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As the great Richie Benaud once said “The key thing was to learn the value of economy with words and to never insult the viewer by telling them what they can already see.”
also “My mantra is: put your brain into gear and if you can add to what’s on the screen then do it, otherwise shut up.
Something too many TV sports presenters and commentators forget.
Although there is another quote of his, pertinent to this thread “The problem with relying on nostalgia for commentary is that people only remember the good things.”
If going back 30/40 years I think ITV Racing would crumble, things have changed. To my mind the “chemistry” is better today. As Marlingford says, Wilson was not even a product of his own time, sexist and a too religeous outlook on life. Alex Scott is imo outstanding – just as Balding was/is – female or male… that’s why she’s got more jobs. And I don’t see that it has “put people off” (at least not those under 60) if anything the exact opposite. Personally I’d like to see more of Scott and welcome Balding back.
However, what we might agree on GSP is that ITV Racing made a conscious decision to make the programme more about the people. Too much about the people- jockey, trainer, owner (yes, sometimes presenters too) – and not enough about the horse.
Value Is Everything“The problem with relying on nostalgia for commentary is that people only remember the good things.”
Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be
More sports broadcasters should do what the BBC do with their Six Nations coverage, where they usually offer 3 options using the red button.
You can either have “normal” commentary, no commentary with just the ambient crowd noise or, my personal choice, the reflink option.
Reflink is brilliant because you know more about what’s happening in the game. Even broadcasters don’t use it to it’s full potential as they generally only broadcast the ref / TMO chat.
With the full service you get to hear the player chat as well. The only live sport I tend to go to now is rugby union and at Premiership and international matches the reflink is broadcast within the stadium so if you want to listen to it you can purchase an earpiece – it makes watching the game more enjoyable.
I used to be able to read a race pretty well so when watching on TV I would generally mute the commentary during the race, however with all the arty camerawork nowadays it’s become a nightmare – why can they not use wide shots for the live race then save all the arty stuff for the replays.
Gingertipster, people have their favourites, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
BBC have in recent years chosen diversity over ability, and hence you end up with less quality. Their programmes have become unwatchable and more people are finding alternative sources of viewing.
Not sure of your comment regarding 30/40 years ago. I thought the programmes then had the right balance and chemistry, and didn’t need 12 presenters on it trying to make the programme work which suggests things are badly wrong.
I still maintain that there isn’t too much wrong with the Tv coverage just now.
There are issues:
SSR – too many adverts especially when races have just finished.
RTV- too crammed at times with the Irish racing. I haven’t got my head round RTV extra yet.
ITV – please get rid of Plunkett and the social stable. And more meetings on the main channel would be welcome.
But in general far more is being done right than wrong.
SSR – Chapman is at his best in the studio. They give good coverage to the “gaff” tracks not to mention some of the jockeys and trainers who don’t feature at the bigger meetings.
RTV – the purists channel. Hislop is the best interviewer in the game. The pundits treat the viewers as knowledgable aficionados of the sport and I have said many times that I could listen to messrs Neesom and Mellish for hours.
ITV – they show a genuine passion for racing. The emphasis on name checking and interviewing stable staff is excellent, the amount of midweek and Sundays they cover is laudable and Weaver, Walsh and Blake are up there with the best. And on the whole they get the balance between catering for the new/old viewers about right.
Clare Balding ……..
POMPOUS and SUPERCILIOUS!
for many years now she has had her own agenda and has used her various positions to promote it.While I understand that not everyone will agree and there are some who would prefer to go back to simpler days I really do get fed up with the constant moaning about ITV’s coverage. I’m a big NFL fan and the tv thread on the NFLUK forum(now gone) was full of people morning about Skys coverage despite being light years ahead of what we used to get.
Maybe we’re just never happy.
One thing I won’t accept though are people complaining about too many Irish accents on ITV. What can people do about the way they sound!!
Gingertipster, people have their favourites, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
BBC have in recent years chosen diversity over ability, and hence you end up with less quality. Their programmes have become unwatchable and more people are finding alternative sources of viewing.
Oh dear, GSP. I don’t mind people having different favourites. But to think the likes of Balding and Scott were “chosen” because of “diversity over ability”… You might think Scott and Balding aren’t good presenters – that is your right – but to think they were “chosen” due to their sex and not the ability others – rightly or wrongly – saw in them… Suggests to me your beliefs belong in the Julian Wilson era.
Value Is EverythingDoesn’t sound like Balding has ‘entertained’ you either blackcountry kid! Can’t think how someone so clinical can be entertaining?
Generally I love accents patriot1, but in this country watching one of our programmes and it’s awash with other accents loses the identity. I don’t even think Cumani is a good fit, I just hear her but not what’s she’s saying.
I certainly get a warm nostalgic glow watching the racing coverage of decades past, but think that is much more about remembering the races and the participants, and also times gone by more generally. The voices of people such as Julian Wilson and Peter O’Sullevan help evoke this feeling, but they weren’t any better than many of today’s presenters in my opinion.
I agree Clare Balding did become somewhat overexposed at one stage, but that came about as she was ambitious and good at her job rather than because she was being over-promoted. I also agree that the BBC have pursued a diversity agenda to some extent, but its declining audience share is much more likely a symptom of the massively widened range of entertainment options available nowadays. And is having some female faces presenting the racing coverage really such a bad thing?
I seldom watch ITV Racing but what I have seen is OK. It does have to cater for a wider audience and attract advertisers. And it is vital for the sport to retain terrestrial coverage, especially on a Saturday afternoon.
Agree that Ruby Walsh is a good pundit. However, on RTV he is sometimes the sole presenter at some Irish meetings and he does not seem very confident in the role. Maybe he will grow into it but I think he works better when he is just a pundit with Gary O’Brien taking the main presenter role.
I think I agree with you Ginger about GSP. “Watching OUR programmes, awash with other accents”.
What identity is being lost?
I would agree that Ruby is better as a pundit than a presenter Cork but it’s still early days. And he’s an excellent pundit.
Ruby is too miserable and no-nonsense to be a presenter. Need a bit more waffle and enthusiasm for that role.
He is a brilliant pundit mind. Reminds me of a bit of Roy Keane on the football. I really enjoy the pair of them.
BUY THE SUN
Your supercilious smile reminds of hazel O’Connor’s great tune give me an inch. Balding certainly was marmite that’s for sure. My main bugbear inracing coverage is just letting the racing showcase itself. Snowfalls breathtaking win was well summed up by oli bell saying it took your breath away. No need to overanalyse it. Just appreciate it and enjoy. Less is definitely better sometimes.
I’m greatly saddened that we are actually still discussing fox hunting. It’s 2021 and surely this barbaric ritual needs consigned to the annals of history. We all love horses so why do we possibly find it acceptable to allow foxes to be ripped apart. Been busy so not had time to post so sorry for dragging it up. My other half is from farming background and she abhors the very idea of fox hunting.
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