[Rumour] Ron Maclean to replace George Stromboulopoulos on HNIC

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Deelow

We don't exactly know how Ron was treated by Strombo the last 2 years. Surely they had some interactions. If Ron felt that Strombo was cold or a jerk to him, why not rub a little salt in? I would.

Really? You don't think it's petty to air that kind of stuff to the public? It's not like Strombo has come out and said peep despite the fact he's probably not a happy camper.

[Locke]

Honestly, I didnt really like Strombo but I think he got throw into the deep end and was told to swim, give him some help and some time and I think he could have been good. I think he got sold out short.

And I dont dislike Maclean or anything, his style is...antique. Hes like James May...all sorts of brown and vanilla.

But as I stated earlier, this seems like a knee-jerk "Strombo didnt make our billions back immediately" run home to momma reaction.

I think the most telling part really is how important the intro and between-period segments appear to be.

[hwy19man]

Originally Posted by Locke

Honestly, I didnt really like Strombo but I think he got throw into the deep end and was told to swim, give him some help and some time and I think he could have been good. I think he got sold out short.

MacLean was given lots of time after he took over after Dave Hodge was fired. The majority of viewers back then did not like MacLean in the beginning and it took a long time to win over the audience.

[Corral]

Yes but as you say Hodge was fired - remember why? I'm not sure i do exactly - but i think it was for throwing his pen and complaining that CBC wasn't showing the end of a playoff game .... its called insubordination. There's no way he was getting called back after a year.

Strombo was just fine in the lounge chairs ... but personally i was just as interested in Friedman's sock choice as anything else during those segments.

[Zarley]

I think we can all agree that nobody is going to miss Strombo's Baby Gap suits.

[Mike F]

Originally Posted by Steve Bozek

Apart from his wardrobe, Strombo didn't embarrass himself on the show. His comments were usually reasonable and he let the 2 best panel members have their say without interruption. He certainly has solid interviewing skills and I seem to recall an earlier post indicating he actually had some experience as a sports reporter. I prefer him to what I'm seeing from Ron.

I went to YouTube and in the first HNIC panel video I found, I came across two instances that are perfect examples of why I tired of Strombo quickly (you'll just need to watch 10 seconds or so):

Clip one

Clip two

It may seem like a little thing, but the over the top laughing was indicative of his general spasmatic, trying too hard persona.

[hwy19man]

Originally Posted by Corral

Yes but as you say Hodge was fired - remember why? I'm not sure i do exactly - but i think it was for throwing his pen and complaining that CBC wasn't showing the end of a playoff game .... its called insubordination. There's no way he was getting called back after a year.

You are correct as to what led to Hodge's dismissal except that it was a regular season game.

[monkeyman]

I much prefer Maclean, but Stromboulopoulos grew on me over time.
I think it's too bad because there was a place for him there which could've seen him eventually take over for Maclean. Like a lot of other things, Rogers blew this though, they made wholesale changes to a Canadian institution and couldn't understand why people who grew up with Hockey night in Canada would be upset. They should've made measured changes and people would have been fine with it and they could have accomplished their goal, which is to appeal to a larger audience.

[Flames89]

Originally Posted by Mike F

I went to YouTube and in the first HNIC panel video I found, I came across two instances that are perfect examples of why I tired of Strombo quickly (you'll just need to watch 10 seconds or so):

Clip one

Clip two

It may seem like a little thing, but the over the top laughing was indicative of his general spasmatic, trying too hard persona.

Those are good examples. Also, the panel never really seems comfortable with each other, though they are trying. I feel like this is due to Strombo still working on getting his timing down and due to an outsider effect of those guys working with Strombo. Could this have been fixed over time? Sure/maybe ...

That also reminds me, Kypreos really came into his own last year.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Zarley

I think we can all agree that nobody is going to miss Strombo's Baby Gap suits.

Well if you were around the Dome in preseason you would see Monahan and most other Flames wearing that same suit. Rogers did the right thing trying to cater to a younger audience and I don't believe the rating slide had anything to do with him so panicking and going back to catering the older audience in the long term simply leads down the road the CFL has gone and the NHL and it's broadcasters have to be cognizant that there's a lot more competition for viewership with the wide availability of alternate sports and entertainment in the digital age and that's the real reason viewership has been on a steady decline. Just counting on the old timers to tune in is shortsighted but I also understand the business aspect in which future growth always takes a back seat to quarter end earnings.

[Redlan]

Originally Posted by Corral

Yes but as you say Hodge was fired - remember why? I'm not sure i do exactly - but i think it was for throwing his pen and complaining that CBC wasn't showing the end of a playoff game .... its called insubordination. There's no way he was getting called back after a year.

Strombo was just fine in the lounge chairs ... but personally i was just as interested in Friedman's sock choice as anything else during those segments.

It was classic, at a time there was so little hockey to watch, you could not miss it.

https://youtu.be/bx33a0u3gmg

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Well if you were around the Dome in preseason you would see Monahan and most other Flames wearing that same suit. Rogers did the right thing trying to cater to a younger audience and I don't believe the rating slide had anything to do with him so panicking and going back to catering the older audience in the long term simply leads down the road the CFL has gone and the NHL and it's broadcasters have to be cognizant that there's a lot more competition for viewership with the wide availability of alternate sports and entertainment in the digital age and that's the real reason viewership has been on a steady decline. Just counting on the old timers to tune in is shortsighted but I also understand the business aspect in which future growth always takes a back seat to quarter end earnings.

Who exactly are they trying to appeal to with Strombo? I think they completely whiffed on "doing the right thing to appeal to a younger audience".

