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10/17/2015
Location
Raleigh, NC
US
Edited Date/Time
10/9/2018 11:08am
Warning! Detailed, lengthy post. Continue at your own risk.
I, personally, really like Ralph and Jeff. Maybe they are no Art and David but heck, who is? Jenny is awesome but doubtful she'll be back full time. Blair is a star in the making...though I do think he needs to learn his MX/SX history more and I'm ok with RC for the most part. So the crew is fine, esp Ralph and Jeff who both take a lot of crap from people on Vital. So, assuming we have the same broadcast team (which I think we will), what are some LEGITIMATE and constructive ideas to make the broadcast much better?
Here are my two cents. And please, let's try to actually give ideas that might would be considered. No bashing of the broadcast team. That accomplishes nothing. Also, you have to bear in mind sponsors pay for the track map, holeshot, spider cam and certain segments so they WILL still be a part of the broadcast as those said sponsors pay for us to be on live TV each week.
1. First and foremost, I think the broadcast should be more geared towards the Supercross/Motocross fan. Not for the casual viewer. When I watch a LA Kings hockey broadcast (go Kings), Bob and Jim (and now Alex and Jim) do not explain every minute thing as if it is the first time I've watched the sport. Yes, you want to grow new fans and for them to understand it but we shouldn't dumb it down. Supercross is big but it is still quite a niche sport and most watching it know it. So let's make the analysis in depth and solid. Think Troy Aikman in the booth. I think this is a legitimate complaint and something that could be easily remedied. Trust me. Ralph is a Pro and Jeff does know SX as good as anyone. NFL pays people to throw the broadcast team cues and inside info Why can't we?
2. Try to learn from the late 90's ESPN broadcasts. Yes, I know they were voice overs. But still, they treated it very, very professionally and you would learn a lot each broadcast with mechanics being mic'ed up, intervals with Honda Stopwatch (it now could be Cooper Tire stopwatch, for example), etc. So much good in those broadcasts.
3. I love Ralph and Jeff and think they are great at what they do (it's hard people, I've tried it), but I do wish they would both do a better job of really calling the race. It is a bit too much for the casual viewer (see #1). I want to know lap times, intervals, etc and basically if you've ever heard the old Pace Supercross audio webcasts with Chad Damiani and Jim Holley and later Weege and Holley...you could almost just close your eyes and you still knew exactly what was going on. I've often found that, in sports, that radio calls are better than tv pbp. They have to be as they are painting the visual picture thru audio only. We don't have audio coverage of our sport, unfortunately, so I wish our current team could bridge that gap between the two different mediums by being more detailed.
4. I realize that Toyota brings money into our sport and we need them but I want THEM to do a better job at bringing segments that aren't so...well, honestly, so lame. Their segments need to strongly relate to Supercross. Not about building cars or women who ride. There should be no special segments for any different gender who rides. Someone's gender is irrelevant. The military thing, I skipped constantly, the makeup to mud...well, my Wife actually found it kinda offensive. Lol. Anyway, focus on segments that are about Supercross. There is a lot to learn for all of us if they take the time to give us good content.
5. Lose the social media segments. It is horrible. You don't see that in a NFL game or NHL game. And if you do it is done with just a scrolling Tweet like Motocross does it. Don't make it such a segment. Fans don;t care about seeing people's kids or people's bikes in their house. Prob the lamest thing on the broadcast along with the Toyota segments the past two years.
6. Just a few content ideas. Mechanic interviews, mechanics mic'ed, bike details, inside the broadcast booth and the makings of a SX broadcast, the making of a track, media day coverage.
7. College Gameday roundtable (esp at Triple Crown races) with the likes of The 800 (who is great in the booth, btw), MC, RC, KW, Holley, Blair and guests. Maybe even Stew.
Anyway...let's here some good suggestions. Please, keep it constructive.
I, personally, really like Ralph and Jeff. Maybe they are no Art and David but heck, who is? Jenny is awesome but doubtful she'll be back full time. Blair is a star in the making...though I do think he needs to learn his MX/SX history more and I'm ok with RC for the most part. So the crew is fine, esp Ralph and Jeff who both take a lot of crap from people on Vital. So, assuming we have the same broadcast team (which I think we will), what are some LEGITIMATE and constructive ideas to make the broadcast much better?
Here are my two cents. And please, let's try to actually give ideas that might would be considered. No bashing of the broadcast team. That accomplishes nothing. Also, you have to bear in mind sponsors pay for the track map, holeshot, spider cam and certain segments so they WILL still be a part of the broadcast as those said sponsors pay for us to be on live TV each week.
1. First and foremost, I think the broadcast should be more geared towards the Supercross/Motocross fan. Not for the casual viewer. When I watch a LA Kings hockey broadcast (go Kings), Bob and Jim (and now Alex and Jim) do not explain every minute thing as if it is the first time I've watched the sport. Yes, you want to grow new fans and for them to understand it but we shouldn't dumb it down. Supercross is big but it is still quite a niche sport and most watching it know it. So let's make the analysis in depth and solid. Think Troy Aikman in the booth. I think this is a legitimate complaint and something that could be easily remedied. Trust me. Ralph is a Pro and Jeff does know SX as good as anyone. NFL pays people to throw the broadcast team cues and inside info Why can't we?
2. Try to learn from the late 90's ESPN broadcasts. Yes, I know they were voice overs. But still, they treated it very, very professionally and you would learn a lot each broadcast with mechanics being mic'ed up, intervals with Honda Stopwatch (it now could be Cooper Tire stopwatch, for example), etc. So much good in those broadcasts.
