If You Ran OLN...

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Stevedude530

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Dec 21, 2005
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This is a simple thread, what would you do if you ran OLN, or at least the NHL department of OLN. Here's my take.

-Hire a West Coast Announcer, and a West Coast Analyst. My Broadcast team (For Games) would be:

Play By Play
#1 Mike Emrick
#2 Bob Miller (LA Kings Announcers, the voice of the "Mighty Ducks" movies)
#3 Joe Beninati
#4 Sam Rosen
#5 Chris Cuthbert

Color
#1 John Davidson
#2 Neil Smith
#3 Brian Engblom
#4 Darren Pang (I was looking through people, and I finally just said dammit I'll go with Panger)
#5 Denis Potvin

-Studio
As you can see, I would move Neil Smith out of the studio and into a more prominent analysts role.
Host - John Buccigross, Fill-In: Bob Harwood
Analysts - Rotating Panel of: Pierre McGuire, PJ Stock, Keith Jones, Bob Mackenzie, Ray Ferraro, and any of the 5 Color Men.
- I would do a 30 Minute Pregame and Postgame show. See what happened when they scheduled one last week? It was the day Larry Robinson was fired, and the olympic team was named, and all hell broke loose.

Schedule
-I would switch the games to Wednesdays and Thursdays, because that's when the most big games happen.
-However, there would be a 30 Minute "NHL2Night" style show hosted by said analysts from Monday-Saturday Nights at 11 & 2 AM (After the early games and a wrap-up of the whole night)
-I would air NHL Cool Shots on non game nights
-A 30 Minute Player Interview Show Hosted By Bob Harwood or John Buccigross every week.
-Some NHL Network Programming.
-More Doubleheaders, an Olympic Preview Show, the Entire All-Star Weekend.
-Secure a 2nd OLN channel so up to 4 Playoff games each night could air nationally.

All right, and finally, I would change the name to CSN, since Comcast owns OLN. Or CSN National.

What would you do?
 

Guy Legend

Registered User
Jun 2, 2005
2,534
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St. Louis
If the OLN is to gain respectibility and further access to more homes, they will have to lure in another major sports league.

MLB sunday night baseball renewed with espn, so perhaps another package can be worked out. However, it's my understanding that the NFL will have another tv package soon available - something OLN should be quick to jump at.
 

GKJ

Global Moderator
Feb 27, 2002
185,674
37,463
If OLN can get some college football, that would be great. Maybe sign a deal with a particular conference to show night gamex exclusively.
 

Randall Graves*

Guest
Stevedude530 said:
This is a simple thread, what would you do if you ran OLN, or at least the NHL department of OLN. Here's my take.

-Hire a West Coast Announcer, and a West Coast Analyst. My Broadcast team (For Games) would be:

Play By Play
#1 Mike Emrick
#2 Bob Miller (LA Kings Announcers, the voice of the "Mighty Ducks" movies)
#3 Joe Beninati
#4 Sam Rosen
#5 Chris Cuthbert

Color
#1 John Davidson
#2 Neil Smith
#3 Brian Engblom
#4 Darren Pang (I was looking through people, and I finally just said dammit I'll go with Panger)
#5 Denis Potvin

-Studio
As you can see, I would move Neil Smith out of the studio and into a more prominent analysts role.
Host - John Buccigross, Fill-In: Bob Harwood
Analysts - Rotating Panel of: Pierre McGuire, PJ Stock, Keith Jones, Bob Mackenzie, Ray Ferraro, and any of the 5 Color Men.
- I would do a 30 Minute Pregame and Postgame show. See what happened when they scheduled one last week? It was the day Larry Robinson was fired, and the olympic team was named, and all hell broke loose.

