Monday, August 25, 2008

NBC v CCTV Guess who wins? Hint: It's not CCTV

For many years I have complained about NBC's coverage of the Olympics. They have too many commercials, too many fluff pieces, too much talking. Well I have seen the alternatives and NBC is practically scintillating compared to CCTV. Right now Track finals are going on. DO you think CCTV is showing them. DO you think CCTV is showing any Olympic event. NO!!!!! They are showing some stupid special on their gymnastics teams. They never show ANYTHING the Chinese aren't favored in. I have sat through hours of prelim rowing and other crap on NBC in their attempts to provide fair coverage of all events. I have sat through dozens of medal ceremonies for other nations on NBC. In China it's like no one else is in the damn Olympics. They don't even mention their own players silvers and bronzes. It's all Chinese Gold all the time. When they have no Chinese Gold to talk about they show Montages of the Gold's they already won. They then cut to commercial. These commercials consist of olympians on pedestals being worshipped by the masses (literally), pop stars singing that damn Beijing welcomes you song and the medal count. They also really like the Russian pole vaulter. So every now and then they show her event. Yes thats right they are showing repeats. Not just clips REPEATS OF OLDER OLYMPIC EVENTS DURING THE OLYMPICS. Around 2 am they will show a less then 30 minute round up of the non Chinese Olympics. They will show this once a day. If you miss it, you must wait till you return to your own country. They will not show it again. I am in the Host City and the only Olympics I have seen that wasn't related to China I saw with my own eyes. It's ridiculous. I am sitting here fuming because I can't watch the great track finals that are going on. And it's not as if track is unpopular here. The stadium was pretty packed when we went. I don't understand it.
Seriously I understand nationalism but the Chinese have taken it to a crazy extreme. CCTV is government TV and it shows. Pure propaganda all the time. I enjoy international travel, but every time I leave my country I am reminded of one simple fact. America does everything better then everyone else. Yeah thats right I said it.

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