"For my money, Dustin Nielsen and Duane Forde are TSN’s best play-by-play crew. Their mix of enthusiasm, passion for the Canadian game and ability to know when to let the play and crowd reaction speak for itself is second to none." (3DownNation)

TSN media staff appears to be relatively the same as last year. Are you happy about that?

Personally, I know that announcers and commentators are going to be noticeably similar to Captain Obvious and I do not think that can be changed much. I like Steagall's courage to speak his mind. The rest of the panel seems scripted with talking points. Sharp criticism is seldom seen.

But I am happy. Rod Black is gone and that's all that matters on this topic. I am even able to put up with "homer" Glenn Suiter. I thought he was rather restrained during the Regina game. He seldom foamed at the mouth AND he did not harp on  just one player's hilites all game. So growth is possible even in the face of entrenched personality.

Your thoughts on the TSN crew?

 

On 2022-07-18 at 9:50 AM, Wideleft said:

I think Reilly could have become a broadcast legend if he chose to or was offered the opportunity.  Super well-spoken and even keel.

He's become a firefighter in Seattle.

12 hours ago, Wideleft said:

He did the job for far too long to be as bad as he was.  I'll never understand how he kept getting the prime gigs.

Seniority. The only way to get him out was to fire him & give hima retirement package.

6 hours ago, Potential said:

Don't mind Nielson, he is articulate and (for the most part) accurately reads and describes the unfolding plays. I'm willing to let occasional name gaffes go, as the game is fast, and players are constantly being shifted on and off the field. It happens.

Suitor is mostly okay, however occasionally he'll go full Rider-homer which is an instant turn-off, or start rambling about plays he obviously doesn't know enough about. Could be worse I suppose. 

Stegall can be the same for us, as he'll occasionally go full Bomber-homer as well, and it can be embarrassing at times. It's not as bad as it used to be, however I'm hoping he continues to become more objective with time as he is a good face for the league.

Similar situation to Sanchez as well - when he first started he was almost unwatchable, however with time he's mellowed out a lot and is more tolerable. Not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer though.

Forde is pretty consistent - I appreciate that he tries to inject as much Canadian college content into a broadcast, however sometimes this borders into rambling and as a result we'll miss a play which can be pretty frustrating.

Rod Smith is pretty even keel, he'll stay focused on the play, and is also very articulate. Occasionally he and Forde will get caught up in an anecdote and start rambling though, and I feel this has been getting worse the past couple of years.

What I find so interesting about this season is that I'm sensing Beirness really doesn't want to be involved with the CFL show any longer - that she comes across as a reluctant participant. There was that incident the other week where all of the panelists were trying to talk over one another and she said 'I don't want to do this anymore' or something to that effect, and it seemed genuine. That would be a significant loss to the show as Kate's a great host.

Sarah is Sarah. Occasionally fumbles her words (probably nerves), however she's always professional and consistent.

Lastly, Dunnigan. I love the guy, and obviously he was a special player for us, and is such a likeable personality, but he struggles with the panel and commentary more often than not. It's so obvious he has severe CTE and struggles so much with articulating his thoughts as his brain is so damaged. Whenever I hear him call a game or if he's having a bad day on the panel it makes me feel terrible, because he has sacrificed too much for the game, and football is the only reason as to why this is happening to him. I don't know if the crew or the players ever read these forums, but if they do, I want them to know that I am sorry for every player that has had to deal with CTE as a result of football. That is a price that is simply too high for anyone to ever have to pay.

As for radio... Bob - there will never ever be anyone like him. We were lucky to have him, and I personally consider myself so lucky to have had the pleasure of listening to him call the game for so many years. Enjoy your so well-earned retirement! We miss you!

I find that Dunigan's voice gets lost in the noise of the crowd & gets washed away making him hard to understand. This happens a lot. They need to turn the volume of his mic up. I want to hear what he has to say & not try to figure out what he might have said. I don't have the same problem with Suitor or Forde. I can understand them pefectly. But Dunigan's voice just doesn't come thru very clearly. 

On another media related topic, 3Down Nation, is starting to slightly annoy me. It's not about their football judgement. It is all about how they ignore the leading team in the CFL with two Grey Cups under their belt. Everything seems written from the perspective of their opponents, and the analysis ignores so much of what actually went on in  the games.

I love Ed Tate and the bluebombers.com site. I find TSN more than adequate. But 3DN is shooting itself in the foot when they could be doing so much better, in my opinion.

I do not know if anybody else feels the same way but I would like to know your opinions, if you have any.

 

1 hour ago, BigBlue said:

On another media related topic, 3Down Nation, is starting to slightly annoy me. It's not about their football judgement. It is all about how they ignore the leading team in the CFL with two Grey Cups under their belt. Everything seems written from the perspective of their opponents, and the analysis ignores so much of what actually went on in  the games.

I love Ed Tate and the bluebombers.com site. I find TSN more than adequate. But 3DN is shooting itself in the foot when they could be doing so much better, in my opinion.

I do not know if anybody else feels the same way but I would like to know your opinions, if you have any.

 

3DN are fanboyz. Other than Dunk, it's just a bunch of fans posting stories. I'd put John Hodge in that same category. 

The Riders contributor to 3DN said in a recent piece "we in the media..." and I snorted so loud I actually hurt myself and dropped my phone. The ******* ego.... 

2 minutes ago, Noeller said:

The Riders contributor to 3DN said in a recent piece "we in the media..." and I snorted so loud I actually hurt myself and dropped my phone. The ******* ego.... 

They were media when the beat writer for the Ti Cats who was laid off by the Hamilton Spectator & Dunk started it years ago. Not now.

7 hours ago, Noeller said:

The Riders contributor to 3DN said in a recent piece "we in the media..." and I snorted so loud I actually hurt myself and dropped my phone. The ******* ego.... 

****** bloggers.

9 hours ago, Noeller said:

The Riders contributor to 3DN said in a recent piece "we in the media..." and I snorted so loud I actually hurt myself and dropped my phone. The ******* ego.... 

The actual media doesn't cover the league properly, so fans have to fill the void to create content. The Athletic doesn't even have a CFL section anymore. The only reason I originally subscribed was for Penton's insiders article. 

Some have even developed contacts over time. I don't love all of them, but I mostly appreciate the intent.

 

On 2022-07-18 at 11:28 PM, Noeller said:

Walby or we riot... 

Damn shame that when CBC lost the rights, he was never on TV again. He was awesome at colour - even if we did have to suffer though Mark Lee's screaming after CC left for TSN.

9 minutes ago, Mr. Perfect said:

Damn shame that when CBC lost the rights, he was never on TV again. He was awesome at colour - even if we did have to suffer though Mark Lee's screaming after CC left for TSN.

He was awesome at colour in the same way Dunigan is. It's not what you'd call technically sound, but it's entertaining as hell, especially if you're a Bombers fan.