Overall assessment of Espn's coverage

[Jasonm921]

Better than last years. Obviously more story lines (planned and not planned) this year. The cross over from abc to espn this year was a disaster. They have to keep it one network. The produced segments were better this year...still not Nbc quality but getting better. Too many blimp shots for my personal taste...can't find my horses. Also they were very poor with showing times and pay outs. I think the turf sprint they showed the payout an hour later. Over all though better than the past few years...but still hoping Nbc gets it back soon.

[Grits]

I was real big on being able to watch the 3 Michigan game overtimes.:faint:

Like I cared . . . . . . .

[Jasonm921]

I was real big on being able to watch the 3 Michigan game overtimes.:faint:

Like I cared . . . . . . .

It was like Murphy's law for horse racing.

[ihatenyra]

I don't mind the network switch but moving it to espn3 was a joke. The main announcer is so damn annoying, I wish they'd get rid of him. Too many camera switches during the race.

Showing the fractions during the race became the exception, not the norm.

[Jasonm921]

Is espn 3 a channel or website.

[slew101]

Be very interested to see the ratings and how Zenyatta helped, or didn't. They didn't promote her last year to this level, and the ratings were 0.9 on ESPN and 1.0 on ABC.

I'd expect at least a slight boost from that this year with all the hype. If they get 1.5, they'll be thrilled.

[turfnsport]

Sucked, par for the course for the network.

[slew101]

Web site.

Is espn 3 a channel or website.

[ihatenyra]

Is espn 3 a channel or website.


It's a site only available online based on who your internet provider is. Luckily it became available on time warner about a week ago so I didn't miss anything.

[Beachbabe]

I was real big on being able to watch the 3 Michigan game overtimes.:faint:

Like I cared . . . . . . .

I was waiting for them to show "Bambi" after the game & forget the BC all-together.

Anyway, when Hank Whatshisface actually came out with a positive ROI, I knew the whole thing was weird.

[JustRalph]

I was waiting for them to show "Bambi" after the game & forget the BC all-together.

Anyway, when Hank Whatshisface actually came out with a positive ROI, I knew the whole thing was weird.

You might be thinking of the "Heidi Bowl" ......it's one of the reasons they hate to go away from football games.........no matter the score

from wiki......for those too young to remember. I don't remember the actual game......hell, I was 8 yrs old. But there was tons of talk about it at the Barbershop down the street .......... :lol:

The Heidi Game (or Heidi Bowl) refers to an infamous American Football League (AFL) game between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders, played on November 17, 1968 in Oakland, California.

NBC television network terminated the broadcast in the Eastern and Central time zones with 65 seconds left to play in the game, shocking die-hard football fans as they watched a pre-scheduled two-hour airing of Heidi, a new made-for-TV version of the classic children's story.

With the Jets leading 32-29 with only 65 seconds left in the game, NBC executives attempted to reach their broadcast operations unit to extend coverage of the game but were unable to reach them in time to delay the cutover or reinstate coverage before the game ended.

In the meantime, the Raiders came back and scored 14 points, winning 43-32. As a result, no fans following the game on TV (except for those on the West Coast) were able to see Oakland's comeback live. The complaints to the network indicated a new height of popularity for the game in the United States, and ultimately led to changes to how football games would be broadcast in the future. In a 2010 issue of TV Guide, the cut to Heidi was ranked #5 on a list of TV's ten biggest "blunders".[1]

[Beachbabe]

You might be thinking of the "Heidi Bowl" ......it's one of the reasons they hate to go away from football games.........no matter the score

from wiki......for those too young to remember. I don't remember the actual game......hell, I was 8 yrs old. But there was tons of talk about it at the Barbershop down the street .......... :lol:

The Heidi Game (or Heidi Bowl) refers to an infamous American Football League (AFL) game between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders, played on November 17, 1968 in Oakland, California.

NBC television network terminated the broadcast in the Eastern and Central time zones with 65 seconds left to play in the game, shocking die-hard football fans as they watched a pre-scheduled two-hour airing of Heidi, a new made-for-TV version of the classic children's story.

With the Jets leading 32-29 with only 65 seconds left in the game, NBC executives attempted to reach their broadcast operations unit to extend coverage of the game but were unable to reach them in time to delay the cutover or reinstate coverage before the game ended.

In the meantime, the Raiders came back and scored 14 points, winning 43-32. As a result, no fans following the game on TV (except for those on the West Coast) were able to see Oakland's comeback live. The complaints to the network indicated a new height of popularity for the game in the United States, and ultimately led to changes to how football games would be broadcast in the future. In a 2010 issue of TV Guide, the cut to Heidi was ranked #5 on a list of TV's ten biggest "blunders".[1]


Correctamundo, Ralph ! I heard about it & for some reason it stuck in my mind as Bambi....not Heidi. One little deer looks just like another.
Now tell me they weren't deer !! :rolleyes:

[jelly]

Those overhead shots are terrible.

