Professional Cycling For the Fans - My opinions of OLN's TdF coverage...

"ya know Bob...Lance's favorite flavor of ice cream is strawberry...now let's head to a dairy in the Loire valley for a 15 minutes segment on dairy cows and strawberry harvests...Let's hope it's finished before the last sprint..."


Why is OLN video quality so crap?


SALT! Don't forget to talk about salt! :D

Koffee

NOOO!!! no CBS please!!! they screw up everything they show.

Sorry, but the US has had Tour winners since Lemond, it really hasn't changed the public interest. The day cycling gets that popular in NA is the day soccer takes off here (i.e. never). Cycling does not suit short TV watching attention spans (but somehow, golf and baseball do).

I have no idea why TV is scared of showing track cycling-its fast, hairy, and exciting as hell. At the beginning of the 1900s, track cycling was the #1 sport in US, ...now it's poker.

Not just any poker, though.... CELEBRITY poker. Now THAT'S drama! Out you go!

:D

Koffee

.

Ligget is driving me crazy with his pronounciation if "Liquigas", he says it, "leakygas"

I'm fairly certain that he is pronouncing it correctly for it's country of origin. When I was in Italy I was asking the price on one of their jerseys and that's how the shop clerk pronounced it.

Ditto on the pronunciation thing. We pronounce the "qu" sound differently than the European countries (Spain and Italy). Ligget is pronouncing it correctly.

Koffee

What about Phil's pronounciation of Bianchi?

I've always thought it was BEE-ON-KEE...
I forget how he pronounced it, but it sounded a bit different...

Why is OLN video quality so crap?

I read somewhere, I forget where, about how OLN gets its video -- first, OLN doesn't shoot its own race video, they get it from French TV -- second, they have to transmit from either motorcycle or helicopter to a broadcast van that's parked many miles up or down the race route, so the signal gets lost frequently in the trees and hills.

The day cycling gets that popular in NA is the day soccer takes off here (i.e. never). Cycling does not suit short TV watching attention spans (but somehow, golf and baseball do).


As a former soccer player (would still be one if I could find a team) and roadie, my guess is that since the average American can go out and play 18 holes of golf or 9 innings of baseball, it's easier for them to be interested in watching that sport. They can relate to what's going on in the game. I personally can't stand to watch either sport because I can't relate because I've never played either. Most people can't understand why we enjoy watching men in tight clothing pedaling along because they can't relate (how many non-cyclists do you know that have ever biked 100+ miles or climbed a mountain on a bike?). So we are really no different than them (other than being in better shape and being interested in a superior sport ;) )

Its all about gay ratings..the public wants to see armstrong and thats what they are getting.

Indeed. It is all about gay ratings. I'm working on increasing my gay factor rating as we speak.

I am thinking about getting one of these:
http://www.supereggplant.com/archives/eggplant%20scarf.JPG

Do you think it will improve my gay ratings?

I hate having to catch the "Expanded Coverage" with Al Trautwig and Bob Roll. Quit your giggly chatter already. The primetime coverage is just full of filler with less actual racing coverage. It's so much better with Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin. Have you noticed how the racing audio is so much clearer with Phil and Paul? The road/crowd noise must be on a separate audio track and turned down for Al and Bobke's masterful tree house banter. I can't wait for the DVD set so I can watch the real race.


Haha: from yesterday: Hiiiiii, Lance!!!

What about Phil's pronounciation of Bianchi?

I've always thought it was BEE-ON-KEE...
I forget how he pronounced it, but it sounded a bit different...

Phil pronounces it: bee-ANG-key.

The commercial breaks are a bit excessive. I timed a segment. The broadcast lasted for 5 minutes, followed by a 2:30 minute commercial break. That's rediculous.

I think the normal half hour program has 8 minutes of commercials and 22 of the program, (as opposed to 10 and 20) so it's not totally outrageous, comparitively anyway, but it would be nice to cut down the advertising. I don't see it happening though.

