NBC Broadcast Criticism/Conversation

[Big_rock_show]

I remember Al frequently calling the beam the “Balance Bar”.

 

[rlayt]

Elfie and others had some moments too

I’ve never heard a gymnast described as a prepubescent stick insect before. Or Khorkina called a fat face.

 

[cftmoonlight79]

That video was hilarious. Now i want to stay up late and watch old competitions all night.

 

[rlayt]

I would love to bounce around gym nostalgia but I fear it could bounce into off topic territory.

 

[JDB]

My biggest NBC gripe is with trampoline coverage. NBC gives it primetime coverage during the Olympics but doesn’t give it primetime commentary. Commentators who don’t know what they’re talking about make the broadcast painful. But NBC has a dedicated ice dance commentator, so I guess someone at NBC believes gymnastics deserves dumbed down commentary.

 

[navyblue]

What was the quote? Or , got a youtube link perchance? I kinda wanna hate watch these … I feel like there is so much worse than what this video compilation has.

 

[irichluck21]

My biggest NBC gripe is with trampoline coverage. NBC gives it primetime coverage during the Olympics but doesn’t give it primetime commentary. Commentators who don’t know what they’re talking about make the broadcast painful. But NBC has a dedicated ice dance commentator, so I guess someone at NBC believes gymnastics deserves dumbed down commentary.

Well the difference is that Ice Dance has been in the Olympics since 1976, far longer than Trampoline, which has only been in since 2000.

Additionally, ice dance nationals and other competitions are shown on TV, whereas Trampoline and Tumbling is not (it was on the defunct Olympic channel).

Not to mention that the USA is not a major power in trampoline, so it will naturally not get the same treatment of ice dance, in which the USA is a recent power and has won Olympic medals in every Olympics sine 2006.

 

[ucrgirl]

I don’t have a link handy (it was during the 2008 Olympic AA comp). I do remember Nastia was on the side stretching and Al says something like, “The way Nastia can just take that body and bend it.” Except the way he said it sounded very creepy and Pervy Old Man-ish."

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Did Al ever say anything that wasn’t?

 

[MaryClare]

According to Gymcastic the commentary line up for NBC (and sister networks) between now and Paris will be John, Sam and Terry for WAG and John, Tim and Terry for MAG. Laurie will do on floor reporting for WAG at events in the US.

I don’t think these decisions are good overall for a few reasons

 

[tempest]

Hmm wonder why no Tim for WAG

 

[rlayt]

Maybe they are trying out new people without totally firing Tim. It makes sense to keep him for MAG if they only want him part time.

 

[QuietColours]

Tim’s also 60. He might be looking to start stepping back from some of these roles as well.

 

[RedBirdie]

I don’t feel like losing Tim from WAG is a great loss. I know part of this is because NBC forces their broadcasters to dumb things down, but never felt he added value.

 

[MaryClare]

I’ve grown to like Tim. Yes it’s dumbed down, but that isn’t going to change, as Sam discussed recently. I feel that Tim’s technical knowledge is superior to John or Sam’s.

 

[navyblue]

I’m surprised by this (fairly common) sentiment within the Gymternet, because while he’s not perfect, and shoehorned by his employers in ways that he’s articulated at length (that Gymcastic interview with him is worthwhile), I would be hard-pressed to name anyone who adds more value that he does within the NBC/American broadcasting sphere.

He’s easily better than Sam P., Nastia, Elfi and Al (obviously), John R., and Laurie. I think the only commentator I’ve seen do a better job communicating in a fun-yet-sufficiently technical way is Olly Hogben – and I don’t think his voice ever made it to live TV broadcasts in the US unfortunately.

 

[irichluck21]

Unlike the others, Tim was (is?) a coach and had a strong, in depth knowledge of the CoP.
He is able to commentate (live or otherwise) and is able to determine if connections were met, iffy, or missed. He is able to calculate the start values as he watches the routines and comment on said start values.

No one else can really bring that to the table, so then we are left with “superficial” commentary.
Elfi was pretty adept when it came to the technical aspect, it was unfortunate that NBC never fully allowed her to showcase her expertise. This is evident if you watch any of the CBC (Canadian) coverage where she is the sole expert commentator. In her time with NBC she was constantly interrupted by Tim and John Tesh/ Al.

John, Sam, and Laurie are not really “coaches” to the same level as Tim was/is. They rely on their own experiences, rather than the true technical knowledge of the sport, IMO. Obviously, Nastia was also at the same level.

 

[MaryClare]

For as much as aspects of the BBC commentary annoy me, they’ve shown that the combo of generic broadcast anchor (Matt) plus technical expert (Christine) plus former Olympian (Craig) works really well for both committed and knowledgeable fans, and the casual viewer. Yes, it was certainly better when it was even more technical led when Mitch (RIP) was there, but as a balancing act catering for different types of viewers, it works really well.

The concerns I have is that John and Sam have neither the technical knowledge nor the media experience/showmanship for Olympic level coverage. They’ve got a year to polish up, but at the moment it seems very amateur/NCAA.

 

[rlayt]

If they aren’t allowed to do technical commentary NBC is just going to hire people who can smile and talk. So you end up with Sam (smile) and Terry (good talker) with color from Laurie( bouncy) and John (not sure what he brings besides a smirk).

 

[tempest]

I miss ABC covering events, I miss Kathy and Bart