[Tom]

It's a site only available online based on who your internet provider is. Luckily it became available on time warner about a week ago so I didn't miss anything.

Internet site?
I have TW and did not know.
Not that I need ESPN3 - I don't use 1 or 2. :D

[Tom]

I was watching that game, Ralph. I am STILL pissed off!
I haven't drank a Shirley Temple since! :D

[duncan04]

Internet site?
I have TW and did not know.
Not that I need ESPN3 - I don't use 1 or 2. :D


As far as I know time warner still does not have espn3

[elhelmete]

SHOW MORE SPLITS! (The TV trucks have oodles of graphics power...USE IT!)

SHOW THE PAYOFFS FAST AND OFTEN! They can scroll football scores for Division 3AAA teams all day long...would it kill them to show the payoffs for a race as soon as it goes official? And then scroll them throughout??

GIVE US THE NAMES OF THE TOP FOUR FINISHERS! There's things called trifectas ands supers, you know! It's like they kill the audio right after the winner crosses the wire.

sorry for screaming

[Tom]

All the hoopla about the helmet cam, did anyone see it used more than once?

[foregoforever]

This is funny. The Flemington portion of the Melbourne Carnival is covered by multiple networks ... a horseracing cable one (TVN) and a broadcast channel (7). The Aussie boards have had threads about how lousy the Channel 7 coverage. Among the complaints:


Too much use of the overhead cam during the start
Use of a ground-level camera (literally) on the backstretch
Use of a moving camera on a truck that tracks the horses on the backstetch
Constant shifting of camera angles among the above
Use of a helmet cam on one of the assistant starters
Silly features between races


Sound familiar?

[Spendabuck85]

As far as I know time warner still does not have espn3

I have it through Time Warner of Albany.

[Jasonm921]

Watch the Tiznow segment from the 2001 NBC coverage. That is quality production.

[RaceBookJoe]

No need for a new thread, but on ESPN's site, they have the story of jockey fight fines....$5000 for Borel, $2500 for Castellano rbj

[Irish Boy]

I was real big on being able to watch the 3 Michigan game overtimes.:faint:

Like I cared . . . . . . .
There were 117,000 people at a game featuring two of the largest universities in the nation in one of the oldest rivalries in sports, where both teams were over .500. If they had switched away, there would have been rioting in cities across the Midwest.

[Tom]

Good. They need exercise in the mid west.
That is why I say dump ESPN.

[Jasonm921]

Those overhead shots are terrible.

Literally half of the race was a blimp shot...the entire backstretch run was shot from above....horrible.

[eastie]

Those overhead shots are terrible.


what producer ok's these shots...terrible. The live action should be the Pan shot.

[deathandgravity]

Overall: Ok!

But.... lose the f'ing helicopter! Not only were the overhead shots useless & unneeded, but the constant thumping of the helicopter drove me crazy during the races. (yea... I know it's a short drive)

[The_Knight_Sky]

That is why I say dump ESPN.




I'd give 0.5 % of the national handle on Breeders Cup races to Fox Sports / NBC Sports or CBS Sports. This would be in addition to the usual advertising spots.

Then conduct the races in primetime Friday or Saturday.
I'm sure you'd get vastly improved coverage for these marquee races.

Televising these races should not be "drudgery" to ESPN/ABC sports
or anyone in sports broadcasting.

[Irish Boy]

Ratings up close to 200% those of last year:

http://drf.com/news/breeders-cup-tv-ratings-through-roof

[slew101]

Pretty impressive. Too bad they can't get this story every year.

Ratings up close to 200% those of last year:

http://drf.com/news/breeders-cup-tv-ratings-through-roof

[JustRalph]

Ratings up close to 200% those of last year:

http://drf.com/news/breeders-cup-tv-ratings-through-roof

Thank you 60 Minutes and Andy Rooney

[Irish Boy]

That helped no doubt.

The long term financial success of the sport depends upon favorable television deals in the future. No major sport today relies upon ticket sales for their main source of revenue. If a few glossy features gets some people to watch, then so be it.

[Bullet Plane]

The catch on Life at Ten was some of the best reporting that I have ever seen on a horseracing telecast. Those guys did a great job. And loads and loads of fans had a chance to cancel bets. I just wish we got that type of coverage more often. My hats off to Jerry Bailey and the entire crew!

[eastie]

Thank you 60 Minutes and Andy Rooney


More like thank you Zenyatta. Andy Rooney's a mook from way back

[JustRalph]

More like thank you Zenyatta. Andy Rooney's a mook from way back

more people saw Andy Rooney that night than watched Zenyatta in the BCC

15.5 million watched Rooney and the 60 Minutes Story about Z. About 20 percent less watched the Breeders Cup based on the early numbers.

CBS set ESPN up for a good night.

[Valuist]

I wonder if the Breeders Cup could outdraw reruns of either Seinfeld, Family Guy or Two and Half Men. I'm guessing not.