2010 schedule

[NickFalzone]

I had seen the race dates/times schedule, but just looked at the actual 2010 broadcast schedule:

http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/

A little background, my preference is for the FOX and TNT broadcasts. I think the commentators & pit reporters are better on those channels, and the overall broadcast is fancier and more enjoyable to watch. They also seem to do a better job on the timing of the commercial breaks. So with that in mind, I am not disappointed that ABC is only airing 3 races next season. However, upon closer inspection this is no real improvement. It will probably be the same crew, same tv production team, but now the races that used to be on ABC will simply be on ESPN. I may have ESPN this season, but it's not a channel that I easily get like Fox or TNT, it's an additional charge. Anyone know why this change was made? If I remember, the whole Chase of 09 was on ABC. I also remember some people from NASCAR making some complaints about the ABC broadcasts late in the season, so not sure if that has something to do with it.

To have 14 of the 36 races on ESPN is a step backward imo, as it's going from a broadcast network to a pay-cable one. Granted 99% of sports fans have ESPN, along with bars, etc., but it's not something you can pick up over-the-air with an HD antenna, nor something that everyone pays for in their cable package. Last season only 6 of the races were on ESPN, the rest were ABC, FOX, or TNT.

[call_me_andrew]

With the exeption of Talladega, all the Chase races had lower ratings in 2009 than 2008.

[NickFalzone]

Ratings go up and down all the time. Yeah maybe ratings on ABC were down 10% or so year to year, but IMO that's not such a big dropoff that this year practically all of them will be moved to ESPN. I think it's really more of a sign that ABC sucks and is not the NASCAR-friendly partner that they should be. Doubt that TNT and FOX were unhappy with last years ratings, even if they were down a bit. What is ABC going to replace it with? Desperate Housewives reruns?

[Mark in Oshawa]

ABC/ESPN are not the same ESPN that used to lead the way in broadcasting the sport. I like their crew, but I don't like the way things are cut, the promo's, not crazy on some of the emphasis, and the whole feel just doesn't work for me. I remember how good those original ESPN broadcasts used to be with Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons and I cant get that out of my head.

I liked TNT's crew and relaxed but infomative banter. Fox? Well we all love DW and Larry, but the two of them together after a while cause me to put the whole thing on Mute and look for the MRN broadcast...

[NickFalzone]

ABC/ESPN are not the same ESPN that used to lead the way in broadcasting the sport. I like their crew, but I don't like the way things are cut, the promo's, not crazy on some of the emphasis, and the whole feel just doesn't work for me. I remember how good those original ESPN broadcasts used to be with Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons and I cant get that out of my head.

I liked TNT's crew and relaxed but infomative banter. Fox? Well we all love DW and Larry, but the two of them together after a while cause me to put the whole thing on Mute and look for the MRN broadcast...

True Mark, but at least with FOX I sense a real love of the sport. Same with TNT. But on ABC it really feels like everyone is just going through the paces, it's a fairly robotic broadcast with no real flavor, no sense of history of stock car racing. I felt the same way about the way they treat the IRL. They might as well be covering volleyball or bowling for all they care, it's just another sport on ESPN, whereas I feel like on FOX and TNT they treat it as more of a valuable franchise worthy of support.

[harvick#1]

great to see alot of soulless tracks in the chase,

would it kill Nascar to add Darlington to the chase and get rid of one of the cookie cutters, prolly Kansas.



ABC/ESPN are not the same ESPN that used to lead the way in broadcasting the sport. I like their crew, but I don't like the way things are cut, the promo's, not crazy on some of the emphasis, and the whole feel just doesn't work for me. I remember how good those original ESPN broadcasts used to be with Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons and I cant get that out of my head.

I liked TNT's crew and relaxed but infomative banter. Fox? Well we all love DW and Larry, but the two of them together after a while cause me to put the whole thing on Mute and look for the MRN broadcast...


the old ESPN crew was amazing, they didn't make you fall asleep.

with Fox and DW, here comes that annoying Digger crap again. And his true love affair with Busch and Jr. but now with Danica, its gonna be really bad.

Fox, ESPN, and TNT need to quit dumbing down the crowd during the races, obviously the ratings are down so not many new fans are watching, so we dont need to go to the tech garage to hear about what "loose and tight" are and drafting.

they need to stick to the race and I think talk to more to crew chiefs during the entire race to see whats going on.

[Sparky1329]

DW and his lame schtick including that mind-numbing Digger ruin the telecasts.

[Mark in Oshawa]

DW and his lame schtick including that mind-numbing Digger ruin the telecasts.
DW is going on with Digger because he has a piece of the franchise. It might have been what he demanded to bring it up at all after the first race.

Fox has people I love to hear interviewed or talk racing, but you put DW and Larry in the booth together and by the time the checked falls, I am wore out. I like Jeff Hammond in his tech talk's and cutaway work, the same as I like Brewer on the ABC/ESPN broadcasts.

I am perplexed on what is missing with ABC/ESPN. ON paper, they have the right people, and Dr. Punch, Dale and Andy do love the sport, and it can show, BUT I guess it is the tone of the graphics, the stories and format the producers and directors give the broadcast, and their ability to just overpromote ( something FOX does as well) what else is going on with the network. It is just not quite working for me either, but it is the one you dance with, because it could be worse, they could be doing an IRL event and having Paul Page brought out of mothballs...

