I don't like the TV production

1911
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1911 7/12/2021 1:09pm
7/12/2021 1:09pm
1911 wrote:
Seems to me, people come and go, Bondo is still there. Ripping the crew behind the scenes would not be a smart career choice for Weege...
Seems to me, people come and go, Bondo is still there. Ripping the crew behind the scenes would not be a smart career choice for Weege and Grant. They both do a great job calling the race.
GrapeApe wrote:
Has he always been the producer on the motocross side? The production on the SX show has been bad as long as I can remember, but...
Has he always been the producer on the motocross side? The production on the SX show has been bad as long as I can remember, but I don't recall having issues with the motocross broadcast. Until this season. Something seems different in the presentation, in a bad way. If they just moved him over this season that would explain a lot.
I thought it’s been the same crew doing Supercross and MX for a few years now? Maybe not.
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GrapeApe
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GrapeApe 7/12/2021 1:40pm
7/12/2021 1:40pm
1911 wrote:
Seems to me, people come and go, Bondo is still there. Ripping the crew behind the scenes would not be a smart career choice for Weege...
Seems to me, people come and go, Bondo is still there. Ripping the crew behind the scenes would not be a smart career choice for Weege and Grant. They both do a great job calling the race.
GrapeApe wrote:
Has he always been the producer on the motocross side? The production on the SX show has been bad as long as I can remember, but...
Has he always been the producer on the motocross side? The production on the SX show has been bad as long as I can remember, but I don't recall having issues with the motocross broadcast. Until this season. Something seems different in the presentation, in a bad way. If they just moved him over this season that would explain a lot.
1911 wrote:
I thought it’s been the same crew doing Supercross and MX for a few years now? Maybe not.
Just asked around and he's been producing pro motocross for 12 years, so much for my theory.
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28hall
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28hall 7/12/2021 1:56pm
7/12/2021 1:56pm
There you go if he’s been doing it for 12 years he’s obviously bored or lost sight of the actual racing and is too busy trying to push these stupid “story lines”. They need someone new to get it up to scratch. Motocross is the most exciting and dramatic sport in the world, broadcast excellent racing footage and all the other stuff like new fans etc will take care of its self because they will be glued to the action
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motomike137
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motomike137 7/12/2021 4:44pm
7/12/2021 4:44pm
backinthesaddleagain wrote:
Appreciate you coming on here and chatting with the fanbase.
Secret_Squirrel27 wrote:
It’s funny when someone “important” posts here people suck them off.

Yeah weege. Thanks for posting with all us pee ons

backinthesaddleagain wrote:
How about I appreciate an industry insider coming here to give his thoughts whether people agree or disagree with him.
There wouldn't be an industry to be " inside" of without we the fans.
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smoothies862 7/12/2021 4:54pm
7/12/2021 4:54pm
Hard to blame the horses when the cowboy is telling them where to go. I like weege and gl. Especially when weege sets him up and he breaks it down like he did with roczen . Plz sweet baby jesus bondo… keep the camera moving unless its a lead battle. Staying with 1 rider too long isnt new for you unfortunately.
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chrisg19
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chrisg19 7/12/2021 5:10pm
7/12/2021 5:10pm
If I didn’t have the MXGP package I might not realize just how bad the NBC production is, but it is truly night and day. That is not a knock on the hosts, they are just doing their job, but all the bumpers in and out of commercials, The timing of the replays, and the absolute ignoring of the timing and scoring when you can see guys making up seconds a lap. The broadcast certainly isn’t all it can be. Now I am an old timer, been trying to watch MX since the seventies, and I know I should be glad with live coverage, and I am, but when you see how much better the Europeans do it, it is just a bummer….
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Shaned9326
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Shaned9326 7/12/2021 6:42pm
7/12/2021 6:42pm
chrisg19 wrote:
If I didn’t have the MXGP package I might not realize just how bad the NBC production is, but it is truly night and day. That...
If I didn’t have the MXGP package I might not realize just how bad the NBC production is, but it is truly night and day. That is not a knock on the hosts, they are just doing their job, but all the bumpers in and out of commercials, The timing of the replays, and the absolute ignoring of the timing and scoring when you can see guys making up seconds a lap. The broadcast certainly isn’t all it can be. Now I am an old timer, been trying to watch MX since the seventies, and I know I should be glad with live coverage, and I am, but when you see how much better the Europeans do it, it is just a bummer….
SPOT ON!!
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motomike137
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motomike137 7/12/2021 7:05pm
7/12/2021 7:05pm
chrisg19 wrote:
If I didn’t have the MXGP package I might not realize just how bad the NBC production is, but it is truly night and day. That...
If I didn’t have the MXGP package I might not realize just how bad the NBC production is, but it is truly night and day. That is not a knock on the hosts, they are just doing their job, but all the bumpers in and out of commercials, The timing of the replays, and the absolute ignoring of the timing and scoring when you can see guys making up seconds a lap. The broadcast certainly isn’t all it can be. Now I am an old timer, been trying to watch MX since the seventies, and I know I should be glad with live coverage, and I am, but when you see how much better the Europeans do it, it is just a bummer….
I'd still think it's lacking Wink But it's really glaring in contrast for sure.
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yak651
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yak651 7/12/2021 7:16pm
7/12/2021 7:16pm
Weege wrote:
My final reply here and my answer to all other questions: I don't know why. I'm busy calling what I see on the screen.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Since you don’t have the answers are you allowed to bring up some constructive criticism in the production meetings and say “this is the word in the street”? Have the producers done a survey to get feedback on the broadcast? You save nba doesn’t get technical, wouldn’t know as I don’t watch it. But do watch nfl and they are always breaking down what happened while not dumbing down the broadcast to newcomers. Can the producers try to take a page from this successful model? Don’t expect a reply, but maybe after 10 years of the same model they may try something different to improve the product…
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Hammer 663s
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Hammer 663s 7/12/2021 9:45pm
7/12/2021 9:45pm Edited Date/Time 7/12/2021 9:47pm
Damn. We spent all weekend racing at Washougal and were too damn tired Saturday night (after 3 motos) and Sunday (2 motos plus a drive) to watch the races until tonight. Then we got the production shit show you all have described. Vital rarely lets me down.

