Where Was the Live Text?
I like to view the live text as a match is progressing, especially when you have the crap ITV commentary. But it wasn’t there today! Or at least I couldn’t find it!
The FA’s Bad Timing
When England played their qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup, I saw two; Belarus away and Kazakhstan at home.
I shall not be going to the Bulgaria match tonight despite tickets still being available and the fact that I would have liked to. The match kicks off at 8:00, which means it will be very difficult for me to get home, unless I left the match early! I would not be able to get to Liverpool Street in time for a train , that would allow me to get a taxi.
Tickets are still available! so I wonder how many others fans are not going, as they will have transport problems after the game, either through distance, health like me, or perhaps bcause they have would like to take their kids.
And then to cap it all, the match is on that awful medium for football; ITV. I might have the pictures on, but I will be listening to the excellent commentary on BBC Radio 5.
This football fan is seriously pissed off!
According to the BBC this morning, the late start is a UEFA idea to appease the big clubs. But then I suspect that the old farts running that so-called organisation, aren’t real fans and don’t have the transport problems or other responsibilities, that many of us have!
Is It a Good Idea to Cut the BBC Licence Fee?
There are reports today, that the government is wanting to cut the BBC licence fee, as we must all make sacrifices in these hard times.
Obviously, it could be good for the country, but we must make sure that the quality of the BBC’s output doesn’t decline.
My viewing habits are I think fairly typical of someone, who is male and reasonably well off, as I have a subscription to Sky Sports, and digital television and a Sky+ recorder.
- I watch football, cricket, tennis and sometimes other sports on Sky.
- If sport is on the BBC, I usually watch it. Because there is nothing else to do today, I’m watching the golf, but I’d prefer to be watching football, cricket, tennis or athletics.
- I never watch soaps or any drama series that require you to see all episodes. Even things like Spooks, which I do like, I rarely watch.
- I watch intelligent quizzes, like Mastermind, University Challenge and QI and sometimes inane ones like Shooting Stars.
- I always check BBC3 and BBC4 for intelligent or interesting programs.
- I watch old comedy and rarely any new stuff, except for things like Have I Got News For You.
- I watch the repeat channels like Dave, for repeats of programs I like.
- I rarely watch films on television, as you should see them in a proper cinema.
- I never watch anything other than sport with adverts.
- I watch a lot of documentaries and history programs.
- I watch a lot of news programs and always start the day with BBC Breakfast.
- I don’t watch property, gardening and makeover shows
- I only watch ITV, if I’m really desperate.
- I listen a lot to BBC Radio 5 Live and I often contribute to programmes with e-mails.
So cutting the licence fee would not affect my viewing much, unless shows that I liked weren’t made anymore. I worry about BBC Radio 5 and BBC Sport going to Manchester, as I think that could reduce the quality, as the good commentators and production staff, might not want to move north. One northern-born Radio 5 presenter said as much very stridently in an off-air comment, that a microphone picked up. If the north was so good, it would create more jobs without government subsidy, just like London and the greater South East does.
I hope too, that BBC cuts don’t mean that the BBC dumb downs. In fact cuts should mean that programs like East Enders, which are expensive to make should be replaced by something less inane, that would hopefully give ambition and perhaps a degree of education and enlightenment to those less fortunate than myself.
But what we really need is a better way to collect the licence, so that everybody pays and thus it could be reduced without atually reducing the total take to the BBC. Years ago, I proposed a Reverse TV Licence, where the BBC was paid for out of general taxation and if you didn’t have a TV, you got a payment from the government.But with technology now, we could go a lot better. Especially, as we’re all going to have to go digital and many of us will go to satellite or the Internet. Remember, many of us, pay a large subscription for all sorts of services on our mobile phone, but think that all television, music and film should be free.
