Ted's roundups

[Jasandjules]

If it was too technical, a vast number of viewers would just turn over.

So there is a balance to be struck between providing technical information and providing it in a manner where the viewers don't require a beard to understand it......................

[Silent1]

I like teds presenting style, I've learnt nothing from it really but that's because it's aimed at the lunchtime specials that don't understand f1 but I like the relaxed laid back style of presenting, more of a bloke with a camera not overly serious.

[CocoUK]

Just to reiterate - Ted presenting a technical feature such as what we recently seen, is NOT his usual undertaking.

Secondly, how are we to know what his instructions are from the producer? His boss?

[ukaskew]

I thought his 25 minutes or so in the Media Centre going through the images of all the cars looking at the differences and details was great, like nothing I've seen on TV before as that sort of time isn't normally given up to things like that.

[MissChief]

It was good, just a shame they couldn't have used a bigger screen than the tiny laptop one.

[b16a2_VTi]

I think Renault will bounce back, the had this with the V8 & V10.

I bet Honda are watching this closey.

[Forbes82]

PaulG40 said:

The trouble is they have to dumb it down so much for the lowest common idiot viewer, it's hard to find a balance between F1 fanatic and the average joe.

I've got to admit, I use so many abbreviations and systems speak in a technical sense at work that I find it hard to actually explain what I do for a living to non techie non raf peeps.

What average joe is watching F1 test tech round ups on a sky f1 channel though?

Surely this late night 'testing tech round up' on a niche channel is exactly the place to go more in depth as 99% of people watching will be f1 fanatics. Its not the Monaco GP on BBC1, the viewership for this must be tiny and made up of just the hardcore fans.

These sorts of shows should not be dumbed down to the level of prime time races need to be imo. Scarbs offers great tech details on The Racers Edge youtube channel, getting an equivalent to that in would be much more satisfying for the hardcore of us who watch Testing!

[Firebox7]

Forbes82 said:

What average joe is watching F1 test tech round ups on a sky f1 channel though?

Surely this late night 'testing tech round up' on a niche channel is exactly the place to go more in depth as 99% of people watching will be f1 fanatics. Its not the Monaco GP on BBC1, the viewership for this must be tiny and made up of just the hardcore fans.

These sorts of shows should not be dumbed down to the level of prime time races need to be imo. Scarbs offers great tech details on The Racers Edge youtube channel, getting an equivalent to that in would be much more satisfying for the hardcore of us who watch Testing!

My thoughts exactly.

[forsure]

Mr_Thyroid said:

I don't have sky so don't know about Ted.

I don't have Sky either, but you can watch his roundups on their website.

[Scuffers]

Jasandjules said:

If it was too technical, a vast number of viewers would just turn over.

So there is a balance to be struck between providing technical information and providing it in a manner where the viewers don't require a beard to understand it......................

not asking for it to be more technical, just that it covers this stuff properly using appropriate levels of understanding.

it's pretty obvious Ted has no idea how/what this stuff is, so how the hell is the viewer supposed to pick anything useful up from this?

Look, I am not expecting nut and bolt detail, but for example, going on about AC and DC without mentioning a small thing called an inverter (the part that was overheating on the RB) I would consider somewhat a fundamental.

[StevieBee]

The tests are not a good means to judge his performance. The production back up Sky will have sent will be a van, a cameraman, producer and, that's about it. You'll notice that for his roundups, he's not wearing an earpiece as he would do at a GP, so doesn't have someone feeding him info. Plus, the teams themselves will have very limited PR resource and to be honest, not really keen to do the full press thing they would at a GP weekend.

[Scuffers]

StevieBee said:

The tests are not a good means to judge his performance. The production back up Sky will have sent will be a van, a cameraman, producer and, that's about it. You'll notice that for his roundups, he's not wearing an earpiece as he would do at a GP, so doesn't have someone feeding him info. Plus, the teams themselves will have very limited PR resource and to be honest, not really keen to do the full press thing they would at a GP weekend.

that's not an excuse for what we got.

did not need better props etc, just more intelligent conversation from somebody that actually understood the subject and the terms associated with it.

[kybo]

Scuffers said:

not asking for it to be more technical, just that it covers this stuff properly using appropriate levels of understanding.

'Appropriate levels...', but to what level - CSE (showing me age), GCE, A, Degree?

Clearly, your 'appropriate level' is higher than mine (based on me only just being able to fathom, in principal only, your previous comments)

If it's beneath someone's level of understanding, it's gonna be poor, if it's above someone's level of understanding you're not gonna like it either. Difficult to get it right IMO.

