Announcers saying MPH

WheelsUp · 06-09-2010, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

I agree,Danny.
When I was at Edgewater, I used to announced the Friday night T&T sometimes.
Most of the time , I would just say " left lane gets there first with a 12.91 @ 103" no matter what the tenths are or "right at 104 miles an hour".
I figured anybody who really cares what the tenths were could see it on the boards or the time slip, if they really had to know. Otherwise, all those number are boring to most folks in the stands.

Dead on.

BobUnkefer · 06-09-2010, 12:36 PM

"To Miles Per Hour or not, that is the question........"

Announcing a race demands many variables be accounted for. Bracket race, divisional, or national and to an extent what day it is...... yes really.

At a bracket race or division race that has a light spectator turnout, your audience is the racers themselves, there you can roll through the numbers and call out "10.56 @ 124 for Joe Bob to get the win in the right lane." simple and quick right?, but you have to identify the driver, not just left or right lane.... because the majority of your audience is seeing the race through your eyes while they're working on their car or helping a buddy back in the pits. they are spectating via the words the announcer says, not sitting in a bleacher watching.
At a national event (or any race with a high spectator count, i.e. Norwalk's divisional a few weeks back) your parameters change. Now you are not only announcing to the racers themselves, now you have to account for John Q Public that 'may not' be as aware of what the numbers mean as a racers does. Now saying miles an hour becomes a little more critical in trying to provide the paying spectator with knowledge and understanding of what they are actually seeing.
What day it is????? A national event crowd on Friday is in many ways different from the crowd that shows up on Sunday. Friday;s crowd will be more attuned to the sport, the hard core fans if you will, while the Sunday audience consists of the casual fans drawn in by the TV or Radio ad or maybe they won or were given some tickets..... and as an announcer your job is to recognize that difference and be able to entertain both the casual as well as the hard core fan.
Being able to please both at the same time is hard, as evidenced by the conversations on this thread. Frey and Alan do it well, Leo & Lewis can handle it to, I like to think that I was included in that group when I was part of the tour.
It's TOUGH to please everyone all the time and as a racer we tend to be hard critics when we are back in the pits trying to get ready for the next round yet wanting to hear how the guy pitted next to us just did in his car..... you get the idea. I've been on both sides of the coin.... announcing just about every type of race there is, but I've also been the racer back in the pits, trying to keep up with what's happening via the announcer.
If you stop and think about it, an announcer has to describe the same thing hundreds of times in a weekend race, in as many different & entertaining ways as possible.

Miles per hour or not, just give me an announcer that can paint the picture with his words so that we can "see" the race by what he says, whether we're watching or not, that's an announcer that's doing his or her job.

But hey, that's just my .02,

Unk

Ed Wright · 06-09-2010, 12:48 PM

Seems like a strange thing to be obsessed about.

Jack Matyas · 06-09-2010, 12:49 PM

Unk --Shouldn't you be getting on a plane or something instead of being on here typing ............see you soon .

BobUnkefer · 06-09-2010, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Matyas

Unk --Shouldn't you be getting on a plane or something instead of being on here typing ............see you soon .

Not racing...damn it....don't have to be there until Friday morning. Get in tomorrow night. See ya Friday.

Unk

shouldn't you be out taking picture of everyone in the rain or sumthin? :-)

hookdaddy · 06-09-2010, 02:11 PM

Wow

Michael Beard · 06-09-2010, 02:26 PM

Dead-on, Unk!

While we are all interested in the on-track data, it's not *just* about the numbers, but the people, personalities, and tidbits that people may not know. It's great to hear comments like, "You made Super Comp interesting. That's the first time I've ever really paid attention to them!"

I like to keep in mind those folks listening over the PA or the radio broadcast that can't see the scoreboards. Just like broadcasting a baseball game over the radio, listeners should be able to get a clear picture of what's going on without having to see it.

