Electric Picnic - Awful Coverage!

Charles Slane

Has anyone else seen any of RTE's shameful attempt to cover the Electric Picnic?

I can't believe how much time is being given over to dim-witted, air-headed, so-called "reporters" wasting time with uninteresting pieces where they try to build a tent or borrow sunglasses off some dancing idiot!! Meanwhile, what's that you can hear way in the background?? Could it it be? Why, yes it is!! Music!!!!

And I've come to the conclusion that Tom Dunne is a stick. He's fine from time to time on the radio, but he hasn't a clue how to keep a live show interesting. And who is that person with the half-American accent sitting opposite him? They might as well have placed a corpse with a recording of Frank Zappa's "Valley Girls" in the chair for all the insight and intelligence she exudes.

Last night they spent 15 minutes interviewing Irvine Welsh. Yeah, Irvine Welsh the author! For what reason? I just can't imagine!

The line-up for the Picnic was pretty good this year (not as good as last year but hey..), so why could they not actually spend the time playing the music?

Also, did anyone else notice how much bad language has been used before 6.30 in the evening? Elbow sang about "motherf**kers" and said how they were "having a great f**king time". The Rapture just also sang about "f**kers". I don't have a problem with bad language in songs, but surely there's a good reason for the watershed. A lot of the stuff they're playing is pre-recorded, so there's no real excuse other than the fact that RTE are for all intents and purposes incompetent.

mike65

They might as well have placed a corpse with a recording of Frank Zappa's "Valley Girls" in the chair for all the insight and intelligence she exudes.

Thumbs up for that! I've only seen the odd few mins, I agree on Tom Dunne its incredible to think he was a front man in a working rock band!

Zero presence.

The format reminds me of the kind of crapola that C4/E4/BBC3 etc do for these gigs. ie music secondary to the tedious business of presentation for the sake of itself.

Mike.

Pigman II

Charles Slane wrote:

And who is that person with the half-American accent sitting opposite him? They might as well have placed a corpse with a recording of Frank Zappa's "Valley Girls" in the chair for all the insight and intelligence she exudes.

That's Jenny Huston and she's Canandian so you'll forgive her poor attempt at an American accent.

TBH I'd sooner watch her doing her "isn't everything great" bit than 20 minutes of Rufus Wainwright or most of the other rubbish they've had on.

indiewindy

yeah they made a mess of it , loads of cliched questions about it being a great festival etc, but its only their first attempt at it so hopefully they learn. Tom Dunne should stick to the radio, Jenny Huston raved about everything. We did see some good stuff PJ Harvey was quite amazing

eskimo

It's god-awful! They're all on radio for a reason clearly, and in fairness they're good on the radio, but the EP coverage is diabolical. It's just RTE again being stupid amateurs when it comes to... anything. I guess should anyone ever expect anything more than crap from RTE? Prob not! I wonder if the festival itself has been any good!

Mossy Monk

eskimo wrote:

It's just RTE again being stupid amateurs when it comes to... anything

obviously you dont watch their GAA coverage which is excellent. but hey it's RTÉ so everything they do must be **** :rolleyes:

mike65

RTE understands culchie stuff but its not 'down with the kids' and never has been.

Mike.

lodgepole

I thought they did a pretty good job. Fair play to them, I was surprised to see that there would be daily footage. It suffers from any comparisons to BBC's Glastonbury coverage, but for a first time go at a three year old festival in a small country it was a good start.

Calling RTE an amateur station is blissfully ignorant of other television stations around the world. RTE does excellent work with a limited budget and has improved massively in the last five years.

Tomohawk

There was nothing shameful in RTE's "Electric Picnic" programming. That Irving Welsh interview was interesting enough and fitted into the context of the festival perfectly. It's not all about the music down there mate...

If you don't know who Jenny Huston is at this stage, :rolleyes: then I think you might have been better entertained watching something else or going for a good walk.

As regards the issue of bad language in this programme, well I think you're taking the piss with this one...Seriously what do you expect the broadcaster to do? IMHO there is not enuff bad language on televison. Billy Grundy anybody?? Its all fecking PC this and PC that these days...

Some great performances were broadcast, for example Gary Numan, New Order, PJ Harvey, Broken Social Scene, Super Furry Animals, oops I nearly forgot the mighty Michael J. Franti. I'm already looking forward to the christmas re-runs of all the highlights.

mountainyman

In fairness shouldn't have been any coverage. The Electric Picnic is for tossers. Boutique Festival my arse.

MM

Rollo Tamasi

good man mm, you're so right. Muppets! genius so you are!

in fairness to RTE they're main competion for years has been BBC, the biggest broadcaster in the world, how do you think they're going to fair when their audience is a potential < 4million

mike65

Off topic, did'nt know Gary Numan was playing, was he in proto punk-metal or electronic mode?

Mike.

munkeehaven

He played "Cars" which apparently he never plays anymore according to Tom Dunne.
Ps did they show Saul Williams?

Charles Slane

Tomohawk wrote:

There was nothing shameful in RTE's "Electric Picnic" programming. That Irving Welsh interview was interesting enough and fitted into the context of the festival perfectly. It's not all about the music down there mate...

If you don't know who Jenny Huston is at this stage, :rolleyes: then I think you might have been better entertained watching something else or going for a good walk.

As regards the issue of bad language in this programme, well I think you're taking the piss with this one...Seriously what do you expect the broadcaster to do? IMHO there is not enuff bad language on televison. Billy Grundy anybody?? Its all fecking PC this and PC that these days...

