RHINO DROPPINGS
July 6, 2006
Fans seem quick to congratulate the Rhinos on the noise reduction, but the decibel readings done by the RD staff on Monday’s win against Vancouver were no lower than they have been at any other match at PTP. The pre-recorded ads were the only type of interruption that registered in a level that OSHA would call safe. The music and Rockhead were as loud as ever, and proudly reached their loudest PTP level yet at the Lady Rhinos game that same day (100 dBA). Thanks, Rhinos!
Here’s the kicker: Someone from the RD staff broke company rules and actually read the instructions for our sound level meters during the break between matches, and learned the settings used over the past year take an average of the noise pollution over a one-second span and reports only that median figure. Turns out the highpoints of volume are about 15-20% greater than we had thought, which means the 117 dBA reading we clocked is nearly the same as having a riveter in your section. Thanks, Rhinos!
Another favorite moment: The max reading for the brass band, who were blowing their horns straight away into our meters about 20 feet away, topped out at 100 dBA. This made one member of the RD staff laugh so loud, we had to institutionalize him. Thanks, Rhinos!
Show us someone who thinks there’s less music being played, and we’ll show you someone who’s on the pipe. Data collected from four matches at Frontier Field last July show an average of 40.75 musical interruptions per match. On Monday, there were 44. And that’s during play, so it doesn’t count pre/post-match or halftime shenanigans. Thanks, Rhinos!
On the plus side, the PA advertising is down quite significantly, as the front office promised it would be at PTP. For this, we can unsarcastically say “thanks, Rhinos!”
What we’re probably hearing, thanks to the presence of fewer ads, is more quiet time during play. Unfortunately, the front office is hearing the same thing, and they're opting to fill that new empty space with more jock rock – the thing that adds neither to the enjoyment of the game, nor to the club’s coffers. And their doing it at levels just as loud (if not louder) than fans experienced at Frontier. Management is still completely mum on the subject, aside from graciously accepting thanks from people who thought Monday’s match was quieter. It’s one thing for fans to be vaguely aware that music and ads are being played, and a totally different thing to be able to feel the stuff being pumped into you, like you're at an Immaculate Mary concert.
What do you think? Are you able to have a conversation with the person sitting next to you without shouting? Do you roll your eyes when Rockhead announces the Save of the Game has been made in the 11th minute? Sound off on the message boards (www.rhinosfan.com) or the Rhino Pit e-mail based discussion group (www.rhinopit.com), which are both read by the silent front office personnel. Your comments could give them something to not talk about!
Next up: This year, RD is proud to partner with soccersam.com to bring you Special New Match Previews, which are going to be the same as the Regular Old Match Previews, only in a different location.
Click here for the match preview (a new window will open)
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