NESN OT: NESN production issues (audio, video, graphics, programming)

[BNHL]

NESN had problems with the feed from Vancouver but they were caused by the distributor that NESN uses - Comcast/NBC Universal in Colorado The signal came into Watertown fine and left fine but then NESN loses control of it.

NBC can provide local insertion of ads that NESN could never do and they do the same for Cox and Spectrum. They are also doing this for numerous other RSN's. It also means NESN needs fewer staffers in Watertown but that is another kettle of fish. BTW the ticker is inserted in Colorado which is why you don't see it on NESNgo.

Tonight in Vancouver we used a truck from NBC's vendor in Pittsburgh, NEP, and it was the same truck in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

View attachment 148571

The truck provides 2 feeds - one directly to NESN in Watertown with the virtual ads behind the net and another to NHL.tv without the ads.

View attachment 148573

View attachment 148575

There have been major issues behind the scenes at NESN as Tom Werner continues to look for ways to cut costs. I could not talk to you 2 years ago about why there were audio problems at home games - now that the court case is over I can.

NESN Broadcast Technicians Benched For Unionizing

Informational Picket - IBEW Local 1228 Broadcast Technicians

I get my health insurance through NBC and Comcast has been very good to me since I signed up with them to work the NHL on OLN. Nobody knew in 2005 that OLN would become NBC Sports. I still work as a contractor for NESN but usually on the road. This is a brutal business now and it is what it is.

When John Harrington ran NESN he took care of the workers as his Dad drove a streetcar on the old MTA. Papa Jacobs is also very fair as he grew up in blue-collar Buffalo. 15 years ago NESN was the BEST RSN in the US to work for - now it is the worst and it is all because of a man who became wealthy producing Cosby and Roseanne.

John Henry is starting to make changes as he knows firing Don Orsillo was a major blunder.

It will take time to undo the damage.

He should fix it by firing whats his name and recruiting back Orsillo

 

[Orr2Neely8]

NESN had problems with the feed from Vancouver but they were caused by the distributor that NESN uses - Comcast/NBC Universal in Colorado The signal came into Watertown fine and left fine but then NESN loses control of it.

NBC can provide local insertion of ads that NESN could never do and they do the same for Cox and Spectrum. They are also doing this for numerous other RSN's. It also means NESN needs fewer staffers in Watertown but that is another kettle of fish. BTW the ticker is inserted in Colorado which is why you don't see it on NESNgo.

Tonight in Vancouver we used a truck from NBC's vendor in Pittsburgh, NEP, and it was the same truck in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

View attachment 148571

The truck provides 2 feeds - one directly to NESN in Watertown with the virtual ads behind the net and another to NHL.tv without the ads.

View attachment 148573

View attachment 148575

There have been major issues behind the scenes at NESN as Tom Werner continues to look for ways to cut costs. I could not talk to you 2 years ago about why there were audio problems at home games - now that the court case is over I can.

NESN Broadcast Technicians Benched For Unionizing

Informational Picket - IBEW Local 1228 Broadcast Technicians

I get my health insurance through NBC and Comcast has been very good to me since I signed up with them to work the NHL on OLN. Nobody knew in 2005 that OLN would become NBC Sports. I still work as a contractor for NESN but usually on the road. This is a brutal business now and it is what it is.

When John Harrington ran NESN he took care of the workers as his Dad drove a streetcar on the old MTA. Papa Jacobs is also very fair as he grew up in blue-collar Buffalo. 15 years ago NESN was the BEST RSN in the US to work for - now it is the worst and it is all because of a man who became wealthy producing Cosby and Roseanne.

John Henry is starting to make changes as he knows firing Don Orsillo was a major blunder.

It will take time to undo the damage.

I had all kinds of problems with the audio last night and finally gave up as it was late anyway. NESN should be ashamed of this crap , but because it's a Bruins broadcast....crickets.
You can bet your *** it wouldn't have happen if it was the sox playing !

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

He should fix it by firing whats his name and recruiting back Orsillo

Living in San Diego now with a mean temp of 72. Doubt it

 

[Fenway]

Jacobs owns 20% of NESN, yes?

Jacobs 20% bring him in a base of $38,400,000 a year just in subscriber fees. That is the main reason lockouts don't bother him as he still makes money. Both Comcast and Fox have offered over a billion to buy NESN and the Red Sox say no. The Red Sox have tried to buy the Bruins out and JJ will not sell.

 

[talkinaway]

What motivation do the decision makers at NESN have to change the product? It’s not as if the customer has options and can watch on another network if they want. It’s a captive audience.

I don't subscribe to money as the only motivator - if your product sucks (and, as Fenway said, the lower-downs know they suck even if "upper management" doesn't know/care), and you have to be there and work anyway, you may as well make a good product while you're at it. You can, and should, take pride in your work.

There are other options, but they cost money - buy a Center Ice package, get a VPN, and watch the away feed. Or, heck, watch the "clean" NESN feed without the annoying over-the-goal ads or the ticker on the bottom that everyone seems to hate. Either way, NESN's not selling advertisements, so they're not making as much money...I don't think.

