The Announcers Thread

I'm surprised no one is calling for NBC to hire Darrell Waltrip. At least he made the Fox broadcast a fun listen.
 
JimmyJ4UK said:
I'm surprised no one is calling for NBC to hire Darrell Waltrip. At least he made the Fox broadcast a fun listen.
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We must have different definitions of 'fun'.

DW's knowledge of the cars was decades and versions out of date. Tracks are on the schedule he never raced on, with drivers he never ran against. Even overlooking his style, he has nothing relevant to bring to a broadcast in 2024.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
We must have different definitions of 'fun'.

DW's knowledge of the cars was decades and versions out of date. Tracks are on the schedule he never raced on, with drivers he never ran against. Even overlooking his style, he has nothing relevant to bring to a broadcast in 2024.
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He will always have enthusiasm for the sport which many lack.
 
StandOnIt said:
He will always have enthusiasm for the sport which many lack.
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Oh, I agree completely. Someone else posted about liking DW the storyteller but not DW the analyst. And there are other former drivers in the booth who should be replaced because they lack recent experience.
 
^Replaced by who? I didn't think Kurt Busch was a very good commentator...he doesn't say what he wants to.
 
JimmyJ4UK said:
I'm surprised no one is calling for NBC to hire Darrell Waltrip. At least he made the Fox broadcast a fun listen.
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DW’s time has come and gone. He was great 20 years ago. I was glad he got to do Wilkesboro though and go out on his own terms instead of on Jenna Fryer’s terms.
 
Watched some of the IndyCar race. Their presentation is much better than Fox's. Plus, they had 3 pit reporters for a race with 27 cars and Fox only had 2 for a race with 36+ cars. :rolleyes:
 
While watching the race a few things became evident. One is the announcers should be refreshed every few years - yes, this includes Clint Boyer - and secondly, try as hard as they did to make the race sound exciting, there wasn't much to work with.
As for DW, he was fun for awhile but his time as an announcer has passed.
 
MRM said:
they had 3 pit reporters for a race with 27 cars and Fox only had 2 for a race with 36+ cars. :rolleyes:
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That's because Fox has to pay three people to sit around in the studio, only one of whom makes informative contributions.
 
MRM said:
Watched some of the IndyCar race. Their presentation is much better than Fox's. Plus, they had 3 pit reporters for a race with 27 cars and Fox only had 2 for a race with 36+ cars. :rolleyes:
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NBC's IndyCar coverage has been the gold standard of American motorsports broadcasting since 2009.

It really is a shame that the IndyCar Series will likely be moving to Fox.
 
sdj said:
The worst crew Fox has ever had, is still light years ahead of what NBC brings to the race.
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I disagree. NBC's production is light years ahead of FOX. FOX treats NASCAR like it's Howdy Doody on wheels and a complete joke. Bowyer acting like a clown is a part of that presentation.

NBC's problem is how they produce Rick Allen. Allen was great in the Truck Series but it seems like NBC wants him to emphasize drama and IMPLICATIONS! so he does what his bosses want him to do. If NBC let Allen do his job like SPEED did and swapped Burton for someone like Kurt Busch or Jamie McMurray, it would rival 2000s FOX.
 
The Nature Boy said:
I disagree. NBC's production is light years ahead of FOX. FOX treats NASCAR like it's Howdy Doody on wheels and a complete joke. Bowyer acting like a clown is a part of that presentation.

NBC's problem is how they produce Rick Allen. Allen was great in the Truck Series but it seems like NBC wants him to emphasize drama and IMPLICATIONS! so he does what his bosses want him to do. If NBC let Allen do his job like SPEED did and swapped Burton for someone like Kurt Busch or Jamie McMurray, it would rival 2000s FOX.
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It's similar to an unsubstantiated rumor I saw so take this with a grain of salt. Apparently Jr regularly argued with NBC producers because he wouldn't watch the race on the monitor, he would actually be watching the race. Because of this Jr would always be talking about things not on camera because NBC wanted to shape the story not show the action. IF and a big IF that is true that could definitely be the problem with Rick Allen because he's been doing this is will play ball with what the bosses want. Again this is all based of an internet rumor, but it seems potentially plausible.
 
