About Eye on the Media
Eye on the Media, debuted on Kukla’s Korner in February of 2008, and deals with all the evil, weird and just plain insane things that happen when hockey ventures into the foreign worlds of TV, Radio and News Print. I am a student, and a communications major, in New Jersey, which by association means you can blame me for destroying hockey. I love hockey and wants to hear everything you have to say about the way our game is covered.
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Entries with the tag: nhl+tv
Reminder to Analysts: Know Your Audience
by Steve on 04/26/08 at 12:52 AMComments (2)
During the 3rd Intermission ceremonies on Versus, better known as “Hockey Central”, analyst Brian Engblom was breaking down Milan Michalek’s goal in the 2nd period. He watched the odd manner in which the puck trickled past Marty Turco, and referred to it rolling in as if it were “like a curling rock”.
Really, Brian, is that the metaphor you want to use?
VERSUS is Waiting For Your Call, ESPN
by Steve on 04/25/08 at 01:19 PMComments (0)
From Neil Best’s Watchdog:
“We haven’t heard anything,’’ he said. “We’ve stated in the past if someone wants to talk to us, [we] would have those conversations.”
ESPN would have to come to Versus, because Versus owns national cable exclusivity for the league.
NBC exercised its option to carry the NHL for another season, which almost certainly puts the ESPN possibilities on the shelf for now, but some in and around the league miss the exposure ESPN provided even as Versus gradually gains acceptance.
More, and here is that Friday newspaper piece on the gradual acceptance of Versus.
VERSUS Backup Plan For Stars-Sharks Game 1
by Steve on 04/25/08 at 01:08 PMComments (0)
Should the VERSUS broadcast of NY Rangers-Pittsburgh go past 10:00 PM ET, due to the fact that the broadcast will be exclusive to viewers in the Dallas & San Jose areas, VERSUS will IMMEDIATELY switch over to the Sharks-Stars game in the Dallas & San Jose viewing markets. For those who wish to watch both games, you will need to have DIRECTV or DISH Network, who will open up the following channels for the “other” game in the certain market.
DIREC TV: 453, DISH: 659.
So say that your a Ranger fan in Dallas, you would go to these channels to watch Rangers-Penguins, and vice versa for say, a Stars fan in Pittsburgh.
Thanks to NHL Live! for the info!
Tipping the Hat to Round One Broadcasters
by Steve on 04/25/08 at 11:47 AMComments (1)
It is often said that there is little depth in the talent pool of National Hockey League broadcasters. Well, VERSUS seemingly proved them incorrect during the first round. Even without their top two play-by-play men, the network put on a professional, exciting, watchable game broadcast.
Your Guide to Exclusive Telecasts in Round Two
by Steve on 04/23/08 at 12:36 PMComments (0)
I understand that viewers in Dallas, Colorado, New York, Detroit and Philadelphia will be very confused as to where each of their games are airing during Round Two, with NBC and Versus able to pick two games of each series and air them exclusively, shutting out your regional sports network. Here’s your guide to Round Two’s exclusives, and E-Mail me at if you have any further questions, because I’m still a little confused by it.
NHL Continues with NBC
by Steve on 04/22/08 at 11:01 PMComments (0)
From Michael Hiestand at USA Today:
NBC, in its third season airing NHL games, Tuesday used its option for next season. The deal remains largely unchanged — NBC, without paying a rights fee, will carry 10 regular-season games and up to 15 postseason games. New wrinkles include regular-season games getting a consistent time slot at 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
Variables yet to be worked out include time slots for Stanley Cup Finals games and whether there will be another outdoor game after the league’s entertaining experiment in Buffalo on New Year’s Day. (Possible sites include New York’s Yankee Stadium as well as Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Soldier Field.) Says NBC Sports President Ken Schanzer: “We’d love to do (an outdoor game) again.”
More:
1:00 A.M. Here are some quotes from Dick Ebersol and Commissioner Bettman.
CBC Initial Ratings Down
by Steve on 04/11/08 at 11:20 AMComments (0)
From William Houston at The Globe & Mail:
The CBC drew 1.134 million for the first game of the Ottawa-Pittsburgh series, down from last year’s 1.23 million for the opener (Pens-Sens) and well down from the 2006 audience (1.38 million, Sens-Tampa Bay Lightning).
The CBC’s viewership for the second game of the doubleheader reflected the impact of the Vancouver Canucks’ failing to qualify for the playoffs. Last year, the Canucks-Dallas Stars opening game drew 1.381 million.
This year, Calgary Flames-San Jose Sharks had an audience of 892,000.
