Commentary on TNT and other WB brands

[Carrick-On-Seine]

I watch coverage on a variety of different channels and the nationalism drives me crazy.. I see many races in Spanish, break will be minutes up the road and commentary is energetic, and upbeat about how Chavez, Superman Lopez, or Carapaz is doing and they are in the toilet, non factors. In the US we see and hear about US riders for half the race and they are racing often like they are doing a gran fondo and will stop for a coffee and cake..but still the US based team will talk about the American racers as if they might just shift into a different gear and go from @66th place, and make up 10,20 minutes to win..Super annoying

Yes, commentators need to learn that we are watching races because we love cycling not because we happen to living in a certain country.

Grenadier Cycling Network pb Pinarello does my head in at times and old Kirby is less guilty of national bias than most on there so he'll do for me, though he does sounds like an adopted antipodean at times.

 

[Unchained]

Yes, commentators need to learn that we are watching races because we love cycling not because we happen to living in a certain country.

Grenadier Cycling Network pb Pinarello does my head in at times and old Kirby is less guilty of national bias than most on there so he'll do for me, though he does sounds like an adopted antipodean at times.

* I immediately see a problem with my logic, Sean Kelly is always in control, talks about race and racers in measured tone and description. He says that a rider did something right from a move, or by staying in control and lessening damage at finish, or for GC position. He is seldom guilty of acting like a cheerleader on cocaine..

 

[fmk_RoI]

Grenadier Cycling Network pb Pinarello does my head in at times and old Kirby is less guilty of national bias than most on there so he'll do for me, though he does sounds like an adopted antipodean at times.

Did I hear Adam Blight claiming Rory Townsend as British the other day?

 

[MrTea1976]

Did I hear Adam Blight claiming Rory Townsend as British the other day?

He's Irish, but he's also from Greater London.

Like Dan Martin is Irish but also a Brummie.

 

[fmk_RoI]

He's Irish, but he's also from Greater London.

Like Dan Martin is Irish but also a Brummie.

As Wellington is reputed to have said, being born in a stable does not make you a donkey. And he was born on Merrion St.

 

[Netserk]

Fans of most sports are too critical of the on-air folks. Especially in a sport like cycling where they sometimes have to fill hours of coverage while there is little racing action to note. From what I can tell, most cycling fans actually enjoy Hatch and Kirby, but there is a very vocal, but small, minority who find them intolerable. It is this latter group that do most of the posting on the subject.

The difference between the Danish and the English commentators on Eurosport is immense.

The Danish commentators on TV2's main channel are miles better as well.

 

[RedheadDane]

Did I hear Adam Blight claiming Rory Townsend as British the other day?

There are people on this very forum who keeps trying to claim Chris Juul as Irish!

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Did I hear Adam Blight claiming Rory Townsend as British the other day?

I think that's fair information to share about where a rider grew up. I was shocked when I first heard Conor Dunne speak. I thought it was the poshest D4 accent ever but it turns out he's from Essex or somewhere like that.

 

[postmanhat]

That man could get excited about someone opening a packet of crisps. Bland, salt flavoured crisps at that, the ones with the salt in a separate sachet, not even Tayto cheese and onion ones. He's a total pain in a particular part of the anatomy. And I don't mean elbow. Also, his pronunciation of names verges on the pretentious as he slips into the accent and chisels out the syllables.

Have never understood why some people get annoyed by commentators trying to pronounce non-English words as they would be in their native language. Just seems like basic parochialism ?

And I think Hatch is a lot better than he was a couple of years ago in terms of ridiculous excitement levels? He's always been (relatively speaking) fairly knowledgeable and informative.

Kirby's going the other way for me personally though. Never used to mind him too much, but he just doesn't add anything these days, and makes loads of mistakes. And I don't watch those long, boring GC stages any more, where his ability to waffle can be a positive. He should never cover a one-day race again.

 

[postmanhat]

I think that's fair information to share about where a rider grew up. I was shocked when I first heard Conor Dunne speak. I thought it was the poshest D4 accent ever but it turns out he's from Essex or somewhere like that.

Is it the same with Ben Healey? Have only heard him interviewed for the first time this week and he sounded fairly home counties.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

Is it the same with Ben Healey? Have only heard him interviewed for the first time this week and he sounded fairly home counties.

