TV3 Sports Tonight - Gone Already?

2fivers

Driving home tonight I heard a gossipy type rumour about the Bulgarian line up for next weeks game in Croke Park (Berbatov not crocked, might play) on the sports news, but no elaboration was given.

No probs, I thought. The Cantwell lad on TV3 sports tonight will give me the low down.

Nope. 11.35 on TV3 features Vincent Browne going head to head with a Shinner over the economy, and informing me that "we're now here for the full hour". with not a reference to the Bulgarian hot-shot's allegedly feigned injury to be heard.

Apparently, at midnight, I have a repeat of one of 2007's X factor audition shows to look forward to. :mad:

I knew the show was for the chop, but I didnt realise that it was with immediate effect. It's no secret that TV3 is a bit of a joke, and Sports Tonight wasn't exactly hard hitting investigative news, but it served an informative purpose and made for relatively agreeable late night viewing for those with even a passing interest in sport, local & international.

I hear that it's seen cut for budgetary reasons, with coverage of the UEFA cup being cited as the main benefactor.

So what that amounts to is that Local GAA and athletic coverage, as well as horse racing & football at local & international level has been cut from TV3 schedules, but in return, we'll have red hot group stage action from Lokomotiv Vladivostok's clash with Vs FC Vaduz of Liechtenstein to keep us happy.

Frankly, that's Arsewax.

(If they're going down the route of trying to "big up" the English involvement in this SuperValu Champions league, they should look long and hard at the opinions of Martin O Neill and Harry Redknapp on this years competition. That should make 'em think twice.)

Have TV3 done the right thing? Was Sports Tonight really so expensive? Or were viewing figures so bad for one of their few home produced programmes that it had to be axed to ensure that whatever Former c list celebrity reality show is currently running; irrelevant talent show repeats from 18 months ago; or the likes of Britain's Toughest Prisons/Gay Bars/Nunnieries could continue uninterrupted in the wee small hours?

Liam Byrne

Anything that further dumbs down Irish content and replaces it with the crap "Britain's most annoying rubbish" (normally packaged / promo'd by TV3 as "the nation's....", without specifying that it's a different nation) is disastrous, especially considering that all of that crap is on UTV/ITV anyway, and anyone who might actually be interested in it could watch it there.

Basically, TV3 is by no stretch of the imagination an "Irish" channel at this stage; it's almost like the stupid "Sky News Ireland" "channel" that was nothing more than the odd half-hour opt-out for something relevant.

Mr E

Whats more insulting is they're keeping the vacuous Xposé - flying those girls around the world for their celeb interviews (which I'd imagine is more expensive to make than a studio sports show).

2fivers

Mr E wrote: »

Whats more insulting is they're keeping the vacuous Xposé - flying those girls around the world for their celeb interviews (which I'd imagine is more expensive to make than a studio sports show).

True. Horrid horrid programme. I'm sure there's an audience for it and all that, but really, if it comes down to it that the reason we no longer have an Irish daily sports programme covering local, national & international events is due to a lack of funding, they should take a long hard look at themselves.

They should debate amongst themselves whether the country actually needs a live action version of Heat magazine fronted by vapid globetrotting Barbie dolls (who regularly fly to places like New York to tell us how 'lovely' Jennifer Aniston's hair is, or to Cannes to tell us how it's terribly sad about Jade Goody.) more than it needs a programme that gives us actual information.

Elmo

2fivers wrote: »

No probs, I thought. The Cantwell lad on TV3 sports tonight will give me the low down.

I don't think Alan Cantwell ever presented Sports Tonight.

It was a very quick axe, I have never seen an axe fall so quickly on a TV show. I thought they would make until september.

2fivers

In fairness, They're all Alan Cantwell to me, but you're probably right. I was actually thinking of Trevor Welsh.

Still a shame to lose a half decent home produced programme though.

I'd gladly do without X factor repeats, Celebrity reality repeats, irrelevant American makeover shows, and the selection of Britain's Worst/Scariest/Ugliest etc that currently dominate TV3 schedules if it meant keeping a News & Information programme made in Ireland.

