ITV with another F1 related headline

[Knowlesy]

ITV excelled itself again today with the 'important' and 'completely relevant' announcement that Jenson Buttons girlfriend will be in the new series of Fame Academy. isn't that interesting everyone!

ITV really deserves a good pat on the back for their coverage this year. Why, it was only last Sunday that we were 'treated' to an interview with Arnie, a massive F1 fan who, incidentally was visiting his FIRST grand prix that weekend. Because Jaguar forced him to.

We also had the 'amazing' yet ultimately inconclusive interview with the army people about how F1 technology binds in with their own vehicles. We never got any further on that subject........

Oh, and how could we forget, Beverley turners 'wonderful' pre-race forays. isn't the milan shopping front wonderful. i think i will go into this shop and buy some clothes, not actually mentioning the sport. And broadcast it anyway.

"Hello, I'm Louise Goodman and here i have Driver X with me. That was a dissapointing race today X. Your engine failed on you as you were trailing round in 10th place. tell me, are you travelling home by plane tonight?"

"Hi, Jim Rosenthal and, of course, Tony Jardine here. A great race today Tony and a deserved winner in Rubens Barrichello."
"Yes, Michael Schumacher was brilliant, that was his best drive ever. Blah, blah, Michael this, michael that, blah, blah....."

"Let's go over to James Allen....."

"Thank you Jim. Watch for the lights. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. When they go out the race starts. They're out......GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Hello, I'm Martin Brundle. Please release me from this job.

I don't like ITV. Can you tell?

[pb btcc]

Originally posted by knowlesy


Oh, and how could we forget, Beverley turners 'wonderful' pre-race forays. isn't the milan shopping front wonderful. i think i will go into this shop and buy some clothes, not actually mentioning the sport. And broadcast it anyway.

"Hello, I'm Louise Goodman and here i have Driver X with me. That was a dissapointing race today X. Your engine failed on you as you were trailing round in 10th place. tell me, are you travelling home by plane tonight?"

"Hi, Jim Rosenthal and, of course, Tony Jardine here. A great race today Tony and a deserved winner in Rubens Barrichello."
"Yes, Michael Schumacher was brilliant, that was his best drive ever. Blah, blah, Michael this, michael that, blah, blah....."

"Let's go over to James Allen....."

"Thank you Jim. Watch for the lights. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. When they go out the race starts. They're out......GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Hello, I'm Martin Brundle. Please release me from this job.

I don't like ITV. Can you tell?

you forget to do Ted Kravitzs and Mark Blundell impressions

[Sim_Da_BTCC_Man]

Do we care what Jensons other half is doing. I could tell you Tomster AKA Nathan from Vibe FM is also going in, but I dont realy care.

[paulzinho]

I'm gonna watch fame academy....im so excited YAY!!!!!!!

BTW I'm being sarcastic....

[Dutton]

At least Arnie did show significantly more genuine interest in F1, and motorsport in general, than the majority of celebs they have talking. Mind you, could have been better without the rather long period discussing Terminator 3.

The obligatory advertising of a different sport appeared, as ever, this time in the form of the Tour de France. It is quite miraculous, sometimes you might believe you are actually meant to be watching a programme to do with F1 - rather than everything NOT about it, and even when they are "on topic" they whitter about the most inane **** on the planet.

James has been a fair bit more bearable these last couple of races, but he still deserves a holdiay in The Camps.

Ted Kravitz.. Hrrmm, I don't really have anything against Ted. He is harmless enough, but maybe I only think this since we only hear from him occasionally. He seems to be quite the fan of his little segments on tyres, which, as with everything ITV do, shed absolutely nothing new.

Bev can **** off and die.

Tony is somewhat irritating, but he has potential which ITV are singularly failing to utilise.

Mark Blundell, not exactly thrilling but preferable to most of the others.

Jim though.................oooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhh................. Jim........ I wish massively bad things upon him, or at least something big enough to make him bugger off and iritate some other sport's fans.