[call_me_andrew]

I was watching an old Darlington race on You Tube a few weeks ago, and as Jeff Gordon was making a green-flag pit stop, the camera man held his camera on the ground as Gordon was entering pit road and picked it up slowly as Gordon was entering his stall. Whatever happened to those shots? They were beautiful.

And then there were the old in-car cameras mounted at the "back seat" that could rotate and zoom.

[NickFalzone]

Andrew, having worked in broadcast tv for over 6 years, I can tell you that it's a combination of laziness and incompetence that the broadcasts (both NASCAR and IRL) are so technically bland. I find Digger the character to be annoying, but the in-track cameras are a great idea (if not anything new or groundbreaking). The current technology for tiny mountable HD-cameras is far, far beyond what the tv race broadcasters choose to go with. There are some sports where IMO the camerawork is not that important, but racing can really benefit from high-end, expensive production work. Having briefly spoken to some people on the IRL's side, I actually think they have a lot of cool ideas, but are very financially strapped as to actually executing them. NASCAR, I don't know what the issue is, but they seem very complacent in just putting on the same-old, same-old. To me the COT is representative of the tv broadcast. Where NASCAR could have gone for exciting and groundbreaking, they instead have been happy with the status quo. It's not terrible, and generally it gets the job done, but it just seems like if you put a few smart, creative people together and problem-solved, things would be a lot better.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Andrew, having worked in broadcast tv for over 6 years, I can tell you that it's a combination of laziness and incompetence that the broadcasts (both NASCAR and IRL) are so technically bland. I find Digger the character to be annoying, but the in-track cameras are a great idea (if not anything new or groundbreaking). The current technology for tiny mountable HD-cameras is far, far beyond what the tv race broadcasters choose to go with. There are some sports where IMO the camerawork is not that important, but racing can really benefit from high-end, expensive production work. Having briefly spoken to some people on the IRL's side, I actually think they have a lot of cool ideas, but are very financially strapped as to actually executing them. NASCAR, I don't know what the issue is, but they seem very complacent in just putting on the same-old, same-old. To me the COT is representative of the tv broadcast. Where NASCAR could have gone for exciting and groundbreaking, they instead have been happy with the status quo. It's not terrible, and generally it gets the job done, but it just seems like if you put a few smart, creative people together and problem-solved, things would be a lot better.

I know a few people in TV, but none who cover any sport save hockey, and tradtional thoughts on broadcasts are loathe to change. No one wants to produce something radically different and have it get killed by the tv critics (a group of self appointed idiots who have never had to have a creative idea on their own in TV) and then the ratings.

That said, the little cameras that can be everywhere should be utilized a lot more. I would love to see a camera suspended over the track rather than the camera on the cable zooming with the cars through the turn. I would love to see more use of in car shots and more cameras on the cars....

There is room for innovation, but I think the danger of going over the "line" with either the critics or the management side keeps the rate of innovation in broadcasts rather slow.

[NickFalzone]

I know a few people in TV, but none who cover any sport save hockey, and tradtional thoughts on broadcasts are loathe to change. No one wants to produce something radically different and have it get killed by the tv critics (a group of self appointed idiots who have never had to have a creative idea on their own in TV) and then the ratings.

That said, the little cameras that can be everywhere should be utilized a lot more. I would love to see a camera suspended over the track rather than the camera on the cable zooming with the cars through the turn. I would love to see more use of in car shots and more cameras on the cars....

There is room for innovation, but I think the danger of going over the "line" with either the critics or the management side keeps the rate of innovation in broadcasts rather slow.

It comes down to money (the upgrades would cost fairly significant $$), but also just human nature. A lot of people, tv folks included, just go into their jobs and do the minimum required to get through the day, collect a paycheck, and keep their job. There's no real fire under their butts to do something unique or extraordinary. I think viewers assume that "creative", or "entertainment industry" people put their heart and soul into their projects. And there are some that do. But the vast majority are just trading on a certain technical or creative skillset and paying the bills. Sure, they could try to do something to make the broadcasts better, there's a lot of things that could be done. But why upset the apple cart, why create more work for themselves. At least in the case with NASCAR, they're bringing in pretty good ratings, and there hasn't really been that much criticism of the tv broadcasts (at least no more than usual). As someone that has worked in the field for awhile, I see a lot of things that could be improved, but maybe that's my own inside point of view on it, and the majority of viewers could care less about these changes. As far as "critics", i don't think that really applies. They have a moderate amount of influence on ratings for new hour-long dramas, sitcoms, and talk shows, but I don't think the tv critics have ever really gotten into reviewing sports broadcasts from a technical or creative perspective.

[call_me_andrew]

That said, the little cameras that can be everywhere should be utilized a lot more. I would love to see a camera suspended over the track rather than the camera on the cable zooming with the cars through the turn. I would love to see more use of in car shots and more cameras on the cars....

There is room for innovation, but I think the danger of going over the "line" with either the critics or the management side keeps the rate of innovation in broadcasts rather slow.

The cable cam works well in F1 because it can give a better sense of how fast the cars change direction, but I don't think it translates to oval racing very well.

My idea is to attach a lipstick camera to a miniature remote controlled blimp and let that fly over the track. I'm sure that's cheaper than rigging up a cable cam.

A more radical idea is to have a maglev rail circle the track and have a camera follow the cars from outside the catch fence.

EDIT: Of course the magnets could damage the camera...