Ideas for The Morning Line

Anyone who thinks nothing of swearing on a forum like the Betfair Cheltenham preview should NOT be allowed anywhere near public TV. There are plenty of 'appropriate' outlets for gutter-merchants like that cvnt.
 
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Warbler said:
Racing has a problem really that won't go away. It isn't easy to market something as a spectator attraction that lasts 3 minutes in every 35, and takes place at a distance of a mile away. The absence of any meaningful team dynamics, and the constant retirement of its players every 2-3 years makes it even harder. There is just so much about it that runs contrary to our sporting culture. Money however, never went out of fashion
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Said it earlier, racing needs better camera work, think about it as a spectacle and introduce some more exciting shots and angles, including on board camera work. F1 has exactly the same issues as racing that you've described but they've found ways of making it more engaging despite, in my opinion, being a more boring sport to watch. There was some overhead photography at Ascot but that seems to only be for the Royal meeting (or maybe even disappeared) and not sure why we don't have more jockeys eye view - That would bring home the speed and the thrill of it in much the same way they do in F1.

We just nee to find new and interesting ways for people to connect with the sport and once they do we have to trust that the sport at its core will keep people hooked as it has done the people who post on here. Be that for betting or sporting reasons.
 
That kind of camera work requires careful directing.

C4 still tends to pan in on the late action rather than pan out, which is what it should do. Punters need to see more than just the finish. Logically, the average punter's waged geegee will not be involved in the finish so we want to see where our money is going. It might be running on late into a place but you'd seldom know from the coverage.

Leave the fancy stuff for the analysis stage.
 
I'm no fan DO and he's a bit of a badly conceived cartoon but he's possibly coming from a sort of place, persona and 'approach' wise that could create a bit of a buzz around the programme. It's far too twee and tweedy at the moment...
 
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Ivantheterrible said:
I'm no fan DO and he's a bit of a badly conceived cartoon but he's possibly coming from a sort of place, persona and 'approach' wise that could create a bit of a buzz around the programme. It's far too twee and tweedy at the moment...
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He'd be enough to put me off watching.

We got enough of the Laurel & Hardy stuff with John Parrott and the fat bloke on the BBC for long enough.

I think somewhere along the lines we need, or rather the programme needs, someone who can give winners. C4 missed a big chance with the eyecatcher feature but fluffed it by not putting them up until they were almost off. If they had any faith in their 'selections' they should be putting them up as soon as they decide. For example, the paddock pick(s) and negative(s) - which would be very informative for someone like me - could be done some time before the off. Surely somewhere there is a paddock judge who is sh1t hot in their observations. An ex-trainer like Jinnyj, maybe?

Simon Holt seems to be good at spotting which ones went to post well or not. It might be too late for most punters but for some it might instil some confidence in their bet.

A betting insider like Julie Williams? Would she be willing to reveal where the really clever money (eg Slim Chance's) is going?
 
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the paddock judge is an easy pick..and has been for a long time..there is at least two threads on here about him..he would be a must for me..in fact if they didn't sign him up for the afternoon slot it would be a very large mistake
 
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I don't think its unbearable lightness would be so hard to stomach if it had something to balance it off a bit.

You could almost imagine a couple of celebs getting hold of a post-pub Friday night slot and doing a bit of a 'fantasy' job on it the way Baddiel and Skinner did with football.

Cocktail of laddish irreverence, wistful nostalgia, guest interviews with a bit of punter-led analysis.....

I suppose TML would end up becoming the racing equivalent of 'football focus'.
 
......or would that be an exercise balancing off unbearable lightness with infuriating shallowness?

This is very much 'work in progress' you must understand.
 
Would be interesting to know what the reaction would be today if horseracing hadn't been invented and someone tried pitching it to a group like IMG or a broadcaster

"So what does it involve?"
"Well we have about 12 small people with Irish accents, sitting on the back of a horse each, and then they race against each other"
"But horses only do 40mph don't they? and they're not particularly bright and colourful, and don't make loud noises?"
"Well yes, but 40mph is fast"
"It might have been in the eighteenth century, but it ain't anymore. So how exactly do these horses race?"
"In straight lines at happening glitzy places that all the sexy people go to"
"I Like that, so you mean, Monte Carlo, Zermatt, New York?"
"err.... I was thinking of Market Rasen and Newmarket"
"And how long does this spectacle last?"
"Well anywhere between 2-3 minutes"
"And then what?"
"Well we have to wait for the next race"
"Which takes how long?"
"35 minutes"
"Urm.... I'm not getting this. What about characters, you mention these Irish chappies"
"Ah yes, most of these come from rural backgrounds and snarl at the camera as if they're doing you a favour to speak to you"
"Ok so we've got a bit of edge, but I need characters to sell this"
"Well most of the people behind the scenes are 50+, wear trilby hats and barbours, and are equally charmless with world views that even the Daily Mail would blanche at"
"Not sure this is really gonna catch on, but I'm struggling to see the team elements and link to football"
"Ah that's just it you see, there are no team loyalties and its in direct competition to football"
"Ok I get it now, you want me to broadcast 2 or 3 minutes of people riding a horse at no more than 40 mph and you're telling me this is an exciting spectacle"
"Yes that's it"
"Close the door on your way out will you please. Next"
 
