TSN - Watching with the volume at zero

After a frustrating first half I turned the volume off for the second half. (Since I PVRd the game listening to the radio broadcast wasn't an option).

TSN is admittedly easier to listen too when your team is winning but in general the commentating is wholly uninformative.

You would think that Dunigan, with his experience and access to players and coaches before the game, would actually have some insight and new information during a broadcast. Picture yourself sitting on your couch next to Dunigan during a game - Can you imagine being with a more annoying person? There just isn't enough beer in the world. It's commentary from 30,000 feet. I have never heard anything I didn't already know from Dunigan. Instead of insight into blocking schemes, or particular plays it's all "get on your hind legs and bark like a dog Ray Holley!". Just a mindless cheerleader.

Rod Black - well, we've all heard it before. Somehow he's less annoying to me (he can be funny) but still not much insight there.

It would be nice if you could have an option (should be possible in the digital age) for the audio to include just the crowd noise and the refs when they make a call.

They can't seem to let a moment pass without some mindless banter.

I agree,

Dunigan is very annoying and quite unprofessional. I recall a pre season game last year against Winnipeg when after a more vicious tackle, Dunigan exclaimed that the offensive player "Crapped his pants". I recall another game maybe 4 or 5 years ago when we played Montreal and Brandon Whitaker had quite a good game, and Dunigan couldn't go more than 30 seconds without calling him Brandon "Two-Way" Whitaker, first game I ever actually muted the commentary. Rod Black is ok for a play by play guy, but Dunigan is definitely the worst colour guy, I dread when he calls our games. Maybe it's time for TSN to get some new blood to call these games, there's a ton of retired players, I'm sure some would be interested in a broadcasting career.

I keep beating a dead horse but the CBC strike had just the stadium announcer and the crowd noise and it was an amazing CFL viewing experience just like you were at the game .

TSN or somebody smart should have the two options one with an announcer and one without especially with the digital ads it would be a gold mine for viewers who want the in stadium experience at home .

I usually pause live TV until tsn radio catches up. Coach Sal is much better to listen to than anyone on tsn tv. Although I hate how Ferguson keeps saying touchdown Tiger Town. It's Tiger-Cats!!!

Wait a minute, here in Kitchener on Bell its the TV that lags the radio. Pausing my TV will do nothing. I live with the lag and listen to Coach Sal even though the reception is the pits. Do they stream every game?

TSN knows and sees all of the comments about Rod Black, and I defend pretty much everybody else they assign to games, but the guy is terrible and the whole country knows it, yet they keep him in this slot. You can easily count 15-20 stupid comments he makes over the course of the game.

Its rather embarrassing for the league when I read tweets like "Oh look, the "over the top" guy is doing the CFL game tonight" from an ESPN viewer in the US.

Not sure why TSN chooses to be stubborn over the matter and actually do something about it, Gord Miller does a much better job and would continue to should he be given the job full time.

I forgot the details about the strike - but I remembered watching without commentators and enjoying it.

That was great with just the stadium announcer! God I wish that was an option.

It's a mystery to me why television commentary is so drastically different than radio. Something about the description on the radio keeps me focused on the game (which down it is, how many yards) as opposed to the long winded tales about some player's mother that continue past the snap. At one point in Saturday's game I think Dunnigan went 6 minutes talking only about Jennings. Almost an entire drive.

I was surprised Climie gave Collaros a good rating on his first game back in the Sports Centre Huddle Up segment. He seems to always bash and show his dislike for the Ticats anytime he can.

So ya call yerself “6feet6ofgoodness” eh , hmmmmmmmmm and you don’t seem to like Climie eh , hmmmmmmmmmmm…SCHULTZY is that you ??? :lol: :smiley:

So ya call yerself "6feet6ofgoodness" eh , hmmmmmmmmm and you don't seem to like Climie eh , hmmmmmmmmmmm...SCHULTZY is that you ????? :lol: :smiley:
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No this isn't Schultzy. I like Schultz. He's always very well prepared and provides objective excellent analysis that is very well detailed and logically thoughtout and well articulated on both the CFL and NFL.

