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Did the media cross it?
Clare Forrester
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
LAST week I singled out TVJ for special commendation for ensuring that Jamaicans at home and abroad could gain access to live coverage of the World Championships in Daegu.
Based on the many comments I received from friends and relatives, who for one reason or another found themselves overseas, especially in the USA, where coverage of track and field events is seldom a priority, most were able to have benefited by the events being streamed live from the station's website. That must have been a welcome development for those concerned and enhanced the image of TVJ.
BOLT… few would argue against the claim that he has already become the greatest sprinter of all time
In a previous column, I gave some props, albeit conservative, to that station's in-house studio panel. It is also my view that the panel showed considerable improvement in quality as the championships progressed and was significantly strengthened by the inclusion of coach David Riley.
In addition, Yanique Levy, who made her debut in this role, increased in strength as the meet progressed, both in terms of her communication skills and in the quality of her comments in general. Given the apparent paucity of female TV commentators, I would recommend that her services be retained and nurtured over the coming months leading into the Olympics.
While, as previously stated, TVJ would, as expected, have commanded the lion's share of the audience, both daily newspapers -- the Observer and The Gleaner -- also held their own in terms of follow-up stories and the outstanding quality of photographs published. The Observer had an additional advantage based on the accreditation to the championships of photographer Bryan Cummings who has been covering track and field for many years.
Cummings typifies the modern photojournalist as reflected in some of the excellent photographs he submitted for publication. The reports published in both papers will, undoubtedly, be relied on well into the future as valuable reference material. Virtually every day the newspapers, both in terms of form and content, offered material well worth the expenditure.
Special mention needs to be made of the front page of both Sunday (September 4) papers, the final day of the meet. Front-page photographs in both achieved what is often referred to as the 'wow effect' for which newspapers constantly work. It is laudable that both papers accredited and extensively used the work of staff photographers Cummings of the Observer and Rickardo Markyn of The Gleaner.
For radio, special mention must be made of KLAS sports radio's programme on Merlene Ottey aired on the eve of the championships. I was fortunate enough to have caught this programme, partly because I was one of those interviewed on it, hence I was apprised of the broadcast schedule. Despite conceding that I had more than passing interest in this production, it remains my considered opinion that it was an exemplary piece of work worth listening to, especially by genuine fans and students of track and field athletics.
Regarding the championships itself, while everything did not go as well as many Jamaicans would have liked and some of us had predicted in terms of medal count, there can be no doubt that our athletes did exceptionally well in harnessing a respectable total of nine medals -- four gold, four silver and one bronze -- our third best haul at the World Championships, placing us in the fourth spot overall for 2011.
There were many outstanding performances; however, one cannot help but note that Usain Bolt all but cemented his amazing legacy in the sport by his magnificent performance in both events in which he finished. In a funny kind of way, he may also have done this by the global response to his disqualification. All of this supports a growing reality that he has in fact crossed the line from superstar to 'legend and icon'.
By way of evidence, The Gleaner's sub headline on Sunday (September 4) read: "'Operation Legend' back in full gear". This was in reference to the athlete's oft-repeated commitment to becoming a sports legend, somewhat like Muhammad Ali, Don Bradman, or Edson Arantes do Nascimento ('Pele').
While the celestial standards he has attained may provide him with motivation for continued dominance, few would argue against the claim that he has already become the greatest sprinter of all time. That reality was best underscored by his masterful anchoring of Jamaica's sprint relay quartet that broke the sole world record in Daegu.
According to one BBC online report "...it is Bolt's misfortune, as well as his greatest triumph, that he has turned the extraordinary into a routine occurrence, made the performance of a lifetime an annual event".
In another comment a BBC subscriber wrote: "It is very rare to see someone dominate the blue ribbon events like Bolt does. He is probably the biggest superstar on the planet right now, with Lionel Messi."
So massive is the image of Bolt today in international circles that there is some ominous speculation that he may be becoming, if he has not already done so, larger than the sport itself -- a scary thought.
That conclusion follows the renewed calls for a change to the controversial 'one-strike-you-are-out' false-start rule which led to his disqualification in the 100 metres finals and robbed millions of fans of witnessing the best possible competition in what is regarded as track and field's marquee event.
One BBC story about his disqualification read that "Bolt was 1/20 with bookmakers to win World 100m gold. It's not just that no one saw his disqualification a few hours later coming. It's that no one could even conceive of it."
Another comment by a reader highlights the IAAF's concern about the consequences of Bolt's disqualification in the 100 metres. "I certainly didn't get up at 4:30 am to watch Yohan Blake run a modest 9.92. Come Olympics next year I will be crushed if the guy who can run the 100m in 9.58s is DQ'ed because of a silly rule. And yes, I don't care if it seems like I am suggesting he gets special treatment. At the moment he is probably the main highlight of the world of track and field. The organisers know it, the fans know it, and so do the guys with the cameras jogging to the starting line to get a shot of the DQ'ed Bolt."