The flipside to that is that without Armstrong next year, they may drop tour coverage altogether. If OLN really gave a poo about racing, they would show all the classics, or at least the Giro.

Ligget is driving me crazy with his pronounciation if "Liquigas", he says it, "leakygas"


Huh? What planet are you on? OLN *did* show all the classics, plus the Giro. And they will broadcast the Vuelta as well. (As I recall, Lance only showed up for a day or two at one of the classics and went home ill.) Plus, they had some coverage of American races as well - Tour De Georgia, Redlands Classic, etc.

I'm really enjoying the coverage. Yeah, I could do with less commercials, and I wish they'd talk more about the gear. But I feel I'm getting more cycling from OLN when I watch the TDF, than I get when I watch the Olympics on one of the major networks!

wrong year

SALT! Don't forget to talk about salt! :D

Koffee

Oh YeaH! SALT!!, the single most ******** segment of any bike racing on TV.

"..few people know that the root of the word salary comes from salt.."

yeah, a few people who never made it past grade 2.


I'm getting irritated with the on-screen ads more than anything -just when I'm trying to see what gear they are in on close-up, another f-ing ad for "survivor on OLN". Another tip for OLN: Sheryl Crowe has NOTHING to do with racing and is not interesting.

OLN classics are not broadcast in Canada, not enough time left after all those riveting curling matches.

Tip: try saying "curling" three times without losing consciousness due to boredom, can't do it...
[do not attempt if reading this forum while cycling]

SPeaking of CBS, they did a story on the news the other night about cycling in the US and how it's doing, and the 'future stars' of the Discovery farm system, etc. They said that of course, cycling has a long way to go, for a couple of reasons. One is that kids in their late teens, at the time when you start your career as an amateur, don't have the time to ride 300 miles a week, and that organizing races can be a logistical d problem and that it's hard to get kids onto bikes in the first place. I think a big reason is that it's a car culture, which they didn't really mention. Bikes are still seen as 'the other' and organizing races means closing off roads to CARS, which no one wants to do, etc. Kids in europe train, so they find the time. It's also tv- if tv introduced cycling more to the masses instead of treating it like a novelty sport, more people would get interested in it.

IMHO, Phil has the best sports commentating voice ever of anyone I've heard. I'd say the close second would be the late Harey Carry (yes I'm a Chicago boy). I mean, Phil's plugs made the other OLN shows seem exciting... even the BBQ showdown!


Ahhh Harey....when he died I stopped watching baseball on tv and havent nor will see another game. IMO there is no one that will fill his shoes.

SPeaking of CBS, they did a story on the news the other night about cycling in the US and how it's doing, and the 'future stars' of the Discovery farm system, etc. They said that of course, cycling has a long way to go, for a couple of reasons. One is that kids in their late teens, at the time when you start your career as an amateur, don't have the time to ride 300 miles a week, and that organizing races can be a logistical d problem and that it's hard to get kids onto bikes in the first place. I think a big reason is that it's a car culture, which they didn't really mention. Bikes are still seen as 'the other' and organizing races means closing off roads to CARS, which no one wants to do, etc. Kids in europe train, so they find the time. It's also tv- if tv introduced cycling more to the masses instead of treating it like a novelty sport, more people would get interested in it.

We should have some sports schools dotted around the country like other countries do- a place where we can send gifted child athletes to excel. If not for high school, at least for college. A sports college where the best professionals train kids with promise would probably bring a lot of sports a long way.

Koffee

I sent my email in complaining about the sheryl-cam. Good point obout the scrolling ads!

The Lance-love here on OLN just balances out the Lance-haters everywhere else. They avoid mentioning him in their broadcasts, and downplay his historical career every chance they get. They're especially mad since they changed the rules last year to make it even harder for a rider of Lance's style, and he still ran away with it.

The only way this sport will ever get popular here is if we have more homegrown heros to root for. Most Americans will not get fanatical about someone whose name they cannot pronounce.

Ditto on the pronunciation thing. We pronounce the "qu" sound differently than the European countries (Spain and Italy). Ligget is pronouncing it correctly.

