The Outdoor Life Network (OLN) took a big gamble last summer when it inked a TV broadcast deal with the National Hockey League. It was a lackluster deal at best — OLN only aired games on Monday and Tuesday nights (mostly), severely limiting viewers' watching options.
But waging on a pro sports league that's lost $10 billion over the last decade and suffered beyond-abysmal TV ratings isn't a risk that many established channels are willing to take. So, OLN coined "Hockey Central" as its less-than-riveting slogan, as though it was competing against another American TV channel for the title. However, OLN has not done much to rein in fans who may have felt abandoned by the NHL's lockout year and has all but guaranteed that no new fans will jump on board.
How is this possible?
Well, aside from the aforementioned constraints on game broadcast schedules, OLN, in its attempt to be the center of hockey, has aired various hockey related programs intended to spark interest in the game away from the game — behind-the-scenes documentaries and satirical sitcoms about youth hockey leagues, to name a few. However, where OLN has stumbled is in its continuous re-running of said sitcoms and documentaries.
There's the "Fearless" episode about Mario Lemiuex's tumultuous, roller coaster career and his battle with Hodgkin's disease, there are the two documentaries about Mark Messier — one in which they tail the legend around New York City on the eve of the Rangers' raising his No. 11 jersey into the rafters of perpetuity in Madison Square Garden; the other about his adult "dream" hockey camp.
These three shows aren't the only ones constantly being replayed throughout OLN's NHL playoff coverage. "The Tournament" is a witty series, an over-dramatic parody about parents who become uber-involved in their kids' youth hockey team and its efforts to reach "the tournament." This includes a plot line where the elitist doctor father clashes with the father-who-never-made-it-pro-but-is-certain-his-kid-will over who's going to be the new coach after the latter dad gave the previous coach a heart attack during an argument about his son getting benched (the show's relevance and veracity is scary).
Then there's the ubiquitous "Darren McCarty returns to Detroit" documentary about McCarty, who was traded to the Calgary Flames, and his first game in Joe Louis Arena after leaving the Red Wings. (This documentary isn't even from the 2005-06 season — it's from 2003-04.)
All of these shows deliver fantastic insights into the non-competitive side of hockey and are worth the time to watch. But OLN's alarming repetitiveness in re-running these shows multiple times a week — sometimes more than once a day — seems to have more of an alienating effect than one that entices new viewers to take a taste of OLN's version of the NHL. Seasoned fans may find it annoying and tune out OLN entirely and seek out its offerings via the Internet (here is where the author is cited as an example).
On the flip side, OLN may be cautiously optimistic, if not fully supportive. As mentioned before, the NHL has never been a beacon of ratings supremacy like the NFL or NASCAR. OLN's producers have every right to test the programming patterns in an attempt to determine what works and what does not. There is no sense in investing the time or capital in creating alternative hockey television projects if the existing ones don't turn a profit. But he point still remains that in doing so, the quality of its current product declines, regardless of the logical undertones.
OLN's broadcast schedules have been mitigated by the intensity and regularity of the NHL playoffs. The first two rounds saw multiple games aired every night of the week. OLN has successfully grasped how to broadcast the NHL — sound, knowledgeable commentators and copious pre-, post-, and mid-game highlights, along with visually inviting commercials.
Importing NHL recap shows from Canada's TSN also gives a look into how Hockey's Country sees the game. Now OLN must stop airing re-runs at its current nauseating level of consistency. And during the next regular season, maybe it can avoid scheduling evenings of afternoon-like ESPN programming and diversify its NHL coverage. Complacency will do nothing but deter viewers from stopping by "Hockey Central."
October 31, 2006
D.Ross:
I think the problem with OLN is in its “Sportscasters”. I will say most of the cast has an inkling of what’s going on (I really like Ed Olczyk). But their announcers dont play well to the camera. They are a bunch of 40 somethings that try to play it hip, and they are absolutely awful at it. Bill Clement alone could turn off any prospective new fans. Atleast hockey has found a station to broadcast it.