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The 'Big D - NYE' special on WFAA/8
- Thread starter easttxtv
- Start date
M
MikeShannon914
Guest
Best line, spoken by Dale Hansen about 2 mins after midnight..."This is the first New Years Eve ever that I've been sober." Too bad I didn't have a tape rolling.
Gordon Keith seemed outpaced and overshadowed by Pete-n-Dale.
Nice fireworks, but I always wonder about the burning embers falling from the sky directly onto the crowd...since they shot them off directly overhead from atop the Victory Park buildings!
Gordon Keith seemed outpaced and overshadowed by Pete-n-Dale.
Nice fireworks, but I always wonder about the burning embers falling from the sky directly onto the crowd...since they shot them off directly overhead from atop the Victory Park buildings!
I didn't even stay up late enough to begin watching it. Thanks to Nyquil. My wife did and she said it was very lame, yet, this is the first year of trying to do something for NYE. Have to at least give Channel 8 props for attempting to do something.
Lets hope it gets better each year and begins an annual tradition for the DFW area.
Lets hope it gets better each year and begins an annual tradition for the DFW area.
The show was a great idea but did not seem to be planned very well.
There was an outstanding crowd, due mainly to 18,000 Stars hockey fans pouring directly out into the party at the end of their game shortly before the WFAA broadcast began.
The music was good enough, and I thought the fireworks were great. Ch. 8 did a tremendous job of capturing the images of the night with their HD camera's (something even ABC in New York surprisingly wasn't using throughout its "Rockin' New Years Eve" broadcast). Great crowd shots, nice images of the bands playing live and overhead chopper shots of the fireworks that looked beautiful.
However, it pains me to say, the hosts were a disconnect. Let me see how delicately I can say this: it seemed as if they were all told to show up, which they did....but not much else. There did not seem to be any planning of any kind which would have helped immeasurably. Each are very funny people in their own right, but together, well, they just weren't. No chemistry, each out of place and seemed uncomfortable together...not exactly a good combination for such a show. All the while I was watching I kept thinking none of them seem to know what to say, what was going on, or where they were going next. Clearly no rehearsal time was committed to such an important broadcast.
If they are going to do this again, they are going to have to plan better.
Put the program together before going on the air - plan what entertainers are going to perform and exactly what they are going to do...it would have been nice to have a short introduction of who these people were and some interaction with the hosts...Some graphics of who the heck we're watching perform would have also been nice. I saw one brief package showing local news highlights...kind of last minute looking. I would suggest more highlight type packages, kept brief, sprinkled throughout the evening, perhaps as bumpers into commercials...get more stars on the show, local figures, the mayor, local comedian, promote it better (tie-in with radio maybe)...give away a car or something...have those fireworks BLOW SKY HIGH at the stroke of midnight...you know the big crescendo!!...and a BIG graphic to flash on screen at the moment of midnight...
They need a couple of hosts who are well known and able to interact better. It might be a call for people who are already familiar with each other and perhaps work together and have built in chemistry...maybe some radio people who can handle TV...verses TV people out of their element.
And yes, a script to rely upon when nothing else is happening. If something spontaneous happens, go with it, but the problem with last night was the plan seemed to BE go with it - only problem was nothing spontaneous was coming up...Dale, Pete and Gordo seemed to be standing there starving for direction - and getting none!
It is an excellent idea but they desperately need a producer who knows how to make it work.
Note to WFAA: don't LET it happen, MAKE it happen.
There was an outstanding crowd, due mainly to 18,000 Stars hockey fans pouring directly out into the party at the end of their game shortly before the WFAA broadcast began.
The music was good enough, and I thought the fireworks were great. Ch. 8 did a tremendous job of capturing the images of the night with their HD camera's (something even ABC in New York surprisingly wasn't using throughout its "Rockin' New Years Eve" broadcast). Great crowd shots, nice images of the bands playing live and overhead chopper shots of the fireworks that looked beautiful.
However, it pains me to say, the hosts were a disconnect. Let me see how delicately I can say this: it seemed as if they were all told to show up, which they did....but not much else. There did not seem to be any planning of any kind which would have helped immeasurably. Each are very funny people in their own right, but together, well, they just weren't. No chemistry, each out of place and seemed uncomfortable together...not exactly a good combination for such a show. All the while I was watching I kept thinking none of them seem to know what to say, what was going on, or where they were going next. Clearly no rehearsal time was committed to such an important broadcast.
If they are going to do this again, they are going to have to plan better.
