The State of Broadcasting

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Txiki

Cancelled
Apr 3, 2018
167
593
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Liverpool
The quality of the FTA broadcast is embarrassing. We're stuck with the same muppets year in, year out, low quality HD and the same boring packages over and over again. Innovations like the players' playlist and RB are a farce and diminish the standard.

The personnel is my biggest issue. We're still subjected to the same four callers (resident idiot Roaming, super-centanarian Bruce, business magnate Darce and the tangerine-tinted used-car salesman Hame) and the three 'experts' in WC, CL and MR.

The callers are now just parodies of themselves, complaining more than actually calling the play and over-pronouncing names like its the greatest joke of all time. Bennett is a seriously good commentator and I don't mind JB but the rest are just awful.

And then comes the 'experts'. Clingy has never strung together a combination of words that could even be construed as an original and thoughtful comment on a particular passage of play. Botox Wayne just has 10 things that he loves to repeat, because he is falsely under the impression that those 10 comments are in any way insightful. Monotone Richardson bores me to tears and never wants to rock the boat. He is the most vanilla bloke I've ever listened to. I like Daisy Pearce's interviews/thoughts but she's never been given a proper gig yet.

It just adds up to a sub-par three hours of coverage. Is the best we can hope for a rights change?

Fox Sports is marginally better but the player take-over round just highlighted to me how irrelevant these resident analysts and personalities actually are. We were afforded genuine analysis and inside PsOV with the players on the footy/matchday shows but it was all too brief. These legacy players have been out of the game for so long that it's hard to trust their analysis. I'm positive it is all second and third hand information from current operators/players and regurgitated media commentary.

When you compare the coverage to EPL coverage or NFL coverage it pales in comparison.

Is anyone else frustrated by the s*** that is dished up?
 

Registered User

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 12, 2005
9,755
23,687
Bentleigh, Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
Some of the radio guys, I think on SEN, spoke about the skeleton commentary at The World Cup, then made a little joke about it. They said something like: "How's the minimalist commentary at the soccer? Just one commentator who doesn't speak a whole lot. No special comms or boundary riders. Jee, a lot of us would be out of a job if AFL was the same"
 
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Spearman

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 15, 2017
5,452
8,802
expatriated in East Asia
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Ohio State Buckeyes
I think of it like a sports club, blame the coach first. The producers have designed the game plan that the 'performers' have to follow. As far as I can see there is the play-by-play callers, usually two who usually have preeminence. The 'special comments' guys are role players who may pop up with a decent cameo now and then, but must allow the stars to shine.
I use Ling as my example. In a broadcast he 99% of the time says nothing of actual value (usually the flipping obvious) just filling what would otherwise be dead air, to IMO give the star a pause. You listen to him on the his Cats podcast and he is very knowledgeable about the game, and could pick it apart if he was allowed to.
I totally blame the producers and other pencil pushing suits with their'research' for the standard of broadcasts.

And also place my vote for how the soccer broadcasts that I receive at least are much more enjoyable and of better value. As Keith Richards says, "Its not what you play, but what you don't play that heightens the effect."
 
Jul 16, 2007
13,919
11,209
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
MUFC, Storm, Rebels
Some of the radio guys, I think on SEN, spoke about the 'skeleton' commentary at The World Cup, then made a little joke about it. They said something like: "How's the minimalist commentary at the soccer? Just one commentator who doesn't speak a whole lot. No special comms or boundary riders. Jee, a lot of us would be out of a job if AFL was the same"
Definitely highlights the disconnect between what they think we want, and what we actually want.

Spend less time talking crap to entertain, and more time researching into something insightful to share.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
 

Txiki

Cancelled
Apr 3, 2018
167
593
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Liverpool
Bump bump. These turkeys need to be sacked. Deplorable commentating.
 

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FrankCostanza

Debutant
Jul 28, 2018
86
133
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Melbourne Renegades
The commentary clearly needs more of a current player flavour to it. Rotate current players through the special comments team and i'm sure we'd get a greater insight into the game in its current form and a better coverage overall.
 
Jul 29, 2009
2,329
4,507
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Can't stand Daisy. Its a shame Kelly Underwood didn't get the chances Daisy gets. She is doing a good job on ABC radio would rather listen to her than the dribble the comes out of BT and Bruce's mouths.

Daisy has nothing on Kelli Underwood. Underwood can at least offer some insight into the game and give some idea as to what is happening and describes it well. Daisy essentially flips through a cliche book, trots them out in rapid succession, throws in the odd observation about the weather, adds in player names and then repeat. Doesn't exactly have the voice for radio either, to be brutally honest.
 

Txiki

Cancelled
Apr 3, 2018
167
593
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Liverpool
Daisy essentially flips through a cliche book, trots them out in rapid succession, throws in the odd observation about the weather, adds in player names and then repeat.

So what you're saying is...she is no worse than the buffoons they currently employ?

I disagree, in any case. She is concise and communicates well considering she's only given a few seconds every 10 minutes.
 

Rilian

Team Captain
Mar 31, 2007
310
45
Hobart
AFL Club
Geelong
I can't find a recent Bruce thread, so this'll do.

12mins to go in 3rd quarter, Tim Kelly running at 47% disposal efficiency at the time. Kicks one out on the full on the wing. "That might be his first mistake of the night"

Maybe you really are better off just asking your usual irrelevant open ended questions Bruce.
 

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Aug 10, 2015
48,085
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Channel 10 did it perfectly. Sorely missed
They had Steven Silvagni do the special comments at all be time.
Best I can say is reminded me of Keanu Reeves or a wooden plank, either or.

Otherwise was better than now.
 

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Aug 10, 2015
48,085
39,985
AFL Club
Collingwood
It’s amazing when tv rights are a billion dollar investment that the buyers are prepared to have such woeful commentators.

BT dreadful- seriously why would he ever get a gig?
And makes mistake after mistake.

Old mate Bruce- become a caricature of himself.

Ling- paddle pop lions havnt a place in commentary.
 
Jan 30, 2004
2,387
2,438
bentleigh
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
hawthorn
Surprised with the anti Daisy feeling. I reckon she is one of the better analysts going around. Her contributions in the match day previews are first rate. She clearly considers a bit of research on the competing clubs as extremely important which puts her well ahead of many of her media colleagues.
 

Wayne Dwop

All Australian
Apr 16, 2016
855
1,701
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
I can't find a recent Bruce thread, so this'll do.

12mins to go in 3rd quarter, Tim Kelly running at 47% disposal efficiency at the time. Kicks one out on the full on the wing. "That might be his first mistake of the night"

Maybe you really are better off just asking your usual irrelevant open ended questions Bruce.


He asks more questions than Tony Barber ever did.
 

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