RWC and the TV commentators

Mike Whittaker


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Clearly, to be a good TV commentator cannot be easy - after all there is only one Bill McClaren in a lifetime.

However, the fellows on ITV just don't seem to be much of an enhancement to the match for me.

As someone who watches the Tour de France on TV, I appreciate the skill of the commentator who is faced with a set of pictures over which he has no control and still has to fill a 4 or 5 hour programme. They find things that cyclists find interesting and chat about them while leaving the viewer to watch the obvious.

This is not appropriate for a rugby match. They do not have to fill every gap with endless twittering coupled with a commentary more appropriate to radio. Regularly talking over the ref feed and then telling us (sometimes incorrectly) what the ref is saying when if only they would shut up then we would be able to hear it is infuriating.

As usual they have an 'expert' with them who is a past player who may have been brilliant on the pitch but does not qualify as an expert on matters of law and their application.

Enough to start with and get that off my chest! Meanwhile thank god for the mute button...
 

didds

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prett much my take mike... I think I'm getting tuned into these commentators and filtering them out better! I personally prefer the sound up because I like to hear the grunts and crowd noise etc (except at goal kicks :-( ).

I thnk it may have been Richie benaud who said something about less is more when commentating for TV.

didds
 

Dixie


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As someone who watches the Tour de France on TV, I appreciate the skill of the commentator who is faced with a set of pictures over which he has no control and still has to fill a 4 or 5 hour programme.
I take it you watch the ITV4 coverage rather than Eurosport; I can't imagine anyone hearing Sean Kelly's commentary would be able to stay awake long enough to appreciate any skill he may possess.
 

Simon Thomas


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ITV are taking a lot of stick from my professional side of the business.

Poor direction, bad presentation (except Steve parting Ryder), average analysis and second division commentating.

I have asked one of my guys to run off the UK TV audience figures for RWC so far - I will post when I get them - but I know our UK TV buyers are not happy with the raytings delivery so far.
 

SimonSmith


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I have taken to watching rugby on mute.

Much better experience and far better for my blood pressure.

Ignorance to one side, the actual quality of commentary is deteriorating. Everything seems to be EPIC, or MASSIVE, or low voice and THEN CRESCENDO OF DRAMA.
Sometimes, fellas, it's just been a passage of play.

You know things are bad when you yearn for Eddie Butler!
 

Mike Whittaker


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You know things are bad when you yearn for Eddie Butler!

Come come now. Actually yearn for Eddie Butler? Sorry to go back yet again to figures of speech etc but 'hyperbole' comes to mind :)

At least you didn't say, "yearn for Stuart Barnes". That I would not have believed.
 

OB..


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Come come now. Actually yearn for Eddie Butler? Sorry to go back yet again to figures of speech etc but 'hyperbole' comes to mind :)

At least you didn't say, "yearn for Stuart Barnes". That I would not have believed.
Or are we just trying out our figures of speech? Anyone for zeugma?
 

TheBFG


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but I know our UK TV buyers are not happy with the raytings delivery so far.

I assume they've taken into account that the matches aren't exactly prime time TV, but i'm sure ITV took that into account when they set the fees for TV adverts ............... :chin:
 

Account Deleted

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Football experimented with a red button feature where you could have to crowd noise but no commentary. It was perfect! If only rugby could have that. No more of "Jiffy" shouting "NUMBERS!!!!!" for 80 minutes.

What annoys me with the commentators is that they can see the ref signaling, for example "Holding on" and saying "2 red holding on" they then announce "he's pinged the flanker for going off his feet" or some such tosh. Why can't they look and listen to the ref?
 

Robert Burns

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BBC used to have it where you just had the ref! That was great!
 

chopper15

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Or are we just trying out our figures of speech? Anyone for zeugma?


Zeugma; the use of a word grammatically related to two adjacent words, but inappropriate for one of them, as in “he loved both his wife and his wallet.” — zeugmatic, adj.:redface:
 

OB..


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Zeugma; the use of a word grammatically related to two adjacent words, but inappropriate for one of them, as in “he loved both his wife and his wallet.” — zeugmatic, adj.:redface:
"Sir Geoffrey Howe, who had arrived in a limousine, the editor of the Daily Telegraph, who had arrived in a motor boat, and Dave Nellist, who had arrived in an anorak."

cf. syllepsis

(this hijacking bears the same relation to the thread title as much commentary does to the match.)
 

chopper15

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Syllepsis; the use of a word or expression to perform two syntactic functions, especially to modify two or more words of which at least one does not agree in number, case, or gender, as the use of arein Neither he nor we are willing. Compare zeugma.

As a matter of interest, OB, is the lack of semi-colons in your Geof.Howe sentence pertinent to the
example? ie.,


"Sir Geoffrey Howe, who had arrived in a limousine; the editor of the Daily Telegraph, who had arrived in a motor boat; and Dave Nellist, who had arrived in an anorak."
 
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Simon Thomas


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I assume they've taken into account that the matches aren't exactly prime time TV, but i'm sure ITV took that into account when they set the fees for TV adverts ............... :chin:

UK TV ad costs are related to what is called station average price, which is a cost per 000s (less the deal discounts) for the 000s audience delivered, not a fee based rate card.

The issue is underdelivery of specially targetted audiences, who are light ITV viewers, such as men 18-34 - once the spot has gone and it's underdelivered, to late to run it again ! Also each spot has a unique contribution to the overall reach and hitting the right frequncy a viewer will see the ad, so chronology counts.
 

The Fat


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Tour de France: Phil Ligget (spelling?)
Rugby: In Aus - Gordon Bray
In NZ - Ian Smith & Tony what's his name (help me out here Ian) with comments from Justin Marshall?
 
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Mike Whittaker


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There was a very good example of that this morning ATTR. Even the sign on the screen said 'wrong entry' when the ref was indicating the side of the breakdown and the commentators were "Off his feet!"

That red button on soccer was good - even a fans commentary as an option. Most amusing.
 
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