[Hanoi5]

Another problem is that the attention span of a child today is not the same as it used to be.

[Phil]

kfay, on Jan 7 2009, 01:05 PM, said:

I think Phil Gordon would make a great commentator.

He already commentates on the Celebrity Poker Showdown or whatever it's called, has a lot of poker recognition and blogs for ESPN so people would tune in and say 'hey... Phil Gordon plays bridge?' I wouldn't be surprised if he'd do it... lol. Josh would know better than I, I suppose.

Anyway this has been touched on before, I think. You explain Texas Hold'em to people in the first 5 minutes of the show. This really cannot cannot be done with bridge. It's a medium that would not suit it well, imo. Probably will never succeed.

I've already talked to Phil (Gordon) about this and he's interested.

ESPN has been approached. They don't seem to be jumping all over it.

Yes I have a format in mind.

[nige1]

• I agree with the theory of Stuart Maurice (ex-partner): that only genuine prestigious National (or better World) championships will attract wide TV audiences for Bridge.
  
• These competitions must pit famous players against each other. Ideally these should include controversial eccentrics and charismatic characters like Zia Mahmoud. .
  
• For a game as complex as Bridge, rather than professional sports commentators, you need expert Bridge commentators with a sense of humour, like David Burn. In the UK, there have been many Briidge programs on TV amd Wireless. The most popular was the first: Terence Reese's and Harold Franklin's long-running and excellent wireless program Bridge on the Air. This had expert presenters and expert competitors. It spawned one of the best bridge books of all time.
  
• In Bridge, some complications are inevitable but the systemic tower of Babel should be flattened for TV purposes. For example everybody could play the same Standard System.
  
• In order to justify the imposition of a standard system, perhaps the format should be an individual tournament.
  
• In the long term, we must hope for simpler rules and regulations, so that Bridge tests bidding and play skills rather than sophisticated legal expertise. In the short term, perhaps we could adopt sensible on-line rules (like BBO's), rather than fragmented, cumbersome, and controversial face-to-face rules. To this end, you might use bridge-mates to enter bids and plays, linked to computers. Although, unfortunately that would lessen the visual impact.

[neilkaz]

Phil, on Jan 9 2009, 05:35 PM, said:

kfay, on Jan 7 2009, 01:05 PM, said:

I think Phil Gordon would make a great commentator. 

He already commentates on the Celebrity Poker Showdown or whatever it's called, has a lot of poker recognition and blogs for ESPN so people would tune in and say 'hey... Phil Gordon plays bridge?'  I wouldn't be surprised if he'd do it... lol.  Josh would know better than I, I suppose.

Anyway this has been touched on before, I think.  You explain Texas Hold'em to people in the first 5 minutes of the show.  This really cannot cannot be done with bridge.  It's a medium that would not suit it well, imo.  Probably will never succeed.

I've already talked to Phil (Gordon) about this and he's interested.

ESPN has been approached. They don't seem to be jumping all over it.

Yes I have a format in mind.

Rather than trying for ESPN, perhaps see if you can drum up some interest from a minor cable network ?

A few people I know have done backgammon shows which have made it onto networks like Eurosport 2 (if my info is correct) but they've not had sucess getting bg onto US TV.

.. neilkaz ..

[benlessard]

In Japan Go and shogi show are very, very popular. So its surely a good start to look what they are doing over there. The problem is that if you make a show for bridge players the ratings will be lows and if you make a show for everybody then they wont be a lot of bridge in it. Poker shows are totally unwatchable for any1 that know poker.

The types of show that might work is a high stakes bridge table or an all around show about professionnals gamblers (backgammon, pools, sports bettors etc...)

[Vilgan]

It'd sure be a lot easier if it was following a movie that poked bridge into popular culture a little bit. Virtually everyone under the age of 40 thinks of it as a nursing home game that blue haired ladies play while waiting to kick the bucket. Two routes.. Rounders style with lots of focus on the drama/money/competitiveness of it, or Searching for Bobby Fischer style.

Lots of other things make it elsewhere... heck Starcraft is televised constantly in South Korea. But sparking that initial interest is probably going to be very hard in the US.

[Phil]

Or like Wordplay.

Maybe "The Backwash Squeeze and Other Improbable Feats" can get an indy deal.

[PeterGill]

Andy Pedersen's April 2007 documentary on Gavin Wolpert and Vince Demuy attracted several hundred thousand viewers on Canadian TV. Ref for example
http://www.thecoast.ca/Articles-i-2007-04-...the_bridge.html

If you want good looking young people for a bridge TV show,
the current World Junior Pairs Champion Cecilia Rimstedt is one of many: ref http://www.worldbrid...asp?qryid=17703

But this thread's topic is Bridge on TV in the U.S. ....

I think that if US's new School Bridge League succeeds,
then bridge on US TV can succeed. Backed by Bill Gates' money, www.schoolbridgeleague.org aims to educate US schoolkids about "doing good"
by teaching them a syllabus of very basic bridge which illustrates concepts
such as respect, partnership, trust, following a set of rules etc.
Then those few kids who really like bridge can go on to learn
duplicate bridge properly at Summer Camps etc.

