Commentary on TNT and other WB brands

[rlntlssly]

My objection to Kirby is not to the way he fills in time. It's a tough, almost impossible job to fill in all that empty airtime with three men pedalling at a moderate tempo across uninteresting terrain in a scenario that everyone knows before the day even began. He's great at it, even if sometimes inexplicable.

The problem with his commentary is his commentary when things are actually happening. He tends to commentate on what's going on in his head, rather than what's happening in the race. For example, when Contador attacked in the Tour (on the CdF, I think) he didn't even mention it, even though it was the only thing being shown on the screens, and carried on talking about the insignificant thing he was filling in time with.

(On the other hand, I'd love to hear him commentate on a breakaway of Simon Clarke, Sebastian Reichenbach and Phil Bauhaus.)

 

[TMP402]

Re:

I like CK too. He adds some colour.
Better than the staid, politically correct droning of Hatch.

In what sense is Hatch politically correct?

 

[Lupi33x]

Re: Re:

I like CK too. He adds some colour.
Better than the staid, politically correct droning of Hatch.

In what sense is Hatch politically correct?

When he went on a rant against the Giro TV directors for showing the promo girls during a stage a couple of years ago

 

[Tonton]

Try this: gather all the needed papers (start list, pics and story of the landmarks), turn the TV on as the race begins, mute the sound, and announce the action...you'll quickly find out how difficult it is to be a good cycling announcer. Add to this the pressure of live broadcast (you can't take it back if you goof up)...

I think that we are too tough on these guys. It may be partly due to the fact that broadcasts of other sports sound better, soccer/football for example, where announcers make very few mistakes if any, where the action is steady, all you need to know are the 22 guys on the field, they don't wear helmets (easier to recognize), et caetera...and I think that it's an interesting point: helmets have made it more difficult to recognize riders effortlessly. Riding with their hands on top of the handlebars, it is nearly impossible to differenciate Pinot from Reichenbach for example . I give that to Carlton.

Filling dead air is an art, Kirby (and Phil also) does a pretty good job at it, and I should be critical considering how they butcher French town and castle names ...

When game is on, we see what separates the greats from the bad ones. And that's a definite strength for Kirby. His voice gets louder, and in addition to passion, he has the ability to deliver the right sentence to complement the images. The right call for an "historic" moment. Something that you watch weeks or months later on YouTube and it's great.

Compare this with Thierry Adam (France Television - now finally demoted to the motorcycle gig), who got so carried away, stuttering, that he butchered broadcasts times and times again. As a Pinot fanboy, the two finishes in '12 Porrentry and AdH '15 come to mind...awful. On the other hand, in '17, Kirby's calls at Andalucia and Trentino, or Monte Grappa made great wins sound great.

So I give him his props. I don't expect perfection, and I don't think that we should.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Compare this with Thierry Adam (France Television - now finally demoted to the motorcycle gig), who got so carried away, stuttering, that he butchered broadcasts times and times again. As a Pinot fanboy, the two finishes in '12 Porrentry and AdH '15 come to mind...awful.

He can't stop speaking, even on the moto!

 

[RedheadDane]

...
(On the other hand, I'd love to hear him commentate on a breakaway of Simon Clarke, Sebastian Reichenbach and Phil Bauhaus.)

Phil Bauhaus is a CK favourite now?

---

I think it's a matter of being able to switch between "filling death air" (when nothing happens), and actually commentating on what's happening (when something is, well, happening) at the flick of a switch, so to speak.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

What is all this dead-air nonsense ? It's TV, not radio. There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying nothing when you have nothing interesting to say. Nothing except the crowds, the motorbikes, that would be fantastic. Then the mute button might not be necessary but sadly it is

 

[the delgados]

Re:

What is all this dead-air nonsense ? It's TV, not radio. There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying nothing when you have nothing interesting to say. Nothing except the crowds, the motorbikes, that would be fantastic. Then the mute button might not be necessary but sadly it is

You make a great point. Sometimes the less said the better.
I guess the question is when to shut up.
Surely it's not during a bunch gallop to the line. CK is great at animating a race.
Obviously you need to note an attack, but I wish commentators would shut their yap and let viewers soak up the atmosphere on a mountain climb in Le Tour. There's so much to see and hear right before your eyes and ears. I think watching mountain stages in grand tours are by far the greatest spectacle in sports. It's a feast for the eyes; no need to add bland commentary.

Also, thanks for the heads up, GuyIncognito. Much appreciated.

 

[Tonton]

Re:

What is all this dead-air nonsense ? It's TV, not radio. There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying nothing when you have nothing interesting to say. Nothing except the crowds, the motorbikes, that would be fantastic. Then the mute button might not be necessary but sadly it is

There must be a reason why they say something...all of them...like keeping viewers awake, make sure that they don't change the channel.

Having said that, I agree that some (as you say) "have nothing interesting to say"...they don't know their stuff, the riders, the towns. A guy like Jean-Paul Ollivier made a living having things to say . If guys don't know their stuff, well, I agree that it can be irritating.

 

[RedheadDane]

Never mind the commentators, the adds are all over the place.
There was literally just an add for the "Astana Expo", which... took place on August 12... dunno about you, but I can't travel in time.

 

[deValtos]

Seems they've updated the eurosport player, where's my vuelta and why is it showing snooker when it says vuelta ?!?

Arggh.

