Complaint to the BTN
I have been stewing about the BTN's epic fails to return back to coverage of the Michigan-UMass game after the in-game updates and other stupid sh-t. The only outlet for my anger is to send a complaint letter to the BTN. In preparing to do so, I though others might be interested in lodging complaints too since I'm not the only one paying good money for the BTN (not exorbitant money, but all money is "good" money).
If you all are interested in sending a similar complaint, below is some helpful links and information you can simply cut-and-paste into the website form. If you see any necessary changes or ways I can beef up my message please do not hesitate to let me know. If anyone has any other ways to get in contact with the BTN, please share.
I am using the following link to submit my complaint online: http://www.bigtennetwork.com/dpp/about_us/contact-us
At that page, it prompts me to enter the following information. I've taken the liberty of filling in the blank on some of these for your ease in sending complaints as well:
Category - TV Live Event
Subject - Football
Issue - Technical (Audio/Video)
First Name - ____________
Last Name - _____________
Email - ______________
Zip Code - ______________
Cable Satellite Provider - _______________
Favorite Big Ten School - Michigan
Comments/Questions -
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing in regards to the BTN's live coverage of Michigan football games. Please refrain, cease, and decist from using of regular cutaways from action on the field for things like in-game updates and advertising except during clear-cut stoppages of play when Michigan has the ball. As you likely know, Michigan runs a "hurry-up" offense and the majority of viewers do not want to miss any plays on the field. Thank you in advance for your compliance.
Sincerely,
_________________
September 23rd, 2010 at 4:42 PM ^
Ro-tel sucks
no matter how much Velveeta you mix in.
September 23rd, 2010 at 4:52 PM ^
Even my wife, who does all she can to avoid watching the games, asked why the advertise Ro-Tel/Velveeta all the time. I could only laugh. How does one respond to that?
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:31 PM ^
Isn't Queso just cheese? If you put that Rotel into it, isn't it just cheese + Rotel = crap and not Queso? Is Velveeta even cheese? Isn't it some amorphous cheese flavored goo?
September 23rd, 2010 at 10:30 PM ^
Queso does translate to cheese. Howevah, if you have ever ate queso dip you would understand that it is so much greater than cheese. Cheese plus peppers plus tomatoes equals pure heaven (perhaps even 100% pure Columbian awesome).
September 24th, 2010 at 4:49 AM ^
Velveeta is "cheese product." The most American of foods.
September 23rd, 2010 at 8:59 PM ^
Ro-Tel sounds like something you would put in your car or lawnmower.
September 23rd, 2010 at 4:43 PM ^
The way your post looks, reading this on my bbery, I thought that you signed your letter:
Sincerely,
I am #1 prostitute in all of Kazakhstan. High five!
That would have been awesome.
By the way, I agree with your letter.
September 23rd, 2010 at 4:43 PM ^
I think the camera man needs a "follow the ball" lesson also.
September 23rd, 2010 at 4:44 PM ^
I doubt this is going to do much, but it's worth a try I guess.
Something I may add if I were you is to have the commentators actually know what they are talking about. I remember hearing them talk about Michigan having a +2 TO ratio (or something very close) up to that point in the season during the UMass game which was incorrect (it was more like a +4 or something,but I may be mistaken). I think they also said something about Denard having thrown an interception before his first one during that game as well, although again I may be mistaken. Either way, for being the BIG TEN NETWORK, these people rarely know what they are talking about.
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:02 PM ^
I'm sure it won't have any effect but I've got to do something to vent before my head explodes, right?
September 23rd, 2010 at 4:46 PM ^
Dear Big Ten Network,
My sources tell me gerry dinardo is transferring to ESPN.
-Hail2theVict0r
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Big Ten Network,
I apologize for making that up.
-Hail2theVict0r
September 23rd, 2010 at 4:48 PM ^
What's-her-nuts (Melanie?) didn't even apologize. She kept telling everyone to "get lives" and denied she made a mistake.
September 23rd, 2010 at 7:01 PM ^
so the Big Ten Network had to apologize for her... I would've made her apologize.. something along the lines of "your job depends on it" sort of thing... or at least reprimanded her. I find her lack of apolgies disturbing
September 23rd, 2010 at 4:57 PM ^
Minus the Magic tricks
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:06 PM ^
...a magic trick?
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:06 PM ^
Barbasol: Close shave America, close shave Barbasol.
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:22 PM ^
Ro-Tel + Barbasol < Ro-Tel + Velveeta
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:33 PM ^
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:47 PM ^
Dear BTN,
Thank you for provided thousands of hours of college sports content, and allowing me to watch those meaningless games between my beloved Michigan and the FCS patsies they schedule. I would never have had the chance to watch something like that even 4 years ago. Your product has really changed my life in a positive way.