Koffee


Actually, this isn't true. The QU cluster is the same in English and Italian. Witness: quaranta (forty), quindici (fifteen), quale (which). All of these are pronounced KW+vowel, just like English.

Liquigas, in English phoenetics, is LEE-kwee-gahss.

Oh, you're right... I haven't spoken Italian in months and forgot. I guess he is saying it wrong then... unless he knows something we don't!

Koffee

...unless he knows something we don't!

And Phil does know a lot more about cycling than I do! ;)

Did you hear when they were talking about heart rates yesterday? Paul said that on average a person loses 1 beat off of their max HR per year. He then told Phil that his must be really low by now! Sweet.

A more accurate rule-of-thumb is that is slows down by about 0.80 b/min/year; at my age it matters.

Indeed. It is all about gay ratings. I'm working on increasing my gay factor rating as we speak.

I am thinking about getting one of these:
http://www.supereggplant.com/archives/eggplant%20scarf.JPG

Do you think it will improve my gay ratings?



my use of the word gay was an adjective to the describe OLN's ratings. Im not sure why you thought i was talking about the ratings of your gayness. but since you brought it up i think wearing that would put your "gay ratings" through the roof.

Well this is an interesting post for sure... I wonder how many of you are in the TV business.

First of all, this is OLN's biggest event of the year. This is the time when they make huge amounts of money to support all of the other programming they have for the remainder of the year… including other bike races. This is the time when they get their biggest ratings and is very important for the revenue stream.

As far as the coverage... with actual racing, OLN gets a “clean feed” from the main production company... they have no control over what shots they are given. They do have an "Elvis", kinda like a Tivo but with 2 channels of video... that they use to do the replays with. They use the elvis for the replays and they put their own graphics package in as well. Live TV is tough enough if you are controlling it yourself, but add the fact that you are at the mercy of another production company… forget it!

As for the extra coverage… well if you want to keep the general public happy you can't just show hours of racing, you have to spice it up with local flavor pieces. You people already by bikes and parts... so OLN's advertisers don't care about you folks. Are you going to buy a Trek because of the Lucky 7 contest? Are you going to buy a SAAB because they sponsor the pre-race show? Not likely, but it could appeal to a person who is a cancer survivor and a fan of Lance… you know the guy who was on Opera, the today show, Letterman, Leno… I could go on. No offence to Floyd Landis or Dave Zabriskie, but they just are not house hold names.

The real story of who this race appeals to is played out in who is advertising during the coverage. Those companies spend a great deal of time trying to sell the demographic that tunes into the coverage. They don’t just advertise because they like bike racing.

So give OLN a break. You live in the greatest country in the world with more available TV program than anywhere on earth. That gets paid for by cable company dollars, commercials, product placements and bill boards (the - "OLN's coverage is brought to you by..."

If it were not for OLN there would not be a home for the Tour in the United States! I am willing to bet that even Discovery Channel would not cover the race.

But hey, just my opinion based on 8 years in TV.
:D

NOOO!!! no CBS please!!! they screw up everything they show.



You're absolutely right. I don't have OLN, so I was looking forward to the 1 hour synopsis for the Tour de France on CBS sports today. Well, instead of showing the highlights of the tour for the past WEEK, they show pictures of Lance signing autographs, maps of France, and other scenes that could have been filmed BEFORE the tour. And to top it off, the footage was horrible. I deleted it off my DVR before it was even finished. What a waste!

I'm sure part of the frustration for the OLN guys is using only what French TV provides for a video feed and from that to tell the story. And I'm guessing they also don't have the statistical data banks that American sports broadcasters have access to at any given time, so the guys at OLN sometimes have to vamp and make guesses. What goads me most is not hearing some of the technical aspects of the bikes, plus I'd like to hear more of the strategy and rules. Like whenever Phil Liggett talks about Jan Ullrich and his "massive gear", I'd like to know what that huge gear is. All he has to do is tell me a 54 chainring and 13 rear cog, or whatever it is Jan uses. And what exactly is his cadence? Then explain some power ratio formulas as it applies to slow cadences coupled with huge gearing. That's not asking too much, is it Phil?

