Kings Broadcast Team Rated 10th (Surprise! Surprise!)

[psych3man]

10. Los Angeles Kings

The broadcast: Fox Sports West carries Kings games, with Alex Faust on play-by-play and Jim Fox doing colour.

The results: The Kings’ broadcast is the third of three in a row which is seen as average outside the local market while being well-regarded within it. One interesting quirk: those outside the market who like the broadcast tend to like it a lot.
“Sometimes I watch the Kings because I think I might learn something,” said a respondent from the Dallas market. “Fox and Faust know the rulebook the best of any announcers I have watched.”
“There’s no replacing Bob Miller, but I think Alex Faust has done a great job stepping into the role and Jim Fox is the voice of Hockey in Southern California,” added a voter from Anaheim. “Fantastic team. Love watching their broadcasts even if they are the Freeway Series rival team.”
Faust tends to be favoured outside the market, a remarkable achievement for a play-by-play man just three years into the gig and especially so given that he came in on the heels of Miller’s 44-year run. He also earned some unique praise in the summer of 2018, when “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek floated Faust as his preferred successor.
If our respondents are anything to go by, Faust is respected locally but the long-serving Fox is adored.
“Jim Fox does a great job of trying to educate people without being condescending or being repetitive,” said one. “While he draws on his own experience as a player, he is also very receptive to new ideas, such as Corsi and different ways of analyzing players’ performances.”
The bottom line: The combination of a bright young talent on play-by-play and an insightful veteran on colour gives the Kings a top-10 regional broadcast.

The 2020 NHL broadcast rankings: The best and worst markets...

Click to read more...

 

[kingsholygrail]

Used to feeling like #1, so any drop feels bad, but overall I do think the Kings broadcast teams is one of the better ones around the league. I think we underappreciate Fox's willingness to break the game down and assume there are viewers that don't know hockey well and need those explanations.

 

[kingsboy11]

I'm definetely one who does enjoy the broadcast unlike a lot of people here. I think Faust has a good voice and calls a good game and I do learn a lot from Fox about certain nuances in the game. That being said I think a lot of the downfalls of the broadcast lies mostly at the sometimes awkward moments between Faust and Fox and I think the producing the broadcast. Whenever they are both working for NBCSN, the broadcast is fantastic so that tells me its for about Fox Sports West than it is the broadcasters themselves.

 

[psych3man]

If any of you subscribe to the Athletic and have an hour to kill, check out the reader commentaries at the bottom of the Announcer Ratings article...some are coffee-spitting hilarious!

 

[Maynard]

They’re obviously skilled broadcasters and announcers but to me, their cornball banter seems awkward and stilted. Someone here (can’t remember who) described it as Ned Flanders-esque which is dead on. Whenever Fox gets excited he goes into puppy mode and can’t contain himself. Reminds me of the ducks guys so I always mute it when Fox goes hyperactive.
I agree that they are both outstanding on national broadcasts though.

 

[ricardfromage]

Fox is truly awful at the job. Just fingernails on a chalkboard for me. Funny thing is I knew him a little back in his playing days and he is just a great guy. I mean one of the nicest hockey people you could want to meet but as a broadcaster........yikes!

That said Nick Nickson is imo the very best at his job. I rank him with the GOAT Bob Miller imo.

 

[bland]

Fox is truly awful at the job. Just fingernails on a chalkboard for me. Funny thing is I knew him a little back in his playing days and he is just a great guy. I mean one of the nicest hockey people you could want to meet but as a broadcaster........yikes!

That said Nick Nickson is imo the very best at his job. I rank him with the GOAT Bob Miller imo.

Fox is an outstanding human being and the greatest ambassador for Kings hockey we will likely ever see. He will have lengthy, extended candid conversations with fans where he quite often contradicts things he says on air.

He is not the same broadcaster he was prior to 2012 though. He was always slanted of course, but fairly objective. Since the Cups he tended to be a company man who comments more towards Kings fans feelings as a "family" more so than calling the game in front of him.

Faust is a disaster. He has no ability to match the tone of his calls to that of the game, even to the point where you can hear him recognize that during the middle of a sentence and change his inflection so the beginning and ending sound like they have different punctuations.