Martin Brundle is quality. It would be utterly disastrous if he left ITV....

[paulzinho]

Originally posted by Dutton


Bev can **** off and die.

Bit harsh isn't it? Not really necessary.

[touringlegend]

I liked this bit the best..

"Hello, I'm Martin Brundle. Please release me from this job."




I feel for the guy so I do..

Anyway, what part of the ITV coverage wound you up knowlesy ?

[codename_47]

Is it time for someone to mention Ben Edwards yet?

[cos]

How about Perry McCarthy?

[paulzinho]

Or The Stig off Top Gear

[cos]

Might have trouble hearing him through that dark helmet though

[EvilPumpkin]

Could be worse guys - at least you don't get RTE.....

[Irv the Swerve]

Originally posted by codename_47
Is it time for someone to mention Ben Edwards yet?

Mr. Ashmore usually has the distinction....

I'll say it again though, look at what the Beeb did with the British Open Golf. Obviously golf takes longer than a Grand Prix, but the COVERAGE was much better. They showed all four days, analysis, previews, highlights etc....ITV just treated it as if it were any other Grand Prix, the coverage for Malaysia etc.. was exactely the same.
Frankly, the feature where they go behind the scenes with a team for the weekend is barely noticeable.

Furthermore, I think Martin and Ben Edwards would be a far superior commentary team.

Over to you Adam....

[EvilPumpkin]

I didn't record the RTE showing of the GP but can anyone who saw it confirm the following:

1. They went to ads for the now notorious "Silverstone Nutter" incident
2. They didn't show the last lap of the race

......

[Irv the Swerve]

I turned it on Pumpkin, but when I heard Westport's finest, I decided to go to British TV.

How did Peter Collins get that job?
Last time I looked he was a radio dj...
But he is better than James Allen because he slates Coulthard if he even makes a slight error. David Kennedy can be entertaing enough at times...'schmozzle', 'kerfuffle', 'caught with his trousers down' etc....

[Hugh Jarce]

What do you reckon to the conspiracy theory that the 'F1 insiders' reckoned the ITV coverage was weak and decided to liven it up by swearing on the 'live' interviews bit?

The Count mentioned it again last week by saying 'Jenson - remember we are broadcasting to a family audience', I've never heard JB swear - ever - so do you think there is decent 'dare' money flying around?

[EvilPumpkin]

Hmm possible - there were a couple of issues with "language" when Sky (and oh how I miss that their coverage) were doing the pay per view last year.

Incidents that spring to mind were Niki Lauda using the "S" word several times during an interview and the memorable two occasions where Mr Montoya demonstrated his grasp of the more basic words in the English language over the pit radio - the drive through penalty and the incident with Raikkonen and the pit lane.

So I don't think it's a new thing - but it's entirely possible they're playing an elaborate wind up with ITV. Murray and Brundle could hold them in check, but I don't think any of the other guys have a hope!

[Knowlesy]

Originally posted by touringlegend
I liked this bit the best..

"Hello, I'm Martin Brundle. Please release me from this job."




I feel for the guy so I do..

Anyway, what part of the ITV coverage wound you up knowlesy ?

It was the general avoidance of all things F1. I'm not particularly interested in T3 or market day in Melbourne, I want stuff related to F1!!!!

Is that too much to ask?

[Testure]

Originally posted by EvilPumpkin
Could be worse guys - at least you don't get RTE.....

Ack, avoid at all cost! I know they're the Irish broadcaster 'n all, but do they have to talk about Jordan so feckin' much?!

Firman's qualified 19th, no doubt full of fuel and, thus, perfectly positioned to score points tomorrow.

Fisi's dropped to last place after the pit stops, but let's not forget Brazil - Jordan are a race-winning team!

I'm talking to Gary Anderson now - Gary; Jordan are great, right?

