Back to last night—
- We make it to Ice Dancing just as the “also rans” are finishing up. Personally, I think the event works when the performance seems like the pair is making it up as they go along. When it gets to “ok, we’re prepping for a really difficult lift”, it loses me.
- An “Inside Baseball” note—the other US broadcast networks are giving QISE a pass in primetime, showing mostly reruns through the games. I do not understand the logic in this. Winter QISE are always problematic due to weather delays and obscure events, so assuming they will be a big hit is questionable. You’re not going to get a Tonya Harding every time. So far, Pyeongchang is not doing well for Kabletown, and with no other broadcast alternatives, where did the viewers go? To cable and streaming—and every time they do, a few don’t come back.
- “Prime Plus” begins with a 5 minute Micro-Fallon show (that’s just about as much of him as I can stand). Not sure if it’s a contractual issue or not.
Moving to today’s coverage—
- The audio on the Today Show seemed muddled. There was something going on in the background—the downside of doing a live show in an open environment.
- In the afternoon, watching Biathlon. The sport of secret agents—skiing and shooting. There’s a “penalty lap” if they miss their shots, and I noticed a few people sitting in lawn chairs inside the loop. I assume they are judges—or just spectators with really good seats.
- Prime Time begins with Tirico at the Fortress, throwing us to Tara and Johnny for Ladies Figure Skating-Short Program. I'm shocked that the petite Lipinski can hold her head up with all that make-up on. The Peacock has their fingers crossed that the US will be a factor, but it seems unlikely
- One US performance—then Figure Skating is shipped off to NBCSN until Americans return. We’ve got Bobsled and Short Track to show! I’m following the skating event on the “enhanced view” stream (stats, standings, and trivia surrounding the screen.
- The big draw tonight is Lindsey Vonn, with a teaser promo a half hour before her Downhill run. Kabletown made some early bets in terms of their promotion, and they just haven’t panned out.
- There’s a story over the last day or so about Liz Swaney, a Hungarian Half-Pipe competitor whose runs included virtually no “tricks”. Turns out the native Californian (her grandparents are from Hungary) gamed the qualification system by competing in lightly attended events so all she had to do was not fall and get points. In some cases, the top 30 would qualify—and there wouldn’t be that many competitors. It’s really not her fault, it’s a broken system, which I’m sure will be adjusted to avoid this in the future.
- Well, despite an error, Bradie Tennell is holding onto the top position at the skating arena—at least so far. The main threats haven’t reached the ice yet.
More tomorrow.