I sometimes find it a little 'cringe-worthy', but nothing more than that. I like him/his programmes so tolerate those few moments.

Thanks,
Scott

[CocoUK]

Scuffers said:

that's not an excuse for what we got.

did not need better props etc, just more intelligent conversation from somebody that actually understood the subject and the terms associated with it.

If not Ted, who would that be on the Sky team? Or the BBC team for that matter? -not that they would go into such detail.

A skilled presenter capable of intelligent technical conversation <-- cannot be too many about.


As much as I agree that that particular time-slot on a subscription-based dedicated F1 channel should be capable and able to provide greater technical and accurate information, it simply won't! Instead one should 'make do' with Peter Windsor and Craig Scarborough.

Edited by CocoUK on Monday 3rd February 12:56

Edited by CocoUK on Monday 3rd February 12:57

[CocoUK]

kybo said:

If it's beneath someone's level of understanding, it's gonna be poor, if it's above someone's level of understanding you're not gonna like it either. Difficult to get it right IMO.

I'm not pulling your message apart for the sake of argument but using the props that he did should really be seen as way below the bar.

A packet of pasta(?) and a banana to represent the front-end of a Caterham!?!

Photograph + ipad = DONE

[Scuffers]

CocoUK said:

I'm not pulling your message apart for the sake of argument but using the props that he did should really be seen as way below the bar.

A packet of pasta(?) and a banana to represent the front-end of a Caterham!?!

Photograph + ipad = DONE

exactly...

Look, the audience for this is hardly the dis-interested general public is it? this is not prime time BBC1 for the masses...

Look, if the subject is just too hard to cover intelligently, then their is an argument for not trying, for example, the McLaren rear wishbones, without a very high level of fluid dynamics understanding, it's pretty much impossible to explain how this works, for most people, we just have to accept that it 'might' work and that's why they have done it.

back to ERS, it's not a hard concept to understand, and if explained clearly, I am sure 99% of interested people would be able to fully understand how it's made to work and what kind of forces your dealing with, this is something tomorrow's world of old used to do very well years ago, ie. take a very high-tech subject and be able to present it to lay people in a way they could understand.

I for one wanted to hear about how ERC worked with the new drive-by-wire rear brakes, as for me this will be a key part to how the cars drive and how the driver is going to have to deal with these systems (after the last few years of KERS where they were constantly battling shifting brake balance due to KERS recharging).

[LaurasOtherHalf]

the guy is bloody useless, unfortunately i think his "notebook" sections simply highlight that he is an incredibly poor "live" broadcaster.

3 mins of insight & 12 mins of "errrr, i mean, weeeeelll, errrrr , hmmmmmm, errrrrr........"

someone seems to have given him the impression that a bumbling fool in the manner of hugh grant/four weddings would be entertaining. it isn't

another thing, why on earth does the guy think dressing like a care in the community helper with a carrier bag is an acceptable way to present a TV show? what a prat!

quite what his bosses think of him i don't know, if he hasn't got the mental capacity to think up his segments on the spot he needs to put some graft in & write a bloody script & memorize it. oh & put him in a sky sports shirt or something if he can't be trusted to sort out his own wardrobe.

[Dixie]

I like it. And I like that the shows are getting longer. Sure it could be more technical but like others have said they're trying to play to a wide audience. Maybe they need to realise the majority of their viewers are more technical than the average GP viewer.

I like Ted too. He comes across to me as a decent bloke. Id even go as far to say he's the best presenter out of the lot of them.

Has anybody commented on the Sky F1 site to make any suggestions about the format. I get the impression that they listen to comments. Even in the 4 days for this last test they increased the show time from 15 minutes to 30.

Isn't Crofty doing the next test? No doubt they'll be a thread next week saying how st he is...

[forsure]

Dixie said:

I like it....

So do I. I think the casual approach works well; makes you feel you are there with him, wandering around behind the scenes.
Suzuka last year was a good one, really gave a good feel for what the atmosphere is like for spectators.

Can't please all the people all the time; but I'm more interested I the human side than the technical, so it works for me.

[DS240]

He seems to get a bit bothered at anyone daring to wave at the camera behind him as he walks along.

I normally like the notebook bit. I like the casual walk around. This just seemed lazy effort with very little thought. Pointing out a tin of tuna in a tyre barrier..great!

It is like he was trying too hard to be a 'character', exaggerating his bumbling quirks.

Why talk about the caterham nose with a member of the team with a banana and sultanas when surely they could have just gone and looked at the actual nose?