Dan Shaughnessy is never shy about sharing his opinions on fellow media members and outlets. The Boston Globe writer has NESN in his sights this time. In particular, he is going after the way the regional sports network goes to commercial.
“Greedy NESN’s quick cut to commercial at the end of every Red Sox half-inning is an insult to every fan who ever invested time, emotion, and money in the Boston ball club,” he writes. “It is worse this year than ever.”
Every baseball broadcast puts advertising between the top and bottom of each inning. Shaughnessy says what sets NESN apart is how there seems to be no communication between the broadcast booth and the producers.
“Play-by-play man Dave O’Brien is regularly in mid-sentence when we suddenly are watching a commercial.”
One explanation could be the changing pace of Major League Baseball. Games are regularly clocking in at 30 minutes shorter than in previous years because of the new pitch clock and an emphasis on pace. Less game time doesn’t necessarily mean that NESN or any other television network is selling fewer ads.
Whatever the explanation is, Dan Shaughnessy hates it.
“Never seen anything like it in any market,” he concludes. “Boston’s great baseball fans deserve better.”