One of the toughest things about being in the booth is trying not to repeat a given phrase too many times. When you're describing hundreds of runs, it's inevitable that you'll fall back on some phrase. It probably annoys the announcer himself before it does the listeners.

I love announcing. Just love driving more. But, since I can't compete at the bracket finals this year, I've already got one event penciled in to be the announcer. Can't wait!

Mike Bassin · 06-09-2010, 05:13 PM

Don't know where to start with this one. Unk and Mike Beard have this right. My announcing started way back before scoreboards and timing systems gave you nothing but e.t. and mph. Now there is plenty of info to work with starting with your own knowledge of the class, the drivers and the cars plus what is on the announcers screen, incrementals, reaction times, margin of victory, last qualifying run e.t.etc. Though the fans can see the scoreboard numbers, many are in the pits and can't see them so you need to paint a picture of the run. There is so much stuff there it should never be boring for the occasional or hard core fans or racers and crewmembers. You want to stay out of a rut and switch around how you tell the story of all the runs during the day. The one thing I think is most important to do when you have the mike in your hand is to describe how close so many of these runs are. Many are .01 margin of victory or less and often both drivers have very good packages, I like to give credit to the winner but also let everyone know the loser drove well also. When someone is late, I'm not going to announce how late it was, everyone can see it, brake lights on near the finish etc. About the miles per hour thing, usually I call it like this, Bill dialed 6.70 and ran 6.71 at 101 with an .017 light and takes the win, Jim was dead on the dial, he went 5.90 at 115 with an .030, another close drag race. Always want to be as complimentary as possible with racers, I've done enough racing to know how hard it is to win. Rambling on here a bit, we don't have scoreborads at our track yet.... maybe soon.... you do have to work harder when annoucing without them! And yes I agree with most everyone else here. Lewis Bloom is a real pro, worked with many times, Bob Frey and Alan Rhinehart are excellent as well.

06-09-2010, 12:36 PM	#2
BobUnkefer Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 465 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Announcers saying MPH "To Miles Per Hour or not, that is the question........" Announcing a race demands many variables be accounted for. Bracket race, divisional, or national and to an extent what day it is...... yes really. At a bracket race or division race that has a light spectator turnout, your audience is the racers themselves, there you can roll through the numbers and call out "10.56 @ 124 for Joe Bob to get the win in the right lane." simple and quick right?, but you have to identify the driver, not just left or right lane.... because the majority of your audience is seeing the race through your eyes while they're working on their car or helping a buddy back in the pits. they are spectating via the words the announcer says, not sitting in a bleacher watching. At a national event (or any race with a high spectator count, i.e. Norwalk's divisional a few weeks back) your parameters change. Now you are not only announcing to the racers themselves, now you have to account for John Q Public that 'may not' be as aware of what the numbers mean as a racers does. Now saying miles an hour becomes a little more critical in trying to provide the paying spectator with knowledge and understanding of what they are actually seeing. What day it is????? A national event crowd on Friday is in many ways different from the crowd that shows up on Sunday. Friday;s crowd will be more attuned to the sport, the hard core fans if you will, while the Sunday audience consists of the casual fans drawn in by the TV or Radio ad or maybe they won or were given some tickets..... and as an announcer your job is to recognize that difference and be able to entertain both the casual as well as the hard core fan. Being able to please both at the same time is hard, as evidenced by the conversations on this thread. Frey and Alan do it well, Leo & Lewis can handle it to, I like to think that I was included in that group when I was part of the tour. It's TOUGH to please everyone all the time and as a racer we tend to be hard critics when we are back in the pits trying to get ready for the next round yet wanting to hear how the guy pitted next to us just did in his car..... you get the idea. I've been on both sides of the coin.... announcing just about every type of race there is, but I've also been the racer back in the pits, trying to keep up with what's happening via the announcer. If you stop and think about it, an announcer has to describe the same thing hundreds of times in a weekend race, in as many different & entertaining ways as possible. Miles per hour or not, just give me an announcer that can paint the picture with his words so that we can "see" the race by what he says, whether we're watching or not, that's an announcer that's doing his or her job. But hey, that's just my .02, Unk __________________ Bob Unkefer 4409 STK Last edited by BobUnkefer; 06-09-2010 at 12:44 PM.

