RIDE-CT – Classic Cars Celebrating Classic Cars in Connecticut
NEW HAVEN, CT – Launched with little fanfare or smoking tires, WTNH-TV (Channel 8) quietly introduced a local half-hour streaming show on Tuesday (July 7) that’s devoted to classic cars. It’s called “House of Cars with Dennis House.” It premiered at 11 a.m. Tuesday and new installments will be posted at 11 a.m. every other Tuesday, at least initially. Its premiere installment proved to be an example of a good idea inadequately executed.
The host wasn’t the issue.
News8 anchor House is knowledgeable in the area of classic cars. He came off as enthusiastic and asked the needed questions of his guests. He kept things moving, too, given the show’s time frame and the constraints of the format.
The guests weren’t the problem.
For car expert and TV personality Wayne Carini, the longtime host of “Chasing Classic Cars” and owner of F40 Motorsports in Portland, the program was a mere batting practice exercise but he gave it proper attention. Meanwhile, classic car owner Joe Lancianese, who drives a 1959 DeSoto Firesweep, brought his youth and passion for his “dream car.” He had some fun tales to share about how he bought the car and its backstory.
What stalled the show was the format.
Except for a few photos and less than 30 seconds of video, the show was all talking heads, with a camera locked down on each individual. There were no wide shots of the set or three-shots of the host and guests together, although it appeared they were seated on the same set. The result was more of an audio podcast with headshots. The comments were pleasing to the ears but tedious to the eyes.
Television is a medium that demands visuals. To be entertaining, it needs color, it needs action and, most importantly, it needs video that matches what’s being talked about. For instance, when the classic cars housed at F40 Motorsports got mentioned, viewers needed to be able to see the showroom and the models. When fins car from the 1950s became the subject matter, viewers needed to see some examples.
Ideally, “House of Cars with Dennis House” needs to be produced totally on location. Or at least some segments do. If that’s not possible, lots of added B-roll video would help. Without being able to hear the roar of engines and see the oil under the fingernails of classic car owners, what’s the point? As Eliza Doolittle sang in the song “Show Me” in the musical “My Fair Lady,” “Words, words, words, I’m so sick of words.”
Perhaps it’s unfair to judge a program based on one episode, but that’s not uncommon for TV critics. That was routine during the dozen years I spent covering television for “The Columbus Dispatch” in Ohio and “The Arizona Republic” in Phoenix from 1977 through 1989. That was followed by 10 years working in TV news where the mantra was always “write to the video.” A TV show without video neglects its viewers. Right now, the show is an empty garage.
One other classic car enthusiast who does do it right is Rick DeBruhl, whose primarily one-subject YouTube videos are entertaining and informative. His approach would provide a good tutorial for Channel 8 because DeBruhl and House are a lot alike in that they come off as friendly and welcoming.
Given even minimal added resources, “House of Cars with Dennis House” can certainly capture a loyal audience. That there’s an audience for classic car stories here in Connecticut has already been proven by the popularity of the weekly “My Ride” columns appearing in Hearst’s newspapers across the state that I write and the accompanying “My Ride” videos . There’s also this website and its YouTube channel, which has topped one million views during its existence.
As of now, though, “House of Cars with Dennis House” needs to add some cars to the garage, as it were. It needs to be tuned up and polished to better lure an audience. The show can be viewed via Channel 8’s app as well as on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Samsung TV and YouTube.
(Photos and graphics courtesy of Channel 8 unless otherwise noted.)
