Major League Baseball on ABC
Major League Baseball on ABC | |
---|---|
Also known as | Multi-camera |
Running time | 180 minutes (or until game ends) |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | April 12, 1976 October 28, 1989 | –
Release | July 16, 1994 October 26, 1995 | –
Release | September 29, 2020 present | –
Related | |
Major League Baseball on NBC Major League Baseball Game of the Week Monday Night Baseball Sunday Afternoon Baseball Thursday Night Baseball Baseball Night in America ESPN Major League Baseball Sunday Night Baseball |
National television broadcasts of Major League Baseball (MLB) games have aired on ABC in various formats.[8] The network first aired Saturday Major League Baseball Game of the Week games between 1953 and 1955, in 1960, and in 1965. ABC then televised MLB games from 1976 to 1989, airing Monday Night Baseball, Thursday Night Baseball, and Sunday Afternoon Baseball in various years during that period.
MLB games aired on ABC again in 1994 and 1995 as part of
History
From
In 1965, ABC returned to Game of the Week broadcasting with 28 regional Saturday and Holiday games.[13]
In
In 1984, ABC agreed to a new six year rights deal with MLB. The playoff and All-Star Game television structure remained the same, while ABC increased their regular season games to 20.[16] In 1989, the final season of ABC's deal before CBS took over, ABC moved their games to Thursday nights.[17]
In 1994, ABC returned to MLB coverage with another six year rights deal. Under the deal, as part of The Baseball Network, ABC would air six weeks of regular season games on Saturday and Monday nights. In even numbered years, ABC had the rights to the World Series and Division Series, while in odd numbered years ABC had the rights to the All-Star Game and League Championship Series.[18] However, these plans changed because of the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike. Because of the strike, which began on August 12, a significant amount of games were cancelled, including the 1994 World Series. ABC and NBC consequently, wound up sharing the rights to the 1995 World Series. Also because of the strike, The Baseball Network, a joint production between NBC and ABC, collapsed, and ABC ended their MLB rights following the 1995 season.[19]
In
List of games since 1995
Year | Date | Teams | Play-by-play
|
Color commentator(s) | Field reporter (s)
|
Significance | Viewership (millions) |
2020 | September 29 | Astros/Twins | Karl Ravech | Tim Kurkjian and Eduardo Pérez | Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series | 2.20[25] | |
September 30 | Marlins/Cubs | Jon Sciambi | Chipper Jones | Jesse Rogers | Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series | 1.54 | |
October 2β | Game 2 of the NL Wild Card series | 2.19 | |||||
2021 | August 8 | White Sox/Cubsα | Matt Vasgersian | Alex Rodriguez[26] | Buster Olney | First regular season game since 1995 | 1.63[27] |
2022 | October 7[28] | Phillies/Cardinals | Michael Kay | Alden Gonzalez | Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series | 3.12 | |
2023[29] | October 3 | Rangers/Rays | Sean McDonough | Jessica Mendoza and Tim Kurkjian | Coley Harvey | Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series | 2.21 |
October 4 | Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series | 2.24[30] |
Notes
- ^α Al Michaels,[31] who was the lead play-by-play announcer for ABC's Major League Baseball coverage in the 1980s and their brief return to the sport from 1994 to 1995, would join in on the broadcast via FaceTime during the fourth inning. Vasgersian, Rodriguez, and Olney wore special ABC Sports patches during the Sunday Night Baseball telecast on August 8, 2021. Special graphics were also used in conjunction with the standard ESPN MLB graphics.
- COVID-19 treatment. The conclusion of the game would be seen on ESPN.
Production overview
In 1965, ABC brought forth such innovations[33] like isolated instant replay, field microphones, and a separate camera for each base runner. After ABC's contract for the Game of the Week expired after a single season, NBC felt compelled to dramatically alter their own baseball coverage. So for NBC's coverage of the 1965 World Series, it featured videotaped replays, prerecorded audio analysis from key players, and enhanced animated graphics.
When ABC resumed broadcasting Major League Baseball games in 1976 after an eleven-year hiatus, they were immediately accused of having ill-prepared production crews and announcers on their Monday Night Baseball[34] telecasts. William Leggett of Sports Illustrated would in particular, note[35] that ABC seemed to try to hoodwink viewers with commentary that may sound insightful, but was often dead wrong, and with fancy camera work that was frequently used at inappropriate times during the action. Leggett also criticized ABC for far too often losing batted balls and base runners from view and employing split screens with the wrong men on base. Not only that, but the starting lineups were not being given at the beginning of the games.
