West Coast to NBC Olympics: We're Worn Out!
Dear NBC,
As I said the other day, I’ve been having a blast watching the Olympics on a plasma screen in HD. The quality of the viewing experience is unparalleled. I’ve lauded your breathtakingly crisp HD.
I’ve been supportive of tape delay for primetime airing, sometimes a necessary evil in a commercial environment.
I’ve been a devoted and understanding viewer. Some viewers have been whining about Bob Costas, but heck…I love the guy. I think Andrea Kremer is an SNL/Amy Poehler spoof just waiting to happen, but you can’t please everyone.
But NBC, I’m done in.
Finally, this morning, I woke up grouchy and tired and headachy - all because NBC’s tape delayed Olympic coverage airs well into "late night" (11:30p onward) and the wee hours of the morning.
I’m thinking there has to be a better way.
As has been widely reported, live events airing late on the east coast are delayed for three hours. Left coast viewers can watch the Olympics on the same, grueling schedule as our New York brethren.
As early as last Sunday, on the Yahoo sports blog, Chris Chase warned that NBC would face "viewer backlash."
I don’t know if it’s backlash as much as we’re all just too exhausted to continue watching.
As San Francisco Chronicle’s Gwen Knapp pointed out today, "keeping viewers up past midnight is unavoidable on the East Coast, but not here in the West."
Must the entire country fall asleep at the wheel watching the Olympics?
Knapp’s case in point:
"The men’s 400-meter freestyle relay, one of the greatest races in Olympic history, didn’t appear here until almost 11:30 p.m. Sunday. It also appeared at 11:30 in the East, but it was shown live there. Here, it was on tape, held for three hours."
I was happy to stay up late and watch that historic 4×100m relay. The problem is: after several sleep deprived nights of staying up until 1 a.m., I’m reaching my limit. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
ETA: even more exhausting: the women’s gymnastics all-around. The U.S. won gold and silver, but the event aired well after midnight, with some of the most exciting moments airing well after 12:30 a.m. The awards ceremony did not take place until 1:15a.m.
Furthermore, since 9p is traditionally the most-watched hour of television (in terms of HUT), how many additional viewers might have dropped out in big markets like LA and San Francisco?
As Knapp suggested, "why not scramble the tape a little, so that the best events have aired before 11 p.m.? Or start the telecast…behind the East, at 7 p.m. Pacific instead of 8?"
Also - what really struck me last night: the less interesting events (synchronized diving and beach volleyball, at times) aired during primetime (7-11p.) here on the West Coast.
Men’s gymnastics went on and on and on well past midnight with very few commercial breaks - which was great, of course. But I’m actually curious to know how this type of schedule maximizes advertising revenue.
Watch it online (on a small screen) later? No thanks.
Your viewers are worn out, NBC. There has to be a better way.
ETA: there are already 110 comments left on Knapp’s SFGate article and a lot of them are worthy reading.
Alan commented:
NBC confirmed last week that coverage for Vancouver 2010 will also be tape-delayed for viewers in the West, citing higher ratings.
They *still* don't get it.
If higher ratings were really what NBC were after, Conan O'Brien would still be hosting 'The Tonight Show' after the Olympics.
cawriter commented:
I agree! It's too late to stay up to watch. There is a 12h difference in our times. If they delay this much for the west coast, why couldn't they just delay more and put them at a better hour. And one last thing, enough with the gymnastics already!!! I love it, but there are other sports, team sports for example that deserve more than the 30 second rap up. We haven't seen any soccer games yet!
mary mcnamara commented:
hi Ivan - NBC claims that tape delays are for convenience of west coast viewers (so they can watch during primetime, after viewers return home from work) don't stand up to scrutiny. Here's how NBC front-loaded the Olympics last week during primetime: Mary Carillo's puff pieces (eating fried scorpions and visiting the panda sanctuary), synchronized diving, and beach volleyball. On Saturday night it was the women's marathon, pretty much in its entirety. A number of the big swimming events - 4x100 freestyle relay and Phelps 8th gold medal win - aired at 11:30p., and 11:15p. respectively. Women's gymnastics all-around also aired at approx. 11:00p, running until 1:15a. Men's gymnastics - also very late. If NBC had allowed the Olympics to air live on the left coast, starting at 5p. on Sat. for instance (no excuses on Sat. - no one commuting home), West Coast viewers could have watched Phelps win his historic 8th gold at around 8:15p. On other nights last week, if the Olympics had aired live, viewers could have watched the women's all-around gymnastics at around 8p. onward and the 4x100m freestyle relay at 8:30p. etc. - all within plenty of time for working people to get home, eat, and settle down in front of their tellies. Much of the Olympic coverage is simply not airing during primetime. It's airing during what's technically known in the industry as "late night." NBC may have their reasons (contractual, technical, affiliate relations and/or whatever etc.) for tape delay but the "we're doing it for the benefit of west coast viewers so they can watch in primetime" argument fails the logic test. P.S. many viewers do not have access to east coast affil. feeds. I don't on Comcast, and Comcast is a big player here in the Bay Area and controls over 80% of the market here in Marin. My neighbors (some of the few on satellite) lost all but the Fox east coast feed after some sort of reorganization of their line-up.
Ivan Renfrew commented:
NBC is in a tough spot here in the west coast. If it aired events live that were happening on the east coast at 8 eastern, 5 pacific, many viewers would miss out on the events, as it takes an hour in most places to get home from work due to the traffic mess that is LA.
Sure, during the World Series and such games can start early here on the west coast, and viewers may miss a part of the telecast, but still catch the majority of it.
With Olympic events, most are only a couple minutes in duration, especially the swimming events, so starting at 5 here on the west coast would mean missing out on the entire event.
I'm surprised so many people are complaining anyways - in this day and age of digital TV, I have access to east coast NBC affiliates, so I do get to watch events live when I am able to.
Dave commented:
Well, the swimming could have been aired as the coaches and swimmers wanted it- with finals at night in Beijing, meaning we'd be watching in the morning here.
MarkRoush commented:
I have given up on the Olympics. As usual, the west coast is treated like an ugly step child to the east coast. The only thing we can do about it (NBC) is to not watch your three hour tape delay. Which is what my wife and I have done. I have also noticed that people at work are not staying up until 12:00am to watch it either. It would be different if it were live.
Bonnie Thomas commented:
I agree. The late night telecasts of the Olympics is too much for people who have to get up at 5:30 or 6;00 to get to work on time. It's poor planning. I've quit watching past 10:30PM. My computer tells me what I want to know and then its off to bed. Whats wrong with prime time starting at 7:00PM on the west coast? It works in Texas and Arizona.