Gimmicks have always found a home on sports television.
One of the great ones (unfortunately it didn't turn into a trend) was the announcer-less NFL game in 1980. The late-season Jets-Dolphins tilt on NBC aired without a play-by-play man or analyst. The Jets won, 24-17. The more significant result came via NBC's 30 Rock switchboard. Fans called in saying they preferred the mouthless approach over the standard chatter-filled broadcast.
In the category of a gimmick getting more attention than it deserved, nothing tops the 'silent minute' NBC used in the middle of its Super Bowl XX pregame show in 1986. At the one hour mark of the two-hour show, host Bob Costas told viewers it was an 'appropriate time for reflection ... it's a good time to pause here.'
The screen went dark, except for a one minute 'countdown' clock. Music played in the background. The other sound you imagined was that of toilets flushing from coast to coast.
The subject of waste management (and gimmicks) is officially appropriate today as Turner Sports, along with its partners at CBS Sports, prepare to gimmick-up Saturday's Final Four, a truly marquee event. Guess the games are just not enough.
The TV suits have been hyping what they call 'teamcast' as a fan-friendly innovation. While the 'main' telecast of the national semifinals (UConn-Florida, Kentucky-Wisconsin) airs on TBS with Jim Nantz, Greg Anthony and Steve Kerr at the mikes, other announcers with connections to one of the teams will call the game on TNT and truTV. There will be separate production crews for each telecast, too.
For UConn-Florida, the Huskiecast (truTV) will feature Eric Frede, CSN New England's UConn hoops host (he's also the voice of UConn's women's basketball on SNY) on play-by-play. Former UConn star Donny Marshall will be the analyst. David Steele, who has hosted Florida basketball on the radio and analyst Mark Wise, with the Gator Basketball Network for 14 years, work the Gatorcast on TNT.
Rob Bromley - he handles a variety of roles on UKTV - will do play-by-play on the Kentuckycentric telecast (TNT) with former Wildcats' star Rex Chapman in the analyst chair. Wayne Larrivee, who has done Wisconsin hoops play-by-play for the Big 10 Network, will be on the Badgercast (truTV) with former UW player Mike Kelley as analyst.
In theory, the idea is to provide a 'homer' telecast for fans of each Final Four team. In reality, it involves much more. It suggests a style where voices are encouraged by CBS/Turner management to pander to diehard fans. The voices are basically there, and being paid, to serve as cheerleaders.
Make no mistake, even if there is no preference for the style, Turner/CBS is making bias acceptable. If this concept proves to be successful, in terms of ratings, could it start a trend? Could encouraging a 'homer' style become a valuable tool for network suits? Could the style move to another big stage?
For example, in the distant future, when Fox televises the World Series (say it's Yankees-Cardinals) why not use Yankeecentric voices during Games in the AL city and Cards voices during games played in St. Louis? The ramifications of providing and promoting a slanted telecast is a philosophical argument, a topic for debate. The reality is this Final Four 'teamcast' is about money.
Airing one game (with separate sets of broadcasters) on three networks, rather than just simulcasting the TBS feed across the board, should produce a bigger combined rating. And the bigger the rating, the more Turner/CBS can charge advertisers for the 2015 Final Four.
And that would amount to hitting a real homer. And cashing in on a gimmick.
Posted by Unknown on Friday, April 4, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
0 comments "TBS giving us one gimmicky moment by adding new 'teamcast' coverage to Final ..."
Post a Comment