverage in the days pre-500 channel cable and satellite TV, but not now. I also said I think the Olympics is going to go the way of the Miss America pageant if they don't come up with a more cohesive way of broadcasting it. Pre-cable, the Olympics used to be the best thing on when it came around. No more. NBC: This is no way to run an Olympics.

I say hand the Olympics over to Donald Trump's "Apprentice" group to overhaul as a project. NBC has its head stuck in the early '80s.

If NBC could get Dick, why not Peggy? Why not Suzy Wynn? I know, I know. It's just that I find Bezic sooooo annoying. She and Dick don't have a relationship or a rhythm and, oooooh, I just find Bezic so yukky. Maybe it's just me, but there's something about her voice and demeanor that comes across as snobby.

Actually, this whole deal where one network covers all of figure skating except when the Olympics roll around is just silly to me. I realize the Winter Olympics don't rise and set on figure skating, but how about loaning out all the commentators from ABC/ESPN who do figure skating? They are the ones who've been traipsing around the world to all the GPS competitions, seeing who's on a hot streak, who's not, who might surprise us in a positive way, and who might surprise us in a way we'd never want to see, not to mention all the human interest stories about the skaters. People subcontract all the time. Why not the ABC/ESPN figure skating commentators to cover FS at the Winter Olympics?

Sorry for the rant. Between SLC and the way Sandra handled the pairs scandal, and NBC's addiction to hip-chop coverage, I'm cranky. :scowl:

Rgirl

 

[sk8fanconvert]

ITA. all I can say is I really REALLY appreciate my tivo now. I actually like seeing many of the winter sports. How fun is luge?!! But breaking it all up is sooo annoying.

ITA about NBC's choppy broadcasting. IT DRIVES ME CRAZY!!! Please forgive the yelling, but I guess NBC thinks this will keep people watching three and a half hours that includes 45 minutes of the sport you like scattered among sports you don't. I'm sure speed skating and skiing fans feel the same way about having to sit through figure skating. As I said in another post, I kept flipping back and forth every five minutes between the movies I wanted to watch and NBC.

I think networks could get away with chopped up coverage in the days pre-500 channel cable and satellite TV, but not now. I also said I think the Olympics is going to go the way of the Miss America pageant if they don't come up with a more cohesive way of broadcasting it. Pre-cable, the Olympics used to be the best thing on when it came around. No more. NBC: This is no way to run an Olympics.

I say hand the Olympics over to Donald Trump's "Apprentice" group to overhaul as a project. NBC has its head stuck in the early '80s.

If NBC could get Dick, why not Peggy? Why not Suzy Wynn? I know, I know. It's just that I find Bezic sooooo annoying. She and Dick don't have a relationship or a rhythm and, oooooh, I just find Bezic so yukky. Maybe it's just me, but there's something about her voice and demeanor that comes across as snobby.

Actually, this whole deal where one network covers all of figure skating except when the Olympics roll around is just silly to me. I realize the Winter Olympics don't rise and set on figure skating, but how about loaning out all the commentators from ABC/ESPN who do figure skating? They are the ones who've been traipsing around the world to all the GPS competitions, seeing who's on a hot streak, who's not, who might surprise us in a positive way, and who might surprise us in a way we'd never want to see, not to mention all the human interest stories about the skaters. People subcontract all the time. Why not the ABC/ESPN figure skating commentators to cover FS at the Winter Olympics?

Sorry for the rant. Between SLC and the way Sandra handled the pairs scandal, and NBC's addiction to hip-chop coverage, I'm cranky. :scowl:

Rgirl

 

[Jhar55]

NBC Coverage STINKS they have 4 networks they are using and should be able to give us 24-7 coverage of all the games but their not. You might get one sport coverage exp yeatarday hockey was on CNBC when it was over it went to USA then to another channel. With all the sports going on they could be showing more with a different sport on each network. , wrong. Guess what today they are covering Nascar on NBC the Bud Pole, then tonight they they are showing The Bud Shoot Out that was rained out last night. They need to send that over to the Speed Channel. My first choice is the Skating but I also enjoy the other events when skating is not on.

 

[76olympics]

Rgirl, you took the words right out of my mouth. I just never could bear Bezic's commentary; I am sure she is a nice person off the mike. But- she is a downer in the booth. She was steamrolling right over Dick at times in a very disrespectful way ( hey, I wanted to hear what he had to say and his resume trumps hers in spades-though I know she was a pairs skater.) This is just my opinion, but I wish she wasn't there...

I think he was right on re: Z and Z's short program; it looked choppy and rough to me.

 

[SkateFan4Life]

Just for the heck of it I tuned into NBC to watch their coverage of the figure skating and what do you know, there was Sandra Bezic along with Dick Button covering the pairs event!!! Of course, NBC never showed any Canadian skaters, but what else is new there? Anyway, I think Sandara did okay. I prefer the CBC coverage with Paul Martini and Barb Underhill. NBC jumps back and forth too much - too chopped up.

From what I understand, CBC did not cover Inoue and Baldwin, who just happened to make history with the first-ever throw triple axel. NBC did cover all of the medal contenders, and of course aired the American pairs, and why not. After all, this is American television, geared at an American audience. I am sure that the American corporations who purchased their very expensive television advertisements did so with the expectation that American athletes would be shown, wherever possible and appropriate.

I am sure that if any of the Canadian pairs were medal contenders, NBC would have showed their performances. They certainly did mention the judging scandal of 2002, and they highly praised the skating of Sele and Pelletier in this segment.

As for Bezic, I would like to place a muzzle on that woman's mouth. She is insufferable, in my opinion, and I am not alone in that view. OK, she was an Olympic pairs competitor, which is a considerable accomplishment, but that doesn't give her license to be snobby and arrogant. She shows absolutely no respect for anyone but her own opinions. I would gladly purchase a plane ticket to send her home to Toronto.

 

[STL_Blues_fan]

Sorry, NBC rocks in comparison to CBC coverage of the short. I would much rather see the top 8 then just the top four plus the Canadians. NBC always shows the top competitors plus the Americans, so if the Canadians would've been in the top 8 or so, I am sure we would've seen them. No Canadian bias here. Why would they show somebody who placed outside of top 10? Did CBC show any Americans, even though a first ever triple axel throw was done by the American pair of John Baldwin and Rena Inoe? Of course not.

I wish annoying Sandra Bezic would be in Turin only as a spectator. That is one biased person. I have to admit that she did tone down.

I the chopped up coverage doesn't bother me as much. This way I got to see the luge, modul, speed skating, etc...I got myself a DVD recorder so if I am not watching the coverage live I could watch FS uninterupted.

 

[emma]

I saw the Canadians on CBC and the Russians twice because I switched back to NBC...anyway, who cares what I saw!!! I hated the choppy NBC coverage even though I appreciate that they showed the top skaters....it's just you loose that competition feeling and flow, and ability to compare on the spot, when it's split over so many hours and different events.

 

[Serena]

It bugged me, too. I mean, I like watching a lot of the other events, but it'd be less of a pain not to chop it up. Also, top 8 plus H/P is better than we get at say, Worlds, but I'd still like to see more.