Robert Peston.

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TheEnd

15,370 posts

190 months

Friday 29th June 2012
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Peston#Deliver...

He's even got a wikipedia article on him.

wormburner

31,608 posts

255 months

Friday 29th June 2012
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rohrl said:
wormburner said:
But a crucial part of his job as it is currently shaped is delivering pieces to camera. And his style is awful. Clearly he is very expert at the 'journalism' bit of his job, and very inexpert at the 'broadcast' part of his job.
Better that way round than the other. Would you prefer to put up with the minor annoyance of his speech patterns or bask in the rich mahogany tones of a professional speaker with no idea about business and economics?
That is a false construct. Peston can provide all the gen for the BBC without having to talk to camera. And I'm sure plenty of news organisations would give him a daily half page and £200k a year.

And it's not a minor annoyance on the radio. It is excruciating, and distracts from the valuable content.

There are plenty of jobs out there that I can do half of. I wouldn't expect to last long trying to do both halves without complaint.


Eric Mc

122,280 posts

267 months

Friday 29th June 2012
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I like him.

I actually like his speech pattern.

Style is a matter of taste. I don't like the voice of everybody I see or hear in the media. That doesn't mean I want them removed.

Simpo Two

85,862 posts

267 months

Friday 29th June 2012
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raptor600 said:
rohrl said:
wormburner said:
But a crucial part of his job as it is currently shaped is delivering pieces to camera. And his style is awful. Clearly he is very expert at the 'journalism' bit of his job, and very inexpert at the 'broadcast' part of his job.
Better that way round than the other. Would you prefer to put up with the minor annoyance of his speech patterns or bask in the rich mahogany tones of a professional speaker with no idea about business and economics?
Why do you think it's an either or choice!?

There are lots of people who could do both.
One is journalism, the other is presenting. Journalists know what they are talking about, presenters just turn up, read words and go home - more of an acting job. The BBC prefers to use journalists, which is why they are such an assorted bunch. Sky on the other hand uses pretty girlies.

Eric Mc

122,280 posts

267 months

Friday 29th June 2012
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And I much prefer knowledgeable people telling me things - even if they aren't "pretty, pretty" or speak like Richard Burton.

birdcage

2,843 posts

207 months

Friday 29th June 2012
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NDA said:
I can't stand the way he tortures the language either.

And that Caribean announcer on R4.

I need to get out more. smile
The Caribean guy is great, what's not to like about him?

rohrl

8,763 posts

147 months

Friday 29th June 2012
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birdcage said:
The Caribean guy is great, what's not to like about him?
Neil Nunes. It's a top voice IMO. Not quite as good as Michael Holding, who I could listen to forever, but it's right up there.

I love hearing different accents. The two best I've heard over the years from customers of mine were an old Jamaican gent who sounded quite like Holding and a chap from right out in the sticks in north east Scotland who spoke like one of those long-lost folk wax-cylinder recordings you occasionally hear on the radio.

Simpo Two

85,862 posts

267 months

Friday 29th June 2012
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rohrl said:
Neil Nunes.
I want him to burst into a verse of Old Man River.

But announcers should have good diction, whatever their accent. If the Big Brother twonk did the shipping forecast there'd be ships crashing all over the place. 'Ferse Eeyut' I think not.

Watchman

6,391 posts

247 months

Friday 29th June 2012
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Peston's delivery does distract me from the content but I feel ashamed that it does because his content is worthwhile. I blame my own frazzled brain for my lack of concentration rather than him.

I'd sooner have Peston talking and answering questions put to him with his knowledge and due consideration, even if it comes with his quirky style, than someone incapable of really understanding the question or the issues... like many politicians really.

I'm still not clear if the little spat with Eddie Mair last year was real or not. I'd love to know what they really think of one another.

Doesn't sound like he's beyond criticism though. In the Peston-Wiki, it tells he has been investigated (although not strictly accused of anything) for breaking stories about the financial crisis which may have compounded the problem (HBOS and Lloyds), and has been accused of being a Murdoch stooge.

Willy Nilly

12,511 posts

169 months

Friday 29th June 2012
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I like him. He knows what he is talking about and his delivery doesn't cause me a problem.