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Digger
Guest
HOPEFULLY, ESPN's taken notes the past few weeks while TNT and Versus (in open wheel racing) provided race fans with the best race coverage we've had in years.
wilson89
Team Owner
I agree Vs and TNT are both well ahead of all the Disney networks (Abc, Espn, Espn 2-8 lol).
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Digger
Guest
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Digger
Guest
Before anyone says I'm knocking on Dr. Punch, I'm not. I just think he's in the wrong place. Actually, I'm not 100% convinced that he's the problem. Maybe ESPN should just let JP, DJ and Petree call the race without having to worry about fitting in the specialty crap (trackside studio updates, Dish Tech Center, SportsCenter updates, Draft Track, etc, etc.) and quit talking down to race fans like they don't know anything about the sport.
I have enjoyed what I've seen with TNT (and to all accounts I've read, so have most race fans in America) and I hope ESPN has been taking notes.
ESPN needs to completely rethink the way they produce and call the races from scratch. They've tried different announcers and different pit reporters, and they still have the same end result every time, crappy coverage.
The confusing part is Neil Goldberg left FOX and went to ESPN in 2007... FOX's coverage has gotten much worse, but it hasn't produced a single positive for ESPN.
I have enjoyed what I've seen with TNT (and to all accounts I've read, so have most race fans in America) and I hope ESPN has been taking notes.
ESPN needs to completely rethink the way they produce and call the races from scratch. They've tried different announcers and different pit reporters, and they still have the same end result every time, crappy coverage.
The confusing part is Neil Goldberg left FOX and went to ESPN in 2007... FOX's coverage has gotten much worse, but it hasn't produced a single positive for ESPN.
wilson89
Team Owner
And FOX as well. We only had to listen to BozoMac once.
I useually like FOX's coverage but this year i wanted it to end with all the digger talk every 2 minutes on there.
VaDirt
Dirt Track Fanatic
Agreed, digger was the most rediculous idea I've seen, especially the whole digger family cartoon during pre-race. Frankly, the only thing i saw worse than digger was the "school house rock" style cartoon they did for the duels...both products of Fox, and both complete and atter garbage.
The way VS is, I wish they'd get the contract for Nascar, but I just don't think they have the funds to pay for the rights...
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Digger
Guest
Digger's the least of their problems. At least he disappears after 3 seconds.
Jaws Waltrip and Chris Myers on the other hand...
Still, FOX is nowhere near as bad as ESPN.
And for all of you who think it's just NASCAR, it's not. Their football coverage sucks, their basketball coverage sucks, their IRL coverage sucks, their NHRA coverage sucks (it's improving, but it's still nowhere near TNN back in the day). It's all around suckiness over at ESPN.
Their coverage in the 90's is a whole world of difference than it is now. Everytime I watch a race on ESPN Classic, just wow. What the hell happened?
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Digger
Guest
Versus has quality coverage of everything they cover, unlike ESPeeN. Their NHL coverage is top-notch. They cover sports like they care about what they cover... like every dime they spent on rights to broadcast something is important. They don't act like it's a burden and just something they have to do.
I don't know what happened to SPEED, but their coverage of ARCA and CWTS this year have been miserable.
I've begged Mark Gundrum to gather up the remaining funding they have for television and take it to Versus. SPEED doesn't give a damn, that's why they only air 10 races and that's why they're airing the season finalie at 10:00 on a Sunday Night when NOBODY is going to be watching it. Heck, if money's the problem, I'll donate to ARCA if they go to Versus.
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Digger
Guest
Larry, did you notice what happened to IRL's ratings when they got quality coverage with Versus? Ratings went up (even though Versus isn't avaliable in as many homes).
Just like when TNT booted Weber and put Ralph in the booth, ratings went up. I've been saying coverage, not the COT and not the racing itself, is the problem with ratings. Watch what happens when ESPN takes over -- they have one strong week and then ratings will free-fall every week.
MRM
Team Owner
Wonder what Fox's excuses will be if TNT and ESPN both have equal or improved ratings to last year and theirs was well below last year?
ESPN's coverage is plain boring. They act like everyone's an idiot and just started watching last week. As many of you know, Dr. Punch lives in my hometown and is on a local sports station every week. When he was on there this afternoon, I couldn't get over how many people were blasting TNT's coverage on Saturday and saying they couldn't wait for Punch to have the Cup races in a few weeks. Those people must have been drunk.
ESPN's coverage is plain boring. They act like everyone's an idiot and just started watching last week. As many of you know, Dr. Punch lives in my hometown and is on a local sports station every week. When he was on there this afternoon, I couldn't get over how many people were blasting TNT's coverage on Saturday and saying they couldn't wait for Punch to have the Cup races in a few weeks. Those people must have been drunk.
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Digger
Guest
They were on meth
That's the only way I can watch ESPeeN's coverage: Drunk.
I've said in the past that they should remove JP from the booth, but like I said in an earlier post, it's just as bad when Marty Reid or Allen Bestwick announce the races.
The only positive thing they've done is gotten rid of Suzy Kolber. All that did was allow me to keep it on ESPN while listening to MRN/PRN.
I got no issues with Shannon Spake and Jamie Little - they're good broadcasters, but they don't belong in NASCAR. Send them back to wherever they were dredged up from. Same with Mike Massaro and Dave Burns.
I think Dr. Punch would be great on pit road again, but I don't think him in the booth is the problem. There's just an overall larger big picture problem with ESPN's approach to sports coverage. Their job is to entertain and educate, and they do neither. Their education of NASCAR is so elementary, it would be like going to college and being taught basic addition.
Anyone who thinks ESPN's coverage is good is either intoxicated or impaired.
Spike
Team Owner
I would love for Versus to get NASCAR, if for nothing else to see their Vs. logo in between each driver on the race ticker.
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Gordon_Fan24
Guest
Am I the only one that don't really care about all this? LOL I mean, it honestly doesn't matter to me what station is covering it just as long as I get to see the races. I have to say I think ESPN improved greatly when they nixed Rusty Wallace out of the booth and got DJ. But that is about the only thing I have really noticed.