Commentary on TNT and other WB brands

[Wyndbrook]

Everything she says sound too pre rehearsed like it's straight from a script.

It probably lt is, although there was a race earlier this year where she was the sole commentator and she did a pretty good job of it. Seems to be particularly good at spotting riders.

 

[Sandisfan]

He is worse than useless ...He talks aload of gibberish. He is always joking around except its not funny ...its annoying

I expect he owes his position because he brown noses Dan Llyod

Can they not get someone who has ridden in the cutting edge of a GT and who is knowledgeable. d The only real punter for a GT is Sean Kelly after that is waffle excepts for McEwen on sprints which is fair enough

No one gets behind the scenes either with INEOS or JV

The GCN comms team are just too pleased with themselves and their cushy number. They need to think content and not what colours they are wearing in the study

Everything she says sound too pre rehearsed like it's straight from a script.

Unfortunately McEwen thinks Blythe is funny and encourages him to spout nonsense I have heard Hannah before and didn't think to much of her she has been good at time but this Race (Giro) what wirral said: --> Hannah Walker Is So Intense. Every Single Word Or Thought Is A Life Or Death Event. Is better expressed than what I was going to write, plus @Pinot's goat said/wrote is a good observation.

 

[davidsonduke]

The lighthearted banter of the GCN crew is a big part of their success . . . and I'm standing here right on your lawn.

 

[Sandisfan]

The lighthearted banter of the GCN crew is a big part of their success . . . and I'm standing here right on your lawn.

That's true but it's non-interesting nonsense, boring for the most part it doesn't add to the event. I like Kirby but can understand others not liking his shtick. I have become an addict to cycling broadcasts and when there is some banter most of it has been pretty good to just OK. But for me Blythe mostly doesn't add anything to these broadcasts. McEwen is just OK. I Iike Sean Kelly and Dan Lloyd is just OK I like Hatch but he has his limitations but is overall good. These of course are just my opinions but I sense that at least here most could do without Blythe at least on the Race part of the broadcast but I could be wrong. ............ but I dont' think so LOL

 

[lemon cheese cake]

The lighthearted banter of the GCN crew is a big part of their success . . . and I'm standing here right on your lawn.

I see the success from it, but I feel the studio show should be slightly more formal. Maybe if they were still sitting around in the basement of the GCN office it would be fitting, but now they're doing it from one of the the Discovery/Eurosport/Warner Bros headquarters in a fancy green screen studio. I've flicked between the Breakaway and Kop over Kop, and while I can only understand a half of what is being said, they've moved into 'The Cube' this year and it seems so much more professional and formal with Kleikers, van den Bos and Traksel, than the Breakaway.

 

[davidsonduke]

I see the success from it, but I feel the studio show should be slightly more formal.

It is the essence of the GCN brand. And from what I can tell, the Breakaway is the biggest thing in its space in the English speaking cycling broadcasting world. Heck, there are more social media posts about what they wear than there are in total about most cycling shows. They've hit on a formula that works.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Hannah loves it when it rains, doesn't she? She gets to get excited about all that standing water and the dangers of the descents.

 

[awavey]

Unfortunately McEwen thinks Blythe is funny and encourages him to spout nonsense I have heard Hannah before and didn't think to much of her she has been good at time but this Race (Giro) what wirral said: --> Hannah Walker Is So Intense. Every Single Word Or Thought Is A Life Or Death Event. Is better expressed than what I was going to write, plus @Pinot's goat said/wrote is a good observation.

from the Matt Stephens school of commentating. part of me still thinks alot of that is because the producer tells them to do it to make it sound more dramatic as it feels like theres more of push to to make this stuff more exciting for non cycling fans (which maybe linked to the Discovery/TNT sports setup), that then hides their natural personality and real passion, even more so when they get nervous. shes been better doing commentary on the womens races, rather than the vox pop interviews which gives her more time to ease into it,

whilst the Blythes/McEwens of this world are more about the bantz & nonsense because thats their core personality

 

[Potomac]

from the Matt Stephens school of commentating. part of me still thinks alot of that is because the producer tells them to do it to make it sound more dramatic as it feels like theres more of push to to make this stuff more exciting for non cycling fans (which maybe linked to the Discovery/TNT sports setup), that then hides their natural personality and real passion, even more so when they get nervous. shes been better doing commentary on the womens races, rather than the vox pop interviews which gives her more time to ease into it,

whilst the Blythes/McEwens of this world are more about the bantz & nonsense because thats their core personality

You make a good point about the influence of producers. Very often I think quite a bit of the worst sins are the fault of the producers.

