Nbc 2010

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NBC gears up for 2010 Games
Network still negotiating broadcast locations near Canada Place and Grouse Mountain

By Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun
June 5, 2009

Hockey fans next year will see TV analyst Pierre McGuire doing his ice-level "Inside the Glass" reporting during Olympic hockey games -- a first for Games coverage.

He's covered NHL games from the unique vantage point between player benches for three years now, so its inclusion in 2010 Olympic broadcasts would seem to be a slam dunk.

But NBC Sports executive producer David Neal said his network and Canadian broadcast rights holder CTV/TSN needed approval from three organizations to make it happen -- the International Ice Hockey Federation, the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, and Olympic Broadcaster Services Vancouver.

Fortunately, they all embraced the idea.

"In the Olympic world, these things take a while to navigate," the multi-Emmy-Award-winning producer said in an interview from New York. "These will be my ninth Olympic Games, so I'm accustomed to the various channels you have to work with to get things done.

"The amazing part of this whole experience is there was no convincing needed. Everyone had the same reaction."

NBC paid $820 million US for the U.S. broadcast rights for the 2010 Games, so it's no surprise Olympic officials do whatever they can to accommodate the broadcasting giant.

Neal said Vanoc, under chief executive John Furlong, has been extremely forward thinking and open to new ideas.

"In some ways, this is the antithesis of the typical organizing committee," he said.

Neal said NBC chairman Dick Ebersol encourages network producers to do anything that gives sports viewers the best seat in the house, whether it's having a microphone near Tiger Woods so you can hear his conversations with caddie Steve Williams or having McGuire report from ice level.

McGuire, who will work for both CTV and NBC during the Games, said the "Inside the Glass" coverage has revolutionized hockey broadcasts by giving viewers a real sense of the energy of the live event. "Approving it shows enlightened thinking on those involved in [Olympic] decision making," he said in an interview.

McGuire routinely interviews head coaches during breaks in the game, but isn't sure he'll get the same cooperation from Olympic coaches, as almost every Olympic game has the intensity level of a Game 7 NHL playoff game.

"There could also be a language barrier with certain teams -- like the Czechs, Slovaks or even the Russians," he said. "But I can't wait. It's an unbelievable privilege to cover the Olympics."

Neal, who is also executive vice-president of NBC Olympics, said the network's preparations for its Vancouver 2010 coverage are progressing well and he's impressed with the advanced state of venue readiness.

"If there was snow and the athletes were here, they could go tomorrow," he said.

Neal has visited Vancouver several times already and looks forward to showcasing the region's postcard-like scenery.

"The natural beauty and photogenic nature of the Vancouver-Whistler area for me, as a television producer, is ideal -- absolutely ideal," he said.

NBC is still negotiating to secure Vancouver broadcast locations for shows like the Today Show and Neal said the process has taken a little longer than expected, but he's not worried.

"They've looked at a number of locations [for the Today Show] and the great thing is that all the options are good," he said. "They just have to decide which one is the best of the best."

The network is believed to be considering broadcast locations in and around Canada Place and Grouse Mountain.

Neal expects the total NBC workforce for the 2010 Games will be down "a little bit" from the 2,500 that worked in Torino during the 2006 Olympics. He said the economy affects everyone and has forced the network to become more efficient.

"But we know better how to cover the Olympics now than we did eight years ago in Salt Lake City," Neal said.

He said the local, provincial and national tourism agencies that make up the 2010 Tourism Consortium have been useful in helping NBC get the video footage it needs to showcase B.C.

The consortium has provided about 250 hours of high-definition video that can be used by all Olympic networks and has assisted NBC whenever it travelled to the province to shoot its own exclusive video.

"At one point last year [before the Beijing Games], our creative director told me he already had more scenic footage of Vancouver-Whistler than he had of Beijing," Neal said.

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