 

[Gordoff]

Okay, I'm not going to go thru every post but I have a question: Are the Bruins bound to NESN forever? Can't the Bruins start their own broadcast company with (maybe) the NE Revolution or a couple colleges etc? This is union busting at its ugliest, depriving loyal workers of their expected and agreed upon wages is rotten. Furthermore, why is it that we Bruins fans always get the short end of the stick (actually, I know the reasons since I read what's posted here). Jacobs NEEDS to stand up for what's right, whether it's for his fans and/or team. He's allowed NESN to screw over B's fans for over two decades now and it stinks. Too bad the Krafts aren't Bruins fans!

 

[smithformeragent]

Not sure what motivation Jacobs would have to start his own station if, as Fenway claims, his partial ownership of NESN is basically a cash cow.

It feels like live sports are the last grasp for networks making money off of life programming. The whole concept of channels feels obsolete. The RSNs seem like gold mines and the national networks are willing to pay more and more for national rights packages.

The only programming that truly impresses me is Sunday night football on NBC. High quality games, broadcast team and production value.

NESN seems to be mailing it in, but so do many of the regional networks from what I’ve seen.

NESN used to have some pretty decent original programming too. I remember the lockout year in ‘94 they ran a series hilighting the 69-70 Bruins with game by game hilights.

 

[Fenway]

Okay, I'm not going to go thru every post but I have a question: Are the Bruins bound to NESN forever? Can't the Bruins start their own broadcast company with (maybe) the NE Revolution or a couple colleges etc? This is union busting at its ugliest, depriving loyal workers of their expected and agreed upon wages is rotten. Furthermore, why is it that we Bruins fans always get the short end of the stick (actually, I know the reasons since I read what's posted here). Jacobs NEEDS to stand up for what's right, whether it's for his fans and/or team. He's allowed NESN to screw over B's fans for over two decades now and it stinks. Too bad the Krafts aren't Bruins fans!

Starting a new channel is risky - The Dodgers walked away from FOX in 2014 and started their own channel and 4 years later it is only available to 40% of homes in the market.

Anybody who has access to Center Ice or NHL TV can see how second-rate NESN's graphics are and the kicker is they already have the equipment to enhance them.

 

[Chief Nine]

Starting a new channel is risky - The Dodgers walked away from FOX in 2014 and started their own channel and 4 years later it is only available to 40% of homes in the market.

Anybody who has access to Center Ice or NHL TV can see how second-rate NESN's graphics are and the kicker is they already have the equipment to enhance them.

I would guess too that if they have a niche audience which, let’s face it fellow Bruins fans, that’s exactly how they view us, why invest any more than you need to?

 

[Fenway]

I would guess too that if they have a niche audience which, let’s face it fellow Bruins fans, that’s exactly how they view us, why invest any more than you need to?

Truth is Red Sox production has been stagnant as well.

Years ago the Globe had a sports media critic in Jack Craig that held media outlets accountable. Today we have Chad Finn and he is soft of NESN but he works for a paper owned by the same person who owns the most of NESN. The only time he has gone after NESN was on Orsillo when it was obvious outrage was universal. Some speculated at the time that John Henry green-lighted those columns.

Look - something is wrong when I am telling the truck in Vancouver that many people are reporting audio issues and Watertown was unaware for reasons I mentioned earlier.

Personally, I think the Sabres local TV is the best in the NHL as ownership is deeply involved.

 

[Chief Nine]

Truth is Red Sox production has been stagnant as well.

Years ago the Globe had a sports media critic in Jack Craig that held media outlets accountable. Today we have Chad Finn and he is soft of NESN but he works for a paper owned by the same person who owns the most of NESN. The only time he has gone after NESN was on Orsillo when it was obvious outrage was universal. Some speculated at the time that John Henry green-lighted those columns.

Look - something is wrong when I am telling the truck in Vancouver that many people are reporting audio issues and Watertown was unaware for reasons I mentioned earlier.

Personally, I think the Sabres local TV is the best in the NHL as ownership is deeply involved.

And there is a great example of a media “empire” and how it affects everything. Chad Finn’s hands are obviously tied there. I don’t watch the Red Sox so there’s no point of reference for me, but of course, I’ll defer to you there. The fact that they still use a ticker in 2018 tells me all I need to know about how that station is run.

They’re really not interested in what the average person thinks or says. Kinda like how the old scarecrow’s trophy wife’s newspaper is run

 

[BNHL]

Living in San Diego now with a mean temp of 72. Doubt it

I remember when I was in the service there were guys from East LA,Harlem,South Bronx,East St Louis....all pining to go home. Home is home.

 

[don]

I'm just glad and thankful they carry THE BRUINS. I can live with the rest of the crap.

 

[BruinsFanSince94]

Is Peter Gammons alright? Dude is off the wall lately with his twitter.

 

[Fenway]

And there is a great example of a media “empire” and how it affects everything. Chad Finn’s hands are obviously tied there. I don’t watch the Red Sox so there’s no point of reference for me, but of course, I’ll defer to you there. The fact that they still use a ticker in 2018 tells me all I need to know about how that station is run.

