RTE television's coverage of Cheltenham

kevin99

For the second successive year RTE television decided NOT to send a team to the world's biggest jump racing festival.

Instead we are treated to Tracy Piggott with racing pundits Colm Murray and Brian Gleeson. Nothing wrong with them.

Except, they should have been sent to Cheltenhem instead of sitting in a studio in Montrose talking about the upcoming races.

All three are excellent and they know their horses.

However, why didn't RTE send them to the Gloucester venue?
We are paying an overinflated TV licence fee and what are we getting for it?
I don't want to be treated to reality television programmes. Horse racing is followed by thousands of Irish people and yet RTE decides not to show coverage of the meeting.

Who are the gob****es out there in Donnybrook making these decisions?

coylemj

Those 'gob***es' in RTE are trying to run a service with a significantly diminished revenue stream from advertising, they have to trim costs and not sending a posee of commentators and reporters to Cheltenham to stay in very expensive hotels or B & Bs is probably the result of the lean times that are in it.

Corsendonk

Why? Channel 4 take live feed from RTE all the time and keep their pundits in the UK.

kevin99

coylemj wrote: »

Those 'gob***es' in RTE are trying to run a service with a significantly diminished revenue stream from advertising, they have to trim costs and not sending a posee of commentators and reporters to Cheltenham to stay in very expensive hotels or B & Bs is probably the result of the lean times that are in it.

RTE is the State broadcaster. It has a responsibility to viewers to provide coverage of major national and international news and sports events.
I would correct your assertion that they have to trim their costs and not send a posse of ... . They need only send a cameraperson, a reporter and commentator. That's it. And that is what they always have done.
If the economic climate is affecting RTE as their mandarins would have us all believe, then maybe they can start trimming their wage bill by slashing the over-inflated salaries paid to Pat Kenny, Marion Finucane, Joe Duffy and a few other contractors.
Perhaps they would save a few bob if their programming department started making 'in-house' documentaries rather than commission them from their ex-buddies now working in private film companies.They could also significantly cut their underworked and significantly overpaid admin and other 'unionised' staff.
As regards their news output, TV3 provides the same news with a fraction of the staff used in RTE.

Dodge

You can't seriously believe that sending Colm Murray to Cheltenham is in RTE's "responsibility to viewers to provide coverage of major national and international news and sports events"

You're wrong BTW. RTE have NEVER sent a full team to Cheltenham. In the past they have taken the C4 cverage in its entirety.

Murray used to provide new reports for the Six one news from there but he wans't involved in the live coverage at all. The fact that Murray only ever ventured outisde the studio for racing was a bigger farce

kevin99

I know lots of racing fans who complain bitterly that RTE doesn't see fit to send their own team to Cheltenham given the huge interest in the meeting from here and the number of Irish owned and trained horses participating.

RTE is either serious about providing a service or it's not.
Cheltenham race meeting is huge and deserves to be covered by RTE with its own team at the meeting.

Sure by you're own argument, why don't RTE take the live feed of Ireland's football and rugby internationals from BBC, ITV and Sky Sports?
By extension, why do we need RTE sports at all. God be with the days when RTE 'borrowed' BBC Nortern Ireland's Outside Broadcast unit to bolster television coverage of the Irish Open Golf, Fairyhouse, Leopardstown,Punchestown, Galway and the Curragh races.

Dodge wrote: »

You can't seriously believe that sending Colm Murray to Cheltenham is in RTE's "responsibility to viewers to provide coverage of major national and international news and sports events"

You're wrong BTW. RTE have NEVER sent a full team to Cheltenham. In the past they have taken the C4 cverage in its entirety.

Murray used to provide new reports for the Six one news from there but he wans't involved in the live coverage at all. The fact that Murray only ever ventured outisde the studio for racing was a bigger farce

Dodge

kevin99 wrote: »

I know lots of racing fans who complain bitterly that RTE doesn't see fit to send their own team to Cheltenham given the huge interest in the meeting from here and the number of Irish owned and trained horses participating.

And I know plenty of people who don't see the need for them to cover it all. Both extremes can't be met so RTE hits the middle ground.

RTE is either serious about providing a service or it's not.

No, its a poorly funded organisation with limited resources.

Cheltenham race meeting is huge and deserves to be covered by RTE with its own team at the meeting.

I, and they, disagree.

Sure by you're own argument, why don't RTE take the live feed of Ireland's football and rugby internationals from BBC, ITV and Sky Sports?

That wasn't my arguement at all. My point was that they were already doing this, and hadn't cut back as you claimed.