Some great performances were broadcast, for example Gary Numan, New Order, PJ Harvey, Broken Social Scene, Super Furry Animals, oops I nearly forgot the mighty Michael J. Franti. I'm already looking forward to the christmas re-runs of all the highlights.

I agree that some great performances were broadcast, but not enough. Would you not have preferred to see more of Michael Franti (yes he IS brilliant, I saw him at ****** two years ago and he stole the show)? I was at Electric Picnic last year but couldn't make it this year because I was out of the country until late Saturday night. However I was interested enough in the show to record it.

The interview with Irvine Welsh (not Irving) was a waste of time, not because he's not interesting (he is) but because it meant that we missed out on more music. And the music is the most important aspect of the festival, mate.

The reason I didn't recognise Jenny Huston is that I don't listen to her show (usually more likely to be out at a decent live gig). However just because I didn't know who she is, it doesn't detract from the fact that she was amateurish and obviously in thrall to the only slightly more able Tom Dunne.

And maybe you're a fan of bad language on teatime TV, but I've got young nieces and nephews whose parents would rather they weren't subjected to vulgarity without warning so early in the evening. I expect the broadcaster to employ someone to edit the pre-recorded broadcasts so that they are suitable and within guidelines for the time they are transmitted. They might call him or her "the programme editor" or something like that. That would be professional.

Hopefully the Christmas re-runs of the highlights will dispense with the mindless wittering of the presenters and the unfunny antics of the roving reporters.

Day-wanna-wonga

Charles Slane wrote:

Would you not have preferred to see more of Michael Franti (yes he IS brilliant, I saw him at ****** two years ago and he stole the show)?

You saw him at a concert so secret, the name needs to be conealed at all costs?

Nevyn

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/announcement.php?f=82

That should answer your question Day-wanna-wonga.

Day-wanna-wonga

Thaedydal wrote:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/announcement.php?f=82

That should answer your question Day-wanna-wonga.

So you can't even say the word? That's retarded, and doesn't even make sense. How can they ban people typing a freakin' word? Surely that's not legal?

byte

Day-wanna-wonga wrote:

So you can't even say the word? That's retarded, and doesn't even make sense. How can they ban people typing a freakin' word? Surely that's not legal?

That's the rules and it makes plenty of sense. No more talk on the subject.

MisterAnarchy

I agree with Charles Slane on his comments.
I was wondering would someone create a thread on this topic.
The coverage was shambolic.
People tune in to listen to the music not listen to the inane egotistical wafflings of some 'Z' rated presenter.
BBC's coverage of Glastonbury was just as bad.
Why do these stations believe that the viewing public wish to listen to the drivel spouted by moronic dj's ?
I tune in to see the bands,not to hear these muppets talk about themselves.
To be honest the quality of tv presenters seems to be at an all time low,the vast majority of them are imbaciles.
A bit of intelligence and modesty would go a long way.

lostexpectation

jenny was hopeless, I'd prefer a muso journalist... she was a waste of space...

Dunne didn't seem very focused.

cars by Numan is phenomenal!

why does it always come down to oh atleast they showed some of it.

MisterAnarchy

lostexpectation wrote:

jenny was hopeless, I'd prefer a muso journalist... she was a waste of space...

Dunne didn't seem very focused.

cars by Numan is phenomenal!

why does it always come down to oh atleast they showed some of it.

That Jenny one seemed like she was exhausted .
Her voice was meek like a mouse ,I could barely hear her alot of the time.
On a lighter note a friend of mine told me that Lucy Kennedy was trying to film an intro for day 3 in the middle of the wood and this guy stripped off totally naked and started jumping around behind her.:D

lukegriffen

mike65 wrote:

Thumbs up for that! I've only seen the odd few mins, I agree on Tom Dunne its incredible to think he was a front man in a working rock band!

I've always thought that Something Happens could have made it a lot bigger if they'd a proper front man. He had a great voice, but I saw them live and he had no stage presence or charisma.

I agree on the coverage, too much stupid interviews with rock stars who had nothing to say for themselves (or who were asked banal questions)
But I also thought that about the pros at Glastonbury (jo whiley & john peel etc)

let's face it, it's a start. It's better than nothing. And it's saved me going out & spending money on Rufus Wainwright - bloody awful. Belle & Sebastian looked great, they should have just recorded an hour of them & played it all.

Wertz

Ummm...there was no Glastonbury this year, so how did BBC cover it? They did do an OB from Reading.

I watched bits and pieces of the EP show...not my kind of music so I didn't stay tuned in....but Jenny Huston was awful from what I saw (I don't particulalry like her on 2FM either).
The thing is, everyone's saying that this is RTÉ's first attempt at an OB from a festival....does no-one recall their marathon shows from the Feile all those years ago?
No bullsh*t from vapid DJs, no trying to fit in with the crowd....just sorted out licensing prior to the off and wall to wall music coverage from cameras and mics located in and around the stage. I still have a videotape of one of them someplace.
In this day and age, when there's so much more technology than we had even 10 years back, why shouldn't we have in-depth musci coverage from a festival like this?
Seems to me like RTÉ are moving backwards instead of forwards...

Mossy Monk

what would be ideal for events like this would be interactive coverage like the BBC provide

Cork

The coverage was pretty poor.

People did not tune in to see presenters taking to themselves.

Why bother. The whole thing was pointless.