But you did miss how fvcked up the ticker was again. You can’t trust that damn thing at all.

Weege, you are a rear sprocket. Driven, not drive. You start to grind and make noise and bam, a new sprocket goes on and the wheel keeps turning. I work for the man too and that’s our role. But your producer (countershaft sprocket?) still is missing a few teeth.

Hammer 663s
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chump6784
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chump6784 7/13/2021 2:03am
7/13/2021 2:03am
What happens if Weege or GL say something like "looking at timing, Eli is making up ground on Roczen." I'd bet the production crew would focus on that instead of Dylan rolling around on his own. Would only need to be done a couple times before the production crew pulls their heads out of their asses.
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crowe660
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crowe660 7/13/2021 3:29am
7/13/2021 3:29am
Can we get Eli to sign with 100% so the spotter will put his laps on the broadcast?
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toroP
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toroP 7/13/2021 5:13am
7/13/2021 5:13am Edited Date/Time 7/13/2021 5:21am
Weege wrote:
What you actually saw there was a pass happening at the EXACT time we were coming off of commercial break on TV. When you watch on...
What you actually saw there was a pass happening at the EXACT time we were coming off of commercial break on TV. When you watch on Peacock you get to see the action during commercials, but during the final 10 seconds coming back from the TV commercial break, on Peacock we have to be silent so it will make for a clean edit/audio when we rejoin the TV broadcast. Note that about 3 seconds after Barcia makes the pass you hear the "whoosh" sound and the NBCSN logo pops up on the screen. Bad timing there but nothing we can do about it, I'm staring at the screen wanting to say something about the pass but we can't do it. Trust me, we saw it as it happened.

When you watch on Peacock you will hear 10 second audio breaks a few times per moto. That's when the commercial is ending for the TV broadcast and we're rejoining the TV show.
ridge wrote:
Weege, do you understand our frustration (I'm not talking about the pass on Barcia)? I really enjoy everything you put out, except when you are calling...
Weege, do you understand our frustration (I'm not talking about the pass on Barcia)?

I really enjoy everything you put out, except when you are calling the races. The difference is, when you do all of your other videos, interviews, etc, you show your immense knowledge of the sport - and you sound like a motherfucking boss. You put out solid content for the core fans and we appreciate that because we recognize that you are a true fan like us.

When you call the races, you go into "bring in new fans" mode, probably at the direction of some goon who doesn't have a quarter of your knowledge (about the sport). Please stop it if you can! New fans are not carrying this sport, we are!

This isn't NASCAR. The races don't last as long as a War And Peace reading by Joe Biden from a teleprompter. There isn't time to use the NASCAR broadcast model.

Your job as a commentator is to call the action on the track for FANS who cannot be there. If newbs don't understand something, they can Google it and get linked to the experts at Vital. UFC seems to be doing pretty good and we don't see Joe explaining to new fans that it hurts to get punched in the face...we don't see UFC asking its fighters who their biggest crush is or which prison they'd like to be incarcerated at if they weren't beating people up in the ring.

If you're going to continue to aim these broadcasts at first time viewers and/or women, maybe remove the live timing screen so nobody can see what action we are missing while watching a guy cruise at 80%. Side note: I'd rather watch a struggling privateer barely hanging on with his tongue on the floor while you and Grant use him as a bad example of training. Now that would be dramatic. Anyway, I think home videos of the riders playing with their pets would be HUGE...maybe split screen that shit all race long.

