OK, sorry about the double post for this, but after posting this in a different thread realized I'd rather start a new one... There's really two sides to Dakar - the daily race between the leaders, and the true grit of the privateers in just finishing. Having watched Speeds coverage in years past, and now OLN's post-event coverage this year, I'm of the opinion that you can't do either justice in the same way. The same-day-recap type of coverage is best at covering the race up front. The post-event coverage is excellent at documenting the details. It gives the production team time to cull through hundreds of hours of tape and find the really great stuff. So if I was the OLN producer for next years coverage, I'd do both! I'd try to get the budget to have a daily half-hour show (a full hour is probably too much to expect) much like Speeds coverage was, and a full-on (preferably 5 hours or more) post-event documentary. For the same day coverage, bring back Toby Moody, or someone else who has a lot of Dakar experience - knows the front runners, can understand French to can act as an interpretter like Toby used to, that kind of thing. Pretty much stick to covering the race up front, though if something big happens with the privateers, talk about it. At the same time, an on-the-scene crew (preferably a second crew) can shadow one (or a couple?) of the low-budget privateer teams, gathering footage for a true documentary. Really show the "struggle of the privateer". And I mean REALLY shadow them. Show what it's like to get stuck out in the desert at night. Show the pain as they try to put their boots on with a broken foot. (I still can't believe Dave was able to keep going!!!) I know, I'm really dreaming, but why can't they satisfy both the people like me who really are into the racing, and the people like Codewheeney who are really into the struggles of the privateer?
I'm sure they'll jump all over this for the dozens of American Dakar fans. Just bring back the same coverage Speed brought but give Toby the obligatory OLN mic clips instead of the Speed ones for the three seconds of targeted commentary.
I don't think there are enough US fans to justify, but I would be ecstatic with 3 solutions. One would be a Dakar prelude. An hour documentary style show explaining the race, it's history, and some of the big names and manufacturers that made it what it is today. I'd air that a week or so before the race started. Step 2 would be the daily 1/2 hour wrap up with Moody. ASO feed and graphics. It could be a pre-packaged deal for OLN. Step 3 would be an hour or two hour documentary showing the privateers to air after the race was over. Some footage of preparation, transportation, competition, and wrap up. Sort of like the "Long Way Round" series. Actually, once someone said it and I resigned myself to the fact that what we are seeing is not the race report, but more of a docu-style coverage, it wasn't too bad. It's been said already, too much Gordon, but the fact is that to the non-Dakar fan that OLN is targeting, he's probably the only one with a somewhat recognizable name. I do feel that Jimmy Roberts was a completely wrong choice and that Jerry Bernardo, while a motorcycle guy, is in the wrong element here. 2 different commentators would have made this years coverage an entirely different animal. I'd actually like to see Scot Harden step into a role like that. I seem to recall him mentioning that this was his last Dakar. With his insight and experience, and the way he came off in the Dakar Rider Search, I would think it would be ideal for us as fans. Not sure what Scot's thoughts are on it, but I liken it to the way Nicky Grist stepped into the WRC commentating from the co-driver role. He adds great insight and knows what he's talking about. Scot could easily step into it and he has the backgrond that he could get great interviews with the top guys. Just thoughts. I complained about the coverage at first, but in the end, I tuned in every night, caught almost every re-air of the rider search, and couldn't get enough. Shitty commentators or not, it's good to see.
Well, I sure hope the powers that be at OLN don't have your way of thinking. :huh Doing the multi-part shows (I like Doyle's pre-race show) is exactly how you're going to grow the fan base. It's a bit of a catch-22, but if they just get creative and find some real Dakar fanatics to produce it, they could have another TDF on their hands. It's not like it should be all that expensive. They can buy rights to the "10 year history of Dakar" show from whoever made that for the pre-race show. Then spend just a little bit more money than they did this year during and immediately after the race. Like Doyle says, most of the same-day coverage is already being done.
Thsi would be a great contest show with a $1M prize to the winner...... Sponser up to 5 teams of two bikes each....the team with the highest finisher wins $1M...... I think it would be a winner if it was done by a major channel.... The French sponsers would hate it, but it would put the Dakar on the map It would however cost a $$ to produce... But I would love to see it........ And then we would get the coverage we are looking for.... And maybe one or two of us would get to compet in the event.....
Well, I would hope ASO would block any attempts to turn the race into a "reality" TV show. But I could see doing something like that outside of the Dakar rally. How about a race across America (or the Sahara, or around the world - so many options) -- now THAT's a reality show I'd watch.
Well, I personally am looking forward to Dust to Glory about the Baja 1000. Here is the official site.
they should read the threads on this site and figure it out for themselves. There are more than enough good suggestions here. It shouldn't be hard to get good drama out of the most dramatic race on the planet.
The event is "sponsered" by the TV and event sponsers now.......the big teams and their sponsers are paying for the event and they exercise their "control" in ways we will never know....... Adding an "American" element by adding a few teams of competitors through another "race" within the race whould have little affect on the overall event.... The competitive teams are already betting millions on the event every time it's run....another few million of US money would have little affect on the race as we know it...... But it would get us real time TV coverage..... I happen to think it would be pretty neat to have one of the teams be an ADventure Rider team.......
I like Doyles ideas. I think last years speed coverage, with a lot less music, graphics, lead in's and BS in general, and more to the point non-repeative commentary, and a good tech expert such as J.L. or S.H. etc. (If they did the prelude/history show, then a lot of the newbie/intro to Dakar BS could be minimised or left out altogether.) It might actually make a difference if we started a constructive discussion here: http://www.olntv.com/olnbb/viewforum.php?f=21&sid=9ad904d1b11ac11fe7468438fa3fde2d