Apart from the awards thing and the unnecessary token bookies I thought it was ok. The panel was fine, and if it was just a focus on today's racing and a good chat with Gerraghty it would have been spot on. Keep the format simple with a couple of trainers/jocks then it's would be perfectly watchable. I prefer Nick Luck to Rishi, but keep Alice away who is truly awful.
 
I think there's a lot of fill, and trailers etc which you can't really do when you're running 3 blocks of adverts.

Be interested to know how much time elapses from the moment someone says "welcome" to "lets look at the first race". Was it really necessary for Tanya to do her Old Grey Whistle Test impression
 
Yet another chancer-bookie-guy who can't pronounce Newbury. It was never 'Nooobry' before Tarnya, or on the BBC.

Tom Segal is sitting there. Can't they ask him out to pronounce his name. Is it 'Se-gaal' or 'Seagul', as Nick Luck was saying the last time Tom was on?

The awards thing was the cue for an extra cuppa.

Mattie Batchelor at least has a bit of wit about him. I thought McGrath did us a turn today, pretty much wresting the agenda away from Ritchie's (as AOB calls him) hands.
 
Warbler said:
Would be interesting to know what the reaction would be today if horseracing hadn't been invented and someone tried pitching it to a group like IMG or a broadcaster

"So what does it involve?"
"Well we have about 12 small people with Irish accents, sitting on the back of a horse each, and then they race against each other"
"But horses only do 40mph don't they? and they're not particularly bright and colourful, and don't make loud noises?"
"Well yes, but 40mph is fast"
"It might have been in the eighteenth century, but it ain't anymore. So how exactly do these horses race?"
"In straight lines at happening glitzy places that all the sexy people go to"
"I Like that, so you mean, Monte Carlo, Zermatt, New York?"
"err.... I was thinking of Market Rasen and Newmarket"
"And how long does this spectacle last?"
"Well anywhere between 2-3 minutes"
"And then what?"
"Well we have to wait for the next race"
"Which takes how long?"
"35 minutes"
"Urm.... I'm not getting this. What about characters, you mention these Irish chappies"
"Ah yes, most of these come from rural backgrounds and snarl at the camera as if they're doing you a favour to speak to you"
"Ok so we've got a bit of edge, but I need characters to sell this"
"Well most of the people behind the scenes are 50+, wear trilby hats and barbours, and are equally charmless with world views that even the Daily Mail would blanche at"
"Not sure this is really gonna catch on, but I'm struggling to see the team elements and link to football"
"Ah that's just it you see, there are no team loyalties and its in direct competition to football"
"Ok I get it now, you want me to broadcast 2 or 3 minutes of people riding a horse at no more than 40 mph and you're telling me this is an exciting spectacle"
"Yes that's it"
"Close the door on your way out will you please. Next"
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So You Think Bob Newhart is the man to present The Morning Line ?
 
Phil Silvers. OK, you might say he's dead, but have you ever listened to Jim McGrath talking to camera with eyes shut whilst he's clearly imaginging how great he sounds, how every one waits on his every word, and how doesn't want to contemplate anyone elses opinion other than his.

I get a bit tired of everyone telling me what a respected judge he is etc Is he really? or is it just self regarding media self promotion? This is a man who left his expensive consultancy with the BHA over the introduction of Champions Day (something that goes from strength to strength). Mind you, this years experiement of bringing the Newmarket card forward a week has been abandoned, but otherwise it looks like a good move to have an end of season jamboree but dinosaurs like McGrath opposed it because it didn't conform with his conservative world view of tradition
 
C4 are moving the Derby and the Oaks 2015 Epsom Derby on June 6 to 4-30 time slot to "embellish our customers' experience"; also hoping to boost TV numbers. At this rate the Morning Line will be on in the afternoon.
 
Ideal slot for it (the morning line)

I'm trying to think how many sporting preamble type shows have about 6 hours separating them from the action. Most shows do the 60 min build up and then go into the action with the scene having been set. They don't faff about asking the viewer to make two separate viewing commitments and remember what was said at 8.00am. What do Ch4 currently show in this slot anyway?
 
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