Bill Barnett

The Problem

I understand that the local NBC affiliate WLWT had no choice in the matter but this must be the third time in four years that the NHL play-offs broadcast was interrupted by severe weather. From the 11:17 mark of the first period until 8:37 to go in the third, WLWT showed the game in a split screen with the local weathermen John Bateman and Derek Beasley tag-teaming “all the latest developments”. There was no audio from the game and the frame containing the game feed was so small that I could not read the score as I fast-forwarded through my TiVo-ed recording of it.

The Blame

Frankly, I blame the NHL. The league has done such a poor job marketing professional hockey, that the best contract they could ink for its championship series places the first two games on a media dinosaur like NBC. No wonder hockey is a fourth class citizen of the professional sports community in the United States.

A Couple Thoughts

With things as bad as they appear for local affiliates of the “big” three networks, with infomercials comprising an increasing percentage of their scheduling, I have got to believe that WLWT management can come up with a better way to leverage an opportunity to air unique content like the Stanley Cup Play-offs rather than waste it by presenting the exact same coverage that the other two local affiliates are airing but I suppose their hands are tied by FCC regulations and their responsibility to protect their community such as they can. This of course only underscores the argument that network TV is the last place you would want to air such programming.

If the league had a clue, it would broadcast all the games of the Finals on Versus and then immediately make them available on Hulu. Yes, I know NBC is a part owner of Hulu. Ironic, isn’t it? I can’t think of a better way to attract traditional fans and new ones who are already riding the “on demand content” wave while providing NBC with a much needed shot in the, eh…, arm.

A Parting Shot

Local network affiliates will continue to wither on the vine, remnants of a by-gone era, much like newspapers. Kudos for their efforts to seek new means of interacting with their viewers but this incident is only the most recent example of the state of things to go.

Update – Sunday, May 31, 2009

Apparently, local viewers really let WLWT have it over this whole sad affair. During the 6 o’clock news WLWT’s sports reporter, George Vogel reported on (in order) the Red’s being swept by the Brewers this weekend, the Cleveland Indians’ 9th inning win against the Yankees, Xavier University’s baseball team’s elimination for the NCAA tournament, the results of NASCAR’s Autism Speaks 400 race, and the Cleveland Cavalier’s elimination from the NBA championship before turning to last night’s game between the Penguins and Red Wings, showing replays never before seen by local viewers unless you had a magnifying glass handy last night.

Vogel wrapped up the “coverage” asking WLWT’s weatherman, John Bateman, who was off camera and apparently not mic-ed or with his mic turned off, “No storms tonight, right? Mr. Bateman, no storms? So we’ll have full screen hockey tonight.” After a quick mention of the Elder versus Moeller clash for the Division 1 state high school volleyball championship and Rafael Nadal’s exit from the French Open the camera returned to a smirking news anchor Courtis Fuller sitting next to Vogel upon which the following exchange occurred:

FULLER: “I’m glad you mentioned about the… NHL.”
VOGEL: “Yes.”
FULLER: “I… I… I’m certain Mr. Dy…” (Presumably WLWT’s General Manager, Richard Dyer)
VOGEL: “You want some more phone calls tonight?”
FULLER: “No, I don’t! I… I… I bet you the inbox is… is full…”
(Unintelligible chuckling and muttering)
VOGEL: “You know it will be.”
FULLER: “Well, eh… you’ll see it all tonight.”

After the final commercial break of the broadcast, Bateman added this remark, “Well, and it is going to be a nice evening. So full screen hockey tonight as you were saying.” Finally, Fuller ended the broadcast with a joking, “And by the way, John’s number is… Nah, no I won’t say it. We’ll see you after the hockey game tonight.”

I doubt it.

It’s funny how life’s bumps and bruises have a way of focusing your attention on all those things you promised yourself you would get around to doing “as soon as you found the time.” Well, nothing says, “Now’s the time!” like job loss.

It seemed destined to happen sooner or later but kudos to my former employer for offering a very generous severance package. That bought me time to focus on tasks which, while they might not generate income, may improve my future prospects without having to worry about whether it is time to begin practicing the phrase, “Would you like to Biggie size that for $0.59 more?!”

Thank goodness for my old 13″ MacBook, MobileMe account, and my iPhone. Now, the closer I get to crunch time, if I haven’t found (1) full-time work or (2) a steady stream of consulting gigs then the iPhone and its very cumbersome data plan will be the first things to go. Since MobileMe was renewed recently I can still enjoy all the calendar and contact synchronizing goodness for a while more but who knows what the future holds in this economy. They’ll have to pry the MacBook from my cold dead hands though.

By the way, the only reason I have the MacBook at all is because of the generosity of the folks at Amphora Research for whom I worked briefly but most enjoyably as a customer advocate. If you’re searching for an electronic lab notebook (ELN) solution you would be a fool not to give PatentSafe a good hard look.

The MacBook is the perfect laptop computer allowing me via VMware Fusion to run just about any operating system a software developer might need. The iPhone allows me to make do if I’m ever too far from my MacBook, with access to personal and business calendars, contacts, email and to do lists, and even command line access to all of my Web servers via TouchTerm which I highly recommend.

While I’m handing out shout outs, thanks are also in order for the folks at EdgeCase for their assistance during my professional intermission, as well as “Super” Chris Nelson and Ed Sumerfield for sharing their available bandwidth in a time of economic hardship. I hope that I can in the future somehow reward your kindness.

Welcome to the vanity site of Bill Barnett. There may not be much of interest to you here unless you’re interested in me, or at least curious. If you have no idea who I am, you might gain some insight about a day in the life of your typical middle aged, software developing, small family fathering, hockey playing, Disney loving, good food and drink enjoying, caucasian male.

I write about my professional life as a software developer at Agilo.us and about personal finance at Where’s Our Money.