The failure of the BBC in 2012

ddraver

The BBC hardly cover any football (on tellly) though. MOTD, Football focus and the championship show (whatever it's called) for an hour is all they show regularly so 3 hrs a week? One of which is very much local sport given that no one else covers the championship. 3hrs would nt cover one stage of a GT!!

Radio coverage is an exception but then 606 does the whole rest of that days sport too!

cougie

Cyclocross coverage would be good to get on tv. Not the continental stuff - ES show that anyway - but the large domestic races. Plenty of spills - that should bring the punters in ?

tommasi

ddraver wrote:

tommasi wrote:

cougie wrote:

Why would BBC waste money buying the tour when its already covered on Eurosport. Let ITV spend their budget if they like - we don't really need two channels showing us it ? I'd say they've given us perfect value.

They're happy to waste it on NFL rights. A foreign domestic league in a sport nobody gives a crap about.

Bit like cycling eh?

No there's plenty of British interest in cycling at the moment. Hence millions watching the end of the Tour.

BelgianBeerGeek

andyp wrote:

I think the BBC's sports coverage is generally appalling, with bland anchors and idiotic ex-sports people offering clichéd platitudes in that inane cosy house style, so I'm delighted that they don't do much in the way of cycling coverage.

^this. I think I've said this before, but I do have a bee in my bonnet about the BBC's sports/news coverage anyway. It has already become received wisdom that the BBC coverage of the olympics was superb. It wasn't, apart from one or two sections.

ddraver

tommasi wrote:

ddraver wrote:

tommasi wrote:

cougie wrote:

Why would BBC waste money buying the tour when its already covered on Eurosport. Let ITV spend their budget if they like - we don't really need two channels showing us it ? I'd say they've given us perfect value.

They're happy to waste it on NFL rights. A foreign domestic league in a sport nobody gives a crap about.

Bit like cycling eh?

No there's plenty of British interest in cycling at the moment. Hence millions watching the end of the Tour.

When they all watch some Belgian/Swiss bloke win some off road thing between Paris and Roule Bay (sic) I ll take notice..

meursault

iainf72 wrote:

Why would the world be a better place if it was on the BBC?

Also, there hasn't been that much HD coverage. Maybe 20% of it has been HD across ITV and ES

Not sure if you are aware, but there is a massive cycling boom going on in UK, and it's not even all about sport. Fitness, commuting, environment etc. What has the BBC contributed? Nothing. It's a public service station that is not serving the public.

As for HD, I'm not bothered, have this but don't watch it, it doesn't seem that much better than normal TV to me, but that's a different argument.

Richmond Racer

BBC has been slashing its sports budget and coverage all round. Lots of BBC Sports dept staff including a couple of mates of mine going through the exit door over the last couple of years

durhamwasp

Are the Worlds being shown on Freeview Red Button or just those with Sky?

Pretty p!ss poor if they arent showing them on Freeview, especially as there cant be much else on at the same time.

Richmond Racer

durhamwasp wrote:

Are the Worlds being shown on Freeview Red Button or just those with Sky?

Pretty p!ss poor if they arent showing them on Freeview, especially as there cant be much else on at the same time.

The Elite Mens and Womens TTs are red button and BB website

The Elite Mens RR is being shown live on BBC1/2 on Sun, not sure whether same for the Womens RR or whether its red button

cougie

meursault wrote:

Not sure if you are aware, but there is a massive cycling boom going on in UK, and it's not even all about sport. Fitness, commuting, environment etc. What has the BBC contributed? Nothing. It's a public service station that is not serving the public.

Aside from them covering the Worlds every year as far back as I can recall - even before it was the latest "popular" sport.
And the Track World Cup Series.
And making John Noakes ride the Milk Race.
And covering the numerous Sport Relief Challenges including cycling.
And having a cycling section on the BBC news.
And listing details of cycling taster sessions on their website
And covering cycling on 5Live (I don't hear that happening on any independent radio station)
And best of all having cycling as part of Superstars. Who can forget Keegan crashing as he took his victory salute ?

The Public - in general dont cycle. Small numbers of us do - but the vast majority don't. I think the coverage probably reflects this. They cant cover everything for all people can they ? This same argument is probably raging on carp fishing forums, and caravan forums all over the country.

Richmond Racer

cougie wrote:

meursault wrote:

Not sure if you are aware, but there is a massive cycling boom going on in UK, and it's not even all about sport. Fitness, commuting, environment etc. What has the BBC contributed? Nothing. It's a public service station that is not serving the public.

Aside from them covering the Worlds every year as far back as I can recall - even before it was the latest "popular" sport.
And the Track World Cup Series.
And making John Noakes ride the Milk Race.
And covering the numerous Sport Relief Challenges including cycling.
And having a cycling section on the BBC news.
And listing details of cycling taster sessions on their website
And covering cycling on 5Live (I don't hear that happening on any independent radio station)
And best of all having cycling as part of Superstars. Who can forget Keegan crashing as he took his victory salute ?

