Better announcer? Well we'd first have to establish what exactly makes for a good announcer. As a public speaker to audiences of 100 to 1000+ for 25 years now I have my own take from the perspective of pure speaking ability and voice quality side of things.
McCrossan - No bad, knows his stuff, informative, but voice quality is a little nasaly. Can be a bit monotonous, he needs to work on modulation (power, pitch & pace).
Smith - As a rider obviously sharp to what's going on in the race, I like the accent so I could listen to him all day, but he is not actually putting much life into it. Not much is expected of the supporting announcer, he's there as an expert consultant mainly.
Eurosport (name escapes me now - Duffield?) - Excellent, my favourite. When their audio is live I turn down CyclingTV and listen to the ES coverage. He's enthusiastic. His guest commentator Kelly on the otherhand, legend of a cyclist he is, a lively commentator he is not, not even his Irish accent can save him I'm afraid.
Phil L - Gafs and ****-ups aside, he knows how to deliver with the medium of voice. He is a master of using modulation, power, pitch 'n' pace, that I've got to give him. He knows how to build anticipation, has perfect timing on the finishes. He also uses pausing to great effect, all are little nuances that most folks would miss. Make no mistake, he's using every techinque I've ever read about. Content aside it makes for an interesting listen, if nothing else.
Paul S - Hmmm, OK as a supporting commentator, but has the "narsty" habit of repeating what Phil has just said when beginning his. When there's an important moment he steps aside for Phil. He's also running out of superlatives and descriptive terms, a good night with a thesaurus might help.
