Newstalk Sport coverage farce

mike65 · 22-08-2010 4:16pm #1

Anyone listening to the Sunday afternoon show? We just got treated to 5 mins of "off-air" commentary (I use the word advisedly) from Ger Gilroy of the GAA for which they paid no money. Meanwhile the Premier League coverage which they have paid for was simply ignored until the whislte blew at Croke Park at which point the Fulham - Manchester Utd came back. They really do have little but contempt for the listener.

Anyone who wanted to listen to the Gaelic would have already have been tuned to RTE radio not Newstalk, which repeat has no rights for live GAA coverage.

mickydoomsux · 22-08-2010 4:26pm

They probably looked at it from a ratings point of view and didn't want to lose listeners with people switching over from the to catch the end of the game on Radio 1.

Bog-ball is as popular, if not more popular, than The Premiership over here.

Bard · 22-08-2010 4:33pm

I pointed this thread out to Ger himself (via twitter).

His response: "Can't please everyone all the time. We missed less than 60 seconds of the 2nd half."

FlutterinBantam · 22-08-2010 5:05pm

[mod edit - personal insult deleted]

Wouldn't give much credence to any of his output.

Staccato delivery and rubbish don't mix in my opinion.

Rubik. · 22-08-2010 5:15pm

Apparently, Newstalk is going all out to get rights to cover GAA matches next season http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/rte-faces-battle-to-rule-radio-airwaves-2307232.html . But I take your point it is all a bit TalkSport-like.

mike65 · 22-08-2010 5:53pm

Does that mean no PL coverage? Today FM have Saturday 3 pm and the GAA obviously clashes with the two Sunday games. The could try for Monday evening rights as that now appears to be a permenant fixture thanks to SKYs dosh. It would have the added advantage of keeping the posh boys of OTB off the air for half the show!

michael999999 · 22-08-2010 6:14pm

mike65 wrote: »

Anyone listening to the Sunday afternoon show? We just got treated to 5 mins of "off-air" commentary (I use the word advisedly) from Ger Gilroy of the GAA for which they paid no money. Meanwhile the Premier League coverage which they have paid for was simply ignored until the whislte blew at Croke Park at which point the Fulham - Manchester Utd came back. They really do have little but contempt for the listener.

Anyone who wanted to listen to the Gaelic would have already have been tuned to RTE radio not Newstalk, which repeat has no rights for live GAA coverage.

its a sports show,get over it!!!!

mike65 · 22-08-2010 6:19pm

Well reasoned - not, did you actually read what I said? I asked for a table and newstalk brought me a lampshade, to borrow a phrase.

rodrob111 · 22-08-2010 6:24pm

It was an exciting game of football with a great finish. I think he was right to cover it. It is the national sport. I'm a huge follower of soccer but missing a couple of minutes at the start of the second half is not the end of the world.

michael999999 · 22-08-2010 6:27pm

there trying to keep there listeners,a sizeable porportion being dubs,up to date on the semi final of our national sport.
how much of the utd-fulham game did you actually miss?
today fm cut from there live coverage on a saturday to report on other matches,dont really see the problem.

jordainius · 22-08-2010 6:30pm

I do see where your coming from but I would not agree that it is a "farce" or that they "have little but contempt for the listener". Words like that are over the top!

Surely you can see why they cut away to the All-Ireland semi final (contested by our two largest populated counties) for 5 minutes?

michael999999 · 22-08-2010 6:36pm

you also took the time out from listening to the match to set up this thread at 5.16,the match couldnt have been that interesting so!:rolleyes:

mike65 · 22-08-2010 6:55pm

Lame, I have ears you know. Radio = ears, typeing = eyes. I multi-task I do.

michael999999 · 22-08-2010 6:58pm

surely you can follow both gaa and soccer so!!!

TheBigLebowski · 22-08-2010 6:59pm

mike65 wrote: »

Lame, I have ears you know. Radio = ears, typeing = eyes. I multi-task I do.

How do you type with your eyes. I wish I could do that

mike65 · 22-08-2010 7:03pm

michael999999 wrote: »

surely you can follow both gaa and soccer so!!!

Not when one is not on the air I can't, I have no interest in Gaa, I was following the football game which Newstalk scheduled for coverage. You appear to have missed the entire point of this thread.

TheBigLebowski · 22-08-2010 7:10pm

mike65 wrote: »

Not when one is not on the air I can't, I have no interest in Gaa, I was following the football game which Newstalk scheduled for coverage. You appear to have missed the entire point of this thread.

Build a bridge dude. A sports show cut from one sport to another sport during the course of a sports show...oh the humanity, I'm sure you're beloved premiership team won't miss you for a few minutes...

michael999999 · 22-08-2010 7:16pm

mike65 wrote: »

Not when one is not on the air I can't, I have no interest in Gaa, I was following the football game which Newstalk scheduled for coverage. You appear to have missed the entire point of this thread.

dont you mean soccer,gaa is football.

mike65 · 22-08-2010 7:17pm

No I mean football, its football. Gaelic Football is something else again. Like American football is, or Aussie Rules is.

