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If you go to the BBC Sport website and go on the horse racing section then go to the BBC coverage bit you will see that all three days of the Grand National Meeting will be live on BBC2.
I have no idea what is being shown on BBC1 after the repeat of F1 Qualifying probably Ludo or the World Final of Rock,Paper,Scissors.
Bulwark, the reason why the BBC shows rugby on BBC1 and "relegates" racing to BBC2 is that rugby, at least the union variety, gets vastly bigger TV audiences than racing.
Inidentally, C4 would do the same, look what they did when they had test cricket.
I wish contributors on this topic would put in an occasional visit ro the real world.
My point is not that rugby is less popular than horse racing, it’s more that rather than just putting the racing on bbc2 for that day, they use horse racing to fill their grandstand program until they have something better to show, then change the channel on it.
They have also in the last few years cut back the horseracing section on their teletext to virtualluy nothing whilst channel 4 still have a great teletext section.
My point is that they are taking rights to cover some of racings best fixtures which channel 4 would do a much better job of covering anyway, and the sooner they stop having anything to do with racing coverage the better. The BBCs dropping of meetings is a plus rather than a negative IMO.
I must admit that in the past it has been annoying when the Ch4 has shown test cricket during racing time. But at the same time they did a brilliant job when cheltenham had the whole day loss hoohaa last year, to get as many of the best races fitted in over 2 days.
I’d rather have a channel that can dedicate 5 hours a day to a big festival than one that allocates about 2.5 hours which is mostly filled with tripe about fashion, and marvelling at their own sense of self importance etc, rather than focusing on the racing.
You might argue that that is what the public want to see at ascot. But if thats what they feel they need to cover royal ascot to promote rather than racing then they would be better giving channel 4 the ascot racing coverage, and running a daily program about fashion at royal ascot themselves.
I’m really not surprised, racing has failed it’s public badly over the years and it is rapidly going the same way as the BAGS numbers racket.
It has failed to clean it’s act up, failed to deliver a quality product, it does not compete with other sports as a betting medium and it is failing to attract new followers.
There was an interview from the BBC after the first day of Cheltenham saying that the popularity of racing is going to fall off a cliff in ten years time. Imo, I don’t think it will take the full 10.
Can’t see what difference it makes whether it’s on BBC1 or BBC2, can some not receive BBC2? Must admit I would have preferred it all to have been on BBC2 in the past when they’ve kept swapping between the 2 channels for coverage.
Much as I agree that their actual coverage leaves a lot to be desired I’m still keen for there to be as much coverage as possible, it gives a lot of people the opportunity to watch the sport who wouldn’t otherwise and horse racing fans pay their licence fee and deserve some return.
If the BBC aren’t prepared to show some commitment to the sport they should have the National taken off them.with the last three winners of the ascot chase getting stuffed at the festival maybe the loss of bbc coverige and its constraints on dates etc will give ascot scope to move its top jumps race back a few weeks to perserve its prestige.
i cant see how the becher chase day can survive without being on tv ,so wonder what will happen to that as ch4 are not keen on sunday racing?
it tells you a lot about the mindset of the bbc when it happy to show the dumbed down shergar cup and not the ascot festival sunday and carrys on showing the welsh national just to keep the welsh happyThe BBCs dropping of meetings is a plus rather than a negative IMO.
I agree with you Bulwark, much ado about nothing. There’s seems to be a perception in the racing industry that BBC coverage of racing is without measure and will be a huge loss to the sport. In reality there will be no loss if Channel 4 show those races instead.
The entire saga has a large whiff of snobbery about it imo.
I would like to think that with the digital switch over, perhaps channel 4 could allocate racing some more time on the more 4 or E4 channels. Think in the past they used to show some of the later races at some of the bigger meetings on more 4. IMO they could get more ratings than whatever is on it at the minute.
My hunch would be that potential sponsors will look more favourably toward coverage on BBC than Channel 4, probably a 1.01 bet that.
Channel 4 has downsized it’s coverage over the years as well, there used to be stacks of midweek racing, now it’s nearly all gone.
I’m really not surprised, racing has failed it’s public badly over the years and it is rapidly going the same way as the BAGS numbers racket. It has failed to clean it’s act up, failed to deliver a quality product, it does not compete with other sports as a betting medium and it is failing to attract new followers. There was an interview from the BBC after the first day of Cheltenham saying that the popularity of racing is going to fall off a cliff in ten years time. Imo, I don’t think it will take the full 10.
Dave, a girl I work with was having a cuff in her local on Saturday dinner. Been on the odd six pack night at Nottingham greyhounds, other than that she’s a novice. She was (it transpires), watching the Midlands Grand National. Then the landlord turned it over for the football/rugby.
She tells me today that the horse race was the most exciting piece of sport she’s seen for ages and wants to know more about it. We spent the morning talking about the bobboes. That’s the power of TV.
Racing has cleaned it’s act up. It’s a quality product. It hacks all over other pastimes as a betting media (as anyone who has ever played internet poker will attest), and will attract as many new followers as any other sport, given publicity, dissemination and airtime.
The Mihr Bose interview you refer to obliquely was just typical of our flagship broadcaster: a shocking piece of disaster journalism from a well paid corporate schill acting on instruction. I’m not sure who I’ve detested more this past few months – Bose or Peston. Both are careerist Grim Reapers whose self interest – and the interest of their masters – are best served by offering frequent forecasts of imminent doom. Who had ever heard of either of them before September last year?
Was it Gramsci who argued that it was in the interests of the ruling classes and its organs to fragment and destablise those that serve it? To keep them from acting as a unit?
