tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post8631817394087620207..comments2024-03-28T18:01:28.997-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Got Olympic fever yet?Alan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-39980253770652338302010-02-18T02:10:45.806-05:002010-02-18T02:10:45.806-05:00I just have to bitch again about the delay, becaus...I just have to bitch again about the delay, because I keep getting spoiled on results. I sort of understand the NY Times and Washington Post spoiling results for me, a West coaster, but what really sucks is my own paper, The Oregonian, spoiling results before they ever air in Oregon. UGH. HATE YOU, NBC.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-54525302086961916162010-02-18T00:33:21.761-05:002010-02-18T00:33:21.761-05:00ITA, Jason! Curling is fun and fascinating.
I di...ITA, Jason! Curling is fun and fascinating.<br /><br />I did enjoy coverage of the Nordic combined because they didn't have much else to show, so I got to see even the crappy jumpers do their jumps. Fun for me because I enjoy watching the lesser jumpers try to improve their technique.<br /><br />This article about the coverage cracked me up: http://deadspin.com/5472940/everyone-agrees-nbcs-olympic-coverage-sucks?skyline=true&s=ideznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-10202098608366529532010-02-17T22:57:03.966-05:002010-02-17T22:57:03.966-05:00Why do you need to dress up curling? It's fant...Why do you need to dress up curling? It's fantastic just the way it is. And i'm not being sarcastic.Jasonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-56973203918455846072010-02-17T22:22:10.908-05:002010-02-17T22:22:10.908-05:00Seconding Gary's comment, I've had a DVR s...Seconding Gary's comment, I've had a DVR since just before the Beijing games, and I've never been happier to have it. It has been taking around 45 minutes to watch a 4-hour block of NBC Olympic programming, and I don't think I'm missing anything of substance.<br /><br />If it weren't for the DVR, I think I would have already given up trying to follow the games.Ericnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-5128143330218185472010-02-17T22:07:16.324-05:002010-02-17T22:07:16.324-05:00Over the weekend when I was watching some ski jump...Over the weekend when I was watching some ski jumping, they were showing 2 jumps and then 4-5 minutes of commercials.<br /><br />I agree that I'm thankful for my DVR. Tonight I'm watching a basketball game on ESPN, which they are showing live. Since I already know who won the skiing, I can watch that later if I want to see the highlights that NBC showsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1143103752706539912010-02-17T17:31:39.584-05:002010-02-17T17:31:39.584-05:00I agree with all of the criticism above. I have t...I agree with all of the criticism above. I have to say though that the announcing for the biathlon and Ski-cross has been awesome. Snowboard Cross.... not. The biggest gripe has to be the mystery as to when to expect an event. I understand delays and such but cmon...Nick56noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-65444046883146929802010-02-17T15:36:12.097-05:002010-02-17T15:36:12.097-05:00I am a huge Olympics fan; watch every day, every t...I am a huge Olympics fan; watch every day, every two years.<br /><br />When I watched as a youngster (I'm thinking 1988, 1992...), it felt more like I was there. I remember watching downhill skiier after downhill skiier...<br /><br />Now, it always feels like I'm watching a clip show Olympics. I miss the feeling of being there! It's kind of like watching Olympic SportsCenter or something.<br /><br />Oh, and I hate the tape delay. I'm in the same time zone as Vancouver, for gosh sakes!<br /><br />Boo.barbrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09918903739834969992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-18369414653068881922010-02-17T14:47:35.829-05:002010-02-17T14:47:35.829-05:00Thank God for my DVR. I'm time shifting every...Thank God for my DVR. I'm time shifting everything and then filtering out the commentary, sob stories, and advertizing. I can usually blast through a 4-hour night's worth of prime time coverage in under an hour.Gary7379https://www.blogger.com/profile/07386310773129275991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-91725022383689032432010-02-17T14:33:45.271-05:002010-02-17T14:33:45.271-05:00Eight commercial breaks per hour is simply awful; ...Eight commercial breaks per hour is simply awful; even if they are slightly shorter than a normal network break.<br /><br />The announcers, in general, have been terrible. Some of them are throwing up on themselves with excitement. Most insist on talking over the live pictures as if we can't see what is happening. Instead of letting us hear the crowd erupting in appreciation for a great skating program, Tom Hammonds has to immediately tell us how wonderful the program was and pretty much ruin the moment.<br /><br />Camera work has been excellent but direction has been really bad. Example: last night the Swiss skater was performing an incredibly fast spin to end his program and the directed switched camera angles in the middle of it from a full body shot to a close up of his face. This robbed the viewer of enjoying the majesty of the spin. <br /><br />Simple mistakes like this are ruining the coverage for me.<br /><br />And Matt Lauer was a true embarrassment during the opening ceremony. And the normally excellent Costas didn't enjoy his finest moment that night.<br /><br />Rich, DenverAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-864106612075066602010-02-17T13:41:29.064-05:002010-02-17T13:41:29.064-05:00I found the piece about polar bears in Manitoba qu...I found the piece about polar bears in Manitoba quite odd as well. It's as if, during the Atlanta Olympics, they decided to run a piece on Mt. Rushmore. It's not like there aren't tons of potential nature-related stories in British Columbia.M. Haubshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16286939174957219930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-21543973985632544922010-02-17T10:23:47.831-05:002010-02-17T10:23:47.831-05:00To Karl Ruben