Sorry but I will not yeild to numpty arguments on this sort of thing. The only good news is that the GAA summer is nearly over. Newstalk won't give the sport another thought until the next Championship once the finals are out the way.

Rubik. · 22-08-2010 7:23pm

michael999999 wrote: »

dont you mean soccer,gaa is football.

No, Football is football, gaa is an abomination.

michael999999 · 22-08-2010 7:26pm

why would they give it a second thought,when there arent going to be any games played.the coverage they give gaa during the week on off the ball is brilliant.
if soccer is so important why dont you get sky and pay dearly for the privilige and listen to jamie and co.
the sports shows on saturdays and sundays on newstalk are very good as is off the ball during the week.
you cant really complain when it costs you NOTHING.

JonathanAnon · 22-08-2010 7:57pm

In general Newstalk sports coverage is excellent, especially the hilarious Off The Ball... If they slipped up today by missing bits of the GAA then it was an aberration.

Magpie87 · 22-08-2010 11:17pm

mike65 wrote: »

Anyone listening to the Sunday afternoon show? We just got treated to 5 mins of "off-air" commentary (I use the word advisedly) from Ger Gilroy of the GAA for which they paid no money. Meanwhile the Premier League coverage which they have paid for was simply ignored until the whislte blew at Croke Park at which point the Fulham - Manchester Utd came back. They really do have little but contempt for the listener.

Anyone who wanted to listen to the Gaelic would have already have been tuned to RTE radio not Newstalk, which repeat has no rights for live GAA coverage.

I think they went for the rights last time out but the GAA aren't about to take the radio rights away from RTE and anger a lot of people.

What do expect them to do if they don't have the rights to the All-Ireland Championship as pointed out by someone else ?

They cover the live sport that they have the rights to well.

Your point is moot.

mike65 · 23-08-2010 8:46am

Magpie87 wrote: »

What do expect them to do if they don't have the rights to the All-Ireland Championship as pointed out by someone else ?

They cover the live sport that they have the rights to well.

This is actually a slightly side issue but an important one, Newstalk do not have any rights for GAA commentary and yet they used an underhand off-air method to do just that. The GAA could in theory have a word with Newstalk about this breaking of rights for which RTE paid though I doubt they will!

Chochese · 23-08-2010 9:05am

mike65 wrote: »

they used an underhand off-air method

Can you explain the method they used? I didn't hear the broadcast and I don't get what you mean when you say "off air".

mike65 · 23-08-2010 9:45am

Off-air may not be exactly the right term.

Anyway what I'm referring to is the practice of Newstalk of commenting from a screen in the studio (yesterday was not the first time by a long chalk, OTB does it of Champions League games at times). "From air" may be a better term!

Badabing · 23-08-2010 10:25am

I've been saying for years that Newstalk weekend Sports shows are a farce and amateur at best, If they do go for GAA rights which they need badly they should go for Saturday qualifer matches, i would think their Saturday show has low figures what with RTE having live Gaa live Racing etc.. and Today Fm Live Premier League, no one would need to listen to Newstalk at all.

Skid · 23-08-2010 10:48am

Badabing wrote: »

I've been saying for years that Newstalk weekend Sports shows are a farce and amateur at best, If they do go for GAA rights which they need badly they should go for Saturday qualifer matches, i would think their Saturday show has low figures what with RTE having live Gaa live Racing etc.. and Today Fm Live Premier League, no one would need to listen to Newstalk at all.

I agree with that, Off The Ball is a great show Monday - Thursday (not so much on Fridays), but their weekend sports are a mess.

RTE at the weekends are much more professional in getting updates on scores, results etc. Newstalk spend ages trailing prerecorded interviews which, when they finally arrive, are usually bland and little more than time fillers.

The Newstalk Premier League commentary last week (Liverpool v Arsenal) was awful - two lads watching Sky Sports with the sound on mute, didn't hear it yesterday.

kraggy · 23-08-2010 10:50am

mike65 wrote: »

This is actually a slightly side issue but an important one, Newstalk do not have any rights for GAA commentary and yet they used an underhand off-air method to do just that. The GAA could in theory have a word with Newstalk about this breaking of rights for which RTE paid though I doubt they will!

What about Gillette Soccer Saturday that shows 4 guys looking at matches on screens and commentating.

Surely that's "underhanded" too as they don't have the rights to Saturday 3pm games?

But you won't criticise that, will you? Cause it's soccer, not Gaelic Football.

