Star Spangled Staggers

US politics from outside the beltway

NBC cuts London bombings tribute because it is "not tailored to a US audience"

Network airs interview with Michael Phelps instead

By Alex Hern Published 30 July 2012 9:23

The NBC peacock. Photograph: Getty Images

NBC is the American channel which won, for $1.8bn, the rights to broadcast the Olympics in the US. Unfortunately, on the first day, they didn't do a great job of it.

The Opening Ceremony included a tribute to the victims of terror; specifically, to the 52 people killed in the London bombings, which happened the day after the Olympics were awarded to the city. With that victory itself happening hot on the heels of the enormous Live 8 gala, it was a hugely emotional week for Londoners, and something which few will forget.

To pay tribute to it, Danny Boyle, the director, included a mellow – aurally, if not when it came to choreography – section of the opening ceremony, which was explicitly announced as a memorial, and was, along with the silence for the war dead, a time for reflection.

Unless you were watching in the US, where NBC cut away to a pre-recorded interview with swimmer Michael Phelps.

Their explanation for doing so? According to USA Today:

When asked why NBC didn't show the memorial, NBC spokesman Greg Hughes on Saturday said only that "our programming is tailored for the U.S. audience. It's a tribute to (opening ceremony producer) Danny Boyle that it required so little editing." [emphasis mine]

Just imagine if the BBC had cut away from a tribute to 9/11, or even the Aurora shooting. NBC apparently thinks "basic decency" isn't tailored for Americans.

Oh, and to add insult to injury, their commentators didn't know who Tim Berners-Lee was.

One NBC presenter: We haven't heard of Tim Berners-Lee either. Second NBC presenter: "Google him!" conho.me/PdzBWo #YouCouldNotMakeItUp

— Tim Montgomerie (@TimMontgomerie) July 29, 2012

Oh dear, NBC.

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18 comments

Wed, 2012-08-22 23:05 — JennaT (not verified)

Just fyi world....we Americans hated their coverage worse than anyone. They pretty much sucked at everything.

Sat, 2012-08-18 21:13 — Deanmeister (not verified)

An excellent article, but just two points to be made here.

Firstly, a good many Americans would rather have watched the tribute to the dead than the article about Phelps, and many watched it afterwards.

Second.... get real! Outside of the field of computer geeks, how many people anywhere in the world, the UK included, had ever heard of Tim Berners-Lee?

Fri, 2012-08-03 19:08 — AsifB (not verified)

And the moral is that 60 years of advertiser controlled tv has led to a culture in the US that free to air viewers expect even credit sequences to be interrupted by advertisments.

Therefore for good or bad (and not forgetting how insular Auntie Beeb can be) SUPPORT THE BBC LICENCE FEE - It raises the bar - without it and associated regulations, ITV would not have produced The World at War and Sky News would be FOxed up.

Wed, 2012-08-01 02:08 — mbrecker (not verified)

They cut to a Micheal Phelps interview. How many gold medals has he won? One! A Chinese woman swimmer wins, and the US swimming coach instantly knows she's doping. He doesn't need proof. He can just tell.

******g brilliant, NBC.

Wed, 2012-08-01 02:04 — mbrecker (not verified)

Boycott NBC's coverage. Since they love to say if you don't like it, turn it off, do exactly that. If everyone who's angry about this blatant censorship did that, someone at GE Headquarters in NYC would pay attention.

Tue, 2012-07-31 12:58 — Bel ami (not verified)

Like it said, if we were to dare to cut out a snippet of a 9/11 tribute, I think America would probably declare a full-blown war on us. But we would never do that anyway, as everyone should understand that unjust loss of life, wherever in the world, needs to be remembered and and the people's lives respected so we can learn and grow as humans.

Tue, 2012-07-31 12:59 — Bel ami (not verified)

Sorry I put it three times :(

Tue, 2012-07-31 12:57 — Bel ami (not verified)

Tue, 2012-07-31 13:33 — Remember remember (not verified)

And yet the IOC have consistently refused to remember the victims of the 1972 attack on the Olympics.

Mon, 2012-07-30 13:29 — John Cheese (not verified)

And the beat goes on...

Mon, 2012-07-30 13:27 — mittfh

They've also drawn criticism for their coverage of the sporting events, (a) by delaying the broadcasts so they avoid conflicting with prime time programming, (b) adjusting the timing over the different time zones, (c) interrupting coverage with commercial breaks - which has already resulted in the inevitable Team USA scoring lots of points during the break.

Sadly they seem to be putting their income (from advertisers) over common sense and the demands of their audience.

Mon, 2012-07-30 16:06 — Tru (not verified)

NBC doesn't delay broadcasts "so they avoid conflicting with prime time programming." NBC's "prime time programming" IS the Olympics while they are on. The reason for the delay is so they can show the events they think Americans most want to watch during East Coast prime time so as to get the highest ratings (and thus justify the wads of money advertisers spent on ads at that time). This means that Americans can't watch the events they most want to see live; we have to wait until nighttime, by which time we already know the results. Of course, that's just those of us in the Eastern, Central and Mountain time zones; if you're in the Pacific time zone, extend the wait by another three hours, because NBC will hold YOUR coverage until YOUR evening!

Mon, 2012-07-30 12:53 — Mediaferret (not verified)

"Our award-winning production team will present them on a medium that best demonstrates their grandeur and majesty, and at a time when friends and family are able to gather together to watch, which is in primetime." - NBC, reported by the BBC.

Astonishingly arrogant to think they know what's best for their viewers. And, astonishingly arrogant to make editorial changes.

Mon, 2012-07-30 16:16 — Tru (not verified)

What a joke of masterful PR BS!

"A medium that best demonstrates their grandeur and majesty"...because we at NBC believe in our hearts that the Olympics are so magnificent that America needs to watch them on a wide-screen HDTV (even if all you own is a beat-up old traditional picture-tube set). They are far too grand and majestic to withstand the indignity of being watched on an iPad or a smartphone screen during the day.

"at a time when friends and family are able to gather together to watch, which is in primetime"...Because we know it's not as if any Americans have anything other than nine-to-five jobs that prohibit them from watching during the day, and it's certainly not as if any Americans are unemployed and have all the free time in the world (although they wish they didn't) to watch the Olympics. The ONLY TIME friends and family can get together to watch is PRIMETIME. Oh, and of course, no Americans live alone and want to watch the Olympics by themselves...the Olympics are a FORCED COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE and MUST be watched with other people in groups.

It's as if NBC is still living in the 20th century or something. I sure hope they catch up by the Sochi Games, or something's going to blow.

Mon, 2012-07-30 12:00 — Robert Taggart

There were no Cowboys in the ceremony - and you wonder why NBC cut-out ?!

Mon, 2012-07-30 11:44 — Deek (not verified)

Look at the shiny shiny !!!

Mon, 2012-07-30 10:31 — Juneau Alaska (not verified)

NBC: No Bloody Compassion. Musn't require the audience to think too much, so let's keep the focus on the lights and magic; not unlike when a mother rattles her keys in front of a baby.