My use of the word "devastated...To Karl Ruben<br /><br />My use of the word "devastated" is unfortunately from the NBC announcer broadcast. That's what they made it sound like ... hope Norway can pick up a gold. <br /><br />Thanks for the information on the other Nordic events.Rebecca Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18262004084187699127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34040160591608169272010-02-17T10:23:27.018-05:002010-02-17T10:23:27.018-05:00I love most Olympic events. I freaking hate the re...I love most Olympic events. I freaking hate the reality miniseries on NBC called <i>The Olympics</i>. <br /><br />Universal Sports has been particularly disappointing. NBCU could use it to air reruns of things from the previous day, but instead they're mostly airing old skiing from 2009! If you get US though, and if past years are any indication, the network may air US Curling nationals (3/6-14) and possibly Worlds. Last year I was able to watch the national semis live, for free, on broadcast TV. Of course those were also Olympic qualifiers, so this year could be right out the window. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />(My verification word: DECIMO. He's a metric superhero)Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16187789921765904795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-77658530367275926102010-02-17T09:56:59.229-05:002010-02-17T09:56:59.229-05:00Hate the Dreamworks stuff...seriously, it's so...Hate the Dreamworks stuff...seriously, it's so lame. <br /> <br />And someone else mentioned the piece about polar bears, while very interesting, it was set in Manitoba, no where near Vancouver, right? So I can't understand why they would include this in the Olympics' coverage.<br /><br />I love the Olympics, but I am finding it very hard to follow -- the men's downhill coverage was so choppy, I wasn't sure it was over when it finally was. We only saw a fraction of the skiers. I mean, can't they at least summarize what happened up to that point? Show everyone's final times...not just the top few and then the Americans?<br /><br />The tape delay doesn't bother me THAT much -- if I find out who won before it airs on TV, I'm still going to watch it. Especially the figure skating events. Love that Scott Hamilton -- does anyone get more excited than he does?<br /><br />Speaking of skating...the interviews with Dick Button make me sad. Bob Costas asks him a question, and the man takes forever to answer it. It's almost like he can't think that quickly -- and I feel bad watching him. The man is a legend in the sport. But the scoring systems and program requirements are so different now...it's just not helpful to hear his opinions about it now. He obviously hates a lot of the trends in the sport -- changing positions in spins (slows down the spin and he likes a good fast spin), footwork requirements, quad jumps, lack of artistry, etc. I've been watching skaing since the days of Peggy Fleming and Dick Button was always the man -- and I learned so much from him. But Scott Hamilton does a much better job right now. I think he's more objective regarding the changes in the sport.<br /><br />I do like that I learn a little about sports I'm normally exposed to -- like snowboard cross (how fun does that look?), curling and the biathalon. I did have to look up a lot of teh rules online b/c I felt the announcers weren't explaining enough (esp. curling adb biathalon) -- they would get so excited about something and I'd be like, "what happened?"<br /><br />The coverage is heavily skewed towards the US athletes, but I think since they will win a lot of medals it doesn't bother me. I don't feel like the other countries are being ignored or anything.Sonianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-3647726998135187072010-02-17T09:51:24.497-05:002010-02-17T09:51:24.497-05:00Alan, I think the comments left already have hit t...Alan, I think the comments left already have hit the key points. I haven't seen decent Olympic coverage since 1988.<br /><br />To answer your question, yes I was 'spoiled' by a result I saw by accident on a news site because NBC refused to show the event live. And when NBC aired it later that night, they didn't even mention it was taped... all Bob Costas had to say was 'here's the snowboarding event *taped earlier today*.'<br /><br />I want to see competitors from other countries, and not just the top contenders.<br /><br />For some reason, the other sports I've seen (e.g. snowboarding) when they flash the results (after each competitor run) at the right side of the screen, they list the country flags next to each name. They haven't been doing that for figure skating - why? And they only show the top 4-5 places, so if someone you're following falls below that, you have no idea where they are ranked as the event progresses.