Axl Rhoadz
Binky distributor
- Apr 5, 2011
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They just replaced Faust with Nickson...and you call that a 'f*** up'? I call that a f***ing WIN.
Kings to move to a singular broadcast team with Nick Nickson, Jim Fox, and Darryl Evans.
- Thread starter kingskring
- Start date
fivehole32
Kicking rebounds to the slot
- Jan 11, 2015
- 462
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I will add this about peoples issues with Faust's call. What made Bob Miller, Chick Hearn and Vin Sculley so good? They called simulcasts for most of their careers. Having to use a vocabulary that pulled the fans in isparamount in radio, so that vocabulary was that much more additive to the tv viewers experience.
David Lunch
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2018
- 329
- 585
I think this is going to be a long post, so buckle up or keep scrolling 
(I'm only going to talk about the broadcast team and not the issues with how the broadcast will actually be conducted/viewed by the fans, etc. Over my pay-grade to comment on).
I am really, REALLY happy that we will be hearing Nick Nickson call games with Fox and Darryl. Honestly, I screamed "YES!" when I read the very surprising headline. I'm not here to shit on Faust (I'll talk more on him later), but the quality of Nickson's play-by-play to me is right up there with peak Bob Miller, and CERTAINLY is higher than the last several seasons of Miller's slow, slight cognitive decline. Bob was/is a legend and will always be the man I associate "the voice of the Kings" with, but Nickson has always been so underrated and underutilized with his talents and I'm so excited that he will have this opportunity to be the lead PBP voice. His calls of big moments from 2012 and 2014, IMO, were better than Miller's -- I'll particularly never forget him saying "INCREDIBLE! REMARKABLE! UNBELIEVABLE!" after Martinez scored the OT series clincher against Chicago.
I remember a Kings talk about 2 seasons ago where a caller asked Nick if he had applied for the PBP TV role, and Nick said that he did express interest but the team went in another direction (and then gave a lot of compliments to Faust). It broke my silly little Kings-heart when I heard that, because I had assumed (like some have stated) that he preferred the off-camera roll for whatever reason. But now, it makes the news even sweeter knowing that he wanted this role and now will have the opportunity to have it, perhaps to even finish out his career in this capacity.
I loved the idea of Alex Faust, but the reality of his fit with the team always fell short of what I was hoping for. Frankly, I think it also fell short of his potential and what his strengths are as a broadcaster, and I think this forced change can be a great opportunity for Alex to take a step forward in his career.
Regarding the "idea of Alex Faust"... When Bob Miller retired, it was going to be a very difficult transition no matter who took the role because of how great Miller was, but particularly how long he had been the man and how much his voice was synonymous with the LA Kings. I thought it was a bold and smart choice for the Kings to invest in a young broadcaster that could grow with the role so that we fans could potentially have another 40-year run with one person to create a new, deep continuity with the Kings' broadcast identity. When Alex was hired, I expected there to be an emotional dip in connection to the broadcast and was not perturbed when that became the case. I expected to take at least 3-5 seasons before I got used to Faust and Faust found his groove with the team. But there were things I noticed right away that made me wonder if the smooth transition would ever be fruitfully realized.
Faust is from the broadcasting school of "letting the game breath" and doesn't describe the play in much detail as it's happening. There can sometimes even be gaps of 5, 6, 7... 10 seconds where he doesn't say a thing during normal play. I really don't like this style of PBP for hockey because it slows down the perception of the game (aka hockey's greatest asset in comparison to other sports), making it feel less exciting and that the steaks are lowered. Also, there's time's where you have to take your eye off the TV (you're cooking, chasing your kid around the room, etc) and if the broadcaster isn't describing the play, you're just not getting anything out of the moment. I think this style of PBP is much better suited for Baseball and Football where not much happens for most of the game (perhaps he makes a pivot to broadcasting more of these sports?). Bob Miller was (and Nick Nickson is) great at verbalizing the moment-to-moment excitement of simple things like bringing the puck through the neutral zone. I do agree with Jim Fox though that Faust was excellent at goal calls and really shined in that scenario.
Speaking of Fox, I also felt that the chemistry between Fox and Faust was always awkward, even though it got a bit better over time. Unlike many on this sub apparently, I actually really like Fox and think he's an excellent color guy. The side of Fox that I have noticed taking a turn for the worse in recent seasons is blatant homerism in commenting on calls/non-calls from refs, but I started noticing this around the time Faust came on board. That's not Faust's problem, but I will be curious to see if Fox's tendencies change with someone he's known for a lot longer and is also a "peer" of instead of a "mentor" for. The age gap between Fox and Faust can't be resolved and it put Fox in an awkward position of being potentially pushed out earlier since one could assume the investment in the younger Faust would be prioritized.