More, Including some additional HD talk:
Wild Huge on the Dial
by Steve on 04/11/08 at 12:45 AMComments (0)
From Judd Zulgad at The Star-Tribune:
Minnesota’s 3-2 overtime defeat had an 11.3 rating (192,857 households) and 22 share on KSTC, beating every show in the Twin Cities market, including Fox’s tremendously popular “American Idol” (10.3/19) on KMSP and CBS’ “CSI: New York” (10.0/17) on WCCO.
The Wild game hit its peak with a 16.0 rating (273,072 households) and 33 share from 10:30-10:45 p.m. (The rating is the percentage watching a program among all television households; share is the percentage tuned in among those homes with TVs in use at the time.)
More:
Your TV Guide to Night Two of the Playoffs
by Steve on 04/10/08 at 05:00 PMComments (0)
Every night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, “Eye on the Media” writer Steve Lepore will keep you updated on the complicated ordeal that is finding your favorite game on the tube.
Your TV Guide to Night One of the Playoffs
by Steve on 04/09/08 at 04:00 PMComments (0)
Every night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, “Eye on the Media” writer Steve Lepore will keep you updated on the complicated ordeal that is finding your favorite game on the tube.
New NHL Promos
by Steve on 04/09/08 at 12:48 PMComments (0)
Check out these new spots, from “The Cup Changes Everything Campaign”.
Networks Battle For Playoff Games
by Steve on 04/05/08 at 12:43 AMComments (0)
From William Houston at The Toronto Globe & Mail:
Cheering in the broadcast booth might be forgiven this weekend.
For television executives, the result of each game during the final two days of the NHL’s regular season will have a potentially huge impact on playoff programming, audiences and advertising.
The networks will be hoping for the most attractive match-ups. And they will be pushing for a schedule that will best allow them to showcase the games.
Networks Set Up For the Playoffs
by Steve on 04/04/08 at 01:04 PMComments (0)
As the regular season ends, the networks are getting their playoff preview programming in order. Both TSN and CBC in Canada, VERSUS in the U.S., and the NHL Network in both countries have some shows airing early next week to get everybody ready for the marathon.
“Hockey Wives” Coming to America
by Steve on 04/02/08 at 05:57 PMComments (0)
From The Hollywood Reporter:
SoapNet is expanding its original scripted offerings with a new 10-episode hockey-themed drama series.
“MVP: The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives” (working title), produced by Toronto-based Screen Door, revolves around the on- and off-the-ice drama surrounding the Canadian Mustangs hockey team and the women in their lives. It marks the channel’s second original scripted series following the “General Hospital” spinoff “Night Shift,” which broke network records during its run in the summer.
Continue Reading, and while the story makes it look as if SoapNet is doing a re-make, they will merely be re-airing the original 10 episodes ordered by the CBC.
TSN Breaks Down the Playoffs
by Steve on 04/02/08 at 02:53 PMComments (0)
From TSN.ca:
TSN has wall-to-wall Playoff Preview coverage on April 7, two days before the start of the NHL post-season, with a three-hour prime time lineup of 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs preview shows, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. All four preview shows will also be available live on NHL Network and live/on-demand on TSN.ca.
More:
Hawks Close to TV Deal
by Steve on 03/18/08 at 02:05 AMComments (2)
From Teddy Greenstein at The Chicago Tribune:
McDonough is determined to have all 82 Blackhawks games televised next season.
As many as 25-30 could go on free, non-cable TV. WGN-Ch. 9, which carried Hawks games in the 1960s and early ‘70s, and WPWR-Ch. 50 are two possible landing spots.
I’m sure the NHL would enjoy having Kane, Toews, Byfuglien, Sharp and Co. on what is essentially free, national TV on WGN, as the Bulls, White Sox and Cubs already do.
Media Notes: NBC Gets Over the Hump
by Steve on 03/03/08 at 01:09 PMComments (1)
NBC finally got itself over the 1.0 rating threshold (Or the TV Mendoza line, as it were) with their 12:30 PM telecast of the Rangers-Flyers game on Sunday. The game, which featured the #1 TV market in the country (New York), and a somewhat hot team in a big hockey market (Philadelphia), drew a 1.1/3 in the overnight ratings, according to Sports Business Daily (reg. required).
Tweaking the Game on TV (Without Crawling Back to ESPN)
by Steve on 03/02/08 at 06:00 PMComments (4)
This is not a column about “fixing” the game. I’m very tired about hearing how people want to “fix” this sport, and I don’t believe it needs fixing. But this is about tweaking some of our policies on TV, and about broadening our appeal on television without annoying our two current network partners.