According to James Walker, professor in the department of communication at Saint Xavier University and co-author of the book Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television, ABC brought the techniques it had perfected in its football coverage, including far more extensive use of replays, isolated cameras, and different angles. In contrast, when looking at NBC's production of the 1969 World Series, very few replays were utilized and it was a much more static broadcast than what you saw later.[36]
For their coverage of the
1980s
ABC, under the watch of director Joe Aceti, brought some innovations[39] in time for their coverage of the 1980 National League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies, such as putting the camera in the gondola in the Astrodome looking straight down on the field. For tight shots, Aceti wanted to see the face of the pitcher and the face of the batter. He didn't want them shown in a split screen but separately in a close-up. He also didn't want to shot players head to toe in a long shot, not even in a medium shot.
Chet Forte's directing performance would come under scrutiny when ABC next broadcast the World Series in 1981.[40] For one thing, ABC's replay cameras, which were placed strategically around the park, don't always catch the play. For example, ABC only showed one replay from the main feed camera of New York Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles making a diving, eighth-inning catch of Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey's liner in Game 1. ABC was also criticized for frequently showing all those players' wives cheering instead of giving viewers a wide- angle view of how the outfielders are playing the hitters.
David Remnick of the
Game 6 of the 1985 World Series[46] would become rooted in controversy when the bottom of the ninth, Jorge Orta, the leadoff batter for the Kansas City Royals, hit a slow roller to St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark, who tossed the ball to the pitcher, Todd Worrell, who was covering first base. Umpire Don Denkinger called Orta safe, even though television replays and photographs clearly showed that he was out by half a step.[47] The Royals went on to win Game 6 by the score of 2–1.[48] The first replay that ABC showed[49] was a faraway shot from high along the third base side that froze upon Worrell's catch, with Orta's foot still seemingly in the air.
NBC Sports executive producer Michael Weisman said[50] that while he thought that ABC's coverage of the 1986 League Championship Series was overall fine, he didn't think that they held on with the stories long enough. For instance, Weisman thought that ABC should have kept a camera on California Angels third-base coach Moose Stubing longer in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. Weisman thought that the camera should've followed Stubing into the dugout to see how his teammates reacted to him after he failed to give Bobby Grich a sign. Weisman also felt that ABC should have stayed with New York Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez longer after he was called out on strikes in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Houston Astros and argued vehemently with umpire Doug Harvey.
Meanwhile, Harry Coyle, NBC's coordinating producer and director of baseball also said that while he thought that ABC's 1986 LCS coverage was for the most part fine, he also said "A shot of a wife can be a great shot, if you use it once or twice a game, like in the ninth inning of a close game and the pitcher is in trouble. But to show a batter, then his wife, then the batter, then his wife, then the batter, then his wife . . . well, that's ridiculous." When asked about ABC's use of a roof camera at the Astrodome, Coyle said "If that shot is so great, why don't they sell seats up there."
In June 1987, ABC director Craig Janoff said that[51] they didn't do quite the same thing as NBC since they would go two months without doing a game that season, and then they would do the World Series[52] in October. Janoff added that baseball was the most challenging sport that he has directed for television because timing is critical. In other words, you have to think about where a fan's eyes move, and constant cutting from camera to camera is necessary.
Come the World Series in 1987, Norman Chad of the Washington Post said[53] that ABC's cameras miss nothing and offered unmatched replays.[54] Meanwhile, ABC's graphics in Chad's eyes, provided better reading than some best sellers, while the announcers knew the game and talked intelligently about it. Furthermore, Chad said that ABC's cameras always showed runs as they were scored. In contrast, NBC sometimes failed to show players crossing the plate during their coverage of the League Championship Series. And whereas ABC's announcers almost always pulled back when the Metrodome crowd went into a frenzy in Minnesota, NBC's announcers according to Chad, sometimes added to the noise (except to go silent at game's end). Chad even believed that ABC captured the quirky nature of the Metrodome better than NBC, from intriguing camera shots to Al Michaels' play-by-play.
