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Ted Kravitz Fired? [Update: Ted Kravitz not fired]


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#1 thequadge

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 21:39

I know people are talking about this in other threads but something of this magnitude needs it's own thread. 

 

I simply CANNOT believe sky would have done this, Ted is in my opinion the second best member of the whole Sky sports F1 team (only behind Brundle). His Notebook is a must watch and brings great insight to the pitlane and paddock while providing a light hearted and upbeat tone. As a Sky subscriber I am appalled that they would even consider getting rid of someone who is so popular with True fans (not the Johnny come lately's) for both his knowledge and delivery. If he has been fired, it is a great loss to all F1 fans and to the televised coverage of the sport as a whole. 


Edited by thequadge, 23 February 2019 - 21:39.


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#2 SonGoku

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 21:50

I think he is. Why? When the rumour was going around Croft was fired, Sky didn't hesitate for a second with an announcement. The fact they are so quiet with the whole internet on fire says a lot to me. And don't forget we have only one test left before the season starts, so they are running out of time.

 

Hope to see him on F1TV, his notebook would be a massive hit on YouTube.


Edited by SonGoku, 23 February 2019 - 21:50.


#3 FullOppositeLock

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 21:59

Can’t believe Sky would get rid of Kravitz. He, along with Martin Brundle, is what makes them a step above. Would be gutted to have to miss him. There’s a few who surely would have been higher on any get rid list if they wanted a revamp of sorts?

#4 Kalmake

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:05

I think he is. Why? When the rumour was going around Croft was fired, Sky didn't hesitate for a second with an announcement. The fact they are so quiet with the whole internet on fire says a lot to me. And don't forget we have only one test left before the season starts, so they are running out of time.

 

Hope to see him on F1TV, his notebook would be a massive hit on YouTube.

Another reason for quietness could be Kravitz having some personal issue.

 

I hope he will be back. His bit has been the only outside race coverage I watch.



#5 MortenF1

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:06

I would miss his qualifying notebooks hugely!!

#6 FirstnameLastname

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:07

Bizzare that he would be let go and Sky not even address the issue...

At the end of his final transmission last year, he performed a ‘mic drop’... but since then he’s welcomed Chandok to the Sky team when it was announced, and he was at the Haas launch still tweeting etc, but now his account is silent.

There’s no way Sky would send a team out to Spain to cover testing and not have Ted a part of that if he were still employed. He loves that kind of thing, and having the time to speak of all the technical quirks etc.

If it’s a ‘personality’ clash with the new boss as rumoured, then that’s just ridiculous. For a new boss to come in and lose one of your best assets is ludicrous. Especially when the rest of the team is made up of ex drivers who have gotten bored and fancy 21 all expenses holidays paid for them under the guise of ‘work’.

#7 JavierDeVivre

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:08

There is definately something odd about it.

If he had chosen to quit, he would not have been involved in anything F1 related in the run up to the start of the season, certainly not attending launch events for Sky Sports.

Either his contract has been terminated, or there is something going on in his personal life we don't know about.

#8 jonpollak

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:10

Here’s the supposed culprit.
https://au.linkedin....-young-0390a711

Jp

#9 FullOppositeLock

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:19

If he joins F1TV this could be a blessing in disguise (for me at least as a new customer).

#10 MikeV1987

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:37

I watched his qualy and race notebooks all the time



#11 FirstnameLastname

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:39

Interesting to see if someone above this Scott fella pulls the strings and gets Ted back on board quick-sharp after underestimating how valued he is by viewers... and then they’ll try the ‘he was just on holiday’ bullcrap to smooth the situ over.

Or channel4/f1tv will be writing him up a contract quicksharp after seeing the online love for the guy. Could help Liberty in the quest to spread f1 online. His notebooks are great on race weekends.

#12 loki

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:43

There was a tweet from an engineer at Gearhouse Broadcast, a sub contractor of Sky for equipment used on the F1 races, that indeed Kravitz got the boot.  Then the guy deleted that tweet but posted that they made him delete it.  Then he deleted that tweet.  Then he deleted that account.  This according to a combination of posts at Reddit and Judge 13.

 

Seeing how F1TV used Sky commentators and other interviews during testing I doubt they'd add him to the English language commentary.  They may do something like a Buxton where they have him do other features but I can't see him in a race day role if like last year they're only simulcasting the Sky feed.



#13 FizzyJerk

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:45

Swap Croft for Ted and all is forgiven

#14 Whatisvalis

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:54

WTF - that's an insane move. Who is Scott Young?

