We're only through three days of CBS's Winter Olympics telecasts and there are more than 100 hours of coverage still to come over the next two weeks, and yet, we already have a clubhouse favorite for the worst broadcaster to hold a microphone in these Games.
That honor unquestionably goes to snowboarding analyst Jim Rippey, whose work during last night's men's giant slalom was so laughable that it made the contrived "Broadway meets basketball" hokum of the NBA All-Star Game over on NBC look like high drama.
Rippey, who according to his CBS biography is a rider and director of snowboarding movies, used dialogue right out of such epic films as "Hot Dog -- The Movie," and "Hamburger -- The Motion Picture," to provide analysis.
For instance, as American Chris Klug came down the course, Rippey offered these 11 immortal words to explain to the home audience how Klug was attacking Mount Yakebitai: "Yeah, he's chargin' it. Yeah, Chris, buddy, go for it. Wooo."
Rippey's parents must be so proud.
pTC Even if you grant the assumption that snowboarding, making its Olympic debut, is a sport for the younger crowd that might be hep to that kind of clever lingo, the older fogeys who make up a far larger contingent of the viewing audience deserved a better explanation of what was happening than Rippey apparently was capable of providing.
Snowboarding coverage is on the CBS docket for both tonight and Thursday, so be sure to gather the kids around the set for some of the funniest dialogue you're likely to hear this side of "South Park," but without the cursing.
THE GOOD: It's nice to hear Chris Schenkel, one of the great and underappreciated sportscasters in the business, do voiceovers for TNT. His classy narration on a feature on American luger Wendell Suckow helped make a fine piece even better.
THE BAD: At first, we thought TNT's Donna de Varona was just having a bad night yesterday, as she stumbled through some intros and looked generally out of it. But at the end of the telecast, Jim Lampley's breath, not to mention snowflakes, could be seen, which makes you wonder if they are working outdoors, or if Time Warner's too cheap to spring for heat.
THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH: Perhaps it should be clear to everyone as they watch coverage that, unless there's a "live" label on the screen that everything, perhaps save for the studio hosts, is on tape.
But not everyone is catching on, and those daylight shots during programs shown in the afternoon here, not to mention the anchors' rather ambiguous use of the present tense to introduce action, leads to confusion. CBS probably needs to go a bit further in distinguishing what's happening now, and what has already happened.
THE NUMBERS GAME: Saturday's second night of competition was seen in 48 million homes and garnered a 12.1 Nielsen overnight rating with a 21 share.
COMING UP: CBS (Channel 13) goes for speed tonight in prime time with the always exciting 500-meter speed skating sprint, and the conclusion of the luge singles, both men's division. TNT, meanwhile, will have coverage of the U.S.-Sweden women's hockey match, as well as features on American women's luger Cammy Myler and skier Picabo Street.
Pub Date: 2/09/98
