NBC Olympic coverage: whaddya think?
 

We're a little bit past the midway point of the Olympics and I'm wondering what you think of NBC's coverage. In particular these questions:

1. As a whole how does it stack up against any other networks that have covered the Olympics, either US networks or compare with Canadian or coverage from any other country to which you may have access?

2. Do you think the coverage is too US-centric (or Phelps-centric, but he's finished his meet now: 8 for 8 YEAH :bravo: :stars: :woohoo: :yay:), especially when the US goes head-to-head with China? Does NBC cheerlead for the US team or do they give other countries their due?

3. Heartstring-pulling human interest stories: too much or j-u-s-t right?

4. Would you rather see more live stuff or are you ok with catching tape-delays in prime time?

My 2c worth, but your mileage may vary:
1. I'm old enough to remember when ABC was The Network of the Olympics, and when they broadcast them they were superb both at balancing coverage of the peripheral sports with those of the main events, and of giving the athletes of all countries their due (and this without sister cable networks to carry the overflow events). NBC is gradually getting better but may have a way to go yet before they reach that standard. On the other hand they're streets better than CBS was when they carried the winter games in the 1990s. I thought they botched the coverage of the Kerrigan/Harding figure skating final in 1994 (showing only those skaters who THEY thought the audience would be interested in, i.e., Nancy, Tonya, the eventual other medalists and Katarina Witt; omitting one skater who was in the final group of 6 because her performance didn't affect the medal standings; and showing an "I'm going to Disney World" ad with Kerrigan, which I felt tipped off the audience that Kerrigan wasn't going to win the gold, before the competition was even over). And 4 years later, part of the opening ceremony at Nagano was a performance of Beethoven's Ode to Joy, by orchestras and choruses on 5 continents simultaneously. CBS turned its back on the performance and used that time to run interviews with athletes. I wasn't the only person who was steamed by that and 10 years later I still am

2. In the women's gymnastics they were very focused on the US and China and showed only a single gymnast from Romania, whose team won the bronze, but in the swim meet they've been good at honoring all the countries that have won medals and have shown medal ceremonies not just for the US gold medalists

3. Atlanta and Sydney were the peak of the tearjerking athlete profile fad; there's been much less of it since then, although there was one piece about the 33-year-old ex-Soviet gymnast who moved to Germany so her son could have leukemia treatment

4. I NEED the prime time tape delays, I hardly have any other time to catch anything! When I check the cable nets in the morning about all they're showing is soccer, basketball and volleyball (both beach and gym) which interest me the LEAST; the good stuff is on the late-night show and I've caught only a tiny amount of horsey stuff (serious equestrians will feel differently but all I caught was a bit of dressage which doesn't interest me as much as anything where the horse has to jump)

You know, I stopped watching the US coverage one year when the cut to commercial as the Canadian team was coming in. I mean, sheesh, we're neighbours and all. It just wasn't important to them. I don't even remember which network it was though. CBC (Canadian Broadcast Corporation) does a reasonably decent job so it's no great loss for me. Although this time I've been watching one of our specialty channels the most (Bold) as they are running all the equestrian events and the sailing. So it could be that the CBC is doing the same kind of things.

Oops, I was going to add that I prefer the live broadcasts, even though I record them. That way I can watch them faster in the evening (as for the equestrian they start at 6pm and I'm making dinner at that point).

I just wanted to jump in and say something about Ron McLean (anchor). If you have a chance to catch some CBC ... he's fabulous!

Do you think that Americans sometimes miss pretty wonderful stuff because their networks are so US-centric?

But they just did: Louis Smith won bronze on the pommel horse, their first gymnastics medal in 80 years! Now that the UK have the next Olympics they must be cranking their sports programs into overdrive, like China did for this one and Greece for 4 years ago

This article just in at the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/19/sp...ritain.html?hp

NBC has the best coverage that I have seen, imo. And I don't think it's too US-centric... most of their viewership, myself included, is more interested in seeing what the American atheletes are doing than anyone else, so they feature the events that will appeal to the largest amount of viewers.

I also think they're handling switching between different events pretty well; I kind of like that it isn't so seamless and you actually have the anchors saying, "Okay, we're going to be switching over to XYZ, but we'll return to this in 30 minutes."

I actually caught some of the men's weightlifting and archery competitions on a cable channel about a week ago. ... it was fine to watch, but yeah, I eventually switched back to NBC lol.

For the most part, I enjoy NBC's coverage. However, I hate it when they interview people who have just lost (and ask them things like, "How does it feel to have your dreams crushed?").

I agree about the dream crushers. Ours is called Elliotte Freidman. He's brutal!

Are there any events that you just plain enjoy? Wouldn't matter who was competing? You'd watch anyway?

I would watch swimming and track & field no matter who was competing. The men's 100M a few nights ago was awesome (and over in 9 seconds lol) and I don't think there were any Americans running (or maybe there were, but I forget).

I think the coverage has been good. I love that technology has allowed for so much streaming video online. So many, many different sports can be watched this time around. I give NBC a lot of credit for broadcasting so many hours via the web, and the sister stations.

Walter Dix of the US won the bronze. The women's 100m was a Jamaican sweep

I don't have cable and I don't have a tv antennae set up right now so I've been watching the olympics online which means it is without commercials, which is good. They do slip in some lame commercial every once in a while though.

For the things I've watched, I think it is way too US focused. I wish they did show a lot more for other countries. Although I guess they have a limited time so they show what they think people will want to watch, which are the americans. (If you are in the US that is). We don't want to miss little Jenny from Iowa or something while we are showing some girl from Argentina that 'we' don't know. If it was up to me, the coverage would be around the clock, showing as much as possible from as many countries as possible but that is me.

In this age of multitudinous cable stations, I suppose that soon they will broadcast almost everything. But we'll need a bank of screens to keep up.

I don't mind if they edit together a set of qualifying heats. I think the CBC did that with diving last night. All in one show we watched the men's 3 m spring board (I think it was) probably 10 or 12 divers doing all of 6 rounds.
Then I think tonight we get to see the final rounds.

I watched uneven parallel bars like that too. I suppose it works best with events that ar short ad sweet.

BTW ... who is commentating gymnastics on NBC? Cruel, fickle, never shuts up?? "Oh, that was bad. She's going to lose points for that." And then whines when the scores reflect an error.

I'm not sure of the technical name for those shots of the divers in three or four stages as they enter the water (stop motion??)... but it's fabulous. Makes me realise how much they have to accomplish in about 3 seconds. Amazing!

Tim Daggett (I think he's the one who says those) and Elfi Schlegel

Tim Daggett creeps me out a little. But I have to love Bela Karolyi.

I was hoping they'd show that 10k open-water swim marathon (no, NOT one of Phelps' events), I made a point of being home hoping they'd show it on the network (what the heck, it's swimming isn't it), but they didn't (if it was on anywhere it was on either USA or CNBC in the wee hours). The women's event was yesterday (Russia gold, UK silver and bronze, and the South African amputee who competes at both the Os and the Paralympics was 16th), the men's is today