zatoicchi
25.07.08, 10:48
The first mixed martial arts broadcast primetime on major network television was, in many ways, a resounding success. The Elite XC card on CBS on May 31 drew unprecedented media attention to the sport, and the ratings for the show increased in every 15-minute interval.
But in as many ways as it was a success, it also was a dismal failure.
The pacing of the broadcast was horrendous. It had a professional wrestling feel to it. In all, it was far beneath the dignity of an entity known as “The Tiffany Network.”
When Elite XC returns to CBS on Saturday for a show from Stockton, Calif., the broadcast will have a decidedly different feel. There will be more fights and less talk. Downtime will be minimized. You won’t see any of the embarrassing moments such as when Phil Baroni ambled slowly to the cage and had women disrobe him.
And the all-too-numerous cheerleader shots will be minimized greatly, if not eliminated.
“To be perfectly honest, I think there was more of a wrestling element to that show and I didn’t like it,” said Kelly Kahl, senior executive vice president of CBS Primetime. “I’d much rather present them as great athletes and warriors, which they are, but it got a bit clownish and that didn’t do us any favors.”
CBS, Elite XC seek a better show (http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=AlTMxp0pWQoPUJk77_1l4i89Eo14?slug=ki-elitecbs072308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
But in as many ways as it was a success, it also was a dismal failure.
The pacing of the broadcast was horrendous. It had a professional wrestling feel to it. In all, it was far beneath the dignity of an entity known as “The Tiffany Network.”
When Elite XC returns to CBS on Saturday for a show from Stockton, Calif., the broadcast will have a decidedly different feel. There will be more fights and less talk. Downtime will be minimized. You won’t see any of the embarrassing moments such as when Phil Baroni ambled slowly to the cage and had women disrobe him.
And the all-too-numerous cheerleader shots will be minimized greatly, if not eliminated.
“To be perfectly honest, I think there was more of a wrestling element to that show and I didn’t like it,” said Kelly Kahl, senior executive vice president of CBS Primetime. “I’d much rather present them as great athletes and warriors, which they are, but it got a bit clownish and that didn’t do us any favors.”
CBS, Elite XC seek a better show (http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=AlTMxp0pWQoPUJk77_1l4i89Eo14?slug=ki-elitecbs072308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)