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Old 27-02-2014, 21:16
RobinCarmody
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Pre-empted by Central opting out of midweek coverage from August 1983, and TVS following suit for the last midweek coverage of the 1983 season (the UK vs US jockeys' championship at Sandown - the closest thing to the Shergar Cup back then). So they would have lost significant audiences had they not moved - Central was a huge region with a big working-class punter base.

In some ways it was a bit like when they started Test Match Special on the Third Programme's frequencies - using frequencies otherwise unused during the day so general entertainment could continue uninterrupted on the main channel (moving Test cricket off the Light Programme in 1957 enabled it to become more populist a la early ITV; moving racing off ITV enabled it to show US / Australian soaps without interruption, with a notable downturn in the quality and range of ITV's afternoon output).

The interesting thing in retrospect is that back then, and for a long time afterwards, there was a lot of relatively poor Flat racing shown midweek - very little midweek jump racing was shown, and from 1972-1995 pretty much only on the BBC. It may be a sign of shifting powers, in terms of which branch of the sport has had the biggest crossover appeal, that most of that Flat racing is no longer shown terrestrially, whereas the Fridays of what are now the Cheltenham Open and International meetings are still shown.
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Old 06-03-2014, 13:29
Neil_Harris
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Channel 4 will be screening almost 25 hours of coverage from the 2014 Cheltenham Festival, including extensive previews, five daily live races and nightly highlights shows.
The network’s extensive free-to-air coverage begins on Tuesday, March 11, as the four-day jump racing extravaganza begins in style with the Champion Hurdle and concludes on Friday with the prestigious Gold Cup.

Nick Luck will present the programme live from 8.00am each morning with former top jump jockey Mick Fitzgerald track-side to give his expert evaluation of that day’s runners and Sam Thomas reporting from the stables.
The breakfast show will be packed with features, racing news, tips and a daily guest to provide viewers with crucial pointers for the day ahead.
Then at 12.35pm every day during the Festival, Clare Balding returns to anchor live afternoon coverage each day in her second year with Channel 4 Racing alongside Nick Luck.
Each day’s live coverage on Channel 4, and in high-definition on Channel 4 HD, will centre around the four feature races during the week – Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Chase, the World Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
In total, five races will covered live by Channel 4 each day and they will all be brought to life by its team of on-course reporters and pundits.
Alice Plunkett, Rishi Persad and Mick Fitzgerald will provide regular reports and interviews with the key jockeys and connections, while Channel 4′s regular punditry team of Jim McGrath and Graham Cunningham will be aided by the formidable Ted Walsh.
Brian Gleeson will also be on hand to provide the latest news on the strong Irish contenders alongside betting expert Tanya Stevenson.
Channel 4′s voice of racing Simon Holt will call home the winners for his fourteenth consecutive year as he guides viewers through all of the network’s 20 live races during the week.
As in 2013, the highly respected racing journalist and broadcaster Alastair Down will deliver daily essay-style preview films during Channel 4′s coverage ahead of all the key races.
An array of features will be shown across the afternoon coverage with an exclusive four-part Ruby Walsh series leading the field.
The team will also reveal Ireland’s most powerful pack with a behind the scenes at Willie Mullins, and UK trainer Paul Nicholls discusses his Festival fancies and the attributes of his top horses from the comforts of Electric House cinema.
Festival Favourites, selected by Simon Holt and a variety of individual features on jockeys Sam Twiston Davies and Bryan Cooper, will also provide viewers with a wealth of racing knowledge.
Rounding off each day’s coverage will be a 45-minutes nightly highlights programme on Channel 4 showcasing the day’s finest action, as well as action from the two non-C4 televised races, with Alice Plunkett and Rishi Persad sharing presenting duties.
Channel 4 will be at the centre of all the drama from March 11-14 and its coverage from Cheltenham will fit alongside the network’s extensive Paralympic Winter Games output which runs alongside it during the week.
Jamie Aitchison, Channel 4′s Commissioning Editor for Sport, says: “We have an outstanding period of sport on Channel 4 in which horseracing has over 30 hours of terrestrial exposure.
“This Cheltenham Festival will be unique – surrounded by other sporting and event programming – a real feast for sporting fans.
“Once again, IMG and our racing presenters relish the challenges of Cheltenham and we look forward to delivering creative and informative programming.”
Alongside Channel 4′s TV coverage, its online offering via channel4.com/racing will complement the four-day spectacle with live text commentary throughout the Festival alongside strong social media activities on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Channel 4 Racing’s second-screen app – HorseTracker – app will make its Festival debut for all 20 championship races televised Channel 4.
The freely available Horse Tracker App provides users with the chance to select any number of horses, see their speed, position, distance to the leader and watch them progress around the prestigious Prestbury track.
James Rutherford, Channel 4’s Multiplatform Commissioner for Sport, explains: “Last year, Horse Tracker was a huge success at the Grand National with over 100,000 people using it across the race.
“We are excited to bring this service to Cheltenham Festival and offer both casual and regular racing fans the chance to get closer to the horses and races at this four-day event.”
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Old 06-03-2014, 13:49
wordfromthewise
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......even as a fan of C4 racing that ( above ) was extremely heavy going.....an over keen intern in the PR dept perhaps..what a load of tedious waffle.
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Old 13-03-2014, 16:08
Darren Lethem
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So what has everyone thought of the coverage this week ?