Weege, now that you hate me, just know I have the utmost confidence in you and Grant to pull off the best broadcasts we've seen in years, maybe ever. I wrote all of this hoping the people calling the shots might see it. I often wonder if you feel the same way but you have to grin and bear it.
Weege wrote:
You are absolutely correct, on TV it's not my job to break down riding styles, bike setup, etc. Seriously, if I go too deep there will...
You are absolutely correct, on TV it's not my job to break down riding styles, bike setup, etc. Seriously, if I go too deep there will be a vital thread that says "WTH Weege has never won a title what does he know???" GL can handle that, but there's not much time for analysis when action is happening all around. There are a thousand other sources out there for that info, many of which I'm involved with, and even here on Vital (pit bits!). Our post race podcast is probably as deep insider as it gets. I understand if you're the hardcore fan you want the hardest core show, but not every person watching is actually that hardcore. So we try to appeal to both. If you want the really insider stuff, you know where to find it. I believe this to be true of any sport--I listen to NBA podcasts where they break down defensive schemes and analytics and lineups. They never go that deep on the TV broadcast.

We don't change anything as far as how we do Moto 1 and Moto 2. We just change the graphics for a different network (MAV and NBCSN). We don't have a different philosophy or storytelling goals or anything like that. As for repeating stuff from the first set of motos and the second, remember moto 1s air on MavTV and second motos are on NBCSN. Some people are only seeing one set of motos or the other. I can't count on someone watching on NBCSN having watched on MAV and already knowing I said JMart had injuries. Also....remember it's the KTM keys to the motos and the MX vs ATV track map etc etc. Hint hint....

Finally, I can't even fully subscribe to the "we are never going to bring in new viewers" idea. It's never going to be massive jumps in ratings or fanbase, but I do believe we have to try to do whatever we can for the better of the overall motorcycle racing world. That's one of the main reasons to spend as much money as gets spent to put this stuff on TV. The bigger the sport gets, the more money in the pits, which means more rides for more riders. A lot more factory rides that pay real money in the pits today than 30 years ago. In 1991 there wasn't a single factory team with an outside sponsor. IIt's a tough balance for sure, but it's also a balance every sport uses on TV--definitely not just here.

Thanks folks.
Love your work, Weege! Been a fan even before “Take on Me”

I think it’s sad though that the producers are resigned to thinking that the competition isn’t compelling enough to captivate new viewers. Sure it’s tough when the gaps are huge, but more often than not sector times reveal the story (last race, it was clear Eli was headed to the front before he was in second)

Some of the best moto “viewing” was the SX webcast and laptimes! Race focus, not racing as a back drop for human interest.

Hardcore fans like me are hooked, I know it’s not being sold to me. But I still think the racing is compelling. And if it’s not, no amount human interest backstory will carry it.

Thanks Weege! So glad you have a gig. You’re a total pro, and for me, the voice of the sport. I wish you had the SX job.
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blockhead17 7/13/2021 5:18am
7/13/2021 5:18am
We should just dumb it down for them like this:
Moto1: watch Dylan as he comes from 10th or whatever to blow past everyone, Eli will be in no mans land, Kenny will be solid and AC will fade.
Moto2: same as above except follow Eli because he figures out how to ride in Moto 2
The end
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motonation24 7/13/2021 5:42am
7/13/2021 5:42am
chump6784 wrote:
What happens if Weege or GL say something like "looking at timing, Eli is making up ground on Roczen." I'd bet the production crew would focus...
What happens if Weege or GL say something like "looking at timing, Eli is making up ground on Roczen." I'd bet the production crew would focus on that instead of Dylan rolling around on his own. Would only need to be done a couple times before the production crew pulls their heads out of their asses.
Yeah that’s what I was wondering- why there was no mention of Tomac chopping wood after he went by DF14..
It was kinda obvious he was on a run, he went by the points leader and disappeared out of shot..
I agree with most here- the production could be better but I appreciate Weege and GL.
Maybe get a pit board in the booth and Weege can write messages on it to direct the camera crew lol ? Ie - Go to Tomac NOW!
katooom
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katooom 7/13/2021 5:48am
7/13/2021 5:48am
Go back to the SX race threads. The same race coverage complaints in SX as MX. Long diatribes to tell some background story while action is happening elsewhere.

Just stop with all the human interest stuff, that is for downtime. During the race we want to see the race.

It is NOT the commentators (although many times they get into the story telling mode also - sideline reports are the worst for this), it is the producer. The same guy for both series. The conclusion is obvious.
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DonM
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DonM 7/13/2021 6:13am
7/13/2021 6:13am
Just an observation…the issue as I see it is the spotter position is treated like the AMA treats the flagger position…a part time hey are you busy today would you like to spot for tv kinda thing…Most of these “spotters” are people that go to every race and the first time they sit in front of the monitor and the timing screen is when they’re asked to spot…many of us are more qualified to do that than who they choose because we do it every weekend…we watch the races on TV and have our computers on live timing and notice when somebody is setting a faster lap or is coming through the pack…the spotter position needs to be a full time position filled by someone who has the ability to follow both the action on the monitor but also the timing screen….It’s not Weeges fault….
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DonM
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DonM 7/13/2021 7:21am
7/13/2021 7:21am
I’m not too concerned with that as I believe that most would have the integrity to not favor any riders…but after listening to the pulp show and hear Weege say that their timing screens only show running order and aren’t the same as we see from the AMA live timing (he wasn’t even aware that the AMA live timing had this)…so they don’t show the segment times….How does that even happen?? That in itself would be a major improvement for both the spotters and the announcers…not to mention minimize threads like these…
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