ESPN Ombudsman Examines Net's "MNF" Crew In Latest Contribution

ESPN Ombudsman Calls Three-Man Booth "A Difficult Dance"

In his latest contribution as ESPN Ombudsman, Don Ohlmeyer reviewed ESPN's new "MNF" crew of Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski and Mike Tirico and wrote Gruden has been a "surprising blast of fresh air." A three-man booth "is a difficult dance," as all parties must have "distinctive points of view" during the telecast. Through several preseason games and Monday's Bills-Patriots contest, it is "tough to see any major philosophical diversity in the new MNF trio's attitudes, beliefs or approaches to the game." Ohlmeyer: "Deeply ingrained personal points of view can't be manufactured just for the sake of a telecast. This can be a real trap for the trio. Will they counterpoint one another, complement each other or just share air time?" Tirico, Gruden and Jaworski's "handling of the dramatic finish" of Bills-Patriots was "first-rate." Tirico's play-by-play was "totally controlled, hitting the key points," while Gruden and Jaworski were "judicious in their comments, [and] never strayed from the intensity of the moment." That is compared to the team of Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic and Steve Young, which during the final drive of Monday's Chargers-Raiders "MNF" game was consumed by "non-stop hyperkinetic chattering in the booth, filled with more opinion than relevant information." Greenberg, Golic and Young "excitedly talked over the top of each other at times, leaving no room for the climatic moments to breathe." Meanwhile, Ohlmeyer noted the addition of Gruden to the main "MNF" booth gives ESPN a "fresh start." Gruden "seems to have quickly and naturally mastered the difficult art of observing the obvious with a sense of discovery," and he "seems of a mind to 'tell it like it is' without concern for repercussions for his criticisms."

MISSING THE MARK: Ohlmeyer noted a "major advertiser on ESPN's college football kickoff weekend" was Summit Entertainment's "Sorority Row," a "basic slasher film." When a sales opportunity "presents itself, it's incumbent upon ESPN to consider particular circumstances that could give some viewers added concerns about potentially tasteless advertising." Ohlmeyer wondered if ESPN should be "airing commercials for violent movies or video games during college football games." From the advertiser's point of view, there is a "perfect market connection," but that "doesn't necessarily make it appropriate." ESPN/ABC Sports Customer Marketing & Sales President Ed Erhardt: "Our biggest issues generally come from movies and video games." Ohlmeyer wrote putting the movie's ads on ESPN was a "grand slam for the producers and marketers" of the film, but it was a "strikeout for ESPN's standards & practices" (ESPN.com, 9/16).