And I wouldn't label McEwen's banter as nonsense. He's the best person on the show.

 

[staubsauger]

How can Voigt be so awful as an Co-commentator sometimes,yet today he was excellent on the moto. Observing things that the producer didn't caught etc.

 

[fmk_RoI]

How can Voigt be so awful as an Co-commentator sometimes,yet today he was excellent on the moto. Observing things that the producer didn't caught etc.

Wait 'til it's Blight on the bike next week.

 

[RedheadDane]

Danish commentators for Dunkerque just referred to the De Lie brothers as "More of a Juraj and Peter Sagan situation, than a Fränk and Andy Schleck situation."
I'm guessing Axel isn't gonna take over from Arnaud today.

 

[luckyboy]

Voigt has been very good on the bike during the chaos noticing things that the TV doesn't get.

Hannah Walker and the Danish guy are just dead air. Totally pointless.

The broadcast would be pretty much great if you cut them out and swapped Blythe for Matt Stephens imo.

 

[RedheadDane]

Hannah Walker and the Danish guy are just dead air. Totally pointless.

There's a Danish guy commentating for English GCN? Should I be mad they stole one of our commentators?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

There's a Danish guy commentating for English GCN? Should I be mad they stole one of our commentators?

Mielke also does reports for the international streams.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

There's a Danish guy commentating for English GCN? Should I be mad they stole one of our commentators?

Nah, it's not Irish GCN

 

[staubsauger]

There's a Danish guy commentating for English GCN? Should I be mad they stole one of our commentators?

Anders Mielke. He's a sonnyboy IMHO. But maybe you are better to judge that.

 

[RedheadDane]

Anders Mielke. He's a sonnyboy IMHO. But maybe you are better to judge that.

I thought you were talking the people sitting in the "box", not some guy running around the race with one shaved leg. And he's gonna have to continue that weird style for a while more now...

 

[Mayomaniac]

How can Voigt be so awful as an Co-commentator sometimes,yet today he was excellent on the moto. Observing things that the producer didn't caught etc.

Petacchi is the same as a commentator. A really brooding guy who is always doom and gloom when it comes to the breakaway's chances, but then he notices small things as a co-commentator. When someone had a mechanical he immediatly notices a different wheel/set of wheels on his bike.

 

[zlev11]

any good commentating Jens has done from the motorbike was completely wiped away when he said todays stage "had no place in modern cycling" because it was too long. it was only 219k, wtf? they were on the bike for just over 5 hours. if these guys hate it so much i invite them to go sit in an office for 8 hours a day with an hour commute each way.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

I don't think they need both McEwan and Blythe on the same panel; one or the other, especially on sprinter stages. They really need a GC guy on the panel......

 

[ashhutch1997]

I'm starting to get irritated by the people on GCN going on about how 'covid is back' and comparing it to the Covid of 2020. The covid from 2020 that actually caused all the problems doesn't exist anymore, it's mutated to something far, far milder. Im not saying it isnt real of course not, but it's a totally different virus now..

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

I'm starting to get irritated by the people on GCN going on about how 'covid is back' and comparing it to the Covid of 2020. The covid from 2020 that actually caused all the problems doesn't exist anymore, it's mutated to something far, far milder. Im not saying it isnt real of course not, but it's a totally different virus now..

Aren't they talking about the impact in terms of withdrawals from races?

 

[ashhutch1997]

Aren't they talking about the impact in terms of withdrawals from races?

Maybe your right, but either way it's not anything comparable to 2020, hence why all the world has gone back to normal apart from the Giro.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Maybe your right, but either way it's not anything comparable to 2020, hence why all the world has gone back to normal apart from the Giro.

My (small) workplace must be full of pro-cyclists as nearly all have had Covid in the past couple of months. But yeah it is a different strain though if I were a pro-athlete I'd take caution due to potential long term affects.