Be honest and interesting, Brian
TWENTY-FOUR hours after his move into broadcasting was announced, Brian O’Driscoll may have been tempted to move the dial – until the radio clicked off.
His new colleagues at Newstalk were discussing punditry ahead of the World Cup. A consensus emerged that a recently-retired player like Rio Ferdinand would make for a dreary analyst, and the questionable merits of some of the British experts were well ventilated.
A day earlier, a recently-retired player was triumphantly revealed as the latest addition to Off The Ball. The appeal of O’Driscoll as an authoritative voice for any media outlet is clear, but his first job in this new role should be to listen in on what his workmates had to say about the move from playing field to pundit’s chair.
The enduring challenges, as revealed across stations and sports, are candour and communication. The explayer is employed because they have a profile, not for their journalistic talents. But using their experience in a way that explains a given situation to the audience is a challenge beyond many, not just the likes of Lee Dixon.
Ciarán Whelan is now the best pundit in any sport on Irish radio or TV. His emergence on The Sunday Game has also revealed the limitations of those around him.
O’Driscoll must also be willing to frankly discuss the merits of players he calls friends. He suggested there is an onus on him to represent old teammates. There isn’t. The pressure on him is to be interesting.