Boston Globe GROSSFELD: A look behind the scenes at a NESN Bruins broadcast

[Fenway]

This is a good overview of how a home telecast comes together but doesn't elaborate on how the TV truck company based in New Hampshire fills out the crews for both the home and visiting feed as well as the occasional visit of NBC.

EVERYBODY in the truck knows the telecast could be better but in the end, it is suits from the Red Sox that make those decisions. The Red Sox would love to buy out Jacobs share of NESN but Papa Jacobs also knows he has no realistic alternative for a Bruins channel so he is content to cash the $30 to $35 million dollar checks that the Red Sox send him yearly.

Are we aware that the graphics are among the worst in the NHL? Of course we are but Tom Werner thinks they are the best.

When NESN was owned by John Harrington he considered the Bruins an equal partner but that is not the case today.

A look behind the scenes at a NESN Bruins broadcast - The Boston Globe
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Click to read more...

 

[Chief Nine]

This is yet another reason why I despise the red sox owners. They treat Bruins fans like dirt. Their petty behind the scenes politics are more important to them than “allowing” Bruins fans to have a first class broadcast experience

 

[talkinaway]

Graphics-wise, NESN is doing the same thing that NHL.com did about 4-5 years ago when MLBAM took over the site - using the same graphics template for baseball and hockey. In terms of creating a unified brand...for NESN, yes, that makes sense to me. FOX does the exact same thing - their football, hockey, and baseball graphics packages all look similar, and present a unified front. But NESN's package, while it works for baseball, just doesn't do it for hockey.

And as far as MLBAM's handling of NHL.com - why do they even feel the need to make the NHL site to look like the MLB site? Makes no sense.

Still, a very interesting article. I could never, ever work in live TV - I can't imagine talking while someone is speaking behind the scenes, but I guess that's a skill you acquire.

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

I work in graphics and find the Nesn graphics aren't bad at all.

Am I bad at my job?

 

[Bruinaura]

This is a good overview of how a home telecast comes together but doesn't elaborate on how the TV truck company based in New Hampshire fills out the crews for both the home and visiting feed as well as the occasional visit of NBC.

EVERYBODY in the truck knows the telecast could be better but in the end, it is suits from the Red Sox that make those decisions. The Red Sox would love to buy out Jacobs share of NESN but Papa Jacobs also knows he has no realistic alternative for a Bruins channel so he is content to cash the $30 to $35 million dollar checks that the Red Sox send him yearly.

Are we aware that the graphics are among the worst in the NHL? Of course we are but Tom Werner thinks they are the best.

When NESN was owned by John Harrington he considered the Bruins an equal partner but that is not the case today.

A look behind the scenes at a NESN Bruins broadcast - The Boston Globe
​

I read the article yesterday but said pfffffft...HFBoards already has the inside scoop on the behind the scenes stuff from some crazy camera guy.

I like NESN's music for the Bruins intro. Better than the generic Fox sports junk a lot of teams use.

 

[22Brad Park]

This is a good overview of how a home telecast comes together but doesn't elaborate on how the TV truck company based in New Hampshire fills out the crews for both the home and visiting feed as well as the occasional visit of NBC.

EVERYBODY in the truck knows the telecast could be better but in the end, it is suits from the Red Sox that make those decisions. The Red Sox would love to buy out Jacobs share of NESN but Papa Jacobs also knows he has no realistic alternative for a Bruins channel so he is content to cash the $30 to $35 million dollar checks that the Red Sox send him yearly.

Are we aware that the graphics are among the worst in the NHL? Of course we are but Tom Werner thinks they are the best.

When NESN was owned by John Harrington he considered the Bruins an equal partner but that is not the case today.

A look behind the scenes at a NESN Bruins broadcast - The Boston Globe
​

Thanks for all the good stuff u put up for us to read.Enjoy a bit of a change here like this.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

I have no professional background in any sort of television production, but NESN just always “feels” below average to me. Particularly for hockey broadcasts.

Aside from obvious mistakes from time to time, it’s hard to really put a finger on it. But it just feels like a subpar overall production for 2019.

The idea that the PBP announcer is allowed to basically create his own show from Bruins telecasts is also dumb to me, but that’s probably an opinion entirely meant for other threads.

 

[GordonHowe]

I have no professional background in any sort of television production, but NESN just always “feels” below average to me. Particularly for hockey broadcasts.

Aside from obvious mistakes from time to time, it’s hard to really put a finger on it. But it just feels like a subpar overall production for 2019.

The idea that the PBP announcer is allowed to basically create his own show from Bruins telecasts is also dumb to me, but that’s probably an opinion entirely meant for other threads.

Okay, so you're the experts. Enlighten me.

I don't find NESN broadcasts particularly well produced, nor do I find them as piss poor as some of you believe.

What's wrong with them? Seriously, I'm curious.

I'll only add that since the Chia era, I've loved the opening bit with all my favorite Bruins players. The accompanying music is cool, too. Jack & Brick (another thread, I know) are great.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

Okay, so you're the experts. Enlighten me.

I don't find NESN broadcasts particularly well produced, nor do I find them as piss poor as some of you believe.

What's wrong with them? Seriously, I'm curious.

I'll only add that since the Chia era, I've loved the opening bit with all my favorite Bruins players. The accompanying music is cool, too. Jack & Brick (another thread, I know) are great.