All in all, since Nickson/Fox/Evans are all similar in age, I'm hopeful that they will keep this broadcasting core together for as long as they want the jobs and are cognitively capable and healthy enough to do so. I'm 36 years old, and these guys have essentially been doing their roles as long as I've been a fan since the 94-95 season (yes, Darryl came on later, but roughly speaking). To have this continuity is a very special thing for me and I'm sure the majority of Kings fans, and I'm so happy that they are the ones being prioritized by the team. Change will come at some point, but let's ride our guys as long as they want and then go for a total change across all positions in a short order of time when the bell tolls ("like a Band-Aid - RIGHT OFF!!!" -Jerry Seinfeld).
Faust, thank you for your time here. You did a good job and I also think your best life can be found in a different avenue and I'm excited for you that you'll have a chance to make a fresh step towards that. I think he's an excellent National broadcaster and know he will find plenty of opportunities there. Congrats to Nick Nickson on this amazing, late-career development. Assuming we will actually be able to watch the games, I'm so so so so happy that we'll have these 3 together on air.
(I'm only going to talk about the broadcast team and not the issues with how the broadcast will actually be conducted/viewed by the fans, etc. Over my pay-grade to comment on).
I am really, REALLY happy that we will be hearing Nick Nickson call games with Fox and Darryl. Honestly, I screamed "YES!" when I read the very surprising headline. I'm not here to shit on Faust (I'll talk more on him later), but the quality of Nickson's play-by-play to me is right up there with peak Bob Miller, and CERTAINLY is higher than the last several seasons of Miller's slow, slight cognitive decline. Bob was/is a legend and will always be the man I associate "the voice of the Kings" with, but Nickson has always been so underrated and underutilized with his talents and I'm so excited that he will have this opportunity to be the lead PBP voice. His calls of big moments from 2012 and 2014, IMO, were better than Miller's -- I'll particularly never forget him saying "INCREDIBLE! REMARKABLE! UNBELIEVABLE!" after Martinez scored the OT series clincher against Chicago.
I remember a Kings talk about 2 seasons ago where a caller asked Nick if he had applied for the PBP TV role, and Nick said that he did express interest but the team went in another direction (and then gave a lot of compliments to Faust). It broke my silly little Kings-heart when I heard that, because I had assumed (like some have stated) that he preferred the off-camera roll for whatever reason. But now, it makes the news even sweeter knowing that he wanted this role and now will have the opportunity to have it, perhaps to even finish out his career in this capacity.
I loved the idea of Alex Faust, but the reality of his fit with the team always fell short of what I was hoping for. Frankly, I think it also fell short of his potential and what his strengths are as a broadcaster, and I think this forced change can be a great opportunity for Alex to take a step forward in his career.
Regarding the "idea of Alex Faust"... When Bob Miller retired, it was going to be a very difficult transition no matter who took the role because of how great Miller was, but particularly how long he had been the man and how much his voice was synonymous with the LA Kings. I thought it was a bold and smart choice for the Kings to invest in a young broadcaster that could grow with the role so that we fans could potentially have another 40-year run with one person to create a new, deep continuity with the Kings' broadcast identity. When Alex was hired, I expected there to be an emotional dip in connection to the broadcast and was not perturbed when that became the case. I expected to take at least 3-5 seasons before I got used to Faust and Faust found his groove with the team. But there were things I noticed right away that made me wonder if the smooth transition would ever be fruitfully realized.
Faust is from the broadcasting school of "letting the game breath" and doesn't describe the play in much detail as it's happening. There can sometimes even be gaps of 5, 6, 7... 10 seconds where he doesn't say a thing during normal play. I really don't like this style of PBP for hockey because it slows down the perception of the game (aka hockey's greatest asset in comparison to other sports), making it feel less exciting and that the steaks are lowered. Also, there's time's where you have to take your eye off the TV (you're cooking, chasing your kid around the room, etc) and if the broadcaster isn't describing the play, you're just not getting anything out of the moment. I think this style of PBP is much better suited for Baseball and Football where not much happens for most of the game (perhaps he makes a pivot to broadcasting more of these sports?). Bob Miller was (and Nick Nickson is) great at verbalizing the moment-to-moment excitement of simple things like bringing the puck through the neutral zone. I do agree with Jim Fox though that Faust was excellent at goal calls and really shined in that scenario.
