Puzzling US Fox Sports coverage

[Boorish Grobian]

Fox Sports announced their broadcast times, and crew for the 24hrs, good lord did they screw the pooch on this one!  Most of the broadcast. including the opening four or so hours are on Fox Sports 2, which only about half the country gets (and even fewer in HD).  There's four hours of FS1 coverage...from 03:30 to 07:30 ET, they'll get alot of viewers for that time slot .  The broadcast team is a mix of really good to dreadful.  Varsha is a top pro, and Kendall & Till are terrific.  But Justin Bell rambles like he's had a few too many pints, and Fish makes me want to stick knitting needles in my ears.
We could count on a network who's motorsports bread & butter is NASCAR to make a shambles of this.
http://www.racer.com/wec-le-mans/item/117543-lm24-fox-announces-broadcast-times-and-team
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[Bonio]

I had my balls rapped for dare suggesting the ability of Justin Bell and that Fish bloke's commentary standards on another social media forum. Glad I am not the only one and you have my sympathies. Fortunately as I will be there I will mainly be listening to Mr Hindhaugh and co whilst supping copious amounts of beer and pigging my self out...  

[Boorish Grobian]

I'm jealous, have a great time Bonio. The rub in this is that for Silverstone, and Spa, we had the coverage live on Fox Sports 1 HD, with the regular WEC crew of and Hindy, Goodwin, and company. Now for the blue riband race we get half-assed FS2 coverage, with Tudor Series hacks. I smell NASCAR rat crap in this.
Bell, and Fish prove that just because your former driver, doesn't mean you will make good commentator.
I put Justin Bell in that category of "If Derek Bell wasn't my old man, I would have had to get a real job".
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I checked the FS1 TV schedule for next Sat. Morning? Combination of Women's WC football, and NASCAR...PRACTICE! From Michigan. I guessed right, NASCAR rat sh*t.

[Dave H]

Hey John:

Matt and I finally threw in the towel and decided to go back this year after a loooong break.  Meet Matt in Philly on Weds and fly to Paris together.  Head to Jumelles Thurs afternoon, and meet up with the group on Fri am at the track.  Wish you were coming back too. Seems like our last hook-up at Sebring was eons ago.

I've had pretty good experiences with US Le Mans tv coverage over the last few years, but I do think it's become steadily worse and this year appears to have got it all wrong.  Nothing like last year's morning volleyball instead of Sarthe coverage!

[jimclark]

As much as I want more/better coverage also, I have to repeat (at the risk of boring those that have seen me post the same many, many times before for all sorts of racing) that I remember all to well having to wait 2-3 months for R & T or C & D to provide a few paragraphs of coverage of major events. I discovered Aitoweek and Competeition Press in '68 thanks to a fellow slot car racing buddy who was a real race fan. So I am happy these days with any live coverage.

Before someone responds with not having the technology back then; let me inject that the bottom line for anything is still the incentive....$$$$$$$$. If some whiners really insist that coverage by xyz company should be better (entitlement?) I siuggest you get a head start on whatever event you want covered as such and sell the spots for the appropriate price to make it worth XYZs effort. I'm done once again.

[Boorish Grobian]

Hey Dave, great to hear from. Agreed, it's been far too long since we've gotten together. I do have Sebring week off work next year so the Mrs. And I will be onboard. Say hi to Matt, Rich, and all your family, and friends, it's been over a decade since my last LM trip with you guys, but the memories have stayed fresh. Have great time and knock back a few darkies for me.

Jim Clark, like you a remember the days of having to wait three weeks for my copy of Autosport to find out what actually happened at the Sarthe. However I'm holding the current Fox coverage up against the sort of standard ESPN, and Speed have provided us in the past, and frankly it's pretty poor. Sadly it may be indicative of just how far down the ladder sports car racing has slipped in the eyes of the programming folks at the big sports media outlets. And everyone knows who's calling the shots when it comes to motor sports programming at Fox, and that's coming from Daytona Beach.
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