90% of the show will be an interview with Kraft. She will be crying a lot, looking reflective and running on a beach.

---

customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

Matt,

that is a huge question. There are many factors in play.

1. It is an enormous story with tremendous "senational" potential BUT:

2. Depicting the sport and the event as laden with cheaters has the effect of shooting the event (and the telecast's future rights) in the foot. Sure, ratings are great this year- but next yer- who wants to advertise? Whow wants to watch, after all, aren;t people in that sport cheaters?

It will be a tough call for NBC. I can;t wait to see what their decision is. Good question.

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

The numbskulls at NBC are getting their just desserts--airing the coverage weeks after the event! Crazy! Let them worry about it.

Even the simple coverage of ironmanlive beats reheated network coverage ANY day!

---

---

Where would you want to swim ?

I think it will be pre-empted by the RODEO. When are they planning on pre-empting it??

That's hilarious. OLN has so much potential outside Tdf, rodeo and "Top Ten" shows. It's rather sad.....

I think there is a lot of presidence (sp?) for NBC....Ben Johnson, Ross "Nicklebag" Rebagliati (I used to race snowboards with him...he's a VERY nice guy), Michelle Smith, Barry Bonds, etc....

I figure not much will change. Can't be much worse than last year's coverage which got me dizzy.

This dilemma is exactly what organizers of certain high level international cycling tours have cleverly avoided- along with the attendant financial pitfalls.

---

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

When is it scheduled to air?

---

________________
Adrian in Vancouver

6pm Nov 20th

ok for those with broadband there is a 4 min teaser up on the Ironman Live site of the World Champs race broadcast...... eeeeeeeeeeee gives me goosebumps just watching it. It airs this saturday on NBC in the USA.


http://vnews.ironmanlive.com/vnews/topstor...ries/1100552800

"Wonder what they will do with the womens race on their Ironman coverage?"

In typical NBC fashion maybe they just won't even show the women pros and try to squeeze a few more human interest stories in. Some years it's been difficult to know there is even a race going on.

Don

I think they have the opportunity to really slam the sport. Just as early coverage of Julie Moss made the sport more widely known, in the context of all the Lance and Tyler discussions recently the network could come down very hard on us.

"ok for those with broadband there is a 4 min teaser up on the Ironman Live site of the World Champs race broadcast...... eeeeeeeeeeee gives me goosebumps just watching it. It airs this saturday on NBC in the USA. "

If I watch the teaser 14 more times, can I pass on the recrap on Saturday???

---

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I thought the trailer was pretty cool - makes me actually want to do another one!

The footage of the guy carrying the bike is awesome.

Agree.

It will be very interesting to see how this will be treated as it will really speak a great deal about the relationship the WTC has with NBC. Afterall this is their MAJOR promotional vehicle to get the Ironman name and brand out there beyond the triathlon community.

Possibilities:

1. Do nothing and air the show as cut orginally with Kraft in first because they did not have time to do anything else.

2. Cut Kraft completely out of any coverage and assume, none-the-worse-for-wear. Make no mention of drugs at all. Bump up the feel-good human interest and I've-overcome-so-many-challenges-to-be-here stories that this broadcast is famous for.

3. Focus on the drug story, because it is THE STORY of the race and the bigger issue of how it is plaguing many sports right now. There is not a endurance sport that has not been hit with a significant PED story in the past few years.

I am guessing, it will be #1 or #2 or possibly #1 with an epilogue that will talk about the Kraft DQ briefly. #3 is way to risky for both the WTC and NBC. #2 will could challenging due to NBC's typical plan of following the leader of the race almost exclusively for the entire race and almost forgetting about other challengers. ie they have tons of footage of Kraft, but lesser amounts of Badmann and perhaps none of some of the other challengers.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

wow that teaser was awesome... when Hellriegel says "112 mile bike" i got chills

I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who works for NBC. Sounds like its to late to change the footage.....according to this guy. This mystery person says they may put a little something at the end of the program. All of this...of course....is from some guy.

In the trailer:

Who is the girl w/ the yellow bike? Is that Lori Bowden? The differential between her seat height and her aerobar height is pretty drastic. That has to be one of the most aggressive riding positions for the female riders.

Lori Bowden from Ironmanlive.com

In typical NBC fashion maybe they just won't even show the women pros and try to squeeze a few more human interest stories in. Some years it's been difficult to know there is even a race going on.

That's most probable, IMO.

----------------------------------

How many folks watching the event on NBC, two weeks after the fact, are really going to care or be moved by the Kraft story? Geez, I don't even know who she is and I at least know the basic names.

It's about as big as a story (to most people) as the back-up strong safety for NorthEastern Rhode Island State Catholic University's getting busted for weed.

In other words, many of the folks that are wtaching will say "get the camera off the cheater and show that mom trying to finish so she can say 'Nah-Nay' to her smart-mouthed teenage daughter".

---

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

Just to clarify. NBC does not produce the Ironman. WTC buys air time, pays for NBC talent to come to Hawaii and Peter Henning, Exec. VP of WTC, edits all the footage to produce the "show".

Exactly - That is very important to understand. That's why the message that the show delivers is critical to the image of the Ironman brand beyond the triathlon crowd as this is the biggest audience that they get all year and I am sure that the WTC will be thinking carefully about what they are going to do.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Lori has ridden like that for years. Seems to work for her.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog