Run-Down Forums

[35910]

Dan, if this is in the wrong spot, feel free to move it to Open Mic or whatever.

I would like to make an appeal to the members of this board to write some intelligent letters to the Outdoor Life Network stating how much you would like to have some running coverage included in thier programming. If you are good at writing, all the better, if not, then please just write something frank and to the point.

The Outdoor Life Network (OLN) had more guts than any other network in deciding to air comprehensive coverage of the Tour De France. If you will notice however, much of the programming time on this station is dedicated to fishing and hunting and whatnot. I believe that with a little bit of push, the decision-makers at OLN can come to realize that running would be a beneficial choice for coverage.

I am not saying that when you send out this email that the next day there will be Golden League meets on OLN. All I am saying is that if you do nothing, you will get nothing. You runners should know that better than anyone. So PLEASE take the time and write a short email (or a long one if you are awesome) to OLN at this address:

feedback@olntv.com

Thanks everyone and hopefully with grassroots efforts like these we can succeed in seeing some better coverage of running in whatever form it may come.
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Jason Kotenko
Past, Present, and Future Runner

[Dan]

Good topic, good forum.

Dan
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[Ducks Fan]

I emailed ESPN because I don't get OLN (unfortunately).

[35910]

Hey ESPN is just great too.

The only reason I am specifically targeting OLN, besides the fact that I do get it in my basic cable package, is that it is the only network which has shown that its producers have some guts. I mean, full coverage of the Tour De France!!!

Think about the implications people for a second.

In my humble, uneducated, unsupported opinion, cycling is much more of a fringe sport than running. How many High Schools have varsity cycling programs? All it will take to get OLN to start showing some running events is some idea that they have a great opportunity here. On top of that, I think that OLN would provide better coverage of events than the major networks like ESPN. Whenever I watch track events on ESPN2 or whatever, its always hurried and piss-poor quality presentation compared to say NCAA D1 Football. Its as if the producers don't have a clue as to what events are especially important in a given meet.

Well, I ramble on. I hope that you guys are taking an effort in this mailing, as like I said, inaction will leave us in the same spot tomorrow that we are in today.
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Jason Kotenko
Past, Present, and Future Runner

[Dan]

The major selling point cycling has right now is Lance Armstrong. He's one of the few non-big 3 (football, basketball, baseball) athletes with pervasive household familiarity; probably not far behind Tiger Woods. Unfortunately, T&F has no one close to that status at this point... That's not to say it can't happen, but I don't believe the TV coverage will come around until it happens.

Speaking of Armstrong, I can't help but think the IAAF's "humanitarian efforts," as I call them, of letting war-torn countries' highly unqualified athletes into the World Championships is a lame attempt at duplicating the overcoming cancer human interest angle. But they forget that without the winning, few people care about the underlying story...

Dan
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