<br /><br />I also think NBC needs to advertise what's being aired on affiliated channels. I don't know or care what stations NBC owns. If they're going to air coverage on those stations, they should advertise it. Viewers shouldn't have to search through cable guides or hunt through websites to find televised event coverage. A brief wrap-up on NBC before ending for the night stating X is scheduled on Y station tomorrow would suffice.<br /><br />You would think with all of the modern media opportunities coverage would be excellent. Sadly, coverage was better in the 70s/80s when there was only 1 station and events were aired live throughout the midde of the night.Barbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-10084875934429181162010-02-17T09:13:48.983-05:002010-02-17T09:13:48.983-05:00Like many here, I can't stand the way NBC has ...Like many here, I can't stand the way NBC has been cutting between events (and commercials) but the thing that irritates me the most is the way the events run so late in primetime. Staying up until midnight for the last two pairs skaters is not going to work for me. <br /><br />Also those idiotic Dreamworks movie tie ins during the skiing and snowboarding events, gah! Make it stop.<br /><br />I did find that having the TV on mute improved things considerably.Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10432007267363208929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-39791527463236621482010-02-17T06:19:25.720-05:002010-02-17T06:19:25.720-05:00@Rebecca Jill: I dunno if Norway's devastated ...@Rebecca Jill: I dunno if Norway's devastated - no cross country or biathlon gold medals in the Turin games seems to have inoculated us against the somewhat crap results so far, but yeah, waiting for that first gold is kinda excruciating. Especially when those dastardly Swedes have already brought home two gold medals! At least we beat the US in curling yesterday...<br /><br />I don't envy you USians that NBC coverage. The Olympics are on public broadcasting over here, which means around the clock live broadcasts, unlimited internet streaming and - most importantly - no ads.<br /><br />For those interested in the Nordic events, I recommend the cross country sprint later today or any of the remaining biathlon events. The XC sprint cuts down the (what some might find to be) interminable length and monotony of regular XC races, and leaves nothing but speed and aggression. And an exciting biathlon race is one of the most consistently entertaining sporting events out there.Karl Rubenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17046303307901837031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-74868482024012044212010-02-17T01:37:11.022-05:002010-02-17T01:37:11.022-05:00I've been a fan of curling for almost thirty y...I've been a fan of curling for almost thirty years now; when I was about nine, we had CBC on our cable system, and I was utterly fascinated coming across it one day.<br /><br />Nowadays, CBC is no longer available to me, so I only get to see curling once every four years, when the Olympics start up. It really is one of my favorite sports; sure, it takes a lot of ribbing (hah! 'Cause they're sweeping!!! I get it!!!!!) but it really is a very strategic sport.<br /><br />But let me try and describe the experience of watching curling on NBC:<br /><br />Imagine you're an NFL fan. Now imagine that, for one reason or another, you can only watch NFL games once every four years, and then, you can only watch the playoff games.<br /><br />Now imagine that, for every legitimately insightful comment the color commentator tries to make to explain the finer points of the action on the field, there are two more from the play by play man explaining that "In American football, the team with possession of the ball has four chances, called 'downs', with which to advance the ball ten yards", or that "If that team can advance the ball into the painted area past the goal line, which is called the 'end zone', they will score six points for a 'touch down'."<br /><br />Now imagine that they break away for a commercial, and when they come back, the play by play man says "Okay, while we were away, Green Bay had to punt; Dallas took the punt back to their own 34 yard line. The Cowboys ran six plays from there, including a 26-yard pass, driving to the Green Bay 23 yard line before Tony Romo threw an interception. Green Bay brought the pick back 57 yards, but Aaron Rogers was unable to convert, and so now here we are back live with the Packers about to try for a field goal. And we'll let you know how that turns out after we break away for these messages."