THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 14, 1994 TAG: 9409130067
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LARRY BONKO
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
SO, HOW DO YOU Sunday afternoon sofa spuds like the Fox Box?
It's that clock and scoreboard thing that floats in the left hand corner of the TV screen during National Football League games televised by the Fox network. Its presence is relentless, reminding us who is beating whom and by how much, and the amount of time left to be played in the quarter.
You can tune in just about anytime and see the Fox Box. You're up to date without waiting for the guys in the broadcast booth to give you the score.
I think it's a great idea.
And so do 67 percent of the viewers who were asked about the Fox Box in a nationwide telephone survey. Only 20 percent of the people in the poll said they hated the Fox Box, according to numbers released this week by a Fox publicist in New York City, Vince Wladika.
I was surprised to learn from Wladika that almost 20 percent of the people who watched the games on Fox said they didn't even notice the little Fox Box gizmo in the left hand corner of the screen.
How can you not be aware of the Fox Box? It's ALWAYS THERE!
Viewers in Hampton Roads are certainly aware of it.
A spokesman for the Fox affiliate here, WTVZ, told me that the calls are running 50 to 1 against the Fox Box.
The callers' reasons for hating the Fox Box:
It's as annoying as a cinder in the eye.
It detracts from the action on the field.
Its numbers are too small to be read easily at a glance.
It clutters up the screen.
Well, like it or not, the Fox Box is here to stay, according to Wladika.
``We've designed the Fox Box not to be obtrusive. We've reduced the size of the box, streamlined the design, heightened the background, and intend to show it throughout the game except during replays. People are getting used to it. The overwhelming number of people who watch the games on Fox say they like it.'' Call me on Infoline (640-5555, press 2486) to comment on the Fox Box.
The clock you see in the Fox Box is the stadium clock. Official time.
A Fox producer (Regina Gifford) visited all the stadiums in the National Football League to set up the machinery that makes it possible for viewers to see the same numbers seen by fans and players in the stadiums.
It was a technical nightmare, said Wladika.
The credit or blame for the Fox Box goes to David Hill, the president of Fox Sports who was brought over from the United Kingdom to set up the Fox NFL coverage with George Kreiger, Ed Goren and Tracy Dolgin. In Europe, Hill used something similar to the Fox Box while televising soccer matches.
There wasn't much they could do to Foxify the National Football League games - to make the NFL more appealing to the network's young, hip viewership. No way the league would permit Al Bundy to hold the ball during extra-point attempts, for instance. While Hill couldn't tinker with the game on the field, he was free to innovate on the Fox telecasts.
``We wanted on-screen graphics that imparted the story of the game in a dynamic, unique and bold way,'' Hill told TV writers in Los Angeles not long ago.
The Fox Box is Hill's bold new look.
On most telecasts, Fox is using more cameras, tape machines and slow-motion tape machines than CBS used last season. Fox also cranked up the sound at the field level. ``On punts, you'll hear the ball being kicked. You'll hear the sound of shoulder pads being smacked. Once the huddle breaks, you'll hear everything on the field you should hear,'' said Goren.
The NFL on Fox. How do you like it so far?
You have the same teams you saw on CBS for 38 years. You have John Madden and Pat Summerall, the same guys who were on CBS. You have everything you had before plus the Fox Box. Hello, Fox. Love ya. by CNB