Also, every time I put I their pre-race stuff, they seem to be interviewing each other! That's low. Saving grace - they seem to put the engine noise higher in their audio mix than ITV do. Noisier cars

[DriverT]

Personally I don't tend to like the kind of stuff Beverley Turner broadcasts, as its mostly irrelevant media-luvvie stuff, but ITV do screen it.

What do people think of the item where over the past few Grands Prix, throughout the race they have patched the feed to a member of one of the teams who tells us how they are doing? I think it's a good idea, but I would like a bit more of the pit radio so famed on Sky.

[Adam43]

It has been good idea. I like it. However, it has been squandered a bit. Whenever Brundle has asked the questions it has been insightful and added to the coverage. When another has 'asked' questions it hasn't.

By 'asked' I mean stated a 'fact' and waited for a response.

They should try and get the best out of who they interview nt ry and make their point or answer the question they are trying to ask. At the end of the day we don't car about the people commentating or those on the TV, we want to know about the people involved in GP racing. ITV don't seem to realise this. They cut short interviews to say somehing pointless. They enforce their point over someone actually involced. They don't actually listen to the people invloved, but rather stick to what they want to say. It is like having a one sided conversation with someone from ITV, they rate themselves over people actually in F1!

for example I was very disapointed when interviewing Bernie after the British GP they cut it short before. After they cutit he actually said some positive things about Silverstone and said that you couldn't stop madmen like we saw running on to the track, but it didn't fit in with the story they had so they ignored it.

They just can't report on what actually happens. They have their stor and that is what they 'report'. It isn't journalism.

I still remember returning from Spa extremely sunburnt only to watvch the taped coverage from ITV where they sweared it was going to rain! Hardly a cloud. How did they justify this? They mesed with the contrast so the (few) clouds in the sky looked dark! They lied.

[Tim Falce]

Has anyone actualy written to ITV with any of these arguments or do you just like whinging about it and doing nothing.

fmob now goes and puts his crash helmet on and hides

[Hugh Jarce]

I have emailed them a few times with suggestions and constructive criticisms but have never got an acknowledgment let alone a reply.

One time after some gaff - I think it may have been a ad break when the cars were finishing I rang the ITV complaints line - the guy said thanks for the comment but probably did nothing with it!

[JR Ewing]

Originally posted by pb btcc
you forget to do Ted Kravitzs and Mark Blundell impressions

M Br: "Ted's down in the pits, what can you tell us?"
T K: "X just came in and they fuelled it up and changed the wheels and he's gone out again."

-------------------------------------------------

After the race:

J R: "Mark, what did you think to X's pitstop?"
M Bl: "Jim, you know, what can I say, I've been an F1 driver, I know what's happening there. They've changed the wheels and fuelled him up and he's gone back out."


Knowlesey, howay, that was a cracking 'impressionization' (Dubya) you started off with.

[LindaC]

Originally posted by falcemob
Has anyone actualy written to ITV with any of these arguments or do you just like whinging about it and doing nothing.

Email them often. I even invite them to check their facts with me regarding Jarno Trulli. Despite being with the Renault team the weekend of the French GP, they still managed to get most of the helmet change story wrong. And I'm fed up with the way they seem to prefer gossip and rumour to facts. They had an interview with Flavio Briatore at Magny Cours, and failed to ask him the pertinent question about drivers for 2004. (Apparently asking him about being a playboy was more important.) ITV preferred to peddle the rumour that Trulli's seat is doubtful for 2004.....and they were still doing it on the British GP coverage. Rosenthal reckoned that Trulli is "only" 98% certain to be at Renault next year. Seems pretty good odds to me! It's all rubbish anyway, because there was never any doubt about Trulli's seat......he already has a contract and Flavio confirmed him in the team several weeks ago to the Spanish and Italian press. This week he told the same to the Canadians. For some reason no one wants to publish that info here. But all ITV have to do is ask the Renault's team's press office, who will tell them that their current drivers are set for next year. Doesn't make such a good story though, does it?