It was gettin pretty annoying when they mentioned "oh, and there's lance", "and yes there he is in yellow", "right there you see lance near the head of the peleton", etc...

I'm sure part of the frustration for the OLN guys is using only what French TV provides for a video feed and from that to tell the story. And I'm guessing they also don't have the statistical data banks that American sports broadcasters have access to at any given time, so the guys at OLN sometimes have to vamp and make guesses. What goads me most is not hearing some of the technical aspects of the bikes, plus I'd like to hear more of the strategy and rules. Like whenever Phil Liggett talks about Jan Ullrich and his "massive gear", I'd like to know what that huge gear is. All he has to do is tell me a 54 chainring and 13 rear cog, or whatever it is Jan uses. And what exactly is his cadence? Then explain some power ratio formulas as it applies to slow cadences coupled with huge gearing. That's not asking too much, is it Phil?

I think the french feed shows the dudes racing and the presentations, but all the other crap (ie: Sheryl Crow cam, constant Lance interviews, Lance sightings, Lance commercials, Lance Chronicles, etc.) is OLN produced stuff. That's the stuff that gets on my nerves. The actual television feeds from the race itself I have no problems with.

Koffee

The flipside to that is that without Armstrong next year, they may drop tour coverage altogether.

I think a lot depends on what kinds of rights fee the organizers try to extract from American broadcasters; surely the post-Lance TDF will be worth less to OLN, but will the ASO see it that way as well, or will they expect the lucrative gravytrain to go on and on?

If I recall correctly, the organizers of the Vuelta ran into some trouble last year when they demanded huge broadcast fees that even some European broadcasters balked at.

It seems to me the GT organizers, as well as the various sponsors of the professional teams, should see getting into the North American tv market as a kind of loss-leader. I'm sure the tourism industry in France has enjoyed a significant boost from all those North Americans who, enthralled by the scenery and spectacle of the TDF that they've been able to watch every day on OLN, have decided to go check it out for themselves. I suggest the same could happen in Italy and Spain, if the organizers of those races practically gave away North American broadcast rights that it would be crazy for OLN not to fill huge blocks of programming time so cheaply. Not to mention consumer awareness of such products as Gerolsteiner water, Phonak hearing aids, Saeco coffee machines (alas, no longer).

I think the french feed shows the dudes racing and the presentations, but all the other crap (ie: Sheryl Crow cam, constant Lance interviews, Lance sightings, Lance commercials, Lance Chronicles, etc.) is OLN produced stuff. That's the stuff that gets on my nerves. The actual television feeds from the race itself I have no problems with.

Koffee

Miss Brown - you didn't dig the Crow Cam? I kinda liked seeing her chewing away at her fingernails as Lance headed into the last minute of stage one. Can you imagine their (team Armstrong) tension - sitting there for over two hours watching rider after rider take off, with their results posted while Lance idles away waiting his turn, followed by 20 torturous (for Cheryl) racing minutes. You know anything about her history as a musician and the curious death connection to her ex-musician/boyfriend? I think she's a bit of a witch, so better she's on Lance's side than against.

I have no problem with OLN's coverage. Having suffered through a few years' (when I wasn't in Europe) coverage over here in years gone by, I think OLN's coverage is way, way, WAY better than anything else we've seen here in the US of A. Having also seen the wall-to-wall race footage on European TV, I must say I actually enjoy the occasional interesting interlude.

Note that I watch the live feed dumped from my DVR (think "TiVo"). IMO, any OLN-viewing cycling fan who complains about OLN's "extras" needs to STFU and get TiVo or something like it. Problem solved. :)

For all of you *****ing about OLNs coverage how did you like CBS coverage yesterday. :rolleyes:

If it were not for OLN there would not be a home for the Tour in the United States! I am willing to bet that even Discovery Channel would not cover the race.