If it eventually takes off at every school in USA (and later the world),
as hoped for, then bridge will be understood by the vast majority of
young Americans, and TV and movies will then have a readymade audience.
This benefit is only a byproduct of the main aims of the whole project.

I think their aims are very good, although their initial progress has been slow.
The parent body of the whole concept The League www.theleague.org
doubled its staff in 2008, so there's hope. There would be even more hope
if the concept was publicized and supported more within the bridge community.

Peter Gill
Sydney Australia

[Hanoi5]

there's an error in the schoolbridgeleague.org. And I couldn't find any information on bridge at theleague.org.

[jtfanclub]

ArcLight, on Jan 8 2009, 04:31 PM, said:

How about as a pre-condition for parole, all people must learn basic bridge.

You think you're kidding, but in fact Bridge and Bid Whist are very popular in prisons, and the ability to not assault your partner when he does something stupid is certainly considered in parole.

Why ESPN? Wasn't Poker made popular on the Travel Network? People who watch ESPN are mostly looking for adrenalin rushes- big hits, car crashes, slam dunks, etc. I would think the Travel Network would be a better natural audience.

I think explaining the auction (highest bid determines trump and declarer), the levels (Game, Slam, Grand), and Doubling would be good, and then only look at the final contract. "At table 2, Sabine and Auken have pushed Rodwell into a risky 5 heart contract instead of the safe 4", and suchlike. The whole auction might be shown on the screen for a moment, but I wouldn't bother discussing the bids themselves.

[PeterGill]

Hanoi5 wrote: "there's an error in the schoolbridgeleague.org.
And I couldn't find any information on bridge at theleague.org"

I agree that navigating their websites is not easy.

(1)
http://www.schoolbridgeleague.org

(2) Bridge info from
http://www.theleague.org/
or
http://leagueworldwide.org/ :

About Us (at the very bottom of the page) then Staff ... Barbara Dillbeck

About Us then About - ad at bottom for Bridge Manager

Info on School Bridge League in Hawaii - "840 students in 45 schools" in USA ....
http://www.theleague.org/index.php?option=...id=500&Itemid=1

Info about the School Bridge League
http://www.theleague.org/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=204&Itemid=1

but basically all the bridge info is on website (1) not website (2).

Peter Gill

[Hanoi5]

Quote

but I wouldn't bother discussing the bids themselves.

Unless it deserved it, for example, to point out why they played a different contract than at the other table. By the way, showing a comparison is essential.

[bill1157]

I am surprised no one has mentioned the DVD set of "Championship Bridge with Charles Goren" {a tv series froms the 50's/60's}. I got sets for my wife (who is now decided she wants to learn bridge) and for my brother and another couple who are all learning and playing rubber bridge with us some.
The show is pretty good, has great players and celebrities (Chico Marx strikes me as the worst bridge player of all time).
Anyway that might give you some ideas for a future TV show.

Bill

[fred]

bill1157, on Jan 17 2009, 10:58 PM, said:

I am surprised no one has mentioned the DVD set of "Championship Bridge with Charles Goren" {a tv series froms the 50's/60's}. I got sets for my wife (who is now decided she wants to learn bridge) and for my brother and another couple who are all learning and playing rubber bridge with us some.
The show is pretty good, has great players and celebrities (Chico Marx strikes me as the worst bridge player of all time).
Anyway that might give you some ideas for a future TV show.

Bill

Agree. It was an excellent show. I especially enjoyed the episode(s) in which Eric Murray played. I also found the interplay between Goren and Dreier to be very amusing.

My wife was introduced to bridge through Championship Bridge reruns and was later introduced to me through bridge

IMO a show with the same basic format of Championship Bridge is much more likely to be successful than a show that attempts to cover a major tournament.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[hotShot]

I think there were some episodes teaching Acol on the dutch television in the 80th.

[bill1157]

Having read most of the posts here, i have an idea for a TV show on Bridge.
The show would be called: "Poker Beauties Learn to Play Bridge" and would star Shannon Elizabeth, Vanessa Russo and 2 other Poker beauties, with commentary by Phil Gordon.

The ladies would start out playing mini-bridge (maybe add a slam bonus to spice things up, and the partial could be a minimum of 8 tricks rather than 7).
Score 400 for bidding and making game, 900 for bidding and making slam, 150 for partscore. Also, undertricks and overtricks are counted only if X or XX.

Do a pilot or 2 on you-tube and see how it goes!

Bill

[helene_t]

hotShot, on Jan 18 2009, 01:00 AM, said:

I think there were some episodes teaching Acol on the dutch television in the 80th.

I saw bridge lessons on Dutch telly in 96, was quite cool.

[paulg]

Celebrity Bridge on TV is coming to the UK this April, albeit you need to be able to receive the Sky Arts channel.

Details on the SBU website.

Paul

[hotShot]

Interesting news.

[Rain]

Celebrity bridge

Is david rowntree from MIT?