Inept broadcasting is hurting the game

Sep 22, 2011
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I've noticed this quite a few times... you'll be at a close game where the atmosphere is absolutely manic... then you watch it on TV and it's like watching an televised funeral.

Just got it again today, but wasn't at the ground. I was in the car toward the end of the Carlton v Melbourne, and listening to SEN the atmosphere was electric. They has KB (normally don't really like him) and Maher (Carlton shill) commentating, but it didn't matter... the crowd noise coming through the radio broadcast gave you a fantastic feel of being at the game and the genuine atmosphere.

Anyway I got home in time to flick the last couple of minutes on the TV and wow... it was like nap time at the local preschool. Absolute silence, zero crowd effects, same old boring sterile "analysis" from the special comments bozos. There's less than a kick in it with a minute to go and you might as well be watching golf. You hear nothing else except the umpire.

We have plenty of complaints about commentary etc and I'm sure it's primarily because the broadcasters don't care: they have zero want or need to improve it because they're not in a battle for ratings - they just have to bid the highest for the rights and then viewers are stuck with them. It's not like you can flick and watch on another channel.

I'd never think the AFL would look at anything beyond money, but surely this complete inability of the broadcasters to bring the atmosphere to lounge rooms is damaging to the game? People are introduced to it through TV... surely communicating the excitement and atmosphere that the game produces is critical to selling it to people?

Isn't it broadcasting 101? Bring the experience to people at home? How hard is it to turn up the effects mics and make it a bit exciting FFS?
 

hoddo22

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Jan 22, 2011
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Was there Bunk with 55,000 others.

The sound in the last quarter was more like 80-90,000. Just adds to a close game and I'm sure the guys on the field notice it a well.

I'll watch the replay later on and I won't be surprised if it sounds like they're commentating kick to kick at training.

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Roos was horrific in commentary today. As Carlton got closer he just sounded less and less interested.
Roos is just a horrible commentator full stop.

In regardsw to the networks, I've been saying it for years. They are doing nothing but damage to the brand AFL with such poor quality of viewing. From self loving cartoon commentators in BT and Dwayne to ex players with a personality of a gnat, we pretty much never get a good viewing due to some factor with this amateur lot.

Every professional sport in the world has 2, maybe 3 commentators at best.

AFL has 5-7 ffs, why do we need 7 people trying to get their personal airtime in during the match?

Why do creeps like Hamish who knows more about players wives and girlfriends than footy have a gig,
Why does someone who knows so little about players and general football knowledge in Basil continue to get a gig
Why do we need 5 ex players or now even worse current players sitting in the box giving their shitty inoffensive opinion every match?

It gets worse every year, and every year we have to suck it up because we don't get a choice.

Give me the VFL commentary team over the over paid * sticks we have now any day.
 
Nov 10, 2013
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Hell no
Crowd effects and mics turned down on tv because they need their on air talent to be heard as they are paying them so much and they are as big as the game, bigger in fact (according to the tv producers).

Its totally s**t and has been for ages.
Each game needs 1 caller and 1 special comments. And 1 on boundary.
Crowd noise up and we dont need a constant stream of words. Sometimes just shut the * up and let the vision and crowd noise paint the picture
 
Sep 22, 2011
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the diff between hearing & seeing ?

I don’t really know what you’re on about.

The radio produces a very good audio product. The crowd is loud enough, and brings the atmosphere through the broadcast.

That can, of course, be replicated on TV. It’s an AUDIO-visual medium. But it’s not. Instead it sounds like they’re in a soundproof box with zero noise coming in.
 
Aug 14, 2011
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I don’t really know what you’re on about.

The radio produces a very good audio product. The crowd is loud enough, and brings the atmosphere through the broadcast.

That can, of course, be replicated on TV. It’s an AUDIO-visual medium. But it’s not. Instead it sounds like they’re in a soundproof box with zero noise coming in.

The art radio/TV is different, unsurprisingly you can get a different result, happy to disagree. Half empty stadiums are a negative when viewing in my experience.
 

G0ther00s

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Oct 14, 2008
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Roos is just a horrible commentator full stop.

In regardsw to the networks, I've been saying it for years. They are doing nothing but damage to the brand AFL with such poor quality of viewing. From self loving cartoon commentators in BT and Dwayne to ex players with a personality of a gnat, we pretty much never get a good viewing due to some factor with this amateur lot.

Every professional sport in the world has 2, maybe 3 commentators at best.

AFL has 5-7 ffs, why do we need 7 people trying to get their personal airtime in during the match?

Why do creeps like Hamish who knows more about players wives and girlfriends than footy have a gig,
Why does someone who knows so little about players and general football knowledge in Basil continue to get a gig
Why do we need 5 ex players or now even worse current players sitting in the box giving their s**tty inoffensive opinion every match?

It gets worse every year, and every year we have to suck it up because we don't get a choice.

Give me the VFL commentary team over the over paid fu** sticks we have now any day.
Yes I've been saying this for so long!
 
Mar 11, 2018
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Roos’ monotone voice in any game is just plain depressingly boring. The guy has the personality of a common garden weed.

Then you’ve got an absolute imbecile like Russell who grates on the brain with his ridiculous crap like a Chinese water torture session.


No wonder people still flock to radio commentary to get their fix of the atmosphere..because tv sure ain’t supplying it with Bruce, Dwayne, Basil and rest of the morons.
 

Rotayjay

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Aug 28, 2014
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Muted crowd microphones have been my pet hate on TV for years. As late as the mid-late 2000s, you could hear the commentators' words and the electric atmosphere of a final/good game equally.

Some bonehead commentator probably complained he was drowned out by the crowd once, so now the broadcast technicians heavily prioritise the commentary mikes over the crowd mikes. A commentator's unoriginal drivel is now twice as loud as the gluttoral roar of the fans after an important goal.

The passion of the fans IS football. A game without the barracking is soulless, empty and half-baked.
 
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