But hey, just my opinion based on 8 years in TV.
:D

Great post, btw, edjumacatin' those of us about the Tee Vee business. I rarely question the right and need for sponsors to plug away whenever and however they feel necessary, yet I was thrilled when OLN gave us the final 30 minutes of the mountain stage uninterrupted by commercials the other day. I should also admit I'm a long-time SAAB driver, so I rather like seeing their ads and logo featured so prominantly.

Regarding French TV shot choices: I was rather amused the other day when the riders began their "nature" break, the understandable protocal is to not show riders wizzing away, weiner's aloft, but the roving ground camera did catch them standing along the roadway, facing toward the trees, looking down... Kinda obvious what was happening there.

My own observations based on 15 years in video production, beginning in 1988, before non-linear editing systems and when 1 meg ram/40 meg hard drive PC's were all the rage.

Regarding French TV shot choices: I was rather amused the other day when the riders began their "nature" break, the understandable protocal is to not show riders wizzing away, weiner's aloft, but the roving ground camera did catch them standing along the roadway, facing toward the trees, looking down... Kinda obvious what was happening there.



That's the first time I've ever seen them show a nature break, in probably 4 or 5 years of watching the TdF. New protocol, or someone was just asleep at the switch?

My only problem with the coverage so far: the first day, it turned out I recorded 3 hours of...nothing. No race at all, just 3 hours of previews and intros. Huh? :(

OTOH, the commercial interruptions are sure minimized when you've recorded it. I just hit the 30-sec. skip button 4 or 5 times and I'm right back to the race and commentary. ;)

OTOH, the commercial interruptions are sure minimized when you've recorded it. I just hit the 30-sec. skip button 4 or 5 times and I'm right back to the race and commentary. ;)

...therby reducing OLN's per-commercial revenue, so they have to show the rest of us even more commercials. Thanks.

Actually, I'm watching from Canada, and the only commercials we get are for Bowflex or Discover Boating. Bowflex has two commercials (pro volleyball player, lady in living room) and Discover Boating has two commercials (take me boating 'cuz I'll be married sooner than you think says the eight-year old girl, and take me boating 'cuz I remember my boy says the eighty-year old man). Over and over and over. :)

Miss Brown - you didn't dig the Crow Cam? I kinda liked seeing her chewing away at her fingernails as Lance headed into the last minute of stage one. Can you imagine their (team Armstrong) tension - sitting there for over two hours watching rider after rider take off, with their results posted while Lance idles away waiting his turn, followed by 20 torturous (for Cheryl) racing minutes. You know anything about her history as a musician and the curious death connection to her ex-musician/boyfriend? I think she's a bit of a witch, so better she's on Lance's side than against.

Nope, don't dig it at all. I don't care if she's on Lance's side, or on top of it or under it. Watching her grit her teeth and furrow her brow doesn't increase my enjoyment of the sport. I don't see what she has to do with cycling, except she's schtooking the leader. I guess that is what gets you acceptance in the cycling community and a cam to boot. ;)

Koffee

...therby reducing OLN's per-commercial revenue, so they have to show the rest of us even more commercials. Thanks.


well, if I knew it would save you from even ONE commercial, I'd watch them all, instead of saving myself 45 minutes out of every 3 hours' coverage.

How's this: I know some of the major sponsors are Saab, Survivor (which starts July 24th on OLN - "don't miss it!! you mean you saw it FIVE years ago? don't you want to re-live the "original" experience??" yuk), Trek - and the Lucky 7 sweepstakes, 24-Hour Fitness, and LL Bean - official outfitters of the OLN broadcast crew and commentators. I dare say that's more advertising recall than many viewers would have WITHOUT a DVR.

All of you whiners will be sorry when there is little to no coverage after Lance is gone, and all of a sudden you will even miss Al Trautwig.


I will NEVER miss Al Trautwig!!!
The only way to watch is to tape it and skip the ads - I can't stand seeing the same ads hundreds of times over three weeks.