Elmo

2fivers wrote: »

In fairness, They're all Alan Cantwell to me, but you're probably right. I was actually thinking of Trevor Welsh.

Still a shame to lose a half decent home produced programme though.

LOL @ Alan Cantwell remark.

I don't know if it was all that decent, it got old very quickly the graphics and music where out of the 1980s. They could have redeveloped it a few years ago to bring it back to life. When did they stop reading out txts and emails. Was it pre-recorded over the last few years?

Utopia Parkway

Mr E wrote: »

Whats more insulting is they're keeping the vacuous Xposé - flying those girls around the world for their celeb interviews (which I'd imagine is more expensive to make than a studio sports show).

Xpose is indeed unadulterated hogwash but it must be very popular with the ladies as it's being extended to a full hour isn't it?

Can't be cheap either as they send those women all the place. Swanning around Hollywood or London or some spa in Mullingar.

Certainly Sports Tonight must be cheap as chips in comparison. The Xpose women probably spend more on fake tan alone.

That said Sports Tonight had gone fairly stale. They were using the same opening graphics and music for donkey's years but if you didn't get to hear any sports news during the day is was always handy for getting your late night fix before you went to bed.

Elmo

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

Xpose is indeed unadulterated hogwash but it must be very popular with the ladies as it's being extended to a full hour isn't it

:eek:

Elmo

:eek:

Mr E

I think that deserves a :eek: from me too. An hour?!?

Elmo

Well just check their guide to make sure that it isn't true. However they have yet to remove Sports Tonight from their TV listings.

iseegirls

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

Xpose is indeed unadulterated hogwash but it must be very popular with the ladies as it's being extended to a full hour isn't it?

There's no way they can have it as an hour a day - it would be ridiculous. The only change from Sports tonight axing is that Vincent Browne how has a full hour to itself.

There had been talk of a 6th XPOSE show, but dunno if that will happen. They tried out with an extra episode on Fridays at 8pm in August - but i don't know if it was that popular.

Elmo

iseegirls wrote: »

There had been talk of a 6th XPOSE show, but dunno if that will happen. They tried out with an extra episode on Fridays at 8pm in August - but i don't know if it was that popular.

That is because Xpose is not that popular. I promise I will get viewing figures for the show.

Liam Byrne

HEADLINE 1 : IRELAND WIN THE GRAND SLAM

HEADLINE 2 : CASSANDRA McWANNABE SNEEZES WHILE BUYING A, LIKE, SOOOO NEW DRESS

I know which one I'd tune in for!

Mr E

Latest strange development on the TV3 schedule - Ursula Halligan's The Political Party has been axed. Another cheap as chips studio show (relatively speaking).

Just how expensive is the makeup required by the presenters of Xposé?

Elmo

Mr E wrote: »

Latest strange development on the TV3 schedule - Ursula Halligan's The Political Party has been axed. Another cheap as chips studio show (relatively speaking).

Just how expensive is the makeup required by the presenters of Xposé?

Ireland AM and Xpose are filled with promotions. I wouldn't be surprised if TV3 get paid for certain items on both shows. Odlums and Eivan water sponsor parts of each show.

They wanted Ursla Halligan selling for the SF shop on the political party

grenache

TV3 = Granada Ireland.

They should just go ahead and rename it, as a station they're little more than a national embarassment, and now the one half decent programme they had is gone. Joke.

Leaderbored

It is a shame.

While the programme was never going to win any awards for production values, I didn't tune into it for fancy graphics or scrolling news tickers or dramatic Barp barp Baaaaarp musical stings. I tuned in for sports results and team information after I got home from work.

Slipshod production notwithstanding, I quite liked it. I'd be quite annoyed if one of the few informational programmes actually made in Ireland by TV3 had suffered so Exposé could be further developed. Can anyone confirm If that is actually true?

I mean its basically a bargain basement version of "E Online" , albeit one produced and presented by the transition year class of St Sorcha's school for wealthy girls, telling us all about Jude Law's Suits and Katie Holmes' curtains and Victoria Beckhams oh-sweet-Jesus-SHUT UP!

