Faced with the strict limitations NBC has placed on using video clips and reproducing the Olympics logo for sports news coverage, one Chicago sportscaster delivered an epic on-air song-and-dance routine on Tuesday night.
WGN Chicago’s Pat Tomasulo recounted the broadcasting giant’s restrictive rules for covering the Olympics: The station could only replay a two-minute clip over six hours of programming (so the midday show is “screwed”), they’re not allowed to use the Olympic rings in graphics, and they can’t use the Olympics’ official song.
“So I thought today, I’m not even going to report on the Olympics, I’m going to report on that other event that’s going on – the international athletic competition run by one of the most corrupt organizations in the world,” he said, offering a joking workaround to the rules. “Whose logo, wouldn’t you know it, is the multi-colored triangles.”
Tomasulo also said he could fully use the rapper R. Kelly’s “Bump ‘n Grind” as a substitute for the iconic Olympics theme before launching into a rendition of the song.
“And now, just to cover ourselves legally, I’m going to give the report over my high school wrestling highlights because I have no video left,” he said, broadcasting grainy camcorder footage that was credited to both his parents and NBC Universal.
He went on to cover the results of “familiar-sounding but totally different athletes who did well” before talking about “swimmer Mickey Phillips,” a take on Michael Phelps, and “Katie Lee Decky,” a la Katie Ledecky, both of whom took home gold medals.
Watch the full rant via YouTube:
WGN News is truly one of the most entertaining news groups around.
They have a lot of fun doing their broadcasts.
Local news guy complains about being excluded from relevancy. Heh.
Silly wabbit. The Olympics® are not about sport. They represent monopolistic control of marketing and the perceived “manifest destiny” of NBC to boil every event down to a Hallmark Channel bit about someone’s mother. If only they could manage to install a kiss-n-cry area for every event it would so simplify their camera placement.
Geez, I bet this pretty guy gets a 6-digit salary for reading words someone else wrote, and HE is complaining about the news business?
What??? Nothing about the Cubs?