I do wish you’d lighten up, Dave. Horse racing is top quality sport – I have yet to see a football match in the last ten years which was as exciting as Cheltenham last week – and we of all people should be buzzing about it whenever we meet the person in the street. After all, the BBC won’t be doing it for us, will they, and CH4 are under the cosh.
As for the 14 days the BBC has deemed fit to grace Racing with it’s presence in 2010, I believe their reasoning is as follows:-
Aintree National Meeting:- Much as Jump Racing is at odds with the BBC’s general far left-wing "anti country sports and anything that that those Tory people like" propoganda remit, the National still pulls in best part of 10million viewers. The "proles" like it in the same way they like Dale Winton’s "Hole In The Wall"
Derby/Oaks:- Ooh – Fashion, lots of rich & famous people. Oh and maybe they’ll devote the odd five minutes to the actual races
Royal Ascot:- Ooh – oodles of Fashion and lots of rich & famous people. Seems a shame to interrupt with the actual races
King George:- OK, Ascot said that if we get Royal Ascot we have to show this too.
Shergar Cup:- Hey, it’s like football (i.e. Teams and jingoistic Nationalism) but with horses and Frankie Dettori!!!
QEII:- See King George
Welsh National:- Sons of Glyndwr threatened to blow up the Dr Who set if we dropped this!
******
Also with the wholesale cuts in coverage, does this mean that BBC will shed the majority of it’s racing team? Filling the gaps with other BBC Sports Broadcasters?I can see:-
Bye Bye to mesrs McGrath, Pitman, Cochrane, Barty, Owen, Darley & Dunwoody
Host:- Clare Balding (she also does Olympics, Rugby League & The One Show so she can stay)
Paddock:- Rishi Persad (sorry folks, but he’s also handy for Cricket & Snooker)
Betting:- John Parrett (he’s already doing it!!!)
Race Commentary to shared between Jonathon Pearce, Steve Cram, & Jacqui Oatley.As for the 14 days the BBC has deemed fit to grace Racing with it’s presence in 2010, I believe their reasoning is as follows:-
Aintree National Meeting:- Much as Jump Racing is at odds with the BBC’s general far left-wing "anti country sports and anything that that those Tory people like" propoganda remit, the National still pulls in best part of 10million viewers. The "proles" like it in the same way they like Dale Winton’s "Hole In The Wall"
Derby/Oaks:- Ooh – Fashion, lots of rich & famous people. Oh and maybe they’ll devote the odd five minutes to the actual races
Royal Ascot:- Ooh – oodles of Fashion and lots of rich & famous people. Seems a shame to interrupt with the actual races
King George:- OK, Ascot said that if we get Royal Ascot we have to show this too.
Shergar Cup:- Hey, it’s like football (i.e. Teams and jingoistic Nationalism) but with horses and Frankie Dettori!!!
QEII:- See King George
Welsh National:- Sons of Glyndwr threatened to blow up the Dr Who set if we dropped this!
******
Also with the wholesale cuts in coverage, does this mean that BBC will shed the majority of it’s racing team? Filling the gaps with other BBC Sports Broadcasters?I can see:-
Bye Bye to mesrs McGrath, Pitman, Cochrane, Barty, Owen, Darley & Dunwoody
Host:- Clare Balding (she also does Olympics, Rugby League & The One Show so she can stay)
Paddock:- Rishi Persad (sorry folks, but he’s also handy for Cricket & Snooker)
Betting:- John Parrett (he’s already doing it!!!)
Race Commentary to shared between Jonathon Pearce, Steve Cram, & Jacqui Oatley.Excuse me being thick, but who is Jacqui Oatley and BBC don’t do Cricket either by the way.
No commitment at all and just cherry picking. Quite frankly their coverage has been a joke for ages and Royal Ascot has turned into a fashion show interrupted by a race ever now and then.
Lets hope C4 can take up some of the slack.
The Mihr Bose interview you refer to obliquely was just typical of our flagship broadcaster: a shocking piece of disaster journalism from a well paid corporate schill acting on instruction. I’m not sure who I’ve detested more this past few months – Bose or Peston. Both are careerist Grim Reapers whose self interest – and the interest of their masters – are best served by offering frequent forecasts of imminent doom. Who had ever heard of either of them before September last year?
.What a hideous little character that Bose is, how did he manage to get a job as a sports editor? He doesn’t look like he would know one end of a horse from the other.
It’s not the first time the BBC have tried to put the boot in the sport just before Cheltenham, 3 or 4 years ago they had a "Is Horse Racing Cruel?" debate on Countryfile 2 days before Cheltenham.I believe Rishi did a bit of work for BBC Radio on the Cricket. Obviously it’s been some time since they lost the TV Rights.
No worries.
What a hideous little character that Bose is, how did he manage to get a job as a sports editor?
He doesn’t look like he would know one end of a horse from the other.
Not knowing one end of a horse from the other is probably a pre-requisite for the job as far as the Beeb are concerned.
Heaven forbid they gave the job to someone who actually cared about racing!!!
What a hideous little character that Bose is, how did he manage to get a job as a sports editor? He doesn’t look like he would know one end of a horse from the other.
It’s not the first time the BBC have tried to put the boot in the sport just before Cheltenham, 3 or 4 years ago they had a "Is Horse Racing Cruel?" debate on Countryfile 2 days before Cheltenham.Two points here;
Firstly, Bose has been spouting fluent cobblers about many sporting issues for years.
Secondly, if the BBC were offered the chance to cover Cheltenham they would be in like a shot.
The BBC used to renowned world-wide for being an impartial broadcaster of the highest quality. They have been reduced, in the main by market forces, to a gossip shop and pandering to the lowest common denominator.
Rob
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