Super Bowl hype tires even the best of fans
Musings From Eric:I received an email from an alert reader who appears to be a great fan of The Steelers, but says the coverage, "is over the top." He goes on, "Although it may alienate fans of certain regular shows, the stations hope to get a higher rating with the Steelers coverage given the percentage of those who claim Allegiance to the Steelers Nation." He goes on to say that when the Steelers make playoff runs, he cuts out the hype and waits for the game. Anything you need to know about a game that has any significance (other than injury reports) is made known within two or three days of knowing what teams will be playing. FWIW, we tend to agree with this alert reader. Enough is enough already! Then again, you have to think of the sales department. Especially with the current economic situation, stations may not care who they are disenchanting by creating new, temporary programming if they are making money with more ad dollars given the potential for excellent ratings. Ratings = better ad rates. (Oh and speaking of the economy, we hear that when the Steelers win big, you can almost expect good things on Wall Street.)
Now, what to watch if you're not watching the Super Bowl. "What? Someone in Pittsburgh isn't going to be watching tomorrow's Super Bowl?" I hear you cry. Believe me, it's possible and someone has to make sure the other stations don't slip into oblivion for three hours.
Readers’ Forum
Just a few comments on the subject: For years, I have been wondering who made Sally Wiggin the Steelers expert?
Why is it necessary to send 5 or 6 locals down, not sports reporters, but anchors like Darieth Chisholm? What do they add?
Why is it necessary to start coverage at 7 in the morning on Super Bowl Sunday, when for two weeks, all that could be said has been said.
Why is it necessary to talk to fan after fan, only to hear them scream “Let’s Go Steelers” into the camera. Some of them really need to get a life.
Do they know that once the game is over, the millionaire players will depart to their custom homes and could care less about them and their support?
All this said, I do want the Steelers to win, but I have a gut feeling for Arizona.
Mike Smalley - February 01, 2009 at 09:41 am