DCP Official ESPN2 DCI Broadcast Reaction Thread

[Studio Tan]

I'm an evacuee of New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina, and the people that my family are staying with kindly let me watch the DCI telecast. They all watched it with me. Here are some of their comments:

"these bands (I tried to tell them, but they wouldn't listen) are good, why don't they show more of them?"

"there is too much hype involved with this show"

"I don't care about the behind-the-scenes stuff"

"...what's with the door?"

I'm not a tv producer, but I am a person (beleive it or not) so I think that qualifies me a little bit to know what people want to watch...no one wants to be convinced that they should like something. Just show it and let them decide if they like it. Last night's telecast made the people I'm staying with feel patronized I think.

I am not a huge fan of the Devils (although they're my homies), and I've been hearing all season how bad they are, but they were the favorite of this non-drumcorps crowd. Phantom was a close 2nd and no one liked the Cadets, although even non-musicians could tell that "their drummers are good."

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

First off, sorry about New Orleans. I hope y'all can land on your feet soon. I've sent some money to the Red Cross, for whatever it's worth.

Anyway, more of these anecdotes about casual fans not diggin' the fluff is music to my ears. I just want to compile them all and mail them to Addison. They're doing a great disservice to potential fans by withholding the activity you want them to see. People aren't stupid. It's not as if they'll blow off a good DCI show unless you explain what a mellophone sounds like...if it's good, they'll like it. What your comments reflect is that people will dig a good recognizable and well-played show like Phantom, and it's the stuff like the Cadets show that makes it necessary to do all this preliminary explanation and backstory (though theirs was so random, they just copped out and said let art be art. hah) that nobody wants to sift through.

[kevingamin]

Jeff comments on the ESPN2 broadcast on the Cavaliers website.....

Cavaliers Message Board

I guess you can take that as the Cavaliers and DCI's Board viewpoint on the issue!!    B)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

From Jeff's post on the Cavies website:

Bascially, Public Television told us a few years ago that their affiliates would have a lot less interest in running the DCI show if it were to stay as full length shows (they stated in no uncertain terms that the full shows were boring on television)....they wanted more smaller interesting clips to help viewers understand the whole activity and just small segments of corps performing..."snippets" I believe was the word they used.....

ESPN2 basically gave us the same information when we presented the project to them last winter.......

We (DCI) consulted Bill Kurtis - a national media consultant and A&E and Cable Television producer of Chicago fame - a few years ago with the longer broadcast, and he basically asked:

"....and people watch this the whole time? You're kidding, right?"

Get the picture? So, what Broadcast Producer Tom Blair (Cavalier alum) has done is make it more accessible to the masses, as well as to the decision-makers (PBS, ESPN, etc...) who decide what gets on the tube.

C'mon, if PBS, ESPN, AND BILL KURTIS says full-length shows are boring to watch, who are we to argue? :P

[Studio Tan]

:sshh: edit_GD

Edited September 7, 2005 by George

[LancerFi]

I haven't read all 49 pages but just in the last year or 2 there must have been 10 to 20 threads saying too bad DCI couldn't get on ESPN. PBS was unacceptable and didn't reach enough people.

If there are any complaints I certainly understand wanting what you want. But my goshhhhh, let's face it, there are some people that just have no gratitude, nothing will ever be enough or exaclty as everyone wants it.

I guess it wasn't enough for the people who have been here a year or 3 that have hashed and re-hashed this issue, it just seems like some have no gratitude. Actually gratitude is not exactly the word I'm looking for, but you know what I mean.

But like I said, I didn't read all pages. Hopefully there are more people that were just happy that it aired on ESPN2 nationwide.

[mellomallets]

:sshh: edit_GD

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

After watching the broadcast, I was let down by what I felt as a final thought.

The idea of recruiting band kids to our activity is great, and I liked the commentary stuff to an extent.

However, in trying to gain new fans on our product that never have seen us before,I felt we were way short.

The PBS broadcasts of old, where they showed complete shows, hooked the average new person big time. Not snippets of shows that went nowhere. Just as a show is designed with hi's and lows so to speak to keep it in simple terms...the viewer was pulled into the performance, and was wowed by the precision of what we do.

