What's With Those Random PTI Cut-Ins?

Friday, September 05, 2008

Since Tuesday, I've been getting multiple emails asking me why Tony and Wilbon keep popping up randomly during commercial breaks. To answer all of your questions....I don't know why. Here's what I'm talking about....



PTI is the flagship program for the network, and they've been using it to keep people interested in shows like the 6pm Sports Center for awhile. This move seems along those same lines, but doing so with advertisers is just a bit annoying. It's obvious that these are on purpose, and I hate commercials as much as the next person, but this comes across as someone trying too hard.

I think PTI is by far the best show on the network (I think everyone knows that), but ESPN needs to be careful they don't ruin the show with all of this nonsense. The show suffers enough when guest hosts fill-in, and when you start breaking the show up and doing these cut-ins, it's only going to make more people change the channel.

23 Comments:

Thats just stupid

W_Rabb said...
Sep 5, 2008, 11:47:00 AM  

SNL has been doing something similar the past few years...showing the cast and crew getting ready for the next sketch.

Judging by how good SNL has been the past few years, I'd say it's a bad omen for PTI.

Anonymous said...
Sep 5, 2008, 11:59:00 AM  

I don't really mind it. It's just them BSing. It's not like they're pimping products ala The Budweiser Hot Seat. Seems fine to me...

Anonymous said...
Sep 5, 2008, 12:00:00 PM  

I don't mind it either, and gives me a reason to not fast forward through the commericial breaks now. PTI is my favorite show on TV so its not gonna make me change the channel

Mark B said...
Sep 5, 2008, 12:23:00 PM  

I don't mind them either, but the next logical step is to put products in their hands during the cut-ins. Just saying that it could get worse.

Sep 5, 2008, 12:25:00 PM  

It just makes people press play on the DVR while commercials are still going. Most of the time, Tony is getting makeup put on him.
I have learned just to keep ff'ing until I see the ticker come up on the right hand of the screen.

Unknown said...
Sep 5, 2008, 12:29:00 PM  

I'll have to respectfully disagree with you. I normally fast forward through the commercials but now I stop to check out the cut-ins. I am a long-time fan of Tony K and this actually reminds me of the commercial breaks that his internet listeners were treated to way back in the good ole days.

Anonymous said...
Sep 5, 2008, 12:29:00 PM  

We can only hope that they do this when Lebatard is filling in and he forgets and drops and F bomb.

Anonymous said...
Sep 5, 2008, 12:47:00 PM  

It's just as annoying as going to espn.com and having to watch their automatic video player.

Anonymous said...
Sep 5, 2008, 1:17:00 PM  

I am guessing, it's just a response to Tivo / DVRs - They try to make people quit forwarding all the way through commercials.

It doesn't work, of course, but I bet shows like PTI will eventually start showing one commercial after each 1:30 topic - just to make the effort of skipping the commercials not worth it.

Anonymous said...
Sep 5, 2008, 1:18:00 PM  

Pardon the interruption but... SportsCenter is the flagship program, not PTI.

Anonymous said...
Sep 5, 2008, 1:30:00 PM  

If only there were these cut-ins when Berman was cussing out his crew during the commercial breaks!

Anonymous said...
Sep 5, 2008, 1:32:00 PM  

When I first saw one of these, I thought it was a production f-up.

Also, I didn't get MW's comment to TK, "You're in the water now!"

thermal54 said...
Sep 5, 2008, 3:20:00 PM  

@thermal54, I was going to post the same thing. I was watching last night and didn't understand why Wilbon said they were in the water. Um, is Bristol actually a cruise ship?!?

Jay said...
Sep 5, 2008, 4:30:00 PM  

There are 1,000 Sportscenters; there is only 1 PTI, so I agree it is now the flagship of ESPN. With the exception of Bob Ryan, they do suffer tremendously with guest hosts; they do have to find better subs, esp better than that idiot from Miami, Labotomy.

Anonymous said...
Sep 5, 2008, 5:53:00 PM  

@anon

Sportscenter may be the flagshp, but pti gets better eatings than the 6 pm edition. Thats why they moved the big finish.

odessasteps said...
Sep 5, 2008, 8:01:00 PM  

Goodnight, Canada.

Anonymous said...
Sep 6, 2008, 1:00:00 AM  

..."better eatings" -- now that is a funny typo. :-)

Jay said...
Sep 6, 2008, 1:35:00 AM  

I love PTI and it is clearly the best show on ESPN hands down! Isn't it obvious that it is the flagship show? Why would they move the big finish into Sportscenter?

Why is Michael Wilbon on the NBA on ABC?

Why is Tony Kornheiser on MNF?

Clearly they are just as important as Chris Berman, Mike Tirico and Stuart Scott

Anonymous said...
Sep 6, 2008, 10:00:00 AM  

This will only be good if it turns into Kornheiser's old "internet show" and Rich Eisen drops by to tell the Bea Arthur joke.

Anonymous said...
Sep 7, 2008, 12:40:00 AM  

I don't see how anyone could enjoy that show. Kornheiser never watches any games, doesn't know any players and Wilbon is a fake Cubs fan who doesn't have much of a clue either.

Anonymous said...
Sep 7, 2008, 3:21:00 AM  

I also kind of like these things. I think what they're going for is to make the audience think "hey, yeah, they just BS at each other between commercials too--these guys are really like this and really love this stuff," and I think it's pretty effective at that.

Plus, if it keeps a few people from tivo-ing the commercials, that has to make advertisers happy, right?

TJ said...
Sep 7, 2008, 11:12:00 AM  

The cut-ins are fine, whatever. As long as I don't have to see Wilbon's naked legs like I did in a cut-in this past week!

John said...
Sep 14, 2008, 11:40:00 PM  

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