Pluses for me - Alice ( always seems like she is enjoying it ), Simon Holt ( best in the business ), Ted Walsh ( says what he thinks ) and Mick Fitz ( brilliant )

Negatives - Tanya ( not good enough for that role ), Graham Cunningham ( far too smug ), Jim McGrath ( yes, honestly. Without Francome he seems fed up all the time and permanently grumpy )

Neutrals - Claire, Nick Luck, Rishi - All do ok for me but no better or worse than anyone else.
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Old 13-03-2014, 17:17
Neil_Harris
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So what has everyone thought of the coverage this week ?

Pluses for me - Alice ( always seems like she is enjoying it ), Simon Holt ( best in the business ), Ted Walsh ( says what he thinks ) and Mick Fitz ( brilliant )

Negatives - Tanya ( not good enough for that role ), Graham Cunningham ( far too smug ), Jim McGrath ( yes, honestly. Without Francome he seems fed up all the time and permanently grumpy )

Neutrals - Claire, Nick Luck, Rishi - All do ok for me but no better or worse than anyone else.
Alice is ace, and Fitzy is better in the role he's been given this week.
Agree 100% with the negatives. Get GC back to RUK where all 40,000 viewers can get the in jokes.
Couldn't agree more on the Mcgrath comment.

One more negative, the camera work. Why so arty?
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Old 13-03-2014, 18:49
ftv
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According to The Guardian C4's audience for the first day of Cheltenham was 28% down on last year.
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Old 13-03-2014, 18:54
tony321
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I much prefer the RUK coverage, just a shame they don't have HD
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Old 13-03-2014, 18:55
tso
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I still miss Big Mac in the betting ring.He was an arse but he was good entertainment(the segments seem weak now)
Francome is a big loss too as Mcgrath's sidekick.
Its not been too bad.Plenty of features and interviews.
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Old 13-03-2014, 19:09
andy_d77
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think its been a bit second year of a contract type coverage, steady and solid but not inspiring, be interested to see how aintree figures out next month, they had some teething issues (production and broadcast) hope they took comments on board.
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Old 13-03-2014, 19:10
alanrollins
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Yes agree on all of that, McGrath is brilliant but he is missing Francome. Cunningham should just **** off with his stopwatch.
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Old 13-03-2014, 20:17
groovesection
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Nice to enjoy the Racing without Emma "lady 1 question" Spencer,
She must have conducted hundreds of post race interviews yet always seems to ask the same 2 questions, and she always struts about like she owns the course. She is nothing more than a "blonde clotheshorse"
I much prefer Gina Bryce, she is on Sat

Had a good day today, 3 winners - Gifted leader, Fingal Bay & Tarquin De Seuil (two at 9/1 and one at 7/1)
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Old 13-03-2014, 23:16
The Difference
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So what has everyone thought of the coverage this week ?