Ted is the only one alongside Brundle worth a damn.

How is Johnny Herbert still on air?

#15 Fastcake

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 22:55

I enjoyed Ted's notebook with it's more relaxed tone and behind the scenes style as a good unwind after a day's racing. After the more dramatic race, and having to wade through the variable quality of Sky's post race show, it was a pleasant nightcap.

 

But his pitlane punditry has started to become somewhat questionable. I think he's made some really bizarre calls recently, and occasionally veered into a conspiratorial angle. If Karun Chandhok is replacing him, which I have wondered since I heard he had gone to Sky, that's not a setback. Chandhok was very good in the role on Channel 4, and is highly knowledgable about the sport.



#16 Risil

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 23:11

Before we go any further I'd like to remind everyone that this story involves real people and their reputations, and currently contains very few reported facts. So please avoid speculating about the reasons for the apparent firing in a way that's even vaguely defamatory.



#17 goldenboy

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 23:12

Did he have a contract up for renewal meaning it was possibly about money?

Ted was a nice guy and I liked his post race stuff. Sometimes I didn't like it all that much when he tried to stretch things to be more dramatic than they were. But you could tell he had great relationships along the pit wall that gave him and us access to some good info, and in general I liked his style and will miss him.

#18 Traction

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 23:20

Lets be honest:

His technical knowledge is limited and to some (including those in the paddock) he is annoyingly arrogant.

#19 pdac

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 23:32

Here’s the supposed culprit.
https://au.linkedin....-young-0390a711

Jp

 

Sounds about right. Been in the job for 1 year and now knows all about what's needed (and who is not).



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#20 pdac

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 23:34

Interesting to see if someone above this Scott fella pulls the strings and gets Ted back on board quick-sharp after underestimating how valued he is by viewers... and then they’ll try the ‘he was just on holiday’ bullcrap to smooth the situ over.

Or channel4/f1tv will be writing him up a contract quicksharp after seeing the online love for the guy. Could help Liberty in the quest to spread f1 online. His notebooks are great on race weekends.

 

Nope, he's the man at the top as far as F1 coverage is concerned - no one above him.



#21 Jordan44

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 23:34

Sounds about right. Been in the job for 1 year and now knows all about what's needed (and who is not).

Well the reaction by the public would suggest he doesn't have a clue what's needed. Three hashtags relating to Ted were trending nationally on Twitter last night. The response to this has been huge

Nope, he's the man at the top as far as F1 coverage is concerned - no one above him.


Well, he's the head of F1 but there are people above him who control the entire sky sports brand who can overrule

Edited by Jordan44, 23 February 2019 - 23:36.


#22 Marklar

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 23:39

Seeing how F1TV used Sky commentators and other interviews during testing I doubt they'd add him to the English language commentary. They may do something like a Buxton where they have him do other features but I can't see him in a race day role if like last year they're only simulcasting the Sky feed.

Tbh during the races Ted isnt anything special, if anything Chandhok might be better.

His features (like the notebook) is what probably causes this uproar. And they could easily run these things on F1 youtube/F1TV like the Buxton stuff as you mentioned.

#23 Jordan44

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Posted 23 February 2019 - 23:42

Tbh during the races Ted isnt anything special, if anything Chandhok might be better.

His features (like the notebook) is what probably causes this uproar. And they could easily run these things on F1 youtube/F1TV like the Buxton stuff as you mentioned.

Ted is replaceable, no doubt. In many aspects he is flawed. The uproar comes from the fact he's probably the most competent person on Sky's team right now, there's a list of 5 or 6 people ahead of him who should have been shipped out in favour of better alternatives.

He is also probably one of the most friendly, approachable people in the paddock. He seems to be the one everyone has met, and is the one happy to spend an hour chatting with anyone he meets. It is a stark contrast to how people have described Lazenby & co, who are robotic on and off camera

Edited by Jordan44, 23 February 2019 - 23:43.


#24 lbennie

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 00:00

His notebooks were OK because they were factual.

 

The rest of what he added to the coverage was just tabloid sensationalism from the pitlane and some passive aggressive snarks at Crofty (who also needs to go TBH). 

 

Looking forward to the fresh new direction they are going.


Edited by lbennie, 24 February 2019 - 00:07.


#25 NoForumForOldPole

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 00:04

I was getting tired of his conspiracy theories (mostly ferrari ones) and biased opinions. I thought he was bonkers at times...

Edited by NoForumForOldPole, 24 February 2019 - 00:06.


