The best of the best in the NBA will be in Salt Lake City, Utah this weekend for the All-Star Game. Preparing for these broadcasts is always a challenge. How do you make it more fun for the viewer? Can this telecast be different than a regular season NBA game and still be interesting to the audience? How will the broadcasters handle announcing this game?
These are all good questions that are facing the folks at TNT, which this year will broadcast it’s 21st straight NBA All-Star Game.
If TNT wants a blue print for how to make the telecast more interesting, they might just want to look to FOX. As I wrote last summer, that network did a tremendous job with the MLB All-Star game in Los Angeles.
They brought the viewer into the action. Microphones were pretty much everywhere. Pitchers and catchers were mic’d up and that audio aired in the midst of an at bat. Hitters were “live” during a plate appearance as well. Short interviews were conducted with players all over the field.
Isn’t the intention of any broadcast to grow the game? How do you accomplish that? Well, you make the players seem like regular people. Let them show a little personality. This is an exhibition game, after all!
Basketball is obviously different in the fact that there’s always action in progress. There wouldn’t be a good opportunity to have a conversation with a player while the action is underway. I get that.
The two captains should be available at times when they are on the floor, even if it’s taped and brought to us after a timeout. I would even enjoy having one of the refs mic’d up. I can only imagine how difficult it can be to officiate an all-star game and all the chatter that will come their direction during the action. Give me something I can latch on to, something out of the ordinary. It’s harder and harder for networks and producers to create something new for these telecasts.
TNT has shaken up the broadcast team from last season’s NBA All-Star game. Brian Anderson has been tabbed to do the play-by-play, and Candace Parker will be one of the analysts. It marks the first time a woman has called an NBA ASG. Reggie Miller and Dennis Scott will also be part of the main feed of the game.
“It’s an honor and I’m thrilled that they called on me, and happy to be a part of that coverage,” Anderson told Boardroom.
Anderson has also called “The Match”, the golf event pairing professional PGA golfers and other athletes competing against each other for prize money to charity. He likens the All-Star game to the feel of one of those golf events with a more laid-back feel.
“It’s a good chance to see these guys’ personalities,” he said. “I can’t wait to be a part of it. I go where they tell me to go, and I’m really happy to be called on to do this game.”
Anderson mentioned showing off personalities of the players, but it’s also a chance for viewers to get to know him too. It’s a great opportunity for this game crew to show reverence to the national broadcast, but to also let viewers see a more relaxed version of the sport.
There’s a balance that needs to be struck. You can’t let the broadcast become a comedy routine or get out of control. At the same time, the players are having fun so there should be a lighter feel to the call.
Parker will add a lot. She’s got tremendous personality and a great knowledge of the game that she plays at an extremely high level. Parker has also done a terrific job in studio during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. I’ve enjoyed her solid work on those telecasts and she’ll be great on this one as well.
Miller is well, Miller – controversial at times, and polarizing at others. He does lend credibility as a 5-time All-Star. Miller’s personality will likely come through more during some of the in-game interviews. While Scott will have the birds eye view on the sidelines for the entire telecast.
TBS will offer an alternative broadcast called “Inside the All-Star Game”, with the cast of “Inside the NBA”. Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith will be joined by Draymond Green for the ‘second screen’ experience. This is the second year for the TBS telecast. It will include players wearing mics, so the audience will have a chance to listen in live at moments during the game. Fans will be taken inside the locker room and be privy to other behind-the-scenes opportunities. The folks at Turner are hoping for better viewership this time around. The first version drew only 852-thousand viewers on TBS.
With the crews assembled as they are, it seems like the Turner executives clearly understand that this game demands a different style of broadcast. Calling it like any other game wouldn’t work. These games are usually awful in the grand scheme of competition. Stars are showing off their talents. There are a ton of ooh and ahh moments, but generally it’s just teams racing up and down the floor. Grow the game. Show personalities, on the floor and off. After all that’s the idea, right? If you don’t provide some kind of different commentary and steer into the levity of the ‘game’, the message is lost.
Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.