One thing that has to be born in mind though, is that if the BBC cuts its budget and staff, many of the people affected will not just give up. They will form their own production companies and make innovative programmes, that will probably broadcast through the Internet. The good ones will be found and promoted by the broadcasters and the amount of material generally available that is worth watching and listening to will increase.
One point, I should make, is that the BBC sought my cooperation in a new program project. It droned on for a couple of years and they must have spent a fortune to get no program at all. The program commissioning at the BBC is in my experience, a complete waste of space. It would be so much better if independent companies took all the risk and then presented them to the BBC and others to broadcast. It would not be easy, but in the end, we’d get much better and more affordable television.
I think it is true to say, that some of the best programs, I have seen over the last few years, were created by independents and promoted by the likes of the BBC and Channel 4.
We live in interesting times.
No More ITV Football Hopefully!
It would appear that the second semi-final and the final of the World Cup will be on the BBC.
So I won’t have to watch the worst football coverage I’ve ever had to watch.
How To Be Rude To Visitors
I am watching the World Cup semi-final with a visitor from The Netherlands.
Their experience is ruined by the constant adverts and crass commentary on ITV. After all none of the adverts is relevant to someone with intelligence or who lives outside of the UK.
ITV also always refer to The Netherlands as Holland, which is incorrect, as Holland is just a province of the Netherlands. It’s like using England, when you mean Great Britain or the United Kingdom.
I tried to find a Dutch channel on SKY, so that we could both enjoy it, but there isn’t one.
So we just switched over to Radio 5 at half-time to avoid the drivel!
So Far So Good!
England are a goal ahead, thanks to Defoe. But the biggest improvement is in the advert-free coverage of the BBC. The commentators don’t say the crass statements and make the mistakes, that those of ITV do!
ITV Gets It Wrong Again!
I watched some of the Dutch game on ITV. Where they give the scores they use HOL to indicate The Netherlands. But the BBC use something like NTH.
Obviouly, ITV and most of their viewers don’t know that Holland is just a province of The Netherlands.
Perhaps, Ishould change the tag in this blog, before I get corrected.
ITV’s Bad Commentary on Ghana – Serbia
No advert mistakes this time, the commentator just missed the action. Perhaps, he was in the studio and not at the game?
So for the rest of the matches on ITV, it’ll be pictures only and commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live
Products I Won’t Ever Buy Again!
As these companies are ruining the football by interrupting it with advert breaks, I won’t be buying their products in future.
- Ladbrokes – I use Betfair
- Bacardi – Be patriotic – Drink Scotch or Irish Whisky
- Lucozade Sport – I bet it’s not gluten-free anyway or has maltodextrin in it.
- Bet365 – I use Betfair
- EASports – Only sad people play computer games
- Shell – Be patriotic – Support your pension and annoy the Americans, by buying BP
- Swiftcover – I’m very satisfied with NFU
- Kia – What’s wrong with my Lotus and Jaguar?
- Audi – See Kia
- British Gas – I might buy their products if they connected me to the gas network
- Gillette Fusion – I have a beard and have had one for over 40 years
- Doritos – When I looked they weren’t gluten-free
- Ford S-Max – See Kia
- Freesat – I’ve got Sky AND Freeview
- Sony Ericson Phones – I’ve got a Nokia 6310i
- WKD – Enough said
- Moonpig – I always have a stock of proper cards – Remember my father was a proper printer and anything printed is a work of art to me.
- Stella Artois – Crap chemical lager, that’s not gluten free. What’s wrong with real ale, like Adnams or Greene King anyway.
- We buy any car – I bet they don’t and you’d getn more selling through eBay or AutoTrader
- Carling – See Stella Artois – A policeman once told me, you never get trouble at a real ale pub.
So they’re rather a load of dead beat no-good products anyway, that the civilised world could do without. It either proves you need advertising to sell rubbish or good products don’t need it. Or perhaps both!
ITV Times The Adverts Wrong Again!
It just goes to prove that advert breaks and sport do not mix!
The Anonymous Widower 