Thursday, September 11, 2008

When sports broadcasting was ring-a-ding-dong dandy

Sometimes it needs to be pointed out what humanity lost when local affiliates, bowing to competition from cable and the Internet, got rid of the 11:30 scoreboard shows that were common in the late '80s and early '90s:



There are three cable sports networks in Canada and a bajillion websites that provide a sports fix. You know what, though? Not a one has truth and fun on its side the way a young Mike Toth, of the FAN 590 and Sportsnet Connected, did back in his days doing local TV in Calgary.

There is a point to putting this up: One, it's to remind people who get tied in knots over Toth's commentaries that it's coming from someone who once dressed up as the Honky Tonk Man on TV. And two, saying this in a Norm MacDonald voice, Mike Toth once dressed up as the Honky Tonk Man on TV. If you don't like Toth just a little after this, you are at least 77 per cent legally dead.

(Clip via Cox Bloc.)

3 comments:

Tyler King said...

I remember intro-ing my first ever interview with the Tother with a clip from his old show. It was actually Sports @ 11 until the ratings began to sag, then it became Sports @ 11:30, and then as he puts it "Sports at no more, because we got cancelled."

Now we're to the days where Global just outsources to The Score, and elsewhere sports just gets the occassional 5 minutes on the local newscast. We're making the assumption now that everyone just watches TSN. Which I guess they do.

Jordie Dwyer said...

LMAO....What's even funnier is I remember that one...I used to love Tother back in those days, along with buddy Grant Pollock, Ed and even the guys up in Edmonton (whether it was Cuthbert and Miller on CBC, Dutchy and the others on ITV, or watching Rod Phillips and that on CFRN). Man, those were the days... Heck, I still have the golf shirt I won from Edm CBC's sport show in the 80s (and yes, I can still wear it).
Oh, just so you know, we out west still get sports done on Global by local reporters - and shockingly Pollock is still on the air in Calgary...I prefer the Edm guys, although a few of the gang at CFRN (Cook, Reid) are good too.
Ahh to have the half hour sports shows back...maybe in time...

Tyler King said...

For the record, the guy who beats up Toth in the video is now president of the CFL player's association.