He's from somewhere west of Birmingham, near Dudley I think.

 

[postmanhat]

He's from somewhere west of Birmingham, near Dudley I think.

Cheers. His genes are fairly obvious. Would be difficult to look more Irish unless he wore an Alison Jackson bowler hat?

 

[MartinGT]

Kirby is not suited to the classics. GT's where there's hours of bore for him to bang on and make jokes that only he laughs at. But the classics are too fast with too much going on.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@fmk_RoI
@pmcg76

There is always a line. I personally observed the rise of aggressiveness lately towards the individuals in question and on top of that you don't feel the urge to make such comments if the situation is not bad and getting out of hand:

Page 240 - Commentary on TNT and other WB brands

Page 240 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.

forum.cyclingnews.com

So we are dealing with a mob. Considering CN forum is not an internet toilet. Next time please start with something positive. Like saying i do like Carlton deep voice and exquisite taste in wine but ... then to roast him. By doing that you are able to prove the problem is not you. As otherwise this is nothing but a hate thread.

Thank you.

 

[fmk_RoI]

There is always a line.

Yawn. Wake me when you've changed the record.

 

[frisenfruitig]

@fmk_RoI
@pmcg76

There is always a line. I personally observed the rise of aggressiveness lately towards the individuals in question and on top of that you don't feel the urge to make such comments if the situation is not bad and getting out of hand:

Page 240 - Commentary on TNT and other WB brands

Page 240 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.

forum.cyclingnews.com

So we are dealing with a mob. Considering CN forum is not an internet toilet. Next time please start with something positive. Like saying i do like Carlton deep voice and exquisite taste in wine but ... then to roast him. By doing that you are able to prove the problem is not you. As otherwise this is nothing but a hate thread.

Thank you.

There's nothing wrong with saying "commentator X isn't very good at his job" without first mentioning how sexy his voice sounds. If you think this forum is bad, have a look at youtube comment sections or Facebook/Twitter lol

 

[Gratemans]

* I immediately see a problem with my logic, Sean Kelly is always in control, talks about race and racers in measured tone and description. He says that a rider did something right from a move, or by staying in control and lessening damage at finish, or for GC position. He is seldom guilty of acting like a cheerleader on cocaine..

That's because he's an ex-rider. In most countries they'll pair up an ex-rider with a journalist to do the commentary. And in most cases I can't stand the journalist because they're often annoyingly chauvinistic .
It's the case on the Dutch and Belgian national broadcasts and English Eurosport at least.
Kudos to the Dutch/Flemish commentary on Eurosport NL though, they're usually pretty measured and not nationalistic.

 

[Monte Serra]

Kudos to the Dutch/Flemish commentary on Eurosport NL though, they're usually pretty measured and not nationalistic.

Bobbie Traksel can be quite chauvinistic in his commentary. The rest is usually fairly balanced, I would agree.

 

[fmk_RoI]

What the hell was that whole 'feeling sorry for the sceptics and the cynics' bit about? I think I prefer it when these idiots don't talk about doping.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

".RiderX is such a great climber".....Really? I don't think they've won a race up a climb........

 

[QueenStagiaire]

What the hell was that whole 'feeling sorry for the sceptics and the cynics' bit about? I think I prefer it when these idiots don't talk about doping.

I‘m sorry you don‘t believe in miracles…

 

[fmk_RoI]

I‘m sorry you don‘t believe in miracles…

“Whenever a cycling fan says 'I don't believe in miracles' there's a little fairy somewhere that falls right down dead.”

 

[CyclistAbi]

There's nothing wrong with saying "commentator X isn't very good at his job" without first mentioning how sexy his voice sounds.

It's not sexy.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

I don't watch the pre show and often just have the post race analysis as background noise rather than just watching it, but I do find it strange that Eurosport/GCN never have a live studio show for Liege (or Lombardy for that matter) considering it is categorised as a monument, while other 'smaller' races like Omloop and Strade do have one.

 

[Wyndbrook]

I don't watch the pre show and often just have the post race analysis as background noise rather than just watching it, but I do find it strange that Eurosport/GCN never have a live studio show for Liege (or Lombardy for that matter) considering it is categorised as a monument, while other 'smaller' races like Omloop and Strade do have one.

Perhaps there is more viewing interest in races with cobbles.