POYNTER’s Jones & Fu noted TNT did not have announcers on site for the opening game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs series between the Blues and Jets in Winnipeg on Saturday. Announcers John Forslund and Jennifer Botterill called the game from a studio in Atlanta. Jones & Fu wrote that is “inexcusable.” It is the playoffs, and announcers “should be on site to see everything that’s taking place.” ESPN had Game 2 of that series last night, and their announcers were in Winnipeg (POYNTER, 4/21).
CALM AND COLLECTED: In Philadelphia, Rob Tornoe wrote former MLBer Cole Hamels was “solid yet unspectacular” in his regular-season broadcasting debut Sunday. Hamels “felt calm and collected” in a booth that also featured play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy and fellow analyst Rubén Amaro Jr. Navigating a three-person crew “can sometimes be tricky, especially with the pitch clock,” but Hamels “didn’t over analyze every pitch or force himself to talk when he had nothing to add.” He even “snuck in a few timely remarks.” The current plan is for Hamels to “call at least one game a month,” essentially filling in for Baseball HOFer Mike Schmidt when he has other obligations (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 4/21).
LIFTING THE CURTAIN: VARIETY’s Emily Longeretta reported “WWE: Unreal,” a new Netflix docuseries set to debut this summer, will give viewers an “exclusive, closer look at the organization.” Produced by Omaha Productions, NFL Films, Skydance Sports and WWE, the series will consist of 10 episodes, each 50 minutes long. Chris Weaver directs and Erik Powers serves as showrunner (VARIETY, 4/21).