 

[ricardfromage]

Fox is an outstanding human being and the greatest ambassador for Kings hockey we will likely ever see. He will have lengthy, extended candid conversations with fans where he quite often contradicts things he says on air.

He is not the same broadcaster he was prior to 2012 though. He was always slanted of course, but fairly objective. Since the Cups he tended to be a company man who comments more towards Kings fans feelings as a "family" more so than calling the game in front of him.

Faust is a disaster. He has no ability to match the tone of his calls to that of the game, even to the point where you can hear him recognize that during the middle of a sentence and change his inflection so the beginning and sound like they have different punctuations.

Agree on Foxy. I listen on the interwebs due to my distain for JFox's game calling and I get radio team so I don't get much Faust time admittedly.

 

[TwzKing]

I dont mind Faust, I think he will get better with age. However Fox seemed to have fallen off the deep end a few years back. I've listened to 18+ seasons and I cant stand him now. Which is sad really.

 

[Telos]

It's just not the same without Bob. Fox is there because of his dynamic with Bob, which was great, but with Faust they are like oil and water. I have a feeling that Faust may move on if offered something like Jeopardy if Trebeck steps down or passes away. Part of me wants to see Fox move on or become a Kings ambassador or something, but the other half wants to let him ride it out as long as he wants because of his service. It's a tough call.

 

[KINGS17]

It's a shame Bob Miller is unable to do the games these days. I would pay good money to have Esa Pirnes come out of retirement, play for the Kings, and hear Bob do the play-by-play. I ribbed Bob once about it, and he just smiled and said, "Even the best make mistakes."

 

[tny760]

It's just not the same without Bob. Fox is there because of his dynamic with Bob, which was great, but with Faust they are like oil and water. I have a feeling that Faust may move on if offered something like Jeopardy if Trebeck steps down or passes away. Part of me wants to see Fox move on or become a Kings ambassador or something, but the other half wants to let him ride it out as long as he wants because of his service. It's a tough call.

faust definitely seems on the fast track for a national job of some kind, he's just bland enough to fit anywhere. he calls a good game when he actually calls the game..

i'm done with foxy though, he's been pathetic since bob left and faust won't keep him in check. enough's enough.

 

[kilowatt]

Perhaps most surprising is that four teams ranked lower than Anaheim.

 

[King'sPawn]

Perhaps most surprising is that four teams ranked lower than Anaheim.

My immediate thought was "some of the worst I've seen and heard of were Boston and Colorado"

 

[BringTheReign]

I've liked Faust since he started, but for a while it did seem like he was trying a bit too hard sometimes. I was lucky enough to share a beer and a slice of pizza with him at the fan meet-up before the Stadium Series game this year, and it's clear that he cares so much. He's a great guy, and he gave anyone who wanted to talk to him his full attention for as long as they'll talk, just as Bob does, pretty cool of him with how busy he has to be.

As for Jim, I love him too, but agree that he and Alex doesn't always mesh. Sometimes it seems like Jim wishes he had moved on from the role either after the 2nd Cup win, or when Bob retired.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I think the Kings' broadcasts as a whole took a turn for the worse not because of Alex Faust, but since Bob retired, the broadcasts seem to push more and more silly gimmicks/promotions as if they're trying to be hip and utilize more social media interaction. I can't stand that. The intermissions aren't so much to focus on the team but to read tweets and stupid memes.

As others have said, Faust and Fox seem to focus more on the game when they're doing a national broadcast, probably because they don't have some stupid network or organizational mandate to distract the fans on a nationally televised game.

 

[King'sPawn]

I think the Kings' broadcasts as a whole took a turn for the worse not because of Alex Faust, but since Bob retired, the broadcasts seem to push more and more silly gimmicks/promotions as if they're trying to be hip and utilize more social media interaction. I can't stand that. The intermissions aren't so much to focus on the team but to read tweets and stupid memes.

As others have said, Faust and Fox seem to focus more on the game when they're doing a national broadcast, probably because they don't have some stupid network or organizational mandate to distract the fans on a nationally televised game.

I also think that, in part, Fox and Faust know the relationship they will be building together in their broadcast is much more frequent and so they are trying to build chemistry. Fox had Miller's experience to lead off of, and now Fox is the one having to lead to get that chemistry (not to mention, as you say Ziggy, there could be corporate influences and gimmicks going into the broadcast).