Those X Factor re-runs can rev up and F**k off and all. I just want to see sports news. I'd really like to see ratings, if anyone could get their hands on 'em.

Oh, and Anyone got a proper contact email for TV3?

JonathanAnon

Leaderbored wrote: »

Oh, and Anyone got a proper contact email for TV3?

They couldnt afford the email hosting so that's gone as well.

Elmo

grenache wrote: »

TV3 = Granada Ireland.

They should just go ahead and rename it, as a station they're little more than a national embarassment, and now the one half decent programme they had is gone. Joke.

Granada (now ITV Plc) pulled out of TV3 in 2006. TV3 was bought for nearly 250million euro by Doughty Hansen.

iguy

Ursala halligan is getting an all new daily political show in May,it will be on at 10pm til 10.30 pm on mondays,tuesdays,fridays and on occasion thursdays.,.it wont be on wednesdays because of the mid-week movie,it will be live and i heard it will be sponsored by the irish times.....oh and vincent browne will be on straight afterwards in a bid to raise viewership.....tv3 are firing people and hiring people with different qualifications!!...and one more thing.,.an all new sports programme will be on friday nights in May also.....i got this information in various newspapers.....

Elmo

iguy wrote: »

Ursala halligan is getting an all new daily political show in May,it will be on at 10pm til 10.30 pm on mondays,tuesdays,fridays and on occasion thursdays.,.it wont be on wednesdays because of the mid-week movie,it will be live and i heard it will be sponsored by the irish times.....oh and vincent browne will be on straight afterwards in a bid to raise viewership.....tv3 are firing people and hiring people with different qualifications!!...and one more thing.,.an all new sports programme will be on friday nights in May also.....i got this information in various newspapers.....

Yeah guest it was a bit of propaganda before they launched something else.

Strange time to start a new politcal show in May since most of the political news is coming to an end due to the summer. Perhaps they plan a Local Election Special at last.

So they are moving all of their late night news shows into Prime Time first time since the axed News @ 6:30. But the other question for them is do they need 2 political shows?

Good news over all, but it would be nice to see the doing other things then news I was hoping all of these axes falling would see different genre's.

Just as long as Xpose doesn't start going out for a full hour I don't mind. :eek:

iguy

Em...nightly news with vincent browne is.nt actually a political programme but a current affairs programme,however vincent likes political topics,perhaps when ursala starts off he'll go towards the current affairs because 40 percent of his programme is politically based when it should not be!tv3 are finally starting to spend their profit!

Elmo

iguy wrote: »

tv3 are finally starting to spend their profit!

Yeah and if they do it right they will make even more money Aha aaH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *spins chair manically*.

Elmo

TV3 Shakeup Current Affairs Programming

lostexpectation

http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/xpose-girls-safe-from-cuts-as-they-are-among-tv3s-hardest-workers-1686986.html

he difference with Xpose is that it is a sponsored show so it is protected unlike other areas of the station."

surely sporttonight could get a sponsor even now

Leaderbored

Rte have just sent out a press release saying how their sporting coverage is generating through the roof ratings.

800k + for the Rugby, 1 million viewers for the Bulgaria match, unprecedented figures for the Sunday Gaa & MNS.... They put it down to the recession , and the fact that people like watching sport on tv.

The TV3 guys didn't read that last "people like sport on telly" memo, obviously.

Too busy reading heat magazine as research for Expose, no doubt.

Morons.

Elmo

lostexpectation wrote: »

http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/xpose-girls-safe-from-cuts-as-they-are-among-tv3s-hardest-workers-1686986.html

he difference with Xpose is that it is a sponsored show so it is protected unlike other areas of the station."

surely sporttonight could get a sponsor even now

I thought you where saying "That it is a sponsored show so it is protected unlike other areas of the station". LOL it was a TV3 spokesperson. Sorry Lostexpectation I know you would never say something like that.

