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Have to agree with Moe!!
Didnt have a bet in it but it would have been good to see the jockeys face when the result was announced!!I think the criticism of C4 on here is largely unwarranted for the reasons Deep Sensation highlights.
To counter a couple of points that has been raised:
# The BHA or REL pay C4 to show British Racing on the economic basis that it contributes to the Levy to do so. This race contributes nothing. The fact Dubai (whatever it is), sponsor C4 Racing, while welcome is a purely commercial decision for them.
# Do over-runs involving other sports really happen as frequently as some on here are claiming? I would be interested if someone could give say 10 examples in the last year.
To address two specific sports that has been mentioned in this thread, F1 & Football. In the case of F1 an over-run is not possible. A F1 race lasts either a specific number of laps or two hours after the advertised start time – which ever comes the soon. In the case of football an over-run is usually the result of Extra-Time being played in a Cup game and this time is either accommodated within the set programme itself or occasionally by dropping, as has been prearranged the following programme completely.
Finally, we should not lose sight of the fact this unfortunate event came about as a result of the race going off 8 mins late and C4 can’t be blamed for that can they?
I totally agree it’s an unsatisfactory way to end a programme but it’s no fault of the C4 Racing Team. Circumstances went against them & what appears to be a very rigid C4 schedule that doesn’t allow for an over-run.
You are beginning to sound like The Fat Controller of Channel 4!My point is quite simple! Life is not always Black and White,there are times when a bit of grey is the appropriate measure.This was one of them! You know,flexibility,move the Goal posts etc! Had a spaceship from Mars just landed in the middle of Meydan during the race,it wouldn"t be "Come dine with me",it would be "For Mash get Smash" we"d have been watching and the rigid Schedule would be out the window!
So why schedule a programme with the race so late and run the risk? Instead of a lot of guff and fireworks they could have given themselves enough time to show the race, review it and then have highlights of the fireworks etc.
The message is clear if you want proper coverage watch Sky, ATR or RUK.
Hey it could be worse. Tried watching darts on the BBC? Until I got Freeview with it’s magical Red Button, I had to endure BBC2’s strict half an hour live coverage. No matter how exciting the match, no matter how little was left to go in it, every night at 8pm sharp, here comes Ray Stubbs & his annoying apology followed by University Challenge or some such gubbins.
Exactly the same with their Winter Olympics coverage. And that was the Freeview Red Button not being good enough. Had to have Sky’s fancy ass arrangement.
You are beginning to sound like The Fat Controller of Channel 4!My point is quite simple! Life is not always Black and White,there are times when a bit of grey is the appropriate measure.This was one of them! You know,flexibility,move the Goal posts etc! Had a spaceship from Mars just landed in the middle of Meydan during the race,it wouldn"t be "Come dine with me",it would be "For Mash get Smash" we"d have been watching and the rigid Schedule would be out the window!
OK, I asked this question a couple of time & received no answers yet.
So A-P King, You are now the "Fat Controller" you’ve given C4 Racing 2 more minutes to over-run. This makes their off-air time, say, 17:58. The ad break that was due to run at 17:56 to take you up to 18:00 for Come Dine With Me, is obviously now taken at 17:58 & will finish at 18:02, when C.D.W.M comes on (no you can’t lose 2 minutes of the ad-break, that would mean refunding the advertisers – bosses won’t be happy with that).
So now C.D.W.M (is it an hour long show?) now has an off-air time of 18:58 and we are back to the 4 minute break between that programme ending & the next one starting, and so on & so on.
Where do you find the 2 minutes to get the schedule back on track?
Over to you Mr Fat Controller!
I dont personally see why all the fuss. The majority of racing fans (including me) would be watching one of the racing channels and not have been affected.
Channel 4 runs to a schedule and is an entertainment channel. Racing is only one part of their line-up.
It was unfortunate the race was over-time and the way it all worked out but i doubt there were a load of senior executives sitting around at the time able to say ‘ok hold on we should delay the next programme’.
Its more than likely it just moved on to the next programme in line with a standard schedule routine and as i say i dont see why its such a big deal – certainly not to the extent of people who are phoning in to complain, which i feel is ridiculous.
They also weren’t to know how long it would be before the result of the photo finish would be known. Could have been ages. Advertisors pay a lot of money and there is usually a reason for the time slot that they have chosen.
"Where do you find the 2 minutes to get the schedule back on track?"
Cut two minutes out of Come Dine With Me?! SIMPLES!!
Would anyone have noticed, was anyone watching?
Colin
NB……………..God forbid we should upset the advertisers………….but the viewer……….he or she can go to hell.
which would have the bigger viewing figures,
come dine with me or virtual ( sorry meydan)
know where my money would be
Barry is spot on , we seem to forget that we are a minority sport , shed loads watch that dine with me nonsense , so the decision was right
lets get a grip folks its a storm in a teacup
besides who on earth is going to get excited about a horse race in Dubai unless your in the tiny minority and shrinking who actually follow it
Ricky
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Barry is spot on , we seem to forget that we are a minority sport , shed loads watch that dine with me nonsense , so the decision was right
If audience ratings are the only criterion for what’s to be prioritised, perhaps we’d better get straight back to televised public hangings and have done with it!
Having said which, relative to other causes for raised blood-pressure, C4’s half-cock, sycophantic coverage of a mickey-mouse desert event hardly rates more than a momentary puff of wind through the air bag.
I tend to agree with the poster who says most people would watch the racing channels, partly because we know that C4 is so poor. Which begs the question if C4 are losing the genuine race fans are they bothered? Is that why they give us 2nd rate stuff?
However, to answer your question deep, you just chop some of the endless trailers for upcoming programmes. I can’t see that as a problem.I’m a ‘genuine race fan’ and I watch Ch4. Their coverage of Cheltenham was excellent. I can’t afford RUK or ATR anyway. People pay to see racing on RUK and ATR. I watch racing for free on Ch4 because the people who advertise on it pay lots of money. Perhaps Ch4 Racing should just cease to exist completely if it’s so awful. I just don’t see what all the fuss is about.
I’m a ‘genuine race fan’ and I watch Ch4. Their coverage of Cheltenham was excellent. I can’t afford RUK or ATR anyway. People pay to see racing on RUK and ATR. I watch racing for free on Ch4 because the people who advertise on it pay lots of money. Perhaps Ch4 Racing should just cease to exist completely if it’s so awful. I just don’t see what all the fuss is about.
Sorry I didn’t mean to cause any offence moehat. It is an increasing trend though, personally I have given up on C4 coverage because I just don’t like most of the presenters. I accept that others will have different views and I don’t mean to denigrate yours.
Pinza ….sheer quality , just love it
frankly I could not care about the whole thing , just sometimes think as a group we are a bit good at navel gazing …
cheers for the laugh though
Ricky
Sorry as well Kopwas; didn’t mean to sound offended! I think my problem with CH4 racing is that it’s one of those situations where I quite like to moan about them myself, but I get tetchy about other people doing it! I would like to see more of horses in the paddock etc but, as my Sunday paper has reduced it’s racing coverage to the size of a postage stamp [yes, Observer, I’m talking about you..] and the BBC, which I do actually pay for has reduced racing coverage to high days and holidays, I’m just so grateful for Ch4; I’m still rewatching their coverage of Cheltenham, and quite often dig out old tapes of years gone by to watch.
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