I think we see their individual skills and objectivity when separated, and I enjoy the broadcast for the most part.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Speaking of broadcasts, I miss this man.

 

[Stimpythecat]

So glad he got to see the kings win not one but two cups before he retired.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Fox is an outstanding human being and the greatest ambassador for Kings hockey we will likely ever see. He will have lengthy, extended candid conversations with fans where he quite often contradicts things he says on air.

He is not the same broadcaster he was prior to 2012 though. He was always slanted of course, but fairly objective. Since the Cups he tended to be a company man who comments more towards Kings fans feelings as a "family" more so than calling the game in front of him.

Faust is a disaster. He has no ability to match the tone of his calls to that of the game, even to the point where you can hear him recognize that during the middle of a sentence and change his inflection so the beginning and ending sound like they have different punctuations.

As was said earlier, Faust is probably trying too hard. Not just having to replace Miller, but the team itself has been irrelevant. If it was one or the other, it would be an easier transition. Still trying to find his voice.

But yeah, Fox. I've thought he's been trying to protect the fans post-Cups, essentially the same idea you have. He hasn't quite been able to let go too. He wants those days back as much as anyone. Once the team gets better again, I could see him changing how he's been doing it, but until then, I'm guessing he'll keep with the attempts to reassure everyone. Don't worry fans, it'll get better. Please, don't leave. Please.

I think the Kings' broadcasts as a whole took a turn for the worse not because of Alex Faust, but since Bob retired, the broadcasts seem to push more and more silly gimmicks/promotions as if they're trying to be hip and utilize more social media interaction. I can't stand that. The intermissions aren't so much to focus on the team but to read tweets and stupid memes.

As others have said, Faust and Fox seem to focus more on the game when they're doing a national broadcast, probably because they don't have some stupid network or organizational mandate to distract the fans on a nationally televised game.

It would be one thing if they were either better at it, or so bad that they're in on the joke, but it seems like they're legit trying, so it's more cringey than anything. To use some hip internet lingo. Family friendly fluff. The Kings aren't even any good at the pre-game ceremonies, and haven't been forever. Try to make everything a big LA production, and it's too much.

I doubt too many would care about all this extra stuff, if the team was good. We would not care about the dog calendars if they were getting to the 3rd round. I'm thinking we wouldn't even notice. Since they're the 30th best team though, all the dogs are irritating. As they say, winning cures all.

 

[Keith Sweaty]

While Fox is seemingly a good human, he is insufferable... more so since Bob retired.

 

[Basilisk]

FIRE FAUST!!!


Jim Fox needs an adult in the broadcast booth to keep him in check.

 

[The Tikkanen]

My complaint lies with the broadcast as a whole. It seems very Disney-esque now, very child like, no real information is provided and the people they've hired people don't have a background in hockey. Other teams have former players giving insight into the game, we have a blogger and a woman who asks the worst questions I've heard, Can somebody step up and write some questions for her so we can get some real information?

 

[tbrown33]

My complaint lies with the broadcast as a whole. It seems very Disney-esque now, very child like, no real information is provided and the people they've hired people don't have a background in hockey. Other teams have former players giving insight into the game, we have a blogger and a woman who asks the worst questions I've heard, Can somebody step up and write some questions for her so we can get some real information?

you had me up until “blogger and a woman,” which isn’t relevant at all. The Dodgers have Alanna Rizzo (a woman) and she is fantastic. Doesn’t take a MAN to understand sports journalism. Even if her questions were “good” the one one one interview format - ESPECIALLY with hockey players, the blandest pro athletes on the planet - would not reveal much of anything other than 1. “we gotta get pucks deep” and 2. “hopefully we can turn things around here.”

To your larger point, yes, it’s the production that’s bad moreso than the on air talent imo. It’s stale, unimaginative, corny, and chock full of promos. The extremely dated music hasnt been changed in like 3 decades (i assume it must be royalty free garbage). Wouldnt be too hard for Fox Sports affiliates (not sure if it’s just ours or not) to look at how Canadian production teams do it - their broadcasts tend to be the best simply from a production standpoint.

 

[tny760]

he said "a blogger and a woman who asks the worst questions" not just "a woman" so let's get right off that