When assessing ABC's coverage of the
Again as previously mentioned, Game 3 of 1989 World Series was scheduled to begin at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on October 17 at 5:35 PDT, ABC began its pre-game show at 5:00 PDT. When the Loma Prieta earthquake struck at approximately 5:04 PDT, Tim McCarver was narrating taped highlights of Game 2, which had been played two days prior across the Bay Bridge in Oakland. Television viewers saw the video signal begin to break up, heard McCarver repeat a sentence as the shaking distracted him, and heard Al Michaels exclaim, "I'll tell you what, we're having an earth – ." At that moment, the signal from Candlestick Park was lost.[57] The network put up a green ABC Sports "World Series" technical difficulties telop graphic[58] while it scrambled to repair the video feed (the broadcast cameras and mics were powered by the local power supply), but audio from the stadium was restored after a few seconds via a telephone link:
Al Michaels: Well, heh, I don't know if we're on the air... We are in commercial, I guess.
Jim Palmer: Yes, yes, we hear you.
Tim McCarver: I guess...
Michaels: I don't hear a thing.
McCarver: I guess Dave Parker...
Michaels: Well, heh, I don't know if we're on the air or not, and I'm not sure I care at this particular moment but we are. Well, folks, that's the greatest open in the history of television! Bar none!
McCarver: Started with a bang!
Michaels: Yes, it certainly did! Heh! We're still here! Heh! We are still, as we can tell, on the air, and I guess you are hearing us, even though we have no picture and no return audio, and we will be back, we hope, from San Francisco, in just a moment.[59]
The combined screams of excitement and panic from fans who had no idea of the devastation elsewhere could be heard in the background.
1995
Jerry Trecker of the
Trecker did, however, point out that times, the broadcasters seemed to be ahead of the production people, especially when they wanted to talk about
For the 1995 World Series,[63] ABC and NBC shared 17 cameras and 13 tape machines, two of the "Super Slo-Mo" variety.
Major League Baseball coverage on ABC's owned-and-operated television stations
Team | Stations | Years |
Brooklyn Dodgers | WABC-TV 7 | August 17, 1953-October 1, 1953 |
Chicago Cubs | WLS-TV 7 | 2015–2019 |
Houston Astros | KTRK-TV 13 | 1962-1972 |
Philadelphia Athletics | WFIL-TV 6 (later WPVI)
|
1949-1954 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 1959-1970 |
Historically, KTRK was the original television home of the Houston Astros, from the team's inaugural season in 1962 until 1971; however, the station only aired the team's Sunday afternoon road games. It also broadcast any Astros games that were part of ABC's broadcast contract with Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1989.
On December 12, 2014, WLS-TV signed a new five-year broadcast agreement with the
Announcers
References
- Inline citations
- ^ Sarni, Jim (October 7, 1988). "ABC Is Good Or Bad, Depending On Series". Sun Sentinel.
- ^ "1989 World Series". Turner Classic Movies.
- YouTube
- YouTube
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- ISBN 978-0803248250.
- ISBN 9781613216798.
- ^ Reichler, Joe (September 29, 1959). "Dodgers Confident of National Flag". Times Daily. Associated Press. p. 5.
- ^ Lowry, Cynthia (September 29, 1959). "Crosby Sings Plenty". Kentucky New Era. Associated Press. p. 18.
- ^ United Press International (September 30, 1959). "Vet, Rookie Combine for LA Playoff Win". The Modesto Bee. p. C10.
- ^ Jay, Robert (June 5, 2015). "A Year in TV Guide: June 5th, 1965". Television Obscurities.
- ^ "NBC splits MLB Rights". NBC Sports History Page.
- ^ "Major league baseball will once again be televised by..." UPI. March 4, 1981.
- ^ Copyright Royalty Fees for Cable Systems: Hearings Before the Subcommittee ... October 19, 1983. p. 703.
- ^ Warner, Rick (November 12, 1988). "It's 'Let's Make a Deal' time for networks, cable". Gadsden Times. Associated Press. p. B5.
- ^ "ABC 'Baseball Night' takes ratings beating". USA Today. July 19, 1995. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
- ^ Shapario, Leonard (October 18, 1995). "CBS DENIES REPORT OF BROADCAST DEAL". The Washington Post.
- ^ Fisher, Eric (September 28, 2020). "MLB to be seen on ABC for first time since 1995". SportsBusiness.
- ^ Pederson, Erik (July 7, 2021). "ABC To Air ESPN's 'Sunday Night Baseball' For First Time". Deadline.
