As the Sports Director at RCN TV, I certainly am a bit biased toward what is the really important programming on RCN TV. As a matter of fact, I am tremendously biased. However, when I was teaching school, I had many lessons that would promote just the opposite. I wanted my students to be tolerant. I wanted that they not to prejudge before gathering all the facts. I wanted them to forego bias. If I truly believed my own lessons, than I am doing a disservice to all the other fine programming on RCN TV.
Certainly I am proud of all of the fine sports programming that we put out on a yearly basis ( Sports programming ). Our coverage of football and basketball, both high school and college, wrestling, baseball, stock car racing, etc., is both prolific and, I hope you would agree, presented in a very professional manner. In fact, just about a week ago we got great news about our Lafayette sports coverage.
Lafayette entered two submissions from our production of the Lafayette-Lehigh football game to the 2014 College Sports Media Awards. Both entries earned nominations (finalists) in the “Live Event Production” category. The progression for these awards is: submission – nominations – award winner (announced May 29). There’s a long list of “honorable mention” submissions that did not earn nominations.
The nominees for the live event production/collegiate athletics category are as follows:
COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS
Kansas State University/K-State HD | Women’s Basketball – Kansas State vs. Oklahoma
Lafayette College | Football – Lafayette Football Postgame: Nov. 23, 2013
Lafayette College | Football – Lafayette vs. Lehigh
Rochester Institute of Technology | Men’s Ice Hockey – RIT vs. Michigan
University of Alabama | Football – Alabama National Signing Day
University of Kentucky | Football – Kentucky National Signing Day
University of North Carolina | Baseball – NCAA Regional Game 7: Florida Atlantic vs. North Carolina
We were the only ones to receive two nominations in any category.
Here are the links to view our entries in the College Sports Media Awards:
Lafayette vs. Lehigh live action: http://vimeo.com/91928076
Lafayette Championship postgame coverage: http://vimeo.com/91345767
However, sports coverage is not our only niche. After doing some research, I discovered that RCN TV airs 14 hours of programming every day – that’s 98 hours a week! And the programming is as diversified as the viewing audience.
We offer shows on cooking, educational and how-to programming, outdoor interests, and public affairs (Entertainment and Lifestyle ), as well as a wide variety of classic movies and TV shows. (Classic TV, Classic Movies, RCN TV Original)
In addition, throughout the year we present special events such as the Dream Come True Telethon, Celtic Classic athletics and music, the Delaware County Symphony and International Ballet Classique performances, community parades, the Allentown Fourth of July celebration, a Halloween marathon, a Christmas marathon, and on and on.
My bias was, and is, obviously unfounded. RCN TV offers a wide variety of programming to a wide variety of our viewers. What is THE most important programming? That is your decision. And that’s the way it should be. I have learned my lesson about bias.
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. Would you gamble if you had a 1.7% chance of winning? Well, if you are the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, you just might. That was their chance of winning the top selection in the NBA draft. Not only that, they did it for the second straight year and the third time in four years. The bad news is, the Cavs so far do not seem to be improving. The Sixers, by the way, will get picks three and ten. You can watch the actual draft on ESPN, June 26.
2. California Chrome, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, will be allowed to wear a nasal strip at the Belmont when he goes for the Triple Crown in horse racing. It took 24 hours for the New York Racing Association to change the rule that banned the strip. If you wanted to gamble here, the odds of that rule being reversed were 100%. Do you really think they would not have allowed California Chrome to run? Since 1919, only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown. Affirmed was the last horse to do it in 1978. 21 horses failed after winning the first two races.
3. Jimmy Rollins will soon become the all-time hits leader for the Phillies, passing Mike Schmidt who collected 2,234 hits in his career. Schmidt says it can’t happen soon enough. He is a big fan of Rollins – “He’s a good man, a good family man, plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played. He’s very likable…” In case you forgot, Schmidt passed Richie Ashburn who was in the announcing booth at the time.
4. May 19, 1974 was the date that the Philadelphia Flyers won their first Stanley Cup – 40 years ago! Remember the names – Freddie Shero, Bobby Clark, Bernie Parent, Rick MacLeish, etc.
5. After broadcasting the District XI baseball championships this week, we will get ready for the PIAA State Baseball Championships on June 13 at Penn State. Let’s hope one of our local teams gets there this year.