<br /><br />Now you know what it's like to be a curling fan watching NBC.Ben Scrippshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13629025600375451260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-88954631808401605532010-02-17T01:29:10.763-05:002010-02-17T01:29:10.763-05:00As another West Coaster, let me echo the frustrati...As another West Coaster, let me echo the frustration with NBC coverage. Last night, during the pair's finals, they would show a program, cut to commercial, show the scores, and then cut to another commercial. We were average a commercial every 2 minutes or so. It was ABSURD!femmeperduenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-66238273507589038722010-02-17T01:27:43.795-05:002010-02-17T01:27:43.795-05:00I'm an Olympics junkie and love all the events...I'm an Olympics junkie and love all the events, but I have to echo everyone else's sentiments about NBC's lack of live coverage on important events. The downhill skiing yesterday (or lack thereof) was abysmal to say the least, and the fact that it wasn't able to be seen live anywhere in the U.S. is just dreadful. <br /><br />I've enjoyed the afternoon coverage where there's been a lot of drama in the biathlons and cross country races. Watching these races, I've learned that the country of Norway is probably devastated right now, because of the lack of medals in cross-country skiing related events sport they have been known to dominate in the past. <br /><br />But overall NBC is just not getting the job done in terms of covering events live around the clock and lack of events that should be more important than what is actually being covered. It would also help if they focused on one sport at a time with the tape-delay format they've chosen, and it would be nice of them to be honest about it all being tape delay. <br /><br />I love it all, but I am a sports fan. So do I enjoy watching ice dancing? Yes. Do I agree it should be on NBC instead of a hockey game between the U.S. and Canada? Absolutely not, and I'm appalled. <br /><br />I watch now, because I love the Olympics, but NBC has pretty much lost me as a viewer overall after they're over. I mourn the days of my childhood when we had Peter McKay and Company doing it right on ABC, or at least the way I remember the ABC coverage.Rebecca Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18262004084187699127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-48851382520788461252010-02-17T01:24:13.794-05:002010-02-17T01:24:13.794-05:00To the guy in Kirkland, I would say that not all w...To the guy in Kirkland, I would say that not all women like the same things. This goes for sports, art, books, food, men--everything. We are individuals, and this one was offended by your insinuation that women were ruining your Olympics.A woman in the PNWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-87695418876143050452010-02-17T01:21:51.382-05:002010-02-17T01:21:51.382-05:00I am bummed that I am missing all the curling beca...I am bummed that I am missing all the curling because my DVR just won't record a 12-hour long program, which is how CNBC had the curling today (lumped in with hockey). Got-dammit.deznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-37285997932626107452010-02-17T00:27:24.623-05:002010-02-17T00:27:24.623-05:00PS - i'm concerned about installing Silverligh...PS - i'm concerned about installing Silverlight and therefore have notPamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-42348036861612576482010-02-17T00:26:35.269-05:002010-02-17T00:26:35.269-05:00I only care about figure skating and I don't r...I only care about figure skating and I don't recognize any of the names.<br /><br />I'm happy I have a DVR (unless I just killed it)<br /><br />Don't subscribe to NBC's email updates if you care to watch someone win - they put the winners in the subject headers.<br /><br />now I just wish I could be sure I have not killed my DVR by trying to move a huge filePamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-31569006499270463922010-02-16T23:39:14.011-05:002010-02-16T23:39:14.011-05:00HUGE Olympics fan. It's on right now in fact. ...HUGE Olympics fan. It's on right now in fact. Something about touching emotional stories of athletes overcoming tremendous odds + hot Canadian men with a dash of the movies Cutting Edge and Miracle wrapped up in the Star Spangled Banner. Heartbreaking losses, thrilling wins. Love it.<br /><br />However, if I could offer NBC advice it would be:<br /><br />1. Show the entire event all at once. Don't cut between events and go back and forth.<br /><br />2. Give me a way to sneak some Olympics into my work day (i.e. online watching). I'm trying to find the bottleg online stuff, but it's hard to access.<br /><br />3. For those of us who can't watch during the day and can't tivo, why isn't there a better summary of the events that happened during the day? I would have liked to have seen at least a little of the US Hockey game today or at least some curling. I'd prefer shorter overviews of many events than longer pieces on few events.Sarahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-340579501592309232010-02-16T22:56:44.290-05:002010-02-16T22:56:44.290-05:00I love all things Olympics and get excited for it ...I love all things Olympics and get excited for it every year. I disagree that NBC isn't covering the odder sports. You have no idea how much biatholon I've watched. <br /><br /><br />The stuff covered in primetime is less interesting to me. but I think I've decided to become a womens hockey fan so all is not lost. <br /><br />Would I prefer online viewing? you bet you. do I resent that I have had to step away from all thinngs twitter and email... and talking to friends and the news? you bet. <br /><br />So I agree that NBC could do better. But all i heard leading up to these games was how nobody was afraid of it anymore because the Olypics are irrelevent so I'm glad to see them pulling in some numbers.Brandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04760396392766842671noreply@blogger.com