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Have to agree with everything Matron has said.People need to understand the coverage was aimed at the person who doesn’t normally watch racing, and so it should be.Thought ITV did a good job.Again, as Matron said if you don’t like it watch RUK.
Yes, I will quite happily watch RUK. However, the standard of terrestrial coverage is important for the sport. The further back in time you go the more the mainstream channels treated their audience as if they had some intelligence and knowledge. Has society really dumbed down to the extent imagined by ITV when it decided at what level to pitch its output? How does ITV know it will intrigue and attract more casual viewers at said level than were it to aim to be more informative?
A fair proportion of posters to this thread are critical and that might be expected on a site with the tag line it has. However, comments to racing videos on YouTube not only have an equal amount of disapprovement but also focus on many of the same themes of dissatisfaction: the presentation style, camerawork and commentary. For example, an each way backer of Gas Line Boy had his enjoyment completely ruined by the repeated misidentification of the subject of his wager (as Wonderful Charm) throughout the closing stages. Inexcusable.
In messrs Chapman, Chamberlin and Hoiles ITV have chosen badly. It is to the huge benefit of RUK viewers that the best presenters, commentators and analysts have not been poached.
<p abp=”332″>Have to agree with everything Matron has said.People need to understand the coverage was aimed at the person who doesn’t normally watch racing, and so it should be.Thought ITV did a good job.Again, as Matron said if you don’t like it watch RUK.
Honestly, why? Do you expect the TV channels to dumb down drama productions because some people don’t normally watch it? How about football coverage? Should that be dumbed down because many people don’t watch it? You’d throw a fit if anyone even suggested that for football so why is it acceptable to do so for racing? Or any other sport that isn’t consider a “major” one by the broadcasters.
Yes, the information has to be put in simpler terms for those who don’t follow the sport, but I don’t recall the BBC ever having problems getting their points across. And for me the little I’ve watched the ITV coverage so far they don’t always go far enough. A case in point was the brief guide to your racecard. A quick run through (though can’t really see the point for TV viewers as they don’t have one) end with the bit about things like tongue ties, etc. Except they didn’t explain what those tongue ties, etc, things did or why a trainer would use them? So the uneducated viewer is still left in the dark.
And no marton, not all of us can watch it on RUK so we’re stuck with ITV’s coverage. Personally I can’t wait until there’s either a heavy downpour of rain or just enough snow falling that the meeting can still go ahead, but the commentators are stuck trying to do the show under umbrellas. Being “in the ring” adds absolutely nothing coverage-wise for me. And having 3/4 of them clustered around just makes it seem even more sexist to me than C4’s studio was. All they lack are the pints of beer to give the impression they’re in a pub rather than at a race meeting.
With regards to the viewing figures, I have no idea how they work these things out but TV is far from the only way of watching these days. I see plenty of people streaming from bookie websites on their phone for example. Equally, plenty no doubt popped inside from the beer garden for 10 minutes as it was a cracking day for much of the country. Whether they take pubs into account for viewing figures I don’t know. Surely betting turnover is just as much of an indicator of interest as they aren’t tuning in in their millions purely for the spectacle.
When I was a little girl it was run in March
Had a look and you’re quite right Crepello
There were many more Nationals run during the last week in March during the ’60s and preceding decades; infact the only one run in April during the ’60s was ’67 on the 8th
The move to virtually all being run during the first ten days or so of April didn’t become the norm until the ’90s
’59 and ’64 were run as early as March 21st, and while it might be a coincidence, Easter fell on the 29th of March in both those years i.e.the following racing weekend would have been messed up by the then-blank Good Friday; so while the National would have been held the following weekend in more recent times, back then they saw fit to move it back a week. Presumably
Chapman is annoying and inappropriate most of the time but some of his off the cuff interactions with the public are entertaining.
His attempts to ‘whip things up’ to add interest or tension are usually awful but surprisingly he mostly struck the right tone during the difficult job of introducing the usually dreary presentation ceremony.
<p abp=”108″>“Well I think that’s an excuse rather than a reason for a programme that has a large dollop of participant self indulgence. As someone has said, three or four of them standing round a table nattering about something naff all to do with the next race. Meanwhile the horses are being mounted in the paddock or on their way to the start, before they even provide a list of the runners. Funny how Peter O’Sullevan could handle a whole programme almost single-handedly that now takes half a dozen to be relatively unsuccessful at.”
<p abp=”109″>Simple, don’t watch it and stick to Racing UK then.
How much does it cost?
itv’s coverage was it a rating success or not it seems no one can decide.
The highest peak record share since share records started in 2002.
A lower peak for the race than channel 4 for the last four years.
The sunny weather meant Aintree bosses didn’t get their 12 million
8.2m tuned in which for a tv station these days is a huge success.
So no one can decide.
<p abp=”170″>Funny how Peter O’Sullevan could handle a whole programme almost single-handedly that now takes half a dozen to be relatively unsuccessful at.
<p abp=”171″>That’s absolutely not the case. David Coleman then Des Lynam shouldered most of the production ‘in the studio’ and O’Sullevan was helped by many others (John Hanmer, Julian Wilson, Jim McGrath, Michael O’Hehir, Tony O’Hehir, Richard Pitman, Jimmy Linley etc etc) ‘outside’.