By extension, why do we need RTE sports at all. God be with the days when RTE 'borrowed' BBC Nortern Ireland's Outside Broadcast unit to bolster television coverage of the Irish Open Golf, Fairyhouse, Leopardstown,Punchestown, Galway and the Curragh races.

RTE serves two remits. 1) Public service broadcaster and 2) to give as much value to all license fee holders.

Simply put, horse rancing and golf have terrible TV viewing figures (the world isn't just you and your mates) and RTE can't justify spending money on events that a) don't get watched by a load of people or b) don't earn enough in sponsorship

Every fan thinks their sport should be on TV more, but the reality is that RTE's sports department, for all its faults, is fairly competitive (given their limitations)

afatbollix

kevin99 wrote: »

I know lots of racing fans who complain bitterly that RTE doesn't see fit to send their own team to Cheltenham given the huge interest in the meeting from here and the number of Irish owned and trained horses participating.

RTE is either serious about providing a service or it's not.
Cheltenham race meeting is huge and deserves to be covered by RTE with its own team at the meeting.

Sure by you're own argument, why don't RTE take the live feed of Ireland's football and rugby internationals from BBC, ITV and Sky Sports?
By extension, why do we need RTE sports at all. God be with the days when RTE 'borrowed' BBC Nortern Ireland's Outside Broadcast unit to bolster television coverage of the Irish Open Golf, Fairyhouse, Leopardstown,Punchestown, Galway and the Curragh races.

They do just take a feed from BBC untill this year all 6 nations matches was produced by the BBC RTE just put there commentry on it! same with every football match during the week!

kevin99 wrote: »

RTE is the State broadcaster. It has a responsibility to viewers to provide coverage of major national and international news and sports events.
I would correct your assertion that they have to trim their costs and not send a posse of ... . They need only send a cameraperson, a reporter and commentator. That's it. And that is what they always have done.
If the economic climate is affecting RTE as their mandarins would have us all believe, then maybe they can start trimming their wage bill by slashing the over-inflated salaries paid to Pat Kenny, Marion Finucane, Joe Duffy and a few other contractors.
Perhaps they would save a few bob if their programming department started making 'in-house' documentaries rather than commission them from their ex-buddies now working in private film companies.They could also significantly cut their underworked and significantly overpaid admin and other 'unionised' staff.
As regards their news output, TV3 provides the same news with a fraction of the staff used in RTE.

Absolute rubbish You need about 10 people on site to do a outside
broadcast. If we did things your way we would post the tapes back to RTE
and you could watch the footage 3 days latter!!! People and equipment
cost money satellite time costs money about £500 per 30 mins.. + truck
costs it costs silly money to produce a live sports show.

Also in house staff wages are too high so it would cost more to make a doc in house so thats why they get production companys to make it!!!


At the end of the day if you wanted live reporters at it you could of switched over to the english broadcaster!!!

Topper Harley

kevin99 wrote: »

For the second successive year RTE television decided NOT to send a team to the world's biggest jump racing festival.

Instead we are treated to Tracy Piggott with racing pundits Colm Murray and Brian Gleeson. Nothing wrong with them.

Except, they should have been sent to Cheltenhem instead of sitting in a studio in Montrose talking about the upcoming races.

All three are excellent and they know their horses.

However, why didn't RTE send them to the Gloucester venue?

kevin99 wrote: »

I would correct your assertion that they have to trim their costs and not send a posse of ... . They need only send a cameraperson, a reporter and commentator. That's it. And that is what they always have done.

Last year they did send Colm Murray to Cheltenham with Tracy Piggott and Brian Gleeson in the studio in Montrose. It was two years ago when they last sent no one over. I don't know why Colm Murray didn't travel over this year but I would guess he was unable to travel due to his illness.

And sending just a cameraperson, a reporter and commentator would still require a panel in studio in Montrose. If they wanted to present the whole programme from Cheltenham, they would need an OB unit and crew over there and you can imagine the stick they'd get for incurring such a cost, not to mention the fact that they don't send entire crews abroad for every single away international football and rugby match.

kevin99

Judging from your responses you either work there or have a special affinity for the place! You know plenty of people who don't see the need for it. My God, pal you need to get out more.

When Micky Harte's daughter was murdered in Mauritius, RTE didn't even bother sending a hack. Instead they relied on a local hack and a reporter from The Star and Indo to tell their listeners and viewers the up to date situation.

Dodge wrote: »

And I know plenty of people who don't see the need for them to cover it all. Both extremes can't be met so RTE hits the middle ground.


No, its a poorly funded organisation with limited resources.


I, and they, disagree.


That wasn't my arguement at all. My point was that they were already doing this, and hadn't cut back as you claimed.


RTE serves two remits. 1) Public service broadcaster and 2) to give as much value to all license fee holders.