What they should have said was. "Unlike News and Sport we can repeat Xpose, in the morning and afternoon". All shows are sponsored, also under the Television Without Frontiers Directive (TWFD) News cannot have a sponsor, not sure if Sports Tonight comes under news. :eek:

Elmo

Leaderbored wrote: »

800k + for the Rugby, 1 million viewers for the Bulgaria match, unprecedented figures for the Sunday Gaa & MNS.... They put it down to the recession , and the fact that people like watching sport on tv.

RTÉ aren't much better with the recession as a reason to watch sport.

Aidric

Any moves to reduce Ursula Halligan's screentime are to be welcomed. She's a babbling mess in front of a camera.

Elmo

Aidric wrote: »

Any moves to reduce Ursula Halligan's screentime are to be welcomed. She's a babbling mess in front of a camera.

According to the articles above they will be increasing her screen time. As will the xpose girls.

iguy

Ursala halligan is going to be on air between 1 and a half hours and 2 and a half hours starting in May.,.also i heard that david mcwilliams is coming back to tv3 to present a questions and answers type show...it will be on air on saturday or sunday in a bid for tv3 to have more weekend programmes.!.i bet it'll be broadcast from tv3's midday/nightly news studio...tv3 use the same studio for everything except they use a different computer generated images.....i was in tv3 studios and i got a tour.,.and typically they have 9 studios but they only use 4 studios.,.(1 for ireland am.,.1 for expose.,.1 for midday/news @5.30/nightly news.....and 1 for the political party)sports tonight at the time was just the news studio with a different backdrop.....the remaining studios are actually kitted out.,.e.g. Lights fitted,cameras hanging out of certain corners and the like.....they even have a nicer desk than what they use for midday/nightly news.....i wonder why they dont use the other studios.,.they seem(the other studios) to be more state of the art than the studios tv3 are using now.,.also 3e studios have 5 studios.,.ya'd think tv3 would use them.....and stop using the 1 studio for everything nearly!

Elmo

iguy wrote: »

Ursala halligan is going to be on air between 1 and a half hours and 2 and a half hours starting in May.,.also i heard that david mcwilliams is coming back to tv3 to present a questions and answers type show...it will be on air on saturday or sunday in a bid for tv3 to have more weekend programmes.!.i bet it'll be broadcast from tv3's midday/nightly news studio...tv3 use the same studio for everything except they use a different computer generated images.....i was in tv3 studios and i got a tour.,.and typically they have 9 studios but they only use 4 studios.,.(1 for ireland am.,.1 for expose.,.1 for midday/news @5.30/nightly news.....and 1 for the political party)sports tonight at the time was just the news studio with a different backdrop.....the remaining studios are actually kitted out.,.e.g. Lights fitted,cameras hanging out of certain corners and the like.....they even have a nicer desk than what they use for midday/nightly news.....i wonder why they dont use the other studios.,.they seem(the other studios) to be more state of the art than the studios tv3 are using now.,.also 3e studios have 5 studios.,.ya'd think tv3 would use them.....and stop using the 1 studio for everything nearly!

Doesn't really make sence for TV3 to use serveral studios for similar shows, inparticular the news. If they prerecorded their shows then I could see the reason for the use of different studios, easier to use a blue/green screen for News and Sports Programming. Ireland AM has a very different set up so I can see the reason for using a different studio.

Did 3e keep their studios? I didn't think that had any studio most of Channel 6's Irish programming was produced independently.

I guess they are aiming for the 3TODAY TV channel, hence the extra news programming.

If it is a QandA type show the studio will need to be able for an Audience. Is their news room that Adaptable?

BolBill

No more Trevor Welch ... shame.

LOL

iguy

Yep,the news studio is very adaptable.,.sure they have an electric forklift to move the big desk off and onto the news studio...rte use different studios for all their current affairs programmes.,.dont they?.....i also fine it very strange that tv3 have a whole load of "cool" state of the art studios which look way better than the ones they use at the moment.....em channel 6(3e) programming was independently produced.,.but in studios in the channel 6(3e) building.....................................oh yeh Trevor Welch is still working for tv3.....so there!haha(no offence intended)...tv3 still has a sports slot at 5.30......