Except they weren’t all there every programme. The O’Hehirs were largely involved only with the Grand National and maybe Cheltenham and I don’t ever recall them appearing together, more the younger took over from his dad. I may be wrong but I think Coleman and Lynam were an either/or and none of them had any great knowledge of racing. Rarely would there be more than two experts in the programme and all were knowledgeable and gave excellent comments on the horses. The whole production was much more informative, paid far more attention to the race in hand, with rasping and screeching a no-no.
<p abp=”172″>Mike
<p abp=”252″>The BBC had around 50 years to get it right, and its roster of callers nearly as long in which to hone the stock phrases that the public longed to hear repeated every year
<p abp=”253″>This was ITV’s first attempt and was adequately tailored if not seamless: how could anyone expect it to be?
<p abp=”254″>They’d be wise to review the camera angles used in the past, as to my eyes, the ones used yesterday presented an un-Aintree-like Aintree. The Chair didn’t look like The Chair, for example
<p abp=”255″>I find Chapman ghastly, but realise he’s ‘marmite man’ and am too familiar with all the others (bar Chamberlin) to offer any feeling except ambivalence
<p abp=”256″>Chamberlin is a nicely understated foil to the white noise surrounding him, and lest we forget knows much more about the game than Des Lynam or David Coleman did: both chosen because they were familiar and proficient presenters adept at herding the pundits around them
ITV generally replaced the BBC and were showing racing for best part of twenty years. You must recall the ITV7 back in the seventies.
When the BBC had Grandstand the viewing figures would naturally be higher with people tuning in for the Football results etc
Charles Darwin to conquer the World
ITV generally replaced the BBC and were showing racing for best part of twenty years. You must recall the ITV7 back in the seventies.
Indeed I do: John Rickman doffs his trilby, a concise plummy introduction follows, then a succession of races at fifteen minute intervals. It all seemed spot on to me…and you I guess
However that was all a Generation+ ago and I doubt anyone involved in the productions then is involved now; so ITV Racing Take Two is essentially a new venture for the broadcaster
<p abp=”170″>Funny how Peter O’Sullevan could handle a whole programme almost single-handedly that now takes half a dozen to be relatively unsuccessful at.
<p abp=”171″>That’s absolutely not the case. David Coleman then Des Lynam shouldered most of the production ‘in the studio’ and O’Sullevan was helped by many others (John Hanmer, Julian Wilson, Jim McGrath, Michael O’Hehir, Tony O’Hehir, Richard Pitman, Jimmy Linley etc etc) ‘outside’.
Except they weren’t all there every programme. The O’Hehirs were largely involved only with the Grand National and maybe Cheltenham and I don’t ever recall them appearing together, more the younger took over from his dad. I may be wrong but I think Coleman and Lynam were an either/or and none of them had any great knowledge of racing. Rarely would there be more than two experts in the programme and all were knowledgeable and gave excellent comments on the horses. The whole production was much more informative, paid far more attention to the race in hand, with rasping and screeching a no-no.
<p abp=”172″>Mike
I think I would prefer BBC’s old style of presentation but that is effectively dead and buried. Those who make today’s programmes would just take that as the view of a dinosaur.
<p abp=”291″><p abp=”170″>Funny how Peter O’Sullevan could handle a whole programme almost single-handedly that now takes half a dozen to be relatively unsuccessful at.
<p abp=”292″><p abp=”171″>That’s absolutely not the case. David Coleman then Des Lynam shouldered most of the production ‘in the studio’ and O’Sullevan was helped by many others (John Hanmer, Julian Wilson, Jim McGrath, Michael O’Hehir, Tony O’Hehir, Richard Pitman, Jimmy Linley etc etc) ‘outside’.
<p abp=”293″>Except they weren’t all there every programme. The O’Hehirs were largely involved only with the Grand National and maybe Cheltenham and I don’t ever recall them appearing together, more the younger took over from his dad. I may be wrong but I think Coleman and Lynam were an either/or and none of them had any great knowledge of racing. Rarely would there be more than two experts in the programme and all were knowledgeable and gave excellent comments on the horses. The whole production was much more informative, paid far more attention to the race in hand, with rasping and screeching a no-no.
<p abp=”294″><p abp=”172″>Mike
<p abp=”295″>I think I would prefer BBC’s old style of presentation but that is effectively dead and buried. Those who make today’s programmes would just take that as the view of a dinosaur.
I guessed you would say that when I saw your name, I remember Stilvi but then I remember My Babu and Airborne.
The position of the camera at Valentines was a disgrace, it really was. Can you imagine having bet Thunder and Roses, and as he approaches it, he is lobbing away nicely in the front rank, but as they approach the 10th, he’s nowhere to be seen. Oh wait, there’s the jockey lying on the underside of Valentines, how the hell did that happen???? The commentator won’t be much help, as he’s clearly commentating off the same camera. Those who watched on RUK would have seen Thunder and Roses get brought down by the loose horse no problem.
Same with the other Giggs runner, Measureofmydreams. ITV seem to have favoured that ridiculous, and utterly pointless camera angle on the inside of The Chair, and there’s no way you would have picked out Measureofmydreams as the faller there from that camera. To be fair, the commentator did call it, but not much use if you’re watching in a noisy pub or bookies. Anyone watching on RUK would have caught it no problem.
I stand by the analogy in the above post, and it is absolutely unacceptable.
Those who make today’s programmes would just take that as the view of a dinosaur.
To be fair, dinosaurs were around for over 160 million years. I don’t envisage ITV Racing lasting as long.
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