My understanding is that WTC determines the content of the broadcast, not NBC. I believe WTC produces the show themselves using NBC resources, NBC just broadcasts it. In which case, we can't go blaming NBC.
This issue comes up every year. Very few triathletes think that the Kona coverage is very good, myself included. And yet, as others have pointed out, ya gotta acknowledge (a) the tremendous challenge covering an event of this magnitude presents, and (b) that triathlon really is more a sport of participation than "spectation" (if that's a word!). An awful lot of the action takes place internally, in both the physical and mental sense. They really have to be creative in coming up with ways to make the action interesting.
Having said that, if I could share my own ideas for improving the broadcast with WTC/NBC, I would suggest:
1) Yes, by all means, EXPLAIN how all those people got to Hawaii! I've been saying this for years. As someone else pointed out, for all the average viewer knows the folks in the race simply signed up, showed up, and raced. Ha!
2) Point out the speeds at which the pros race. Show some relative examples that fully illustrate the concept and make the effort "real" to the average couch potato. Watching on TV, it often looks as though the athletes are just jogging out there, when the men are actually running close to 6 minute miles and the fastest women are doing 7 minute miles. That just blows me away! Somehow they need to come up with a camera angle that really shows the speed. Then if they could do some sort of "feature" segment in there that illustrates on a track, so that the couch potatoes begin to get the sense of just how fast these paces are. I dunno, I just think it would open a few eyes.
3) Something about nutrition and what a key factor it is, including the importance of maintaining electrolyte balances, etc. Was it Tinley or was it Dan (slowman) who made the incredibly astute observation that Ironman "is not a race, it's an eating contest!"?
4) Yes, please, emphasize the brutal conditions a little more. They really failed to convey just how frickin' HOT and HUMID it was this year! But they also failed to point out the incredible windless conditions for the first half of the bike and how unusual they were. They sort of got the swim conditions right at least!
5) A little info on equipment might be pretty interesting for the average couch potato (not to mention us!).
Anyway, just a few ideas.