They’re really not interested in what the average person thinks or says. Kinda like how the old scarecrow’s trophy wife’s newspaper is run

Look at NESN's website - it is 10 years behind

NESN.com

 

[Chief Nine]

Look at NESN's website - it is 10 years behind

NESN.com

Exactly. Why pay someone to keep it up to date if they get the traffic they want?

 

[Spanky185]

Starting a new channel is risky - The Dodgers walked away from FOX in 2014 and started their own channel and 4 years later it is only available to 40% of homes in the market.

Anybody who has access to Center Ice or NHL TV can see how second-rate NESN's graphics are and the kicker is they already have the equipment to enhance them.

Well Disney's acqisition of Fox RSNs means they have a be spun off, just guessing at this but maybe the Dodgers grab it.

The Yankees are poised to buy YES back

 

[Fenway]

NESN has elected to rely heavily on TSN's cameras tonight in Ottawa and this is the right call.

NESN will use a smaller van and have supplemental cameras for Alex and the booth but the shooting of the game will be using TSN. The van will also generate graphics on site and setting up the virtual ads behind the net.

Honestly given the other sporting event in Boston tonight which every freelancer in town is finding work and the reality is the audience on NESN will be much lower than usual, it is the World Series after all.

Even the NESN Bruins pregame is affected as NESN will also be doing a Red Sox pregame on NESN+

The problems with the distribution on Saturday have been addressed ( we think ) and hopefully the telecast will go smoothly.

 

[McGarnagle]

Is Peter Gammons alright? Dude is off the wall lately with his twitter.

he's gone senile.

I don't even care about interspersing his political takes with baseball, but it's the completely unreadable tweets where he posts about half a thought that entertain me the most. I think he's quickly losing it.

At least he's not made any more pocket typing tweets like "xzdxzszaszcnwqzzxaz" in a while.

 

[Fenway]

he's gone senile.

I don't even care about interspersing his political takes with baseball, but it's the completely unreadable tweets where he posts about half a thought that entertain me the most. I think he's quickly losing it.

At least he's not made any more pocket typing tweets like "xzdxzszaszcnwqzzxaz" in a while.

Peter has not been the same since he suffered a brain aneurysm 12 years ago and now at the age of 73 it is showing.

We became very good friends back when we both drank at a Cambridge pub called the Plough and ironically one of his first bylines in the Globe was a story about a disgruntled Bruins fan @Gee Wally @Ladyfan stop laughing

 

[Fenway]

NESN, the official home of the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins, announced today that Rick Jaffe (@rjaffe1) has been hired as Vice President of Programming & Production. Jaffe’s responsibilities will include overseeing NESN’s Red Sox and Bruins game production, studio programming and sports news shows. In addition, he will be responsible for Original NESN Entertainment (ONE) productions. Jaffe will begin at NESN in December.

“We are very excited to welcome Rick to our team at NESN,” said Sean McGrail, NESN’s President and CEO. “His vast experience in programming as well as his ability to create new and exciting content will continue to enhance and drive our impressive lineup.”

Jaffe comes to NESN with over 30 years of experience in the sports media industry, holding leadership positions in television, digital and print media. Most recently he served as Executive Producer at Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN), the first multi-channel media network dedicated to sports gambling information. Prior to VSiN, Jaffe spent 16 years at FOX Sports in a variety of executive leadership roles. He was Senior Vice President of News when he left the network in 2016. Previously at FOX, he was Editor-in-Chief at FOXSports.com and Senior Vice President, Executive Producer at FOX Sports Net, producing national shows, including The Baseball Report and FSN Across America.

“NESN has always been one of the leaders in our industry and I’m very excited to be joining such a great team,” said Rick Jaffe. “Boston is one of the best sports towns in America, if not the best. I can’t wait to get started.” Before joining FOX, Jaffe was Executive Sports Editor at the Los Angeles Times. He also worked in management positions for several other newspapers including Deputy Managing Editor for the Chicago Sun-Times and The National Sports Daily, as well as Assistant Sports Editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Detroit News and Orlando Sentinel.

 

[whitetape]

Weird moment after the B's' nongoal, when both Brick and Jack insisted you could see the puck had crossed the line, and yet no camera angle ever showed that. What was that about?

Also, why did Jack apologize, at the start of the game, that the scrolling scores were missing. He should have apologized when that annoying strip came back. When will NESN ever get rid of them?

 

[Chief Nine]

Weird moment after the B's' nongoal, when both Brick and Jack insisted you could see the puck had crossed the line, and yet no camera angle ever showed that. What was that about?

Also, why did Jack apologize, at the start of the game, that the scrolling scores were missing. He should have apologized when that annoying strip came back. When will NESN ever get rid of them?

The score panel (I forget what they actually call it) was missing up in the top left of the screen. That usually has the score and time.

Even though you don’t see it in this screenshot, as far as I know the ticker never went away. It’s the cockroach of NESN’s programming

 

[Fenway]

 

[Chief Nine]

Looks like they cleaned house