The Public - in general dont cycle. Small numbers of us do - but the vast majority don't. I think the coverage probably reflects this. They cant cover everything for all people can they ? This same argument is probably raging on carp fishing forums, and caravan forums all over the country.

Did you know that there are more magazines dedicated to the wonders of carp fishing than cycling? You may be on to something here...

ddraver

MTBing is more popular than road in the UK - Should nt they be starting there? No one covers that on any TV anywhere so that ll be nice and cheap!

Oh no, cos that's not what you want to hear it it...

durhamwasp

Richmond Racer wrote:

The Elite Mens and Womens TTs are red button and BB website

Freeview Red Button, or just Sky?

Richmond Racer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/19609053

RichN95.

John Noakes did the Milk Race? Really? How far did he get?
I remember Pebble Mill sponsored a team in it one year. They came through my village that year.

jonginge

Richmond Racer wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/19609053

Delayed coverage on Freeview. Grrr
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_ ... 345480.stm

cougie

I cant believe the amounts of magazines out there - what is there to write about Carp that requires more than one magazine ?

Cant remember how far Noakes got - would love a repeat. And yes the Pebble Mill team - didn't they have a 'mare of a ride ? I seem to remember someone rolling a tub and crashing ?

Richmond Racer

cougie wrote:

I cant believe the amounts of magazines out there - what is there to write about Carp that requires more than one magazine ?

Cant remember how far Noakes got - would love a repeat. And yes the Pebble Mill team - didn't they have a 'mare of a ride ? I seem to remember someone rolling a tub and crashing ?

Not sure how far Noaksey actually got, or how serious it was, according to someone reminiscing on a forum about seeing him filming it in Brighton:

'John Noakes was having a go and being filmed for Blue Peter. He was sitting astride his racing bike immediately below my vantage point whilst waiting for his turn, drinking a pint and smoking a fag.'

squired

Being the ultimate politically correct channel and trying to prove that they don't see female sport as less important than male sport I don't see why the BBC couldn't spend what would probably be a miniscule amount of cash to show some female pro cycling. Forget male cycling - Eurosport already has that more than covered, and it is more expensive. I'm sure some of the people in the board rooms at the BBC would be jumping with glee at the thought of showcasing female sport! It has British interest, with riders capable of getting wins. It would probably also do wonders for female cycling and the lack of sponsors if an organisation like the BBC was to provide coverage - a win-win all round.

Teddy Westside

meursault wrote:

As for HD, I'm not bothered, have this but don't watch it, it doesn't seem that much better than normal TV to me, but that's a different argument.

I don't know what equipment you've been watching it on but the difference between SD and HD image quality is sizeable. And that's been the problem with ITV's coverage. ITV4 HD is only available as as pay-per-view - those of us with Freeview are stuck with a generally poor SD picture. Cycling benefits from HD as it's easier to identify riders in group shots (including race numbers) and shows of some of the wonderful (and not-so wonderful!) scenery. Not all sports need HD so much(soccer?) to make following it easier, but others (ice hockey, cycling) certainly benefit.

If ITV would bring cycling to Freeview HD, either by making ITV4 HD free-to-view (unlikely while they can get money for it) or bringing it to ITV1 HD (at least feasible with it's popularity right now), things would literally look much better.

Teddy Westside

squired wrote:

Being the ultimate politically correct channel and trying to prove that they don't see female sport as less important than male sport I don't see why the BBC couldn't spend what would probably be a miniscule amount of cash to show some female pro cycling...

Absolutely. And you can't even use the tired old argument that it's "not as good as the men's version" because it very definitely is, especially from a UK perspective at present.

garryc

Rick Chasey wrote:

BBC?

My only experience of the BBC & road cycling was the olympics, and that was horrific.

In all fairness to the BBC, the Olympics were filmed by the Olympic's own camera crews etc (this is always the case). The BBC was just one of the many broadcasters. So the rubbish filming/lack of onscreen graphics of the road races wasn't down to the BBC, they just took the feed, got Hugh Porter and Chris Boardman to do a commentry and the broadcast it on BBC.

It's a bit like The Tour, the coverage on Eurosport and ITV both originate from the same feed, they just have different commentators and pundits etc.

Drumlin

garryc wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

BBC?

My only experience of the BBC & road cycling was the olympics, and that was horrific.

In all fairness to the BBC, the Olympics were filmed by the Olympic's own camera crews etc (this is always the case). The BBC was just one of the many broadcasters. So the rubbish filming/lack of onscreen graphics of the road races wasn't down to the BBC, they just took the feed, got Hugh Porter and Chris Boardman to do a commentry and the broadcast it on BBC.

Yes but Eurosport got the same crappy feed but still managed to deliver an informed and entertaining commentary.

