By Dane Windisch

The Super Bowl is one of the great events in American culture and the media plays a crucial part in making the Super Bowl enjoyable for viewers. From the always popular commercials during the telecast to the debatable halftime performances, the Super Bowl has something unique for all viewers. NBC was the station televising the game this year and provided good halftime coverage. But, there was controversy involving the halftime show. Historically speaking, however, viewers should not have been surprised.

Before Madonna’s halftime performance, there was a quick recap of the first-half from Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison. Harrison, who was a former Super Bowl Champion with New England, gave comments on what New England did well in the first-half and what they need to do to improve in the second-half to come out with the victory. Dungy focused on New York’s first-half but more from the perspective of how Tom Coughlin, head coach for New York, should address his team at halftime to come back and beat New England. This was done perfectly by NBC by having two former Super Bowl Champions, one as a coach and one as a player, in Dungy and Harrison. These are two individuals who have been in that position before and are respected by viewers.

The popular Super Bowl halftime show was presented by Bridgestone and was headlined by Madonna, LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A, and Cee Lo Green. As always, there were positive and negative opinions from viewers. The part of the performance worth discussing is how NBC handled the quick obscene gesture from M.I.A., which was seen by millions. If you were watching the show on TV, you might remember during the performance the screen went blurry for a few seconds. This was because of the gesture that was spotted. This is the second time a controversial image was seen on TV by viewers. In 2004, there was an incident with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. NBC did a poor job in this regard with the broadcast because, I believe, the show should have been delayed about five seconds in order to spot this sooner so viewers would not have seen the gesture from M.I.A. NBC apologized for the gesture, seen by millions, but it has still caused many advocacy groups to voice their opinions.

After the halftime show, there was a quick “keys to the second-half” by the analysts and Bob Costas talked about some important statistics regarding the recent meetings between New York and New England. Costas went into how the last three meetings between the teams have gone down to the final minutes and how he thinks the kickers might play a big part in the ending.

 By Dan Spehler

PRE-GAME: There were many highlights amidst NBC’s five hours of pre-game coverage, incorporating correspondents from many of NBC’s cable partners. We walked past the Giants hotel as NBC’s Peter King reported on the team’s pre-game activities.

One of the best moments came around 1:30 p.m. when the Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore tried the zip-line live on TV – “zipping” right past the NBC stage in Super Bowl village. However, as we walked past the NBC pre-game stage, it was not easy to see what was actually going on – there was thick glass between the fans and the NBC team of Bob Costas and Aaron Rodgers, and no TV monitors showing the crowd what was on the air.

The ESPN pre-game stage had a much different feel. As you’ll see in the video I’ve posted, thousands of fans swarmed Pan Am Plaza where the ESPN Countdown crew broadcasted live. The ESPN gang even came outside to give their Super Bowl predictions, interacting with fans throughout (By the way, all of them picked the Giants, except Chris Berman).

ESPN and NBC talent could be seen all over town Super Bowl weekend, along with many other celebrities from the world of football and entertainment. There was a festive atmosphere in the lobbies of the ESPN hotel (Hyatt) and NBC hotel (Omni) on Saturday night, where we saw the likes of Evander Holyfield and Danny DeVito – even Subway Jared was there. On Sunday, we ran into NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on his way to the stadium.

The game itself drew a record TV audience (111.3 million viewers), and the atmosphere in Indianapolis was electric on game day. By kickoff, everyone had settled in for the national anthem – fans arrive early to the Super Bowl so they don’t miss a minute of the pre-game action.

HALFTIME: By now, we’ve all seen/ heard about this year’s halftime controversy. Rapper M.I.A. gave those 111 million viewers the middle finger during her halftime cameo with Madonna, forcing both NBC and the NFL to apologize, while M.I.A. herself has stayed mostly silent. I’m guessing the NFL will never ask her back for another Super Bowl performance. No doubt, this will remind many of the incident eight yeas ago, with Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction.” Madonna herself promised no wardrobe malfunctions during  the Super Bowl press conference on Thursday, and I can only imagine her displeasure with M.I.A. for injecting this bit of controversy into what was otherwise an impressive halftime production.

POST-GAME: People across Indy were cheering the Giants’ dramatic victory. The song “Empire State of Mind” could be heard in the stadium, and in bars across town. As always, the field was swarmed by the players’ family members, and thousands of reporters and photographers seeking post-game interviews.

Two interviews didn’t happen – including Bill Belichick, who was not seen on TV after the game. Typically, the losing coach will grant a post-game interview – but the Patriots coach has never been known for his accessibility.

Also, the Super Bowl MVP had been slated to appear on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” but for unknown reasons, Eli Manning did not appear on the show, which has been originating from Indy all week. Instead, three defensive players from the Giants took the stage to replace him.