Pluses for me - Alice ( always seems like she is enjoying it ), Simon Holt ( best in the business ), Ted Walsh ( says what he thinks ) and Mick Fitz ( brilliant )

Negatives - Tanya ( not good enough for that role ), Graham Cunningham ( far too smug ), Jim McGrath ( yes, honestly. Without Francome he seems fed up all the time and permanently grumpy )

Neutrals - Claire, Nick Luck, Rishi - All do ok for me but no better or worse than anyone else.
I certainly agree with your assessments of the four people you have highlighted as plusses. Alice Plunkett is always upbeat and seems to get along very well with everyone she speaks to, from grooms to jockeys to trainers and owners, always getting the best out of her interviews. I've liked how Mick Fitzgerald has combined his punditry with interviews from the jockey's room, the role he has suits him very well as Neil has said above. Ted Walsh's contributions have been informed and he has spoken with a quiet, measured passion about things like the criticism Ruby received after his post-race comments on Tuesday. Not much I can add about Simon Holt that hasn't been said before, he's a top class broadcaster.

I disagree with you about Tanya Stevenson, I think she's done OK and I like her pairing with Brian Gleeson. I remember her seeing her doing the betting on her own after John McCririck had left and as someone who rarely bets feeling those segments were really dry - pairing her with Brian has added some colour without it being as in-your-face as when Mac was there. It probably is a weaker aspect of their coverage but not considerably so IMO.

I rate Nick Luck, I think he has good way with words and injects a little humour into proceedings, although agree with you about the two studio pundits with him. They seem to have been unduly negative about a lot of little things and their fixation on course records leaves me cold.

I think Clare Balding and Rishi Persad have both done well out on the course, although as someone who has found Clare's elevation to "national treasure" status a little over the top (she's very good at what she does but she certainly isn't the sole reason I tune in), what I continue to like about the "new" Channel 4 Racing is that no one presenter or personality dominates the coverage - Clare, Nick, Rishi and Alice all seem to have relatively equal billing and camera time, it hasn't been a case of the "big name" in Clare being the face of the coverage which I think is a good thing and helps the actual racing speak for itself.

The only thing I'd particularly like to see change is for them to utilise Alastair Down a little more. The features he voices are always very good but I would like them to find him a role on their live coverage as he was excellent at the big meetings prior to the change in production contracts. I suspect I'm far from being alone in holding that view.
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Old 13-03-2014, 23:21
Armagideon Time
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Nice to enjoy the Racing without Emma "lady 1 question" Spencer,
She must have conducted hundreds of post race interviews yet always seems to ask the same 2 questions, and she always struts about like she owns the course. She is nothing more than a "blonde clotheshorse"
I much prefer Gina Bryce, she is on Sat

Had a good day today, 3 winners - Gifted leader, Fingal Bay & Tarquin De Seuil (two at 9/1 and one at 7/1)
Sadly for you, come the Flat season on the turf, Ms Spencer will be omnipresent on C4's coverage, especially at the "festival" meetings.
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Old 14-03-2014, 09:07
groovesection
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Sadly for you, come the Flat season on the turf, Ms Spencer will be omnipresent on C4's coverage, especially at the "festival" meetings.
I know, as a long time 'punter' and viewer of C4Racing I have had to endure her for many a year, How she survived the huge reshuffle is beyond comprehension!
Luckily once a race has ended and we know the result is confirmed I usually take that as my cue to either: Put the kettle on, grab another beer or visit the WC. Remarkably easy to avoid her and still enjoy an afternoons racing
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Old 14-03-2014, 11:47
Alex2606
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So what has everyone thought of the coverage this week ?

Pluses for me - Alice ( always seems like she is enjoying it ), Simon Holt ( best in the business ), Ted Walsh ( says what he thinks ) and Mick Fitz ( brilliant )

Negatives - Tanya ( not good enough for that role ), Graham Cunningham ( far too smug ), Jim McGrath ( yes, honestly. Without Francome he seems fed up all the time and permanently grumpy )

Neutrals - Claire, Nick Luck, Rishi - All do ok for me but no better or worse than anyone else.
I agree with you all on Mick Fitz, he's been much better this year than last, while Ted Walsh is always excellent value and Simon Holt is Simon Holt

In fairness to Jim McGrath I'd probably end up being quite grumpy if I'd had to spend all my time with Cunningham and Luck.