#26 pdac

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 00:07

Well the reaction by the public would suggest he doesn't have a clue what's needed. Three hashtags relating to Ted were trending nationally on Twitter last night. The response to this has been huge


Well, he's the head of F1 but there are people above him who control the entire sky sports brand who can overrule

 

They are highly unlikely to get involved unless the Sky Sports brand starts to suffer. I doubt that is going to happen here (but I could be wrong). They are more likely to express their support for the man that they have put in charge if they do anything at all.



#27 Jordan44

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 00:16

They are highly unlikely to get involved unless the Sky Sports brand starts to suffer. I doubt that is going to happen here (but I could be wrong). They are more likely to express their support for the man that they have put in charge if they do anything at all.

 

Depends entirely on the organisation structure I guess. It might mean nothing at all, but the CEO of Sky Stephen Van Rooyen is usually the one making statements/press releases about their F1 channel, you don't hear from Scott Young at all.


Edited by Jordan44, 24 February 2019 - 00:16.


#28 jonpollak

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 00:23

Risil is right.
We should all chill until this plays out.
Jp

#29 Quickshifter

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 01:15

What was he best at? Tabloid journalism, which ain't my cup of tea. Won't be missed.

Edited by Quickshifter, 24 February 2019 - 01:15.


#30 OvDrone

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 01:25

I saw Natalie Pinkham's story on Instagram about Johnny Herbert farting in their car when the gang was going towards testing on Thursday.

 

I can't unsee that. I subconsciously now think of Sky F1 as old dude farts.

 

Ted is better off, if the rumors are true.


Edited by OvDrone, 24 February 2019 - 01:26.


#31 TomNokoe

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 01:37

Every single race I've watched in F1 has included Ted Kravitz. Whether you like him or not, it's, potentially, a massive loss.

He's a familiar face and sound amongst the madness. There aren't many people in F1 that I trust with information or rumours, but I hang off pretty much everything he says. Even if it's just mindless conjecture, there is a jovial sincerity to it all.

Ted doesn't take himself, or the sport, too seriously, which is something we all need to remind ourselves.

The cynic inside me says that Sky will react to fan backlash and he will in fact end up in Melbourne. It will be dressed up as a selling point of their product, no doubt trying to divert attention from their ridiculous prices. Sky know they are under pressure from Liberty and fans alike. This would be an awful start to their exclusivity.

Let's wait and see.

Edited by TomNokoe, 24 February 2019 - 01:37.


#32 AvranaKern

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 02:38

I can understand if this is a business decision. Then again, firing Kravitz should automatically mean that David Crofty never be allowed anywhere near a Formula 1 microphone. Not a fan of Ted, but Crofty is way worse than him by any metric.



#33 Unicast

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 02:41

I think his biggest flaw was his inability to be objective in many situations... this is required for good journalism, but I don't it's the reason he was fired... probably some sort of misunderstanding with the producer.


Edited by Unicast, 24 February 2019 - 02:41.


#34 ANF

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 03:11

Tbh during the races Ted isnt anything special, if anything Chandhok might be better.

His features (like the notebook) is what probably causes this uproar. And they could easily run these things on F1 youtube/F1TV like the Buxton stuff as you mentioned.

Or maybe Sky could air Will Buxton's interviews and paddock walks. Maybe that's what they intend to do, and maybe that's why Ted Kravitz has been made redundant?

#35 PeterScandlyn

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 03:18

Sounds about right. Been in the job for 1 year and now knows all about what's needed (and who is not).

 

Them Strines......

 

Actually, if this is true, for me another reason to abandon Sky and their F1 coverage. 

Listening to Croft's pathetic yelling manner passed me by way back.



#36 shonguiz

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 05:55

People are justifying his firing because of his lack of objectivity and technical knowledge. Lol at you, as if broadcasting heads were giving a flying f about that.

#37 Matthew22

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 06:33

Swap Croft for Ted and all is forgiven

This.

#38 baddog

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 06:40

Any organisation that continues to pay David Croft a presumably large amount for making a negative contribution to the broadcast every weekend (and just never ****ing stop calling him 'crofty' about 200 times a race) can be assumed to be making the worst possible decision at all times.



#39 messy

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 07:47

On Sky there's the really irritating "crazy gang" with their in-jokes about farting and their japes racing lawnmowers; then there's the strong, competent and reassuring professionals which number two; Brundle and Ted.

I wondered where Ted was in the testing coverage but thought it was probably some minor family issue or something and he'd be back when it counted. I mean Brundle didn't seem to be there either. Now sounds like he's actually gone? Of all of those clowns on Sky, not a good one to lose.