Not saying to show all the shows, because that gets long for the newcomer.

But show say the top 3 complete shows. Let all the interviews and such lead to those complete performances.

My boss, who watched the telecast on my urging, still doesn't "get it". I wanted to show him what I do all summer when I'm not working for him. He was completely bored with it. I showed him the DVD of last year(Cavaliers), and he said, why didn't they show that last night. Thats really cool.He was amazed at the complexity and level of performance.

I have been in corps for 40 years, and will do it till I die. But I was bored with the show last night. If i didn't already know what it is about...I wouldn't have gotten hooked off of last nights show. The production was good...it just went nowhere.

Just as in designing a corps show, where did it lead to the climax.

Now......I'm so psyched that it was on ESPN2, and hopefully will become a regular on there. Like cheerleading and such.

And with the movie out called DRUMLINE... How hard would it be to title it DRUMCORPS in the advertising of the spot.

Anyway......Love this stuff we call corps!!!!!

Peace everyone.

John Hoekstra

[TheBattman]

I guess what network t.v. is trying to say is that the American public has the attention span of a crack addict with A.D.D.      I wonder where we got that?!?!?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We got "that" from the same-said media.

My students came this AM and all but one of them who watch the broadcast (about 80 % of the band - even though it was on until 11PM) griped that they didn't show ANY full performances.

How many band kids (I know - band is a bad word....) are there in the US who WOULD "still" watch the whole thing if they at least showed the whole show of the top 3 or 4? Probably most of them. How many people in the television audience would turn it off if they showed those top few performance? Probably very few, if any.

Some people in the broadcast industry just have no clue. And the use of the same argument by PBS REALLY doesn't make sense. Anyone every spent any time on PBS? Geeze - a lot of that would make even the longest attention-spanned person snooze.

[2CoolVK]

We got full shows on PBS because they were willing to offer the airtime to DCI. When we fans stopped supporting the show with pledge money, the PBS thing withered away.

You want full shows...you had them on PBS and for some reason didn't think your pledge would matter. Well, apparently it did.

They will NEVER show full shows on any other network. You never see 15 mins go by without a commercial break. (few mins to intro, 11 mins for a show, and a few coming out). Just not going to happen on regular TV.

[PhantomFanT10]

I got the feedback from the band at school today (yes...marching band) and there were a few different opinions.

Some tuned in, watched a show or two and then flipped away because of the added boring stuff.

Some liked the commentary (esp. the breathing/athletics part) because it downplays the "marching band" stereotype big time.

My director was at least happy that they made the art not look cheesey or horrible.

Some, like myself, were glued to the TV just being happy to see some corps and not having to spend an arm and a leg (which will be needed for college/corps dues) to see finals.

[2CoolVK]

Two key thoughst to ponder.....

1. Last night, more people had the opportunity to watch drum corps on TV at one time than any other time in history.

2. Today, EVERYONE is talking about drum corps. Like the show or not, today the world is discussing drum corps. There are alot of conversations going on in band rooms across the country right now. Good, bad or indifferent - the're talking about what they saw.

It's all a piece of the puzzle.

[PR_ducky]

I haven't read all 49 pages but just in the last year or 2 there must have been 10 to 20 threads saying too bad DCI couldn't get on ESPN.  PBS was unacceptable and didn't reach enough people. 

If there are any complaints I certainly understand wanting what you want.  But my goshhhhh, let's face it, there are some people that just have no gratitude, nothing will ever be enough or exaclty as everyone wants it.

I guess it wasn't enough for the people who have been here a year or 3 that have hashed and re-hashed this issue, it just seems like some have no gratitude.  Actually gratitude is not exactly the word I'm looking for, but you know what I mean. 

But like I said, I didn't read all pages.  Hopefully there are more people that were just happy that it aired on ESPN2 nationwide.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is going to sound harsh, but I really think I would have rather not seen it at all vs. watching what was aired. At the end I really felt like I had more or less wasted 2 hours.