I've never been the greatest fan of Nick Luck, his biggest problem for me is that everything that happened in the last ten minutes or might happen later that day is the greatest thing to happen. He spent Tuesday talking how the Champion Hurdle had the contenders to make it one of the great festival races of all time, then he spent yesterday talking how the World Hurdle would be the best festival race in recent memory. When he works with the far more measured Ted Walsh he always gets put in his place by Walsh over these things.
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Old 14-03-2014, 13:41
Neil_Harris
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Thoughts on the Morning Line?
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Old 14-03-2014, 18:46
groovesection
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Thoughts on the Morning Line?
Too much waffle and too little content, I only want to know the NR's, the going and current prices which I can easily check online.
An hour is overkill, a 30 minute show with less waffle would be much better, Oh and Gina Bryce presenting each week would be a bonus
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Old 14-03-2014, 21:29
Armagideon Time
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Poor form from C4 again; just like last year, there were no end credits at the end of the four days of their coverage of the Cheltenham Festival.
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Old 14-03-2014, 23:19
pakokelso93
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Poor form from C4 again; just like last year, there were no end credits at the end of the four days of their coverage of the Cheltenham Festival.
End credits, that pinnacle of broadcasting... not the actual coverage of races.
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Old 15-03-2014, 09:55
Armagideon Time
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End credits, that pinnacle of broadcasting... not the actual coverage of races.
The point I was making is that it is the norm for terrestrial broadcasters to acknowledge those who have worked on their presentation of a major sporting event (you will see the BBC do this after the final game of this year's Six Nations later on today).
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Old 15-03-2014, 10:28
mr williams
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The C4 coverage is perfectly competent and it's difficult to say that anything is seriously "wrong" with what they do but their output lacks "soul". Mac (and even Tommo!) at least brought some personality to the programme.

Yes, they're missing John Francombe big time and it's interesting that when Mick Fitz first came in he was being lauded as a great addition to the team yet now the jury is decidedly out!
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Old 15-03-2014, 10:52
AR1983
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For me Channel 4 Racing was always a show well aimed at the working class punter. Everything was nice and simple and far more relaxed than the BBC coverage and it had great humour. But now to me it's become more aimed at the major horse racing enthusiast who would probably be subscribed to Racing UK anyway. They've totally mis reading their target audience. It's too serious! I used to love watching from December to March in the lead up to Cheltenham, every week, but this year I've only watched the Gold Cup.
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Old 15-03-2014, 12:03
85 monks
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The point I was making is that it is the norm for terrestrial broadcasters to acknowledge those who have worked on their presentation of a major sporting event (you will see the BBC do this after the final game of this year's Six Nations later on today).
Which these days can be done very easily by a member of the production staff sending a thank-you text or tweet to everyone whose name would be appearing on the elongated on-screen credits you think are so important.

The advantage of this more modern approach is that it doesn't waste at least 2-minutes of thousands (sometimes millions) of viewers' time while a load of names, hardly any of which (names or jobs) mean anything to them, scroll through the screen.

Have you ever been to a cinema where everyone stayed to watch all the credits unless the director is known to have broken them up with some quirky moments along the way ? ... more likely, there's a stampede to see how many of the audience can be in their car and halfway home before those credits have finished !!

And how many people have woken up today thinking: "I really must make sure I'm watching BBC-1 a few moments before 7.00 tonight because I daren't miss seeing how they do their credits to round off their 6-Nations coverage." ? !!

Lenghty credits to round-off a season of sports coverage belong well and truly in the prehistoric age of broadcasting.
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Old 15-03-2014, 14:42
Neil_Harris
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W

Lenghty credits to round-off a season of sports coverage belong well and truly in the prehistoric age of broadcasting.
You may think that, but I reckon a lot of people still enjoy them. Sport is emotional, the montages with the backing of a suitable song add to this.
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Old 15-03-2014, 14:43
Neil_Harris
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For me Channel 4 Racing was always a show well aimed at the working class punter. Everything was nice and simple and far more relaxed than the BBC coverage and it had great humour. But now to me it's become more aimed at the major horse racing enthusiast who would probably be subscribed to Racing UK anyway. They've totally mis reading their target audience. It's too serious! I used to love watching from December to March in the lead up to Cheltenham, every week, but this year I've only watched the Gold Cup.
Absolutely SPOT ON
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