Drumlin

Richmond Racer wrote:

Not sure how far Noaksey actually got, or how serious it was, according to someone reminiscing on a forum about seeing him filming it in Brighton:

'John Noakes was having a go and being filmed for Blue Peter. He was sitting astride his racing bike immediately below my vantage point whilst waiting for his turn, drinking a pint and smoking a fag.'

Didn't he just ride the prologue ? I don't remember him attempting a road stage.

OffTheBackAdam

"Richmond wrote:

'John Noakes was having a go and being filmed for Blue Peter. He was sitting astride his racing bike immediately below my vantage point whilst waiting for his turn, drinking a pint and smoking a fag.'

So that's where Wiggo got his training plan from!

meursault

cougie wrote:

meursault wrote:

Not sure if you are aware, but there is a massive cycling boom going on in UK, and it's not even all about sport. Fitness, commuting, environment etc. What has the BBC contributed? Nothing. It's a public service station that is not serving the public.

Aside from them covering the Worlds every year as far back as I can recall - even before it was the latest "popular" sport.
And the Track World Cup Series.
And making John Noakes ride the Milk Race.
And covering the numerous Sport Relief Challenges including cycling.
And having a cycling section on the BBC news.
And listing details of cycling taster sessions on their website
And covering cycling on 5Live (I don't hear that happening on any independent radio station)
And best of all having cycling as part of Superstars. Who can forget Keegan crashing as he took his victory salute ?

The Public - in general dont cycle. Small numbers of us do - but the vast majority don't. I think the coverage probably reflects this. They cant cover everything for all people can they ? This same argument is probably raging on carp fishing forums, and caravan forums all over the country.

John Noakes LOL! showing your age there, In the op I was talking about 2012. Not sure radio is the best medium for cycling either.

The public in general are beginning to cycle, that's the whole point I am trying to make, and still say the BBC are lagging miserably.

meursault

Teddy Westside wrote:

meursault wrote:

As for HD, I'm not bothered, have this but don't watch it, it doesn't seem that much better than normal TV to me, but that's a different argument.

I don't know what equipment you've been watching it on but the difference between SD and HD image quality is sizeable. And that's been the problem with ITV's coverage. ITV4 HD is only available as as pay-per-view - those of us with Freeview are stuck with a generally poor SD picture. Cycling benefits from HD as it's easier to identify riders in group shots (including race numbers) and shows of some of the wonderful (and not-so wonderful!) scenery. Not all sports need HD so much(soccer?) to make following it easier, but others (ice hockey, cycling) certainly benefit.

If ITV would bring cycling to Freeview HD, either by making ITV4 HD free-to-view (unlikely while they can get money for it) or bringing it to ITV1 HD (at least feasible with it's popularity right now), things would literally look much better.

You may be right, not really compared the two comprehensibly. Although, even looking at high end TV's in Sony shops and the like hasn't convinced me.

oneof1982

Maybe there is an added reason that the BBC doesn't cover pro road race cycling. As Michael Ashenden says, quoted elsewhere on this Forum:

"I don’t care what broadcasters, op-eds, ‘journalists with access’ or the sport administrators themselves have to say about this. I know the cycling fraternity are afraid to speak out, because I witnessed it myself yesterday. Omerta is alive and well in September 2012.

To put it bluntly: where else in the civilised world would we tolerate an environment where citizens were afraid to tell the truth?"

Could the (deep loud voice) BBC seriously use licence payers money covering the current pro scene?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/opi ... omerta-101

viewtopic.php?f=40002&t=12879395

meursault

oneof1982 wrote:

Maybe there is an added reason that the BBC doesn't cover pro road race cycling. As Michael Ashenden says, quoted elsewhere on this Forum:

"I don’t care what broadcasters, op-eds, ‘journalists with access’ or the sport administrators themselves have to say about this. I know the cycling fraternity are afraid to speak out, because I witnessed it myself yesterday. Omerta is alive and well in September 2012.

To put it bluntly: where else in the civilised world would we tolerate an environment where citizens were afraid to tell the truth?"

Could the (deep loud voice) BBC seriously use licence payers money covering the current pro scene?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/opi ... omerta-101

viewtopic.php?f=40002&t=12879395

Fair point, but it doesn't explain why the BBC is not interested in cycling. I am just about to finish the book

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Marco-Pantani-Biography/dp/0753822032/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348046078&sr=8-1

Pantani biog, and near the end is some evidence regarding the testing of Pantani's blood. In the database file is a comparison with other sports, skiiing, triathlon, running etc. all have evidence of epo/doping. This is not to excuse the doping in cycling, I am just saying it is probably in most pro sports, which BBC does cover.

takethehighroad

BelgianBeerGeek wrote:

andyp wrote:

I think the BBC's sports coverage is generally appalling, with bland anchors and idiotic ex-sports people offering clichéd platitudes in that inane cosy house style, so I'm delighted that they don't do much in the way of cycling coverage.

^this.

Don't watch much F1 then, no? I wouldn't call Eddie Jordan bland, idiotic or clichéd in any way.