Speaking of Fox, I also felt that the chemistry between Fox and Faust was always awkward, even though it got a bit better over time. Unlike many on this sub apparently, I actually really like Fox and think he's an excellent color guy. The side of Fox that I have noticed taking a turn for the worse in recent seasons is blatant homerism in commenting on calls/non-calls from refs, but I started noticing this around the time Faust came on board. That's not Faust's problem, but I will be curious to see if Fox's tendencies change with someone he's known for a lot longer and is also a "peer" of instead of a "mentor" for. The age gap between Fox and Faust can't be resolved and it put Fox in an awkward position of being potentially pushed out earlier since one could assume the investment in the younger Faust would be prioritized.
All in all, since Nickson/Fox/Evans are all similar in age, I'm hopeful that they will keep this broadcasting core together for as long as they want the jobs and are cognitively capable and healthy enough to do so. I'm 36 years old, and these guys have essentially been doing their roles as long as I've been a fan since the 94-95 season (yes, Darryl came on later, but roughly speaking). To have this continuity is a very special thing for me and I'm sure the majority of Kings fans, and I'm so happy that they are the ones being prioritized by the team. Change will come at some point, but let's ride our guys as long as they want and then go for a total change across all positions in a short order of time when the bell tolls ("like a Band-Aid - RIGHT OFF!!!" -Jerry Seinfeld).
Faust, thank you for your time here. You did a good job and I also think your best life can be found in a different avenue and I'm excited for you that you'll have a chance to make a fresh step towards that. I think he's an excellent National broadcaster and know he will find plenty of opportunities there. Congrats to Nick Nickson on this amazing, late-career development. Assuming we will actually be able to watch the games, I'm so so so so happy that we'll have these 3 together on air.
AbsentMojo
F-ing get up and hunt! Cmon Todd!
Raccoon Jesus
Draft em but don't play em
Simulcast is fine, Nickson is awesome, and Rosen notes Carolina had the prescience to do it in 2018, and the Kings may have known it was coming at that time as well. In a vacuum, it's not a big deal.
But it's consistent with the inconsistency within the rest of the org, so I'm not going to miss an opportunity to poke fun at "are we rebuilding or not" when it even comes to the f***ing broadcasting team!
DoktorJeep
B2B GM of the Summer Champion
Afaik, Faust was a team employee, not BSN. So with next season’s rights holder payment up in the air, I’m not surprised the team decided to cut costs.
My guess is Luc read the tea leaves and thought he could kill two birds with one stone. Do more with less, while at the same time feeding fan emotions.
It was a mistake to hire Faust in the first place. The Kings had a hall of fame announcer in house, but went with a fresh face because it fit that year’s branding strategy.
The lesson here is Luc spent a bunch of money and didn’t get enough results to move the needle in a crowded entertainment market. So when the headwinds started blowing, the most convenient solution was chosen.
My guess is Luc read the tea leaves and thought he could kill two birds with one stone. Do more with less, while at the same time feeding fan emotions.
It was a mistake to hire Faust in the first place. The Kings had a hall of fame announcer in house, but went with a fresh face because it fit that year’s branding strategy.
The lesson here is Luc spent a bunch of money and didn’t get enough results to move the needle in a crowded entertainment market. So when the headwinds started blowing, the most convenient solution was chosen.
Sol
Smile
- Jun 30, 2017
- 23,581
- 19,435
Honestly I strongly disagree. Fausts issue was that he sounded way too flat for a home broadcast and he tried too hard to be liked. He came across very rigid for me.
Nick Nickson is Bob Miller tier. Amazing voice, and just a lovely call to listen to.
I can deal with Jim. I think Jim has been overcompensating for Alex’s lack of experience and skill. The amount of times Alex was wrong about everything was pretty high. Getting someone with skill and understanding is a massive upgrade.
Like upgrading from a Camry to a Ferrari
shuchukfan
Registered User
DoktorJeep
B2B GM of the Summer Champion
Faust was hired because of his young age. Period. Management was desperate to appeal to a younger audience and Faust fit the bill while not completely alienating fans who show up no matter what.
When that position can no longer be financed, then you go with the next cheapest option and spin it as best as possible. We’re just lucky Nick is still working for the team, otherwise it would be whoever the Reign announcer is that gets to call next seasons games on channel 13.
When that position can no longer be financed, then you go with the next cheapest option and spin it as best as possible. We’re just lucky Nick is still working for the team, otherwise it would be whoever the Reign announcer is that gets to call next seasons games on channel 13.
