MikeD Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I don't think thy could do it back then (except for the "Nielsen families"), but modern cable technology supposedly keeps track of how many sets are watching any given program at any time. I wonder what the numbers looked like for the ESPN2 broadcast. Obviously the fan base tuned in, but how many surfers stopped and how long did they watch? Even if DCI does not know I bet ESPN does. The ratings were actually published, at least after the first year. They were someplace on DCP. I think they were actually decent for ESPN2, numbers-wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puppet Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Actually, how did DCI make ANYmoney from the broadcast? While I agree that probably all those things had some bearing on the issue...IMO from reading over the years it was the lack of pledge fulfillments that killed it off. That is one thing I do not follow. Why should they donate time like that? They still have costs to cover, and unless the show gets underwriting support I don't see how that would ever happen. Drum corps as a show appeals to a a tiny fragment of their overall audience. In answer to your first question - my naivete - I thought DCI didn't do anything unless they got a cut. Obviously a terrible suburban myth. To your second, I offer this: as a long time member or both the Public Radio and Public Television Stations where I have lived for just under a half century - yes, even as a kid - I am sure they spread the contributions throughout the entire programming package. They would probably get so much money from shows like "Nova" or "Monty Python's Flying Circus" that there would be enough left over to take care of lesser watched shows. Especially considering that both those shows had huge underwriters. Apparently more of my naive DNA on the loose. I'd rather have no drum corps on TV at all than have to get "nourishment" from the hack job ESPN2 demanded from DCI on those broadcasts.Well what do you know? I got my wish. Guess that makes me the problem. Don't let it make you all happy - Drum Corps on television should only be used as a teaching tool anyway. That's how we used it BITD. Any video of the late sixties and early seventies is B&W, muddy, out of focus and the sound sucks. Even the truncated PBS shows don't look all that good from a real production stand point. The edits and inter-cuts supposedly "on the fly," look more like what you might see from a high school football game telecast (sorry- this is the professional me talking now - not the naive guy) I think they tried to follow they early NFL films model with cameras all over the place high and low with long lens'. and those terrible "up close and personal" Olympic dancer shots which make 20 year old women look like they've been working the Vegas strip for 30 years. The sound still pretty much sucked, too. If anybody ever thinks about broadcasting a show again here's my suggestion: put a wide angle camera on the 8th row right on the 50 and "watch" the show like a fan would watch a show. Use the ambient mic to capture the crowd around the camera. The only thing of a modern technological nature I would add would be to mic the field for better fidelity. Hey - sometimes simple is better. Puppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommytimp Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Don't let it make you all happy - Drum Corps on television should only be used as a teaching tool anyway. That's how we used it BITD. Any video of the late sixties and early seventies is B&W, muddy, out of focus and the sound sucks. Even the truncated PBS shows don't look all that good from a real production stand point. The edits and inter-cuts supposedly "on the fly," look more like what you might see from a high school football game telecast (sorry- this is the professional me talking now - not the naive guy) I think they tried to follow they early NFL films model with cameras all over the place high and low with long lens'. and those terrible "up close and personal" Olympic dancer shots which make 20 year old women look like they've been working the Vegas strip for 30 years. The sound still pretty much sucked, too. If anybody ever thinks about broadcasting a show again here's my suggestion: put a wide angle camera on the 8th row right on the 50 and "watch" the show like a fan would watch a show. Use the ambient mic to capture the crowd around the camera. The only thing of a modern technological nature I would add would be to mic the field for better fidelity. Hey - sometimes simple is better. Puppet Respectfully disagree. No teaching involved at my house--DC on TV got me hooked, pure and simple. It made me want to buy the albums and see a show live. That's always been the goal. The ESPN shows (and 1983, yicch) were just an egregious example-purely a teaser for the CDs and DVDs designed to get bando parents to shell out for theri kids. And again, no disrespect, but everything on live TV looked like azz in the 70s-look at baseball sometime. Games looked like they were played in a quonset hut, with what would pass for beer-league physiques today. And if all I had to look at was the wide shot, I'd shoot a small animal. The reality "myth" in musicals is that an audience member will pick out one chorus kid and watch him or her through the whole show. Fans at drum corps shows are in the same boat- They want to watch the pit here, the snares there, the drill here, the guard there. One camera would, as the French say, suck a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puppet Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Respectfully disagree. No teaching involved at my house--DC on TV got me hooked, pure