World Championship CBC Broadcast

[Bailey]

OK - am I the only person who is deeply unhappy with the broadcasts from the world championship on the main CBC network. I have been watching the coverage on Country Canada and that has been wonderful! But, I am extremely disappointed in CBC's decision to broadcast the event at midnight. Is anyone watching these broadcasts at midnight? I have tried to set my VCR the past three nights and I have been unsuccessful in my attempts to tape the broadcasts. Last night, I stayed up to start the tape and for some reason unknown to me, it stopped working an hour into the broadcast. I've sent an email to CBC asking that they rebroadcast these programs on Saturday afternoons as they have done in recent years - hoping that I may actually get to watch the skating and commentary. I do not understand why these broadcasts are not being shown in prime time - especially because this is the best performance by the Canadian team at a world championship in years and the CBC is building toward and heavily promoting the 2010 Olympic Games in Canada.

And, the fact that they didn't even send the commentators to the event. Disgraceful. It is just so wrong to watch Tracy Wilson and Kurt Browning sit in a studio in downtown Toronto and commentate on an event that is happening in Sweeden.

Furthermore, I have to say that the actual footage from the event has been really bad. The camera men can't seem to keep the skaters in their lens. It's hard to imagine why I would want to see the woman's head during a pairs lift or see both skaters do their side by side jumps or throws, but I do! The visual quality and sound quality is poor. And, I'm getting so tired of seeing that stupid statue - if we could call it that - when the skaters receive their marks in the kiss and cry.

From a skating standpoint - outstanding event! From a broadcast standpoint -leaves a lot to be desired.

[smelltheice]

I have to admit that the UK coverage has been fantastic. We have had up to 7 hours daily of live coverage and then a couple of hours recorded from the previous day for catch up. This was the same as the european championships but this is possible in the UK due to the time difference only being one hour behind Gothenburg. It is good to see the skaters from smaller nations as well as the more publicised competitors

[jp1andOnly]

the reason kurt and tracey aren't there is fault of the ISU. They wouldn't give CBC the contract until very recently and by then it was too late to send the entire team. As for the poor fottage...blame the host videographer. CBC isn't in charge of that...they are sent the feeds and that is that

[Nicki]

I have been setting my tivo to record all of the midnight-2a.m. broadcasts. I have had no trouble getting a recording, but I do agree with you that this is a poor way of broadcasting the competition. Unless you are a diehard fan, would you even know this was being aired, or bother to tape it if you did know?

I appreciate that they are showing so many hours of coverage, but I can't think that these broadcasts are helping their ratings.

[smelltheice]

I have been setting my tivo to record all of the midnight-2a.m. broadcasts. I have had no trouble getting a recording, but I do agree with you that this is a poor way of broadcasting the competition. Unless you are a diehard fan, would you even know this was being aired, or bother to tape it if you did know?

I appreciate that they are showing so many hours of coverage, but I can't think that these broadcasts are helping their ratings.

Admittedly being in Europe with only an hour difference gives us live performances in the afternoons and evenings with a couple of hours of recaps in the mornings but there have been complaints from people in Europe about poor camera work. But you guys in the US will have the advantage next year as the worlds will be in Los Angeles so it will be us across the atlantic up in the middle of the night to watch the event live!!!:lol:

[singerskates]

If you are in Canada, you could have watched the live feed either through Country Canada if you're lucky enough to have that channel or online live at the CBC website.

I did have some trouble with taping Friday's and Saturday's events not because of CBC but because my hard drive recorder is still under the old time zone timing and won't change for a few more weeks. I forgot and only got the last hour of the mens freeskate event. And Friday, I tried to record onto my hard drive recorder and had to keep restarting the recording because it kept shutting off. Some of the skaters performances got chopped up.

But anytime I want to watch the events on demand, I've only to go to the CBC website at http://www.cbc.ca/sports/figureskating and click on the words full player, then figure skating, then 2008 World Figure Skating Championships to choose what I wish to watch.

In the US, fans and fellow skaters have to pay to see events live and on demand. We Canadians are very lucky. We should be thanking CBC for taking on 2008 Worlds at the last minute because without them, we'd get to see nothing.

[Buzzz]

So what about next year?

[sk8erel]

I have to admit that the UK coverage has been fantastic. We have had up to 7 hours daily of live coverage and then a couple of hours recorded from the previous day for catch up. This was the same as the european championships but this is possible in the UK due to the time difference only being one hour behind Gothenburg. It is good to see the skaters from smaller nations as well as the more publicised competitors


I agree with you, Britsh Eurosport have been covering the competition throughout the day and the commentating is quite good too with Nicky Slater from Dancing On Ice, but I''m not sure who the other one is! They make 'congratulating' comments to all the skaters too.

[Nicki]

So what about next year?

That's what we're wondering about in the U.S. too. This World's broadcast was the end of ESPN's contract with the ISU.

[Tigger]

If you go to cbcsports.ca and look for Friday's article on the Men's Short Program, you'll see a post underneath by the Head of CBC Sports, Scott Moore. He took the time and courtesy to post to the fans why the broadcasts were shown when they were shown and why there wasn't a full team in Sweden. Also, due to the very short time they were forced to deal w/, they couldn't play around w/their schedule. Remember those are put together months in advance and the sponsors of those shows would not have been happy to not see the show they were helping to pay for, suddenly bumped w/little warning.

I was impressed he did that. It shows just how important the CBC feels the skating rights are to them to go and post that way over there. He promised things for LA Worlds will be much different.

[smelltheice]

I agree with you, Britsh Eurosport have been covering the competition throughout the day and the commentating is quite good too with Nicky Slater from Dancing On Ice, but I''m not sure who the other one is! They make 'congratulating' comments to all the skaters too.

The other commentator with Nicky is Chris Howarth. He was British champion some years back (not sure when but in the 80's) and he competed at europeans, worlds and the Olympics for the us.

[VGL]

So what about next year?

CBC has said that next years coverage will be completely different than this years coverage.