Axl Rhoadz
Binky distributor
- Apr 5, 2011
- 4,942
- 3,808
David Lunch
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2018
- 329
- 585
Nah, that was assumed for a while but a few seasons ago a Kings Talk caller asked Nick about it and Nick said he applied for the TV PbP job and wanted it, but was happy to keep his role when the team went with Faust.
BigKing
Blake Out of Hell III: Back in to Hell
To be fair, I really shouldn't say Bally's as I believe that was just a marketing/branding arrangement to try and tie in to sports gambling. It's really Sinclair.
Lt Dan
F*** your ice cream!
Most of the contracts go back to the Fox Sports RSN days
In case you don't know the history....
Disney bought Fox and it was ruled that they had to sell the RSNs. Sinclair/Diamond Sports group WAY overpaid , but expected to make windfall profits tying in sports betting (Hence the Bally's partnership) and expecting every user to pay $20 a month for the app.
Sinclair also very dumbly burnt their bridges with most of the streaming providers, expecting everyone to sign up for the app
Sinclair is as poorly run ad Bud-Lite's marketing
KINGS17
Smartest in the Room
- Apr 6, 2006
- 32,477
- 11,547
Re: Bally's
RSNs are dying, check that DEAD. The Phoenix Suns recently signed a deal to have all of their games boardcast on over the air TV. Why? They knew that with Bally's they were only reaching around 10% of their fan base, and the other 90% refused to pay for an additional service or switch services just to get Bally's.
The same thing is happening with Vegas who signed with Scripps. Vegas hockey games will be broadcast in three or four states next year and will be on the same over the air channel. You get it for FREE, and it is always on the same channel. They want to expand their fan base and merchandise sales, not gouge a small portion of their fan base with subscription fees.
www.prnewswire.com
RSNs are dying, check that DEAD. The Phoenix Suns recently signed a deal to have all of their games boardcast on over the air TV. Why? They knew that with Bally's they were only reaching around 10% of their fan base, and the other 90% refused to pay for an additional service or switch services just to get Bally's.
The same thing is happening with Vegas who signed with Scripps. Vegas hockey games will be broadcast in three or four states next year and will be on the same over the air channel. You get it for FREE, and it is always on the same channel. They want to expand their fan base and merchandise sales, not gouge a small portion of their fan base with subscription fees.
Vegas Golden Knights and Scripps partner on multi-year agreement to air NHL team's games
/PRNewswire/ -- The Vegas Golden Knights and Scripps Sports have signed a multi-year agreement to bring all locally broadcast Golden Knights games for free to...
www.prnewswire.com
dang, that is too bad.
Could be a blessing though as who knows what would have happened to Nick had he gotten it and all this Bally shit happened again
KINGS17
Smartest in the Room
- Apr 6, 2006
- 32,477
- 11,547
Never should have gotten away from these:
You know I love and salute you LT cause we are real men of genius, especially when it comes to the 12,000 calorie salad.
Lt Dan
F*** your ice cream!
That salad may have 5 days worth of calories, but it was like having Noah's Ark on a plate!
Lt Dan
F*** your ice cream!
Some good articles @Sol you especially might like these
www.usatoday.com
www.forbes.com
I would not be suprised see an NHL/MLB partnership with the MLB being the tech behind the NHL streaming it's games
MLB takes over Padres television broadcasts after Bally Sports misses payments
After months spent preparing for this scenario, MLB is taking over the TV broadcasts of the Padres after Bally Sports fell behind on rights payments.
www.usatoday.com
With A Federal Bankruptcy Court Ruling, MLB’s Days On Bally Sports Appear Numbered
After testimony before a bankruptcy court, and a judge’s ruling, the days of the MLB being broadcast by the Bally Sports networks appear numbered.
www.forbes.com
I would not be suprised see an NHL/MLB partnership with the MLB being the tech behind the NHL streaming it's games
The bolded is where I could see this thing going. Thought they were already partnering on something else related to streamingSome good articles @Sol you especially might like these
MLB takes over Padres television broadcasts after Bally Sports misses payments
After months spent preparing for this scenario, MLB is taking over the TV broadcasts of the Padres after Bally Sports fell behind on rights payments.
With A Federal Bankruptcy Court Ruling, MLB’s Days On Bally Sports Appear Numbered
After testimony before a bankruptcy court, and a judge’s ruling, the days of the MLB being broadcast by the Bally Sports networks appear numbered.
I would not be suprised see an NHL/MLB partnership with the MLB being the tech behind the NHL streaming it's games
