The AP's Jenna Fryer writes Fox NASCAR broadcasters Darrell Waltrip and Mike Joy "spend too much time spinning yarns from the good ‘ol days while relative newcomer Jeff Gordon awkwardly guffaws along." The "carnival-like yukfest is stale, the cornpone of it all only magnified since the network began using current drivers in its coverage of the Xfinity Series." Drivers Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and others have "proven that by simply talking about the action in front of their eyes they can deliver an informative and entertaining program void of back-slapping tales and quips that consistently fall flat" (AP, 4/2).
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: In N.Y., Andrew Marchand writes CBS' Grant Hill is not "bad" on the net's Final Four broadcasts, but he "is not good." Hill is "sort of there," and five years in, there "should be a little more." It is "pretty amazing" that CBS' Jim Nantz "maintains a strong level, despite the fact he doesn't do a college basketball game until the Big Ten Tournament." However, the team of Nantz, Hill and Bill Raftery's "lack of reps together shows up at times." Marchand: "It may be time for Hill, who does Turner NBA games, to commit to the college or pro game full time, if he wants to improve" (N.Y. POST, 4/2).
POPULARITY CONTEST: In Boston, Ben Volin noted the NFL's RedZone Channel garners "less viewership" than many think it does. NFL Chief Media & Business Officer Brian Rolapp said that the NFL "estimates about 1 million people watch RedZone each Sunday, compared with 10 million viewers watching the full network broadcasts" at 1:00pm ET, and “much more” viewers in the 4:00pm window. Rolapp said: "It’s designed for the really, really ardent fans who enjoy it. Most people by far watch the full game on television, and that hasn’t changed much substantially over the last handful of years" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/31).
