Commentary on TNT and other WB brands

[the delgados]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy8byWGvrDE


Greetings and salutations, cyclingnews forum members. To all the Kirby haters out there, check out the livestream of the race in Montreal. It's a great compare/contrast between pro broadcasters and those who come off the street. God bless the guys in the booth, but the commentary is atrocious. We're talking painfully boring.
Point being is it's a perfect example of how hard it is to maintain interest when commenting on a race where absolutely nothing is happening. At least Kirby spices things up a little with his anecdotes and metaphors. Also, as has been stated a million times, he calls the end of a race like no other.
Hashtag Kirby is the best.

 

[Brullnux]

I just watched a clip of the Day Today and I realised that Alan Partridge’s commentary bears quite a close resemblance to Kirby

 

[frosty steve]

A Tiberi suffers what looks like a broken crank as he comes off the Worlds TT ramp. Eurosports Carlton Kirby says' looks like his cotterpin has broken'. Just when I thought my contempt for him couldn't get any deeper.

 

[RedheadDane]

Okay... Thomas Bay is living in a very strange world, where Niklas Eg was second in the Tour of Croatia in 2017.
He didn't even race it in 2017! He was still with Virtu!

 

[argyllflyer]

Some will be happy - tech problems seem to have silenced Kirby in Croatia!

See what happens when they venture to a race in person... safer in London!

 

[argyllflyer]

Well, award for worst editing of a bike race highlights show goes without a doubt to Eurosport's editing team. Lombardy cuts to ad with 50km to go. Returns 5 mins later but having missed out 35km of racing, within which time the 2 leaders were caught on a climb and Mollema, who was part of the bunch pre-break, had managed to establish the significant lead he would not give up to win.

Appalling.

 

[tobydawq]

Well, award for worst editing of a bike race highlights show goes without a doubt to Eurosport's editing team. Lombardy cuts to ad with 50km to go. Returns 5 mins later but having missed out 35km of racing, within which time the 2 leaders were caught on a climb and Mollema, who was part of the bunch pre-break, had managed to establish the significant lead he would not give up to win.

Appalling.

The live edition was appalling as well. A commercial break on the freaking Civiglio.

I'm glad Danish TV2 transmit the other monuments so I don't have to watch commercials the final time up the Oude Kwaremont and on the Carrefour de l'Arbre next year...

 

[RedheadDane]

The live edition was appalling as well. A commercial break on the freaking Civiglio.

And then they lost picture on the TV channel (I was saved by using the non-commentated Player channel), and when the picture returned the commentators were gone; thought they'd given up and just decided to home...

 

[tobydawq]

And then they lost picture on the TV channel (I was saved by using the non-commentated Player channel), and when the picture returned the commentators were gone; thought they'd given up and just decided to home...

Yeah, I also changed to the non-commentary version but how the hell could they show pictures there when it apparently was impossible on the main channel?

 

[RedheadDane]

Yeah, I also changed to the non-commentary version but how the hell could they show pictures there when it apparently was impossible on the main channel?

It was like a weird "can't have your cake, and eat it too" thing. "you can have pictures or you can have commentating. You can't have both!"

 

[tobydawq]

It was like a weird "can't have your cake, and eat it too" thing. "you can have pictures or you can have commentating. You can't have both!"

The weirdest thing was that the commentators could still watch the race when the screen was frozen for us mere mortals (yes, commentators are, apparently, an immortal type of super-species).

 

[argyllflyer]

Well we moan about Eurosport but just watched TDU on Freesports and they decided to go to an ad break with 1km to go... of course upon return all had been settled! WTF... I assume automated at that hour.

 

[Bonimenier]

Well we moan about Eurosport but just watched TDU on Freesports and they decided to go to an ad break with 1km to go... of course upon return all had been settled! WTF... I assume automated at that hour.

Leaving on a cliffhanger
Always good

 

[RedheadDane]

Well, there was that time a few years ago in Valencia, when Eurosport stopped - not just went to a break, freakin' stopped it - the broadcast of the Queen Stage just as the finale was about to start, so the could show the pre-game stuff of some football match.

 

[argyllflyer]

Another year, another solo attack from Argyll Flyer... can I last the pace for the 8th year in a row...?!

Vuelta a San Juan (live from Sun 26th Jan): Quigley & Smith
Tour Down Under (highlights): Liggett, McEwan & Vogt (International Comms package) (30 mins highlights from 28/1)
Challenge Mallorca (highlights): tbc (20 min highlights from 31/1)
Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race (90 mins highlights from 3/2): Kirby & Adam Blythe
Saudi Tour (live from 4/2): Kirby & Blythe
Herald Sun Tour: Matt Keenan & David MacKenzie (International Comms package)
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (live from 5/2): Kirby & Gerrans
Tour de Langkawi (live from 7/2): Hatch & Backstedt
Tour of Provence: (ES Player only)
Clasica De Almeria (Highlights 16/2): Stephens & Steve Cummings
Volta ao Algarve: Hatch & Blythe (live from 19/2)
Vuelta Andalusía: tbc (live from 19/2)
UAE Tour: Hatch & Smith (live from 23/2)
Paris-Nice: Hatch & Kelly (live from 8/3)
Tirreno-Adriatico: tbc (live from 11/3)

 

[RedheadDane]

I'm just impressed you actually know who's gonna commentate beforehand. Me? I usually find out during the race, sometimes not even then - if I miss the "intro", and it's not someone I'm familiar with.

 

[argyllflyer]

It's usually done afterwards - unless the comms guys are plugging themselves onTwitter! The schedule itself is here:

Watch live sports - Streaming now & schedule - Eurosport

Find out what's on today and live stream your favourite matches, replays and highlights on any device. Eurosport is your go-to source for live sports.

www.eurosport.co.uk

 

[RedheadDane]

So... the Danish commentators for Saudi Tour were talking about how Costa perhaps isn't the most popular guy in the peloton...

Breschel: I was teammates with Carlos Barredo, and he wasn't to fond of him either.

You don't say...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBRC9fc2BhU

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

Adam Blythe looking like being a mainstay in the co-commentator role this year. Good for it as well.

 

[RedheadDane]

As long as he can avoid distracting the others - and himself - with his... errr… interesting shirt choice.

But, yeah, he seems to know his stuff, and I always think it's cool when riders who're still active/fresh out of the peloton are commentators; they just have some insider-knowledge that people who retired 10-20 years ago don't have.

 

[therealthing]

Could not believe my ears when Kirby literally suggested that Groenewegen could win the GC in Valencia... I'm sure the 5.1km 12% summit finish on stage 4 will suit him brilliantly.

 

[yaco]

Blythe is a good fit for the foibles of Kirby, while Gerrans wasn't as comfortable.

 

[LesDiablesRouges]

Kirby is completely amateurish. The guy is a clown. The amount of rubbish that comes out if his mouth is ridiculous.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

How lucky we've been over the winter during the CX season not to have to put up with the inane witterings of Kirby.....

 

[Lequack]

Could not believe my ears when Kirby literally suggested that Groenewegen could win the GC in Valencia... I'm sure the 5.1km 12% summit finish on stage 4 will suit him brilliantly.

This is the new 2020 Groenewegen, maybe Kirby knows something we don't