Schedule
-I would switch the games to Wednesdays and Thursdays, because that's when the most big games happen.
-However, there would be a 30 Minute "NHL2Night" style show hosted by said analysts from Monday-Saturday Nights at 11 & 2 AM (After the early games and a wrap-up of the whole night)
-I would air NHL Cool Shots on non game nights
-A 30 Minute Player Interview Show Hosted By Bob Harwood or John Buccigross every week.
-Some NHL Network Programming.
-More Doubleheaders, an Olympic Preview Show, the Entire All-Star Weekend.
-Secure a 2nd OLN channel so up to 4 Playoff games each night could air nationally.

All right, and finally, I would change the name to CSN, since Comcast owns OLN. Or CSN National.

What would you do?
OLN should hire you
 

Stevedude530

Registered User
Dec 21, 2005
1,941
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It is kinda sad that a 16-year old has time to think about these things. But I love to overanalyze things, which works great with my hockey obsession.

I, once, in a state of boredom, invented my own NHL TV Package, where a major network would do (a la the NFL) 3 regional games at 1PM and 3 at 4PM, sort of a "Hockey Afternoon in the US" sorta thing. Then the only night games would be the Canadian ones.
 

StevenintheATL

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Jun 12, 2004
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The ATL!
Guy Legend said:
If the OLN is to gain respectibility and further access to more homes, they will have to lure in another major sports league.

MLB sunday night baseball renewed with espn, so perhaps another package can be worked out. However, it's my understanding that the NFL will have another tv package soon available - something OLN should be quick to jump at.

There is a late season (As in after college football regular season) Thursday-Saturday NFL package being considered by the NFL, and OLN is one of the networks interested in it. TNT was interested in it, but recently dropped out. If OLN were to pick up this NFL deal, that would give the network some major respect.
 

Stevedude530

Registered User
Dec 21, 2005
1,941
1
Apparently, there's a new MLB package available because Fox is giving up the division series, so a new package may be available for OLN to take.

Also, the NLL (Lacrosse) was supposed to be picked up but it doesn't seem to be happening.
 

grego

Registered User
Jan 12, 2005
2,390
97
Saskatchewan
As long as they don't take the Bull Riding of OLN in Canada I don't care what they do.

We don't get the NHL on OLN Canada, and with our sports networks and CBC we don't need it here.

Would be a shame to see OLN US lose a great sport like Bull Riding though for a bunch of larger sports, as it is great to watch even if it isn't as popular as other things
 

Spydey629

Registered User
Jan 28, 2005
933
385
Carlisle, PA
grego said:
As long as they don't take the Bull Riding of OLN in Canada I don't care what they do.

We don't get the NHL on OLN Canada, and with our sports networks and CBC we don't need it here.

Would be a shame to see OLN US lose a great sport like Bull Riding though for a bunch of larger sports, as it is great to watch even if it isn't as popular as other things

You're kidding me, right?? Bullriding has to rank somewhere far. far below poker, NASCAR and darts in the "how do people watch this stuff" category...

All seriousness aside, the NHL needs a TV contract similar to the NBA (in terms of team coverage, dollars is a bit of a dream for now.)

Every team should be shown twice a year (home and away) on cable, and there would be a limit to how many times a team can be on National TV.

In a pefect world, here is my US NHL TV deal:

ESPN Sunday Night Hockey - All season long (on ESPN or ESPN2) 8pm, national game of the week

NHL on OLN - 2 nights a week, one national game on Tuesdays, and a double header on Wednesday or Thursdays - give Monday nights back to the Rangers and Lightning.

NHL on NBC - Regional games, Satrday afternoons, starting in December running until the end of the season. Similar to Fox's coverage, with 3 or 4 games shown each week - double headers if/when ratings climb. -- I would love to see a National TV game on Thanksgiving night in the US, after all the football is over. The 8pm "Turkey on Ice" game.

All-Star Weekend: OLN or ESPN would televise All-Star Saturday. NBC would show the All-Star Game. All-Star weekend would be held the weekend between the NFL Conference Championships and
the Super Bowl.

Playoffs: OLN would have double headers every night, ESPN would pick up additional games as the schedule allows. Double headers on ESPN2 would be ideal, then EVERY playoff game would be televised. NBC would air Satuday afternoon double-headers for the first two rounds.

