monkeybard (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
monkeybard) wrote2010-02-15 06:28 pm
monkeybard) wrote2010-02-15 06:28 pm
Open Letter to the Execs at NBC
(And before you ask, yes, I did just email this to them. You can send them your feedback, too: nbcolympicsfeedback@nbcuni.com)
Dear NBC Executives~
I'm not sure where to start in explaining to you the many, many ways in which your coverage of the Olympics in Vancouver, BC suck. But I will try.
Tape delay on the West Coast? Really? In the three hours you wait to air your "live" coverage, I could drive to Vancouver without even exceeding the speed limit. The West Coast is not the red-headed step-child of America, no matter how much you East Coast execs seem to think we are. We deserve respect. We deserve to see West Coast Olympics in real time. You could, at the very least, be running everything at the same time, nation-wide. Your lousy coverage would be more tolearable if we were at least getting it something close to live.
As always, you are failing to adequately cover anything but Americans and medal-contenders. We're getting a few more figureskaters than that, but not much. Of course, your emphasis should be on the American athletes, but the rest of the world matters, too.
That's just the beginning of the problems I have with your craptastic "coverage" of the Vancouver Olympics. To put it in very simple terms: Canadian Olympic coverage is like dining on a locally grown, organic, well-balanced, delicious, and nutritious feast. By comaprison, NBC's coverage is a cheap frozen dinner loaded with sodium, artificial colors and preservatives, and the always dubious "spices".
You are holding the Olympics, the American viewing public, and particularly the West Coast viewers hostage. The only reason you're getting any viewers is because you've cut off our access to coverage by our Canadian neighbors--because you know they do a far, far better job than you do. If you COVERED the Olympics instead of PACKAGING them, you wouldn't have to worry about competition.
Get a clue.
Dear NBC Executives~
I'm not sure where to start in explaining to you the many, many ways in which your coverage of the Olympics in Vancouver, BC suck. But I will try.
Tape delay on the West Coast? Really? In the three hours you wait to air your "live" coverage, I could drive to Vancouver without even exceeding the speed limit. The West Coast is not the red-headed step-child of America, no matter how much you East Coast execs seem to think we are. We deserve respect. We deserve to see West Coast Olympics in real time. You could, at the very least, be running everything at the same time, nation-wide. Your lousy coverage would be more tolearable if we were at least getting it something close to live.
As always, you are failing to adequately cover anything but Americans and medal-contenders. We're getting a few more figureskaters than that, but not much. Of course, your emphasis should be on the American athletes, but the rest of the world matters, too.
That's just the beginning of the problems I have with your craptastic "coverage" of the Vancouver Olympics. To put it in very simple terms: Canadian Olympic coverage is like dining on a locally grown, organic, well-balanced, delicious, and nutritious feast. By comaprison, NBC's coverage is a cheap frozen dinner loaded with sodium, artificial colors and preservatives, and the always dubious "spices".
You are holding the Olympics, the American viewing public, and particularly the West Coast viewers hostage. The only reason you're getting any viewers is because you've cut off our access to coverage by our Canadian neighbors--because you know they do a far, far better job than you do. If you COVERED the Olympics instead of PACKAGING them, you wouldn't have to worry about competition.
Get a clue.
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youtube?
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I enjoy watching a few minutes of the US coverage, esp. the morning show, just to see the few tiny segments about what the "locals" are saying and doing. It's always quite enjoyable. I just wish I could see how it was being covered in Australia, England, Japan, and other places! It is really neat seeing what the American media finds interesting about Vancouver though. I am especially amused by the Downtown East Side coverage... everyone seems to mention that "you can walk through without being in danger as long as you use common sense... it's a slum, but it is Canada after all!" hehe.
Have they really cut off your normal Canuckian coverage? That really sucks - and is really silly. After all, Visa and Coke are all the commercials you ever see on our TV too! Sponsor-city!
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The CTV coverage does have quite a different flavour to what CBC did, but I'm actually quite enjoying it. I'm so sorry for the sucktasticness of NBC though! The tape delay in the same time zone is just inexcusable.
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I am so beyond pissed at the craptastic coverage NBC is deigning to offer us. It's not like we can't get the results via Twitter in real time. Oh, wait, I ruined the first speed skating finals for DH because of that. I thought we'd missed the race because we were out of town, so when the results flew by on Twitter I told him.
Four hours later we were home watching the coverage and I realized that I had time-traveled into the future and brought back knowledge that CHANGED THE WORLD. Or at least our enjoyment of the Olympics.
And NBC is blocking the Canadian coverage? Is that what's going on? I keep flipping to channel 29, hoping we'll get some live coverage, but NOOO.
And why the hell aren't NBC sister stations showing concurrent events, too, so we don't miss the opportunity to watch something a little less ratings-driven?
Gah. Worst. Coverage. Ever.
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I just wanted to let you know that you have managed to ruin the Winter Olympics for me, my family, and a good number of my friends, judging by reactions to the Olympics coverage up to now. By tape-delaying the events until prime time for viewers on the west coast, you've made it impossible for us to watch with any degree of suspense or anticipation. The results are available on the internet within moments of the conclusion of the event, so by the time we can actually watch the competition it's already stale.
Tape delay almost – ALMOST – makes sense when the Olympics are happening halfway around the world. Not many people will be up in the middle of the night to watch the major events. But delaying coverage in the SAME TIME ZONE as the actual Olympics? During daytime hours? And even worse, on a holiday weekend, when the majority of Americans have time off? It's blatantly money-driven, it's rude and dismissive of a quarter of the country, and it's counterproductive because you're actually taking away the desire of many to even bother watching. Why should we, when the events are long over before we have a chance to watch? Why not just catch the highlights on the Internet?
You still have time to make this right. Please do the right thing and show the Olympics in real time, especially for those of us who live in the same time zone. It only makes sense.
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*plans ways to create mayhem and chaos through advisory board*
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