Elmo

iguy wrote: »

Yep,the news studio is very adaptable.,.sure they have an electric forklift to move the big desk off and onto the news studio...rte use different studios for all their current affairs programmes.,.dont they?.....i also fine it very strange that tv3 have a whole load of "cool" state of the art studios which look way better than the ones they use at the moment.....em channel 6(3e) programming was independently produced.,.but in studios in the channel 6(3e) building.....................................oh yeh Trevor Welch is still working for tv3.....so there!haha(no offence intended)...tv3 still has a sports slot at 5.30......

Sure Trevor Welsh has to do Ireland AM, cookery slot is his forever

RTÉ have a news studio and a Prime Time Studio. The Week In Politics comes from their news studio.

So they renamed a Building for 3E, I suppose they will never use that section, unless Xpose is comeing from those studios

iguy

Eh,Trevor Welch does.nt do the cookery slot on ireland am.,.its Aidan Cooney who does that!why do people always get Trevor Welch(formerly of sports tonight) and Aidan Cooney(of ireland am) mixed up?!?!!?

Aidric

iguy wrote: »

Eh,Trevor Welch does.nt do the cookery slot on ireland am.,.its Aidan Cooney who does that!why do people always get Trevor Welch(formerly of sports tonight) and Aidan Cooney(of ireland am) mixed up?!?!!?

They're as bad as each other, it's an easy mistake to make.

Leaderbored

iguy wrote: »

why do people always get Trevor Welch(formerly of sports tonight) and Aidan Cooney(of ireland am) mixed up?!?!!?

Perhaps because before Cooney was shifted to morning duty, they were both formerly of Sports tonight]?

Anyway, Cooney / Welsh / Cantwell etc etc.. They're pretty much so interchangable as to be irrelevant.

It's the fact that Ireland's only free-to-air sports news programme has been removed from the airwaves by clueless station operatives that annoys me.

Elmo

Leaderbored wrote: »

Perhaps because before Cooney was shifted to morning duty, they were both formerly of Sports tonight]?

Anyway, Cooney / Welsh / Cantwell etc etc.. They're pretty much so interchangable as to be irrelevant.

It's the fact that Ireland's only free-to-air sports news programme has been removed from the airwaves by clueless station operatives that annoys me.

I am going to stand up for TV3 people get ready I don't often do this.

They have more live sport than previously (including GAA) and they will be bringing back a new show which could be better than Sports Tonight.

But you are right Cooney /Welsh could be interchangable.

Leaderbored

Elmo wrote: »

they will be bringing back a new show which could be better than Sports Tonight.

Interesting. I wasn't aware of this, it's a bit of good news for insomniac punters such as myself. Where was this announced?

Elmo

Leaderbored wrote: »

Interesting. I wasn't aware of this, it's a bit of good news for insomniac punters such as myself. Where was this announced?

Mention on here but also in the IFTN report. Also I might be a bit more exciting than Sports Tonight so it may not help you with your insomnia :rolleyes:

ladyA

3e does not have any studios - they moved to the TV3 buildings and both stations are transmitted from there. There is essentially only one studio - they have it sectioned off for the various programmes.

SWEETCAN2000

ladyA wrote: »

3e does not have any studios - they moved to the TV3 buildings and both stations are transmitted from there. There is essentially only one studio - they have it sectioned off for the various programmes.

Correct.

grenache

Elmo wrote: »

Granada (now ITV Plc) pulled out of TV3 in 2006. TV3 was bought for nearly 250million euro by Doughty Hansen.

Is this the same Nigel Doughty that's chairman of Nottingham Forest? I presume it is. Anyways they show lots of Granada produced shows, hence the name i gave them.

Elmo

grenache wrote: »

Is this the same Nigel Doughty that's chairman of Nottingham Forest? I presume it is. Anyways they show lots of Granada produced shows, hence the name i gave them.

Not sure if they have anything to do with nottingham forest. (I don't think so, TBH).

Granada is now ITV Plc. Coronation Street is produced by ITV, end caption now reads AN ITV PRODUCTION, Yorkshire Television is also gone, ITV now produce Emmerdale. X-factor is an independent production not sure who the producers are.

Granada International seem to be the only company retaining the name Granada.