The Conference Finals would be exclusive to OLN and ESPN, with one having the rights to one series - OLN the West, ESPN the East, etc. NBC would show the "better draw" National on the Saturday of the series.

Stanley Cup: ALL SEVEN games of the Finals would be on NBC.

OLN would start their version on NHL 2night and it would run at least 6 nights a week. NHL Cool Shots (or whatever they want to call the magazine show) would run on NBC on Saturday mornings, 52 weeks a year.

Yes, I've thought about this for a LONG time.
 

Stevedude530

Registered User
Dec 21, 2005
1,941
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Not bad stuff.

I just think we should cut ties to ESPN alltogether.

TNT Sunday Night Hockey sounds better

OLN Tuesdays and Thursdays

NBC Saturday Afternoons once Notre Dame season ends

TNT gets the West Finals, OLN the East.

TNT and OLN alternate each year for the 1st 2 Stanley Cup Finals games. NBC takes 3-7.

As for NBC Saturday coverage, DH's are impossible unless it's like 1PM and 3:30 and you want to leave time for shootouts. I'd like to see NBC try a Saturday Night game between New York and Pittsburgh or Philadelphia-Detroit.
 

Spydey629

Registered User
Jan 28, 2005
933
385
Carlisle, PA
Thursdays on OLN will be decided by the NFL contract (assuming/praying they get it.)

I think TNT would be interesting. Would they have an interest?? Moreover, can Ernie Johnson do hockey hi-lites??
 

Jim Boeheim

Registered User
Sep 20, 2005
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Rochester
Play By Play
#1 Mike Emrick
#2 Bob Miller (LA Kings Announcers, the voice of the "Mighty Ducks" movies)
#3 Joe Beninati
#4 Sam Rosen
#5 Chris Cuthbert

Color
#1 John Davidson
#2 Neil Smith
#3 Brian Engblom
#4 Darren Pang (I was looking through people, and I finally just said dammit I'll go with Panger)
#5 Denis Potvin

FOr the most part, I agree with your rankings.
However, let's not forget that these guys are teams.
For example, Rosen and Davidson are then Ranger's broadcast team.
They work so well together that I wouldn't dare split them up but for a few games a year. The fact that JD can work/mesh with anyone is why he is so good, .
 

Stevedude530

Registered User
Dec 21, 2005
1,941
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I still think Game of the Week status is deserved by Doc and JD.

Teams:
#1 Doc Emrick/John Davidson/Reporting:Bob Harwood (Game of the Week)
#2 Joe Beninati/Neil Smith/Reporting: Billy Jaffe (When Doc and JD can't make it)
#3 Bob Miller/Darren Pang/Reporting: Rachel Nichols (West Coast Games, a la Jim Hughsson on HNIC)
#4 Sam Rosen/Brian Engblom/Reporting: Al Morganti (Again, a substitute team)
#5 Chris Cuthbert/Andy Brickley/Reporting: Jack Edwards (If all else fails)

Studio:
Host - John Buccigross, Fill In - Bob Harwood
Analysts - Pierre McGuire, Bob Mackenzie, Keith Jones, PJ Stock, Bill Clement, Ray Feraro, Denis Potvin

Use the same guys for both OLN and TNT

Just to say, I like Beninati a lot. He's been a workhorse for OLN, and catchphrases aside, he's exciting.
 

Spydey629

Registered User
Jan 28, 2005
933
385
Carlisle, PA
Stevedude530 said:
Not bad stuff.

I just think we should cut ties to ESPN alltogether.

TNT Sunday Night Hockey sounds better

OLN Tuesdays and Thursdays

NBC Saturday Afternoons once Notre Dame season ends

TNT gets the West Finals, OLN the East.

TNT and OLN alternate each year for the 1st 2 Stanley Cup Finals games. NBC takes 3-7.

As for NBC Saturday coverage, DH's are impossible unless it's like 1PM and 3:30 and you want to leave time for shootouts. I'd like to see NBC try a Saturday Night game between New York and Pittsburgh or Philadelphia-Detroit.

