Ask Lance! My Replies to Many of Your Questions

I received a tremendous amount of feedback from our first high school football broadcast of the 2010 season.  I thought this might be the best forum to answer and respond to your comments and questions. 

I really thank all of you who took the time to write, email, or tweet us.  Your response is what fueled this entire ambitious project to begin with.

So let's get started:

Will there be a live feed via internet like last years playoffs? That was great for me because I have Dish Network, so I don't have any cable to pick up the games. Thanks!

James Wood

Yes.  You can watch the games live online at news25.us.  CLICK HERE for the link.

Subject: Live high school football on tv

Hi, I just wanted to say thanks for coming to Henderson County and broadcasting the football game on Friday night. I was at the game, but I used the DVR at home so I could watch it later. I talked to a few of your crew members working on the game and they couldn't have been any nicer. When I watched the game on the DVR I was really pleased with the quality of the coverage with the multiple cameras being used. You also had a good team calling the game. At halftime I would have liked to have seen a few of the quality defensive plays covered along with the offensive ones. I hope you keep doing this and I also hope that you come back to Henderson to do another game this year. You guys should really pat yourselves on the back.

Sincerely,

Kevin Wilke

Thanks Kevin.  I agree about the defensive plays.  We will try to work in more defensive replays in the future.

Lance,

First I want to thank you guys are televising the football games. My elderly father can't get to the games anymore and this works great for him.

On the "let us know what you think" suggestions, I have a couple.

I like the instant replay, that really adds to the game, but the beginning and ending bug (HTF graphics) got to be too much after the fifth or sixth replay. Sometimes the graphics lasted as long as the replay. Shortening or eliminating either the beginning or the ending graphic will help keep it from being annoying.

The other thing I notice was the close up camera most always missed the action. If your using two cameras, then please think about using the close up shot for replays. There was only one or two plays where this angle had all of the action and most of the time the cameraman couldn't follow the ball (even if he/she could follow the ball, it's too tight to get a sense of what is happening around the ball). At one point a long run was called back but the shot was so tight no one watching the game knew there was a penalty and on the replay you guys were guessing where the penalty occurred.

As I said in the beginning, I think it's great channel 25 is televising the games. Please take these comments as suggestions to improve your telecast.

Thanks,

Richard Hicks
Evansville

Thanks for all of the feedback Richard.  The replay wipe graphic was finished the day of the game.  I think it looks really sharp, but it was too long.  It will be shortened from now on.  We use it to differentiate between live action & replays.

No question that we will have obstacles to overcome.  Our camera people will get better and better every week.

Your Name: darren west
Subject: Reitz #66

Message: Hey Lance great job on the broadcast of the Reitz/HC game friday night. TV 25 is the best at covering HS football. Just to let you know Brandon Kemp has changed his # this year to #66. I noticed on the broadcast the other night you guys refered to the middle LB for reitz as Chris Barrnett. It was really Brandon, he had to change his # this year from 47 because of also playing offensive guard during all of the injuries the Panthers have. Just for future referances. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK

Thanks so much for pointing that out!  We knew there was a lot of sickness and injuries and I was guessing that Brandon was one of them.  I have already changed my chart for this weekend.  Thanks again.

Your Name: david montgomery
Subject: reitz game

Message: Will the sports channel be replaying any of the games you are brodcasting at later dates ?  I was at the Henderson game and would like to watch your take on things. Six starters out(and a fine clock operator) were hard to overcome.Thanks!

DAVID MONTGOMERY

I am still waiting on word from my boss about replays and the possibilities of purchasing a DVD.  I will let everyone know as soon as I hear an official word.

Lance, Great job with the Reitz/Henderson game.  I watched both your game and Channel 14's game and there was no comparison.  You guys were so much better.  Keep up the great work, and hats off to TV25!

Kevin Curtis

Thanks Kevin for the kind words.  I focus on our viewers and serve them the best way I know how.  Quite honestly I do not give any thought to what the other TV stations are doing.  I wish them the best.