Thanks,
FA
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:59 PM ^
logged in just to say, this this this this this
September 23rd, 2010 at 6:01 PM ^
Point taken. However, if you're gonna do it, do it right. We need to demand excellence of the BTN, because their broadcasts are more on a MAC level.
September 23rd, 2010 at 6:15 PM ^
I'm sure they're content with just offering the ability of watching these games and doing a shitty job broadcasting. I would actually bet that they go out of their way to hire idiots and make the broadcast as bad as possible.
/s
Just b/c they offer a service that no one else does doesn't mean they don't care about the satisfaction of their customer. I don't think the cameraman following the ball is too much to ask for.
September 23rd, 2010 at 8:50 PM ^
it's not like they are providing a public service. Paying customers have every right to demand quality services. If it were PBS providing this level of quality, then your point would be better
September 23rd, 2010 at 5:50 PM ^
September 23rd, 2010 at 6:10 PM ^
I do enjoy when they announce tackles by "John Mouton" and "Chris Roh" and also when "troy Lewan" is playing OL.
September 24th, 2010 at 8:35 AM ^
Troy WOOLFORK, although that may have been ABC. It took them three quarters to get it right, then the next week I heard it again. Morons.
September 23rd, 2010 at 6:19 PM ^
The BTN is horrible. I'm glad the conference is making bank off it, but the overall quality of their game broadcasts is atrocious. I understand that Denard is made of dilithium, but it shouldn't be too hard for a cameraman with a semi-aerial view to spot a play fake. And if I cared enough about the Nebraska-Washington game on ESPN to miss parts of Michigan-UMass, then I would be watching ESPN instead of watching BTN blow off an entire play to finish up an in-game update.
Also, this has nothing to do with BTN per se, but "Ro-Tel" is the worst possible name for a food product. It sounds like a state-owned phone company in a former communist country, not a brand of salsa.
September 23rd, 2010 at 6:26 PM ^
They could also probably stop sending their broadcast teams to what ever training program it is that encourages them end every sentence with "partner".
A: Robinson on the carry up the left side. That was a nice carry, huh partner?
B: No doubt, partner.
A: Michigan has really moved the ball well today, right partner?
B: This Robinson kid really runs well, partner.
It appears, for some ridiculous reason, that it makes no difference who A and B are.
September 23rd, 2010 at 8:17 PM ^
They probably had a bet going to see who could say "partner" the most times.
September 23rd, 2010 at 7:08 PM ^
Gerry di Nardo was a guest on a sports radio show earlier this week, and was much more candid than he was on btn. the host asked him what he thought about Michigan, and his response (i am paraphrasing here) was, "Yea, Michigan has a 'cute' offense, a 'cute' quarterback, and runs 'cute' plays, but they won't be Michigan again until they have a defense." i was surprised by the bluntness of his comments, if not by the content of them.
September 24th, 2010 at 4:59 AM ^
Interesting. Does anyone else feel that TV sports personalities would be a million times better if they regularly displayed this kind of candor? It seems like every time we get an "opinion" from some sports analyst on TV, it's watered down, politically correct, yet still SHOUTED VERY LOUDLY. Rarely does anyone break from the conventional wisdom.
September 23rd, 2010 at 7:55 PM ^
Thank you for doing this. I encourage everyone to lodge a complaint. Bottom line, big ten networks coverage is terrible and their commentators are ill prepared. Please take the time to fill this out. Its about time someone got this ball rolling.
September 23rd, 2010 at 8:40 PM ^
Eh, they're much worse than ESPN. Other than that, I haven't been very impressed with other network's coverage either.
September 23rd, 2010 at 7:59 PM ^
I go to the games and I still miss half the plays because all I see is a blur and then suddenly everything stops and the ball is further down the field than it was before. It's really bizarre. The last time something weird like that happened was when I complained to ABC that my coverage was coming in slo-mo all the time. Something about people wearing #16 they said, does weird things to coverage of games.
September 23rd, 2010 at 9:43 PM ^
NO MATTER HOW MANY YARDS DENARD RUSHES FOR!!!!!!!!!!!
September 23rd, 2010 at 9:44 PM ^
was worth the point I just gave up. Now I'm one point further away from the free Denard jersey. Thanks asshole
September 23rd, 2010 at 10:18 PM ^
September 23rd, 2010 at 9:52 PM ^
I also had the problem of the feed constantly going black for 5 seconds once every two minutes, but I think that was my cable provider.