Anyone catch OLN's spoiler commercial?

[Speedi Pig]

After looking forward to the TTT all week and deliberately avoiding pretty much all news media for much of the day, who blows it for me but OLN themselves airing a commercial at 9:30 EDT giving us the winner. WHAT CRAP!! :crap: :crap: :crap:

Of course, Trautwig's comparing USPS to the NY Yankees (?) and the interview with Sheryl Crow totally made up for it. Yeah right.

[BarryG]

Yeah, I caught that inexcusable faux pas as well. For those who didn't, OLN cut to commercial early in the TTT and then in commercial told viewers to tune in to see Lance in yellow tomorrow.

Although I love her music, I find it difficult to watch Sheryl being interviewed in this cycling context. Ahhh, the dumbing down of cycling for the masses . . . .

Barry

[LowCel]

They did the same thing the day before when the commercial asked if McEwen could keep the yellow. I sure was glad I avoided stage results at all costs that day.

[Madship]

Get tivo, record the live morning broadcast and you never have to worry about OLN spoiling the results again. Also you don't have to deal with Al and Bob, the Cutters or Kristen Gum

[LowCel]

I see Tivo in my future. A must have before next years tour.

[Dekonick]

Thank goodness for Replay TV (same as Tivo - but its got other advantages...either one is worth purchasing)

A friend called me while I was out biking during the TTT - AND HE TOLD ME THE %$# RESULTS before I could shut him up! I wanted to see it on the replay.

Oh well.

[pneumoped]

I wrote OLN an email as well as their main advertisers this morning. I've already received a reply from Clif Bar. I suggest everyone complain to:

feedback@olntv.com

And go to the websites of their sponsors that you use and send them notes as well. Here is what I wrote:

Dear Outdoor Life Network,

CC: Trek.com, Powerbar.com, Clif Bar.com, Nike.com
BCC: all of my cycling friends

Attachments: Letter to major advertisers on OLN during Tour de France coverage

I am very disappointed in the way you presented your coverage of Stages 3 and 4 of the Tour de France. I am a loyal fan of the Tour and watch OLN’s coverage every night when I get home from work.

Despite the fact that each Stage of the Tour occurs live in France while I’m sleeping, I take every measure I can during the day to avoid finding out what happened so that when I watch OLN’s coverage at 6 p.m. Mountain time, the race will still be suspenseful to me.

However, about half way through OLN’s coverage of both Stages 3 and 4, you aired your own commercials promoting the preceding day’s coverage. In those commercials you summed up the results of the Stage for the coverage that was currently airing. In doing so you completely gave away the ending.

This was most disheartening during the Stage 4 team time trial in which OLN’s commercial showed clips of Lance Armstrong with the yellow jersey and tried to hook the viewers by questioning what would happen in Stage 5 now that Lance was leading the GC.

I hope that you will alter your Tour de France promotional advertisements so that they do not give away the endings.

Thanks,
Chris Piper
Denver, CO, USA


Dear Powerbar,

I noticed that you are running advertisements on the Outdoor Life Network’s Cable TV broadcast of the Tour de France. The OLN is running promotional ads during the Tour de France coverage that promote the following day’s stage. In these ads, they give away the outcome of the coverage that we are watching (see my letter to OLN below for more details).

I am writing to ask you to put pressure on OLN to not run their Tour de France promotional commercials during coverage of the Tour that gives away the ending. It ruins the suspense and makes me inclined to not watch the coverage.

I am an amateur triathlete and use your Powerbar energy gel and energy bars when I train and race. I see your advertisements on OLN as a means of support for their programming. If OLN does not change their promotional advertising in order to keep their coverage of the Tour de France suspenseful, then in my mind it will reflect poorly on your company and products as supporting this kind of programming.

I hope that you will contact OLN and express to them how disappointed your customers are of this particular programming method.

Thanks,
Chris Piper
Denver, CO, USA


Dear Clif Bar,

I noticed that you are running advertisements on the Outdoor Life Network’s Cable TV broadcast of the Tour de France. The OLN is running promotional ads during the Tour de France coverage that promote the following day’s stage. In these ads, they give away the outcome of the coverage that we are watching (see my letter to OLN below for more details).

I am writing to ask you to put pressure on OLN to not run their Tour de France promotional commercials during coverage of the Tour that gives away the ending. It ruins the suspense and makes me inclined to not watch the coverage.

I am an avid rock climber and use your Clif Bar energy bars when I hike and climb. I see your advertisements on OLN as a means of support for their programming. If OLN does not change their promotional advertising in order to keep their coverage of the Tour de France suspenseful, then in my mind it will reflect poorly on your company and products as supporting this kind of programming.

I hope that you will contact OLN and express to them how disappointed your customers are of this particular programming method.