06-09-2010, 12:48 PM	#3
Ed Wright Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sand Springs, OK Posts: 8,132 Likes: 896 Liked 390 Times in 170 Posts	Re: Announcers saying MPH Seems like a strange thing to be obsessed about. __________________ Ed Wright 4156 SS/JA

06-09-2010, 12:49 PM	#4
Jack Matyas Live Reporter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Bethlehem , PA -Christmas City , USA Posts: 4,930 Likes: 406 Liked 2,051 Times in 399 Posts	Re: Announcers saying MPH Unk --Shouldn't you be getting on a plane or something instead of being on here typing ............see you soon . __________________ Jack Matyas 1547 FS/C 2015 Camaro COPO # 62- 2012 Camaro Convertible COPO

06-09-2010, 02:11 PM	#6
hookdaddy Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ocala Florida Posts: 254 Likes: 0 Liked 8 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Announcers saying MPH Wow __________________ Don Scholl d.scholl@comcast.net 145Y Stock - 145H Super Comp

06-09-2010, 02:26 PM	#7
Michael Beard VIP Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 4,060 Likes: 0 Liked 13 Times in 9 Posts	Re: Announcers saying MPH Dead-on, Unk! While we are all interested in the on-track data, it's not just about the numbers, but the people, personalities, and tidbits that people may not know. It's great to hear comments like, "You made Super Comp interesting. That's the first time I've ever really paid attention to them!" I like to keep in mind those folks listening over the PA or the radio broadcast that can't see the scoreboards. Just like broadcasting a baseball game over the radio, listeners should be able to get a clear picture of what's going on without having to see it. One of the toughest things about being in the booth is trying not to repeat a given phrase too many times. When you're describing hundreds of runs, it's inevitable that you'll fall back on some phrase. It probably annoys the announcer himself before it does the listeners. I love announcing. Just love driving more. But, since I can't compete at the bracket finals this year, I've already got one event penciled in to be the announcer. Can't wait! __________________ Michael Beard - NHRA/IHRA 3216 S/SS

06-09-2010, 05:13 PM	#8
Mike Bassin Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: East Berlin PA Posts: 134 Likes: 0 Liked 120 Times in 19 Posts	Re: Announcers saying MPH Don't know where to start with this one. Unk and Mike Beard have this right. My announcing started way back before scoreboards and timing systems gave you nothing but e.t. and mph. Now there is plenty of info to work with starting with your own knowledge of the class, the drivers and the cars plus what is on the announcers screen, incrementals, reaction times, margin of victory, last qualifying run e.t.etc. Though the fans can see the scoreboard numbers, many are in the pits and can't see them so you need to paint a picture of the run. There is so much stuff there it should never be boring for the occasional or hard core fans or racers and crewmembers. You want to stay out of a rut and switch around how you tell the story of all the runs during the day. The one thing I think is most important to do when you have the mike in your hand is to describe how close so many of these runs are. Many are .01 margin of victory or less and often both drivers have very good packages, I like to give credit to the winner but also let everyone know the loser drove well also. When someone is late, I'm not going to announce how late it was, everyone can see it, brake lights on near the finish etc. About the miles per hour thing, usually I call it like this, Bill dialed 6.70 and ran 6.71 at 101 with an .017 light and takes the win, Jim was dead on the dial, he went 5.90 at 115 with an .030, another close drag race. Always want to be as complimentary as possible with racers, I've done enough racing to know how hard it is to win. Rambling on here a bit, we don't have scoreborads at our track yet.... maybe soon.... you do have to work harder when annoucing without them! And yes I agree with most everyone else here. Lewis Bloom is a real pro, worked with many times, Bob Frey and Alan Rhinehart are excellent as well.