The Cyclism?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tcklyde
OLN has driven me nuts this year. Roll's longwinded commentary gets very annoying and I wish they'd spend more time with Ligget and Sherwin, but, all the same, thank god for coverage.

Getting to watch the Tour in the States is a treat, even if it's uneven, ignores the sprinters stages, and seems to think Ullirich doesn't exist (he's LA's strongest rival but has barely earned a mention. Hamilton's great, but the big man from Germany never gets an interview.)

But I can't fault it. They need advertisers and they need the casual Tour fans. Good enough.

Liggett and Sherwin cover the entie 9-11:30 EST live coverage--no Roll or Trautwig (ignore the 8:30 prerace nonsense) Pretty even-handed coverage of all the main riders and their teams. Ditto to the Pierre Salanger note- I'll take what I can get after all those years of bookmark coverage. Vive le Tour!

I think "The Cyclysm" media hype is geared specifically towards non-cyclists and non-cycling fans in an attempt to attract those who might otherwise be non-interested in the sport. And together with Lance Armstrong, OLN is doing a pretty good job of converting a lot of people. Take my boss for example. I have never heard her talk about cycling until the Tour began and she seems to be following the tour everyday on OLN.

Anyhow, I think OLN is doing a superb job with the coverage and I especially like the many different camera angles that they offer.

I get the feeling that "cyclysm" is some kind of play on something the French might have done once upon a time. But what the Hell, most marketing and advertising is now done by the under 30 group who IMHO have never possessed the wealth of general knowledge that old time copywriters used to have. (As an old time copywriter and teacher of new writers, I am constantly amazed by my students growing lack of general knowledge.)

I knew a guy that had the Cyclysm. Two penicillin shots cleared him right up but seriously I hate made up catch phrases in general. The media is notorious for over using made up phrases.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by krb104
Liggett and Sherwin cover the entie 9-11:30 EST live coverage--no Roll or Trautwig (ignore the 8:30 prerace nonsense) Pretty even-handed coverage of all the main riders and their teams. Ditto to the Pierre Salanger note- I'll take what I can get after all those years of bookmark coverage. Vive le Tour!

Wait a minute... there's a difference in the coverage depending on what time you watch? I wondered why I only hear Liggett at the very end of the stages when I watch the prime time, or just before prime time, extended coverage. So, then, the trick to record the early live broadcast and watch it later?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Trekker2017
I get the feeling that "cyclysm" is some kind of play on something the French might have done once upon a time. But what the Hell, most marketing and advertising is now done by the under 30 group who IMHO have never possessed the wealth of general knowledge that old time copywriters used to have. (As an old time copywriter and teacher of new writers, I am constantly amazed by my students growing lack of general knowledge.)

Wow! An old-timey copywriter! I'm a new-timey one. But I'm over 30 so I do have a wealth of general knowlege. Seriously I know so much about things that don't matter.

The Cyclysm is annoying, but I am very happy with the nearly non-stop cycling coverage that we're getting from OLN.

I also hope that OLN continues to offer excellent tour coverage after Lance's retirement. Maybe they have found that they are filling a void and will continue to cover cycling? We can only hope.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Aztec
Wait a minute... there's a difference in the coverage depending on what time you watch? I wondered why I only hear Liggett at the very end of the stages when I watch the prime time, or just before prime time, extended coverage. So, then, the trick to record the early live broadcast and watch it later?

Exactly--I TIVO the morning live broadcast--2.5 hours of Liggett and Shirwin with a few minutes of the filler stuff w/ Frankie Andreu. Hope this helps.

David_Zen said:

I think "The Cyclysm" media hype is geared specifically towards non-cyclists and non-cycling fans in an attempt to attract those who might otherwise be non-interested in the sport. And together with Lance Armstrong, OLN is doing a pretty good job of converting a lot of people.

Ahh, I thought I was going to be the only one who "gets it." 😉 I have to respectfully disagree with nearly everyone, I think the "Cyclysm" campaign is brilliant. Jason Lee (the greasy guy, LOL, also a former pro skateboarder and current actor) also does a great job as "the messenger." Annoying or not, you have to admit he gets your attention and today's advertising is all about "cutting through the clutter" and getting noticed. Also keep in mind those OLN spots are playing all over the cable dial, not just on OLN.

As for the made-up word "cyclysm," I think it's clever; a play on the real word "cataclysm" meaning: A violent upheaval that causes great destruction or brings about a fundamental change. (Source: www.dictionary.com) Not a bad way to describe the possibility of Lance being the only cyclist to win a 6th TdF, in my humble opinion. 😉

My kudos to OLN in nearly every aspect. Having a background in TV production myself, I know that just the logistics of putting together a moving telecast like that are enormous, let alone the talent that goes on-screen. Of course I'm sure they're sharing resources/crew with the European nets as well. To this point, the only thing I've really found to take issue with in their coverage are the inane "Cutters." Otherwise, my hat's off to the folks at OLN...

I like how everyone bashes our only station to really watch the tour on(or any other cycling event for that matter)... it's better than nothing. Take it or leave it.

If it wasn't for OLN, I would have to rely on ESPN highlights and they barely do any and you would probably do the same.

TrekDedicated said:

I like how everyone bashes our only station to really watch the tour on(or any other cycling event for that matter)... it's better than nothing. Take it or leave it.

If it wasn't for OLN, I would have to rely on ESPN highlights and they barely do any and you would probably do the same.

Have you even read the posts in this thread??? Everyone has had nothing but GREAT things to say about OLN's coverage! We were just poking a little good-natured fun at what some of us believe to be a kind of dumb ad campaign.

I don't think that you would want to call it a "cyclism." I've thought about that combination of cataclysm and cycling, and it just seems to have a negative connotation. It kind of implies that if Lance were to win, the Tour would be completely destroyed. And plus, it's "a violent upheavel," which, unless Lance starts knocking off his opponents Mafia-style, isn't very correct. Yeah, I know I'm being picky and nobody really cares and I should think of something better if I'm going to criticize the title, but I'm not a marketer.

OLN is doing a good job showing the Tour, even though I don't actually have the channel.

I thought that oln derived cyclism from cyclone, you know the hurricane?
I wish that they would also show other tours.

rsalazar said:

I thought that oln derived cyclism from cyclone, you know the hurricane?
I wish that they would also show other tours.

They do. THey already aired the Giro this year and OLN will also cover the Vuelta.

well, if it is, then my mistake.