Copy cat!! :) Again, as much as I hate the NBA, just look at how Christmas Day, and their regular Sunday games... 12pm - Studio Show, 12:30pm Game 1, 3:30 pm Game 2. Back to the stduio show in-between games. The NHL on NBC could work the same way... if they let it.
 

Dave is a killer

Dave's a Mess
Oct 17, 2002
26,507
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Cumming GA
Stevedude530 said:
Not bad stuff.

I just think we should cut ties to ESPN alltogether.

TNT Sunday Night Hockey sounds better

OLN Tuesdays and Thursdays

NBC Saturday Afternoons once Notre Dame season ends

TNT gets the West Finals, OLN the East.

TNT and OLN alternate each year for the 1st 2 Stanley Cup Finals games. NBC takes 3-7.

As for NBC Saturday coverage, DH's are impossible unless it's like 1PM and 3:30 and you want to leave time for shootouts. I'd like to see NBC try a Saturday Night game between New York and Pittsburgh or Philadelphia-Detroit.

For some reason, I've never liked Hockey on Sunday ... Sunday is a Pro-Football day to me, until the Super Bowl is over, then you could start playing games on Sunday, otherwise forgettaboutit ... Hockey = Saturday NIGHT :yo: ... I like your idea about splitting the Conferences Finals onto two seperate networks
 

BobbyClarkeFan16

Registered User
Nov 29, 2005
10,777
3,877
Goderich, Ontario
If ran OLN, I'd like to see what kind of deal it would take to get the production staff of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC to jump. I'd also see what it would take to get Bob Mackenzie from TSN to jump. From there, I'd see about colour guys like Jim Hughson, Chris Cuthbert, and then someone like Kelly Hrudey. As for John Davidson, I'd bounce him to the curb like yesterday's trash.
 

Stevedude530

Registered User
Dec 21, 2005
1,941
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Good point about the Sunday thing, but TNT has NBA Thursdays, so the NHL needs a night, and Friday's a ratings dead zone. Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday/Sunday I think'd work.

REMEMBER

The NHL is going to taylor-make it's schedule for OLN next year. There will only be one Monday game in the US every week, and that'll be the OLN game. There will be a more limited package of games on Tuesday. And with MNF off ABC, there'll likely be a bigger piece of the ratings pie.

As for Canadian announcers, Americans want to hear Americans, at least for play-by-play. Cuthbert will be doing NBC this year, so if u want ur Cuthbert, u can hear him 6 times on NBC.
 

SlapnutsV1

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Nov 28, 2005
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Denver, CO
Stevedude530 said:
The NHL is going to taylor-make it's schedule for OLN next year.

Out of curiosity, does this mean we can expect to see 10-12 games on other nights as opposed to just three or four?
 

AdmiralPred

Registered User
Jun 9, 2005
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Stevedude530 said:
REMEMBER

The NHL is going to taylor-make it's schedule for OLN next year. There will only be one Monday game in the US every week, and that'll be the OLN game. There will be a more limited package of games on Tuesday. And with MNF off ABC, there'll likely be a bigger piece of the ratings pie...
ESPN gets MNF beginning next year, and even though the schedule may not seem as enticing and ensuing ratings may not reach the ABC levels, I still don't think this will help OLN much.

I like a Tuesday/Thursday set with Saturday double headers. This is a line-up I don't see hapening if games are still broadcast on OLN exclusively.
 

Stevedude530

Registered User
Dec 21, 2005
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I think it will help because hockey fans will have a singular source to catch the game instead of just they're local team being on, therefore being able to skip OLN.

And remember, OLN is going to make another name change before next year, so I'm sure that'll get some promotion.
 

AdmiralPred

Registered User
Jun 9, 2005
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Stevedude530 said:
I think it will help because hockey fans will have a singular source to catch the game instead of just they're local team being on, therefore being able to skip OLN....
The only game on Monday will be the OLN game? Will Monday Night Hockey on OLN be broadcast in Canada also?
 
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