Lance,

Thanks for your efforts and the week 2 switch.
May I make a couple constructive comments:

Possible to have a game clock visible all the time and more info on down and yards to go?

More important, and no offense to the camera guys, but pass plays seemed to be zoomed in on instead of zooming out.
As result, we saw more of the ball in the air and not where it was going till almost too late. But hey, it was the first game and I really enjoyed it.  BGRocker

We will not have the game clock visible all of the time, but starting this week we will have a camera locked down on the scoreboard at all times.  That way the director can pop it up more often.  We also did that in last year's playoff games.  As I mentioned before, our camera people will get better every week.

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The rest of the comments are very nice feedback.  These mean a whole lot.  I shared them with our entire staff.  Thanks again to everyone who took the time.

Lance

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Just wanted to let you guys know I watched this game at news25.us and greatly enjoyed and appreciated the coverage.

Thanks,
Wayne Griffin

Jean Fisher (jean.fisher20@yahoo.com) has sent you an item from http://www.news25.us.

I am glad you are showing the highschool football games A lot of people can not attend this will give them the opportunity to watch on TV. I am a 1977 Reitz Graduate and I am really proud of Reitz High School my we have had a lot of relatives Graduate from Reitz. Grandkids will soon go to Reitz Always a West Sider

This is great!
Those live high school games!
The answer is memorial for two straight trips to the State Finals.
Thanks,Tom Wilson

Lance,

I'm looking forward to the your "sports channel" this year.  Thanks for all you do for the local high school sports.  Keep up the good work.

Lowell T. Clark

Great job on the broadcast of the game.  You can tell how much you like football!  Thanks, Richard

Subject: Reitz vs Henderson Co game....

Thanks for bringing us the Reitz vs Henderson Co game..It is great and we really appreciate being able to see the game..Looking forward to future games..I have just one request...PLEASE  not so much with the graphics every 5 seconds...I had to turn my head away it was giving me and my friends a headache......we know it was 25 Sports bringing it to us.......................Jerry Evans and friends!!!!!!!

Lance,

Good job with your all’s effort with the football game. I look forward to working with you during USI’s basketball season.

Dave Black

Your Name: Mike Stuckey

Subject: Coverage
Message: Lance, Great job, glad to see you guys have your Hometeam Friday show going and really glad to see you all come up with your 24hr sports channel and carrying games. You guys do a super job. Very nice production, the quality is way above what you expect from a "local" station to do. Congrats on the good work.

Your Name: Jon

You guys did an awesome job this weekend.  The instant playback of video was great too.  Nice job.

Grasok

@NEWS25lancewilk great first show Lance. I sure wish Union County would have showed up. Maybe Mater Dei is just that good. Got some kinks.

JakesDTVBlog

 @NEWS25lancewilk All of it was awesome!

jhcards

wow 17 games!!! can't imagine how you'll be able to beat that @NEWS25lancewilk and that's W/out the IL schools since no games till next week

Lance,

This is great for siac football. The siac is making a comeback. Castle I think with time is building a powerhouse program like they had back in the Lidy days. Mater Dei and Reitz have always had great programs, but other programs like Memorial and maybe Bosse are coming up. The fact you are doing some tv games, I think can help elevate siac football. I know back in the 90's the games came on late in the night, that way you could play then go home and watch the game. I think its even cooler that they are live!

I don't know if I'm the only person who feels this way, but I think siac football is stepping up its game. A lot of balance in the conference this year with Mater Dei, Central, Bosse and Memorial etc...

Just want to say thanks for all you do!

Westside Club

Thanks Lance for all that you and Channel 25 do for Reitz and area high school football!

Big Blue Fan

I am really glad to see that the Reitz-Owensboro game will be on TV.   Good luck to the Panthers!

Meabull

Very happy for everything you do, Lance.

Foghorn