I hope the new owners get a clue before they run that operation any further in to the ground. They have absolutely ruined what used to be a very good high school football recap show. Whether it be due to a cutback in resources or spreading themselves too thin, it would be charitable to call the current production a mere shadow of what it used to be. They need to look at doing fewer games and doing them better and getting certain new on air talent off the show. Last night was pitiful.
WDBJ FFE Ch 7.......
- Thread starter cutnjump
- Start date
All 4 TV stations try to cover too many games across too big of an area. They get a few plays of footage and then they report the score. FFE was the original and best. We had one show doing a better job than 4 can now.
The WSLS guy with the movie quotes that has absolutely nothing to do with anything is the worst.
Dennis Carter with WSET is a throwback, but they cover Lynchburg and Southside, not so much Roanoke.
Jermaine Farrell has a good personality, but I think they try to cover too much.
Quality coverage is better than Quantity coverage. The competition has made things worse because they are all trying to be 1st on the air with coverage, but they don't put together a good show, because they don't have time.
I know it will never happen, but they should push the shows back to 11:30 and the stations should have a lottery to see who covers what area or games for the week. Competition has made the coverage worse. It doesn't help that social media and the internet has everybody in the know by 9:30.
The WSLS guy with the movie quotes that has absolutely nothing to do with anything is the worst.
Dennis Carter with WSET is a throwback, but they cover Lynchburg and Southside, not so much Roanoke.
Jermaine Farrell has a good personality, but I think they try to cover too much.
Quality coverage is better than Quantity coverage. The competition has made things worse because they are all trying to be 1st on the air with coverage, but they don't put together a good show, because they don't have time.
I know it will never happen, but they should push the shows back to 11:30 and the stations should have a lottery to see who covers what area or games for the week. Competition has made the coverage worse. It doesn't help that social media and the internet has everybody in the know by 9:30.
All reasonable points. I will watch a few more weeks before hammering further on the outside possibility that last night was just a bad night for certain people. I would also add that I believe sponsors will lose their patience if the quality of the operations continue to decline.
Yeah, that was rough. They were just straight up wrong about which team won several of the games.
Not really a surprise they have been getting progressively worse ever year. I stopped watching year or 2 ago. I remember back when you didn't miss FFE on wdbj now it's just your typical Friday score board.
I hammered them last week and it is only fair to give them their due this week. Tonight's show was one of their better efforts in recent years. Good highlights with audio matching video and accurate scores. Nice job by the WDBJ FEE crew tonight.
Yea back then you came home from the game an got on board then 1130 you made sure u was on FFE.
LMAO boy I sound like a old fart. We walk home from the games up hill both way in 20' of snow.....lol
You are so right...when Roy Stanley and Mike Stevens reported from a game, it was like you were there to see it even though you may had been 50 miles away at your own local high school football game! I remember it was the last game of the regular season (not sure exactly what year it was) but Salem Spartans were undefeated 9-0 and Pulaski County Cougars were undefeated 9-0 and it was a grudge match...not even sure who won the game but I remember Willis White and Joel Hicks interviews and just seeing the raw emotions of the players leaving the field but that was the type of reporting and filmography you got from WDBJ back then...it was quality over quantity! Thanks for this thread guys...brings happy thoughts of yesteryear!
What FFE should do is cover less games and film them from atop the press box. That way when you watch highlights you can see whats going on instead of what looks like a cluster from filming on the field.
When we see highlights of college or pro games they certainly aren't filmed from the sidelines.
That's a great point, and I have never understood why they don't tape from the top of the press boxes. At least at the places where that is feasible, as many of the older boxes are tiny, and space is at a premium. However, you'd think there would always be room for one more cameraman to squeeze in. I think the FFE folks think it's exciting to see a ball carrier "running right into your living room!" When in reality, most of the time, you can't see what the hell is going on. Everyone is also spot on about them needing to cover fewer games, and doing a better job of it.
I've talked to them about it before. They seem to think its more exciting the closer you are to the action when filming.
I think what FFE did so well was introducing us to the amazing coaches of that era. Who can forget George "Killer" Miller at William Fleming, Bo Henson from EC Glass, Joel Hicks from Pulaski Co, Willis White from Salem, Norm Lineburg from Radford, Mickey Crouch from Amherst Co, Eddie Martin from GW Danville, Jim Hickam from Northside, etc... Also they really played up the rivalry games- Brookville/Rustburg, Glass/Heritage, Pulaski Co/Salem, etc... It was must see TV and it was cool that the host's name was also Mike Stevens. The good ol' days.
WDBJ 7 now does a Friday morning pep rally bit from 6-7 in the morning. Never understood why they do it in the AM. Wouldn't it make sense to run it from 5-6 in the evening, closer to game time? Six AM is awfully early and what coach wants his players getting up at 4:30, 5:00 to attend then go to school and then be fresh for a game 14 hours later? They need to move it to the evening. It'd also boost participation. More students amd teachers would attend right after school than early in the morning. Great idea, bad time slot.
I agree with this. They was at Halifax last Friday, and it was our lowest attendance yet. Many students leave early from being so tired. Having it from 5-6 would make so much more since. It would give more exposure to during the main news times. With it being so close to game time, schools could promote pregame activities, and they could stay to actually watch the game.
I'm assuming they don't have it from that time because they always had the Andy Griffith show in 5:30, but since they added WZBJ 24, they moved it to there and added the 5:30 show. I guess they haven't bothered to change that yet. Even they could do it for their 4 PM show, that is usually the laid back news time. I'm hoping one of the stations would start it for basketball season too.
