There was only one segment in the Open of tonight’s telecast because the first pitch was scheduled at 7:07.
When we are televising from our home ballpark, the first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 (on a night game) and this allows the TV production team three segments to set up the telecast. The starting times for the games are determined by the home club.
Having only one segment to “set up” the telecast can be challenging for the Producer. The opening segment of the telecast sets up the tempo for the show. The Producer presents the theme(s) of the telecast in the Open and a good balance of information presented here is necessary in establishing the flow leading into the game. Too much information can make for haphazard segment and too little information can make for a boring segment.
The Producer, when developing the central themes of the telecast, takes into account the “timing” in this presentation. Coming out of the first commercial break and before the first pitch, there are sponsored elements that must air. These include opening billboards, (show sponsors) the batting orders, the statistics of the starting pitcher and the defense. If the standup segment goes too long, these “sold” features may be rushed. Thus, the flow of the show affects the quality of the telecast. A good pace in the standup leads to a good pace leading up to the first pitch and helps set the standard for the flow of the show.
Here are the themes established in tonight's Open segment:
There is a very good possibility that the team we cover will make the playoffs this season as the magic number for clinching the division is 7 and they have 13 games to play. So, for the past few telecasts, a running theme has been established concerning this post season possibility. This club has two starting pitchers who have performed very well and, therefore, will be the first 2 starters in the postseason rotation. Who will be the number 3 starter for the club in the playoffs?
One of the candidates for the number three postseason starting position was on the mound tonight. What kind of performance could we expect from this pitcher tonight? Video of this pitcher and a graphic showing the season statistics of the three candidates for the #3 postseason aired in this segment.
The team’s closer has been shut down for the rest of the season due to injury. How would the bullpen respond? A graphic was displayed showing the National League ranking of this bullpen in different statistical categories.
One of the hottest hitters on the club was returning to the starting lineup after being out of the starting lineup the night before. This player was showcased in our “coming up” video that leads into the first commercial position.
There was a good balance in our Open tonight and we established a comfortable pace as the game began.
Each of these themes played out during the game.
The starting pitcher pitched six strong innings and earned the win. Three members of the bullpen each pitched a scoreless inning and the player returning to the starting lineup went 2 – 5, scored a run, and had an RBI.
The flow of a telecast can be affected by whether or not the Open “themes” are played out during the game. When these themes do play out, there is a carry over of the story line and, therefore, a continuation of the nice pace set up by the Open. If, however, the established themes do not follow through during the game/telecast, the flow of the show can be affected.
There was an excellent pace to the standup segment tonight. The themes presented in this segment all played out during the telecast.
Tonight’s telecast: A good flow and a good show.