Radio Le Mans 2006 - A Reply

[Lorry]

I think that this is a touch Murray Walker.

Some loved him, some were'nt so keen, but its only when he's gone do you realise how good he was

[paulydee]

In an attempt (!) to offer an opinion and keep this thread on track......

Due to personal crises leading up to the event, i didn't make the race despite having tickets (thanks all the same SteveB, same for next year?!); the fact that i got sorted for tickets at a decent price from another forum member highlighted the generous, fair nature of most members and something i would applaud.

I was left being in blighty on the one weekend of the year i wanted to be somewhere about 6 hours south, and had 3 options - watch MotorsTV, listen to RLM or forget about the whole thing. Both broadcasts, IMHO, provided decent coverage the whole weekend. Whilst the TV feed was good when time was available to watch, RLM via the internet was a godsend to me. I could listen in on Quali, enter the competitions during the quali daytime shows from my desk at work, take the laptop around with me whilst doing other things at home during the race. And never ONCE did it stop working.

Someone said earlier (i forget who and frankly it doesn't matter) that they didn't give a stuff about the web feed - that maybe true for 80,000 Brits that are at the circuit, but what about every other individual in the rest of the world that does give a stuff? I think, given the budget they scraped together, the service provided (whether brodcast at the circuit, via Sky or web) was pretty damn good; i've never heard any other event manage to give such a credible performance over a 5 day broadcast.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. There are plenty of things being broadcast that aren't to my taste but i have a choice whether to listen / watch or not. It's that simple. I choose to listen to RLM, i choose to buy their t-shirts, i choose to participate. Long may they continue.

 Hopefully the constructive points made on this forum will help Club Arnage play their part in a 'better for everyone' Radio Le Mans 2007.

[termietermite]

I think that this is a touch Murray Walker.
 but its only when he's gone do you realise how good he was

Eh, now please don't get me started on the subject of MW or I will get smoked (or wear out the * on my keyboard). 'Nuff said.

[Fran]

Nicely put Pauly - and a good reminder that it isnt always a question of "can't be arsed" for those listeners/viewers not actually attending at the circuit.

Hopefully next year you will get to see it in full glorious technicolour, surround sound and smelly-vision!  

 

[delaney64]

Nicely put Pauly - and a good reminder that it isnt always a question of "can't be arsed" for those listeners/viewers not actually attending at the circuit.

 

You only had to listen to the emails the team read out from all over the world to know that Pauly and Fran are right. I don't even think they kept telling us where their listeneres were from to sell the breadth of their coverage. I think they were a) genuinely a bit surprised and b) wanted to make the thing as inclusive as possible. I loved the idea that someone was so in love with the race that they were glued to their laptop in a sweaty bar in Singapore or somewhere in Iran. They really really wanted to be there but even though they couldn't be they used the net coverage to help them with their symptoms!!

And, yes you are right Pauly. The net never fell over. A vast improvement on previous years - that must have been expensive too. Their tech guy was apparently brilliant as well  - no soooner did my bf in the US complain about access for  macs than he got a response and it was sorted. 

I can't remember who said it but I agree that it does seem as if the new guys (who are really the old guys without haymarket) really care about getting this right. I bet reading the original thread ruined Hindy's breakfast the other day but it seems he still got some useful stuff out of it all.


Anyone know how many people listened on sky or the web ?

[BigH]

Hello Hindy,
Well, it's nice to get some feedback, and also nice to know you're keen to take on any constructive criticism, and let's face it if you aren't able to do that then it really would be time to pack up. I've got to say though, that everyone seems to have turned into nodding donkeys in the face of your post, - c'mon you lot, have the courage of your convictions and stick to your guns!
I'll admit that I've criticised RLM in the past, and if I could figure out how to use the search function on this site I'd refresh my memory,- It's been said many times that you don't have to listen, and I'm afraid that's exactly what I've done. From around 2000 onward I found the broadcasts disappointing and irritating, and tuned in less frequently. I haven't bothered at all this past two or three years.
Quite why I've stopped listening is really what matters, and I'd say that to start with the constant ad breaks drove me right up the wall, there's nothing more frustrating than hearing some track news breaking just to have it interrupted by some f*ckwit dribbling on about how his oil makes him go brum-brum. Round about then I'd quite happily have packed up some heavy ordnance and made the tw*t go bang-bang. I know it's a commercial enterprise, but I felt there was not a lot of commercial skill being used in attempting to find the right balance between the ads and the entertainment, let's face it, does anyone actually like listening to ads, let alone the same ones again and again? It's interesting to hear a lot of forum members moaning about the 'extended Aston Martin advert', as I say I didn't hear it myself, but it shows that blatant commercialism is never going to be popular. I reckon the way forward here is to give more thought as how to satisfy the needs of the sponsors without alienating the listening punters, and obviously any sort of funding from the ACO would take the pressure off the amount ad content.
So, there you go, no ads. Or a lot less, and more subtle.
Secondly, I think RLM has suffered from the lack of any real racing on the track over the last few years. It's no co-incidence that I stopped listening when I thought the race was a foregone conclusion anyway. It's one thing waiting with bated breath in the small hours to find out if the Mazda (Jag, Toyota, Merc, - take your pick...) has eked out a few more seconds over its rival on it's most recent lap (or how high the Merc got on it's last trip down the Mulsanne) but another to miss a round of drinks to find out how many laps ahead the Audis are. Obviously there's not much you can do about this, other than work harder at trying to find ways to keep the punters interested. Do the campsite tours still go on? I remember this was very popular, and a buzz went round the place when the RLM crew was around, the unpredictability of the 'interviews' was great stuff, and I thought it helped contribute to the community/campsite spirit a hell of a lot. But maybe the 'boozed up brits' thing is just not PC enough for the sponsors?
Thirdly, maybe RLM's getting a bit schizophrenic. In the early days its function was to inform and entertain the people at the track, something it was very good and focussed at. Nowadays (from reading these posts) it seems it doesn't know whether it's a webcast, international commentary, trackside tool or what. Now, I'm not in the media, but I'd hazard a guess that hitting the spot with such a varied audience would be well nigh impossible. Decide on a direction, and stick to it, you'll then get the audience you deserve. Good or bad.
can I now have all those presents you promised me in 2002?
H

[Fran]

everyone seems to have turned into nodding donkeys in the face of your post

Thats a bit harsh BigH.

