CBC regains Olympics broadcast rights

[jonovision]

Cuthbert is not in London. He's holding down the fort as the #1 play by play guy on their CFL coverage. Raptors TV guy Matt Devlin has also called a couple of CFL games with Rod Black in London.

If Rod Black never called another CFL game you'd get no complaints from me.

[Free kick]

And, lo and behold, Dowbiggin has his review of the "consortium's" (sounds like Mafia) coverage:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...4327/comments/

Free kick and Joe MacCarthy, you must be ghost writing some of his comments

I agree with everything he said. Even the part about the track and field coverage being very good. He graded it 6.5, i would have given it 5.0 thats mostly because trackand field has been so very well covered. I also like Wileman and Devos. Otherwise it would have been 3.0 overall. The biggest problem IMO, has been the analysts.

He didnt mention anything about Kara Lang. Here we are after an event full of stories (todays soccer game), and again i couldnt listen to Kara Lang for more than two minutes before wincing and muting the sound. It was so void of substance i felt embarrassed for her.

[Grizzly]

He didnt mention anything about Kara Lang. Here we are after an event full of stories (todays soccer game), and again i couldnt listen to Kara Lang for more than two minutes before wincing and muting the sound. It was so void of substance i felt embarrassed for her.

The Kara Lang analysis sounds like the type of conversation you would have with a friend who watched the game at a bar with you as opposed to a professional tv commentator.

[beachesl]

And, lo and behold, Dowbiggin has his review of the "consortium's" (sounds like Mafia) coverage:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...4327/comments/

Free kick and Joe MacCarthy, you must be ghost writing some of his comments

Where do you think Dowbiggin (himself a very superficial analyst for a paper that has gone downhill over the past 50 years, and deletes any comments that seriously question its sports editorial policies) get most of his few ideas? Can you say "plagiarism", Brucie?

[Marc]

Where do you think Dowbiggin (himself a very superficial analyst for a paper that has gone downhill over the past 50 years, and deletes any comments that seriously question its sports editorial policies) get most of his few ideas? Can you say "plagiarism", Brucie?

Yeah that's not plagiarism though.

Regardless, I can only vouch for their radio coverage, but one of the interesting things about the coverage of the CBC regaining the rights to the Olympics was that CBC's own radio stories were surprisingly balanced. All contained some reporting/analsysis on the use of taxpayer funds for corporate sports, a few were specific to the issue and were critical of their ability to turn a profit on the games, and the CBC exec interviewed on As it Happens didn't get an easy ride either (although I always find that specific interviewer weak, he's easily intimidated.) Now, CBC has a different set of journalistic accountabilities and responsibilities, but could you imagine anything other than corporate cheerleading from the private consortiums? It was well done.

[alberta white]

Hampshire and Sandor... end of.

we are talking footy, right?

[Lord Bob]

I actually caught a feed of the boxing at lunch. to my suprise the commentery team were actually Boxing People.
How do I know this?
well, when the Brit got a second standing count, they disagreed with the ref.
Secondly after the "Better Fighter" lost.
They had the smarts to explain that its amature boxing where scoring points, rather than been the more aggresive fighter counts most; and that when the countback and Judges discretionary call meant that been 2 points behind in the early round cost the loser the bout.

It was such a nice change to here sensible colour rather than the drivel at China Russia Beech Volleyball ; "Out of bounds by Pheng Jing WHu, the Russian Pair are up by 2!" (seriously I'm not joking- they actually said that)

Yeah, that was Russ Anber. He's a "boxing guy" for sure; not just a television analyst but a long-time and respected Canadian trainer and cut man. (Eric Smith, who has the call with Anber, is most emphatically not a "boxing guy" but appears to be an extremely quick study and I'm actually starting to like him.)

[BearcatSA]

The CBC isn't definitely immune to clangers, for sure: on one of the hourly radio reports the reporter spoke of the two Canadian runners in the women's sprint hurdles as having "executed themselves well" in the race. Hmm? I wonder if that was in a full bath tub holding a plugged in faulty extension cord

[narduch]

Yeah, that was Russ Anber. He's a "boxing guy" for sure; not just a television analyst but a long-time and respected Canadian trainer and cut man. (Eric Smith, who has the call with Anber, is most emphatically not a "boxing guy" but appears to be an extremely quick study and I'm actually starting to like him.)

Russ Anber use to work the CBC Olympic broadcasts.

Eric Smith is actually the radio play-by-play guy for the Toronto Raptors. He probably does a good job at boxing because I always considered him a professional broadcaster (he also had numerous on-air stints for the FAN in Toronto).

[thescottc]

My only real gripe about CTV's coverage so far has been all the coverage Missy Franklin got in the first week. She's a tremendous athlete and a great story, but I hated the way they tried to pander her off as a quasi-Canadian at every opportunity.

Having said that I would be looking forward to hearing the likes of Steve Armitage and Mark Lee on Olympic coverage again. Too bad Don Whitman is no longer with us...