Simply put, horse rancing and golf have terrible TV viewing figures (the world isn't just you and your mates) and RTE can't justify spending money on events that a) don't get watched by a load of people or b) don't earn enough in sponsorship

Every fan thinks their sport should be on TV more, but the reality is that RTE's sports department, for all its faults, is fairly competitive (given their limitations)

Corsendonk

kevin99 wrote: »

Judging from your responses you either work there or have a special affinity for the place! You know plenty of people who don't see the need for it. My God, pal you need to get out more.

When Micky Harte's daughter was murdered in Mauritius, RTE didn't even bother sending a hack. Instead they relied on a local hack and a reporter from The Star and Indo to tell their listeners and viewers the up to date situation.

Have you a gripe against RTE in general rather than their sports coverage that we have moved on to the Michaela Harte story?

Dodge

kevin99 wrote: »

When Micky Harte's daughter was murdered in Mauritius, RTE didn't even bother sending a hack. Instead they relied on a local hack and a reporter from The Star and Indo to tell their listeners and viewers the up to date situation.

You don't want to get me started on the overreaction to that one...

Topper Harley

Dodge wrote: »

Murray used to provide new reports for the Six one news from there but he wans't involved in the live coverage at all.

I think last year, although news was his primary focus, he was involved in some live coverage of the racing, although it wasn't very much.

Dodge wrote: »

And I know plenty of people who don't see the need for them to cover it all. Both extremes can't be met so RTE hits the middle ground.

The great thing about horse racing is the way anyone and everyone can and does get involved by way of making even the smallest of bets. I wouldn't be a big racing fan but I've begun to really appreciate the Cheltenham festival over the last few years and definitely see the need for RTE to cover it but sending/hiring a whole crew and OB unit would be completely unnecessary. The middle ground is fine though, I think it was fine the way it was and I quite like the Channel 4 commentators.

Dodge wrote: »

Simply put, horse rancing and golf have terrible TV viewing figures (the world isn't just you and your mates) and RTE can't justify spending money on events that a) don't get watched by a load of people or b) don't earn enough in sponsorship

Do you know this as a matter of fact? I can imagine it being the case under most circumstances. But considering RTE only show the big events in these sports and sometimes only the big days of the big events (such as the last two days of the Masters a few years ago, not sure if it's still the same) I would have imagined that they get decent ratings. The only problem for these would be the competition from BBC/C4 and let's face it, there's no competition, not in terms of budget anyway.

Dodge wrote: »

You don't want to get me started on the overreaction to that one...

I know this is in bad taste but I couldn't help but laugh when someone suggested straight after that news broke, that you'd probably get a cheap package holiday to Mauritius. Some people are just always looking for a bargain.

Oh and Dodge, sorry about this appearing like I'm scrutinising all your posts. I'm just agreeing with you in a totally unusual way.

Dodge

I don't mind people scrutinising my posts. I usually stand by any opinions I have, and I'm happy to have facts corrected if I'm wrong. I've no problem at all with RTE showing racing, or any other sport. There's definitely an interest there. I'm a gambler myself. I just accept that not everyone thinks like me.

Topper Harley wrote: »

Do you know this as a matter of fact? I can imagine it being the case under most circumstances. But considering RTE only show the big events in these sports and sometimes only the big days of the big events (such as the last two days of the Masters a few years ago, not sure if it's still the same) I would have imagined that they get decent ratings. The only problem for these would be the competition from BBC/C4 and let's face it, there's no competition, not in terms of budget anyway.

The problem, specifically, with Cheltenham is that it is shown during normal work hours, and ratings are always terrible at this time. Even if its the most watched programme in its timeframe, its still not enough to justify a full OB unit (etc etc) when C4 can provide a perfectly good service (which happens to include RTE’s main Racing asset in Ted Walsh). Racing’s ratings are effected by bookmakers and bars too. Golf’s ratings for the last couple of hours on a Sunday are decent, but for the first 3 and a half days they’re down to the hardcore (and in terms of advertising, companies still see some value here)

For stuff like the Masters, RTE used to have a huge problem when BBC were the competition as BBC didn’t show ads and had the added bonus of the great Peter Aliss. RTE took the ‘international feed’ so had no say over commentators, direction etc. I think Sky have the UK rights this year, and I don’t even know if RTE has the Irish rights (Sky like buying both to have exclusivity)

So to summarise, I’m a sports fan who wants as much as possible on RTE. If that means that they take international feeds for some events then I’m OK with that. I also don’t think the RTE crew would’ve added any value at all to the coverage of the meeting, so even without budget concerns I don’t think they were necessary.