 As for the name, I got it from Toliver's TD on Saturday.  Check this clip from TSN's website and you'll find out why.

I live in Edmonton so I listen to 1150 online. There is always a play and half to two play lag.

If you subscribe to Sirius XM, I believe they were carrying the games on "Canada Talks", channel 167 on my el cheapo subscription. Haven't listened this year, as I just pick up the TSN 1150 on-line feed, but last year they generally carried the feed from the host team's broadcaster. If they are doing that this year, it would probably be TSN 1150 for Hamilton games anyway.

I thought Rod Black did an OK job doing the play by play against BC. He gives us the essentials, comes up with some good lines once in a while and doesn't hog the broadcast. The problem is Dunigan.

It's not the play be play guy's job to provide a ton of insight. That's why the analysts are there. Dunigan does not provide the proper insight. He is a good ol' boy cheer leader for the locker rooms.....unlike Glen Suitor and Duane Forde who shed a lot of light on why and how things are happening.

Dunigan has served his purpose on the panel. He is outclassed by the others...including the prickly Jock Clymie. TSN has made a big mistake allowing Dunigan to be part of the game broadcast crew.

I think Gord Miller is the best CFL play by play announcer at TSN. Rod Black can be OK too .....but only if the analyst working with him is not Matt Dunigan.

I'm with you on that call mr62cats! It seems like Dunigan just talks, whether he has something worthwhile to say or not. While his stories may be interesting at a banquet or around the bar, they tend to be distracting during a broadcast. Maybe TSN is just opposed to "dead air", like the old radio bug-a-boo.

And for goodness sake - there are other positions and players besides QB that can be talked about, and for less than 5 or 6 minutes running. To be fair, Dunigan does makes Suitor look better in comparison.

This week in Kirk Penton’s Post Media weekly column “The Insiders” where he quotes, without naming them, CFL coaches and executives:

“Matt Dunigan should do more games for TSN. He’s their best one.”

So there you go, differences in taste I suppose. I wouldn't want to say that Mr Penton is wrong, but ... :slight_smile:

That is truly bizarre. We would do a little experiment the next time Dunigan is doing a game (sort of like the ‘Tasker, son of Steve’, drinking game) where we keep track of truly insightful or informative comments from Dunigan.

I have learned more about the CFL from reading posts on this board (details about the ratio, defensive schemes, why Spencer Watt doesn’t have more catches, etc.) than I have from listening to Dunigan. Ford, for example, often takes the time to explain details that you expect a former player to know but you miss as a fan (even after decades of watching the game).

Anyway, here’s looking forward to being at the game on Saturday and listening only to the stadium announcer!

I think the problem here is that Dunigan does little or no preparation or homework before he does colour on these games.

I think too that is why some of these play by play people tend to hang onto to topics and players during a broadcast, they brought nothing else to talk about.

The producers haven't realized that this overkill on certain players, their fathers and such is boring and frustrating for the viewers to have to deal with.

Perhaps, the CFL television rating numbers for TSN have been so good that they feel that they no longer have to do anything but aim the cameras.

Dunigan is doing what he's asked to do. The reality is that color commentary is about selling the sizzle of the game and keeping fans of all levels of football knowledge engaged. Sure, they try to provide some insights that will help people understand the game better, but highly technical interpretation of what's happening on the field is not, frankly, what the majority of the viewing audience will find appealing.

The commentary needs to be appealing to a broad audience. Excessively technical commentary will on one hand, bore a lot of people, and worse, make a lot of people feel stupid. That's not a recipe for retaining and building your audience. Some self-proclaimed football purists might be OK with that kind of alienation of casual fans, but I guarantee you advertisers are not.

Just to be clear, the positive comment on Dunigan’s work was not from Kirk Penton, the columnist, but from an unidentified CFL coach or executive.