Figure skating fans deserve better

[WildRose]

Great article about media coverage of skating:

http://www.troymedia.com/2013/01/28/...eserve-better/

Being a figure skating fan can be frustrating. The recent 2013 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships featured fantastic skating that bodes well for the future, but media coverage and respect for the serious fan fell short.

[victorskid]

Great article about media coverage of skating:

http://www.troymedia.com/2013/01/28/...eserve-better/

I just read that article and was coming here to post a link

[4rkidz]

Great article about media coverage of skating:

http://www.troymedia.com/2013/01/28/...eserve-better/

Thanks for the article, it really is good.. I shared it on my FB..

[manhn]

I actually thought CTV and TSN's coverage of Nationals improved from last year. We didn't see Osmond's short program a gazillion times. We saw all the pairs (granted, not that difficult to do) and dance (at least free dances; we saw most of the sd's) and a good portion of the men and ladies (the last two groups).

Although CTV and TSN provided full coverage, bouncing between networks was confusing and the tape-delay of events west of Ontario was unacceptable. Hockey fans don’t have to watch tape-delayed games, ever. I could have watched the competition live online, but figure skating begs a large HD screen. So I also missed out on the live blog chat with the engaging PJ Kwong over at cbc.ca.

Hockey fans complain about TV coverage. All. The. Time. Google something like "Toronto visits Vancouver but CBC airs Saturday Hockey Night In Canada Game at 4pm Pacific Time."

[overedge]

I would quibble with her on a few points (I think Brian Williams and Sara Orlesky are terrible, but admittedly not as terrible as Rod Black). But I agree with everything else. I think this is really well explained.

Re Beverley Smith at the Globe and Mail, the Globe has been cutting back on reporters all over the place, and I heard that she took a buyout and is no longer working for them. I'm not sure if this is true, though.

[Parsley Sage]

Steve Milton writes for the Hamilton Spectator but the Spectator is owned by the Toronto Star media group. I don't think Rosie DiManno would let him write about skating for the Star.

[Jenny]

I don't think Rosie DiManno would let him write about skating for the Star.

If media are to be blamed, I put it squarely on her shoulders. Her complete lack of respect for the sport - let alone her atrocious lack of understanding - not only doesn't do skating any good; I believe she actually harms the sport. Doesn't help that her "articles" appear in Canada's highest circulation newspaper.

[kylet3]

Thank you to this lady! This is one of my biggest pet peeves about media coverage in Canada right now. I like collecting articles after Skate Canada, Nationals and generally any time a skater does well, and a few years ago, there would be coverage in my local paper and the national papers but now there is absolutely zilch. When I got my local paper (and I live in the same city as Kaetlyn Osmond), there was absolutely NOTHING regarding her win or anyone elses, but yet they could find time to devote to random sports such as lacrosse and heaven forbid if they don't have coverage on every NFL game there is that day? Yet, they can't find the time to cover skating and other sports where Canadian athletes do well. Granted, I know skating isn't what it was in its heyday with the likes of Kurt, Elvis, etc, but still, it would be nice to have SOMETHING as opposed to absolutely nothing and pretending like it never happened. My complaint with the coverage on TV obviously is the lack of live coverage west on Ontario, that didn't sit well with me, but oh well, what can you do?

It would be nice if skating got the coverage it deserved here.

[MacMadame]

It would be nice if skating got the coverage it deserved here.

I don't think figure skating fans "deserve" anything. No fans of any sport do. It's not about "deserving". It's about making money. If broadcast networks don't think they can make money showing our sport on tv, then they have no mandate to show it anyway. Sure, it sucks for us and for the skaters, but that's reality.

Now, in Canada it's a bit different because I believe TV is subsidized by the government. But my basic point still holds...what gets put on tv is what the majority wants to see and we aren't special flowers who deserve to have our sport on tv anyway even though it costs the broadcast networks money and more people want to watch tv shows like American/Canadian/Your Country Idol or hockey than our sport.

We can piss and moan that the reason people don't want to watch our sport is because it's not being showcased properly but every fan of every sport complains about how their sport is shown on tv yet other sports get much bigger audiences. I think we have to accept that our sport just isn't that accessible and doesn't appeal to the majority.

Just because I love something, doesn't mean everyone else has to or that it has to be shown on tv during the best possible times.

[BigB08822]

A few years ago Canada was gearing up for a home Olympics. Of course there was more and better coverage. I think it's all relative. I also think it should be about the skaters first. This isn't done for fans. The sport relies on fans for the big coverage and extravagant events but the sport can go on without those, believe it or not.

[Frau Muller]

I just have to laugh when I hear Canadians complaining of their figure skating TV coverage. Compared to what we get on TV -- not internet but real TV -- in the USA, Canadians are darn lucky. I'd give an arm and leg to have access to Canandian TV.

[overedge]

The Globe and Mail must have heard about this thread. Beverly Smith has an article in today's paper, but it is about architecture (the new downtown Toronto building of George Brown College). I believe, though, that these kinds of articles are usually written by freelancers, so maybe she is only doing contract work for them now.

[iarispiralllyof]

I don't think figure skating fans "deserve" anything. No fans of any sport do. It's not about "deserving". It's about making money. If broadcast networks don't think they can make money showing our sport on tv, then they have no mandate to show it anyway. Sure, it sucks for us and for the skaters, but that's reality.

Now, in Canada it's a bit different because I believe TV is subsidized by the government. But my basic point still holds...what gets put on tv is what the majority wants to see and we aren't special flowers who deserve to have our sport on tv anyway even though it costs the broadcast networks money and more people want to watch tv shows like American/Canadian/Your Country Idol or hockey than our sport.

We can piss and moan that the reason people don't want to watch our sport is because it's not being showcased properly but every fan of every sport complains about how their sport is shown on tv yet other sports get much bigger audiences. I think we have to accept that our sport just isn't that accessible and doesn't appeal to the majority.

Just because I love something, doesn't mean everyone else has to or that it has to be shown on tv during the best possible times.

I definitely agree with your overall point. And skating is a niche sport and will always be (except during the Olympics).

But I still think there is somewhat of a public bias against sports that don't cater to a mostly straight male audience. Even the little coverage we do get nowadays is often met with unnecessary snark by non-fans

[manhn]

Skating is hardly treated as a niche sport. Nationals was shown on Canada's leading sports channel over an entire weekend and on primetime on a main broadcast channel. For the past few years, we have seen all or almost all the skaters. That didn't happen back in the golden ages.

Ya know, as a Vancouverite, I don't get to see the Florida Panthers play on TV too often either. Darn TV and their disrespect for hockey!

[Habs]

When I got my local paper (and I live in the same city as Kaetlyn Osmond), there was absolutely NOTHING regarding her win or anyone elses, but yet they could find time to devote to random sports such as lacrosse and heaven forbid if they don't have coverage on every NFL game there is that day?

There was coverage in the Edmonton Journal.

[kylet3]

There was coverage in the Edmonton Journal.

On the Saturday there was yes, but nothing in the Monday edition.

Perhaps, I shouldn't have said "deserve" like fans deserve special coverage just because that's the sport some of us like the most, I just meant it would have been nice to have some kind of coverage of the event, especially in comparison to year's past when a skater winning a bronze medal at a grand prix would even sometimes get a mention. These athletes work just as hard as hockey and football players, but yet they seem to be ignored by the print media when it comes to events like this these days, it's too bad really.

[Habs]

On the Saturday there was yes, but nothing in the Monday edition.

In ran on Tuesday... I suspect they waited until she was back to do the interview. Logistics can be a crazy thing.

[kylet3]

In ran on Tuesday... I suspect they waited until she was back to do the interview. Logistics can be a crazy thing.

Ah, perhaps that was the same day that they had the article concurrent with the article about London possibly being Tessa and Scott's last worlds. I don't really think there was much in the way of other coverage of the entire event. Are you in Edmonton?

[Habs]

Ah, perhaps that was the same day that they had the article concurrent with the article about London possibly being Tessa and Scott's last worlds. I don't really think there was much in the way of other coverage of the entire event. Are you in Edmonton?

Looks okay to me. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sport...349/story.html

[kylet3]

What can I say, I'm a brat, I like everything to be covered Certainly Kaetlyn's story deserves attention, but I like when Canadians is covered as a whole.