Comments on: TSN's Capitals Preview: Positively Lazy

By: ThunderWeenie

ThunderWeenie — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:23:34 +0000

I’ll thrash this poor dying horse one last time.
Tiny:
Even if TSN’s web content is an “afterthought” (and I just don’t buy that, sorry–as OC has pointed out, there simply isn’t a North American broadcaster worth its salt that thinks that way in this day and age)…well, whether it is or isn’t an afterthought is absolutely irrelevant.
TSN, which sells itself as a leading source for hockey coverage, blew a hockey story. That is what’s relevant here. They posted a story which didn’t just get a date wrong or misspell a player’s name, but which contained questionable analysis and several major errors.
Those of us who like TSN (myself included) had come to expect better. Quibble about other irrelevant stuff if you like–that is the point OC is making.
There. I’m done.

By: OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)

OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:35:07 +0000

*sigh* Yes, Tiny, it’s clearly just envy, not an expectation of quality and accuracy from a recognized leader in hockey coverage. Whatever.
Of course, if TSN’s Internet presence is as you allege truly just an afterthought — though I suspect their cadre of writers, editors, webmasters, etc. would disagree — then they’d better get smarter strategic planners. Major news sources (including Washington Post, major TV networks, Wall Street Journal, and yes, ESPN) have long ago realized that the Internet is a vital part of any forward-looking business model, both for reaching wider audiences and generating ad revenue.

By: tiny

tiny — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:36:09 +0000

ThunderWeenie wrote:
“And I think you‚Äôre quite wrong that the website is an afterthought‚Äìif you look at how much broadband content TSN has jammed onto its site in the past couple of years, you‚Äôll see that TSN (like most modern-day broadcasters) considers its web presence and its traditional broadcasting to be all part of the same package. So I say that if TSN puts it out there, its fair game for fan criticism.”
The print content on TSN is an afterthought, just as I said. If web content is such a part of the total package, how much revenue does TSN derive from it? Answer: none. Their priorities lie elsewhere. Just because they post up broadband content to keep their regular viewers informed does not mean any of same content was intended for anyone other than their target audience – Canadian hockey fans.
If you guys want to get your panties into a bunch because of some filler article written by a TSN junior staffer, all the power to you.
Again, their web content is an afterthought. Gustafsson, just because you caught them editing a page is indicative of nothing other than the low priority assigned to the web content. Big deal.
Go watch ESPN and get all of your web content from them and you’ll all be so much more informed! TSN’s coverage of hockey is unmatched, anywhere, and to cherrypick a fluff piece of theirs is proof of nothing other than envy.

By: Gustafsson

Gustafsson — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:32:38 +0000

Someone woke up and fixed their page:

By: Gustafsson

Gustafsson — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:26:22 +0000

I just took a screen capture of TSN.ca as mentioned by Kurt.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:42:52 +0000

And the lazy get even lazier – according to TSN’s frontpage right now, the Caps have ‘improved to 5-2′ with their win last night, despite the fact that they have yet to play a fifth, sixth, or seventh game.
I guess now they’re in the fortune-telling business now?

By: ThunderWeenie

ThunderWeenie — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:02:22 +0000

BTW, speaking of Monday Night Football, they just made a very funny comment as the Pittsburgh-Baltimore game goes into overtime:
“If they allowed unlimited overtime like they do in hockey, there’d be nobody left on the field. They’d all be injured!”
Ummmmm…yeah, ESPN, please stick to football.

By: ThunderWeenie

ThunderWeenie — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:59:29 +0000

Tiny,
I’ll go one up on my friend Gustafsson–I LIVE in Canada full-time, and I fully support OC’s article. There’s no excuse for sloppy journalism like this, whether its on TV or online or in any other medium. I don’t understand why showing a lot of hockey somehow entitles you to a free pass when you get things as wrong as this article does.
More to the point–Canadian hockey fans would crap all over any American network or website that did as poor a job as this on an article. You know I’m right on that.
And I think you’re quite wrong that the website is an afterthought–if you look at how much broadband content TSN has jammed onto its site in the past couple of years, you’ll see that TSN (like most modern-day broadcasters) considers its web presence and its traditional broadcasting to be all part of the same package. So I say that if TSN puts it out there, its fair game for fan criticism.
The Weenie has spoken!

By: Gustafsson

Gustafsson — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:03:23 +0000

Tiny… I’m in Canada right now… TSN is showing Monday Night Football…. they should be showing preseason Hockey….
Asking for correct facts is not nitpicking hockey coverage…. if TSN is the end all, their internet coverage should be the same as the TV coverage…
Look… we have TSN via Center Ice… We’ve seen their hockey game broadcasts… yes we like them….
We just want them to get the facts correct

By: Tiny

Tiny — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:59:58 +0000

PS: That sentence should read as…
You wouldn‚Äôt whine about their internet coverage because your minds would be blown by all of the televised hockey.
Damn lack of an edit function!