ESPN cutting away too quickly

[radioguy555]

I'm not sure if this is an issue with my cable company or something everyone else is experiencing. Many live ESPN telecasts, particularly baseball games (which I mainly watch), are being cut away from too quickly when they go to commercial. This frequently cuts off the announcer, and I never see a smooth or slow transition from the live broadcast to commercials. It's something I have noticed more recently than ever before. Has anyone else?

 

[radiolives]

I believe its your cable company with local ads. They are starting them to soon when ESPN is showing the play by play. I notice this sometimes when ESPN is in national commerical and then right in the middle the cable company sometimes breaks right in and shows their local commerical. I don't see why we need these local commericals just leave the national commericals.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

I notice that sometimes, too...One cause might be that local spots are either too short or too long. A total differece of a second or two in the local spot break can cause them to rejoin the network too late and cut off the beginning of a segment, or too early and see the last couple seconds of network block fill (either a promo or a PSA).

 

[Studio20]

Been going on here in BrightHouseLand in Tampa Bay for about three weeks now.

Isn't the entire process automated? CBS radio for instance used to send the tones that triggered the local audio carts to start or record. Might the boys in Bristol be a little early on their trigger finger?

 

[notalkallstatic]

Been going on here in BrightHouseLand in Tampa Bay for about three weeks now.

Isn't the entire process automated? CBS radio for instance used to send the tones that triggered the local audio carts to start or record. Might the boys in Bristol be a little early on their trigger finger?

It is automated. The automation system that runs the programs and commercials at ESPN Broadcast Operations Center, runs it. The automation system, triggers a "GPI" devise, which sends out the cue tone break (which is what the local break is called, when local cable companies run their commercials.) It's usually the cable system doesn't have their cue tone equipment set up properly, is why parts of commercials, programs, or promos are being cut off.

Now, in the unlikely event, that there is a problem, the operations coordinator for ESPN can fire the cue tone break himself.

When the cable network runs the "Cue Tone Break," they usually just have promos running, or a pay per inquire commercial running

 

[oldvnewschool]

I've seen it too.

Mostly it's difficult for Baseball because unlike basketball or football, there is no permanent time clock on it.

Which means it's easy for you to cut in like that.

I've seen it in the FOX telecasts too.

 

[azumanga]

Been going on here in BrightHouseLand in Tampa Bay for about three weeks now.

Might the boys in Bristol be a little early on their trigger finger?

Since I also get Bright House in Tampa Bay, I also noticed this on Spike and TNT -- in those cases, the last 5 seconds of an ad is cut off for the start of local ads; and when those are finished, they rejoin the network for the last 5 seconds of a promo or PI ad that the local ads are supposed to cover.

 

[justthenumbers]

I don't see why we need these local commericals just leave the national commericals.

The ability for the cable operator to sell local commercial time is part of the carriage agreement that the operator has with ESPN.

The cable operator needs the revenue from local ad sales in order to pay for the high per-subscriber fee that ESPN demands for carriage. Without the ability to sell local commercials, ESPN would likely disappear from your channel line-up.