It may also be that those people who are quite happy with RLM simply didnt get involved in the earlier critical thread and have now decided to put in their penn'orth for a more constructive approach.   

Likewise I havent really contributed to the moaning about poo bar before we saw it thread, the moaning about track changes thread, and no doubt many other miserable topics that I dont particularly recall at the moment!   

[delaney64]

Hello Hindy,

Thirdly, maybe RLM's getting a bit schizophrenic. In the early days its function was to inform and entertain the people at the track, something it was very good and focussed at. Nowadays (from reading these posts) it seems it doesn't know whether it's a webcast, international commentary, trackside tool or what. Now, I'm not in the media, but I'd hazard a guess that hitting the spot with such a varied audience would be well nigh impossible. Decide on a direction, and stick to it, you'll then get the audience you deserve. Good or bad.

H

I think it would be fair to say  - given what we've heard - that the ACO is NEVER going to put money into this. So we are stuck with ads or sponsored sections. Actually they had fewer ads than ever this year in favour I guess of the sponosred content which seemed designed to be entertaining to at least some of the people listening - if not the more experienced among you.
As to the hybrid content...again I think that's something we all have to learn to live with. It can't be just for the fans trackside, it isn't just for the internet or sky. the deal as I underatnd it from Hindy's email is that it HAS to be all of those.  If you talk to the picturtes for the people with Speed you'll hack off the people with no pictures; if you only talk as if you were addressing people trackside you can't expect the people listening on the web to feel involved.  Covering all the bases...That's a hard job to pull off.

[Andy Zarse]

Likewise I havent really contributed to the moaning about poo bar before we saw it thread, the moaning about track changes thread, and no doubt many other miserable topics that I dont particularly recall at the moment!   

  And whilst you're on about it, I think the price of the Grand Marnier crepes was ruinous this year. It's rampant commercialism gone mad. I remember the days when you could stuff your face with sickly orange flavoured pancakes for ten francs and still have enough change left over to get your lights knocked out in the boxing booth. 

[Kpy]

Fair enough for John Hindhaugh to have his say. I’ll probably tune in next year to see which of the constructive criticisms he’s taken on board.
All I want from a trackside radio service is a regular and accurate summary of the positions of the competing cars in each class. When cars encounter problems on the circuit or in the pits I’d like some details about that as well.
That is the service that I appreciated from RLM in the past. It’s not what I experienced this year up until my radio failed and I decided not to buy another. I’m really not interested in what Sébasitien Loeb, or any other driver has to say when he gets out of his car (unless there’s a problem), any more than I want to listen to a post Grand Prix press conference.
I’m not interested in the commercial circumstances. They are for the operator to negotiate with the ACO on the one hand and potential sponsors on the other. I had no idea that John Hindhaugh and his friends were financially responsible for the show this year, and whether they showed a profit or loss is their concern, not mine.
I appreciate that RLM reaches out over the internet to an audience which is not at the track. Perhaps that audience has different needs, I don’t know.
I’m not trying to persuade anyone not to listen to RLM, I’m just sad that what was once a great service is no longer what meets my needs.

[24hourman]

How much money do we pay for Radio Le Mans as  listeners well in case we have forgotten it is free. The cost is nil,nowt,zero it was set up to provide a free service to us the Le mans spectators at the track and has evolved into what we have today.

I could understand the bitching and negative remarks and comments if we were paying subscribers but we are not. The service is free unlike the BBC, Sky and all the other different medias. I am sure that changes will be made for next year with or without our comments.

 Maybe we should all pay a licence fee just for the Le Mans weekend then you could pay your weekend subscription or maybe not bother to listen. Then if it did not meet everyones high standards of preference we could all vote with our feet. Not going to happen but get my point?

[Matt Harper]

No, I don't get your point - unless you are saying "if it's free, quality doesn't matter". Is that what you are saying 24hourman?

[TonyT]

Like some other posts, I too missed out on the earlier thread but like the debate taking place here. Whilst comparatively new to Le Mans (been to the last 9), I too think the race would not be the same without RLM. This is not because JH has made a post, it’s because this is what I think.

Accepted it has changed over recent years as the commercial reality hits home that some one has to pay for it and I do hope that JH takes the constructive comments on board for next year.

Even with all the changes in recent years  I would have no idea what is happening in the race without it. I hope it continues for many years to come.

Tony

[Fran]

And whilst you're on about it, I think the price of the Grand Marnier crepes was ruinous this year. It's rampant commercialism gone mad. I remember the days when you could stuff your face with sickly orange flavoured pancakes for ten francs and still have enough change left over to get your lights knocked out in the boxing booth. 

Thank you for that valuable and well considered contribution to the debate Mr Zarse!    - I think you have been spending too much time with Young Vic Meldrew....

[24hourman]

No, I don't get your point - unless you are saying "if it's free, quality doesn't matter". Is that what you are saying 24hourman?

If you read my post  and a few of the earlier posts in this thread it will become evident what I am intimating at.