Comments on: Change the channels? http://sedgemore.com/2010/01/change-the-channels/ journalist and science writer Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:12:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Francis Sedgemore http://sedgemore.com/2010/01/change-the-channels/comment-page-1/#comment-4900 Francis Sedgemore Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:21:23 +0000 http://sedgemore.com/?p=6469#comment-4900 <i>"I really fail to see why football - an important aspect of the national culture, whether you like it or not - should not have a degree of coverage on a public service broadcaster."</i> But that's not going to happen, given the current business model of football, with obscene amounts of money sloshing around in that "sporting" community. No government is going to challenge Murdoch's control over the broadcasting of live football on the telly. “I really fail to see why football – an important aspect of the national culture, whether you like it or not – should not have a degree of coverage on a public service broadcaster.”

But that’s not going to happen, given the current business model of football, with obscene amounts of money sloshing around in that “sporting” community. No government is going to challenge Murdoch’s control over the broadcasting of live football on the telly.

]]> By: mikeovswinton http://sedgemore.com/2010/01/change-the-channels/comment-page-1/#comment-4899 mikeovswinton Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:16:32 +0000 http://sedgemore.com/?p=6469#comment-4899 If they can afford it. In that respect it is interesting to dig out the figures for people who watched Rugby League when it was on the Beeb and those who who watch now it is on Sky. In comparative terms I am sport obsessed (though I would admit to being unusual in that I tend to go to live matches rather than watch it on TV). But I am not going to sign up to one of Murdoch's packages and don't see why I should. I really fail to see why football - an important aspect of the national culture, whether you like it or not - should not have a degree of coverage on a public service broadcaster.(And again, like it or not, the Beeb has tended to do it better than ITV historically.) I may well be with you when it comes to pro-celebrity tango featuring over the hill newscasters and celebs who I've never heard of.... If they can afford it. In that respect it is interesting to dig out the figures for people who watched Rugby League when it was on the Beeb and those who who watch now it is on Sky. In comparative terms I am sport obsessed (though I would admit to being unusual in that I tend to go to live matches rather than watch it on TV). But I am not going to sign up to one of Murdoch’s packages and don’t see why I should. I really fail to see why football – an important aspect of the national culture, whether you like it or not – should not have a degree of coverage on a public service broadcaster.(And again, like it or not, the Beeb has tended to do it better than ITV historically.) I may well be with you when it comes to pro-celebrity tango featuring over the hill newscasters and celebs who I’ve never heard of….

]]> By: Francis Sedgemore http://sedgemore.com/2010/01/change-the-channels/comment-page-1/#comment-4897 Francis Sedgemore Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:41:41 +0000 http://sedgemore.com/?p=6469#comment-4897 I'm certainly not in total agreement with the report, but it is a more constructive contribution to the debate about public service broadcasting than anything that's come from the left. And it is about public service broadcasting in general, and not just the BBC. As it happens, I agree that much of the 'entertainment' output from the BBC could safely be dropped, so that the corporation could concentrate instead on more substantive, quality programming. That would include sports not covered by commercial channels, but there is no way that the BBC can or should compete with them when it comes to football. In any case, the sport obsessed are all watching Sky. I’m certainly not in total agreement with the report, but it is a more constructive contribution to the debate about public service broadcasting than anything that’s come from the left. And it is about public service broadcasting in general, and not just the BBC.

As it happens, I agree that much of the ‘entertainment’ output from the BBC could safely be dropped, so that the corporation could concentrate instead on more substantive, quality programming. That would include sports not covered by commercial channels, but there is no way that the BBC can or should compete with them when it comes to football. In any case, the sport obsessed are all watching Sky.

]]> By: mikeovswinton http://sedgemore.com/2010/01/change-the-channels/comment-page-1/#comment-4896 mikeovswinton Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:26:52 +0000 http://sedgemore.com/?p=6469#comment-4896 I've read some of the initial recommendations at the end of the report you link to, Francis. I'm not as convinced as you that this report is really about strengthening the BBC. It seems that in no small measure it is about clearing the field for ITV in certain areas that would be very profitable for them from an advertising point of view. I'd be interested to know why I'm wrong. I start from the point of view that sport on BBC and local news on BBC are not per se bad things - quite the contrary given that I think that the BBC does them much better than ITV and has done so for a long time - although I fondly remember some of Ray Gosling's "On Site" 70's/80's work and I think that was on Granada. I’ve read some of the initial recommendations at the end of the report you link to, Francis. I’m not as convinced as you that this report is really about strengthening the BBC. It seems that in no small measure it is about clearing the field for ITV in certain areas that would be very profitable for them from an advertising point of view. I’d be interested to know why I’m wrong. I start from the point of view that sport on BBC and local news on BBC are not per se bad things – quite the contrary given that I think that the BBC does them much better than ITV and has done so for a long time – although I fondly remember some of Ray Gosling’s “On Site” 70′s/80′s work and I think that was on Granada.

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