We should start a thread of Al Trautwig's malapropisms and misstaements. Today I heard him say "throw a spinner in the works." Trying to get hip to the British thing, I guess, but he wouldn't know what a spanner was if you rapped him on the knuckles with it.

THank god, no al trautwig on Canal evasion in canada. And they don't talk incessantly about lance. So far I'm happy with it.

The actual race action, as always, has been great. Phil and Paul always do great work with the French feed.

I have actually enjoyed the preview before each stage too including, dare I say, Al Trautwig. Is it Lance-centric? Sure. I don't blame them. That's their sweet spot. I tolerate it, because this year more than previous years, they have been at least a little more comprehensive regarding other riders and teams. Not perfect but I'll take it so long as I can watch the danged race.

Totally dig their maillot jaune competition amongst themselves. Been fun to see Phil have to pass it on to Paul. They have fun with it and it comes off well.

The whole French culture thing with that dude in the glasses doesn't do anything for me, but that's what the FF on my remote is for.

I'll take whatever they dish out, because next year the sport could disappear from my telly in a snap.

For all of you *****ing about OLNs coverage how did you like CBS coverage yesterday. :rolleyes:


lol, true, cbs had 1 hour devoted to the first 9 stages

I cannot stand Bob Roll. Bad enough hearing him, it's even worse seeing him. Seriously, someone needs to chain his hands to the table to or something. Anyway, I wish there was more cycling and less other junk.

I do like Liggett and Sherwin's commentation... they are a pleasure to listen to.

It weems to me, with Mr. Armstrong announcing his retirement after the Tour, that OLN should be concentrating on riders other than Armstrong. Or are they truly not interested in next year and the years after that?

.

Actually, I'm watching from Canada, and the only commercials we get are for Bowflex or Discover Boating. Bowflex has two commercials (pro volleyball player, lady in living room) and Discover Boating has two commercials (take me boating 'cuz I'll be married sooner than you think says the eight-year old girl, and take me boating 'cuz I remember my boy says the eighty-year old man). Over and over and over. :)

AAAHHHRRGGG..those F-ing BOWFLEX commercials!!!, they creep me out, "I'm 50 and have a bowflex body" then show her in a pool with a maybe 20-something making cow eyes...eeuuuuuu!! that could be her grandson! "I owe it all to bowflex!", and a cosmetic surgeon, 'cause those boobs ain't real, and Bowflex doesn't color hair or fix wrinkles. She looks like a banjo.

"I put on 12 lbs of muscle in 6 weeks at 41, I owe it all to Bowflex" ...and a handful of steroids every day..again, making time with a girl that could be his daughter.

Then there's that usta-be-fat guy, who lost 120lbs, but is still just a big dweeb.

And WTF does boating have to do with cycling?? I can't think of two sports less related.

Nope, don't dig it at all. I don't care if she's on Lance's side, or on top of it or under it. Watching her grit her teeth and furrow her brow doesn't increase my enjoyment of the sport. I don't see what she has to do with cycling, except she's schtooking the leader. I guess that is what gets you acceptance in the cycling community and a cam to boot. ;)

Koffee


My sentiment exactly. Just show the race.

as much as i agree with you guys, there is such a thing as "ratings" and beleive it or not, cyclist's don't make up a large enough crowd to justify showing the tour, so in order to pay for the air time they need to rope in sponsor's (commercials), and to do that you need a good audience and to get that you need a good show other then just 3-5 hours of a couple of guy's pedaling. So OLN has to mix in some other stuff, Since they're an american station they're going to milk the whole lance phenomenon for all it's worth. Despite the first couple of days, coverage is great now. Just think, without all the morons that don't have a clue how lance win's just that "he's the best, and he's american", we might have a harder time. Next year's coverage is going to be interesting to say the least (if we get any).

I haven't seen ANY Sheryl Crow shots since the early time trial stages (mind you, I'm not complaining). I wonder if OLN got the message from viewers that they wanted to watch the Tour, not see celebs backstage (even the ones schtooking Lance).