Broadcast Review, Week 1
Tom Goodhines
Thursday April 20, 2000
Game: Albany at Nashville
Talent: Eli Gold, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, color commentary; Jill Arrington, pre-game host/sideline reporter
Grade: A
It’s smiles all around, league officials, players, and fans are a like. TNN hit a home run with the kick off of their Arena Football League broadcasts, primarily slotted for Thursday nights. TNN gave the AFL the respect that it deserves. “We’re really excited,” said League founder and Iowa Barnstormer owner Jim Foster before the season. “They [TNN] have shown a real devotion to build up the product of Arena Football and have a track record of elevating sports to the next level. What they did for NASCAR is a great example of what they can potentially do for Arena Football.”
The pre-game show, halftime, postgame and the high number of promotional commercials were unprecedented for the AFL’s national broadcasts. TNN’s segments and features were very informative and helped educate viewers on some of the rules and players of the league. The very knowledgeable Jill Arrington led a smooth pre-game show. Eli Gold was a pleasant surprise for those not familiar with his background and style. Gold brings a “major league” feel to the broadcast and fills the play-by-play role by not dominating discussion or making himself bigger than the game.
A couple of video glitches during the game and a graphic mistake in the pre-game (Joe Jacobs, not John Jacobs, led the Firebirds in sacks in ’99) were the only problems in this top-notch broadcast.
But the biggest mistake seems yet to be made. It appears that color commentator Ed Cunningham was only temporary. Cunningham, who has covered Arizona Rattler games for Warner Brothers 61, is filling in for the first three weeks of the season for former NFL coach and CBS broadcaster Sam Wyche. Cunningham is in a league of his own and continued to prove it in Thursday’s broadcast.
Cunningham astutely explained the linebacker “in-the-box” rule and also quickly and correctly said that the officials missed an interception call late in the game. “Ah, the officials missed it,” Cunningham said. “The ball is live off the wall for both offensive and defensive players as long as their feet are in-bounds.”
“We have a professional and passionate team, and one that is determined to learn more and more each week, bringing this game into households across the nation,” said the AFL`s Vice President of Communications David Cooper. “They love Arena Football, and that`s what makes them so effective.”
TNN – if you are listening – either make it a three-man booth or tell Wyche that you changed your mind. Keep up the good work and keep Cunningham in there!
Network: Fox Sports West
Game: Los Angeles at Grand Rapids
Talent: Bill Macdonald, play-by-play; David Norrie, color commentary; John Jackson, sideline reporter
Grade: B
It was a good debut for the Avengers’ home network. Macdonald made a solid first appearance in the AFL, but the story of the broadcast was David Norrie. Norrie is a veteran from Prime Sports broadcasts of the Anaheim Piranhas. He brings a lot of AFL game knowledge and was able to lead the “new” Los Angeles viewers through the nuances of Arenaball. Norrie gets high marks for his knowledge of the game and his insight as a former quarterback. John Jackson on the sideline added an extra element that some networks should look to utilizing for their broadcasts.
The halftime segment on Scott Semptimphelter was a nice touch that allowed viewers to get a look at a player off the field. Let’s hope they continue with the trend in future broadcasts.
Fox Sports West can look to Empire Sports Network as a measuring stick for first year coverage, but Empire can take a page from Fox’s book with its handling of halftime. I think Fox has started off on the right foot.
Network: Empire Sports Network
Game: Buffalo at Oklahoma
Talent: Jim Brinson, play-by-play; Ray Bentley, color commentary; Bob Trimble, sideline reporter
Grade: B+
The network that raised the bar for local network coverage of an AFL team a year ago, got off to a solid start in year two. Empire’s broadcast team looks to be the most improved from a year ago. Last year, there were a few instances when they obviously didn’t know some of the rules. A year older and a year wiser! Brinson and Bentley work well together. Brinson is able to set the tone and Bentley fills in nicely with his great insight into the game. But, it is Bob Trimble who pulls the broadcasts up into the top levels of Arena Football television coverage.
Trimble’s interesting interviews and ability to find a story within the game has kept the viewer interested. Trimble again proves why he is the top AFL sideline reporter.
Production wise, the crew gets high marks for different camera angles, but there were too many missed plays when the main camera wasn’t able to follow the ball during game action. Empire should attempt to do more feature stories for halftime and can utilize Trimble to get some top features. Doing so will raise the network to that next level.
Tom Goodhines was a writer for ArenaFan Online during the 2000 season.