- ^ "ESPN, MLB announce seven-year extension running through 2028". ESPN.com. May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ "MLB, ESPN extend deal through 2028". MLB.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (October 5, 2022). "Baseball Sets TV Schedule For First-Ever Wild Card Round". Deadline. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- ^ Lucia, Joe (October 6, 2020). "MLB Wild Card round averages 1.609 million viewers across 18 games". Awful Announcing.
- ^ Lucia, Joe (October 4, 2022). "ESPN announces broadcast teams for 2022 MLB Wild Card round". Awful Announcing. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- ^ "Ratings: Olympics wrap, MLB-ABC, racing, golf". August 11, 2021.
- ^ Lewis, Errol (October 3, 2022). "'General Hospital' To Be Preempted For Major League Baseball Wild Card Game Coverage". Soap Opera Network. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- ^ Snyder, Matt (October 1, 2023). "'2023 MLB playoffs schedule: Game times, TV channels, postseason dates with Wild Card Series matchups set". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ Lewis, Jon (October 10, 2023). "Weekly ratings: Cowboys-49ers, Red River Rivalry and more". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Rigdon, Jay (August 8, 2021). "The best moments from Al Michaels' Sunday Night Baseball appearance on ABC". Awful Announcing.
- ^ Bucholtz, Andrew (October 2, 2020). "ABC punted Marlins-Cubs to ESPN in the middle of the ninth for coverage of President Trump being taken to hospital". Awful Announcing.
- ISBN 978-0803248250.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Dow, Bill (June 27, 2016). "40 years ago, Mark (The Bird) Fidrych was 'some kind of unbelievable'". Detroit Free Press.
- ^ Leggett, Williams (May 10, 1976). "ABC HAS THE MONDAY BLAHS". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Wilkerson, David B. (October 24, 2012). "TV's 10 highest-rated World Series games". Market Watch.
- ^ Cohen Hagerstown, Steven (April 12, 2020). "Sports Memories: 'Sports writers' witness World Series". The Journal.
- Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Goldstein, Richard (October 10, 2011). "Joe Aceti, Director Who Shaped TV Sports, Dies at 76". The New York Times.
- Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Deford, Frank (August 8, 1983). "'I've Won. I've Beat Them'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Berk, Josh. "October 11, 1983: Phillies take World Series opener from Orioles in pitchers' duel". SABR.
- Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Anderson, Dave (June 28, 1983). "Sports of the Times; Weaver Remains an Old Oriole". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Chass, Murray (October 29, 1985). "Royals Inspired at Right Time". The New York Times.
- ^ "WS1985 Gm6: Denkinger calls Orta safe at first base". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ Royals win to force Series into 7th game
- ^ Greene, Dan (October 26, 1985). "After The Call". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Stewart, Larry (October 17, 1986). "There's a Game Behind the Cameras, Too". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Harasta, Cathy (June 5, 1987). "Baseball Proves As Tough to Show As It is to Play". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ISBN 9781633199866.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Newhan, Ross (October 27, 1987). "Baseball / Ross Newhan: Bad Umpiring Hurts Twins and Cardinals". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Nidetz, Steve (October 11, 1988). "ABC Deserves Kudos for NL Show But Barbs for AL Coverage". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Sarni, Jim (October 7, 1988). "ABC Is Good Or Bad, Depending On Series". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ News report on MLB.COM, 1:50 minutes in. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
- ^ Keown, Tim (October 16, 2014). "When the earth moved the Series". ESPN. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "ABC 1989 World Series Game 3 Earthquake". YouTube.
- ^ "Earthquake". Time. Monday, October 30, 1989. Ed Magnuson. p. 3. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ Kent, Milton (July 11, 1995). "Gowdy Jr., behind scenes, provides All-Star touch". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- Seattle, Washington. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Kent, Milton (October 20, 1995). "NBC and ABC split Series, throwing fans a changeup". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Robert Channick (November 6, 2013). "Cubs exercise option to end WGN-TV contract after next season". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ Robert Channick (December 12, 2014). "It's official: WLS-Ch. 7 to air 25 Cubs games". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
- ^ "Cubs reach deal with WGN-TV for remaining 45 broadcasts". Chicago Business Journal. American City Business Journals. January 7, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
- ^ Ed Sherman (February 19, 2015). "White Sox add WPWR-Ch. 50 to station rotation". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
- Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-397-01233-6.
- Walker, James R.; Bellamy, Robert V. (2008). Center field shot: a history of baseball on television. Omaha, Ne.: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0803248250.