And in the UK Guardian: "Usain Bolt's emphatic victory in the 200m final at the World Athletics Championships showed that he is all but unbeatable."
By contrast, stories published in the US media where athletics continue to be low-key show some envy of this Jamaican natural resource that is Bolt. In response to a report published in USA Today, one reader somewhat facetiously queried: "Why is the USA Today a Jamaican newspaper?"
Another wrote: "I can't stand this guy, he keeps on breaking records, and those records belong to American runners. Those are our records and they belong here in the USA."
When challenged on this view by another reader who asked: "Do you feel the same when you read about Roger Federer and/or Rafael Nadal?" His lame response was: "The problem is that it is rare to see it (non-American superstars) on TV in the US."
US national champion sprinter Walter Dix may have been feeding off such perceptions and perhaps also began to believe his own words uttered following the 200 metres finals in which he placed second, a full half-second behind Bolt. By his assessment, he has been closing the gap between Bolt and himself in the 200 metres, hence next year he expects this to be reflected in head-to-head competition.
Dix appears to have had company in this type of thinking when Trinidad-born NBC commentator Ato Bolden audaciously suggested that "without Asafa Powell Jamaica's relay team looked vulnerable", while rating the chances of Trinidad and Tobago's (T&T's) own quartet.
It is unfortunate that our neighbouring T&T team was impeded in their valiant race for the finish line. However, congratulations to our other Caribbean team from St Kitts and Nevis that won the bronze medal and especially veteran sprinter Kim Collins for achieving the bronze medal in both the 100 metres as well as the 4x100 metres relay. Couldn't have happened to a nicer, more deserving athlete.
What has become clear is that for Jamaicans, the 2012 Olympics hold even higher expectations. It is gratifying that given their track record of achievement, our incomparable athletes have proven to be up to the challenge. One hopes that local fans will be even more equipped to follow the events in London, being even more intelligently aided by the media's support and guidance.
Interestingly, on Wednesday or Thursday evening last, viewers of TVJ's major newscast were asked to respond to the question: "Are you disappointed with our athletes' performance in Daegu?" Based on the report given at the end of the programme, 76 per cent voted 'Yes' and 24 'No'. I would hope that by Sunday night TVJ would have again posed that same question.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1XHBHUOgz
Clare Forrester
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
LAST week I singled out TVJ for special commendation for ensuring that Jamaicans at home and abroad could gain access to live coverage of the World Championships in Daegu.
Based on the many comments I received from friends and relatives, who for one reason or another found themselves overseas, especially in the USA, where coverage of track and field events is seldom a priority, most were able to have benefited by the events being streamed live from the station's website. That must have been a welcome development for those concerned and enhanced the image of TVJ.
BOLT… few would argue against the claim that he has already become the greatest sprinter of all time
In a previous column, I gave some props, albeit conservative, to that station's in-house studio panel. It is also my view that the panel showed considerable improvement in quality as the championships progressed and was significantly strengthened by the inclusion of coach David Riley.
In addition, Yanique Levy, who made her debut in this role, increased in strength as the meet progressed, both in terms of her communication skills and in the quality of her comments in general. Given the apparent paucity of female TV commentators, I would recommend that her services be retained and nurtured over the coming months leading into the Olympics.
While, as previously stated, TVJ would, as expected, have commanded the lion's share of the audience, both daily newspapers -- the Observer and The Gleaner -- also held their own in terms of follow-up stories and the outstanding quality of photographs published. The Observer had an additional advantage based on the accreditation to the championships of photographer Bryan Cummings who has been covering track and field for many years.
Cummings typifies the modern photojournalist as reflected in some of the excellent photographs he submitted for publication. The reports published in both papers will, undoubtedly, be relied on well into the future as valuable reference material. Virtually every day the newspapers, both in terms of form and content, offered material well worth the expenditure.
Special mention needs to be made of the front page of both Sunday (September 4) papers, the final day of the meet. Front-page photographs in both achieved what is often referred to as the 'wow effect' for which newspapers constantly work. It is laudable that both papers accredited and extensively used the work of staff photographers Cummings of the Observer and Rickardo Markyn of The Gleaner.
For radio, special mention must be made of KLAS sports radio's programme on Merlene Ottey aired on the eve of the championships. I was fortunate enough to have caught this programme, partly because I was one of those interviewed on it, hence I was apprised of the broadcast schedule. Despite conceding that I had more than passing interest in this production, it remains my considered opinion that it was an exemplary piece of work worth listening to, especially by genuine fans and students of track and field athletics.
