ANDRE BEGIN

When it comes to watching television, I enjoy larger-than-life international events and specials. Because I do not have a limitless supply of vacation days nor do I have the money to be on the road to attend everything in person, TV can be the next best thing to being there.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics are a classic example of such an iconic program that has me glued to the set, experiencing the sights and sounds of an international scale event where participants from around the globe come together as one. The looks on the faces of the participants is a joy to behold and source of inspiration.

To me, where the joy of the experience sometimes goes south, is when the TV announcers talk throughout the show.

I am not referring to a comment here and there or even the goal of making programming accessible to people with visual impairments, but rather announcers who talk and talk and talk.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the announcers do a formidable job in keeping viewers on top of the action, but there is a tipping point where announcing crosses over from informative to bordering on torture.

Where I think the industry seems to have lost its way is in mandate creep. Television coverage seems to have gone from presenting, to commenting, to explaining, to filling in any dead air with personal observations.

By that point, viewers are now missing the true audio portion of the event: the cheering, the great music and the overall energy of the experience.

In particular, what I do not seem able to grasp is the need to explain all of the symbolic elements during the show, and not just in broad strokes but going into intricate detail about every one of them. If I was attending in person, I would be discovering these wonders on my own. Why the non-stop narration for home viewers? Then, when the scripts lead into fun facts that really aren’t that fun or anecdotes between the announcers, I believe we have passed the tipping point.

Let’s put things in perspective, shall we? When we go to the movies or to the theatre, they ask us to turn off cell phones, refrain from talking, and not take photos, right? Why? Because we do not want to disturb other viewers who are enjoying the experience or to distract the talent at live presentations.

If someone was in the room talking that much, they likely would have been shushed. It is not like I can turn down the volume on the announcer, because then I would have no opportunity to hear any of the background festivities either.

I feel bad for the announcers at these televised events, because they are just doing their job. But I cannot help but ask myself what exactly the networks and production teams are trying to accomplish with the endless commentary? Why not just convey the most important facts on a need-to-know basis, and take a breath for the viewers to stay fully engaged and in the moment to enjoy a world-class experience.

Dear networks, whether you are showing a sporting event, a concert, the Eurovision Song Contest, a parade, a wedding, a funeral or any world-class event, while I fully respect your need to entertain and inform, please, let the event speak for itself. Thank you.

Did you enjoy this post? If you did, your likes and shares are most appreciated.
If you haven’t already, please check out the rest of my blog at andrebegin.blog. From there, you can click on the “Follow” button to receive future posts directly in your inbox.
Sincere thanks for reading!
Have a great day,
André