The audio (mostly on ice and crowd microphones) don’t sound nearly as good on NESN compared to most national broadcasts to me. The graphics also do feel outdated. I’m sure I have more, but I can’t think of much off the top of my head with this sinus infection I’m getting through.

I’m sure I have grown overly critical at this point, but most other local broadcasts have a cleaner feel to me. Like I said, tough to really put my finger on it.

 

[GordonHowe]

The audio (mostly on ice and crowd microphones) don’t sound nearly as good on NESN compared to most national broadcasts to me. The graphics also do feel outdated. I’m sure I have more, but I can’t think of much off the top of my head with this sinus infection I’m getting through.

I’m sure I have grown overly critical at this point, but most other local broadcasts have a cleaner feel to me. Like I said, tough to really put my finger on it.

Hmm. Okay. Thanks for your response, and feel better.

 

[Aeroforce]

My biggest issue with NESN is their audio signal is much lower than other networks, at least on Center Ice. I never watch commercials, and when I flip to another game during a break, the sound is blaring. And vice versa, of course.

I also wish they'd keep shots on goal on permanent display, and reduce out of town scores at the bottom.

 

[Pay Carl]

My only beef with NESN is that virtual set

Blech

That studio is so ugly, but the physical sets they have are quite nice like post game set

 

[Ratty]

Nice job by the broadcast crew. My only complaint is why, if all this equipment is in a trailer, they can't trundle off to Rhode Island from time to time to do Providence and Pawtucket games when the schedule permits?

Today is one example. Bruins don't play for a week while they're on vacation. It would have been nice to watch our prospects against the Rangers Hartford team. Do we need any more Charlie Moore re-runs?

 

[smithformeragent]

Sigh

It is what it is.

I don’t see if improving any time soon in the wares where I have gripes.

Grateful that I get to watch the games in HD so I’ll count my blessings.

 

[ODAAT]

I know or understand nothing about broadcasting but I quite enjoy the NESN broadcasts of the B`s games. Tell ya one thing, I sure love it when I flip the TV/Stream on and it`s the NESN feed far more than if it`s a TSN/Sportsnet or NBC feed

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

My only beef with NESN is that virtual set

Blech

That studio is so ugly, but the physical sets they have are quite nice like post game set

Yeah the NESN Sports Today (are they still calllng it that or did they do one of their name changes?) studio is terrible. They could at least put some money into it to TRY to make it look real.

 

[crimsonace]

Nice job by the broadcast crew. My only complaint is why, if all this equipment is in a trailer, they can't trundle off to Rhode Island from time to time to do Providence and Pawtucket games when the schedule permits?

Today is one example. Bruins don't play for a week while they're on vacation. It would have been nice to watch our prospects against the Rangers Hartford team. Do we need any more Charlie Moore re-runs?

It costs a lot of money to fire up that truck and hire the camera people, producers, get satellite time, et al, just to put together one broadcast. While diehards like us would love it, such games usually don't drive enough ratings or ad buys to justify the cost. That, and both the P-Bruins and PawSox are owned by those independent of the major league team, they would likely have to sign off on it. The P-Bruins don't even have a home radio/online broadcast (and are the only team in minor pro hockey to have no broadcast presence at all). College hockey likely draws a little bit better ratings as there's an alumni base to draw from.

I know NESN has picked up some PawSox games in the past - when the games here in Indianapolis were locally-produced for TV, NESN would often pick up our local broadcast if the Red Sox weren't playing. The announcer would pull back and do a "TV-style call" and even though he was the home broadcaster in Indy, he called the game as if NESN was his primary audience and called the game without bias with a lot of PawSox tidbits. But there was minimal cost to NESN - the game was already being produced for local TV here, it was a road game (so no impact on attendance) and the talent/truck were already in place and paid for by someone else.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

It costs a lot of money to fire up that truck and hire the camera people, producers, get satellite time, et al, just to put together one broadcast. While diehards like us would love it, such games usually don't drive enough ratings or ad buys to justify the cost. That, and both the P-Bruins and PawSox are owned by those independent of the major league team, they would likely have to sign off on it. The P-Bruins don't even have a home radio/online broadcast (and are the only team in minor pro hockey to have no broadcast presence at all). College hockey likely draws a little bit better ratings as there's an alumni base to draw from.

I know NESN has picked up some PawSox games in the past - when the games here in Indianapolis were locally-produced for TV, NESN would often pick up our local broadcast if the Red Sox weren't playing. The announcer would pull back and do a "TV-style call" and even though he was the home broadcaster in Indy, he called the game as if NESN was his primary audience and called the game without bias with a lot of PawSox tidbits. But there was minimal cost to NESN - the game was already being produced for local TV here, it was a road game (so no impact on attendance) and the talent/truck were already in place and paid for by someone else.

Portland is the same way as to the above statement, too, crimson, the other thing relative to Providence is no active broadcast crew now that the radio crew was canned the way they were treated, and the AHL or its teams no longer televise select games, as the media has changed over the years, and once the Hartford contract expired... a vestige likely to the Whalers contract on now NBC Sports Boston, who'd want to see Springfield, Hartford or Providence telecasts as that's what you're left with along with Bridgeport, now that Worcester, Manchester and Portland are no longer part of the league