Racing Post Campaign

G

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At the Start
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To keep racing as a higher priority on the BBC....granted I understand why they are doing it and I know the sport will be better off for the publicity but I really find myself struggling to get very worked up about it. When I think about it, if it was Channel4 pulling back in a similar fashion, for all their faults I would be pissed off.

But aside from the Arc and Royal Ascot coverage (which has so many flaws it drives me mental) I don't really pay that much attention to the BBC's coverage with RUK and ATR covering much of their gems.
 
davidjohnson said:
Can't see the logic in your argument when RUK and ATR between them cover all of Channel 4's stuff too.
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The BBC's coverage is so poor I have ATR and RUK to watch instead. Channel4 certainly is not without its faults but I would generally sit down on a Saturday and watch their coverage rather than ATR/RUK's coverage of the same event.
 
davidjohnson said:
I'm surprised at that, but each to their own I guess.
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The reason I do it is because Channel 4 usually do one proper meeting then maybe 1 or 2 races from elsewhere. RUK does a great job when they are doing one meeting proper, but they and ATR wreck my head with their constant flicking between meetings and little or no interviews.
 
Lee Mottershead claims that BBC's standard of coverage is the reason he's so bothered to save it:

"It is precisely because we so admire, value and treasure what the BBC brings to racing that we want to preserve it. If the BBC's coverage was not so outstanding, if its talent, both in front of the camera and behind it, was not so strong and if its presentation of the sport to both a racing and non-racing audience was not so priceless, there would be no need to campaign."


What drugs do we think he is on? The BBC coverage is absolutely dire, Balding is the only one I have time of day for. Carson has to be the worst expert I've ever seen, just because he's a good jockey doesn't make him good infront of the camera.


The bottom line is that if there was a demand for racing to be shown on the BBC then there wouldn't be a need for this campaign. However, I do find it slightly hypocritical of them to dedicate so much time to Cycling and Watersports on SPOTY on Sunday and they've got surely less of a following than racing.
 
That's Mottershead for you, Gamla. Flowery prose and arse licking are his specialities. His knowledge of horse anatomy (nevermind just anatomy actually!) is horrendous - he's written more than once, of 'hocks slipping off horses'...hmmmmm!! I did tell one of his fellow hacks recently that depending on how much I had to drink that day I might just give him a little anatomy lesson...!!
 
davidjohnson said:
Had the story not been written by Mottershead, I swear they were taking the piss.
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He's an exquisitely talented writer with an extraordinary penchant for arse-licking alright.

My main gripe with ATR is the same as Gal's - the fact that they treat every meeting the same.

This is especially true with regards to Irish racing. The excellent Gary O'Brien will be given about two seconds to sum up a quality race before heading off for a break/the seller at Fakenham.
 
What new smilies? We did an update of the forum software which reset them but they should be back to the yellow ones now - force a refresh if you're not seeing them!
 
Trackside,

Do you seriously think Mottershed can write?

The man is an embarassment and the only worthwhile campaign would be to remove him from the RP.
 
I never read him but presumed he must be an excellent writer, because if not he offers nothing by the sounds of it. I'll take Shadow Leader's opinion that he knows little about horse anatomy and his knowledge of the form book can be typed up in bold texton the back of a postage stamp.
 
:D

He can't write, of that I can assure you. He seems to be a classical case of someone who went on a creative writing course and is trying to follow certain rules, all of which is excruciating to read.
 
Hamm said:
Trackside,

Do you seriously think Mottershed can write?

The man is an embarassment and the only worthwhile campaign would be to remove him from the RP.
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To clarify, Hamm, my response was a rather tame attempt to replicate his unbelievably patronising guff!

In other words, I agree with everything you wrote!
 
Good to hear :D

Seriously though, you sit down on a Saturday morning, hopefully in a nice cafe, breakfast and strong coffee at the ready, open the RP, Willoughby - good points but get off the fence, Pricewise - of course he has his lemmings but he can be worth a read (to disagree with more often than not), and so on. Then on we come to Mottershed previewing some main race ... and that's it. Fed up, and that ridiculous picture of him attempting to look like a journalist just makes it worse.
 
Now the BBC has supposidly been offered the major Newmarket meetings if they keep televising racing? Surely put a serious nail in the coffin of C4's coverage.

If I was in charge, I would tell the BBC if they want to cover the likes of the National, Derby, Royal Ascot etc they HAVE to cover the other meetings as well. Take the crown jewels off them and give them to C4.
 
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