You have a gripe with the Irish language too I've seen. Why live here if our culture upsets you so much?

mike65 · 23-08-2010 10:52am

SkidMark

Yesterday they had two games, the first was woeful (Paddy Mulligan as pundit/co-commentator saw to that) the second better but as I missed the very start I'm not sure if that was "in house" like the first or a proper job.

Kraggy lets keep your political view of me out of this thread eh? Its football ask the "soccer forum" - we had a poll and the F word won.

BTW Soccer Saturday does not provide ball-by-ball commentary on the games just amusing punditary/reactions.

Bard · 23-08-2010 11:15am

Kraggy wrote:

What about Gillette Soccer Saturday that shows 4 guys looking at matches on screens and commentating.

Surely that's "underhanded" too as they don't have the rights to Saturday 3pm games?

But you won't criticise that, will you? Cause it's soccer, not Gaelic Football.

He won't discuss it because it's TV and not Radio and this is the radio forum.

Also, this really isn't the place for discussion on whether it's called "soccer" or "football".

The thread is about Newstalk's sports coverage. Kraggy et al, get over it and stay on topic please.

Aidric · 23-08-2010 12:05pm

All I'm seeing from this thread is a moan for the sake of it. In the times we are in you aren't limited by one outlet only. Thankfully we live in a time of choice and if an Irish stations soccer coverage is interrupted to concentrate on the second biggest game in the national sport's calender then so be it. It was an editorial decision taken to serve the greater interest. I don't see the harm in a few mins play by play studio commentary.
You are posting online having a gripe when your efforts could have been concentrated on bringing up one of the multitude of streams available to watch any PL game on any given weekend. No interruptions for GAA!

mike65 · 23-08-2010 12:21pm

Dear God, why are some people having a hard time getting this? Newtalk didn't even have the rights to do what they did (ball-by ball coverage) and they probably lost listeners to BBC 5Live who were covering the game, while GAA heads were already tuned to RTE radio (or watching the tv) for the Cork/Dublin game. So if it was an editorial decision it was'nt even thought through on its own terms.

mike65 · 29-08-2010 12:36pm

Newstalk coverage of Bolton v Brum starts literally seconds before the first goal (technical difficulties it seems).

The crowd sound is "odd" doesn't feel like it matches the described action. I'm just able to hear the PA make muffled announcements that the commentators are not picking up on (a sub?) I also heard the "the fields of Athenry" tune I'm not aware of Bolton or Brum fans using it.

Bolton have just come within fingertips of a goal and the crowd sound didn't react.

Found a stream - whistles being blown on Newstalk when play is running in the game. other Whistles are "in sync"
very odd. Still love to know if Bolton fans have Fields of Athenry as a tune.

Chochese · 29-08-2010 1:51pm

Listening to it at the moment and everything sounds in sync to what's being described

mike65 · 29-08-2010 1:54pm

Early on it was wrong, later on it was right, odd. I'm off the google Bolton Wanderers songs and Birmingham City songs...

Deise Tom · 30-08-2010 7:15pm

JonathanAnon wrote: »

In general Newstalk sports coverage is excellent, especially the hilarious Off The Ball... If they slipped up today by missing bits of the GAA then it was an aberration.

If only they could liven Ken Early up. A little would do, over time.

Deise Tom · 30-08-2010 7:23pm

SkidMark wrote: »

The Newstalk Premier League commentary last week (Liverpool v Arsenal) was awful - two lads watching Sky Sports with the sound on mute, didn't hear it yesterday.

HAve not heard any of the soccer yet this season on NEwstalk but it does at times seem that they do things this way, i.e. sitting around a tv with two mics and tell us what the see. I am sure Ken Early knows his stuff but when it comes to doing comentry, even discribing whats on tv he does it rather poorly.

kraggy · 30-08-2010 11:29pm

Bard wrote: »

He won't discuss it because it's TV and not Radio and this is the radio forum.

Also, this really isn't the place for discussion on whether it's called "soccer" or "football".

The thread is about Newstalk's sports coverage. Kraggy et al, get over it and stay on topic please.

1. Different media, but the point is relevant. Rights are rights, no matter the type of media.

2. Mike65 brought that point up first, not me.

3. I was on topic. It's all relevant to the poster's comments.

Bard · 31-08-2010 1:41am

kraggy wrote: »

1. Different media, but the point is relevant. Rights are rights, no matter the type of media.

That's all well and good but there's no point in steering the conversation towards discussion of a TV programme. This is the Radio forum. Discuss radio here.

2. Mike65 brought that point up first, not me.

Did you ever say "he started it?" to a parent after being told to stop doing something? The response is the same. I don't care who started it. Hence I didn't just say "Kraggy", I said "Kraggy et al".

3. I was on topic. It's all relevant to the poster's comments.

The topic (in a broader sense) is radio. Stay on topic.

Newstalk Sport coverage farce

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