Peter Maher back on the air...

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I don't mind Wills. He's miles better than Kerr or Loubardias.

I don't mind him as much as I used to - his delayed goal call has improved some. Unlike some people, I think his "Flames are skating from right to left on your radio" is a bit goofy. He doesnt reference right and left in his call of the play so it makes no difference. To me (and I picture hockey plays differently anyway - sometimes from the regular TV like perspective, sometimes over the shoulder of the particular player, etc).

[GioforPM]

Nm

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I don't mind him as much as I used to - his delayed goal call has improved some. Unlike some people, I think his "Flames are skating from right to left on your radio" is a bit goofy. He doesnt reference right and left in his call of the play so it makes no difference. To me (and I picture hockey plays differently anyway - sometimes from the regular TV like perspective, sometimes over the shoulder of the particular player, etc).

That's pretty standard (the right to right to left stuff) and designed to put a picture in the listener's mind that they can then use to picture the play as it is being described.

[bob-loblaw]

Nm.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

So if a job is hard, it's okay to suck at it? (Phrasing, boom)

I don't need greatness from Derek Wills. But if I'm switching off his segments before they start, that's not on me. He is not a good radio personality, and when you're meant to be THE star of the station, that's a big problem.

For a long time since the introduction of archaeology as a tool for discovering the past, practitioners and innovators were all quite terrible at it—by modern standards, that is. I think on an artistic level, the same can be said for practically any media form, but most recently for film acting. The point being that we are talking about a HIGHLY specialised skill that very few people instinctively do well. There is not much of any incentive for becoming exceptional radio hockey play-callers since there are not many jobs in the first place, and I suspect that on the whole they generally pay very poorly. So, is it an excuse to "suck" at it? At the moment, yes, and until there is the demand and training available to ensure that there is an abundance of highly skilled and well equipped hockey play-callers.

I am curious, as you seem to agree about my assertion regarding an extremely limited playing field, what do you believe the alternative is here? Sportsnet decided—wrongly, in my opinion—that Peter Maher should be replaced. Once that decision is made, they need to hire an adequate replacement. So, forget at the outset of luring a great play caller like Mike Emerich, or Chris Cuthbert, or John Shorthouse away from bigger markets that undoubtedly pay much better, to do the same job at a small, regional station like Sportsnet 960 that has a 3.5% share of the local radio market. It's just not going to happen.

So, what is the station to do? Should they just decide to leave the position vacant? Or do they fill it with someone even less qualified, and likely worse at the job?

In the end, this is really a silly thing about which to be angry or frustrated. Flames fans were very fortunate that Pater Maher was one of the best radio play callers of his era, but we should all have known that his replacement would struggle in his shadow. Wills is fine at doing his job—he is easily better than the vast majority of the rest of the population, he is almost certainly the best candidate that his employers had available to them, and there are plenty of listeners who do not experience exceptional angst from his play call. I would warrant that the VAST majority don't even notice if he is much better than average, because they do not care.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

That's pretty standard (the right to right to left stuff) and designed to put a picture in the listener's mind that they can then use to picture the play as it is being described.

Yeah, I get why they do it. Except I've only heard Wills and Mark Stephens (the stamps guy) do it, not most radio guys. And like I said, it only makes sense if they keep referring to right and left in their description, but they never do.

Are you saying when Maher didn't do it, you had trouble picturing the play? And what difference would it makeif you pictured it backwards?

[JiriHrdina]

I recall Maher doing it as well.

[getbak]

I haven't listened to a radio broadcast in well over a decade, but I remember Maher doing the broadcast-right/broadcast-left thing when I used to listen to him as a kid.

In the early days of the Saddledome, the radio booth was where it still is today, but the tv booth (and cameras) was behind the benches, so it always confused me when he'd say the Flames were on the right to start the games because on tv, they were on the left.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

I recall Maher doing it as well.

Maybe a long time ago, certainly not in any time in the last 10-15 years I'd say.

Mind you, while I loved Maher, I didn't really like his game intro either. He often forced some sort of analogy or wordplay into his little preamble (followed by "Tonight! It's the Flames versus...".)

Anyway, it's really not a big deal to me, and like I said, Wills is getting better IMO. Big shoes to fill.

[AC]

Maher definitely described the broadcast-left, etc. thing.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by AC

Maher definitely described the broadcast-left, etc. thing.

When? I listened a lot, since the early 90s and never heard it even once.

ETA: I would've noticed it too, because I always did when Mark Stephens did (partly because it was another reason to dislike him).

[PeteMoss]

Everyone always loves the radio guy who was around when they were young and then when it changes they don't like the new guy. In 10-15 years from now, some of your kids will talking about Willis as their guy.

[Jay Random]

Maher used to mention it once at the beginning of each period, something like: ‘Mike Vernon is defending the Flames' net to our broadcast left.’ He always did that in the 80s, and into the 90s; then he largely stopped, perhaps because nearly all the games were televised and his bosses considered it unnecessary. I always thought it was a nice touch – put the listener into the picture by giving us a definite vantage point.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

Everyone always loves the radio guy who was around when they were young and then when it changes they don't like the new guy. In 10-15 years from now, some of your kids will talking about Willis as their guy.

Watchoo talkin' 'bout?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Maher used to mention it once at the beginning of each period, something like: ‘Mike Vernon is defending the Flames' net to our broadcast left.’ He always did that in the 80s, and into the 90s; then he largely stopped, perhaps because nearly all the games were televised and his bosses considered it unnecessary. I always thought it was a nice touch – put the listener into the picture by giving us a definite vantage point.

I don't recall it, but I bow to your memory. And like I said, not a big deal to me. And Wills is getting better in other areas IMO. He's still not much of an "insider" though.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

And Wills is getting better in other areas IMO. He's still not much of an "insider" though.

This I agree with. He's a serviceable play-by-play guy; Lord knows I've heard many worse ones. But he doesn't bring any of the extra things that would make him an interesting commentator outside of game broadcasts. Maher has savvy and insight, Loubardias is a walking encyclopaedia (especially about former CHL players). Wills may develop his own thing in time, but I haven't seen it yet.

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Yeah, I get why they do it. Except I've only heard Wills and Mark Stephens (the stamps guy) do it, not most radio guys. And like I said, it only makes sense if they keep referring to right and left in their description, but they never do.

Are you saying when Maher didn't do it, you had trouble picturing the play? And what difference would it makeif you pictured it backwards?

I know some of the pbp guys who do CIS, AJHL and midget hockey. I've also worked on the broadcast crew for the Macs Midget and most of them did the right/left thing. They also had this habit of describing the colours of the jerseys.

I had no clue on what it added to the broadcast; just fluff, really.

[JiriHrdina]

It's about painting a picture for the listener

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

It's about painting a picture for the listener

I tend to picture hockey plays from several different vantage points. In fact, usually from a close up perspective. Not a press box view. Really, for me, 10 seconds after he says it, it's gone from my thought process.

[powderjunkie]

Monday Night Football radio broadcaster (Marv Albert?) always does left/right thing. I suspect it's very common, most of us just don't listen to as many different radio PBP guys than TV PBP.