Regarding the championships itself, while everything did not go as well as many Jamaicans would have liked and some of us had predicted in terms of medal count, there can be no doubt that our athletes did exceptionally well in harnessing a respectable total of nine medals -- four gold, four silver and one bronze -- our third best haul at the World Championships, placing us in the fourth spot overall for 2011.
There were many outstanding performances; however, one cannot help but note that Usain Bolt all but cemented his amazing legacy in the sport by his magnificent performance in both events in which he finished. In a funny kind of way, he may also have done this by the global response to his disqualification. All of this supports a growing reality that he has in fact crossed the line from superstar to 'legend and icon'.
By way of evidence, The Gleaner's sub headline on Sunday (September 4) read: "'Operation Legend' back in full gear". This was in reference to the athlete's oft-repeated commitment to becoming a sports legend, somewhat like Muhammad Ali, Don Bradman, or Edson Arantes do Nascimento ('Pele').
While the celestial standards he has attained may provide him with motivation for continued dominance, few would argue against the claim that he has already become the greatest sprinter of all time. That reality was best underscored by his masterful anchoring of Jamaica's sprint relay quartet that broke the sole world record in Daegu.
According to one BBC online report "...it is Bolt's misfortune, as well as his greatest triumph, that he has turned the extraordinary into a routine occurrence, made the performance of a lifetime an annual event".
In another comment a BBC subscriber wrote: "It is very rare to see someone dominate the blue ribbon events like Bolt does. He is probably the biggest superstar on the planet right now, with Lionel Messi."
So massive is the image of Bolt today in international circles that there is some ominous speculation that he may be becoming, if he has not already done so, larger than the sport itself -- a scary thought.
That conclusion follows the renewed calls for a change to the controversial 'one-strike-you-are-out' false-start rule which led to his disqualification in the 100 metres finals and robbed millions of fans of witnessing the best possible competition in what is regarded as track and field's marquee event.
One BBC story about his disqualification read that "Bolt was 1/20 with bookmakers to win World 100m gold. It's not just that no one saw his disqualification a few hours later coming. It's that no one could even conceive of it."
Another comment by a reader highlights the IAAF's concern about the consequences of Bolt's disqualification in the 100 metres. "I certainly didn't get up at 4:30 am to watch Yohan Blake run a modest 9.92. Come Olympics next year I will be crushed if the guy who can run the 100m in 9.58s is DQ'ed because of a silly rule. And yes, I don't care if it seems like I am suggesting he gets special treatment. At the moment he is probably the main highlight of the world of track and field. The organisers know it, the fans know it, and so do the guys with the cameras jogging to the starting line to get a shot of the DQ'ed Bolt."
And in the UK Guardian: "Usain Bolt's emphatic victory in the 200m final at the World Athletics Championships showed that he is all but unbeatable."
By contrast, stories published in the US media where athletics continue to be low-key show some envy of this Jamaican natural resource that is Bolt. In response to a report published in USA Today, one reader somewhat facetiously queried: "Why is the USA Today a Jamaican newspaper?"
Another wrote: "I can't stand this guy, he keeps on breaking records, and those records belong to American runners. Those are our records and they belong here in the USA."
When challenged on this view by another reader who asked: "Do you feel the same when you read about Roger Federer and/or Rafael Nadal?" His lame response was: "The problem is that it is rare to see it (non-American superstars) on TV in the US."
US national champion sprinter Walter Dix may have been feeding off such perceptions and perhaps also began to believe his own words uttered following the 200 metres finals in which he placed second, a full half-second behind Bolt. By his assessment, he has been closing the gap between Bolt and himself in the 200 metres, hence next year he expects this to be reflected in head-to-head competition.
Dix appears to have had company in this type of thinking when Trinidad-born NBC commentator Ato Bolden audaciously suggested that "without Asafa Powell Jamaica's relay team looked vulnerable", while rating the chances of Trinidad and Tobago's (T&T's) own quartet.
It is unfortunate that our neighbouring T&T team was impeded in their valiant race for the finish line. However, congratulations to our other Caribbean team from St Kitts and Nevis that won the bronze medal and especially veteran sprinter Kim Collins for achieving the bronze medal in both the 100 metres as well as the 4x100 metres relay. Couldn't have happened to a nicer, more deserving athlete.
What has become clear is that for Jamaicans, the 2012 Olympics hold even higher expectations. It is gratifying that given their track record of achievement, our incomparable athletes have proven to be up to the challenge. One hopes that local fans will be even more equipped to follow the events in London, being even more intelligently aided by the media's support and guidance.
Interestingly, on Wednesday or Thursday evening last, viewers of TVJ's major newscast were asked to respond to the question: "Are you disappointed with our athletes' performance in Daegu?" Based on the report given at the end of the programme, 76 per cent voted 'Yes' and 24 'No'. I would hope that by Sunday night TVJ would have again posed that same question.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1XHBHUOgz
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