As we left town, we saw thousands standing in line to be in the audience for Fallon’s show. My wife and I were in the audience for his Wednesday show – and it was a real treat. The appeal of the Super Bowl also helped Fallon produce his highest-rated show in history on Sunday night, which goes to show how the broadcasting network can parlay the Super Bowl broadcast into a broader promotional strategy.

My station is a CBS affiliate (we have the game next year), so we didn’t do nearly as much Super Bowl coverage as many of the NBC affiliates I saw in town from stations across the Midwest, and around the country. But it was still a thrill to be in my old home town for several days. Indy put on a great show, and it’s quite likely they’ll get the game again one day. By then, many of you sports management/ journalism students will be working in the field too – and I hope to see you there!

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Editor’s Note: Dan Spehler is a BGSU alumnus who majored in broadcast journalism, and took part in Dick Maxwell’s NFL Sport Media & Management class. Spehler has worked since 1999 as an anchor/reporter at TV stations across Ohio & Indiana, including WTVG & WUPW in Toledo, WDTN in Dayton, and WRTV in Indianapolis. He currently works as a reporter/anchor at WKRC in Cincinnati.

By Dan Spehler

What an experience covering Media Day! Players and coaches from both teams are given one hour on the field with thousands of reporters from across the country, and around the world. It’s a bit of circus and, as always, reporters from outlets like Nickelodeon and Azteca made the event that much more interesting. 

As a reporter from Cincinnati, my main assignment during the Patriots session was getting an interview with former Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco – who is always at the center of attention. It wasn’t easy to find Chad at first – he’s not very tall and there were dozens of cameras surrounding him. We finally saw him, and after several minutes of elbowing our way into the crowd, we were able to get close enough to put our microphone and camera into the cesspool of news crews. Even Chad was a bit overwhelmed by all the attention, and somewhat subdued by the many questions about his lackluster statistical performance this season.

During the Giants session, we spoke with two players from Ohio – tight end Jake Ballard (Springboro) and line-backer Greg Jones (Cincinnati Moeller). Both were excited to be playing in the Super Bowl so close to home, and both are inviting scores of friends and family to the game.

Be sure to watch our clip from Media Day, and I’ll be back to post our wrap-up from Super Bowl week in a few days!

BY DAN SPEHLER

What an experience covering Media Day! Players and coaches from both teams are given one hour on the field with thousands of reporters from across the country, and around the world. It’s a bit of circus and, as always, reporters from outlets like Nickelodeon and Azteca made the event that much more interesting.

As a reporter from Cincinnati, my main assignment during the Patriots session was getting an interview with former Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco – who is always at the center of attention. It wasn’t easy to find Chad at first – he’s not very tall and there were dozens of cameras surrounding him. We finally saw him, and after several minutes of elbowing our way into the crowd, we were able to get close enough to put our microphone and camera into the cesspool of news crews. Even Chad was a bit overwhelmed by all the attention, and somewhat subdued by the many questions about his lackluster statistical performance this season.

During the Giants session, we spoke with two players from Ohio – tight end Jake Ballard (Springboro) and line-backer Greg Jones (Cincinnati Moeller). Both were excited to be playing in the Super Bowl so close to home, and both are inviting scores of friends and family to the game.

Be sure to watch our clip from Media Day, and I’ll be back to post our wrap-up from Super Bowl week in a few days!

BY ANTHONY ALFORD

These past few weeks, we have seen two major stories unfold right before our very eyes. Lance Armstrong admitted to Oprah Winfrey he doped during his entire seven-year run as Tour de France champion.  Manti Te’o also admitted to Katie Couric he was duped by a guy who he thought was his girlfriend. The man who seems to be behind the hoax, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, is speaking out for the first time on Dr. Phil (Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in a two-part interview). From a sport media perspective, here are five lessons we have learned from these scandals:

1. 1st interviews were given to Oprah, Katie, and Dr. Phil. Why?

Who would have ever thought Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric and Dr. Phil would get the first exclusive televised interviews of figures from these to major stories? To understand the answer, one has to understand the audiences these stories really appeal to. These are not just sports stories. Armstrong didn’t just cheat; he also ruined people lives through character-attack lawsuits filed against people he competed against. These stories tailor more to tabloid news because it involves the lives of public figures. Armstrong, Te’o, and now Tuiasosopo’s public relations agents believed the best people to interview them were these daytime talk show hosts.

2. Appearing on these shows does not mean that America will forgive you.

A major motive behind these key figures appearing on daytime television is that their PR people think doing so will cast them in a positive light or be forgiven. But that’s not always the case.

Armstrong, Te’o, and Tuiasosopo have to understand appearing on these shows is just a building block to repairing their image, and they have to commit to tell the whole truth to everyone.

3. Daytime Talk Show hosts will still hold them accountable.

It is very clear the intended goal for these guys, especially Te’o, was to “dumb-down” the story for their audience. But the public relations campaigns for these characters undermined the audience and hosts of these programs. Couric and Winfrey were strong with direct questions and timely follow-ups. I expect Dr. Phil to do the same during his interview with Tuiasosopo later in the week.  

