Should We Partition Channel Ten About Their Aus Gp Coverage?

[tweety bird]

my first thought was to do it through facebook and one of those online petition places (like what we signed to save spa).

build a support/fan base then hand it to them i think.

[Roy]

Well this is my letter. I want a job on the CH 10 Motorsport team

As an avid motorsport fan and an Australian that is proud of Australia's and New Zealand's impact on the international motorsport stage; I was disappointed with the coverage provided by Channel 10 during last years Australian Formula 1 race. With Australia's 2013 Grand Prix now only 5 months away I thought I would pass on some concerns over your 2012 coverage.

I feel your 2012 coverage was less about Formula 1 and more about trying to cross promote other Channel 10 TV programs. A number of interviews with Ch 10 affiliated actors and personalities who have never experienced F1 could be great way to demonstrate to newcomers the excitement and fun surrounding the Australian GP. However this seemed to be the basis of the coverage and was weaker for it. The coverage failed to give viewers an insight into the Australian GP, Formula 1, it's sportmen/women and the history of our involvement in the sport. Ultimately some of these shortcomings could be forgiven if the non-F1 related content and those that appeared on your coverage were entertaining. Unfortunately I don't think they were successful on this front either, and in doing so the broadcast simply alienated F1 fans whilst unlikely attracting new fans.

Watching the recent Phillip Island Round of the Moto GP there was a great divide between the format of the broadcast when compared to the Australian GP. I question why you think the format adopted for the Australian GP would resonate with F1 fans but not MotoGP fans.

Formula 1 is a sport, which like other sports has a rich history with amazing personal stories. None better than Sir Jack Brabham with the likes of Speed and SkySports showing it's viewers the amazing feats of the man. Many Australians know the name, but few understand exactly what the man achieved. Likewise Danny Hulme, a NZ driver who was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. The son of Sir Jack, David who raced in Formula 1 and lost a Simtek teammate on that fateful race weekend at San Marino in 1994, but raced on.. Or Tim Schenken who raced for Frank Williams and Ron Dennis and alongside the likes of Graham Hill when at Brabham. His contribution to motorsport in Australia in various roles goes unnoticed with many not appreciating what the man accomplished as a driver. Likewise Larry Perkins, who locally is generally recognised for his Bathurst success more than his feats in Europe and F1. Such stories are sadly lacking from your Australian GP broadcast

But it is not simply our drivers, many do not understand the connection between New Zealand's Bruce McLaren, and his feats as a driver, engineer and his legacy that is today's McLaren F1 team. Today there are young Australian engineers who have sacrificed a lot to risk careers in F1 and the pits today are full of Australian engineers working for F1 teams. Most notable is Sam Williams the Sorting Director at McLaren.

F1 is such an amazing sport with so many stories. However for others to embrace the sport they need to hear these stories and Channel 10s broadcast of the first Grand Prix of 2013 is the perfect platform for these stories to be told.

I feel that as the licenced broadcaster Channel 10 can be doing so much more to bolster not only their own ratings, but widen the sports audience and strengthen the support for keeping a Grand Prix in Australia. Some will marvel at the science and technical aspects. Some the not readily identifiable teamwork of the sport. Some the pure skill shown in driving or the pure sporting aspects. Some the circus of glamour that surrounds the sport. The sport offers a lot of opportunities to appeal to a wide audience.

I have thought about writing this letter for months and spent hours drafting it and hope it finds an attentive audience who does not dismiss the above comments as baseless complaint but rather constructive criticism.

[tweety bird]

i like it roy, if rpm was still around i would say send it to them but hmm.

i just thought of another one.

i've always wanted to know how much planning, time, effort goes in to setting up for a gp, maybe a segment on that would be interesting?

[djr81]

This is all very noble but coverage of major sporting events is not aimed at people who are already interested in them. You will be watching almost inspite of how sht the coverage is.

The intent is to capture as many people as possible. So the celebrities and the random "colour" talking heads will stay.

To be fair the ch 10 coverage is sht and very much worse than the mess that ch 7 make of events like Bathurst or 9 do of the cricket. But it wont change anytime soon

[Roy]

Stil, it sometimes feels good to have a gripe.

[blackrex]

At least we won't have the breakfast show "stars" on the coverage.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/channel-ten-axes-breakfast-and-morning-news-bulletin/story-e6frfmyi-1226514926249

[Angus Smart]

meh f**k watching channel 10's attempt at showing any of the races. bbc or sky ftw its good to have a choice

the letter sounds good. just as long as you make sure you add "no netball commentators allowed on the tv whatsoever." for the good of humanity.