John Canzano: ESPN didn’t like my reviews

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John Canzano wrote a second article in the Oregonian on ESPN on Monday. It addressed the network’s reaction to its Sunday column on the poor visual quality of the coverage of the PAC-12 football network.

In Sunday’s article, Canzano cited sources who told him the network was reducing the costs of its PAC-12 coverage. It uses fewer cameras and an outdated broadcast truck. He called the network’s coverage of Oregon’s victory over Washington a “fuzzy, low-budget disappointment.”

“An ESPN spokesperson read my column and wrote in bold to say, ‘The idea that we’re doing cheap Pac-12 games is patently wrong,'” he wrote on Monday.

According to John Canzano, ESPN says he had seven cameras in the game, not six as he previously reported. The network also acknowledges that there have been technical issues with some PAC-12 games this season, but called them “a few isolated technical issues … that we are actively working to resolve.”

Bill Rice also spoke with Canzano. He was the cameraman at the game. It is clear in his diagnosis of the problem. ESPN uses obsolete equipment.

“All of this equipment that we were using is old and worn out. This is their ‘E’ show. This truck is far from my home. This is ESPN’s “E-level” show.

“You know … A … B … C … D … E.”

Rice also said the broadcast truck ESPN used for the West Coast games is a relic. He says it dates back to the 20th century, which would mean the network is relying on technology over two decades old to stream games in HD.

John Canzano did some research and found answers regarding the truck and the equipment inside the stadium.

The Oregonian / OregonLive obtained the fact sheet that was distributed to the team working for ESPN ahead of the Oregon-WSU game. The truck itself was built in 2012, but the key equipment to the interior was made 10 to 25 years ago. The document verifies that there were, in fact, six “hard” cameras during the game and a seventh handheld camera. It also lists the names of the teams working on the game. I researched them and they are all highly trained and experienced TV production experts.

Canzano ends his column on Monday by encouraging George Kliavkoff, the new commissioner of PAC-12, to hire TV producers to advise the league’s next TV contracts.

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