4. Timing is everything in this era’s 24-hour news cycle.

Both of these scandals have consumed the media. However, soon these stories will take a backseat to Super Bowl hype and other breaking new stories.

I question the decision by Dr. Phil to air his interview with Tuiasosopo right before the Super Bowl. While it is sweeps time, the timing of the interview is poor. Viewers will not care about this story as much as they would have if it was aired sooner. Winfrey and Couric had the advantage of having their interviews take place during an NFL off-week and the interviews aired within a week of each other.

5. Oprah and Couric asked all the right questions, mission accomplished.

The job of a journalist is to ask all the right questions every viewer would like to know without over-stepping boundaries with the public figures that they are interviewing. When the journalist finds the right balance, it is recognized by viewers and readers and allows them to form their own opinions. Winfrey and Couric have created a blueprint on how a major sports/news story should be covered.

BY KEITH WELLS

Football fans from all over tuned in to watch a compelling AFC championship game on Sunday. As competitive as the game turned out to be, it was not the most exciting championship game many expected. Defense was a key strategic concept and play-by-play commentators Jim Nantz and Phil Simms were on hand to help fans comprehend each down.

Leading up to the inevitable clash between the efficient Patriot offense and the highly-respected Ravens defense, there were a few instances where defensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, Terrell Suggs, took advantage of the media in order to give his opinion publicly on what he believed his team, mainly his quarterback (Joe Flacco), was capable of. Terrell Suggs made several appearances on ESPN’s First Take and SportsCenter aggressively refuting early reports of Flacco becoming “rattled” in their previous playoff game against the Houston Texans in which the Ravens won 20-13. He also had numerous debates with respected ESPN analyst and columnist Skip Bayless about how much faith he had in himself and his quarterback to get the job done come game-time against the legendary Tom Brady-led Patriots. 

These random media feuds Terrell Suggs took upon himself to spark only added even more anticipation to the already hyped confrontation between the Patriots and the Ravens. After all, the media is in the business of entertainment and Terrell Suggs was the top salesman this past week leading up to the game. Say what you want, but the entire media spectacle provided unbridled entertainment and humor and reminded people of the type of refreshing competitive atmosphere the playoffs can be.

As for the actual in-game commentary, announcers Simms and Nantz brought knowledge and clarity to the broadcast. A remarkable amount of time was spent on the play-by-play breakdowns during the game. This ultimately helped the audience notice different professional defensive schemes and formations that maybe had not been used throughout the regular season as often by the Ravens or Patriots. It was a tremendous help for the fans, because it allowed for an inside and deeper look into what was taking place on the field. This ratcheted the game up on the interest scale a lot more, especially seeing as there was not as much offense in the game as Patriots fans are used to seeing. 

Toward the end of the game, the announcers did a wonderful job of packaging the emotions expressed by the crowd at the game and being consistent in the delivery of their broadcast with those emotions. When the Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff missed the final field goal attempt by the Ravens to tie the game and go into overtime,  Nantz and Simms communicated through their emotions in their broadcast they were just as surprised as the fans that were in attendance at Gillette Stadium that night. It was a great approach to the broadcast which really made those who were tuning-in feel a part of the Ravens’ loss and the  Patriots’ victory. Overall, it was a great game coupled with a professional broadcast by experienced commentators.

BY DANE WINDISCH

Weekend coverage of the 2012 Australian Open for both men’s and women’s third round matches showed a lot of consistency in all phases of the media. Observing a men’s match and women’s match in tennis, especially in the early rounds, the announcers’ excitement is limited. The men’s match was Novak Djokovic against Nicolas Mahut and the women’s match was Maria Sharapova against Angelique Kerber.

Both of these matches were straight set wins and highly one-sided in favor of Djokovic and Sharapova. One thing that stood out in both the men’s and women’s matches was the need to keep the audience updated on all the current matches taking place.  Every 15 minutes or so,  it switched over to the other matches taking place and gave the audience a live look-in. Another factor of consistency was how the camera angles were used when the players were serving. In all tennis matches on television the forward shot of the camera was used so viewers can see the entire match.

The fundamental difference between the two matches is the announcers used for the matches. In the men’s match there were two male announcers and the terminology used was much more masculine compared with the women’s match, which had one male announcer and one female. One example to pull from the matches was a scenario that happened in each of the matches. Djokovic received a lob shot from his opponent and he finished the point with an overhead smash. This happened in the Sharapova match, also, but the terminology used by the announcers’ was different. In the men’s match the announcer referred to it as a “strong or powerful” point by Djokovic. In the women’s match, the announcer said, such a “pretty” point by Sharapova.

In comparing tennis matches between men and women, you can pick out many times where the choice of words in a women’s match will be more feminine compared to the words in men’s matches. Is it that big of a deal? No. But, treating a great play by either a male or female should be looked at and viewed as the same.