Missing the great presenters
Watching a lot of sport over the weekend I not only missed the great commentators individual to their sport – Bill Maclaren, Richie Benaud, Henry Longhurst – but the legendary presenters too.
Titans like David Coleman was editor of his local Stockport newspaper aged 23 and his journalist background gave him the grammar of broadcasting.
When, in 1972 at Munich, terrorism at the Olympiad made a sports story a news one Coleman could cover the unfurling events. No one could do that today.
Des Lynam had no sports-playing background but plied his trade on the Jack De Mario Today radio programme, where Brian Redhead was number two and Lynam three in the pecking order, and moved seamlessly from radio to television.
He had the looks, voice, dress but above all the touch of asking the questions that the viewers might.
Jimmy Hill had taken on the football establishment and won. Call him over-opinionated but he was always up for debating the issues of the day. The proliferation of women’s sport on the BBC would not get such an easy ride with him still there.
Now we have rather bland presenters like Mark Chapman who do not imprint their personality on the show.
The coverage of sport has advanced in terms of camera work of that there is no doubt. In the ICC final we viewers could have the same evidence on a referral as the referee. The tv graphics are superb. However SKY prefer sporting stars like Shane Warne to the old professional broadcaster. These top sportsmen know their sport but communicating that knowledge to the viewer is more the realm and art of the pro broadcaster.
Although I am critical of some women broadcasters on the basis it is their gender not their skill that got them the job, I happened by pushing the wrong preset button on my radio to tune into Talksport on Sunday morning.
Here Georgie Bingham was talking persuasively but passionately on the selection policy of the Lions in preferring players who happen to be local than those English internationals in Argentina surely more meritworthy of the famous shirt.
She was knowledgeable on many sports and was the best all round broadcaster I heard all weekend.
TMS does engage ex-cricketers like Charles Dagnall who had modest county careers but are accomplished broadcasters. Euan Murray was for years the pro at Walton Heath golf club whose US Open qualifying tournament provided the unlikely winner of Michael Campbell. Murray was never Sir Nick Faldo but is well-informed, has a light touch and presents superbly avoiding the brashness of many who work for SKY.
In writing this I am aware taste is generational.
I love Peter Alliss for his humour but I am aware of those that find him an anachronistic dinosaur. Good commentating, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