Edited by messy, 24 February 2019 - 07:48.


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#40 GrumpyYoungMan

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 07:54

Nope, he's the man at the top as far as F1 coverage is concerned - no one above him.

There are ALWAYS people above PAID positions - unless he bankrolls the company he is only in a paid position so can removed or told to get in line - although there’s no point paying him for his job if you pull rank...

Edited by GrumpyYoungMan, 24 February 2019 - 08:19.


#41 GrumpyYoungMan

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 08:20

On Sky there's the really irritating "crazy gang" with their in-jokes about farting and their japes racing lawnmowers; then there's the strong, competent and reassuring professionals which number two; Brundle and Ted.

I wondered where Ted was in the testing coverage but thought it was probably some minor family issue or something and he'd be back when it counted. I mean Brundle didn't seem to be there either. Now sounds like he's actually gone? Of all of those clowns on Sky, not a good one to lose.

Exactly - maybe he didn’t want to cover the tests? As Brundle?

#42 FirstnameLastname

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 08:27

Exactly - maybe he didn’t want to cover the tests? As Brundle?


A simple ‘I’m ok guys’ on twitter would suffice. His alerts must be on fire just now!

Many members of the press pack have alluded to something happening behind the scenes too.

And I just don’t buy that Ted wouldn’t go to the Barcelona tests... he’d have been there getting his nose/camera into all the garages.

#43 pacificquay

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 08:32

Theodore SlotOVER

#44 w1Y

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 08:50

What a bunch of idiots. He was one of the best assets for Sky.

Now we have to listen to arrogant Button.

Companies make decisions people dont like all the time. They are only ever reversed if its going ti hit them in the pocket or someone higher up in the company hates the decision.

I hope someone gives him a contract to run a youtube channel but give him all access passes because he knows a lot of people in the paddock

Edited by w1Y, 24 February 2019 - 08:56.


#45 sportyskells

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 08:58

I in a wait and see camp here as we had no news from the man himself, might have told to stay hush on the subject matter until its 100% known what his is doing



#46 Imperial

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 09:47

I stopped posting a while back, although enjoy reading threads daily it has taken Ted to bring me back.

As others have pointed out, nothing official yet, but yeah, he is gone isn't he?

I hate going all Clive James, but I am another who cancelled Sky F1 at the end of 2018. I did so because F1 has allowed itself to go in an anti-Ted direction. The more people want to taste the cordial, or the more people someone wants to, the more water must be added to it. And eventually the flavour goes.

Welcome to F1 2019.

Yes, I'm another who'll watch on C4. But it won't be at the expense of Indy Car, when clashes inevitably happen.

Ted's departure from Sky ironically may benefit me, if a move to C4 beckons, as he was the one thing I was going to miss. I can take or leave F1 live at the moment, excluding the usual GP I'll be attending and British GP on C4. I can't take another season of paying for F1 wrapped in Sky's packaging as, frankly, it is F1 made for readers of The Sun.

Ted appears to be a lovely, genuine, and humble bloke, and one who still tried to do the job he was originally employed to do. I wish him nothing but the best.

Meanwhile, whenever Sky's lack of quality is discussed, I always think of these words said by Martin Brundle when his move to Sky was announced in November 2011: "There will also be more airtime for the technical features I so enjoy crafting..."

2011 seems like such a long way away, eh Martin?

#47 Razoola

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 10:25

This is going to be a massive loss for Sky if he has gone. He in my view is the best presenter on SkyF1 followed by Johnny Herbert. I am not talking about F1 knowledge here, but as a sports presenter. He is entertaining to watch and delivers the message clearly. If the stories are true, I really hope he ends up on F1TV.

Edited by Razoola, 24 February 2019 - 10:26.


#48 FirstnameLastname

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 10:47

This is going to be a massive loss for Sky if he has gone. He in my view is the best presenter on SkyF1 followed by Johnny Herbert. I am not talking about F1 knowledge here, but as a sports presenter. He is entertaining to watch and delivers the message clearly. If the stories are true, I really hope he ends up on F1TV.


You accidentally put the words Johnny & Herbert into that post.

#49 Silverstone96

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 10:57

Remember when Ted used to present BTCC? Maybe he’ll fancy just working in the UK again.

Many are speculating about f1 tv but I don’t see it with their lack of presence in the UK.

Whisper films run by DC & Jake Humphrey aren’t stupid though, I suspect they will do everything to bring him to the c4 coverage.

#50 superdelphinus

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Posted 24 February 2019 - 11:02

Is this actually real or is it a social media thing?