NBC's Super Bowl Pregame Show, Guest Analysts Earn Mixed Marks

NBC's Five-Hour Super Bowl Pregame Show Earns Mixed Marks

EXCESSIVE CELEBRATION: In Miami, Barry Jackson writes NBC’s pregame “felt excessive, especially during the first two hours, with several of NBC’s 21 announcers repeating the same points.” Also, “shameless self-promotion seeped into NBC’s pregame several times, including a brief, out-of-place preview” of the '10 Vancouver Olympics and “several mindless, dull interviews with celebrities.” But the pregame “improved significantly over the final 2 ½ hours” (MIAMI HERALD, 2/2). In St. Petersburg, Eric Deggans wrote NBC’s “interminable five-hour pregame show veered between the typical football-focused features and game talk, interspersed by celebrity cameos and interviews almost entirely focused on promoting NBC Universal products” (TAMPABAY.com, 2/1). In San Jose, John Ryan writes NBC’s pregame was “about what everyone expected: way too much” (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 2/2). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes the “recurring theme throughout NBC’s Super Bowl pregame was, predictably enough, NBC.” Yesterday’s “best Super Bowl pregame feature” was ESPN’s piece on late Steelers radio announcer Myron Cope (N.Y. POST, 2/2).

A LITTLE TOO MUCH PROMO: On Long Island, Neil Best writes NBC during its pregame coverage “trotted out personalities from pretty much every other show in its lineup -- not to mention other channels owned by its parent company, such as Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC and even the Weather Channel.” NBC’s “relentless promotion -- even a weird product placement for Gatorade -- and parade of what-are-they-doing-here celebrities was par for the pregame course” (NEWSDAY, 2/2). CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS’ Ed Sherman writes, “I know NBC needs to pay the bills, but it seems doubtful the network could have squeezed in one more movie plug, network promo, or segment sponsored by so-and-so during the pregame show.” Sherman facetiously added, “Those Gatorade ‘G’ bottles sitting on the table weren’t too obvious” (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 2/2). In San Diego, Jay Posner writes, “Were the announcers really drinking all that Gatorade during the pregame show?” Also, NBC’s “Super Suite” pregame feature “proved to be just about as useless as Fox’s Ryan Seacrest experiment last year.” Everything “just seemed so forced” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/2). In Dallas, Barry Horn writes one of the “forgettable moments” from NBC’s coverage included “every single second inside the ‘Super Suite’” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/2). USA TODAY’s Hiestand writes the “endless hype for NBC shows … was unavoidable” (USA TODAY, 2/2). The N.Y. TIMES' Sandomir writes CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo’s business report during the pregame show was an “odd mixture of substance and NBC corporate boosterism” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/2). Meanwhile, in Baltimore, Ray Frager notes during the “Road to the Super Bowl” segment that opened NBC’s telecast, “commercial breaks twice interrupted the show and then the return came with it still in progress.” Also, NBC “briefly lost audio” three times during the pregame coverage.  (Baltimore SUN, 2/2).

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WELCOME TO THE TEAM: USA TODAY’s Hiestand writes NBC’s new talent -- former Colts coach Tony Dungy, former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren and former Lions President & CEO Matt Millen --“weren’t bad, if not promising for future TV work.” Holmgren “sometimes seemed pointlessly angry,” and Millen “didn’t stand out.” However, Patriots S Rodney Harrison was the “most promising addition” to NBC’s coverage (USA TODAY, 2/2). In San Diego, Jay Posner writes Harrison “was very good,” while Dungy and Holmgren “were OK” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/2). In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes Dungy, Holmgren, Millen and Harrison “offered an interesting contrast" to John Madden (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/2). But in Tacoma, Dave Boling writes in an “overloaded panel,” Holmgren’s “skill as an effective communicator went largely untapped” (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 2/2). The MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL's Bob Wolfley writes Holmgren “seemed a little stiff at the beginning of the pregame show,” but he “loosened up as the show went along. He was good” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/2). The ST. PETERSBURG TIMES' Jones writes both Holmgren and Dungy “showed that you don’t have to raise your voice or say outlandish things to be informative and entertaining” (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 2/2). Meanwhile, in Houston, David Barron writes Belichick “has a future as an analyst, albeit a hard-bitten one” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/2).

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ON THE SIDELINES: NBC’s Alex Flanagan used F Scott Fitzgerald’s line “there are no second acts in American lives” to describe Cardinals QB Kurt Warner before the game. In Illinois, Ted Cox writes of Flanagan, “You’re a sideline reporter, not an essayist” (Illinois DAILY HERALD, 2/2). In Albany, Pete Dougherty wrote of Flanagan’s comment, “We’re watching a football game, not dissecting American history.” It is “reports like the one Flanagan gave that prompted CBS to scrap sideline reports” (TIMESUNION.com, 2/1). The UNION-TRIBUNE’s Posner writes NBC “has to be able to do better than Alex Flanagan for its second sideline reporter.” Her questions were “ordinary and her tone was almost funereal” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/2). Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, John Gonzalez writes NBC’s Tiki Barber falls on the list of “aggravating former players turned TV talking heads,” and Barber’s “blunt assessment of Super Bowl XLIII made me laugh.” Barber said, “If they played this game in the regular season, it would be a (regional) game, and no one would watch.” Gonzalez notes NBC was “probably delighted” with Barber’s comment (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/2).

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