3. I love Ralph and Jeff and think they are great at what they do (it's hard people, I've tried it), but I do wish they would both do a better job of really calling the race. It is a bit too much for the casual viewer (see #1). I want to know lap times, intervals, etc and basically if you've ever heard the old Pace Supercross audio webcasts with Chad Damiani and Jim Holley and later Weege and Holley...you could almost just close your eyes and you still knew exactly what was going on. I've often found that, in sports, that radio calls are better than tv pbp. They have to be as they are painting the visual picture thru audio only. We don't have audio coverage of our sport, unfortunately, so I wish our current team could bridge that gap between the two different mediums by being more detailed.
4. I realize that Toyota brings money into our sport and we need them but I want THEM to do a better job at bringing segments that aren't so...well, honestly, so lame. Their segments need to strongly relate to Supercross. Not about building cars or women who ride. There should be no special segments for any different gender who rides. Someone's gender is irrelevant. The military thing, I skipped constantly, the makeup to mud...well, my Wife actually found it kinda offensive. Lol. Anyway, focus on segments that are about Supercross. There is a lot to learn for all of us if they take the time to give us good content.
5. Lose the social media segments. It is horrible. You don't see that in a NFL game or NHL game. And if you do it is done with just a scrolling Tweet like Motocross does it. Don't make it such a segment. Fans don;t care about seeing people's kids or people's bikes in their house. Prob the lamest thing on the broadcast along with the Toyota segments the past two years.
6. Just a few content ideas. Mechanic interviews, mechanics mic'ed, bike details, inside the broadcast booth and the makings of a SX broadcast, the making of a track, media day coverage.
7. College Gameday roundtable (esp at Triple Crown races) with the likes of The 800 (who is great in the booth, btw), MC, RC, KW, Holley, Blair and guests. Maybe even Stew.
Anyway...let's here some good suggestions. Please, keep it constructive.
MX is far more interesting. Hate how circus-cross demolishes a third of the field each year.
With that being said, I would love for DC to chime in, though. He was a major part of that great late 90's SX broadcast team and I think more qualified than anyone to speak on the subject of ways to make the product better.
But hey, I know there are smart people here. Let's here the ideas. If you were hired to direct the program but were told you will have the same broadcast team, the same sponsor commitments requiring certain amount of air time...what would you do to improve the broadcast?
The Shop
The 800, as I mentioned in my original post, is as great in the booth as is on track and he's new to it. Imagine how great he could be!
I disagree that announcing doesn't matter. As a matter of a fact, good/bad announcing can make or break a sporting event. I'm in the entertainment business and a good production...and that includes announcing, overlay stats, camera angles, segments...is crucial to an overall great package. In other sports, I watch teams that have good announcing teams. If they are bad, I'm out. And no, I don;t want to just hear the engines. I want the presentation which includes, the bike sounds, fans, announcing and the whole production.
They should replace Ralphy with Todd Harris. He and Cameron Steele were good together when ESPN did the broadcast.
Ever watch Hockey Night in Canada? They bleed hockey. It is their religion. And they treat the presentation and broadcast with the reverence it deserves. It is intellectual and made for the fan. Newcomers aren't idiots. They'll catch on and when they do they will want a well prepared presentation to dive into.
What I am trying to throw out there is that every year there are a massive amounts of complaints about the broadcast. I, personally, am very into broadcasting and the whole production side of things. I do the same with my shows. Just different genre. Most of the bashing is on Ralph and Fro. But these guys are pros. They have someone in their ear while talking. It's not easy. So I am cool with the team and personally think the world of Ralph. But it is the whole direction of the cater to the casuals that bug me and I think that and a few other things could be addressed. Thus just looking for other legitimate, plausible suggestions to make things better. Not just fire Ralph or get an internet package. I'm talking the 3 hour presentation we are given each Saturday. It does lack and could be much better.
Add in some game day analysis between heats, LCQs, and mains. Matthes, JT, Weigandt, or whoever all do an awesome time in this format proven at the MXdN and a year or so back at Glenn Helen national, or whenever that was.
Pit Row
Now, it would be cool to see them spend more time talking about the tracks, bikes, technical side of things. I think the science of supercross thing was the right idea but it is REALLY dumbed down. I want to hear a mechanic or engineer go way in depth about the bike, how bike changes translate into on track, and more stuff about the day to day work of the teams. They could do it so it caters to the more serious fan but also makes sense to the casual fan. It’s almost like fox sports thinks the viewers are dumb and have never watched moto before.
I feel like that would give the more casual or new fans an idea of how much work and effort goes into this sport. And how much work it takes just to get to the races.
Bc let's face it. All of us here are going to watch the race anyway. We'll grit our teeth and bear the Social Media crap or Makeup To Mud or purposely dumbed-down commentary bc we want to watch the race. Period. In other words, they HAVE us already. Everything else is just icing on the cake.
I think we will have the same broadcast team, guys. I know everyone would like their dream team (mine is Art and David) but the fact is that Ralph and Fro are professional and I think they do a good job but I do think it could be better, presentation wise. And I also would like them to call the race more. More like true pbp. We've had a few suggestions here that I appreciate. Most of the people's solution is to get new people but I'm telling you, if they are told to dumb it down they will not be any better.
I agree upon not cutting to a track map during race but again, sometimes time schedules are tight and they HAVE to get that in. That sponsor is paying for that time. There is so much that has to fit into the time frame. With all that being said, there can be a much more useful use of time when it comes to the social media and those Toyota segments. The Toyota segment is money from a huge sponsor so we should be thankful for them but they need to do something better. The last two years Toyota segments have been brutal and I skipped all of them after the first few.
Diversify your ads like every other professional sport in existence.
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