 

[TMP402]

I'm sure Sean Kelly just called them "Lotus Soudal"

 

[TMP402]

Carlton just said Meintjes will be annoyed by UAE signing Dan Martin. Evidently doesn't know he's leaving for Dimension Data.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

I'm sure Sean Kelly just called them "Lotus Soudal"

One of the Danish (TV2) commentators pronounce it "Sovedal", which translates as "Sleep(ing) Valley"

 

[snowboarder]

Sean Kelly is a joke. I can't believe anyone would hire him with his awful, terrible, boring voice
and his crazy accent. I was hoping Vuelta would be great to watch and this voice shows up again...
He actually sounds like the dude from the crazy movie Galaxy Quest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYhz5tArAnk

 

[TMP402]

Though I didn't bother writing it at the time, there was another Kellyism that sort of feeds into the above comment about him being boring. Carlton says something along the lines of "we've got Nico Roche speaking to us after BMC finished. And he can talk!" Kelly then adds: "Yes... well, he's certainly someone who would be able to describe the course today." Thanks Sean, we didn't know that.

 

[Sestriere]

Re:

Never mind the commentators, the adds are all over the place.
There was literally just an add for the "Astana Expo", which... took place on August 12... dunno about you, but I can't travel in time.

Huh? The Expo takes place over the period of three months from June to September? Who would bother and make such an enormous effort for one day?

 

[kingjr]

Re:

Sean Kelly is a joke. I can't believe anyone would hire him with his awful, terrible, boring voice
and his crazy accent. I was hoping Vuelta would be great to watch and this voice shows up again...
He actually sounds like the dude from the crazy movie Galaxy Quest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYhz5tArAnk

How in hell did they keep a straight face doing that scene

 

[snowboarder]

Re:

Thanks Sean, we didn't know that.

Its both, the content and the tone of his voice. I'd rather visit my dentist
than listen to this guy. And now he's gonna kill Vuelta for me...

 

[HelloDolly]

Re:

Sean Kelly is a joke. I can't believe anyone would hire him with his awful, terrible, boring voice
and his crazy accent. I was hoping Vuelta would be great to watch and this voice shows up again...
He actually sounds like the dude from the crazy movie Galaxy Quest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYhz5tArAnk

He hasn't got a crazy accent
He has an Irish accent ....bet you have an accent and bet its not so great...but whatever its just an accent...everyone has one

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

Never mind the commentators, the adds are all over the place.
There was literally just an add for the "Astana Expo", which... took place on August 12... dunno about you, but I can't travel in time.

Huh? The Expo takes place over the period of three months from June to September? Who would bother and make such an enormous effort for one day?

My bad, didn't make myself clear; meant the bike race, which took place on August 12.
The add basically went "Come watch the [bike race] on August 12, and see the stars; Aru and Froome."

 

[Sestriere]

Re: Re:

Never mind the commentators, the adds are all over the place.
There was literally just an add for the "Astana Expo", which... took place on August 12... dunno about you, but I can't travel in time.

Huh? The Expo takes place over the period of three months from June to September? Who would bother and make such an enormous effort for one day?

My bad, didn't make myself clear; meant the bike race, which took place on August 12.
The add basically went "Come watch the [bike race] on August 12, and see the stars; Aru and Froome."

Well, then you're totally right of course. I remember them running a Tour of Azerbaijan commercial weeks later as well, though

 

[Baldinger]

Re: Re:

Never mind the commentators, the adds are all over the place.
There was literally just an add for the "Astana Expo", which... took place on August 12... dunno about you, but I can't travel in time.

Huh? The Expo takes place over the period of three months from June to September? Who would bother and make such an enormous effort for one day?

My bad, didn't make myself clear; meant the bike race, which took place on August 12.
The add basically went "Come watch the [bike race] on August 12, and see the stars; Aru and Froome."

Well, then you're totally right of course. I remember them running a Tour of Azerbaijan commercial weeks later as well, though

The music in that one is so d*** catchy.

 

[staubsauger]

Re: Re:

Never mind the commentators, the adds are all over the place.
There was literally just an add for the "Astana Expo", which... took place on August 12... dunno about you, but I can't travel in time.

Huh? The Expo takes place over the period of three months from June to September? Who would bother and make such an enormous effort for one day?

My bad, didn't make myself clear; meant the bike race, which took place on August 12.
The add basically went "Come watch the [bike race] on August 12, and see the stars; Aru and Froome."

Well, then you're totally right of course. I remember them running a Tour of Azerbaijan commercial weeks later as well, though

The music in that one is so d*** catchy.

The fact they announced Mikel Landa in their lineup while showing Ivan Basso was kinda funny as well!

 

[argyllflyer]

Re: Re:

He hasn't got a crazy accent
He has an Irish accent ....bet you have an accent and bet its not so great...but whatever its just an accent...everyone has one

There are accents and there are accents - Sean's accent is one of the stronger regional accents you'll find in Ireland. Declan Quigley's is not as harsh. I could listen to Barry Glendinning (Guardian sports journalist and sometime cycling writer) talk all day. Broadness of accent is a factor.

Even within GB, there are accents which are easier to understand (and dare I say more popular...). Rob Hatch seriously waters down his own Lancastrian accent when commentating (his natural accent is that not far off Brian Cookson's) to take into consideration that the audience around the world might not understand him otherwise. Maybe that makes him bland though.

For me the most listenable Eurosport cycling broadcasters are Dan Lloyd (when he's on), Matt Stephens and good old Carlton.