Young people aren't attracted to a show because the host is 'hip'. They want quality, solid analysis and opinion just like older generations. Strombo bantering with Glen Healy while showing off their socks is horrible for everybody.

Why do they think the younger generation wants anything different than the older? HNIC with Ron and Don is an institution in this country and reminds the younger generation of their childhood spent watching hockey on Saturday nights. In a good way.

[Azhouse]

Originally Posted by hwy19man

You are correct as to what led to Hodge's dismissal except that it was a regular season game.

What was the show that CBC had to get on the air? I think it was "He Shoots, He Scores". Another CBC show that no one watched.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Well if you were around the Dome in preseason you would see Monahan and most other Flames wearing that same suit. Rogers did the right thing trying to cater to a younger audience and I don't believe the rating slide had anything to do with him so panicking and going back to catering the older audience in the long term simply leads down the road the CFL has gone and the NHL and it's broadcasters have to be cognizant that there's a lot more competition for viewership with the wide availability of alternate sports and entertainment in the digital age and that's the real reason viewership has been on a steady decline. Just counting on the old timers to tune in is shortsighted but I also understand the business aspect in which future growth always takes a back seat to quarter end earnings.

You're not kidding about the suit. But that's the problem. Strombo literally wore the same size suits as Johnny.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by heep223

Why do they think the younger generation wants anything different than the older? HNIC with Ron and Don is an institution in this country and reminds the younger generation of their childhood spent watching hockey on Saturday nights. In a good way.

Because they do.

Ron and Don aren't "institutions," they're old and past their prime. HNIC is worse with Ron at the helm, and Coach's Corner segments having been completely useless meanderings of a xenophobe and a rambling old man for like 10 years. The product is undeniably worse the more Ron is around, unless you're the type who thinks anything more than vanilla is trying too hard and you appreciate a nice pair of pleated khakis.

Strombo was an engaging host who could guide the conversation. He never obsessively had to add anecdotes about Roy Clark, and Hartford Whaler who had 3 assists in 1973 which was the same year that Dave Stanfield scored 4 games in a row while wearing number 15.

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Well if you were around the Dome in preseason you would see Monahan and most other Flames wearing that same suit. Rogers did the right thing trying to cater to a younger audience and I don't believe the rating slide had anything to do with him so panicking and going back to catering the older audience in the long term simply leads down the road the CFL has gone and the NHL and it's broadcasters have to be cognizant that there's a lot more competition for viewership with the wide availability of alternate sports and entertainment in the digital age and that's the real reason viewership has been on a steady decline. Just counting on the old timers to tune in is shortsighted but I also understand the business aspect in which future growth always takes a back seat to quarter end earnings.

This is very true and the NFL plateau in viewship suggests as much. The issue is the typical business model's quest for growth, rather than diversifying and strengthining a market. That is the NHL's long play in the southern markets. I noticed Florida was less than full last night for their home opener.

Mark Cuban stated a few years ago, that he was surprised that the NHL didn't market itself for what it is as a North American entity. Sell TV as a continental product in addition to National/Local. There are obvious legal obstacles for negotiating rights holder contracts in two countries, but I think a great deal of this has to do with Bettman after reading the book "The Instigator". He does things his way the way he wants and the way he believes is best. The Wideman incident re-iterates this. When anyone discusses the CBA, they are discussing Bettman. He has gone over that document line by line and revised in 3 times now.

However, I do foresee a time when the NHL and other leagues decide they don't want to sell the rights to broadcast networks and just do it all themselves. It's a calculated risk, but time will tell.

I think this is especially true if live virtual reality feeds become available and you can sit at home and get an experience that replicates sitting in the stands. Everything else will be window dressing to provide context.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Because they do.

Ron and Don aren't "institutions," they're old and past their prime. HNIC is worse with Ron at the helm, and Coach's Corner segments having been completely useless meanderings of a xenophobe and a rambling old man for like 10 years. The product is undeniably worse the more Ron is around, unless you're the type who thinks anything more than vanilla is trying too hard and you appreciate a nice pair of pleated khakis.

Strombo was an engaging host who could guide the conversation. He never obsessively had to add anecdotes about Roy Clark, and Hartford Whaler who had 3 assists in 1973 which was the same year that Dave Stanfield scored 4 games in a row while wearing number 15.

Hey watch it man. No need to drag pleated khakis into this. A real institution.

[Ashasx]

I dislike both Ron and George.

[CliffFletcher]

Strombo's whole schtick is to fawn over celebrities and get them to open up. Act like the hippest dude in the fan club. Which is tolerable when it's musicians and actors he's interviewing. But I don't want that kind of grinning knee-slapping with hockey players.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Because they do.

Ron and Don aren't "institutions," they're old and past their prime. HNIC is worse with Ron at the helm, and Coach's Corner segments having been completely useless meanderings of a xenophobe and a rambling old man for like 10 years. The product is undeniably worse the more Ron is around, unless you're the type who thinks anything more than vanilla is trying too hard and you appreciate a nice pair of pleated khakis.

Strombo was an engaging host who could guide the conversation. He never obsessively had to add anecdotes about Roy Clark, and Hartford Whaler who had 3 assists in 1973 which was the same year that Dave Stanfield scored 4 games in a row while wearing number 15.

Strombo sucks and HNIC is much better with Ron.

Maybe you like spastic laughs at stuff that aren't funny and a 44 year old hipster who tries to act like he's 22.

And coaches corner is still extremely popular and ratings are what they're looking for and that's what they're getting.

You can dislike Ron and Don all you want but don't pretend Strombo did a good job. He was awful and that's why he was fired.