Flocast to broadcast entire USATF Nationals & Juniors!

[westcoasttiger]

For the first time in the meet's history the entire meet (Not certain about field coverage) can be seen live on the web with flocast providing coverage of events not on television. The release is posted on USATF website today announcing the agreement.

Hometown runnerspace.com probably not so happy to be spurned but this is great news for all other track fans who can't make it to Eugene.

I would encourage everyone on the board to tell everyone to watch to boost numbers but then it might just cause the site to crash and that isn't good.

[26mi235]

Last year things were constrained by the Olympic monopoly of the Olympic Committee. This year they have used the greater flexibility to provide a service to the fan base and, hopefully, to pull in a few more youngsters into the fan base.

[I was going to post this but wct beat me to it]

[toyracer]

Will the coverage be viewable outside the USA?

[26mi235]

Will the coverage be viewable outside the USA?

Can you access Flocast now? If so, I suspect that you will be able to get it then.

[gh]

I've never watched one of their race calls, but I got an e-mail this morning which was none too complimentary, from a longtime fan:

<<Their commentary is painful. They take pride in ignorance, clearly never
devote a second to announcing prep, and I get the impression their core
audience sorta likes that: "Hey, they don't know much, just like me!">>

[Marlow]

I've never watched one of their race calls, but I got an e-mail this morning which was none too complimentary, from a longtime fan:
<<Their commentary is painful. They take pride in ignorance, clearly never
devote a second to announcing prep, and I get the impression their core
audience sorta likes that: "Hey, they don't know much, just like me!">>

If it's free and live, they can have Andy Kaufman announcing from his deep-cover hideaway and I won't care!

[fastrunnerz]

Re: Flocast to broadcast entire USATF Nationals &amp; Junior

Hometown runnerspace.com probably not so happy to be spurned but this is great news for all other track fans who can't make it to Eugene.

RunnerSpace is doing live video as well, only they are using the closed-circuit tv feed. Flotrack is doing theirs themselves like they've done in the past.

So not only do we get it live for the first time ever but there are OPTIONS! It seems that USATF has come along way in just a year. Instead of fighting it, they are embracing it.

[toyracer]

Will the coverage be viewable outside the USA?

Can you access Flocast now? If so, I suspect that you will be able to get it then.

flocasts.org takes me to flotrack.org on which I can watch video of past events. I suppose I'll just have to check it when they go live. It would be great to get it.

[texas_speed]

I've never watched one of their race calls, but I got an e-mail this morning which was none too complimentary, from a longtime fan:
<<Their commentary is painful. They take pride in ignorance, clearly never
devote a second to announcing prep, and I get the impression their core
audience sorta likes that: "Hey, they don't know much, just like me!">>

If it's free and live, they can have Andy Kaufman announcing from his deep-cover hideaway and I won't care!

Keywords being FREE and LIVE. I agree Marlow...why anyone would care who announces FREE and LIVE airing of track and field that would otherwise be unviewable is beyond me.

[26mi235]

I've never watched one of their race calls, but I got an e-mail this morning which was none too complimentary, from a longtime fan:

<<Their commentary is painful. They take pride in ignorance, clearly never
devote a second to announcing prep, and I get the impression their core
audience sorta likes that: "Hey, they don't know much, just like me!">>

I think that this observation has an 'observation' bias. They are often showing events where only a few of the participants are well known, they are doing it on the fly, and they might be doing race after race (not quite Penn Relays-like, but Stanford Inv-like). However, with a high-quality field of known athletes there will be less of an identification issue and they will likely feel more pressure to focus and perform.

I hope I am right, and thank goodness we should be able to see in a matter of hours.

[Dutra]

I've never watched one of their race calls, but I got an e-mail this morning which was none too complimentary, from a longtime fan:

<<Their commentary is painful. They take pride in ignorance, clearly never
devote a second to announcing prep, and I get the impression their core
audience sorta likes that: "Hey, they don't know much, just like me!">>

It's basically a couple of college kids watching a race and trying to be informative to their buddies. If you're looking for a professional broadcast then they are not the way to go. However....lacking other live coverage....it might be the way to go.

[exdrake]

gh:

Agree with the comment re a couple of college guys...for their friends.

And a shame because it could be so much better with the slightest prep. They screw up plenty of "known" stars name-wise, season's marks wise, alma mater-wise...never a clue re A or B standards. High on exuberance but how hard is it to have a list with prs, A and B standard for event, etc. Very painful interviews wherein consistently struggle to put a coherent question forward...each time starting 3 near-questions...

[Pego]

I've never watched one of their race calls, but I got an e-mail this morning which was none too complimentary, from a longtime fan:

<<Their commentary is painful. They take pride in ignorance, clearly never
devote a second to announcing prep, and I get the impression their core
audience sorta likes that: "Hey, they don't know much, just like me!">>

It's basically a couple of college kids watching a race and trying to be informative to their buddies. If you're looking for a professional broadcast then they are not the way to go. However....lacking other live coverage....it might be the way to go.

I join the voices of "who needs the commentary"? I'll listen to the kids, if they are annoying, mute them. This is great.

BTW, the schedule times on the USTAF website. Eastern or Pacific time?

[bad hammy]

I've never watched one of their race calls, but I got an e-mail this morning which was none too complimentary, from a longtime fan:

<<Their commentary is painful. They take pride in ignorance, clearly never
devote a second to announcing prep, and I get the impression their core
audience sorta likes that: "Hey, they don't know much, just like me!">>

They are enthusiastic amateurs who apparently are getting paid by the word, because they never stop chatting while the race is going. I made the mistake of sitting right below them at a meet at Stanford earlier this year. Fortunately I had my industrial strength earplugs . . .

[gh]

...
BTW, the schedule times on the USTAF website. Eastern or Pacific time?

Those schedules are always (far as I know) printed in local time, because people on-site need them as a frame of reference.