Thanks,
Chris Piper
Denver, CO, USA


Dear Trek Bikes,

I noticed that you are running advertisements on the Outdoor Life Network’s Cable TV broadcast of the Tour de France. The OLN is running promotional ads during the Tour de France coverage that promote the following day’s stage. In these ads, they give away the outcome of the coverage that we are watching (see my letter to OLN below for more details).

I am writing to ask you to put pressure on OLN to not run their Tour de France promotional commercials during coverage of the Tour that gives away the ending. It ruins the suspense and makes me inclined to not watch the coverage.

I am an avid mountain biker and I own a 1996 Trek carbon fiber Y22 mountain bike. It is nearing the end of its usefulness and I will be shopping for a new bike soon. I plan to put Trek at the top of my list. However, I see your advertisements on OLN as a means of support for their programming. If OLN does not change their promotional advertising in order to keep their coverage of the Tour de France suspenseful, then in my mind it will reflect poorly on your company and products as supporting this kind of programming.

I hope that you will contact OLN and express to them how disappointed your customers are of this particular programming method.

Thanks,
Chris Piper
Denver, CO, USA


Dear Nike,

I noticed that you are running advertisements on the Outdoor Life Network’s Cable TV broadcast of the Tour de France. The OLN is running promotional ads during the Tour de France coverage that promote the following day’s stage. In these ads, they give away the outcome of the coverage that we are watching (see my letter to OLN below for more details).

I am writing to ask you to put pressure on OLN to not run their Tour de France promotional commercials during coverage of the Tour that gives away the ending. It ruins the suspense and makes me inclined to not watch the coverage.

I am an avid amateur triathlete and I use many of your products when I train and race. In particular I like your “Dry Fit” line of shirts. However, I see your advertisements on OLN as a means of support for their programming. If OLN does not change their promotional advertising in order to keep their coverage of the Tour de France suspenseful, then in my mind it will reflect poorly on your company and products as supporting this kind of programming.

I hope that you will contact OLN and express to them how disappointed your customers are of this particular programming method.

Thanks,
Chris Piper
Denver, CO, USA

[gwk]

I say get a life!!

[pneumoped]

I say get a life!!

To some people life is inaction and that is ok. To me, I choose to voice my opinion. I respect that it does not matter to you my wish to be surprised when watching coverage of the Tour. Or that you could care less to tell others what you do or don't like.

Yet, here you are taking action - telling me that I'm a loser for taking action. The only thing that pleases me more than getting you riled up enough post a response is that several of the advertisers I contacted have sent personal replies to me concerned about my observations.

[mtflycaster]

While I respect the views of those who find fault with OLN, the Tour coverage is getting better and better each year and, as I recall, it was not too very long ago when there was NO coverage.

I, for one, am enjoying wathcing OLN's coverage, imperfect as it might be, and am very grateful for it. I also even find Bob Roll much more entertaining than annoying, but maybe that's because he is one of our Durango homeboys.

:cool:

[bcm119]

Yup, they really screwed up this time. You can forgive all the stupid commercials, Trautwig, Cheryl, etc., but airing a give-away during the primetime show is absolutely ridiculous. Hopefully I'll get to see more than half the race this evening before I find out who wins.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . a lot of money to make sure such things DON’T happen. You have every right to be riled up about them giving away the results.

BBDave

[caffeine power]

After looking forward to the TTT all week and deliberately avoiding pretty much all news media for much of the day, who blows it for me but OLN themselves airing a commercial at 9:30 EDT giving us the winner. WHAT CRAP!! :crap: :crap: :crap:

Of course, Trautwig's comparing USPS to the NY Yankees (?) and the interview with Sheryl Crow totally made up for it. Yeah right.

Me too :crap: :crap: I'd been out riding all evening after work and by the time I sat down to watch it was ~11pm cst. I got up at the first commercial break to get something and was stopped in my tracks by the "ad". My wife was shocked to hear me use the word "c*cks*ckers"... so I turned the tube off and went to bed. If OLN is going to pull stunts like that for the next two weeks I'll just go online and get my results. Screw suffering through borderline "live" coverage.

[kipjac]

:butt: Al Trautwig has got to be the biggest unwanted abortion in the bicycle commentary business. He never ceases to amaze my sense of incredulity and always manages to affront with his obvious lack of cycling insight. His obnoxious focus on American cycling and his perverse adulation of Lance Armstrong make me wanna puke. How can VERSES justify this guy sitting on a broadcasting dais with legends Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett? Surely those two must shake their heads at this ******* and his ignorant ethnocentric remarks. He's gotta go.

[JohnS]

You've dug up an almost 4 year old post to complain. Someone has waaayy too much time on their hands...

[manet]

did they say who is going to win this years tour ?
stevep needs to know.
he wants to fleece roman.