Not the full picture on Olympic television coverage
Columnist By Spiro Zavos, 13 Aug 2008 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- 100m butterfly, Beijing, butterfly, Jessicah Schipper, Libby Trickett, Michael Phelps, Stephanie Rice, world record
Channel 7 marked Libby Trickett’s gold medal in the women’s 100m butterfly by showing a clip of the Australian Olympic swim team singing a trite song composed for the occasion, “Live it, dream it”, with cuts of Trickett and Stephanie Rice winning their medals.
How very twee.
I watched this item while reading John Huxley’s compelling story about how Trickett felt like vomiting before her event, with her vicious attack of nerves only staunched when she told herself she had prepared well, and all she really had to do was perform well and the elusive gold medal was hers.
There was also the melodramatic troubles that her teammate Jessicah Schipper had with trying to zip up her full body Speedo suit.
Another suit had to be used in the end, and Schipper still looked traumatised by this malfunction, even after she had finished third in the event.
I’m still waiting for Channel 7 reporters to give us this intriguing back-story. But story-telling doesn’t seem to be part of their coverage.
We have the over-hyped, cliched commentaries, the inane questioning after the events, and the very short, bland little pieces of filler that give us no idea of what is really happening at these ‘Glum Games,’ a term coined by The Australian’s Caroline Overington.
We hear a lot about world record times in the Water Cube swimming stadium.
But nowhere have we seen the detailed analysis provided, once again by the Sydney Morning Herald, on why the advances in pool construction and swimsuit technology will provide “life in the fast lane.”
One example of the detail about why the Beijing pool is fast is that, although the required depth of a pool is 2 metres, the Beijing pool is 3 metres: “a deep pool is a fast pool … Swimmers are further away from the base of the pool reducing wave reverb.”
Too many times the expert commentators are asked questions like, “What would Michael Phelps be feeling like now?”
Memo to the producers: if you want to know, or think viewers should know, what Michael Phelps is thinking, ask him. It’s called reporting.
Watching American television I discovered that there are fears about cheating by a particular judge (an Argentinian) in the gymnastics events; that the crowd went quiet at the opening ceremony when Putin’s photo went up on the big screen; and that this was before the real impact of the invasion of Georgia was known.
That the Iranian team was booed when it came into the stadium.
That ordinary people living in Beijing are having a tough time with cars being on a two-day cycle and prices for vegetables going up by 100 per cent.
The Glum Games indeed.
Recommend this story.
August 13th 2008 @ 1:33am
sportym said | August 13th 2008 @ 1:33am | Report comment
Also it seems all the cycling road race spectator tickets were sold to the police force, they were by far the most common spectator…..about every 30 metres…
I am actually watching the coverage on BBC here in the UK, i am not sure what you guys get back in Oz, but one thing i have noticed is that there is very little coverage of the crowd, in most events you really cannot see them, it really feels like a automated olympics, with the fun stripped out.
August 13th 2008 @ 7:42am
Longy said | August 13th 2008 @ 7:42am | Report comment
Spiro,
Last night we saw a mountain of ads with hardly any live action except of course for some heat swimming.
I am sure anyone keen on Rowing or Equestrian would be very upset – they seem hell bent on interviewing themselves behind a fancy desk and for what? Endless patting one’s own backs and replays.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that it was not the Olympic Games but the Liesl games. If I see her sing the national anthem or swim the 100 one more time – I will throw up.
Good onya Leisl but I am sure even she would want to see as many sporting events as possible.
August 13th 2008 @ 8:02am
Rabbitz said | August 13th 2008 @ 8:02am | Report comment
Clearly the producers and directors have no idea that the punters want to see all the athletes in action. Frankly if it was a ‘clip show’ of events that had no ‘MC’ and no introduction it would be an improvement.
The SBS coverage has been relatively good, and as a bonus I have seen some sports other than swimming (or AFL).
Although I am not surprised, I didn’t expect the Seven Network to be up to the task, and clearly they are not.
August 13th 2008 @ 9:19am
Con Stamocostas said | August 13th 2008 @ 9:19am | Report comment
Mr Zavos,
No doubt China and the IOC will crown these games the best ever but Channel 7 will be forever known as the worst broadcaster of the (some Roman Numerals) Olympiad. On there website where you post comments they have been hammered. Especially when you consider what the other countries broadcasters are doing with there various channels and internet coverage. I have a feeling that because this is Channel 7 last games before they go to 9 that they are doing this half arsed I also reckon that because 7 has had high ratings with Sunrise, dancing with the stars etc they thought they could use that standard of lower common denominator production values and talent and that we would all be eating it up like birthday cake.
What about Liesel Jones dancing clip before her gold medal race?
Channel 7 gives the word kitsch new meaning.
August 13th 2008 @ 9:25am
True Tah said | August 13th 2008 @ 9:25am | Report comment
Con
I dont believe Channel 7 have done a great job…unfortunately for us, the claim was that 8 million people watched the opening ceremony, and if thats right, Channel 7 will have their chests pumped out.
The sooner Channel 7 loses the rights to all of its sport the better.
August 13th 2008 @ 9:31am
Harry said | August 13th 2008 @ 9:31am | Report comment
last night on Seven was dreadfull we kept on seeing clips of Leyton being thrashed by Nadal – FFS! We can see the little Aussie batteler copping this 4 times every year. I tuned in to watch decent coverage of:
1) the Diving silver medal
2) the bloke in the canoe down the rapids – sounds like a terrific effort from him to win a bronze
3) Yes, happy to see a full replay of Leisel’s swim.
I got 1 out of 3 (Liesel of course). What a disgrace that the splendid acheivement of the low profile divers and the rapids bloke didn’t get more time form what is supposed to be our national broadcaster. I also wanted to see the shooting bloke. Thorougly frustrated I flicked over to SBS where they were showing a womens soccer match between Japan and Norway. AArrgghhh!
August 13th 2008 @ 9:32am
sam said | August 13th 2008 @ 9:32am | Report comment
Once again Channel 7 flips the bird to its viewers and relishes in self indulgent twaddle for two weeks…god help you if you wanted to see our waterpolo girls score against the Greeks the other night. The morons at central progamming chose to go to the coverage half way through the third quarter, with our girls up 8-3. At full time the score was 8-4. Good onya 7.
August 13th 2008 @ 10:04am
Chris Beck said | August 13th 2008 @ 10:04am | Report comment
Spiro -
It’s interesting to hear your comments about American TV coverage of the Olympics.
I gave up on NBC years ago. Lucky for me I get CBC because I’m only two hours south of the Canadian border.
While the few bits of coverage that I’ve seen seem better than in previous years, NBC still irritates me with their tape-delay of any significant event for prime-time viewing, so as to maximize advertising revenue, while simultaneously pulling stunts like covering badminton “from studios in New York” in an effort to expend as few dollars as possible.
It’s not how I’d cover the Olympics. But I’m no broadcasting executive, so I must not, by definition, understand.
August 13th 2008 @ 11:23am
kenikenipat said | August 13th 2008 @ 11:23am | Report comment
Wait til Fox Sports get hold of it for London. They did a brilliant job with the Commonwealth Games, had 6 or 7 chanels dedicated to it. 7 are knuckle heads. They butcher the rugby coverage as well.
August 13th 2008 @ 11:40am
Suchy said | August 13th 2008 @ 11:40am | Report comment
has fox sports had rights to any previous olympics? I may possible recall them almost having a channel for each sport