Put the program together before going on the air - plan what entertainers are going to perform and exactly what they are going to do...it would have been nice to have a short introduction of who these people were and some interaction with the hosts...Some graphics of who the heck we're watching perform would have also been nice. I saw one brief package showing local news highlights...kind of last minute looking. I would suggest more highlight type packages, kept brief, sprinkled throughout the evening, perhaps as bumpers into commercials...get more stars on the show, local figures, the mayor, local comedian, promote it better (tie-in with radio maybe)...give away a car or something...have those fireworks BLOW SKY HIGH at the stroke of midnight...you know the big crescendo!!...and a BIG graphic to flash on screen at the moment of midnight...
They need a couple of hosts who are well known and able to interact better. It might be a call for people who are already familiar with each other and perhaps work together and have built in chemistry...maybe some radio people who can handle TV...verses TV people out of their element.
And yes, a script to rely upon when nothing else is happening. If something spontaneous happens, go with it, but the problem with last night was the plan seemed to BE go with it - only problem was nothing spontaneous was coming up...Dale, Pete and Gordo seemed to be standing there starving for direction - and getting none!
It is an excellent idea but they desperately need a producer who knows how to make it work.
Note to WFAA: don't LET it happen, MAKE it happen.
I agree the Big D NYE special could've been better, but IMO I thought it was a little tacky the way they cut into Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve special while Fergie was performing, if they were going to that they should've started it right at 11, then maybe show a tape delay of the rest of Dick Clark's special after that.
V
VERITAS DE VOCE
Guest
I was there... and of course, had my mental tape recorder rolling:
1. Note to WFAA, let the game come to you. Steve said it best. You kids need to control this thing. WFAA is sitting on a GOLDMINE here, and with that crappy production, back-and-forth chatter and of course, the sports director throwing other morning show hosts under the bus for sexual harassment... um, let's get on the ball next time. This is the beginning of something big.
2. Another note to WFAA, and for all those interested, the radio pundits have aptly debated the true humor prowess of Gordon Keith, um... not so much. What he does requires imagination and someone with more than five minutes to kill for a radio segment. His quips were forced because he had to do it. Stick with man on the street interviews and let the vets do what they do... and leave Gordon alone to come up with another impression. I hear he has a DORKus one that rocks. 8)
3. This was a scene in the making. For a forced tennis match, this event was spectacular. Imagine if they planned it next time. WOW!
4. WFAA owes Tom Hicks a big kiss on his @$$. If it wasn't for the Stars game letting out, that crowd would have... well, let's just say Deep Ellum would have attracted some photographers instead of Victory Park. ;D
5. I TiVo'd this as well... yeah, yeah, thinking I was going to get to mug for a camera, but I digress... and hats off to the photogs. WFAA's true secret in this industry is that cracked crew of photographers. They are the best in this market, hands down!
6. The music... BLEW! You know, when the clock strikes 12:00, one of the first songs on my iPod is Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl". WHAT?!
7. All in all, good times. A year to muster, a producer to hire and some photogs to pay double time and this will be a stop down for all in this lovely city.
VDV
1. Note to WFAA, let the game come to you. Steve said it best. You kids need to control this thing. WFAA is sitting on a GOLDMINE here, and with that crappy production, back-and-forth chatter and of course, the sports director throwing other morning show hosts under the bus for sexual harassment... um, let's get on the ball next time. This is the beginning of something big.
2. Another note to WFAA, and for all those interested, the radio pundits have aptly debated the true humor prowess of Gordon Keith, um... not so much. What he does requires imagination and someone with more than five minutes to kill for a radio segment. His quips were forced because he had to do it. Stick with man on the street interviews and let the vets do what they do... and leave Gordon alone to come up with another impression. I hear he has a DORKus one that rocks. 8)
3. This was a scene in the making. For a forced tennis match, this event was spectacular. Imagine if they planned it next time. WOW!
4. WFAA owes Tom Hicks a big kiss on his @$$. If it wasn't for the Stars game letting out, that crowd would have... well, let's just say Deep Ellum would have attracted some photographers instead of Victory Park. ;D
5. I TiVo'd this as well... yeah, yeah, thinking I was going to get to mug for a camera, but I digress... and hats off to the photogs. WFAA's true secret in this industry is that cracked crew of photographers. They are the best in this market, hands down!
6. The music... BLEW! You know, when the clock strikes 12:00, one of the first songs on my iPod is Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl". WHAT?!
7. All in all, good times. A year to muster, a producer to hire and some photogs to pay double time and this will be a stop down for all in this lovely city.
VDV
Great points, Steve! I agree with all of them except for maybe having Radio people do the hosting. You think Belo would let me and Tammy D host next time? All in all, I think it's a great idea for Dallas and hope a new "tradition" continues.
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