NBC Earns High Marks For Coverage Of Winter Classic At Wrigley
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Critics Claim NBC Did Great Job
On Coverage Of Winter Classic |
The Red Wings defeated the Blackhawks 6-4 in Thursday's Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, and NBC "did a great job of presenting the game as something special," according to John Jackson of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. NBC "pulled out all the stops during a half-hour pregame show, including the Weather Channel's Jim Cantore giving his forecast from atop the famous scoreboard." NBC also did a "good job of providing a variety of views inside and outside the stadium so you could get a feel from home what the scene was like." The "biggest blemish" came before the ceremonial puck drop when play-by-play announcer Dave Strader, subbing for Mike Emerick, who had laryngitis, identified Baseball HOFer Billy Williams as Baseball HOFer Ferguson Jenkins. Strader and analyst Eddie Olczyk also "didn't properly explain how switching ends in the third period would be handled." But NBC "overcame the challenges of strange camera locations and made the telecast as watchable as most games in conventional arenas" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 1/2). In Chicago, Steve Rosenbloom wrote Strader "filled in nicely" for Emrick. Rosenbloom: "But I was hoping that [Blackhawks announcer] Pat Foley was the guy in NBC's on-deck circle at Wrigley. Just another chance to show off the sights and sounds of Chicago hockey. ... Tip to NBC: Overhead cameras are fine, just not for watching live play. So, stop it" (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 1/1).
SOLID COVERAGE: On Long Island, Mark Herrman wrote NBC "did a fine job, and so did the NHL Network in the 90-minute pregame show." The game gave NBC a "chance to flex its creative muscles on New Year's Day inasmuch as it doesn't have the Rose Bowl any more, as it did for years" (NEWSDAY.com, 1/1). In Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont writes NBC "put in a strong performance, the broadcast bosses mercifully resisting any temptation to fill an intermission with a trip down 'Slap Shot' memory lane." The broadcast crew, led by Bob Costas, "stayed on theme, focusing on the unique setting and the high quality of the opponents" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/2). In L.A., Tom Hoffarth lists NBC's coverage of the game under his "What Smokes" rating. But Hoffarth writes the "plane cam" showing overhead goal replays "had viewers wanting more" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 1/2). For more on the Winter Classic, see #17.
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