and simple. It made me want to buy the albums and see a show live. That's always been the goal. The ESPN shows (and 1983, yicch) were just an egregious example-purely a teaser for the CDs and DVDs designed to get bando parents to shell out for theri kids. And again, no disrespect, but everything on live TV looked like azz in the 70s-look at baseball sometime. Games looked like they were played in a quonset hut, with what would pass for beer-league physiques today. And if all I had to look at was the wide shot, I'd shoot a small animal. The reality "myth" in musicals is that an audience member will pick out one chorus kid and watch him or her through the whole show. Fans at drum corps shows are in the same boat- They want to watch the pit here, the snares there, the drill here, the guard there. One camera would, as the French say, suck a lot. And I did say (although I didn't elaborate) "watch" the show like a fan would watch a show. We may have two eyes but we only receive one picture in our head - I thought wide lens so there would be that peripheral thing going on like we see. And it was just a thought. And my intro was at a live show in 1964 at the NYC World's Fair. The Chicago Royal Airs, Saint Kevin's Emerald Knights, Chicago Cavaliers, Racine Kilties, Troopers, St. Joseph's of Batavia, St. Lucy's Cadets, Racine Scouts, Garfield Cadets The Magnificent Yankees and more. Who wouldn't have been hooked?! Puppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 In answer to your first question - my naivete - I thought DCI didn't do anything unless they got a cut. Obviously a terrible suburban myth. I don't think that they made $$$ on either the PBS or the ESPN broadcasts. For the ESPN show they had to foot the bill on the production and purchase the air time, as I recall. I don't know if the commercial time sold covered the whole thing...I doubt it, given that $$$ were part of the reason they stopped doing the show. To your second, I offer this: as a long time member or both the Public Radio and Public Television Stations where I have lived for just under a half century - yes, even as a kid - I am sure they spread the contributions throughout the entire programming package. They would probably get so much money from shows like "Nova" or "Monty Python's Flying Circus" that there would be enough left over to take care of lesser watched shows. Especially considering that both those shows had huge underwriters.Apparently more of my naive DNA on the loose. There still has to be some sort of measurable audience to make the show viable. Personally, I don't think that on a national basis a drum corps show will provide that. I much prefer the theater and web outlets that DCI is using today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustABill Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Does anyone remember that Gene Rayburn from Match Game hosted the telecast with his wife from 1976-1978? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Does anyone remember that Gene Rayburn from Match Game hosted the telecast with his wife from 1976-1978? Ya...I'm still trying to forget that fiasco !! Gene's wife coulding pronounce Etobicoke right for the Oakland Crusaders in 1976 !!! THe K in Etobicoke is silent...Etobicoe Oakland Crusaders !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Thunder Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 My favorite Helen Rayburn blooper from the DCI broadcasts, was from '76, when she introduced Phantom's musical repertoire as including the theme from "Rollerball" (Toccata & Fugue). She then added, "Raquel Welch (she pronounced it Walsh) would be proud!" People watching the clip today would probably be confused by that curious remark. Helen confused the film "Rollerball", which Raquel Welch WAS NOT in, with the film "Kansas City Bomber", which Raquel WAS in. Both films had roller skating as key elements of their plotlines. I don't think any corps played the theme from "Kansas City Bomber". By the way....Gene Rayburn subscribed to Drum Corps News and Drum Corps World in those days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 My favorite Helen Rayburn blooper from the DCI broadcasts, was from '76, when she introduced Phantom's musical repertoire as including the theme from "Rollerball" (Toccata & Fugue). She then added, "Raquel Welch (she pronounced it Walsh) would be proud!" People watching the clip today would probably be confused by that curious remark. Helen confused the film "Rollerball", which Raquel Welch WAS NOT in, with the film "Kansas City Bomber", which Raquel WAS in. Both films had roller skating as key elements of their plotlines.I don't think any corps played the theme from "Kansas City Bomber". By the way....Gene Rayburn subscribed to Drum Corps News and Drum Corps World in those days. Both movies were painful to watch, but for different reasons. (KCB was so bad it hurt to watch). Kinda remember Helen Rayburn in 1975 asking about when will "Taps" be played. I though it was for someone who passed away but later someone (not on the broadcast) thought she got confused by the use of "Retreat". Oh yeah 1975.... Didn't someone play the call to the bulls during the show? My fav was still Carmine Apice(sp)... he was so into the show (or something else ) that he would forget he was sopposed to talk. "Right Carmine.... Carmine?". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Thunder Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 . Oh yeah 1975.... Didn't someone play the call to the bulls during the show? The Call To The Bulls was a tribute to the Muchachos, who, of course, were disqualified at '75 DCI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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