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MEDIA WATCHDOG: MASN Listens to Whiners, Eliminates Split Booth

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Good news seems to be emanating out of the Warehouse of late. No, I’m not referring to the Ubaldo Jimenez and/or Nelson Cruz deals with the Orioles, instead I’m talking about a bit of information released this week regarding MASN’s broadcast (or should I say, “broadcasts”) of the Battle of the Beltways.

The combined both that brought together the play-by-play voices of the Orioles and Nationals is no more. That means that O’s fans no longer have to listen to F.P. Santangelo gush over Bryce Harper during an 0-for-4 day or hear Bob Carpenter belittle an umpire for making a perfectly reasonable call. Orioles fans get their own broadcast and Nationals fans can watch (if they enjoy torturing themselves) theirs.

Who would have thought that countless bitching on social media would actually lead to a positive change? Great work, fellow whiners.

Seriously though, the combined broadcast booth was absolutely brutal. I understand the thinking that it provides a unique perspective on the game to hear from the opposition, but it’s just not what the consumer wants. We live in an era where audiences want to hear opinions we agree with, not learn from someone else. Why do you think cable “news” is so popular? It’s certainly not because it gives viewers the most unbiased opinion out there. Quite the opposite actually.

Besides that, having the play-by-play men rotate three innings on, three off, three more on is just awkward. It ruins the flow of the game and often times some of those three-inning shifts would either roll by or drag on for what seemed like an eternity. In a sport without a clock, it just never panned out.

Have you ever noticed that Gary Thorne never took part in the Battle of the Beltways broadcasts? That’s no coincidence. He’s a guy with a lengthy broadcast resume, who’s called World Series games. I’m guessing Thorne wanted no part in this gimmicky sideshow that the local teams put together every year.

Rather than look back and belittle the horrible product we the consumers were forced to endure since 2007, we should instead congratulate MASN for making the change. Pete Kerzel of MASNSports.com writes the following:

But the combined booth is an idea that’s run its course, and with both teams possessing strong individual identities and playoff aspirations for 2014, the decision was made to give fans what they’ve been clamoring for – their individual team’s broadcast partners calling the action as they would for any other game.

Amen. It’s not often that you see a company do a complete 180 like this to appease their audience. I’m happy to see that the message was received and look forward to watching the O’s broadcast on July 7-8 in D.C. and July 9-10 in Baltimore.

Good riddance, combined booth. You won’t be missed.

One Response

  1. I wish they’d throw more of a variety of camera angles into their telecasts. Why does 99% of the shots have to be from the centerfield camera during an at-bat? It is wearisome and visually boring. Why not watch a complete at-bat from say behind the third base dugout or from the front row along the left field foul line in the upper deck = truly view the game on TV from a fan-in-the-ballpark perspective. I think it would be well received.

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One Response

  1. I wish they’d throw more of a variety of camera angles into their telecasts. Why does 99% of the shots have to be from the centerfield camera during an at-bat? It is wearisome and visually boring. Why not watch a complete at-bat from say behind the third base dugout or from the front row along the left field foul line in the upper deck = truly view the game on TV from a fan-in-the-ballpark perspective. I think it would be well received.

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