Racing UK survey.

C

Colin Phillips

At the Start
Joined
Dec 22, 2003
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Talbot Green
Received mine through the post this morning.

Question 30. asks :"Do you have any suggestions as to how to improve the coverage..............."

They have given us a space of about a medium paragraph to answer.

I have typed out an A4 sheet to attach to the form. I urge you all to submit your thoughts at length.

My suggestions range from "get rid of the bluffers" to "have a look at Equidia and see how they do it!"
 
Racing UK are in a different league to Attheraces but at the same time they could do with improving their non live racecourse broadcasts.
 
I have seen the 3 channels for a long time and equidia is the worst by far,
even a bad day in ATR with Luke Harvey and Zoey Bird doing the program is better than a good day at equidia.
 
RUK could make itself sound a lot more appealing to new sign-ups by having presenters who actually engage with the viewer. Gary O'Brien and David Duggan on ATR are stand-out examples of how to do the job. Sharp little interviews between races, without fawning over the interviewees, good insights into horses of specific interest, and good reasoning behind why they may oppose them. No skoolboy in-jokes all the time, no sniggerings off-camera, but a little humour now and then to leaven the stats.

RUK brings us the interminable schoolgirlish giggling of Lydia Hislop; the endless blithering over a 100-1 shot with 0000 form, given as much gravitas as the 11-10 favourite; Mr Chuckles (the rigidly unsmiling and sarcastic Jonathan Neesom) and Mr Restraint (Motormouth Mellish) all adding up to a less than inviting package. And Eddie Fremantle might be a betting whizz but he's awfully dull and dreary. RUK never shows the horses enough - you get hours of the talking heads, you get the damned SPs stuck on top of them when you don't. You don't see enough of them moving in the paddock - what you do get is the inanity of a presenter walking back into shot and saying how rough he thought Yourlookingoodtonitemum looked. And that means what? Why can't we see the horses more? RUK is so about the presenters and not the horses, you'd think that the nags are there as the supporting act, not vice versa. Oh, I can't wait to get my survey!
 
Fair enough, suny, but the coverage of the race with the time coming up immediately and an unofficial finishing order with the slow-motion shots of the finish are quite impressive, I think.
 
I like that too, Colin, even if it's an unofficial time it can be a good quick guide sometimes. I've no idea how the French commentary and overall coverage works though.
 
I must say am a big fan of ruk and i find with a few exceptions the presenters do a good job, atr has a few good ideas like a forum on the weeks racing.
 
"The Voice" (O'Brien), in my humble opinion, is the best racing presenter on any of the channels bar none. Communicates on a level, knows his subject matter inside out and interviews well without dragging out the point and asking the same question in a different way five times.

I like Nick Luck but sometimes wish he would drop the thesauraus and trim down his overly verbose style. If he did that he would be a better presenter and to my mind would be Channel 4's go to man. If he doesn't he will end up like Alistair Down who is just dreary...
 
krizon said:
...presenters who actually engage with the viewer. Gary O'Brien and David Duggan on ATR are stand-out examples of how to do the job. Sharp little interviews between races, without fawning over the interviewees ... RUK never shows the horses enough - you get hours of the talking heads, you get the damned SPs stuck on top of them when you don't. You don't see enough of them moving in the paddock.. quote]

Hitting the nail on the head again, Krizon!

My two biggest gripes are the slobbering interviews and never seeing the horses.

I'm inclined to think that as both channels are sponsored by bookmakers, they are encouraged not to show as much of the paddock as we, the punters, would like (or benefit from). It has been years since we were shown the paddock in real time, with only a few minutes before they are actually off, by which time all the best prices have gone.

Both channels need to remember that they are taking our money, as well as the Bookies'.
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Eddie may well be a legend, Shadz, but I wish he'd exercise his rictus muscles occasionally, and contort them into something resembling a smile! He pretty much always arrives at Lingers with Jonathan Neesom upsides, and dear God, you'd think they were about to mount the tumbril and be dragged to a ghastly fate. (Although knowing your opinion of AW racing... !)
 
Gareth Flynn said:
Graham Cunningham reciting Glen Campbell lyrics was worth the subscription fee alone.
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His classic "an old Corinthian, a young Corinthian, both Corinthians" from a few weeks ago (about an old horse and a young horse finishing first and second) was also excellent.

As was his "snide lacooste trackie" comment when the drunk chav escaped at Carlisle
 
Whatever about the presenters (thought you were a touch harsh BTW, Krizon!), they're post-(big)race coverage is excellent. They show the full race again and dedicate a good five minutes to digesting it. ATR could learn a thing or two!
 
That's me, tracks - harsh, and not always fair! I know, I got a bit carried away (not far enough, some would say). Today at Chester was a case in point, though - okayyyy, so MASTEROFTHEHORSE may well have been played too late by the marvellous Mr Murtagh in the Vase, but WOULD Lydia and Steve (possibly the most motormouthed double act in the history of tv) EVER shut up about it? FAREER won the next race, and they immediately resumed blathering on and on and ON about the ride Murtagh gave his horse, Lydia sending notes to the stews, etc. Oh, for God's sake, people! How much money did you lose, you wanted to shriek at them? Not that they'd hear, because they were oblivious to everything, including the horses in the paddock. Again, it would've been really nice to have seen more of the parading, and not the rear of two huge chaps obscuring Ryan Moore, then a pan to some bushes... No! I mustn't keep going on! Stop me, someone!
 
They did conclude that Murtagh had lied to the Stewards though so at least the RUK gang are doing something right (JM said he'd asked for an effort 4f out, the video showed he'd been sat still at the time)
 
krizon said:
That's me, tracks - harsh, and not always fair! I know, I got a bit carried away (not far enough, some would say). Today at Chester was a case in point, though - okayyyy, so MASTEROFTHEHORSE may well have been played too late by the marvellous Mr Murtagh in the Vase, but WOULD Lydia and Steve (possibly the most motormouthed double act in the history of tv) EVER shut up about it? FAREER won the next race, and they immediately resumed blathering on and on and ON about the ride Murtagh gave his horse, Lydia sending notes to the stews, etc. Oh, for God's sake, people! How much money did you lose, you wanted to shriek at them? Not that they'd hear, because they were oblivious to everything, including the horses in the paddock. Again, it would've been really nice to have seen more of the parading, and not the rear of two huge chaps obscuring Ryan Moore, then a pan to some bushes... No! I mustn't keep going on! Stop me, someone!
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Ridiculous post ... you are criticising presenters on RUK for debating a Group 3 after a handicap has finished? I would very much hope that more attention, analysis and time is given to Group races which are a trial for the Derby than a 7f handicap.

'May well have been played too late' - he was played much too late, and he was far from 'marvellous' in that race. He was clearly the best jockey riding last year, but shouldn't be exempt from criticism when he rides a shocker like in the Dee Stakes.

'Blathering' - I would say critical analysis. Is it assumed that whenever the presenters on RUK (or ATR for that matter) are analysing/criticising a ride, it is because they lost their bet? Of course not. I expect, and am satisfied with on the whole, their professionalism insofar as when they choose to devote time to an issue from a race; it has nothing to do with whether they've had a bet or not, and to suggest as much is absurd.

For a channel that seems to upset you so much, i'm not sure why you spend time watching it.

Ps ... we can all read your posts, no need for caps.
 
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