Track: Live stream of CIF prelims was unacceptable

It was embarrassing, if not stunningly inept, to watch the live stream coverage of the CIF state track and field prelims on Friday night as provided by Time Warner Cable from Buchanan High School in Clovis.

TWC had one stationary camera operating from far, far away that didn’t even cover the whole stadium. The sound was difficult to understand from hearing the public address announcer to others speaking.

And by 8 p.m., when standout runner Michael Norman was running in the 400, you couldn’t see anything, as darkness blocked out any semblance of activity. But you could see the stadium lights in the distance. Later, the lighting problem was fixed but the camera angle never changed.

How could the CIF permit this to happen? Yes, on Saturday, Time Warner Cable is supposed to have multiple cameras and a full web production that will be available on live stream for the finals, but an event with the quality of this year’s prelims deserved a much more professional operation.

In fact, any number of high schools who have streamed their own events this year could have done a better job than Time Warner Cable.

As track fan Don Murphy said in an email to me, “There’s no zoom, so the runners look like ants! And the track announcer & TV announcer drown out each other! This is the best TW can do? CIF should be embarrassed! M. Norman will not get the coverage he deserves.”

In a tweet, CIF Executive Director Roger Blake said, “We either have to do better, do it right or not at all for prelims. Guaranteed professional broadcast for finals. Apologies.”

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