First off, I have a profound hearing loss and I do wear hearing aids. Does anyone else have issues understanding Jamie when she is doing the race broadcast? It's gotten to the point for me that I basically turn the volume off.
I really liked Jamie as a pit reporter but cringe when she is in the booth.
 
kkfan91 said:
It's similar to an unsubstantiated rumor I saw so take this with a grain of salt. Apparently Jr regularly argued with NBC producers because he wouldn't watch the race on the monitor, he would actually be watching the race. Because of this Jr would always be talking about things not on camera because NBC wanted to shape the story not show the action. IF and a big IF that is true that could definitely be the problem with Rick Allen because he's been doing this is will play ball with what the bosses want. Again this is all based of an internet rumor, but it seems potentially plausible.
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That would make sense if they were talking about Burton doing his Dr. Phil shtick. Nothing is more cringe worthy than listening to Burton think he is in the drivers helmet.
 
All networks utilize Game Creek Video, SVG and NEP, in conjunction with FOXs Cleatus units,and NBCs Peacock units.
It is up to the respective Directors and Producers from each Network to utilize the state of the Art tools at their disposal.
Artie Kempner is the best shot calling Directors in the business, but people like him are far and few between...
This is when I went to Bristol in 2019, and the compound shows a mix of Broadcast Trucks... All that technology could definitely be used in a better way...
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I said this years ago on another forum: the best NASCAR TV broadcasts were produced by ESPN SpeedWorld in the 80s and early 90s. We're in a different era now obviously, but if some of that magic could be recaptured today it would make watching NASCAR cool again.
 
JimmyJ4UK said:
I said this years ago on another forum: the best NASCAR TV broadcasts were produced by ESPN SpeedWorld in the 80s and early 90s. We're in a different era now obviously, but if some of that magic could be recaptured today it would make watching NASCAR cool again.
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I think Fox's coverage in the early-2000s was the best coverage NASCAR's ever had.
 
^I agree that it was a close second to ESPN. NASCAR doesn't feel like a big-time event on Fox anymore due to the budget cuts they've made in recent years. Hopefully the newcomers in 2025 will spark a new era in motorsports broadcasting.
 
That's what I do when the screaming gerbils are on. Shut the sound off and turn on MRN or PRN down low. I've watched so many races I don't need their frequently wrong commentary and fake drama to keep me watching.
 
I thought this thread would be a bit more lively with celebration due to the apparent ousting of "Around Goes" Rick Allen
 
pjmolo said:
I could do without any commentators what so ever.

Give me the running order on the side of the screen along with the sound of the cars that I would hear if I were at the track and I'm all good.
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I’d be happy with a small ticker going across the top of the screen and just watching the action. Too many of these broadcast guys like the sound of their own voices and that ain’t good in my opinion.
 
kkfan91 said:
I know people love him but I personally find Leigh Diffey to be far more annoying than Rick Allen.
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You mean the guy that has lived in the U.S. for over 20 years and you still can't understand him? Maybe he will use "overtake" and spell tires with a y. I'm so excited.
 
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kkfan91 said:
It's similar to an unsubstantiated rumor I saw so take this with a grain of salt. Apparently Jr regularly argued with NBC producers because he wouldn't watch the race on the monitor, he would actually be watching the race. Because of this Jr would always be talking about things not on camera because NBC wanted to shape the story not show the action. IF and a big IF that is true that could definitely be the problem with Rick Allen because he's been doing this is will play ball with what the bosses want. Again this is all based of an internet rumor, but it seems potentially plausible.
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This reminded me of that clip during one of the Xfinity broadcasts a year or two ago at Charlotte where you could hear Harvick telling the production in the background they needed to switch to another battle further up the field.
 
kkfan91 said:
I know people love him but I personally find Leigh Diffey to be far more annoying than Rick Allen.
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A lot of Rick Allen haters are about to learn that Rick Allen isn't the problem. It's NBC's production of him that's the problem. Maybe Leigh Diffey has enough pull to avoid having to ramble around ADVERSITY! and PRAWBLEMS!
 
StandOnIt said:
What were they doing to Rick, squeezing his nuts to make him yell?
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Watch some Truck races on SPEED and then watch Allen's races on NBC. There's a clear difference and it likely comes down to production. I imagine he's told by his bosses what he needs to emphasize and the level of excitement he needs to communicate to the audience.
 
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